Pages

Sunday 11 July 2021

Fifty-five years on

In 1966, England won the Jules Rimet World Cup …

... and I didn’t see the complete match until 1991!

Let me explain why.

My sister was born in August 1962, and my mother organised her fourth birthday party to take place on 30th July 1966 … the day of the World Cup final! She chose the date well in advance because – at the time – no one really expected England to reach the final.

As a result, we had a very large number of four-year-old children running around the house screaming, shouting, and playing party games … which made it almost impossible to watch the match on TV. (A few years ago I discovered that my brother had managed to sneak out and watched the match with our next door neighbours!)

A colour recording of the whole match was shown on TV on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the final, and this was the first opportunity I had to see it without any interruptions … and that was probably the last time I watched a complete football match.

I fell out of love with football (association football or soccer to anyone from outside the UK … or to rugby aficionados!) when I worked part-time for what was then a First Division (and now a Premiership) football club. I worked as part of the match day security team … and was on the receiving end of several violent attacks by so-called football fans who were intent on getting into the ground without paying, or who just wanted a fight with someone who wasn’t part of their gang. After I stopped working there, I continued to watch match highlights … until Sky bought the rights to transmit live Premiership football matches, and huge amounts of money flooded into the sport and – in my opinion – pretty well broke the link between teams and their local fan base. From that point onwards, I gave up watching football.

Later today, the England football team will be playing the Italian team at Wembley, and the whole of the country appears to have assumed a pre-match festive atmosphere, with everyone seemingly assured of England’s victory. The government has even suggested that schools should allow children to arrive late for lessons on Monday if they have been watching the match, and that we might even enjoy an additional Bank Holiday in celebration.

Now I am as patriotic as the next man, and I do hope the team win. I may even break my self-imposed ban on watching live football on the TV and watch the match live. If I don’t, I just hope that I don’t have to wait until 2046 to watch it in full!

12 comments:

  1. My wife's school is not opening until 10.30am to allow the children (and adults) to watch the match. Lidl will open an hour later if England win. The Coop are apparently shutting up shop early, even though it is Sunday and they close at 5.00pm.

    I hope England play well and win, but I won't be devastated if we lose. My wife, who is Nigerian, is really rooting for England. Even our daughter has watched the last two matches.

    Trying to get some sleep will be tricky as our neighbours a few doors down are holding (and have been) a big party for the match. Further up the road some 'fans' were still singing past midnight after the semi-final win.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve J.,

      I hate to think what the reaction will be like if England lose. So many people seem to have invested so much in a victory that losing will be unacceptable to them.

      The resentment that has been building in the general population as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions might just erupt, whereas a win might just help relieve that tension.

      I hope that England win, but I don’t think that is by any means a forgone conclusion.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. Expecting a gripping match .. not an easy one by any means .. certainly not a foregone conclusion .. like yourself worried if we don't win .. Southgate gives me hope setting expectations .. like a certain Duke, his energy goes into the preparation which seems faultless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Geordie an Exiled FoG,

      We are expecting to watch today’s match, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to cope with the tension if it goes to extra time and then a penalty shootout!

      I must admit that the England squad has the look of a team rather than just a grouping of talented individuals, and that comes down to the manager’s leadership and the selection process.

      I wish them luck.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  3. Being a true Scotsman it would be remiss of me not to mention the England/Scotland match of 1967.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSfA7xxBM3w

    Now where did I put my Italia football shirt?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jim Duncan,

      A 3-2 win, I seem to remember … and Jack Charlton ended the game hardly able to run. Add in a West German referee …

      In truth, Scotland was the better side on the day, and deserved to win.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. Bob, your reply was far more gracious than he deserved...! You are a true English gentleman.

      Delete
    3. Anthony Morton,

      Jim Duncan is a jolly good chap, and deserves my courtesy, even if we might disagree at times. As a Scot, I would expect him to remind me that in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup win, the England football team was not invincible.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. Only people who don't follow football or very young think England are assured of victory. To be honest I don't think I've come across anyone that does.

    There are still many football clubs who are deeply rooted in their local community. The Premier League and some of the Championship clubs are the exceptions. There's some fabulous examples out there.

    I agree about Southgate's leadership and the qualities of the squad that he has assembled. I hope we win but I won't be devastated if we don't. Italy are clear favourites. Reaching the final has already exceeded my expectations. It's a free hit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nundanket,

      There is very little in life that is certain … and winning football matches falls into the uncertain category in my book.

      I agree that outside the Premiership and Championship, there are lots of local clubs that do have very strong links with the community. In fact, our local club - Charlton Athletic - has a community trust that does a wonderful job, and which has really helped ensure that as many people as possible in Royal Greenwich have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

      This is the first England squad in a long time that has not been dependent upon a few individuals to win its matches. It feels like it is a team … and if they are runners up tonight, they will have done better than a lot of people expected and will provide a solid basis for future success.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. I agree about the team. I was one of the doubters.

      Delete
    3. pm
      Nundanket,

      To quote that old football manager’s cliche, ‘the boys done well’.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

Thank you for leaving a comment. Please note that any comments that are spam or contain phishing messages or that come from Google Accounts that are 'Unknown' will be deleted.