[Football] 20 years ago today - England 3 - 0 Denmark

[Is it PotG?]

Back when we were any good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NY3LU8HCWA

 

[Stat Brother]

Were we?

 

[BadFish]

Were we?

That was one of the many major competitions we won when managed by a top-class tactical manager. Don't you remember? I suppose that is because Southgate has dragged us down to only getting a h lal and final appearance in the last few years.

Bring back the glory days under those top managers.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Were we?

I missed it too. Wasn't that the year we needed a last minute equaliser at home to Greece to qualify?

Also had we managed to beat either Sweden or Nigeria in the group stage, we'd have missed Brazil in the 1/4 finals and would have played Turkey instead...

 

[Deleted member 37369]

I watched it on holiday with a couple of mates in Faliraki

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

That was our only good performance in that tournament.

 

[Jesus Gul]

I was there! Brilliant trip. 12 games in 23 days partly financed by selling our Japan v Russia R16 tickets for 600 dollars a pop. 20 years though

 

[Easy 10]

That was a bang average Denmark we clumped. The rest of the tournament we were largely bobbins, and (as usual) lost to the first decent team we faced.

Textbook England.

 

[zefarelly]

That was a bang average Denmark we clumped. The rest of the tournament we were largely bobbins, and (as usual) lost to the first decent team we faced.

Textbook England.

Exactly, England have been like this my whole life, every now and then manage to string enough of a game together to get hopes up, then revert to a traditional Scotland like level of performance.

The best thing about world cup finals is watching mickey mouse countries play with wild abandon and actually entertain.

 

[nwgull]

We were very average that tournament. Second in the group stage (which Sweden won) and barely put up a fight against Brazil in the QF despite them only having 10 men for over half an hour.

 

[Weststander]

Sven wasted a quality group of England players when it came to tournaments.

Rooney, Gerrard, Scholes, Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Campbell, A.Cole, J.Cole, G.Neville, L.King, Hargreaves … performers/winners at club level in the EPL and sometimes CL.

Imho the 1986/1990 Bobby Robson would’ve inspirationally got a far better song out of them.

Sven seemed always motivated by money and ‘chasing skirt’

 

[Easy 10]

Sven wasted a quality group of England players when it came to tournaments.

Rooney, Gerrard, Scholes, Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Campbell, A.Cole, J.Cole, G.Neville, L.King, Hargreaves … performers/winners at club level in the EPL and sometimes CL.

Imho the 1986/1990 Bobby Robson would’ve inspirationally got a far better song out of them.

Sven seemed always motivated by money and ‘chasing skirt’

I recently read Gary Neville's autobiography, and he speaks at length about his time under Sven with England. Essentially all the players liked him, but he cited a distinct lack of intensity in training with England, compared with Man Utd. They were not a well drilled squad, Sven was also welded his 4-4-2 and shoe-horning all the "best" players into his starting XI regardless of where they played for their club. Which meant there wasn't really any competition for places, because everyone knew that at least 8-9 places were absolutely nailed on, so the players became complacent under him. Nobody had to fight for their place.

Gerrard/Lampard always HAD to play CM, so Scholes was played on the left wing - which he hated, and hence retired from International football at 29. When Neville got injured and there was no obvious replacement, he played Beckham at right wingback. Square pegs in round holes all over the pitch.

I think we DID have the players to win or go very close to winning that tournament. But we had a manager who indulged his favourites and never really built a team out of them.

 

[A1X]

That 2002 World Cup (and the 2004 Euros) were, for me, the big missed chances. Should have won at least one of those, or at least come close.

 

[hart's shirt]

I was there! Brilliant trip. 12 games in 23 days partly financed by selling our Japan v Russia R16 tickets for 600 dollars a pop. 20 years though

I was there too for England's group games and a few extra.

Bumped into ex-NSC and Albion stalwart Mr Blobby (Mark) on the train up to Sapporo for the Argentina match.

Didn't have a hotel there, so stayed out and celebrated in the park all night with the England fans before getting on the first train out.

Had to be back in the UK before the R16 game, so sold my ticket for £450 on the train which paid for the flight.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Gerrard/Lampard always HAD to play CM, so Scholes was played on the left wing - which he hated, and hence retired from International football at 29. When Neville got injured and there was no obvious replacement, he played Beckham at right wingback. Square pegs in round holes all over the pitch.

Every other country would have built their sides around Scholes at 29 years old.

 

[hart's shirt]

Here's the video with Gerrard, Lampard and Ferdinand from 5 years ago about the 'Golden Generation'.

Gerrard proposes a few factors for why they didn't win anything.

A formation that doesn't suit the qualities of the players didn't work then. It's not working now.

Well worth another watch in the light of yesterday's horror show.

 

[nwgull]

Sven wasted a quality group of England players when it came to tournaments.

Rooney, Gerrard, Scholes, Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Campbell, A.Cole, J.Cole, G.Neville, L.King, Hargreaves … performers/winners at club level in the EPL and sometimes CL.

Imho the 1986/1990 Bobby Robson would’ve inspirationally got a far better song out of them.

Sven seemed always motivated by money and ‘chasing skirt’

I sometimes think we look at the Bobby Robson era through rose-tinted specs. We were ok in 86, terrible in Euro 88 and had a kind run to the semi in 1990, where, to be fair, we did give Germany their hardest game of the tournament. Robson was helped by having a team containing Gazza playing the best football he ever played in his career, and at a level that I don't think any England player has come close to matching since.

 

[Jesus Gul]

 

[Weststander]

I recently read Gary Neville's autobiography, and he speaks at length about his time under Sven with England. Essentially all the players liked him, but he cited a distinct lack of intensity in training with England, compared with Man Utd. They were not a well drilled squad, Sven was also welded his 4-4-2 and shoe-horning all the "best" players into his starting XI regardless of where they played for their club. Which meant there wasn't really any competition for places, because everyone knew that at least 8-9 places were absolutely nailed on, so the players became complacent under him. Nobody had to fight for their place.

Gerrard/Lampard always HAD to play CM, so Scholes was played on the left wing - which he hated, and hence retired from International football at 29. When Neville got injured and there was no obvious replacement, he played Beckham at right wingback. Square pegs in round holes all over the pitch.

I think we DID have the players to win or go very close to winning that tournament. But we had a manager who indulged his favourites and never really built a team out of them.

All true I think.

The FA also flitted from pillar to post - relaxed do anything you want types (Sven)/matey with the players, bring the WAG's, to monastic disciplinarian Capello.

The suited heads of the Suffolk FA and Westmoreland Women's FA didn’t know wtf they were doing.

 

[Weststander]

I sometimes think we look at the Bobby Robson era through rose-tinted specs. We were ok in 86, terrible in Euro 88 and had a kind run to the semi in 1990, where, to be fair, we did give Germany their hardest game of the tournament. Robson was helped by having a team containing Gazza playing the best football he ever played in his career, and at a level that I don't think any England player has come close to matching since.

I've not forgotten 1988. But we were in a hellish group, including the two brilliant finalists, Van Basten/Gullit/Rikjard, and Ireland had some great English & Irish players. But yes, a low point.

Overall though I loved his 1982 to 1990 tenure. Tons of classy Wembley wins too, the destruction of a brilliant Yugoslavia team in Belgrade in 1987, Spain 2-4 England in 1987. I worked with a load of folk who went to every Wembley occasion in the 80's, they were glowing after each England game.

Robson's CV at little Ipswich was astonishing. With Clough, two English greats in man-management, deserving of the top job.