Euro 2016 will probably mean more twilight football viewing for me as the competition unfolds from this weekend. And unlike cheesy Eurovision there will be no wild card entry for the Socceroos, so Australian fans will have to make of it what they will. It is hard to evaluate England’s chances as I have seen very few live games that they have been involved with of late. Suffice to say, I will not get over-excited. But to be fair to Roy Hodgson, he has given youth its fling after naming his squad so anything could happen. Indeed Geoff Hurst, the England hat-trick hero of the 1966 World Cup success this week said:”It’s the most exciting squad since ’66 ‑ people like Dele Alli have come in and been very refreshing.”
I thought England looked fine in the 2-1 win against the Socceroos in the recent friendly at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. They had the precious asset of pace which made them look highly dangerous on the counter-attack and they created the far more promising openings on goal. This was contrary to the opinions of pro-Aussie commentator Andy Harper, who was seemingly watching a different game to me. Other recent friendly results have included a storming come-from-behind 3-2 win in Germany followed by a home defeat to the Netherlands and a fitful 2-1 success against Turkey at Manchester City’s Eastlands home.
So, it really looks hit or miss for the tournament. England have never won the Euros so if they can gain some early momentum it may give the folks back home something to take on board. Of course one of the best Euro memories is when football “came home” in the heady summer of 1996. Even looking back through rose-tinted glasses, it seemed to be a time when everything just came together — the football, the music, the craic within the general heady atmosphere around England.
I’m not too fond of David Baddiel and Frank Skinner but their anthemic Three Lions had the country singing along. England made a dithering start. I remember being on Sunday Times duty for the Switzerland game then watching in a Tufnell Park pub with Mark Fairhurst for the epic win against Scotland. And this is all so long ago that remember the striking talisman was someone who actually played for Blackburn Rovers at the time – a certain Alan Shearer. A whole nation worshipping a Rovers player. Jeez, it must have been a long time ago.
The high point came with the demolition of the Dutch at Wembley. Again, Shearer scored and this time I enjoyed it literally on home turf in the Knowles Arms, in Blackburn. Penalties saw off Spain and a semi-final meeting with Germany beckoned. Where to for this one? Believe it or not — Edinburgh to meet touring Aussie mates at that time Dave and Sarah Patching plus Gabs, with Blackburn folk Mick and Jean Charnley completing the entourage. Shearer duly scored after three minutes in a packed pub as we watched the box. Cue pandemonium — but only from mainly me. Not the rest of the pub. I could not believe that the Scots were backing Germany. The Krauts eventually equalised and that had the pub suddenly roaring. England’s usual exit on penalties seemed to cheer the Jocks up even more. I was not pleased leaving the pub that night. I have known copious Scots down the years but never realised they took their hatred of the English to such levels. After that I always watched Braveheart from a different viewpoint. His descendants were probably in that Edinburgh pub cheering for the Germans.
Amid all this feelgood vibes that summer was the Sex Pistols’ open air shindig at Finsbury Park when England players Stuart Pearce and Gareth Southgate were wheeled on stage to introduce John Lydon and co to the delight of the crowd. I was there with Mark Fairhurst (again) and Shaun Gill. A great afternoon. Even Iggy Pop popped up for a while. Heady days, but let’s fast forward to now. I have gained some kind of revenge in that the Scots are the only one of the British Isles nations missing out on France 2016. Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and even Wales are all there. So that’s some kind of karma retribution for Edinburgh 96. What happens from here who knows?
One of the sad aspects of the upcoming tournament is the heightened fears about terrorism, especially after occurrences in France in recent times. Alas, it’s part of the crazy world we live in with one possible miscreant already having his alleged schedule of mayhem interrupted by security forces and Police in Ukraine. Here’s hoping for some fine televised entertainment and a trouble-free event. Vive la France!
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