Cheers, Frosty. I had no idea I needed this thread but apparently I did.
Graham Taylor - England Manager - A Retrospective
- Thread starter Frosty
- Start date
You know what, this is one of the best threads I've come across, regardless of forums, in quite some time. Sterling initiative and effort @Frosty !
Match 16 - France (h) - Friendly
Firstly, thank you all for the positive comments. I will draw on them as I review some very poor football which is coming up.
England played France in mid-February 1992, after the January 1992 draw for Euro 92.
Only two teams were seeded - Sweden as hosts and the Netherlands as holders. Out of the eight finalists, England had the worst qualification record, and had scored the fewest goals.
England were drawn in a group with Sweden, France and Yugoslavia. The top two sides in each group would qualify for the semi-finals.
So here is a great chance for England to play against a side they would face in June. This was the first of six friendly games to prepare England for the tournament. France were unbeaten in nearly three years and nineteen games. They were expected to present a serious challenge to Taylor's England. They were managed by Michel Platini.
They didn't. England won 2-0 in a very good performance. We are told by John Motson that France have (still) never scored a goal at Wembley.
France's team includes Didier Deschamps, Basile Boli, Jean-Pierre Papin, and Laurent Blanc. Oh, and Nîmes player Eric Cantona, who is on loan at Leeds. Blanc is 26 years old here. He wouldn't be signed by United for another 9 1/2 years. They have some quality, and produce chances. They dominate possession in the first half, but England defend well.
Woods does save very well from a Deschamps shot in the first half (minute 34:10). France also miss an open goal (see minute 74:30 of the full game).
England lined up in a 3-4-1-2:
Chris Woods
Martin Keown (on debut)
Des Walker
Mark Wright (playing as sweeper)
Rob Jones (right wing-back, on debut)
Neil Webb
Geoff Thomas
Stuart Pearce (c)
Nigel Clough
Alan Shearer (on debut)
David Hirst
This will be an ongoing talking point throughout 1992 - should England play 5 at the back (as they did in Italia 90) or 4 at the back? The team tried both formations many times.
England were missing David Platt, David Batty, John Barnes, Tony Adams, and Paul Gascoigne. David Rocastle picked up an injury in training, meaning he does not play either.
Neil Webb makes his first appearance since the Third Place Playoff against Italy in Bari in July 1990. He was a great midfielder. United signed him from Notts Forest in 1989 and he knackered his Achilles tendon on England duty, and was never the same.
So that is three debuts, and one recall after 18 months.
Even in victory, there was controversy. This was the first game after Lineker had declared that he would retire after the Euros.
David Hirst (aged 24) wins his third cap alongside Shearer as debutant, as Taylor looks to build for the future. Hirst doesn't do much, admittedly against a great side, is substituted at half time, and never plays for England again.
Lineker replaces Hirst him from the bench. Lineker only found out the day before that he would not start. He would score 28 goals for Spurs in the 91/92 season.
Shearer scores from an England corner, somehow being left unmarked 6 yards out, sweeping a Mark Wright header home.
I have a treat. The full game, with a clock and score displayed at all times:
It is from a Fox Sports stream in 2006, so I hope you enjoy the American adverts during the break.
Here are some brief highlights:
Chris Woods seems to have an Onana like ability to parry shots back into the danger area (see 82:50 for one example...). How Seaman hasn't replaced him is beyond me. Arsenal just won the league. But this is a manager with an aversion to Waddle, Bruce, Beardsley and McManaman and so on, so I should not be surprised.
At 1-0 up, Geoff Thomas is put clean through. He is thirty yards from goal. The goalkeeper is off his line. Thomas has not scored for England. This is it. His moment of glory. Score here and he could be on the plane for the Euros. He decides. What would look better than to make the goalkeeper look foolish with a skilfully executed chip, with the Wembley crowd erupting at this incredible act of finishing....
Oh. Thomas actually had a good game IMO, but after this miss he is never picked for England again (can you spot a theme?!)
I should not be too hard. Fabio Cappello also handed out a lot of caps, including one to Jay Bothroyd.
At 61:00 Lineker fashions on to a through ball and hits his shot just wide. At 72:30 he does one better, scoring England's second and his 47th England goal. Shearer's cross is met with a sweet volley from Nigel Clough, which is spilled by the keeper. Lineker follows up with a header onto the bar, and he then gets a further chance to score, which he does with another header.
Taylor was impressed with Lineker's efforts. In his memoir he wrote: "he scored and worked very well for the team, which was not necessarily a part of his game".
I should add that Lineker's son George was diagnosed by myeloid leukaemia in late 1991, and was given a 50% chance of survival. Lineker was told on several occasions that his son might not live through the night. Lineker spent all his time outside of playing and training at his son's side (he would fully recover).
He actually spoke about this in his interview with Amol Rajan yesterday (22 April 2025): https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/gary-lineker-dreamed-little-white-35095266.
George entered remission in the summer of 1992. The fact that Lineker was able to continue playing given all of this is testament to his character.
After defeat by England, France collapsed. They did not win until October 1992, in their ninth match following the defeat: https://eu-football.info/_matches.php?id=73&year=1992.
When the two sides played in June, Platini would play a much more defensive lineup.
Other highlights:
At 30:25 Basile Boli goes in studs up on Neil Webb. No card. What do you have to do to be sent off?
At 45:45 Basile Boli goes in studs up on Gary Lineker and appears to land half way up his shin. He gets a booking. What do you have to do to be sent off?
At 75:45 Bernard Casoni earns a yellow card for attempting to dropkick Neil Webb, WHO IS TAKING A THROW-IN. He is booked. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO BE SENT OFF?
Who is up next in our carousel of friendlies?
England play their next two games against a country which no longer exists (Czechoslovakia) and an intergovernmental trade organisation (the Commonwealth of Independent States).
Firstly, thank you all for the positive comments. I will draw on them as I review some very poor football which is coming up.
England played France in mid-February 1992, after the January 1992 draw for Euro 92.
Only two teams were seeded - Sweden as hosts and the Netherlands as holders. Out of the eight finalists, England had the worst qualification record, and had scored the fewest goals.
England were drawn in a group with Sweden, France and Yugoslavia. The top two sides in each group would qualify for the semi-finals.
So here is a great chance for England to play against a side they would face in June. This was the first of six friendly games to prepare England for the tournament. France were unbeaten in nearly three years and nineteen games. They were expected to present a serious challenge to Taylor's England. They were managed by Michel Platini.
They didn't. England won 2-0 in a very good performance. We are told by John Motson that France have (still) never scored a goal at Wembley.
France's team includes Didier Deschamps, Basile Boli, Jean-Pierre Papin, and Laurent Blanc. Oh, and Nîmes player Eric Cantona, who is on loan at Leeds. Blanc is 26 years old here. He wouldn't be signed by United for another 9 1/2 years. They have some quality, and produce chances. They dominate possession in the first half, but England defend well.
Woods does save very well from a Deschamps shot in the first half (minute 34:10). France also miss an open goal (see minute 74:30 of the full game).
England lined up in a 3-4-1-2:
Chris Woods
Martin Keown (on debut)
Des Walker
Mark Wright (playing as sweeper)
Rob Jones (right wing-back, on debut)
Neil Webb
Geoff Thomas
Stuart Pearce (c)
Nigel Clough
Alan Shearer (on debut)
David Hirst
This will be an ongoing talking point throughout 1992 - should England play 5 at the back (as they did in Italia 90) or 4 at the back? The team tried both formations many times.
England were missing David Platt, David Batty, John Barnes, Tony Adams, and Paul Gascoigne. David Rocastle picked up an injury in training, meaning he does not play either.
Neil Webb makes his first appearance since the Third Place Playoff against Italy in Bari in July 1990. He was a great midfielder. United signed him from Notts Forest in 1989 and he knackered his Achilles tendon on England duty, and was never the same.
So that is three debuts, and one recall after 18 months.
Even in victory, there was controversy. This was the first game after Lineker had declared that he would retire after the Euros.
David Hirst (aged 24) wins his third cap alongside Shearer as debutant, as Taylor looks to build for the future. Hirst doesn't do much, admittedly against a great side, is substituted at half time, and never plays for England again.
Lineker replaces Hirst him from the bench. Lineker only found out the day before that he would not start. He would score 28 goals for Spurs in the 91/92 season.
Shearer scores from an England corner, somehow being left unmarked 6 yards out, sweeping a Mark Wright header home.
I have a treat. The full game, with a clock and score displayed at all times:
It is from a Fox Sports stream in 2006, so I hope you enjoy the American adverts during the break.
Here are some brief highlights:
Chris Woods seems to have an Onana like ability to parry shots back into the danger area (see 82:50 for one example...). How Seaman hasn't replaced him is beyond me. Arsenal just won the league. But this is a manager with an aversion to Waddle, Bruce, Beardsley and McManaman and so on, so I should not be surprised.
At 1-0 up, Geoff Thomas is put clean through. He is thirty yards from goal. The goalkeeper is off his line. Thomas has not scored for England. This is it. His moment of glory. Score here and he could be on the plane for the Euros. He decides. What would look better than to make the goalkeeper look foolish with a skilfully executed chip, with the Wembley crowd erupting at this incredible act of finishing....
Oh. Thomas actually had a good game IMO, but after this miss he is never picked for England again (can you spot a theme?!)
I should not be too hard. Fabio Cappello also handed out a lot of caps, including one to Jay Bothroyd.
At 61:00 Lineker fashions on to a through ball and hits his shot just wide. At 72:30 he does one better, scoring England's second and his 47th England goal. Shearer's cross is met with a sweet volley from Nigel Clough, which is spilled by the keeper. Lineker follows up with a header onto the bar, and he then gets a further chance to score, which he does with another header.
Taylor was impressed with Lineker's efforts. In his memoir he wrote: "he scored and worked very well for the team, which was not necessarily a part of his game".
I should add that Lineker's son George was diagnosed by myeloid leukaemia in late 1991, and was given a 50% chance of survival. Lineker was told on several occasions that his son might not live through the night. Lineker spent all his time outside of playing and training at his son's side (he would fully recover).
He actually spoke about this in his interview with Amol Rajan yesterday (22 April 2025): https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/gary-lineker-dreamed-little-white-35095266.
George entered remission in the summer of 1992. The fact that Lineker was able to continue playing given all of this is testament to his character.
After defeat by England, France collapsed. They did not win until October 1992, in their ninth match following the defeat: https://eu-football.info/_matches.php?id=73&year=1992.
When the two sides played in June, Platini would play a much more defensive lineup.
Other highlights:
At 30:25 Basile Boli goes in studs up on Neil Webb. No card. What do you have to do to be sent off?
At 45:45 Basile Boli goes in studs up on Gary Lineker and appears to land half way up his shin. He gets a booking. What do you have to do to be sent off?
At 75:45 Bernard Casoni earns a yellow card for attempting to dropkick Neil Webb, WHO IS TAKING A THROW-IN. He is booked. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO BE SENT OFF?
Who is up next in our carousel of friendlies?
England play their next two games against a country which no longer exists (Czechoslovakia) and an intergovernmental trade organisation (the Commonwealth of Independent States).
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Really enjoying this, fair play. So many debuts and disappearances in every match it seems.
Even though I'm not English it still annoys the hell out of me that Bruce was never capped at Senior Level bar an "England B" appearance. I get there was options but christ to not even receive 1 cap is outlandish
Kind of feels that France friendly was when GT was starting to get the right idea but then injuries happened and he started calling up and starting poorer players.
I like a fair few of that line up. Mark Wright and Rob Jones were both good players signed by Liverpool and regulars for them in mid 90s but both picked up loads of injuries so not sure if that was the case between 92-94 as guessing they barely figured again in the Taylor era. Think both were on standby for the Euro 96 squad.
Keown also should've been used more. Then further up field Clough was always better at Forest as the link player than directly playing upfront so him behind two forwards could've worked but of course Gazza was always starting ahead of him when around. Shearer after this broke his leg and missed about a year so big impact on the next qualifying campaign, was he even available for Euro 92?
I like a fair few of that line up. Mark Wright and Rob Jones were both good players signed by Liverpool and regulars for them in mid 90s but both picked up loads of injuries so not sure if that was the case between 92-94 as guessing they barely figured again in the Taylor era. Think both were on standby for the Euro 96 squad.
Keown also should've been used more. Then further up field Clough was always better at Forest as the link player than directly playing upfront so him behind two forwards could've worked but of course Gazza was always starting ahead of him when around. Shearer after this broke his leg and missed about a year so big impact on the next qualifying campaign, was he even available for Euro 92?
From memory, Graham Taylor had basically been lined up for the job for a number of years, so it was largely seen as a feit accompli. And yes, he was definitely the 'safe pair of hands' as far as the FA were concerned. He did quite well with Watford to be fair, but you're also correct in saying that Howard Kendall was the outstanding candidate. I don't know if Kendall was ever considered for the job. I seem to recall reading that he said he wasn't interested in it but I guess we'll never know.
Thanks! Probably the big problem for Kendall with England was his drink issues. I'm sure Neville Southall once said he went in for contract talks at Everton and Kendall got a glass of wine out to conduct the talks. 
So him managing Gazza wouldn't have been a great mix.
Brilliant manager in the 80s but was past his best probably by the time of his second spell at Everton which was 91/93.
So him managing Gazza wouldn't have been a great mix.Brilliant manager in the 80s but was past his best probably by the time of his second spell at Everton which was 91/93.
Kendall was shortlisted but declined an interview:
"When Bobby Robson was offloaded as England manager after the 1990 World Cup, Kendall was shortlisted for the role by the Football Association but declined to be interviewed, because he did not fancy the loneliness of the job."
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/oct/18/howard-kendall
"When Bobby Robson was offloaded as England manager after the 1990 World Cup, Kendall was shortlisted for the role by the Football Association but declined to be interviewed, because he did not fancy the loneliness of the job."
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/oct/18/howard-kendall
Clough at his peak could have done well with them but there was no way the blazers were ever going to give it to him
Match 17 - Czechoslovakia (a) - Friendly
We aren't even half way. England are not great here, especially considering the performance against France.
This match is played in March 1992, just three months out from the Euros, and it is clear Taylor does not yet have a first XI in mind, let alone a squad. We have 7 changes and a new tactical system introduced.
I had zero recollection of this game's existence, let alone the poor performance. Apparently, the population of Prague had no knowledge of the game taking place either, as only 3,300 people turn up to watch.
On the plus side the Cold War has ended, which is referenced by Martin Tyler on commentary on a number of occasions, including telling us how much 'the Czechs' are enjoying their new 'free market economy', and extolling how many of their footballers play 'in the West'. We are also told about the 'air of republicanism' about the country, fostered by liberation and democracy. Yeah, the game is so drab that the commentator is waxing about geopolitical matters.
Let's get the formalities out of the way - the game ends in a 2-2 draw. Taylor's England have still only lost one game, against the world champions. But good grief this is insipid at times:
First, however, we need to play a fun new game, which is "What is England's formation?"
The Starting XI
David Seaman
Martin Keown
Stuart Pearce (c)
David Rocastle
Des Walker
Gary Mabbutt
David Platt
Paul Merson
Nigel Clough
Mark Hateley
John Barnes
The Game
Okay, so no debuts today, but England do line up in their old third kit, making them look like Coventry City.
Rocastle comes back after injury ruled him out against France, replacing Rob Jones. Lineker is on the bench (apparently recovering from tonsilitis) again as Taylor tinkers with the front line. Today Paul Merson is paired with Mark Hateley, who at 30 wins his first cap in four years, replacing Shearer. Gary Mabbutt comes in for Mark Wright, Seaman comes in for Chris Woods, John Barnes replaces David Hirst and Webb and Thomas are replaced by Platt and Merson.
This is how, I think, England line up to start the game:
I say 'I think', because Rocastle and Pearce end up as full backs. Shock horror, David Rocastle is not a full back. This is not the last time Taylor puts a winger there. Rocastle keeps popping up on the left hand side as well, meaning Des Walker is often isolated against two Czechoslovak players.
Taylor, having previously proclaimed England “the best in the world at 4-4-2,”, became convinced he needed to deploy a sweeper system with an extra centre back. The problem was that he didn’t possess a defender capable of performing the role.
Barnes is given a free role, and Clough is pushed up with the strikers, meaning that England's midfield is David Platt. Unsurprisingly, the Czechoslovak team enjoy this massive gap between the forwards and defence. It is just like watching United under ETH! Despite the number of attacking players, service to the strikers is very bad.
Barnes is not in his element in central midfield (see minute 7:30 of the video for a mistake leading to a chance).
Czechoslovakia score the first goal (23:30), a glancing header by Skuhravý from a free kick on the right. Seaman.... dives? I think? He tries to make himself look busy? It is not a good look. England have done nothing before they concede.
Never fear - Paul Merson equalises (31:05) with a scuffed shot after two defenders fail to intercept a weak cross. Luděk Mikloško is in goal. He denied United the title with heroics for West Ham on the final day of the 94/95 season. Clearly he had goalkeeping lessons between 92 and 95, as he makes a complete hash of Merson's attempt. 1-1 at half time.
Paul Stewart and Lee Dixon come on at half time for Rocastle and Clough. Ron Atkinson at half time sounds half asleep making comments on the match (49:30). He is indifferent about the performance, stating that we need to try out these new players and the new system. He did not expect much from this 'experiment'.
This appears to make England into an effective 5-3-2:
Now at least England have a midfield, but the changes mean that the side is even more defensively minded. So much so that the Czechoslovak team dominate possession and England can barely get out of their half. Service to the forward line continues to be poor, with balls being sent into the full back channels, but little support and no runners from midfield.
More fun is to come, as Tony Dorigo replaces John Barnes after 53 minutes. This is an injury replacement. We had a winger at right-back, now we have a defender playing in central midfield and wide on the left. I have no idea where Dorigo is meant to be stationed.
England concede directly from a corner (1:04:00) as a slow delivery eludes Hateley, Dorigo and nutmegs Seaman.
Seaman is terrible today. He cannot kick (see 5:25) and nearly palms a weak shot into the net (56:15). He also makes a weak punch which could have led to a goal (1:20:15). Taylor clearly sees this and goes back to Woods as #1.
England make it 2-2 through Martin Keown of all people with a fierce drive from 18 yards (1:10:40). Martin Tyler sounds shocked. It is against the run of play. I do think Mikloško should have saved this as it did go through his hands.
Finally, Lineker replaces Mabbutt after 73 minutes, and England turn to a 4-4-2 of sorts?
In the 83rd minute (1:29:25) the TV feed cuts out. I like to imagine that the Sky team have had enough at watching this and have shot a harpoon gun into the controls. The feed is restored 5 minutes later, and Martin Tyler reassures us that we have missed absolutely nothing.
Also, I should add, the Czechoslovak team get a free-kick near the end (at 1:26:00). They actually get a chance to retake the kick after England encroach. Have a look at Seaman's positioning. Is it just me, or does like look EXACTLY like Ronald Koeman's two free kicks against England in Rotterdam in October 1993? Seaman is so far across the goal that if the taker managed to clear the wall, I doubt he would have made his ground. Did no coach notice this?
Aftermath
So Taylor started with a 3-5-2/5-3-2, and reverted to 4-4-2 following a sub-par performance. This would happen again in subsequent friendlies this Spring.
The press were not in favour of the tinkering:
Hateley has 9 goals for England in 19 starts (excluding sub appearances), and considering he had basically zero service did not play terribly. He won headers, harassed defenders and didn't stop running. He never played for England again.
Gary Mabbutt's performance at the back was no worse than Des Walker, but it was bad enough to ensure that he too was never capped again.
That ends that Mabbutt/Hateley experiment. Don't worry, plenty more tinkering is to come!
A shorter video
For those of you who don't want to waste 100 minutes of your life here is the 8 minute highlight reel:
We aren't even half way. England are not great here, especially considering the performance against France.
This match is played in March 1992, just three months out from the Euros, and it is clear Taylor does not yet have a first XI in mind, let alone a squad. We have 7 changes and a new tactical system introduced.
I had zero recollection of this game's existence, let alone the poor performance. Apparently, the population of Prague had no knowledge of the game taking place either, as only 3,300 people turn up to watch.
On the plus side the Cold War has ended, which is referenced by Martin Tyler on commentary on a number of occasions, including telling us how much 'the Czechs' are enjoying their new 'free market economy', and extolling how many of their footballers play 'in the West'. We are also told about the 'air of republicanism' about the country, fostered by liberation and democracy. Yeah, the game is so drab that the commentator is waxing about geopolitical matters.
Let's get the formalities out of the way - the game ends in a 2-2 draw. Taylor's England have still only lost one game, against the world champions. But good grief this is insipid at times:
First, however, we need to play a fun new game, which is "What is England's formation?"
The Starting XI
David Seaman
Martin Keown
Stuart Pearce (c)
David Rocastle
Des Walker
Gary Mabbutt
David Platt
Paul Merson
Nigel Clough
Mark Hateley
John Barnes
The Game
Okay, so no debuts today, but England do line up in their old third kit, making them look like Coventry City.
Rocastle comes back after injury ruled him out against France, replacing Rob Jones. Lineker is on the bench (apparently recovering from tonsilitis) again as Taylor tinkers with the front line. Today Paul Merson is paired with Mark Hateley, who at 30 wins his first cap in four years, replacing Shearer. Gary Mabbutt comes in for Mark Wright, Seaman comes in for Chris Woods, John Barnes replaces David Hirst and Webb and Thomas are replaced by Platt and Merson.
This is how, I think, England line up to start the game:
Seaman
Walker------Mabbutt------Keown
Rocastle------Platt------Barnes------Pearce (c)
Clough
Merson------Hateley
Walker------Mabbutt------Keown
Rocastle------Platt------Barnes------Pearce (c)
Clough
Merson------Hateley
I say 'I think', because Rocastle and Pearce end up as full backs. Shock horror, David Rocastle is not a full back. This is not the last time Taylor puts a winger there. Rocastle keeps popping up on the left hand side as well, meaning Des Walker is often isolated against two Czechoslovak players.
Taylor, having previously proclaimed England “the best in the world at 4-4-2,”, became convinced he needed to deploy a sweeper system with an extra centre back. The problem was that he didn’t possess a defender capable of performing the role.
Barnes is given a free role, and Clough is pushed up with the strikers, meaning that England's midfield is David Platt. Unsurprisingly, the Czechoslovak team enjoy this massive gap between the forwards and defence. It is just like watching United under ETH! Despite the number of attacking players, service to the strikers is very bad.
Barnes is not in his element in central midfield (see minute 7:30 of the video for a mistake leading to a chance).
Czechoslovakia score the first goal (23:30), a glancing header by Skuhravý from a free kick on the right. Seaman.... dives? I think? He tries to make himself look busy? It is not a good look. England have done nothing before they concede.
Never fear - Paul Merson equalises (31:05) with a scuffed shot after two defenders fail to intercept a weak cross. Luděk Mikloško is in goal. He denied United the title with heroics for West Ham on the final day of the 94/95 season. Clearly he had goalkeeping lessons between 92 and 95, as he makes a complete hash of Merson's attempt. 1-1 at half time.
Paul Stewart and Lee Dixon come on at half time for Rocastle and Clough. Ron Atkinson at half time sounds half asleep making comments on the match (49:30). He is indifferent about the performance, stating that we need to try out these new players and the new system. He did not expect much from this 'experiment'.
This appears to make England into an effective 5-3-2:
Seaman
Dixon------Walker------Mabbutt------Keown------Pearce (c)
Stewart------Platt------Barnes
Merson------Hateley
Dixon------Walker------Mabbutt------Keown------Pearce (c)
Stewart------Platt------Barnes
Merson------Hateley
Now at least England have a midfield, but the changes mean that the side is even more defensively minded. So much so that the Czechoslovak team dominate possession and England can barely get out of their half. Service to the forward line continues to be poor, with balls being sent into the full back channels, but little support and no runners from midfield.
More fun is to come, as Tony Dorigo replaces John Barnes after 53 minutes. This is an injury replacement. We had a winger at right-back, now we have a defender playing in central midfield and wide on the left. I have no idea where Dorigo is meant to be stationed.
England concede directly from a corner (1:04:00) as a slow delivery eludes Hateley, Dorigo and nutmegs Seaman.
Seaman is terrible today. He cannot kick (see 5:25) and nearly palms a weak shot into the net (56:15). He also makes a weak punch which could have led to a goal (1:20:15). Taylor clearly sees this and goes back to Woods as #1.
England make it 2-2 through Martin Keown of all people with a fierce drive from 18 yards (1:10:40). Martin Tyler sounds shocked. It is against the run of play. I do think Mikloško should have saved this as it did go through his hands.
Finally, Lineker replaces Mabbutt after 73 minutes, and England turn to a 4-4-2 of sorts?
Seaman
Dixon------Walker------Keown------Pearce (c)
Merson------Stewart------Platt------Dorigo
Lineker------Hateley
Dixon------Walker------Keown------Pearce (c)
Merson------Stewart------Platt------Dorigo
Lineker------Hateley
In the 83rd minute (1:29:25) the TV feed cuts out. I like to imagine that the Sky team have had enough at watching this and have shot a harpoon gun into the controls. The feed is restored 5 minutes later, and Martin Tyler reassures us that we have missed absolutely nothing.
Also, I should add, the Czechoslovak team get a free-kick near the end (at 1:26:00). They actually get a chance to retake the kick after England encroach. Have a look at Seaman's positioning. Is it just me, or does like look EXACTLY like Ronald Koeman's two free kicks against England in Rotterdam in October 1993? Seaman is so far across the goal that if the taker managed to clear the wall, I doubt he would have made his ground. Did no coach notice this?
Aftermath
So Taylor started with a 3-5-2/5-3-2, and reverted to 4-4-2 following a sub-par performance. This would happen again in subsequent friendlies this Spring.
The press were not in favour of the tinkering:
Hateley has 9 goals for England in 19 starts (excluding sub appearances), and considering he had basically zero service did not play terribly. He won headers, harassed defenders and didn't stop running. He never played for England again.
Gary Mabbutt's performance at the back was no worse than Des Walker, but it was bad enough to ensure that he too was never capped again.
That ends that Mabbutt/Hateley experiment. Don't worry, plenty more tinkering is to come!
A shorter video
For those of you who don't want to waste 100 minutes of your life here is the 8 minute highlight reel:
Was picked for the Republic of Ireland in USA 94, but Fergie told him if he played for Ireland, he'd be a "foreigner" for the stupid Champions League rule. So he never went.
Coming soon...
Haha, the man that Taylor built his team around.Coming soon...
Carlton!Coming soon...
What was he doing in the fecking box. Didn't we tell him to hold the middle of the pitch
Walters was very good at Rangers. Probably our best player in the late 1980s, technically very tidy, two good feet, scored plenty, created more. Can see why Barnes would have commanded the left-sided spot, but Walters should have been a more than able deputy.
As a young lad I once stayed up late to watch Sheff Wed vs Everton on Monday Night Football where Carlton Palmer scored a header from a corner while outside the box. At least thats how I remember it.
Thats my Carlton Palmer story.
Love this thread.
Thats my Carlton Palmer story.
Love this thread.
Long-time lurker, joined the forum specifically for this thread. A few thoughts so far
- It’s not really true that Taylor inherited an old team - the Italia 90 squad had an average age of around 27-and-a-half so they were theoretically at their peak. Only two (two!) outfield players had reached their 30th birthday. These were Bryan Robson (who had been injured since midway through the second game), and Terry Butcher (who was dropped by Bobby Robson for the first time during the World Cup which showed his declining importance). England had already shown neither player was vital to the Italia 90 run.
- Even some of the players nearing 30 still had plenty of miles left on the clock - Waddle would be key to Marseille getting to the 1991 European Cup final and was 1993 FWA Player of the Year, while Beardsley was a regular for Newcastle as late as 1996.
- There should be a running tally for players who are brought in, are regulars for half a dozen matches, and then are dropped like a stone forever. Taylor couldn’t distinguish between players who were international class and those going through a run of good form.
- Maybe a tally too of players given their debuts or recalled after years away for must-win matches. We’ve already mentioned the mad case of Andy Gray who had never even bee. In a squad before.
- A final note on how Taylor got the job. The FA’s shortlist was Taylor, Kendall (didn’t want the job, and used his exit clause to leave City for Everton instead), and Joe Royle who had never managed a top flight game. Apparently Venables gave up on ever getting the England job after that. Oh, the irony.
Match 18 - Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (a) - Friendly
The end of the Cold War posed a problem for UEFA. Admittedly, this was hardly a major problem and pales into insignificance compared to, say, whether Germany should reunify.
Still, the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, and many newly independent states came to be in 1990 and 1991: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Soviet_states.
However, the USSR football team had competed in Euro 92 qualifying, and had won their group.
How can a country that no longer exists play in an international tournament? It can't. So you create a new one.
The CIS was a transitional national team of the Football Federation of the Soviet Union in 1992. It was accepted that the team would represent the Commonwealth of Independent States that was formed as a loose union of former union republics of the Soviet Union after the nation's dissolution.
The only way to preserve the spot for the post-Soviet team was to take part in the competition as a unified team under the CIS banner.
The CIS played 11 internationals in 1992 (including one game not recognised as official against Mexico). They ceased to exist once they were knocked out of Euro 92, and were succeeded by the Russian national football team.
They only played on home game in their run, and it is this one against England. It is played in the Central Lenin Stadium, which was renamed the Luzhniki and it played host to the United v Chelsea European Cup Final in 2008.
It ends 2-2. Every review of this game has mentioned how bad England were. In all honesty, the performance is fine. Not amazing, but the CIS were not great either, and England did play some good stuff at times, especially down the right wing.
Of course, when I am grading how good the football is, I use this as the worst football I have seen:
Worst 20 seconds of football - QPR vs Man City 1993
Players capped under Graham Taylor
This has been raised, and I promise I am trying to keep track.
Taylor used 59 players in his 38 matches in charge.
This is match number 18, and Martin Tyler on commentary notes the three debutants are the 49th, 50th and 51st players Taylor has used. So there was a huge number of changes and debutants in the first half of Taylor's reign (up until Euro 92 really).
After this, the players are relatively settled, with only 6 further debutants in the final 20 games of his tenure.
Taylor could have capped even more.
In the friendly against France earlier in 1992, Matt Le Tissier was an unused sub, only making his full debut in 1995.
In future games (to be covered), Andy Cole, John Beresford and a 17-year-old Sol Campbell would all be on the bench, but Taylor elected not to play them.
There's only one Carlton Palmer
The CIS match also marks the debut of one Carlton Palmer, who you may have forgotten all about:
Palmer would play in 18 of the 20 remaining games of Taylor's reign, and he was on the bench for one of the two he missed.
Palmer became a lynchpin around which Taylor started to build a settled side. He would be asked to play as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a sweeper, and a central defender. He only achieved caps under Taylor, and became seen as a damning indictment of Taylor's brand of football.
This is unfair. It wasn't Palmer's decision to not pick Chris Waddle, or to fall out with Gary Lineker. Palmer wasn't the person who snubbed Peter Beardsley, nor was he responsible for the tactics to be played.
He played as a defensive midfielder for Sheffield Wednesday, ironically in a team including Waddle. He provided energy and graft to that team, but also intelligence in positioning, which allowed Wednesday to build the team around him, and to let their attacking talents (Waddle, Warhurst, Hirst, Sheridan) to focus on creating chances and scoring goals.
Taylor described Palmer as follows: “He might not be the greatest player in the world, but he can stop those who think they are”.
Other compliments from his managers were less positive.
At Southampton, Dave Jones said: “He covers every blade of grass , but that’s just because his first touch is so crap”.
Ron Atkinson, his manager at Nottingham Forest, concluded that: “He can trap a ball further than I can kick it”.
Forest fans created a chant (copied by the Stockport faithful when Palmer was player-manager: "He's 6ft tall, and his head's too small, living in a Palmer wonderland!"
Here, in Moscow on his debut (and just going off this 90 minutes), Palmer does well. He has been given a vague set of tactical instructions by Taylor (recounted by Martin Tyler on commentary): "Play central midfield but drop back as sweeper when the defence when needed". Palmer plays central midfield, and harries and disrupts the CIS play. We would probably praise him for his pressing today.
There probably would be a role for such a limited player today, but you would need to play creative players in the team to ensure that a Palmer can win the ball and then play it forward to others. Palmer does fail to do this. He is playing alongside Platt but does not quickly recycle the ball when won.
Doubtless I will be amending this views over his 18 games, but I am trying to be as dispassionate as possible here. I will also do my best to ignore off-field 'incidents' too. If you are desperate to find out more, look at his Wiki.
Peter Beardsley
Beardsley was recalled to the England squad for this game, he first call up since playing the USSR in May 1991. He flew to Moscow alongside a large England squad, but was told by Taylor (after take off!) that he would be playing for England B, and not the national team.
Beardsley politely requested to no longer be considered for future selection. “I thought for what I had done for England it was a bit of an insult,” he explained to Ian Ridley.
Beardsley would win 10 more caps under Venables, winning his last aged 35.
For the uninitiated (which included me until I looked it up), England B was a secondary team used as support for the main team. Under 21 internationals only started in 1976. What would happen is that every time England played an international, the manager would call up many more players, and play them for England B, as a way of seeing how they performed and to 'blood' them into the full team.
The frequency of the games depends almost entirely upon the head coach of the England squad. There were no games between 1957 and 1978, but Bobby Robson and Graham Taylor used them a lot. Gascoigne came through to the full national team via the B team. There have been no games since 2007, and probably no more going forward given the football schedule.
I think Beardsley was right to be pissed off. He had received 49 caps and scored 9 goals. Why did he need to prove himself in the B team? He scored 20 goals in the 91/92 season, after all.
Shall we talk about the game now?!
England's team is said to be a 5-3-2:
Chris Woods
Gary Stevens (his first call up since May 1991)
Andy Sinton
Carlton Palmer (a debut!)
Des Walker
Martin Keown
David Platt
Trevor Steven (his first call up since September 1991)
Tony Daley
Gary Lineker (c)
Alan Shearer
This is how England line up to start the game:
Given that Palmer seems to completely ignore this England actually play in a kind of 4-4-2:
They look better for it. However, there are immediately a couple of complaints I can level at the manager. First, we are told that it is Andy Sinton's second cap and this is his second time playing at left back. But not his second time playing there for England. It wasn't his first time playing there that season. No, this was the second time in Sinton's entire career (including his youth career) that he was playing at left back.
What is more, Daley and Steven are both right footed and whilst there are times they switch flanks, there are also times they both pop up on the right, meaning Sinton has to defend against the CIS full back AND the CIS winger.
Who is the winger, by the way? ANDREI KANCHELSKIS.
Unsurprisingly, he doesn't do well. Skip to 27:45 for an example of this, as Sinton falls down in the box with no one around him.
Second, Steven and Daley don't seem to have any instructions. They switch flanks whenever they feel like it, and often leave one side undefended.
Third, when subs are made, I have absolutely no idea what happens to the midfield, or who is meant to be playing where and why.
Fourth, Taylor could not make up his mind as to how many defenders to play, which may explain his instructions to Palmer. Despite him saying that England were “the best in the world at 4-4-2,”, Taylor became convinced he needed to deploy a sweeper system with an extra centre back. We will see the results of this muddled thinking in the games running up to and including Euro 92.
To be fair to Taylor, Liverpool refused to release their players to the national side (remember when teams could do that!), as they have an FA Cup Final on 9 May 1992 (this game is played on 29 April). This means Mark Wright, John Barnes and Rob Jones are not available.
GOALS!
England (and Lineker) score first, his 48th goal for the team. He is now just one behind Bobby Charlton.
At 14:25, Daley wins the ball in England's half. Follow a neat series of passes he is released on the right wing, and produces an excellent cross for Lineker to meet with his head.
At 22:15 Daley is involved again in a break, releasing Trevor Steven whose shot did not do the move justice.
England do well in the first half. They look bright and control the ball, despite the awful pitch (see Shearer struggling with this at 20:30).
Daley has another good strike at 39:40.
CIS equalise (42:15). From a corner Tskhadadze heads in. No one appears to be marking him and no England player realises that they are allowed to move whilst defending. After this, England fall apart for 20 minutes, both before and after half-time.
CIS should score at 46:00 just before the break, following some comical England defending.
They do score a second (54:55), again from a corner. A ferocious 30 yard shot hits the bar, and again, no England player moves. Two CIS players do move, and Kiriakov follows up from close range.
In the 63rd minute Taylor makes two changes. Andy Sinton (a left winger playing at left back) is replaced by debutant Keith Curle (a centre back now having to play left back).
Curle was on the tour to AUS/NZ/Malaysia last Summer, but broke his jaw in a training session, somehow, so did not play.
Also, Shearer is replaced by Nigel Clough, who becomes a second striker. Lineker becomes a target man for long balls, something he is not very good at.
Trevor Steven makes at 2-2 (1:11:40) after a great passing move. Five minutes later, he is carried off injured, showing us all that Taylor's England are not allowed nice things.
He is replaced by Paul Stewart in the 78th minute, who runs around the midfield (I have no idea where he is meant to be), and then, yes, never plays for England again.
Lineker has a great chance for a 2nd/49th goal (at 1:13:45). He refuses to pass to Daley, but ends up blootering a shot straight at Dimitri Kharine, who appears to be wearing the same trousers as he did in the 1994 FA Cup Final against United. Was he self-conscious about his legs?
In the 79th minute we have time for yet another debut, as Chris Woods is hooked for Nigel Martyn. He has nothing to do, as the match peters out.
You can tell nothing is happening as Martin Tyler is finding it hilarious that THE STADIUM IS ON FIRE (1:12:50), and he also laments that the break up of the USSR means no more league matches between Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv. He wonders aloud whether this is a price worth paying for democracy and liberty. Can I suggest the answer is 'yes'?
Following the match, Lineker publicly called for Taylor to pick a settled side, and also made clear that he was fit and healthy enough to play every match, saying: “Now is the time when we have to field our strongest side and hope to get some stability ... I’m fully fit now. No injuries.”
The press took Lineker's side:
England's next match? Hungary away, in two weeks time....
The end of the Cold War posed a problem for UEFA. Admittedly, this was hardly a major problem and pales into insignificance compared to, say, whether Germany should reunify.
Still, the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, and many newly independent states came to be in 1990 and 1991: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Soviet_states.
However, the USSR football team had competed in Euro 92 qualifying, and had won their group.
How can a country that no longer exists play in an international tournament? It can't. So you create a new one.
The CIS was a transitional national team of the Football Federation of the Soviet Union in 1992. It was accepted that the team would represent the Commonwealth of Independent States that was formed as a loose union of former union republics of the Soviet Union after the nation's dissolution.
The only way to preserve the spot for the post-Soviet team was to take part in the competition as a unified team under the CIS banner.
The CIS played 11 internationals in 1992 (including one game not recognised as official against Mexico). They ceased to exist once they were knocked out of Euro 92, and were succeeded by the Russian national football team.
They only played on home game in their run, and it is this one against England. It is played in the Central Lenin Stadium, which was renamed the Luzhniki and it played host to the United v Chelsea European Cup Final in 2008.
It ends 2-2. Every review of this game has mentioned how bad England were. In all honesty, the performance is fine. Not amazing, but the CIS were not great either, and England did play some good stuff at times, especially down the right wing.
Of course, when I am grading how good the football is, I use this as the worst football I have seen:
Worst 20 seconds of football - QPR vs Man City 1993
Players capped under Graham Taylor
This has been raised, and I promise I am trying to keep track.
Taylor used 59 players in his 38 matches in charge.
This is match number 18, and Martin Tyler on commentary notes the three debutants are the 49th, 50th and 51st players Taylor has used. So there was a huge number of changes and debutants in the first half of Taylor's reign (up until Euro 92 really).
After this, the players are relatively settled, with only 6 further debutants in the final 20 games of his tenure.
Taylor could have capped even more.
In the friendly against France earlier in 1992, Matt Le Tissier was an unused sub, only making his full debut in 1995.
In future games (to be covered), Andy Cole, John Beresford and a 17-year-old Sol Campbell would all be on the bench, but Taylor elected not to play them.
There's only one Carlton Palmer
The CIS match also marks the debut of one Carlton Palmer, who you may have forgotten all about:
Palmer would play in 18 of the 20 remaining games of Taylor's reign, and he was on the bench for one of the two he missed.
Palmer became a lynchpin around which Taylor started to build a settled side. He would be asked to play as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a sweeper, and a central defender. He only achieved caps under Taylor, and became seen as a damning indictment of Taylor's brand of football.
This is unfair. It wasn't Palmer's decision to not pick Chris Waddle, or to fall out with Gary Lineker. Palmer wasn't the person who snubbed Peter Beardsley, nor was he responsible for the tactics to be played.
He played as a defensive midfielder for Sheffield Wednesday, ironically in a team including Waddle. He provided energy and graft to that team, but also intelligence in positioning, which allowed Wednesday to build the team around him, and to let their attacking talents (Waddle, Warhurst, Hirst, Sheridan) to focus on creating chances and scoring goals.
Taylor described Palmer as follows: “He might not be the greatest player in the world, but he can stop those who think they are”.
Other compliments from his managers were less positive.
At Southampton, Dave Jones said: “He covers every blade of grass , but that’s just because his first touch is so crap”.
Ron Atkinson, his manager at Nottingham Forest, concluded that: “He can trap a ball further than I can kick it”.
Forest fans created a chant (copied by the Stockport faithful when Palmer was player-manager: "He's 6ft tall, and his head's too small, living in a Palmer wonderland!"
Here, in Moscow on his debut (and just going off this 90 minutes), Palmer does well. He has been given a vague set of tactical instructions by Taylor (recounted by Martin Tyler on commentary): "Play central midfield but drop back as sweeper when the defence when needed". Palmer plays central midfield, and harries and disrupts the CIS play. We would probably praise him for his pressing today.
There probably would be a role for such a limited player today, but you would need to play creative players in the team to ensure that a Palmer can win the ball and then play it forward to others. Palmer does fail to do this. He is playing alongside Platt but does not quickly recycle the ball when won.
Doubtless I will be amending this views over his 18 games, but I am trying to be as dispassionate as possible here. I will also do my best to ignore off-field 'incidents' too. If you are desperate to find out more, look at his Wiki.
Peter Beardsley
Beardsley was recalled to the England squad for this game, he first call up since playing the USSR in May 1991. He flew to Moscow alongside a large England squad, but was told by Taylor (after take off!) that he would be playing for England B, and not the national team.
Beardsley politely requested to no longer be considered for future selection. “I thought for what I had done for England it was a bit of an insult,” he explained to Ian Ridley.
Beardsley would win 10 more caps under Venables, winning his last aged 35.
For the uninitiated (which included me until I looked it up), England B was a secondary team used as support for the main team. Under 21 internationals only started in 1976. What would happen is that every time England played an international, the manager would call up many more players, and play them for England B, as a way of seeing how they performed and to 'blood' them into the full team.
The frequency of the games depends almost entirely upon the head coach of the England squad. There were no games between 1957 and 1978, but Bobby Robson and Graham Taylor used them a lot. Gascoigne came through to the full national team via the B team. There have been no games since 2007, and probably no more going forward given the football schedule.
I think Beardsley was right to be pissed off. He had received 49 caps and scored 9 goals. Why did he need to prove himself in the B team? He scored 20 goals in the 91/92 season, after all.
Shall we talk about the game now?!
England's team is said to be a 5-3-2:
Chris Woods
Gary Stevens (his first call up since May 1991)
Andy Sinton
Carlton Palmer (a debut!)
Des Walker
Martin Keown
David Platt
Trevor Steven (his first call up since September 1991)
Tony Daley
Gary Lineker (c)
Alan Shearer
This is how England line up to start the game:
Woods
Stevens------Walker------Palmer------Keown-----Sinton
Steven------Platt------Daley
Lineker------Shearer
Stevens------Walker------Palmer------Keown-----Sinton
Steven------Platt------Daley
Lineker------Shearer
Given that Palmer seems to completely ignore this England actually play in a kind of 4-4-2:
Woods
Stevens------Walker------Keown-----Sinton
Steven------Platt------Palmer------Daley
Lineker------Shearer
Stevens------Walker------Keown-----Sinton
Steven------Platt------Palmer------Daley
Lineker------Shearer
They look better for it. However, there are immediately a couple of complaints I can level at the manager. First, we are told that it is Andy Sinton's second cap and this is his second time playing at left back. But not his second time playing there for England. It wasn't his first time playing there that season. No, this was the second time in Sinton's entire career (including his youth career) that he was playing at left back.
What is more, Daley and Steven are both right footed and whilst there are times they switch flanks, there are also times they both pop up on the right, meaning Sinton has to defend against the CIS full back AND the CIS winger.
Who is the winger, by the way? ANDREI KANCHELSKIS.
Unsurprisingly, he doesn't do well. Skip to 27:45 for an example of this, as Sinton falls down in the box with no one around him.
Second, Steven and Daley don't seem to have any instructions. They switch flanks whenever they feel like it, and often leave one side undefended.
Third, when subs are made, I have absolutely no idea what happens to the midfield, or who is meant to be playing where and why.
Fourth, Taylor could not make up his mind as to how many defenders to play, which may explain his instructions to Palmer. Despite him saying that England were “the best in the world at 4-4-2,”, Taylor became convinced he needed to deploy a sweeper system with an extra centre back. We will see the results of this muddled thinking in the games running up to and including Euro 92.
To be fair to Taylor, Liverpool refused to release their players to the national side (remember when teams could do that!), as they have an FA Cup Final on 9 May 1992 (this game is played on 29 April). This means Mark Wright, John Barnes and Rob Jones are not available.
GOALS!
England (and Lineker) score first, his 48th goal for the team. He is now just one behind Bobby Charlton.
At 14:25, Daley wins the ball in England's half. Follow a neat series of passes he is released on the right wing, and produces an excellent cross for Lineker to meet with his head.
At 22:15 Daley is involved again in a break, releasing Trevor Steven whose shot did not do the move justice.
England do well in the first half. They look bright and control the ball, despite the awful pitch (see Shearer struggling with this at 20:30).
Daley has another good strike at 39:40.
CIS equalise (42:15). From a corner Tskhadadze heads in. No one appears to be marking him and no England player realises that they are allowed to move whilst defending. After this, England fall apart for 20 minutes, both before and after half-time.
CIS should score at 46:00 just before the break, following some comical England defending.
They do score a second (54:55), again from a corner. A ferocious 30 yard shot hits the bar, and again, no England player moves. Two CIS players do move, and Kiriakov follows up from close range.
In the 63rd minute Taylor makes two changes. Andy Sinton (a left winger playing at left back) is replaced by debutant Keith Curle (a centre back now having to play left back).
Curle was on the tour to AUS/NZ/Malaysia last Summer, but broke his jaw in a training session, somehow, so did not play.
Also, Shearer is replaced by Nigel Clough, who becomes a second striker. Lineker becomes a target man for long balls, something he is not very good at.
Trevor Steven makes at 2-2 (1:11:40) after a great passing move. Five minutes later, he is carried off injured, showing us all that Taylor's England are not allowed nice things.
He is replaced by Paul Stewart in the 78th minute, who runs around the midfield (I have no idea where he is meant to be), and then, yes, never plays for England again.
Lineker has a great chance for a 2nd/49th goal (at 1:13:45). He refuses to pass to Daley, but ends up blootering a shot straight at Dimitri Kharine, who appears to be wearing the same trousers as he did in the 1994 FA Cup Final against United. Was he self-conscious about his legs?
In the 79th minute we have time for yet another debut, as Chris Woods is hooked for Nigel Martyn. He has nothing to do, as the match peters out.
You can tell nothing is happening as Martin Tyler is finding it hilarious that THE STADIUM IS ON FIRE (1:12:50), and he also laments that the break up of the USSR means no more league matches between Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv. He wonders aloud whether this is a price worth paying for democracy and liberty. Can I suggest the answer is 'yes'?
Following the match, Lineker publicly called for Taylor to pick a settled side, and also made clear that he was fit and healthy enough to play every match, saying: “Now is the time when we have to field our strongest side and hope to get some stability ... I’m fully fit now. No injuries.”
The press took Lineker's side:
England's next match? Hungary away, in two weeks time....
Match 19 - Tinker, Taylor, Curle and Palmer, Seaman, Sinton, Batty and Smith
Hungary (a) - Friendly
It is 12 May 1992. The Euro 92 squad needs to be announced in a week. Taylor has two remaining games before this to enable him to pick the 20 men who will join him in Sweden and attempt to bring the Henri Delaunay Trophy back to Blighty.
This is the third of three friendlies around the old Eastern bloc. I don't know who organised this. I presume it was deliberate.
Sadly Taylor still cannot make up his mind as to whether to play three centre backs or two. In this game, we see both systems!
5-3-2 in the first half, followed by 4-4-2 in the second. This does not instil confidence about how England will line up against Yugoslavia in their first group game in less than one month, on 11 June 1992.
Here is the line up:
Nigel Martyn (given his first start)
Gary Stevens
Tony Dorigo
Keith Curle (given his first start)
Des Walker
Martin Keown
Neil Webb (last played v France in February)
Carlton Palmer
Paul Merson
Gary LIneker (c)
Tony Daley
And the formation (which may look familar...)
Keith Curle is given the libero role, and instructed to do for England what Lothar Matthaus does for Germany. He cannot, and is hooked at half-time.
England still look very poor at defending set pieces (see 5:10). Tony Daley is still producing excellent wingplay (see 10:00), but with no support, and the TV director keeps cutting back to both teams' benches. Daley is England's best player for me.
Lineker has a glorious chance to get #49 (14:50) but misses the target when it seemed easier to score. Still, he has more games to beat Charlton's tally.
Not to make Curle feel lonely, Nigel Martyn and Paul Merson are also withdrawn. Seaman, Sinton and Smith come on, and England line up as follows:
The new shape does make England more effective, but the first half is rancid. Barry Davies notes not much has happened, and Palmer was the best England player.
This is not the best of games. The BBC seem to also be using a second-half camera of WW1 vintage, as the footage is grainy and very poor. My apologies for this.
Neil Webb scores the only goal of the game in the 56 th minute (6:30) from a deflected header after a free kick on the left. I always had a soft spot for Webb at United, even though he wasn't really very good after his achilles injury in 1990.
David Seaman has little to do, and still somehow nearly spills the ball to a Hungarian player after what should have been a routine catch (29:15). He isn't filling me with confidence.
England don't do much. Hungary do less. England deserve the 1-0 win, but there are big question marks over who will be in the squad, and what the formation will be.
Ian Wright replaces Lineker after 68 minutes and the English press respond completely reasonably:
Asked after the match if Lineker was disappointed to be substituted, Taylor replied “I haven’t a clue if he’s disappointed…I’ve got other fish to fry.”
He really needed media training to deal with the press.
David Batty replaces Webb after 70 minutes. Both the Webb/Palmer and Batty/Palmer combinations offer very little in the way of creativity or attacking verve.
England play again in 5 days. Who against? Brazil.
Hungary (a) - Friendly
It is 12 May 1992. The Euro 92 squad needs to be announced in a week. Taylor has two remaining games before this to enable him to pick the 20 men who will join him in Sweden and attempt to bring the Henri Delaunay Trophy back to Blighty.
This is the third of three friendlies around the old Eastern bloc. I don't know who organised this. I presume it was deliberate.
Sadly Taylor still cannot make up his mind as to whether to play three centre backs or two. In this game, we see both systems!
5-3-2 in the first half, followed by 4-4-2 in the second. This does not instil confidence about how England will line up against Yugoslavia in their first group game in less than one month, on 11 June 1992.
Here is the line up:
Nigel Martyn (given his first start)
Gary Stevens
Tony Dorigo
Keith Curle (given his first start)
Des Walker
Martin Keown
Neil Webb (last played v France in February)
Carlton Palmer
Paul Merson
Gary LIneker (c)
Tony Daley
And the formation (which may look familar...)
Martyn
Curle
Walker------Keown
Stevens------Webb------Palmer------Dorigo
Daley------Merson
Lineker
Curle
Walker------Keown
Stevens------Webb------Palmer------Dorigo
Daley------Merson
Lineker
Keith Curle is given the libero role, and instructed to do for England what Lothar Matthaus does for Germany. He cannot, and is hooked at half-time.
England still look very poor at defending set pieces (see 5:10). Tony Daley is still producing excellent wingplay (see 10:00), but with no support, and the TV director keeps cutting back to both teams' benches. Daley is England's best player for me.
Lineker has a glorious chance to get #49 (14:50) but misses the target when it seemed easier to score. Still, he has more games to beat Charlton's tally.
Not to make Curle feel lonely, Nigel Martyn and Paul Merson are also withdrawn. Seaman, Sinton and Smith come on, and England line up as follows:
Seaman
Stevens------Walker------Keown-----Dorigo
Daley------Webb-------Palmer------Sinton
Lineker------Smith
Stevens------Walker------Keown-----Dorigo
Daley------Webb-------Palmer------Sinton
Lineker------Smith
The new shape does make England more effective, but the first half is rancid. Barry Davies notes not much has happened, and Palmer was the best England player.
This is not the best of games. The BBC seem to also be using a second-half camera of WW1 vintage, as the footage is grainy and very poor. My apologies for this.
Neil Webb scores the only goal of the game in the 56 th minute (6:30) from a deflected header after a free kick on the left. I always had a soft spot for Webb at United, even though he wasn't really very good after his achilles injury in 1990.
David Seaman has little to do, and still somehow nearly spills the ball to a Hungarian player after what should have been a routine catch (29:15). He isn't filling me with confidence.
England don't do much. Hungary do less. England deserve the 1-0 win, but there are big question marks over who will be in the squad, and what the formation will be.
Ian Wright replaces Lineker after 68 minutes and the English press respond completely reasonably:
Asked after the match if Lineker was disappointed to be substituted, Taylor replied “I haven’t a clue if he’s disappointed…I’ve got other fish to fry.”
He really needed media training to deal with the press.
David Batty replaces Webb after 70 minutes. Both the Webb/Palmer and Batty/Palmer combinations offer very little in the way of creativity or attacking verve.
England play again in 5 days. Who against? Brazil.
It’s only reading this back that I’ve realised how long Taylor equivocated for between four and five at the back. Mad that he always implemented it so badly though, as his Villa team who finished second were built around a back five.
Disagree with the claims England didn’t have anyone capable of playing sweeper though. Mark Wright had done so very successfully at Italia 90, and although United fans remember Paul Parker as a right-back, he’d been either central defender or sweeper for years at QPR. Taylor fell out with/lost faith in both players fairly early on, but trying players like Keith Curle there was bonkers.
Disagree with the claims England didn’t have anyone capable of playing sweeper though. Mark Wright had done so very successfully at Italia 90, and although United fans remember Paul Parker as a right-back, he’d been either central defender or sweeper for years at QPR. Taylor fell out with/lost faith in both players fairly early on, but trying players like Keith Curle there was bonkers.
Was Carlton Palmer actually worse than David Batty ?
My special take is that Palmer and Gascoigne are like two sides of the same coin. Palmer was a specialist no.6: Gascoigne a specialist 10: both misplayed as 8s.
My special take is that Palmer and Gascoigne are like two sides of the same coin. Palmer was a specialist no.6: Gascoigne a specialist 10: both misplayed as 8s.
Love this thread, contender for thread of the year already!
Where else would you read Keith Curle being compared to Lothar Matthaus?!
Nigel Martyn getting capped in goal just before Euro 92 intrigued me. I know he was seen as big prospect at Palace but only really hit the top level when he moved to Leeds in summer 1996. He was part of England's World cup 2002 squad so can't think of many others who were over a decade in the England squad without ever having a serious run as first choice (Seaman went on way too long as first choice). Tim Flowers I assume was a year or two from being considered for England as Blackburn weren't promoted to top flight until 1992.
Where else would you read Keith Curle being compared to Lothar Matthaus?!
Nigel Martyn getting capped in goal just before Euro 92 intrigued me. I know he was seen as big prospect at Palace but only really hit the top level when he moved to Leeds in summer 1996. He was part of England's World cup 2002 squad so can't think of many others who were over a decade in the England squad without ever having a serious run as first choice (Seaman went on way too long as first choice). Tim Flowers I assume was a year or two from being considered for England as Blackburn weren't promoted to top flight until 1992.
Batty regular in the Blackburn title win and then regular in the Newcastle midfield that should've won the league a year or two after. Can't remember what year he went to Leeds but again first choice in Leeds midfield that were finishing top 4 and making CL SFs in that era.
All I can remember in his England career is the Argentina missed penalty though.
Problem here is what Hodgson had after coming in 2012. Key players getting on and simply not that great anymore and a bit of a talent drain so numerous caps being handed out in a hoping stuff sticks to the wall way.
You look at the options here and then the quality Venables left out of the Euro 96 squad just five years later and it is very striking.
Batty would win the ball and play it. A part of two title-winning teams in 1992 and 1995 (although he was injured for much of Blackburn’s title win), and excellent when Newcastle came close in 1996 and 1997 too. Far more disciplined tactically. Palmer was all engine and energy, and looked the poorer for being part of an England team that frequently played without anything resembling a playmaker.
Gazza looked at his best when teams were built around him. Early 90s Spurs usually played five in midfield which gave him license to roam; England at Italia 90 had five at the back which did something similar; Venables told Ince to be Gazza’s minder and the wingers to be his legs; Rangers played against pub teams.
Martyn was England’s first £1m goalie in 1989-90. His debut was maybe overdue, but he only got his call-up after Seaman flapped when given a chance by Taylor.
Flowers was first choice at Southampton for four-and-a-half years before he went to Blackburn. But he improved a lot over those seasons. I don’t wish Taylor had been even less decisive and given him a cap too!
I don’t want to pre-empt what’s coming later in the thread when we reach Euro 1992, but there were sone really good players that Taylor just didn’t fancy!
Match 20 - It's all about flights of fantasy. And the nightmares of reality. Terrorist bombings. And late night shopping. True love. And creative plumbing. It's only a state of mind....
Brazil (h) - Friendly
I loved watching this game. Brazil are great. So entertaining. They clearly don't care about the result. The match ends 1-1. It is a friendly and Brazil are going to have fun. They aren't even full strength. At times they seem more interested in scoring a great goal, rather than winning the game. England barely lay a glove, but still could have won the match. Only 53,000 in Wembley too, which is a shame. This is good entertainment!
Oh, and the commentators are getting used to the recently changed offside laws. Apparently, if you are level with the second last defender, you are not considered onside, not offside. This point is lost on the Scottish officials, who deny Brazil a perfectly good goal.
I managed to find extended highlights from the BBC which has analysis from Jimmy Hill and Terry Venables (who appear to absolutely hate each other and cannot stop sniping) and a full replay, broadcast on US Fox Sports in 2006, with some appropriately bonkers American adverts thrown in for free.
Full match (the timestamps I give below relate to this):
BBC Highlights (including Terry and Jimmy's predictions for England's team vs Yugoslavia at the end):
Beardsley and Waddle remain ostracised. John Barnes and Stuart Pearce are recovering from injuries. Pearce is only fit to make the bench.
England's team:
Chris Woods
Gary Stevens
Tony Dorigo
Carlton Palmer
Des Walker
Martin Keown
Tony Daley
Trevor Steven
David Platt
Gary Lineker (c)
Andy Sinton
Taylor lines them up in a 4-4-1-1:
Trevor Steven played as a right sided midfielder, and he plays today like he doesn't know where he should be standing. In the first half Palmer is also charging forward to support Platt and Lineker, meaning England's central midfield is non-existent at times. Check out 17:15 when Palmer and Steven stand still, staring at the rolling football as it slowly passes between them.
Brazil's team:
I recognise perhaps .... four of the names? I am out of my comfort zone here. Brazil experts of the 1990s are very welcome to explain how weak this team is.
Brazil come out like a house on fire. Players move fluidly around the park, keeping the ball with ease. Bebeto ends a flowing move with a shot (6:20), Branco has one saved by Woods (10:00) and Rai misses the target early on (10:45).
Then, from a Stevens through ball, Lineker is clean through and is basically punched in the head by the goalkeeper. Penalty! (12:30)
Here is the moment. Lineker to equal Charlton's record. One penalty. 12 yards. At Wembley. The home crowd roars. Aim for the corner and put your foot through the ball!
Oh.
Later in the half, Brazil score. Bebeto scores from a cross following a Stevens error (28:20). It is a well taken shot from around 15 yards. It is what Brazil deserve as well.
There are two defenders on Tony Daley most of the match. When he does evade them, Branco decides to mule kick him in the leg (41:00).
Stevens almost makes up for the error with a volley that just goes the wrong side of the post (42:40).
At half time, Brazil lead 1-0.
Steven and Sinton are hooked for Webb and Rocastle. Rocastle plays wide right, with Daley moving to the left. Webb and Palmer is at least an upgrade at CM, but they cannot really do anything against the Brazilians.
The Brazil team must be feeling charitable. Platt equalises in the 49th minute (59:10) following a lofted Webb through ball that is hit straight towards the defender Charles. He can literally do any number of things to clear the lines. In a moment of madness, he decides to head the ball back across the goal. Platt meets it with a sweet volley, and we are all square.
Brazil now have 40 minutes to score the perfect goal, and they do try.
Rai has a shot blocked on the line by Stevens (1:01:55), and Woods saves well from him a few minutes later (1:07:00). Luis Enquire also tests Woods (1:12:00), who is stopping shots but is still flapping at crosses and makes me nervous even though I am watching replays more than 30 years later.
In the 73rd minute, Paul Merson replaces Daley on the left and Stuart Pearce returns for Dorigo with a huge ovation.
In possibly the strangest free-kick ever awarded, Martin Keown decides to gallop down the right wing, kicks the ball past Branco, and then proceeds to get a piggyback ride from the Brazilian. England get the decision (1:31:10).
Bebeto has a perfectly good goal ruled out for offside. Martin Tyler and Andy Gray wonder if it is because he is level and the Scottish assistant referee hasn't applied the new rules. Replays show Bebeto was behind at least two England players (1:32:40).
Finally, Charles has a great opportunity, following a great move and a Valdeir backheel (1:34:15). He blazes the ball over the ball, and much like Chris Waddle's penalty in Turin, I think the ball is still rising.
The game ends. England somehow have drawn against Brazil.
Taylor will announce his Euros squad the following day.
He is asked about Lineker's penalty miss, and again does not help himself with his answer:
“It might sound harsh, but I’ve no sympathy with anyone who misses a penalty. I want [Lineker] to score as soon as possible because there were times when it looked like the penalty miss did worry him.”
Feck me Graham. This naivety with the press is really surprising.
But wait, there's more!
Four days after the match, The Observer published an interview with Graham Taylor.
Taylor mused out loud: “It’s almost as if Gary is a national institution who cannot be touched. You could argue we played Brazil with 10 men, but you’re not allowed to.”
What on earth possessed him to say this?
Apparently Lineker sought and received a private apology from Taylor following this interview, only for the 'private' apology to find its way to the press. Taylor then denied he had made any apology at all.
Just what you need a month out from a major tournament....
Oh, and Taylor's England have still only been defeated once in 20 matches.
Brazil (h) - Friendly
I loved watching this game. Brazil are great. So entertaining. They clearly don't care about the result. The match ends 1-1. It is a friendly and Brazil are going to have fun. They aren't even full strength. At times they seem more interested in scoring a great goal, rather than winning the game. England barely lay a glove, but still could have won the match. Only 53,000 in Wembley too, which is a shame. This is good entertainment!
Oh, and the commentators are getting used to the recently changed offside laws. Apparently, if you are level with the second last defender, you are not considered onside, not offside. This point is lost on the Scottish officials, who deny Brazil a perfectly good goal.
I managed to find extended highlights from the BBC which has analysis from Jimmy Hill and Terry Venables (who appear to absolutely hate each other and cannot stop sniping) and a full replay, broadcast on US Fox Sports in 2006, with some appropriately bonkers American adverts thrown in for free.
Full match (the timestamps I give below relate to this):
BBC Highlights (including Terry and Jimmy's predictions for England's team vs Yugoslavia at the end):
Beardsley and Waddle remain ostracised. John Barnes and Stuart Pearce are recovering from injuries. Pearce is only fit to make the bench.
England's team:
Chris Woods
Gary Stevens
Tony Dorigo
Carlton Palmer
Des Walker
Martin Keown
Tony Daley
Trevor Steven
David Platt
Gary Lineker (c)
Andy Sinton
Taylor lines them up in a 4-4-1-1:
Woods
Stevens------Walker------Keown------Dorigo
Daley------Steven------Palmer------Sinton
Platt
Lineker
Stevens------Walker------Keown------Dorigo
Daley------Steven------Palmer------Sinton
Platt
Lineker
Trevor Steven played as a right sided midfielder, and he plays today like he doesn't know where he should be standing. In the first half Palmer is also charging forward to support Platt and Lineker, meaning England's central midfield is non-existent at times. Check out 17:15 when Palmer and Steven stand still, staring at the rolling football as it slowly passes between them.
Brazil's team:
Carlos
Luis Carlos------Mozer------Ricardo Gomes------Branco
Mauro Silva
Luis Henrique------Rai------Valdo
Renato Gaucho------Bebeto
Luis Carlos------Mozer------Ricardo Gomes------Branco
Mauro Silva
Luis Henrique------Rai------Valdo
Renato Gaucho------Bebeto
I recognise perhaps .... four of the names? I am out of my comfort zone here. Brazil experts of the 1990s are very welcome to explain how weak this team is.
Brazil come out like a house on fire. Players move fluidly around the park, keeping the ball with ease. Bebeto ends a flowing move with a shot (6:20), Branco has one saved by Woods (10:00) and Rai misses the target early on (10:45).
Then, from a Stevens through ball, Lineker is clean through and is basically punched in the head by the goalkeeper. Penalty! (12:30)
Here is the moment. Lineker to equal Charlton's record. One penalty. 12 yards. At Wembley. The home crowd roars. Aim for the corner and put your foot through the ball!
Oh.
Later in the half, Brazil score. Bebeto scores from a cross following a Stevens error (28:20). It is a well taken shot from around 15 yards. It is what Brazil deserve as well.
There are two defenders on Tony Daley most of the match. When he does evade them, Branco decides to mule kick him in the leg (41:00).
Stevens almost makes up for the error with a volley that just goes the wrong side of the post (42:40).
At half time, Brazil lead 1-0.
Steven and Sinton are hooked for Webb and Rocastle. Rocastle plays wide right, with Daley moving to the left. Webb and Palmer is at least an upgrade at CM, but they cannot really do anything against the Brazilians.
The Brazil team must be feeling charitable. Platt equalises in the 49th minute (59:10) following a lofted Webb through ball that is hit straight towards the defender Charles. He can literally do any number of things to clear the lines. In a moment of madness, he decides to head the ball back across the goal. Platt meets it with a sweet volley, and we are all square.
Brazil now have 40 minutes to score the perfect goal, and they do try.
Rai has a shot blocked on the line by Stevens (1:01:55), and Woods saves well from him a few minutes later (1:07:00). Luis Enquire also tests Woods (1:12:00), who is stopping shots but is still flapping at crosses and makes me nervous even though I am watching replays more than 30 years later.
In the 73rd minute, Paul Merson replaces Daley on the left and Stuart Pearce returns for Dorigo with a huge ovation.
In possibly the strangest free-kick ever awarded, Martin Keown decides to gallop down the right wing, kicks the ball past Branco, and then proceeds to get a piggyback ride from the Brazilian. England get the decision (1:31:10).
Bebeto has a perfectly good goal ruled out for offside. Martin Tyler and Andy Gray wonder if it is because he is level and the Scottish assistant referee hasn't applied the new rules. Replays show Bebeto was behind at least two England players (1:32:40).
Finally, Charles has a great opportunity, following a great move and a Valdeir backheel (1:34:15). He blazes the ball over the ball, and much like Chris Waddle's penalty in Turin, I think the ball is still rising.
The game ends. England somehow have drawn against Brazil.
Taylor will announce his Euros squad the following day.
He is asked about Lineker's penalty miss, and again does not help himself with his answer:
“It might sound harsh, but I’ve no sympathy with anyone who misses a penalty. I want [Lineker] to score as soon as possible because there were times when it looked like the penalty miss did worry him.”
Feck me Graham. This naivety with the press is really surprising.
But wait, there's more!
Four days after the match, The Observer published an interview with Graham Taylor.
Taylor mused out loud: “It’s almost as if Gary is a national institution who cannot be touched. You could argue we played Brazil with 10 men, but you’re not allowed to.”
What on earth possessed him to say this?
Apparently Lineker sought and received a private apology from Taylor following this interview, only for the 'private' apology to find its way to the press. Taylor then denied he had made any apology at all.
Just what you need a month out from a major tournament....
Oh, and Taylor's England have still only been defeated once in 20 matches.
For the day that's in it
England were so shit then. Although, if everyone was fit the team was not quite as dire as the performances would suggest.
A detour to the United Nations
This may get confusing...
On 30 May 1992, the United Nations Security Council met to discuss the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Security Council had been meeting throughout 1991 and 1992.
In this meeting, the Security Council condemned the failure of the authorities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (which actually only referred to Serbia and Montenegro, and not the other constituent nations) to implement previous resolutions.
In resolution 757, the Security Council imposed sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The most important for our purposes was the instruction that UN member states must:
"Take the necessary steps to prevent the participation in sporting events on their territory of persons or groups representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)"
The Yugoslavian national football team (representing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) qualified for Euro 92, winning their group: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_1992_qualifying_Group_4.
However, because the football team representing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia contained players from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia faced sporting sanctions, this meant that FIFA banned Yugoslavian teams (Serbia and Montenegro) from international competition 'until further notice', which included the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia football team.
This ban included qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup and Euro 96.This ban did not impact the other constituent states of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia all competed in Euro 96 qualifying (Bosnia was not a UEFA member at the time).
Here is an interview with Slavisa Jokanovic in 2020 about the Yugoslav expulsion in 1992:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...anovic-euro-92-taken-away-better-than-denmark
The Princes of Denmark, entering from stage right
10 days before the start of the tournament, which only had 8 teams, UEFA needed a replacement. Denmark were runners-up in Group 4, so they were invited to take Yugoslavia's place in the competition.
The Yugoslav team left its training camp in Leksand, Sweden, and flew home.
Yugoslavia were set to be among the favourites; they had reached the quarter-finals at the 1990 World Cup and a golden generation was flourishing as Red Star Belgrade beat Marseille to win the European Cup in 1991. As the draw was made, they took their place in Group A.
'The players are in a state of shock,' said Miljan Miljanic, director of the Yugoslavian Football Association. He termed the sanctions the 'toughest measure taken in the history of international sport and an aggression against football.'
“Maybe we didn’t expect to win, but we expected to finish in the top four,” Yugoslavia’s assistant coach Ivan Cabrinovic said. “What I’d said in one of my statements after they’d thrown us out was the world was a poorer place because of not seeing our football artists.”
Denmark would be England's first opponents on 11 June in Malmo.
England had been preparing to face a different side, but Denmark hadn't even been preparing at all.
“We were not quite on holidays, but I think every single one of us had already switched off", Peter Schmeichel said. "Our sponsors were not prepared for us to go, so what we had was the Under-21s kit. When you look at the first game against England, every single one of us are in shirts and shorts that are a little bit too tight for us."
Denmark had played the CIS on 3 June in a friendly. Midfielder John Jensen recalled that: "We got booed off the pitch because we played so badly".
Denmark arrived at the Euros without their biggest name, Michael Laudrup, who was taking a voluntary break from the national team after helping Barcelona to a league-European Cup double, and everyone expected they would not stay for long.
“We have a saying here in Denmark, that when you play indoor football it is three games, then a shower, then home,” Jensen said. "We had that attitude before Euro 92. That we were just going to play these three games then go back to planning our holidays, relaxing on the beach or wherever it was going to be."
So England were facing an unprepared side who weren't even dressed correctly. Surely an easy win?
This may get confusing...
On 30 May 1992, the United Nations Security Council met to discuss the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Security Council had been meeting throughout 1991 and 1992.
In this meeting, the Security Council condemned the failure of the authorities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (which actually only referred to Serbia and Montenegro, and not the other constituent nations) to implement previous resolutions.
In resolution 757, the Security Council imposed sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The most important for our purposes was the instruction that UN member states must:
"Take the necessary steps to prevent the participation in sporting events on their territory of persons or groups representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)"
The Yugoslavian national football team (representing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) qualified for Euro 92, winning their group: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_1992_qualifying_Group_4.
However, because the football team representing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia contained players from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia faced sporting sanctions, this meant that FIFA banned Yugoslavian teams (Serbia and Montenegro) from international competition 'until further notice', which included the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia football team.
This ban included qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup and Euro 96.This ban did not impact the other constituent states of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia all competed in Euro 96 qualifying (Bosnia was not a UEFA member at the time).
Here is an interview with Slavisa Jokanovic in 2020 about the Yugoslav expulsion in 1992:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...anovic-euro-92-taken-away-better-than-denmark
The Princes of Denmark, entering from stage right
10 days before the start of the tournament, which only had 8 teams, UEFA needed a replacement. Denmark were runners-up in Group 4, so they were invited to take Yugoslavia's place in the competition.
The Yugoslav team left its training camp in Leksand, Sweden, and flew home.
Yugoslavia were set to be among the favourites; they had reached the quarter-finals at the 1990 World Cup and a golden generation was flourishing as Red Star Belgrade beat Marseille to win the European Cup in 1991. As the draw was made, they took their place in Group A.
'The players are in a state of shock,' said Miljan Miljanic, director of the Yugoslavian Football Association. He termed the sanctions the 'toughest measure taken in the history of international sport and an aggression against football.'
“Maybe we didn’t expect to win, but we expected to finish in the top four,” Yugoslavia’s assistant coach Ivan Cabrinovic said. “What I’d said in one of my statements after they’d thrown us out was the world was a poorer place because of not seeing our football artists.”
Denmark would be England's first opponents on 11 June in Malmo.
England had been preparing to face a different side, but Denmark hadn't even been preparing at all.
“We were not quite on holidays, but I think every single one of us had already switched off", Peter Schmeichel said. "Our sponsors were not prepared for us to go, so what we had was the Under-21s kit. When you look at the first game against England, every single one of us are in shirts and shorts that are a little bit too tight for us."
Denmark had played the CIS on 3 June in a friendly. Midfielder John Jensen recalled that: "We got booed off the pitch because we played so badly".
Denmark arrived at the Euros without their biggest name, Michael Laudrup, who was taking a voluntary break from the national team after helping Barcelona to a league-European Cup double, and everyone expected they would not stay for long.
“We have a saying here in Denmark, that when you play indoor football it is three games, then a shower, then home,” Jensen said. "We had that attitude before Euro 92. That we were just going to play these three games then go back to planning our holidays, relaxing on the beach or wherever it was going to be."
So England were facing an unprepared side who weren't even dressed correctly. Surely an easy win?
Countdown to the Euro 92 Squad
Taylor named an initial squad of 28 players for Euro 92, plus another four in reserve. UEFA regulations stated that a maximum of 20 players could be chosen, plus a reserve goalkeeper.
Here are the players Taylor added to the squad at the time of the Brazil friendly:
Goalkeepers
Tony Coton (aged 30)
Nigel Martyn (25)
David Seaman (28)
Chris Woods (32)
Defenders
Keith Curle (28)
Lee Dixon (28)
Tony Dorigo (26)
Rob Jones (20)
Martin Keown (25)
Stuart Pearce (30)
Gary Stevens (29)
Des Walker (26)
Mark Wright (28)
Midfielders
David Batty (23)
Nigel Clough (26)
Tony Daley (24)
Carlton Palmer (26)
David Platt (25)
David Rocastle (25)
Andy SInton (26)
Trevor Steven (28)
Neil Webb (28)
Forwards
John Barnes (28)
Gary Lineker (31)
Paul Merson (24)
Alan Shearer (21)
Alan Smith (29)
Ian Wright (28)
Reserves
Gary Mabbutt (30)
Gary Pallister (26)
Paul Stewart (27)
Geoff Thomas (27)
Taylor named an initial squad of 28 players for Euro 92, plus another four in reserve. UEFA regulations stated that a maximum of 20 players could be chosen, plus a reserve goalkeeper.
Here are the players Taylor added to the squad at the time of the Brazil friendly:
Goalkeepers
Tony Coton (aged 30)
Nigel Martyn (25)
David Seaman (28)
Chris Woods (32)
Defenders
Keith Curle (28)
Lee Dixon (28)
Tony Dorigo (26)
Rob Jones (20)
Martin Keown (25)
Stuart Pearce (30)
Gary Stevens (29)
Des Walker (26)
Mark Wright (28)
Midfielders
David Batty (23)
Nigel Clough (26)
Tony Daley (24)
Carlton Palmer (26)
David Platt (25)
David Rocastle (25)
Andy SInton (26)
Trevor Steven (28)
Neil Webb (28)
Forwards
John Barnes (28)
Gary Lineker (31)
Paul Merson (24)
Alan Shearer (21)
Alan Smith (29)
Ian Wright (28)
Reserves
Gary Mabbutt (30)
Gary Pallister (26)
Paul Stewart (27)
Geoff Thomas (27)
Match 21 - Finland (a) - Friendly
3 June 1992. England's final friendly before the opening game against Denmark.
The trip to Finland was planned as a bonding trip designed to boost morale, with contests for players in cycling, swimming and orienteering. There were no TVs, it hardly got dark and players given a one-hour phone card found there was only one phone and always a queue to use it. Most of the players retreated to their rooms and played cards.
Taylor promised that the team selected against Finland would be the one he would pick in the first Euros match.
He has changed his mind again as to the formation, with England lining up 3-5-2, Mark Wright playing as sweeper.
Since the Brazil game, Taylor has made some cuts to the squad to reduce it to the 20 required. None of the four reserves are retained (Mabbutt, Pallister, Stewart, Thomas).
Rob Jones withdraws with shin splints, an injury which will plague him and lead him to retire aged 27.
Tony Coton, Keith Curle, Gary Stevens, David Rocastle and Ian Wright miss out Andy SInton and David Seaman are placed as reserves. There are still question marks about John Barnes's fitness, as he has struggled with thigh injuries all season.
Lee Dixon went for a run in the woods and twisted his ankle, ruling him out of the tournament. Gary Stevens is hurriedly recalled, and is the only right back in the squad. Paul Parker had some injury issues and he was overlooked.
These selection decisions also mean Alan Smith is on the plane, and Ian Wright stays home.
Ian Wright played 41 games and 3,589 minutes in the 91/92 season, the vast majority of them for Arsenal. He scored 31 goals and registered 9 assists.
Alan Smith played 47 games and 3,814 minutes in the 91/92 season for Arsenal. He scored 17 goals and registered 7 assists.
Make this make sense.
England's team v Finland:
Chris Woods
Gary Stevens
Stuart Pearce
Martin Keown
Des Walker
Mark Wright
David Platt
Trevor Steven
Neil Webb
Gary LIneker (c)
John Barnes
Despite the questionable selection, Taylor still had some rotten luck with injuries.
10 minutes in, Barnes ruptures his Achilles tendon. He tries to play on, but is replaced soon after by Paul Merson, who plays up top with Lineker.
England are poor again playing with three centre backs. Given England lost Barnes so early, it is no surprise that the football is functional, and not creative. Finland look more dangerous, with a shot from 20 yards just missing the post (14:25).
Finland open the scoring (25:35). They break from an England corner (England simply don't defend well here), and Steven is penalised for fouling Litmanen in the box. I think he gets the ball here, but the defending is so poor in general. Hjelm converts the penalty.
Platt hits a volley from 8 yards straight at the goalkeeper (31:40) and misses another from 10 yards a few minutes later (35:45).
We enter full comedy mode following an England long throw (42:25). Pearce's header is well saved and pushed on to the post by the keeper. Lineker then manages to hit the underside of the bar with a follow up 3 yards out and with the goal gaping. That 49th goal isn't going to come is it? To add to the frivolity, Pearce then has another header from 6 yards out which loops over the bar.
England equalise through Platt just before the break. Steven plays a through ball and Finland have left Platt wide open on the edge of the area. His finish is tidy (45:25).
Half-time - 1-1.
Gary Stevens, the only right-back in the squad, remember, suffers a stress fracture to his foot and is substituted at half-time. Carlton Palmer comes on. England now line up:
England score from another long throw (1:03:20). Mark Wright flicks the ball on and Platt volleys home from 6 yards. I guess England have been the better team? Finland are poor. England are not much better. This match is an absolutely awful watch.
Merson has .... a shot? (1:22:20)
Tony Daley comes on for Trevor Steven and has to play right wing back. Just like in Prague, the TV pictures also pack up for a while towards the end. They have had enough too. That's 90 minutes of my life I won't get back.
The injury fun does not stop, however.
After the Finland match, Andy Sinton was named in the squad as a replacement for Barnes.
After the Brazil match, Sinton's wife had gone into labour. He had spoken to Taylor at the team hotel, asking to leave, and Taylor took the opportunity to inform him he wouldn't be going to Sweden. 'He carried on talking but I wasn't listening after that,' says Sinton. 'I sat in the taxi and cried my eyes out for 20 minutes. My big dream of representing my country in a major tournament snatched away. I got home to find my wife pacing the drive. She just said, "Get me to the hospital".'
With the squad now having no right backs, Taylor called up Keith Curle after the Finland game. A centre back.
It also turned out that Mark Wright, who played the whole game, aggravated an old tendon injury. He didn't tell anyone, hoping that it would get better. It didn't.
When the squad assembled at a Heathrow hotel ahead of their flight to Sweden, Taylor asked where Mark Wright was. Taylor was then told Wright was in Liverpool and was injured. Because of Wright's delay, England were prevented by UEFA from promoting Tony Adams to the squad (not Pallister or Mabbutt, who were the reserves!)
This meant England's squad for the Euros was made up of 19 players, not 20 as it should have been: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_1992_squads.
Full match:
Short highlights:
3 June 1992. England's final friendly before the opening game against Denmark.
The trip to Finland was planned as a bonding trip designed to boost morale, with contests for players in cycling, swimming and orienteering. There were no TVs, it hardly got dark and players given a one-hour phone card found there was only one phone and always a queue to use it. Most of the players retreated to their rooms and played cards.
Taylor promised that the team selected against Finland would be the one he would pick in the first Euros match.
He has changed his mind again as to the formation, with England lining up 3-5-2, Mark Wright playing as sweeper.
Since the Brazil game, Taylor has made some cuts to the squad to reduce it to the 20 required. None of the four reserves are retained (Mabbutt, Pallister, Stewart, Thomas).
Rob Jones withdraws with shin splints, an injury which will plague him and lead him to retire aged 27.
Tony Coton, Keith Curle, Gary Stevens, David Rocastle and Ian Wright miss out Andy SInton and David Seaman are placed as reserves. There are still question marks about John Barnes's fitness, as he has struggled with thigh injuries all season.
Lee Dixon went for a run in the woods and twisted his ankle, ruling him out of the tournament. Gary Stevens is hurriedly recalled, and is the only right back in the squad. Paul Parker had some injury issues and he was overlooked.
These selection decisions also mean Alan Smith is on the plane, and Ian Wright stays home.
Ian Wright played 41 games and 3,589 minutes in the 91/92 season, the vast majority of them for Arsenal. He scored 31 goals and registered 9 assists.
Alan Smith played 47 games and 3,814 minutes in the 91/92 season for Arsenal. He scored 17 goals and registered 7 assists.
Make this make sense.
England's team v Finland:
Chris Woods
Gary Stevens
Stuart Pearce
Martin Keown
Des Walker
Mark Wright
David Platt
Trevor Steven
Neil Webb
Gary LIneker (c)
John Barnes
Woods
Wright
Walker------Keown
Stevens------Steven------Webb------Platt------Pearce
Lineker------Barnes
Wright
Walker------Keown
Stevens------Steven------Webb------Platt------Pearce
Lineker------Barnes
Despite the questionable selection, Taylor still had some rotten luck with injuries.
10 minutes in, Barnes ruptures his Achilles tendon. He tries to play on, but is replaced soon after by Paul Merson, who plays up top with Lineker.
England are poor again playing with three centre backs. Given England lost Barnes so early, it is no surprise that the football is functional, and not creative. Finland look more dangerous, with a shot from 20 yards just missing the post (14:25).
Finland open the scoring (25:35). They break from an England corner (England simply don't defend well here), and Steven is penalised for fouling Litmanen in the box. I think he gets the ball here, but the defending is so poor in general. Hjelm converts the penalty.
Platt hits a volley from 8 yards straight at the goalkeeper (31:40) and misses another from 10 yards a few minutes later (35:45).
We enter full comedy mode following an England long throw (42:25). Pearce's header is well saved and pushed on to the post by the keeper. Lineker then manages to hit the underside of the bar with a follow up 3 yards out and with the goal gaping. That 49th goal isn't going to come is it? To add to the frivolity, Pearce then has another header from 6 yards out which loops over the bar.
England equalise through Platt just before the break. Steven plays a through ball and Finland have left Platt wide open on the edge of the area. His finish is tidy (45:25).
Half-time - 1-1.
Gary Stevens, the only right-back in the squad, remember, suffers a stress fracture to his foot and is substituted at half-time. Carlton Palmer comes on. England now line up:
Woods
Wright
Walker------Keown
Steven------Palmer------Webb------Platt------Pearce
Lineker------Merson
Wright
Walker------Keown
Steven------Palmer------Webb------Platt------Pearce
Lineker------Merson
England score from another long throw (1:03:20). Mark Wright flicks the ball on and Platt volleys home from 6 yards. I guess England have been the better team? Finland are poor. England are not much better. This match is an absolutely awful watch.
Merson has .... a shot? (1:22:20)
Tony Daley comes on for Trevor Steven and has to play right wing back. Just like in Prague, the TV pictures also pack up for a while towards the end. They have had enough too. That's 90 minutes of my life I won't get back.
The injury fun does not stop, however.
After the Finland match, Andy Sinton was named in the squad as a replacement for Barnes.
After the Brazil match, Sinton's wife had gone into labour. He had spoken to Taylor at the team hotel, asking to leave, and Taylor took the opportunity to inform him he wouldn't be going to Sweden. 'He carried on talking but I wasn't listening after that,' says Sinton. 'I sat in the taxi and cried my eyes out for 20 minutes. My big dream of representing my country in a major tournament snatched away. I got home to find my wife pacing the drive. She just said, "Get me to the hospital".'
With the squad now having no right backs, Taylor called up Keith Curle after the Finland game. A centre back.
It also turned out that Mark Wright, who played the whole game, aggravated an old tendon injury. He didn't tell anyone, hoping that it would get better. It didn't.
When the squad assembled at a Heathrow hotel ahead of their flight to Sweden, Taylor asked where Mark Wright was. Taylor was then told Wright was in Liverpool and was injured. Because of Wright's delay, England were prevented by UEFA from promoting Tony Adams to the squad (not Pallister or Mabbutt, who were the reserves!)
This meant England's squad for the Euros was made up of 19 players, not 20 as it should have been: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_1992_squads.
Full match:
Short highlights:
Euro 92 time!
Which means special intros from both the BBC and ITV for their programming.
As usual in the 1990s, the BBC made an effort, and ITV phoned it in:
Which means special intros from both the BBC and ITV for their programming.
As usual in the 1990s, the BBC made an effort, and ITV phoned it in:
Match 22 - Denmark 0-0 England - Euro 92
"Football is made up of subjective feeling ... Put a shit hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it's a work of art. It's not: it's a shit hanging from a stick. [This is the] most exaggerated example of the way football is going: very intense, very collective, very tactical, very physical, and very direct, he added. But, a short pass? Noooo. A feint? Noooo. A change of pace? Noooo. A one-two? A nutmeg? A backheel? Don't be ridiculous. None of that. The extreme control and seriousness with which both teams played ... neutralised any creative licence, any moments of exquisite skill."
- Jorge Valdano, 2005
I am starting to regret doing this now. This is awful. It wasn't made better at the time by Taylor announcing that England were going to win:
I did not have a good time.
UEFA appear to have copyright claimed huge chunks of footage from this game.
I found what appeared to be a copy of the game on a dodgy video hosting website and sat through it. It was only when the video ended that I realised that it wasn't the full game. It was the full game minus the 90 seconds of highlights UEFA has on their website. The only 90 seconds where anything actually happens.
What makes it worse is that England's coaching team had scouted the Danes, conscious of the fact that war in the Balkans might preclude Yugoslavian participation. They knew what to expect!
Anyway, despite UEFA's litigiousness, even they don't care too much about his monstrosity, as their official match record has Denmark starting and ending the game with 10 men. Brian Laudrup has been deleted from history: https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/match/5108--denmark-vs-england/.
England lined up in their final warm-up match in a 5-3-2 formation, which Taylor promised would be the shape England played against Denmark.
So naturally here, England are playing 4-4-2:
Chris Woods
Keith Curle
Stuart Pearce
Carlton Palmer
Des Walker
Martin Keown
David Platt
Trevor Steven
Alan Smith
Gary Lineker (c)
Paul Merson
Daley and Webb come on in the second half. Webb is very lightweight.
Yes, England suffered injuries. But Denmark are here for the taking. In the first half, they give England so much respect and space on the ball, adopting a low ball. There is next to no creativity in the England midfield. For some reason, it is Palmer rather than Platt who is making runs to support the strikers. Don't get me wrong, Palmer is not great. But he keeps being asked to play in positions that he is not the best at. Everyone seems half fit.
At one point after 15 minutes, England have a 3 on 3 break, and Merson, carrying the ball, rapidly slows down as he reaches Denmark's penalty area. He hesitates, then is tackled.
Most of the creativity comes from long balls aimed at Smith and Lineker. Lineker is non existent here.
In the first half, Keown connects with a corner, unmarked, 6 yards out, but proceeds to head the ball back to the taker, away from the goal. In the second half, Palmer gets a free header 6 yards out from a free kick. He heads the ball well over. That sums things up really.
Keith Curle is at right back. He is run ragged by Laudrup. Curle doesn't know where to stand and what to do. He is withdrawn after 62 minutes, never to play for England again.
Let's sum up his England career. Remember, he is a centre-back.
Game 1 - CIS - 27 minutes as a substitute, playing at left back.
Game 2 - Hungary - 45 minutes playing as a libero
Game 3 - Denmark - 62 minutes playing as a right back
Curle spoke of the Denmark game years later. 'There's no finer moment than singing the national anthem before a major tournament. I didn't have nerves but just before we went out Graham Taylor had done his speech and (assistant) Lawrie McMenemy said, "Remember lads, there's millions of fans behind you". That's when the enormity set in.'
This is a game of half chances. Platt has a couple of shots after half time. In the first half (in the highlights) he does not connect with a shot in the penalty area and the ball gently travels to Schmeichel. If he had hit it, he would have scored. Smith hits the outside of the post from a cross but Schmeichel has it covered. In the second half Schmeichel tipped over a shot from Daley, but it was straight at him and it should have been saved. There is shockingly little in the way of progressive passing.
Denmark have by far the best chance of the game. John Jensen runs onto a layoff in the area and hits the inside of the post. Denmark realised after half time that England were no good and started being more adventurous. If they had won, England could have had no complaints.
"Football is made up of subjective feeling ... Put a shit hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it's a work of art. It's not: it's a shit hanging from a stick. [This is the] most exaggerated example of the way football is going: very intense, very collective, very tactical, very physical, and very direct, he added. But, a short pass? Noooo. A feint? Noooo. A change of pace? Noooo. A one-two? A nutmeg? A backheel? Don't be ridiculous. None of that. The extreme control and seriousness with which both teams played ... neutralised any creative licence, any moments of exquisite skill."
- Jorge Valdano, 2005
I am starting to regret doing this now. This is awful. It wasn't made better at the time by Taylor announcing that England were going to win:
I did not have a good time.
UEFA appear to have copyright claimed huge chunks of footage from this game.
I found what appeared to be a copy of the game on a dodgy video hosting website and sat through it. It was only when the video ended that I realised that it wasn't the full game. It was the full game minus the 90 seconds of highlights UEFA has on their website. The only 90 seconds where anything actually happens.
What makes it worse is that England's coaching team had scouted the Danes, conscious of the fact that war in the Balkans might preclude Yugoslavian participation. They knew what to expect!
Anyway, despite UEFA's litigiousness, even they don't care too much about his monstrosity, as their official match record has Denmark starting and ending the game with 10 men. Brian Laudrup has been deleted from history: https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/match/5108--denmark-vs-england/.
England lined up in their final warm-up match in a 5-3-2 formation, which Taylor promised would be the shape England played against Denmark.
So naturally here, England are playing 4-4-2:
Chris Woods
Keith Curle
Stuart Pearce
Carlton Palmer
Des Walker
Martin Keown
David Platt
Trevor Steven
Alan Smith
Gary Lineker (c)
Paul Merson
Woods
Curle------Walker------Keown------Pearce
Steven------Palmer------Platt------Merson
Lineker------Smith
Curle------Walker------Keown------Pearce
Steven------Palmer------Platt------Merson
Lineker------Smith
Daley and Webb come on in the second half. Webb is very lightweight.
Yes, England suffered injuries. But Denmark are here for the taking. In the first half, they give England so much respect and space on the ball, adopting a low ball. There is next to no creativity in the England midfield. For some reason, it is Palmer rather than Platt who is making runs to support the strikers. Don't get me wrong, Palmer is not great. But he keeps being asked to play in positions that he is not the best at. Everyone seems half fit.
At one point after 15 minutes, England have a 3 on 3 break, and Merson, carrying the ball, rapidly slows down as he reaches Denmark's penalty area. He hesitates, then is tackled.
Most of the creativity comes from long balls aimed at Smith and Lineker. Lineker is non existent here.
In the first half, Keown connects with a corner, unmarked, 6 yards out, but proceeds to head the ball back to the taker, away from the goal. In the second half, Palmer gets a free header 6 yards out from a free kick. He heads the ball well over. That sums things up really.
Keith Curle is at right back. He is run ragged by Laudrup. Curle doesn't know where to stand and what to do. He is withdrawn after 62 minutes, never to play for England again.
Let's sum up his England career. Remember, he is a centre-back.
Game 1 - CIS - 27 minutes as a substitute, playing at left back.
Game 2 - Hungary - 45 minutes playing as a libero
Game 3 - Denmark - 62 minutes playing as a right back
Curle spoke of the Denmark game years later. 'There's no finer moment than singing the national anthem before a major tournament. I didn't have nerves but just before we went out Graham Taylor had done his speech and (assistant) Lawrie McMenemy said, "Remember lads, there's millions of fans behind you". That's when the enormity set in.'
This is a game of half chances. Platt has a couple of shots after half time. In the first half (in the highlights) he does not connect with a shot in the penalty area and the ball gently travels to Schmeichel. If he had hit it, he would have scored. Smith hits the outside of the post from a cross but Schmeichel has it covered. In the second half Schmeichel tipped over a shot from Daley, but it was straight at him and it should have been saved. There is shockingly little in the way of progressive passing.
Denmark have by far the best chance of the game. John Jensen runs onto a layoff in the area and hits the inside of the post. Denmark realised after half time that England were no good and started being more adventurous. If they had won, England could have had no complaints.
Pity the BBC still don't use it. They used it for Euro 96 as well. Quite fitting given it's the anthem for Europe
Keith Curle fecking hell
The right-back farce was part unfortunate but part crap planning.
It was like Southgate not taking any fit left-backs to Euro 2024.
It was like Southgate not taking any fit left-backs to Euro 2024.
Continues to be a great thread.
But, all you kids out there who moaned about Southgate - even you who moaned about Sven or Capello or Hodgson - this was the real dregs of the last 50 years.
Anyway, some thoughts on the Euro 92 squad before it’s too late for me to do so:
Goalies - I know Seaman hadn’t convinced for England yet, but Nigel Martyn had only earned two caps when he went to the Euros, and had spent less than an hour on the pitch. If Woods had got injured mid-tournament there was no reason to assume he wouldn’t have just fallen to bits under the pressure.
Defenders - The right-back thing was partly bad luck, but it was also bonkers to rely on Keith Curle who was an unmitigated and wholly predictable disaster. Paul Parker, Gary Charles and Earl Barrett had all been capped but somehow weren’t fancied even when there was literally no other specialist in the squad. Mel Sterland was an option - he’d won one cap a few years earlier, and had been ace when Leeds won the league that season. Taylor would give a debut to David Beardsley the following year, someone he’d actually managed at club level - surely a player who knew the position and who Taylor knew intimately was better than an out-of-position centre-back with two caps?
Also, folks, can we stop talking about Steve Bruce when Gary Pallister was PFA Player of the Year and couldn’t make the squad?
Midfield - The real mess of Taylor’s thinking comes out here. He’d never shown any sign that he fancied Neil Webb, who didn’t play a minute in the qualifiers. Then in the six months leading up to the tournament he played four friendlies, two England B games, started two of the three games at the Euros, before being dropped forever. Or there’s Geoff Thomas, who played 9 out of 11 games, before that shot against France, and was never picked again. Tony Daley was also a regular for a year, then dropped forever after the tournament.
No wonder the midfield looked a mess, the thinking was impenetrable. Taylor seemed to need six months to decide if any player was good enough.
Strikers - Now, I have thoughts on Ian Wright as an international player, but this should have been his moment. He’d just been the First Division’s top scorer, after becoming Arsenal’s record signing, but couldn’t get ahead in ahead of Lineker (fair enough), Smith (who he’d comfortably outscored for Arsenal), or Alan Shearer who had two caps and was wholly unproven. Rum.
Anyway, bad luck be damned. This was Taylor’s squad, nine of the 19 players who went had been given their debuts by him. Taylor had also given debuts to another 13 players by my count. And that doesn’t touch upon guys like Gordon Cowans, Mark Hateley or Gary Mabbutt who had been in the wilderness for years, were recalled, and then were binned again. There was no plan here, just an adrift mess.
But, all you kids out there who moaned about Southgate - even you who moaned about Sven or Capello or Hodgson - this was the real dregs of the last 50 years.
Anyway, some thoughts on the Euro 92 squad before it’s too late for me to do so:
Goalies - I know Seaman hadn’t convinced for England yet, but Nigel Martyn had only earned two caps when he went to the Euros, and had spent less than an hour on the pitch. If Woods had got injured mid-tournament there was no reason to assume he wouldn’t have just fallen to bits under the pressure.
Defenders - The right-back thing was partly bad luck, but it was also bonkers to rely on Keith Curle who was an unmitigated and wholly predictable disaster. Paul Parker, Gary Charles and Earl Barrett had all been capped but somehow weren’t fancied even when there was literally no other specialist in the squad. Mel Sterland was an option - he’d won one cap a few years earlier, and had been ace when Leeds won the league that season. Taylor would give a debut to David Beardsley the following year, someone he’d actually managed at club level - surely a player who knew the position and who Taylor knew intimately was better than an out-of-position centre-back with two caps?
Also, folks, can we stop talking about Steve Bruce when Gary Pallister was PFA Player of the Year and couldn’t make the squad?
Midfield - The real mess of Taylor’s thinking comes out here. He’d never shown any sign that he fancied Neil Webb, who didn’t play a minute in the qualifiers. Then in the six months leading up to the tournament he played four friendlies, two England B games, started two of the three games at the Euros, before being dropped forever. Or there’s Geoff Thomas, who played 9 out of 11 games, before that shot against France, and was never picked again. Tony Daley was also a regular for a year, then dropped forever after the tournament.
No wonder the midfield looked a mess, the thinking was impenetrable. Taylor seemed to need six months to decide if any player was good enough.
Strikers - Now, I have thoughts on Ian Wright as an international player, but this should have been his moment. He’d just been the First Division’s top scorer, after becoming Arsenal’s record signing, but couldn’t get ahead in ahead of Lineker (fair enough), Smith (who he’d comfortably outscored for Arsenal), or Alan Shearer who had two caps and was wholly unproven. Rum.
Anyway, bad luck be damned. This was Taylor’s squad, nine of the 19 players who went had been given their debuts by him. Taylor had also given debuts to another 13 players by my count. And that doesn’t touch upon guys like Gordon Cowans, Mark Hateley or Gary Mabbutt who had been in the wilderness for years, were recalled, and then were binned again. There was no plan here, just an adrift mess.
Taylor really didn't make it easy on himself. What a terrible squad that is
That Denmark game part of the grand tradition of the dispiriting England 0-0 tournament performance.