Euro 96

Keegan on co-comms.

Keegan on the mic was brilliant IMO - could listen to the bloke all day

Football peaked with this game tbh.

Forgot how close Scotland were to going through.

England's number one striker player for us ffs.

Ah man, would love to see and have that feeling that again someday.

Forgot how close Scotland were to going through.

'til we let the dutch score

Forgot how close Scotland were to going through.

 

'til we let the dutch score

How does a penalty shoot out from 20 odd years ago still make me feel nervous now

Pearce's reaction to his pen

Semifinal has just started for anyone who has forgot.

Semifinal has just started for anyone who has forgot.

I forgot

Probably for the best tbh, not sure I can watch Gazza failing to get to Shearer's cross again. Always gets me.

Ended up watching it on ITV hub, fuck knows why I do this to myself.

If only he'd gotten to that man 

24 years later and that miss still hurts.

Ended up watching it on ITV hub, fuck knows why I do this to myself.

 

 

If only he'd gotten to that man 

 

24 years later and that miss still hurts.

Don’t know what you are on about... we won didn’t we?

That Gascoigne miss was something else, like. Is there a more agonising moment?

Random one but I remember Gary Speed missing what seemed like an open goal for us against Marseille. I used to get myself all upset watching it back on the 03/04 season review video. From one angle it doesn't look particularly clear cut but on the live TV angle, he looked like he couldn't miss. 'orrible.

Edit, the whole game is on YouTube. 54:00 if you want to torture yourself. He definitely should have scored. Fuck.

We (NUFC) we’re unlucky to go deep 3 times in Europe and at least twice be decimated by injuries. Can’t recall the team that messed it up against Lisbon.

Given, Carr, Bramble (Andrew O'Brien 57), Taylor, Babayaro, Jenas (Milner 46), Faye, Bowyer, N'Zogbia, Dyer (Kluivert 60), Shearer.

Not too far away from first choice I don't think? (Bellamy was at Celtic by then, wasn't he?). Just a poor team with a poor manager. Six signings bought that season in there; none of them were any use apart from Zoggy who was obviously very raw at that point and arguably Milner who was also a teenager and who Souness never fancied anyway. It's mad how long we went without buying decent CBs. It felt like a crippling weakness for years and years.

He could have played Robert that night but ego got the better of Souness.

Ended up watching it on ITV hub, fuck knows why I do this to myself.

 

 

If only he'd gotten to that man 

 

24 years later and that miss still hurts.

 

Don’t know what you are on about... we won didn’t we?

 

Class, waited 24 years for that

Cans in the streets forever if that had actually happened :'(

Despite all that Gazza shite I'm glad they got rid of golden goal ET, horrific way to lose a final. the Czechs deserved better than that

Gazza momentarily hesitates when he thinks the keeper will get a touch on it, otherwise he scores.

Up there with Waddle hitting the inside of the post in Extra-Time v West Germany and the Ronaldinho fluke in 02. If those three moments go our way there’s a very good chance we have three more major tournament wins.

Up there with Waddle hitting the inside of the post in Extra-Time v West Germany and the Ronaldinho fluke in 02. If those three moments go our way there’s a very good chance we have three more major tournament wins.

Er, what? I always thought it was one of those absurd stereotypes that English people actually believed this was a fluke.

I suppose Beckham beating Sullivan was a fluke too?

Looking back that England side lacked so many qualities and it showed against Germany, with England technically second best and for all our huff and puff, could t quite match them in terms of play and how each player operated.

I thought Venables made many wrong choices in his squad selection and with it his team selections before the tournament began and especially as it went on. He chose as many experienced players as he could, players with character and guts and that bulldog spirit, but in the end some of them proved too long in the tooth and past their best. Pearce, Gazza even and Platt personified a reluctance to do away with players who no matter their skill, would revert to using any higher work ethic, extra passion, tougher spirit and strength of character over their skill, technique, intelligence and tactics unlike the Germans.

Pearce had all of that in abundance, but he was and always had been poor on the ball, technically limited and as a 3rd left centre-back alongside Adams and Southgate gave nothing more than a left foot and such characteristics which meant poor Mcmanaman, one of our best performers of that tournament and more naturally attacking flair players, ended up as a wing-back which is what, even as a 3rd defender, Pearce should have been.

Why Lesaux wasn’t preferred I don’t know if that’s the system and tactics he would go with against Germany.

Anderton on the other flank, offered nothing more than endeavour, adaptability in that he could come infield or swap flanks, but only because he would work as hard as he could up and down. As an attacking force he was unable to mix his defensive duties with that and ended up playing in midfield a lot or as a defensive full-back, even when England had a lot of the ball.

Southgate and Adams were superb, in and off the ball. Ince was superb too, in the Semi he was box to box, anchoring, carrying the ball and putting in tackles.

Gazza alongside him, as hard as he worked, as hard as he ran, as capable of genius as he was as shown against Scotland and as close as he was to winning the game, he spent most of the match running after people, tackling, chasing back, playing deep and apart from a few brief vintage Gazza moments of old, was clearly no longer the player he was in 1990 and not worth his place just for the odd shimmy, dribble or set piece. He was over an in midfield by a less talented but more economical and brainier Moller.

If Venabkes wanted that kind of player, he should have went with Beardsley who although older, was fitter, in form and just as experienced, and more economical and intelligent with the ball and off it than Gazza. Or he could have played Batty alongside Ince and freed Macmanam of his defensive duties which would have allowed Pearce to stay back and defend and not force himself to get forward which eventually meant Macmanam would have to do a lot of himself to cover or to help his man out.

Anderton, Rob Lee could have done that job and he was in form too. Or the job of Platt.

Up front, despite their performances against Holland, Sheringham was never international class for me and although on paper he and Shearer looked good. Shearer back then  drifted wide and operated less centrally, Sheringham of course dropped deep and that was the plan, to get Gazza, Platt, Anderton and Macmanaman into the box from central or deep which did work well at times.

But Shearer operating wide and Sheringham deep meant England lacked a central presence up front and meant Germany always had a spare man in Sammer or could push one up into midfield to outnumber our own. This also meant Macmanaman coming central to pick the ball up and try and run with it goalwards. He could dribble with the ball, but lacked the proper technique to beat his man this way, he was best wide, ball to feet, slow dribble then shift of feet to knock the ball past his man and use his pace to go after it.

I thought, unbiased, Sir Les should have started centrally even ahead of Shearer and he’d have been the perfect foil for Shearer and our box to box runners, he could also play with his back to goal and turn and run. Like Sheringham I don’t think he was truly international class, but he would have occupied Sammer at least and kept Germany sat deeper and unable to push one on into midfield to give them an extra body.

Germany were not at their best, but they were so clever on the ball and the difference in coaching and culture was evident. Adams would head the ball clear as far forward as he could, Sammer would try and cushion a header to his team-mate. Southgate would control the ball and hook it forward, they would control the ball, kill it and take time and play it out. They picked their passes better, moved better and made the ball do more of the work.

We got to penalties simply because of spirit, endeavour, character, will and being able to match them defensively and by trying to take the game to them. Hoddle’s England a few years later would have destroyed that Germany side.

Pearce, Gazza, Platt and Anderton in particular had no business starring for England in 96 and although Shearer went on to establish himself at that level, I feel he was underused and partnered with the wrong player.

KK new 

Up there with Waddle hitting the inside of the post in Extra-Time v West Germany and the Ronaldinho fluke in 02. If those three moments go our way there’s a very good chance we have three more major tournament wins.

 

Er, what? I always thought it was one of those absurd stereotypes that English people actually believed this was a fluke.

 

I suppose Beckham beating Sullivan was a fluke too?

"When I hit the ball I wanted to shoot for goal - but maybe not exactly where the ball ended up,” he said. “If I'm being totally honest, I was aiming for the other side of the net.

Given, Carr, Bramble (Andrew O'Brien 57), Taylor, Babayaro, Jenas (Milner 46), Faye, Bowyer, N'Zogbia, Dyer (Kluivert 60), Shearer.

 

Not too far away from first choice I don't think? (Bellamy was at Celtic by then, wasn't he?). Just a poor team with a poor manager. Six signings bought that season in there; none of them were any use apart from Zoggy who was obviously very raw at that point and arguably Milner who was also a teenager and who Souness never fancied anyway. It's mad how long we went without buying decent CBs. It felt like a crippling weakness for years and years.

Yes that’s why I only went with 2 out of the 3. Seem to recall us having no forwards against Monaco and Marseille (Home at least).

Change of subject but the ref diddled us against Inter Milan (2-2) Bernard and Bramble iirc being penalised constantly yet their Uruguayan CH was committing foul after foul relatively unpunished.

Back on topic. Always though England‘s performances in Euro 96 we’re massively overrated. Squad selection and omission of Lee and Beardsley and you could argue Cole. TV liked his Spurs players too much.

Controversial but Gazza was especially poor compared to what was expected of him. Already on the decline I suppose due to his lifestyle.

Given, Carr, Bramble (Andrew O'Brien 57), Taylor, Babayaro, Jenas (Milner 46), Faye, Bowyer, N'Zogbia, Dyer (Kluivert 60), Shearer.

 

Not too far away from first choice I don't think? (Bellamy was at Celtic by then, wasn't he?). Just a poor team with a poor manager. Six signings bought that season in there; none of them were any use apart from Zoggy who was obviously very raw at that point and arguably Milner who was also a teenager and who Souness never fancied anyway. It's mad how long we went without buying decent CBs. It felt like a crippling weakness for years and years.

 

Yes that’s why I only went with 2 out of the 3. Seem to recall us having no forwards against Monaco and Marseille (Home at least).

 

Change of subject but the ref diddled us against Inter Milan (2-2) Bernard and Bramble iirc being penalised constantly yet their Uruguayan CH was committing foul after foul relatively unpunished.

 

 

Back on topic. Always though England‘s performances in Euro 96 we’re massively overrated. Squad selection and omission of Lee and Beardsley and you could argue Cole. TV liked his Spurs players too much.

 

Controversial but Gazza was especially poor compared to what was expected of him. Already on the decline I suppose due to his lifestyle.

 

 

Agree RE England