Euro 96' and England

Watch the Spain game.  Just watch it. 
 

Spain score 2 onside goals that are ruled off. 
 

they also win 3 pens but none given. 
 

dominate the game start to finish. 

1 hour ago, Bez said:

Watch the Spain game.  Just watch it. 
 

Spain score 2 onside goals that are ruled off. 
 

they also win 3 pens but none given. 
 

dominate the game start to finish. 

Yea I saw a bit of it...and they should have had a goal just before half-time.

Tournament football is never classic, liquid football - much like FA Cup finals.

Often, the very best tournament performances are of a psychological and siege like nature. Italia 90 isn't thought of as being a footballing tournament but was a watershed in English football beyond the physical games themselves.

Countries often came up against other nations who were almost alien to them in footballing terms, especially the Asian and African nations. Look at how the Cameroonians lit up the afore mentioned tournament and the South Koreans in 2002.

The modern, cosmopolitan game at club level has eroded the competitive and curious nature of international football as more and more foreign players joined the Premier League and eligibility standards for players became more and more relaxed.

Playing for England, pre-21st century, carried an immense pride yet simutaneous burden upon players shoulders. And for me it was infinitely more interesting than the Americanised and sterile bore-festbof today.

6 hours ago, Bannofan said:

Listening to the Guardian football weekly podcast; they watched England V Netherlands again .

 

Thoughts were it wasn't the 'hammering '  that has become legend, more of a freak result.

 

Gascoigne,  bar that goal against Scotland,  was awful all tournament..overweight and unfit. 

 

Venables was building a team and a system for the 1998 world cup, but Hoddle came in after Venables quit and built his own team.

 

When you look at the 96 & 98 squads, it's amazing that there is only 2 years between them. 

We weren't consistently great but at the of the day we lost on penalties to the winners and could have easily won that game. Spain were easily the better side against us and we got lucky but that was often the case for Spain in that era, good to watch but lacked killer instinct and rub of the green at times.

We have had better squads in more recent years that have achieved much less. Knocked out in the group stage in Euro 2000 because we couldn't defend, failed to qualify for Euro 2008 which is embarrassing given how qualifying for these tournaments is much easier than it was in the 80's and 90's. 

Failed miserably at World Cups in 2010 and 2014 and knocked out by the mighty Iceland in Euro 2016.  

46 minutes ago, Arthur Bach said:

Tournament football is never classic, liquid football - much like FA Cup finals.

 

Often, the very best tournament performances are of a psychological and siege like nature. Italia 90 isn't thought of as being a footballing tournament but was a watershed in English football beyond the physical games themselves.

 

Countries often came up against other nations who were almost alien to them in footballing terms, especially the Asian and African nations. Look at how the Cameroonians lit up the afore mentioned tournament and the South Koreans in 2002.

 

The modern, cosmopolitan game at club level has eroded the competitive and curious nature of international football as more and more foreign players joined the Premier League and eligibility standards for players became more and more relaxed.

 

Playing for England, pre-21st century, carried an immense pride yet simutaneous burden upon players shoulders. And for me it was infinitely more interesting than the Americanised and sterile bore-festbof today.

This is true in many cases. France hardly looked like world champions in the group stages of the last world cup, Spain lost their opening game in 2010, Italy snaked past Australia in the last 16 in 2006, Greece were a defensive borefest in 2004........

On 07/06/2020 at 12:59, Bez said:

Watch the Spain game.  Just watch it. 
 

Spain score 2 onside goals that are ruled off. 
 

they also win 3 pens but none given. 
 

dominate the game start to finish. 

And still lost on pens 

What  euro 96 games did anyone  go to ?  I went  to all the games at hilsbrough  Spain v Romania at Ellend Road and the final..... one thing i remember  was the tickets where pricey  £45  for the North stand and £60 bench seats for  the final

11 hours ago, panda800 said:

What  euro 96 games did anyone  go to ?  I went  to all the games at hilsbrough  Spain v Romania at Ellend Road and the final..... one thing i remember  was the tickets where pricey  £45  for the North stand and £60 bench seats for  the final

Probably explains why many of the grounds weren't full to capacity for the games. That said, in 1996 football in this country was still to shoot off into the stratosphere, and gates were down across the board compared to what we get now in the PL. 

By the way, what was the old Wembley like as a ground? I'm too young to have visited, but it looks immense in these Euro 96 games. Real shame they couldn't have preserved the twin towers in the new design.  

1 hour ago, owls maniac said:

Probably explains why many of the grounds weren't full to capacity for the games. That said, in 1996 football in this country was still to shoot off into the stratosphere, and gates were down across the board compared to what we get now in the PL. 

 

By the way, what was the old Wembley like as a ground? I'm too young to have visited, but it looks immense in these Euro 96 games. Real shame they couldn't have preserved the twin towers in the new design.  

I went to the five games at Wembley to watch Wembley and I was less than impressed.  It was old and tired in the 90s.

For the League Cup 91 visit I was on the front row, there was still fences and the pitch was raised and all you could see was legs.  For the FA cup final I was on the back row and you couldn't even see the royal box because of the roof so I'd have missed it if we'd have won the cup.  Also the fans behind the net were miles away from the pitch.  Only good thing I can say about it was like a cauldron atmosphere with singing echoing around and breaking out at random areas.  And we totally outsung Arsenal with less than a third fans there with 'Tricky Trevs Barmy Army'  going on for about 15 minutes.  I'm sure the atmosphere for the Euros was special but personally I've always preferred Old Trafford as a stadium. 

20 minutes ago, HIGHERSTATE said:

I went to the five games at Wembley to watch Wembley and I was less than impressed.  It was old and tired in the 90s.

 

For the League Cup 91 visit I was on the front row, there was still fences and the pitch was raised and all you could see was legs.  For the FA cup final I was on the back row and you couldn't even see the royal box because of the roof so I'd have missed it if we'd have won the cup.  Also the fans behind the net were miles away from the pitch.  Only good thing I can say about it was like a cauldron atmosphere with singing echoing around and breaking out at random areas.  And we totally outsung Arsenal with less than a third fans there with 'Tricky Trevs Barmy Army'  going on for about 15 minutes.  I'm sure the atmosphere for the Euros was special but personally I've always preferred Old Trafford as a stadium. 

That is really insightful, thanks. Is there an existing stadium that you would say the facilities were on par with? 

Interesting what you say about the roof and views of the pitch, and in that respect the current stadium is lightyears in front of it. I think the atmosphere factor is what lets the current one down. The idiots at the FA giving over the middle tier to the prawn sarnie brigade breaks up the atmosphere. That said, it was bouncing when we were there for the play off final. 

Inevitably we look back at the old stadium through rose tinted glasses because it played host to some of the greatest moments in our national football heritage. The way that FA cup final games are perceived now means that the new ground is unlikely to have the same aura. 

And I agree about Old Trafford. When England were touring the country whilst Wembley was being rebuilt we would often go and watch them at OT. 

3 hours ago, owls maniac said:

Probably explains why many of the grounds weren't full to capacity for the games. That said, in 1996 football in this country was still to shoot off into the stratosphere, and gates were down across the board compared to what we get now in the PL. 

 

By the way, what was the old Wembley like as a ground? I'm too young to have visited, but it looks immense in these Euro 96 games. Real shame they couldn't have preserved the twin towers in the new design.  

The old one was awful  with the  facilities  to match

On 10/06/2020 at 11:18, owls maniac said:

That is really insightful, thanks. Is there an existing stadium that you would say the facilities were on par with? 

 

Interesting what you say about the roof and views of the pitch, and in that respect the current stadium is lightyears in front of it. I think the atmosphere factor is what lets the current one down. The idiots at the FA giving over the middle tier to the prawn sarnie brigade breaks up the atmosphere. That said, it was bouncing when we were there for the play off final. 

 

Inevitably we look back at the old stadium through rose tinted glasses because it played host to some of the greatest moments in our national football heritage. The way that FA cup final games are perceived now means that the new ground is unlikely to have the same aura. 

 

And I agree about Old Trafford. When England were touring the country whilst Wembley was being rebuilt we would often go and watch them at OT. 

I would love to play a play-off final at Old Trafford.  I think the whole Wednesday invade Manchester would be amazing...and it's a hell of a lot easier to get to than Wembley.  Imagine what it would be like if we won.  Not even worth thinking about ;).

Euros should’ve started today

3 hours ago, 442 said:

Euros should’ve started today

You due to head to any of the games?

1 hour ago, Belfast Owl 2 said:

 

You due to head to any of the games?

Should’ve been going to Rome for the quarters. Hoping host cities stay the same and I’ll be out there next year.