1966: 50 Years On

[Mr Trick]

So today marks fifty years since what has become known as the most famous Football match in English Footballing history. The BBC have some interesting tributes to mark the occasion across its radio coverage today, including an odd experiment to run through the game minute by minute with a star studded cast including Martin Freeman filling the roles of the key players of the day.

1. Is anyone on the board actually old enough to have been around in 66? If so what are your memories of the game and the era?

2. How do you feel things have changed since 1966, in terms of sport, culture, politics and life in general? How are things better or worse today than they were then?

3. Do you think England will ever win another BLOODY World Cup or International tournament?😀

 

[ILLYRIAN]

What, England win the world cup again? They'd be lucky to get in the world cup again.
Everything has changed in England since 1966.
I remember watching the World Cup when it was aired live. Some things you don't forget, the matches Iceland played fall into the same category.

 

[Priceless]

Afraid I'm not quite old enough to remember 1966, but in my lifetime the world seems to have changed a lot, some things for the beter some for the worse.

I will be positive and say yes one day England will win another tournament . . . just hope it'll be in my lifetime because I would love to see it 🙂

 

[white avenger]

1. Is anyone on the board actually old enough to have been around in 66? If so what are your memories of the game and the era?

Certainly I was around in '66. Sorry, I wasn't into football, either your kind or ours. Mainly, I remember being in college, away from home for the first time. Ford Mustangs had just been introduced the year before, and it was the car that every young man wanted. Viet Nam hadn't become the unpopular subject that it would later become. We were still proud of our military, and believed that they were doing what needed to be done. The Beatles were getting a lot of attention because one of them said that they were more popular than Jesus. Elvis was making more bad movies than good music, and Sean Connery was beginning to understand that, while playing James Bond in the movies was making him a rich man, it was limiting his ability to be accepted in any other sort of role. Walt Disney died, and Ronald Regan was elected Governor of California.

 

[Mr Trick]

What, England win the world cup again? They'd be lucky to get in the world cup again.
Everything has changed in England since 1966.
I remember watching the World Cup when it was aired live. Some things you don't forget, the matches Iceland played fall into the same category.

To be fair we normally get drawn in easy qualifing groups so that tends to play into our favour😉

Afraid I'm not quite old enough to remember 1966, but in my lifetime the world seems to have changed a lot, some things for the beter some for the worse.

I will be positive and say yes one day England will win another tournament . . . just hope it'll be in my lifetime because I would love to see it 🙂

Its odd, because I've gone from expecting that England will win another tournament one day, to being resigned to us never winning another one, at least in my life time. I have perspective on it. Some countries have never won one. By and large since winning it we have been a last eight of a tournament side, with the odd semi. That's pretty good, but also means that the expectations placed on the team is silly. That it is now a struggle to be a last eight team should keep things in perspective for awhile.
 
So far this World Cup 66 celebration programme is a bit poo😀

Reef!(who dug them up?) are doing the worse Stones impression ever? And the guy trying to talk like John Cleese is a shambles. I dread what a show like this might sound like in another 50 years?....

 

[Washburne]

Things can change pretty fast and there's been some huge surprises through football history so to say that England will never win and international tournament again feels very wrong. Even if at the moment I understand if it doesn't feel very positive. Not that I'm a fan of Big Sam but he seems pretty good at making teams achieve better than people think are possible so who knows what he'll do with the national team.

 

[Mr Trick]

Things can change pretty fast and there's been some huge surprises through football history so to say that England will never win and international tournament again feels very wrong. Even if at the moment I understand if it doesn't feel very positive. Not that I'm a fan of Big Sam but he seems pretty good at making teams achieve better than people think are possible so who knows what he'll do with the national team.

But I don't know if I'm that depressed about the idea that we might never win another one. Part of being a Football fan is the way we just deal with lowered expectations and under achivement. Like I said some countries have never one a tournament, so that gives me some perspective. Yes I would like us to win another one and think we maybe should have by now. But its also clear the reasons we haven't. And I'm used to that by now too.

Allydance is a good appointment for me (the only logical one given the options), he can only doing so much with the limited resources though. If he can make us a last eight side who look compeative and take some of our young talent to the next level I will be pleased.

 

[The Bronze]

3. Do you think England will ever win another BLOODY World Cup or International tournament?😀

I'm far too young to answer the other two questions but I'll have a go at this. Any team that makes it through to the finals of a tournament has a chance. History is littered with underdog stories, mostly built on a solid foundation like Greece and Portugal at the Euros. So I'd say England have a chance. That's about it for now though, an outsiders punt. I don't picture us being in anyway formidable for at least a decade or 2. Much as people laugh at the "Golden Generation" tag I genuinely believe we had a few tournament where we amongst the top end teams and with better management or luck we might have made a final or won it.

 

[Mr Trick]

I'm far too young to answer the other two questions but I'll have a go at this. Any team that makes it through to the finals of a tournament has a chance. History is littered with underdog stories, mostly built on a solid foundation like Greece and Portugal at the Euros. So I'd say England have a chance. That's about it for now though, an outsiders punt. I don't picture us being in anyway formidable for at least a decade or 2. Much as people laugh at the "Golden Generation" tag I genuinely believe we had a few tournament where we amongst the top end teams and with better management or luck we might have made a final or won it.

Its been awhile since I've seen the Greece win. Portugal won mostly because of the flawed structure of the tournament, and because many of the big nations didn't show up. They deserved to win the final, but if you watch them throughout the tournament it was more luck than anything which got them through. Problem is that too often England lack those basics which Portugal and Greece did so well at times.

There are many reasons why the Golden generation didn't come away with a trophy too many to name here. One was that the managers just lacked the sharp tectical instincts to change big games at the right time, and were not brave enough to think outside of the box selection wise etc... Then there is the massive issue about the players always placing the importance of club football ahead of International.

We can win a future tournament. But until we get the proper structures in place I don't think we will. Another thing to remember is that their is far less media hype around nations like Portugal and Greece. It was easier for them to compete with little pressue or expectations.