I agree - It was a lovely Summers day after Finals - the precise pinnacle of life, and civilisation generally, was the moment at which the ball that Gaza flicked over Colin Hendry’s head reached its apogee.
Its been pretty good since tbh. But that was a wonderful moment.
Also lol @ Walker, Trippier or literally anyone not being better than G Neville.
But life was grand, the summer went on for ever and I touched a girl’s boobs at a village disco before cycling home to watch the highlights of France v Spain high on Tizer and life. Laaaaad
(I would say 96 was english football peak. Gazza was a truly superb player, possibly the best I have seen play. the shearer sherringham combo up front was the best we have had in my lifetime (that one two three against the netherlands).
Harsh criticism of anderton up above, he was a great player sadly beset by injury.
Italia 90 was pretty rubbish, one team that absolutely did not deserve to get out of the group stage and who cheated their way to the final, and the other with all the romance of an abattoir. Very few goals scored and the miasma of penalties and diving were becoming rampant.
From a football perspective Mexico 86 was better. And England had done the Turniermannschaft thing of getting better throughout - albeit thanks to Captain Fragile injuring himself out and turning to Barnes and Lineker - and would surely have won it without the cheating commie doping handball merchant.
The 4-1 wigging dished out to the Dutch stands out as the highlight of Euro 96. Sheringham’s selfless pass in the box to Shearer. Top corner. Job done.
The Sweaties were also put to the sword and rightfully reminded of why they’re the plucky losers in the relationship with England. You can slow mo the look on Hendry’s face all day as Gazza mugs him.
And it wouldn’t be a memorable tournament without England going out on penalties in the semis.
The 4-1 wigging dished out to the Dutch stands out as the highlight of Euro 96. Sheringham’s selfless pass in the box to Shearer. Top corner. Job done.
The best bit was letting Kluivert sneak in for a consolation goal which knocked the Scots out on goal difference.
I remember watching quite a lot of Mexico 86 at the Calthorpe Arms with printers who were meant to be picketing the old Times building in Grays Inn Rd which was SJ Berwin for a while later
italia 90 was unsdisputably the moment when football became ‘cool’ though
That cheeky feint to shoot then layoff from Sheringham is pretty much my favourite England moment ever, maybe joint with Owen’s subtle shoulder-drop to sit the Brazil keeper down before scoring in 2002.
it was basically the pinnacle of football / life Wasnt it.
basically nothing is better now than it was then
The year I got accepted into Cambridge, left school, lost my virginity, got my first job, went on a gap yah, trekked in the Himalayas.
Watched all the Euro 96 matches round at my mate's place through clouds of hash smoke (his Mum was v. liberal). He lived in a flat on top of a dentist's in Acton. I remember running out onto the flat roof after England scored in the semi against Germany.
I started 1996 at the Brixton Academy at a Return to the Source rave.
I ended 1996 at a party by a lake in Nepal.
Pints were 2 quid. Maccy D's meals were 3 quid. 15 quid bought you an eighth of hash that got you high but didn't make you think that the squirrels were conspiring against you.
You could go to almost any techno or house night picked at random out of the pages of Time Out and score ecstasy pills for 10 quid.
Virtually every week a ridiculously good album was released.
I think england in 1990 were mainly shite, they played well in one game (the one they lost) but other than that were terrible, scraped past egypy, nealry lost to cameroon, late winner in dreadful game v belgium (great one tho), terrible v ireland. didnt watch the semi tbf
England are never going to steamroller their way to a WC or Euro final tbf and tournament football is always going to be pretty nip and tuck. Even that great France side wheezed past Paraguay in 98.
Even that great France side wheezed past Paraguay in 98.
wasn't that due to some awful refereeing decision? Home team always gets favourable reffing, remember South Korea basically cheating their way to a semi final
Essentially England cant beat world class sides in knock out stages of tournaments. Can anyone remember when we last did this? (not counting penalties)
Gazza at his peak, Platt volleying home, Oman Biyik's header beating the reigning champions, Roger Milla dancing, Benjamin Massing's tackle on Cannigia, Frank Riikjard decorating Rudi Voeller's mullet with a carefully placed piece of phlegm.
It was all downhill from the formation of the Premier League. Gradual at first but culminating in the failed European Super League. The football may be technically better but has lost its soul (and its mystique now we see the players regularly).
Euro 96 was an enjoyable diversion and a last hurrah - in many ways marked the highwater mark for the UK more generally. The idea that Things can only get Better now seems laughable as what followed was 9/11, the global economic crisis, Brexit, Trumpism and then Covid.
I remember hearing footballs coming home in about October 1996 and mates being staggered I had never heard it. tbf I had been on the other side of the world...
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Good maths skillz tho.
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England football team is better.
Scottish defenders are faster on average too.
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really?
Seaman > Pope / Pickford
Pearce > Shaw
Adams > Stones
Southgate > Maguire
Neville > any of our right backs
Ince > Rice
Gascoigne > Hehnderson
Shearer > Kane
ill agree that the likes of foden, Sterling, Grealish, sancho etc are better than mcmanaman / platt / Anderton / Barney etc
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How can you remember? Weren't you about six then?
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12 tbf
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I agree - It was a lovely Summers day after Finals - the precise pinnacle of life, and civilisation generally, was the moment at which the ball that Gaza flicked over Colin Hendry’s head reached its apogee.
Its been pretty good since tbh. But that was a wonderful moment.
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Pearce is not greater than Shaw
“adams > stones” is LOLaminute stuff
give over the wind up mate
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I agree that Euro 96 was life’s pinnacle tho
It all started going to shit when southgate missed that penalty
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My summer with des ❤️❤️❤️
the music was epic
biggest stress was SATS and what band sign to tippex on my army surplus bag
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Just finished my finals, had a student house just off cotham hill, we fired up the bbq and moved the TV into the garden, good times
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‘Pearce is not greater than Shaw
“adams > stones” is LOLaminute stuff’
danny dyer’s hardest agree with this.
Also lol @ Walker, Trippier or literally anyone not being better than G Neville.
But life was grand, the summer went on for ever and I touched a girl’s boobs at a village disco before cycling home to watch the highlights of France v Spain high on Tizer and life. Laaaaad
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Yeh shaw, trippier and stones are really good which is why they’ve got us to all this semi finals of major international competitions.
oh wait.
They might be better on the ball and at crossing but can’t defend for shit, unlike Neville, Adam’s and Pearce.
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Actually they did get us to a semi of the World Cup didn’t they. Well I’ve had a shocker there tbf
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Trippier scored in a WC semi final m7
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I know its only the domestic league but TBH Leicester winning the premiership was the best footballing memory I have.
Be nice to beat Chelsea in the FA cup final but that wont eclipse the premiership year.
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Italia 90 will always be the apex tournament for me- I was 14 and probably the peak of my excitement over international football.
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Agree Italia 90 was the peak.
I felt genuine grief when Moller slotted home his penalty in 96. I pretty much gave up watching football there and then.
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(I would say 96 was english football peak. Gazza was a truly superb player, possibly the best I have seen play. the shearer sherringham combo up front was the best we have had in my lifetime (that one two three against the netherlands).
Harsh criticism of anderton up above, he was a great player sadly beset by injury.
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england 5 Germany 1 peak for me
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Neville was a good crosser of the ball, and was streetwise. nothing in it between him and current crop. Gazza was still good but past his best in 96
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my memories of euro 96 are clouded! too much late night drinking
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Agree with the OP. People drunkenly shouting 'It's coming home' at each other in the street in 2018 was a lame callback.
The current team is way better, but so are most of the other countries so...
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Gascoigne was only 29 at Euro 96. Physical condition of a 45 yr old though.
To think what a player he would have been if he had been managed by Sir Alex Ferguson his whole career
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another vote for italia 90 here
also the year of my personal top football moment ever when Leeds beat Sheffield Utd 4-0 at Elland Road to win promotion to the old first division
football has basically got steadily more shyt since then
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I was too young for italia 90. I remember the 94 World Cup quite well as was in Florida on holiday when the final happened.
my dad took me to see Bulgaria vs Romania at Euro 96 at St James park. Was so excited to see Stoichkov vs Hagi. Awful game of football though
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"Actually they did get us to a semi of the World Cup didn’t they. Well I’ve had a shocker there tbf"
TBF to you I dont really count that one, they got there with an incredibly lucky draw and lost to the first half decent team they came up against
They beat Tunisa, Panama and Sweden, drew with Columbia (winning on pens) and lost to Belgium twice. Hardly world the stuff of legends.
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sorry and of course lost to Croatia
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Italia 90 was pretty rubbish, one team that absolutely did not deserve to get out of the group stage and who cheated their way to the final, and the other with all the romance of an abattoir. Very few goals scored and the miasma of penalties and diving were becoming rampant.
From a football perspective Mexico 86 was better. And England had done the Turniermannschaft thing of getting better throughout - albeit thanks to Captain Fragile injuring himself out and turning to Barnes and Lineker - and would surely have won it without the cheating commie doping handball merchant.
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but this summer.....
picture the scene
the beer gardens are full
pints are being chinned
team sane have locked themselves in at home to hide from der blud clotz
foden - skins one, skins another, top bins. Goal. England 1-0 Germany. Its all over. Absolute scenes.
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España 82 innit. Norn Iron beating Spain 1-0 to top their group.
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Heh at this discussion being about "from footballing perspective" - it is all about how these tournaments made you feel m7.
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The 4-1 wigging dished out to the Dutch stands out as the highlight of Euro 96. Sheringham’s selfless pass in the box to Shearer. Top corner. Job done.
The Sweaties were also put to the sword and rightfully reminded of why they’re the plucky losers in the relationship with England. You can slow mo the look on Hendry’s face all day as Gazza mugs him.
And it wouldn’t be a memorable tournament without England going out on penalties in the semis.
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2011 League Cup then.
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Obafemi!!!!!!!!!!
23 or 38, 23 or 38, 23 or 38 Obafemi martins
Waaaaaaaaaaas he shot or was he not, was he shot or was he not etc etc
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The best bit was letting Kluivert sneak in for a consolation goal which knocked the Scots out on goal difference.
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I remember watching quite a lot of Mexico 86 at the Calthorpe Arms with printers who were meant to be picketing the old Times building in Grays Inn Rd which was SJ Berwin for a while later
italia 90 was unsdisputably the moment when football became ‘cool’ though
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a couple of years after 86 I went to see Real Valladolid play a friendly at Crewe just to see Carlos Valderama
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That cheeky feint to shoot then layoff from Sheringham is pretty much my favourite England moment ever, maybe joint with Owen’s subtle shoulder-drop to sit the Brazil keeper down before scoring in 2002.
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I think Rooney in Euro 2004 has to be up there. What an impact he had.
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*actually Google says Valderama was at Valladolid after Italia 90 ...
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Best England moment for me was the 5-1 over Germany. It was a mixture of the mesmeric and the unbelievable. "This is ENGLAND?"
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Ffs
it was basically the pinnacle of football / life Wasnt it.
basically nothing is better now than it was then
The year I got accepted into Cambridge, left school, lost my virginity, got my first job, went on a gap yah, trekked in the Himalayas.
Watched all the Euro 96 matches round at my mate's place through clouds of hash smoke (his Mum was v. liberal). He lived in a flat on top of a dentist's in Acton. I remember running out onto the flat roof after England scored in the semi against Germany.
I started 1996 at the Brixton Academy at a Return to the Source rave.
I ended 1996 at a party by a lake in Nepal.
Pints were 2 quid. Maccy D's meals were 3 quid. 15 quid bought you an eighth of hash that got you high but didn't make you think that the squirrels were conspiring against you.
You could go to almost any techno or house night picked at random out of the pages of Time Out and score ecstasy pills for 10 quid.
Virtually every week a ridiculously good album was released.
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And then Labour got in and it all turned to ratshit.
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I think england in 1990 were mainly shite, they played well in one game (the one they lost) but other than that were terrible, scraped past egypy, nealry lost to cameroon, late winner in dreadful game v belgium (great one tho), terrible v ireland. didnt watch the semi tbf
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England are never going to steamroller their way to a WC or Euro final tbf and tournament football is always going to be pretty nip and tuck. Even that great France side wheezed past Paraguay in 98.
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wasn't that due to some awful refereeing decision? Home team always gets favourable reffing, remember South Korea basically cheating their way to a semi final
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i don't remember us playing irelan in 1990
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Essentially England cant beat world class sides in knock out stages of tournaments. Can anyone remember when we last did this? (not counting penalties)
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1990 was the pinnacle of football.
Gazza at his peak, Platt volleying home, Oman Biyik's header beating the reigning champions, Roger Milla dancing, Benjamin Massing's tackle on Cannigia, Frank Riikjard decorating Rudi Voeller's mullet with a carefully placed piece of phlegm.
It was all downhill from the formation of the Premier League. Gradual at first but culminating in the failed European Super League. The football may be technically better but has lost its soul (and its mystique now we see the players regularly).
Euro 96 was an enjoyable diversion and a last hurrah - in many ways marked the highwater mark for the UK more generally. The idea that Things can only get Better now seems laughable as what followed was 9/11, the global economic crisis, Brexit, Trumpism and then Covid.
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It was the period between 1990 and 1996 which was the best era of football.
Football Italia on the TV - Italian clubs were absolutely mint in those days
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1st game , group stages 1.1
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massive shout out to oysterbay for My Summer With Des.
I've still got that on VHS somewhere. Amazing memories.
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I remember hearing footballs coming home in about October 1996 and mates being staggered I had never heard it. tbf I had been on the other side of the world...
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Des Lynham... all was right with the world when he was on the box. Gary L has tried to model himself on him but not the same...
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We played Rep of ireland as the first game in the group stages of Italia 90 drew 1-1.
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1990 was a good World Cup, up there with '82 and '78.
1996 must have been a good year - it was before I started in law.
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30 years later I still can’t hear nessun dorma without seeing des lynam’s face ...
I’ve always meant to try to find the full italia 90 porn film Pete Davies describes in his excellent book all played out. it must be online somewhere
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Is that a gay p0rn thing or where do the women come into it?
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iirc from the book cicciolina (natch) drains the energy of the Argentine players before the final and rewards the victorious Italian team en masse
i can’t remember if the group stages feature
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Euro 96 was the first tournament I really remember Properly. fooking brilliant and exciting to watch, plus England doing so well.
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