chimneys
Well-known member
- Jun 11, 2007
- 3,609
Great photo! Who is that next to Henke?
Malmo or Stockholm? Pretty sure its not Goteborg.
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[Football] World Cup 1994... where the hell were you?
- Thread starter Swansman
- Start date
Great photo! Who is that next to Henke?
Malmo or Stockholm? Pretty sure its not Goteborg.
MattBackHome
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 11,873
I don't know why I remember this, but I can clearly recall an advert on the build up to that game where someone was singing "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" with some lyrics all about the forthcoming game. It ended with "They'll be sure to beat Nor-wayyyyy".
maltaseagull
Well-known member
1994... the biggest World Cup of all times; an average of over 69 000 spectators per game, a total of 3,6 million attending the games - a record yet to be broken. Played in the only superpower at the time, showing them what football is. One of the warmest summers. The first World Cup of the modern era; the ultra-defensive football of WC 1990 - a tournament only Cameroonians and English care about today - was dead in the water through the removal of the backpass rule and the implemention of the "3 points per win" system.
Obviously the tournament is in Swedish folklore forever. The world might have forgotten it, but we still remember our bronze medal, and scoring the most goals out of any team. I'm guessing very few in here know what a World Cup medal feels like: it feels great. Try it, you'll like it.
The tournament had no Pelé, Cruijff or Maradona (well, he was there for one game before testing positive for cocaine), but about 20 teams playing very attacking football and a huge set of "well he may not have been Pelé but..." players at their peak, like these strikers: Roberto Baggio, Romario, Hristo Stoichkov, Dennis Bergkamp, Jürgen Klinsmann, Gabriel Batistuta.
The tournament was won by Brazil, oddly enough one of the most defensive teams of the tournament relying a lot on their defensive midfielders Dunga & Mauro Silva and Romario/Bebeto grabbing any chance up front, after a boring final against another of the very few defensive minded teams - Italy, with Maldini and Baresi in central defense.
Enough rambling:
1. What happened to you?
2. How do you think you would have fared if you qualified?
3. Did you watch the tournament despite the absence of England? What were your thought and feelings?
What games did you play in to get the medal of which you speak?
PS England have actually won it rather than coming 3rd
Albeit a long long time ago.
maltaseagull
Well-known member
boik
Well-known member
I know what you mean, but I absolutely loved the 78 World Cup. One of my favourite ever. Cheering on the Dutch and giggling at the Scots.
GREASED WEASEL
New member
- Dec 10, 2017
- 2,893
my last year of freedom
went to a few GPs including Adelaide
and remember Bulgaria doing really well in the World Cup
went to a few GPs including Adelaide
and remember Bulgaria doing really well in the World Cup
Perfidious Albion
Well-known member
Since England failed to qualify, I had little interest. I recall there was a World Cup in the USA, but that's all
Is it PotG?
Thrifty non-licker
Kuwait
What games did you play in to get the medal of which you speak?
PS England have actually won it rather than coming 3rd
The kids of today, eh?
Incidentally [MENTION=38333]Swansman[/MENTION], what is all this about Brolin? He was a big fat lump within weeks of arriving at Leeds. What did the saintly ex-Albion star, Howard Wilkinson do to upset Brolin apart from confiscate all the pies?
I was at primary school.
I remember that for some reason I was very upset by Germany losing to Bulgaria.
I remember that for some reason I was very upset by Germany losing to Bulgaria.
crodonilson
He/Him
1994 I met top heavy lovely Janet Rowntree, so I didn't get much chance to watch any football that summer....
- Apr 5, 2014
- 25,922
Sweden only won two matches at the competitive stages of the 1994 World Cup Finals. One against Russia, the other against the Saudis. They got a group draw against an already qualified Brazil.
They did a bit of an 'England' really. Although I'd say they're opposition was a little stronger overall.
- Thread starter
- #34
The kids of today, eh?
Incidentally @<u><a href="https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/member.php?u=38333" target="_blank">Swansman</a></u>, what is all this about Brolin? He was a big fat lump within weeks of arriving at Leeds. What did the saintly ex-Albion star, Howard Wilkinson do to upset Brolin apart from confiscate all the pies?
I dont remember everything in detail but Wilkinson (and more so George Graham) treated him poorly: first of all, when Brolin signed Wilkinson asked "how much money do you want?" and Brolin said he didnt care, he only wanted to know his position. Wilkinson told him he would play as AMC behind Yeboah, but was immediatly placed as a left midfielder, a position Brolin said he didnt have the qualities (he was fat and lazy) to play in.
That was bad of course. Sure, any really professional player would have dealt with it, but Brolin was a cry-baby. If you wanted his brilliance, it was his way or no-ones. I'm not blaming Wilkinson for making those decisions but it did in fact kill off any motivation Brolin had to return as a top player.
George Graham however... Brolin returned a day late for pre-season training because of a car accident, and Graham responded by locking his passport in a safe and completely froze him out of the team. He even had to pay to watch Leeds games. That was the nail in the coffin.
I think Brolin had a chance to get back as a good player, but he needed to be treated with baby gloves since he is a baby. He himself is definitely 98% to blame for his own demise though. He was a world class player from 90-94 but ****ed it up, and the only thing I blame Wilkinson/Graham for is not even trying to un**** it.
After his career as a player, he had a similarly bizarre career as a businessman (running a restaurant known for letting underage people in, and selling some kind of mouthpiece for vacuum cleaners).
The last time he was in the public eye, apart for some interviews, was in a very odd and """"cringe"""" (I hate this word) music video featuring the weird but internationally moderately successful rapper Dr Alban, former tennis pro Björn Borg and some dude they used to drink with at celebrity bars. They called themselves "Friends In Need"...
... worth watching for the completely unashamed and today 100% impossible exploatation of some nice, plastic Swedish babes.
Well this turned out to be something of an essay about Brolin... not sure how that happened since I could probably have summarised my response as "he was and is dumb as a rock but could maybe have turned out ok for Leeds with different managers".
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 10,949
Poor old Graham Taylor. Such a great manager at Watford, but utterly out of his depth with the national team. It defies belief when you look at some of the players who "earned" caps whilst he was manager.
England were utterly inept at Euro '92 (where the aforementioned Brolin tore us a new one), and the qualification tournament for USA 94 was a disaster (albeit helped by Koeman's non dismissal and subsequent goal).
I hated watching England during the Taylor years, and thoroughly enjoyed the World Cup - perhaps because we weren't there - there was nothing to anger me.
Watch this, [MENTION=38333]Swansman[/MENTION]. It is a hugely entertaining documentary showing Taylor and his right hand yes-man, Phil Neal at their incompetent and tragic worst.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLBA8ivsrt8
England were utterly inept at Euro '92 (where the aforementioned Brolin tore us a new one), and the qualification tournament for USA 94 was a disaster (albeit helped by Koeman's non dismissal and subsequent goal).
I hated watching England during the Taylor years, and thoroughly enjoyed the World Cup - perhaps because we weren't there - there was nothing to anger me.
Watch this, [MENTION=38333]Swansman[/MENTION]. It is a hugely entertaining documentary showing Taylor and his right hand yes-man, Phil Neal at their incompetent and tragic worst.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLBA8ivsrt8
ManOfSussex
We wunt be druv
My favourite quote from the Graham Taylor documentary from the failed qualifying campaign (and there are plenty to choose from) that summed up how desperately bad it really was, is by Taylor himself as he despairingly shouts:
'Carlton! We're losing the ship!'
studio150
Well-known member
THE highlight of the 1994 world cup
Funny enough I was in Orlando, nothing to do with the World Cup, I was with my family visiting the theme parks on a 2 week holiday. While in Universal studios we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe during which I payed a visit to their restroom. Toilet flunky comes up behind me as I'm washing my hands and asks if I would like to try any of the array of after shaves they had on display. "No thanks I'm ok", "Oh you're British, are you over here to support the Irish team in the World Cup?", "no, I'm English and couldn't give a toss about The Republic of Ireland"
He looked confused as I walked out shaking my head giving him a look of pity, and no f***ing tip!
He looked confused as I walked out shaking my head giving him a look of pity, and no f***ing tip!
METALMICKY
Well-known member
- Jan 30, 2004
- 6,826
Was a little bit meh about that world cup. For me there was only a curious long time legacy. I bought a British blue shorthair cat and was looking for a slightly off kilter cat name. Accordingly, spent the next 18 years when on vet visits spelling out Baggio
- Thread starter
- #40
I was wondering the same thing, meaning its probably the quite anonymous left back Roger Ljung.
What games did you play in to get the medal of which you speak?
PS England have actually won it rather than coming 3rd
Yeah I know you won but as said... Quite few of you have any memories from it. I think you have a very good chance of getting a another medal in the not too distant future though - South America is clearly losing ground to Europe and English talent development seems very advanced now, compared to before when it was really lagging behind.
In the group stage... Cameroon, who were quite decent (as proven in their previous tournament), though "superstar" Roger Milla had turned 42. Russia with a decent team as well and could have gone far if they were not in complete chaos. Brazil, quite alright.
In the knockout stage we played Saudi Arabia, arguably the weakest opponents of the tournament, but they had still beaten Belgium and only lost 2-1 against the Netherlands, so they were not a punching bag. In the quarter finals we played Romania, a great football nation at the time (knocked out Argentina), led by Popescu (later Barca) and Hagi (astonishing player).
Semi-finals.. lost to Brazil. They had four days rest while we only had three, playing 120 minutes against Romania. Looked tired from minute 1. When Jonas Thern got a red card after an hour, it was over. Brazil won with 1-0, Romario scoring the goal in the 80th minute, but they could have scored another three or four.
Bronze game was against Bulgaria and you may think "lol thats nothing", but that Bulgaria side was absolutely world class, it wasnt just Hristo Stoichkov. With how they were playing, they could have won the tournament. But when they were to play the bronze game against us, they just looked like they didnt care (which of course they regret later because a World Cup bronze is still special). We crushed them 4-0 and they just shrugged their shoulders. Dont think their fans ever forgave them. The Bulgarian commentators comment for the Larsson-Limpar change at the end of the game, "..and Sweden replace the n*gger with a gypsy" tells a story.
All in all, we had a fairly normal road to the bronze. Eastern Europe may not be very good at football these days, but they used to be great. Hell, you should know - they won you a World Cup!