Off season fun - international tournament memories

[benjii]

Hi Saints fans!

Let's talk international tournament highlights. For me:

- Italia 90

The first tournament I was old enough to properly watch and understand, and coincided with first season going to The Dell. So many iconic moments and images:

The England shell suit

The opening match upset and Cameroon's "tackles"

The San Siro

Pavarotti

Baggio v Yugoslavia

Roger Milla and his funny dance

Platt v Belgium

Toto Schillachi

Gazza and Lineker v Cameroon

Germany being ruthlessly efficient and jammy bastards

Chris Waddles pelanty 

Maradonna crying 

 

Then, a bit of a 6 year wasteland due to England being shite...

- Euro 96

Home summer tournament. 14 years old. Magic. Fucking Germans again.

- France 98

Despite Hoddle being a cunt to MLT... Top football: Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Cafu, Thuram, Viera, Petit, Zidane, Henry...  the amazing match against Argentina. Beckham's highs and lows. Owen's ridiculous emergence into the big time with that goal.

- Jap / S Korea 2002

At uni, so watching matches in Walkabout at breakfast time was not a problem. Revenge on the Argies (sorry Poch). Being proud of England even though we screwed up. Ronaldo's redemption. All dayers and pulling birds. Magic.

 

Since then, all a bit meh. 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by benjii

[Green]

Similar timeline to me. I sometimes wonder if I would have loved football as much as I did if I hadn’t had Italia 90 as my first major tournament in my football supporting liftetime.

I would also add that I quite enjoyed 2018 with England getting to the semi finals again. 

Other than that some unremarkable tournaments that merge into one. I have an excellent recall of what happened 35 years ago, where I was, who I watched it with but ask me what happened 3.5 days ago and I’d be struggling with the detail. 

[AlexLaw76]

Italia 90 is what it was all about

The music just summed it all up

[The Kraken]

Overall, the actual games in Italia 90 were fairly dreadful. Obviously England getting so far, New Order, the general filming of it all, everything made it a competition that many remember so fondly.  But there was a record low number of goals scored across the tournament and many attribute it as one of the biggest contributors to the bringing in of the backpass law.

I loved Italia 90, right down to the goal nets, but the tournament as a whole is certainly viewed through rose tinted specs.

1986 was a real occasion, I remember watching much of it but not really old enough to fully appreciate it. USA 94 crap for many reasons, mostly us not being in it, but just a soulless experience. France 98 was brilliant right up to Beckham acting the twat.

Edited 9 hours ago by The Kraken

[benjii]

8 minutes ago, The Kraken said:

Overall, the actual games in Italia 90 were fairly dreadful. Obviously England getting so far, New Order, the general filming of it all, everything made it a competition that many remember so fondly.  But there was a record low number of goals scored across the tournament and many attribute it as one of the biggest contributors to the bringing in of the backpass law.

I loved Italia 90, right down to the goal nets, but the tournament as a whole is certainly viewed through rose tinted specs.

1986 was a real occasion, I remember watching much of it but not really old enough to fully appreciate it. USA 94 crap for many reasons, mostly us not being in it, but just a soulless experience. France 98 was brilliant right up to Beckham acting the twat.

Yes, I'm sure you're right about the football in Italia 90. I was 8 so I remember the "moments" but wasn't a sophisticated enough connoisseur to opine on the football overall!

I remember 94 being crap. Crap venues. Crap heat. Crap matches. Crao Dianno Ross pelanty.

Too young for 86.

Loved 98.

[bugenhagen]

Nice topic Benji!

For me 86 was the big one. Danish Dynamite, Elkjær and Laudrup, Maradona and the Hand of God, France v Brazil, Platini and Tigana, Socrates and Zico, Gary Lineker top scorer. My love of the game started here. 

90 was also special with England and Baggio. 94 mostly beacause Norway made it (at Englands expense). 

In 98 I was in the army, but when Norway beat Brazil it felt like all of Norway was out dancing in the streets (something we never do) in the midnight sun. 

In 2010 I was lucky enough to travel and attend 6 games in South Africa. Could have done without the vuvuzela, but other than that pretty magical experience. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

"It shall never catch on," I said in my FO report, after watching Rimet hand over a trophy in Montevideo.

[benjii]

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by benjii

[benjii]

 

 

[Teamsaint1]

I was at the jnfamous “Tear Gassed in Turin” game against Belgium in 1980 

My only trip abroad to watch England.Got out of Turin the following  day. We were used to trouble at games in those days,  but I had seen enough.

Great goal by Ray Wilkins though.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

My 1982 World Cup immersion was the stuff that only someone with an endless, warm, summer holiday, a fresh set of felt tips for tracking player and team info, and friends to play football with between games could have.

[benjii]

10 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

My 1982 World Cup immersion was the stuff that only someone with an endless, warm, summer holiday, a fresh set of felt tips for tracking player and team info, and friends to play football with between games could have.

Sounds like my 1990. Wall charts, books, sticker albums, out on the BMX, jumpers for goalposts, bottle of squash, scab on the knee, footy shirt, what's that in the bush - porno mag?, white dog turds, Marathon bar, Opal Fruits, Bond on before and after the News at Ten. Night, night.

[Badger]

1970.

Nothing comes close to the sense of excitement and expectation that I had as a child for that. It wasn’t just a World Cup, it was our World Cup that was being played for.

I was too young in 1966 so 1970 was the first I had an interest in. The weeks before pestering my Dad for the Esso coins of the squad. 
 

I always look back on it as a ‘pure’ World Cup when the team went there as OUR team,a team of heroes. I hadn’t developed club rivalries then. When we next got there 1982 there was an indifference to Utd, Liverpool, Spurs players. 
 

Seems an innocent bygone age. Close to tears when we lost to Brazil, and then West Germany. But I’d get it out of my system by kicking a ball around with a mate in the back garden after. Or if he wasn’t available, then a match v our dog.  (Realised years later that if we’d had penalty shoot outs in those days, the dog would have won), 
 

[The Kraken]

12 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

My 1982 World Cup immersion was the stuff that only someone with an endless, warm, summer holiday, a fresh set of felt tips for tracking player and team info, and friends to play football with between games could have.

My first ever panini sticker book that one, when we were living in Germany. Had to send off for Karl Heinz Rummenigge and Zico (amongst a few others), they were like gold dust.

[Badger]

1970’s were interesting though England didn’t qualify.

1974 - Cruyff, Dutch ‘total football’.

1978 - ticker tape welcomes etc. Ardiles coming to England that summer. Our domestic game had changed forever.

In 1974 we were all supporting Scotland. In 1978 after Ally McCleod’s bragging (“ Scotland will definitely come back with a medal ..”) it was different and many were amused by how bad they were. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

Just now, The Kraken said:

My first ever panini sticker book that one, when we were living in Germany. Had to send off for Karl Heinz Rummenigge and Zico (amongst a few others), they were like gold dust.

Oh the sticker book!

We were all healthier kids because all the money we got for sweets went on Panini stickers.🙂

We didn't keep them as kids, but I made sure to get a complete album off eBay years ago. 🙂

[Holmes_and_Watson]

9 minutes ago, benjii said:

Sounds like my 1990. Wall charts, books, sticker albums, out on the BMX, jumpers for goalposts, bottle of squash, scab on the knee, footy shirt, what's that in the bush - porno mag?, white dog turds, Marathon bar, Opal Fruits, Bond on before and after the News at Ten. Night, night.

You were fine up to then, you deviant 🙂

[AlexLaw76]

Whilst 1990 will forever be the seminal football tournament for me, a nod to Euro 96. I genuinely thought we were going to win it after the Scotland game. We were at home, the anthem, Wembley was just so loud and everyone was behind it. And just… Gazza!

For the length of a football stud, FFs!

[Lighthouse]

8 hours ago, benjii said:

- Jap / S Korea 2002

At uni, so watching matches in Walkabout at breakfast time was not a problem. Revenge on the Argies (sorry Poch). Being proud of England even though we screwed up. Ronaldo's redemption. All dayers and pulling birds. Magic.

That tournament had one of the all time great Saints WC moments.

 

[Convict Colony]

8 hours ago, benjii said:

Hi Saints fans!

Let's talk international tournament highlights. For me:

- Italia 90

The first tournament I was old enough to properly watch and understand, and coincided with first season going to The Dell. So many iconic moments and images:

The England shell suit

The opening match upset and Cameroon's "tackles"

The San Siro

Pavarotti

Baggio v Yugoslavia

Roger Milla and his funny dance

Platt v Belgium

Toto Schillachi

Gazza and Lineker v Cameroon

Germany being ruthlessly efficient and jammy bastards

Chris Waddles pelanty 

Maradonna crying 

 

Then, a bit of a 6 year wasteland due to England being shite...

- Euro 96

Home summer tournament. 14 years old. Magic. Fucking Germans again.

- France 98

Despite Hoddle being a cunt to MLT... Top football: Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Cafu, Thuram, Viera, Petit, Zidane, Henry...  the amazing match against Argentina. Beckham's highs and lows. Owen's ridiculous emergence into the big time with that goal.

- Jap / S Korea 2002

At uni, so watching matches in Walkabout at breakfast time was not a problem. Revenge on the Argies (sorry Poch). Being proud of England even though we screwed up. Ronaldo's redemption. All dayers and pulling birds. Magic.

 

Since then, all a bit meh. 

 

Ronaldinho lobbing seamen over 40yards.

Havent seen a performance like it since carnival.

[Football Special]

2 hours ago, benjii said:

Sounds like my 1990. Wall charts, books, sticker albums, out on the BMX, jumpers for goalposts, bottle of squash, scab on the knee, footy shirt, what's that in the bush - porno mag?, white dog turds, Marathon bar, Opal Fruits, Bond on before and after the News at Ten. Night, night.

This was the best, I was around the same age, whole thing was magic 

[John Boy Saint]

4 hours ago, benjii said:

 

Always liked this one

 

Edited 1 hour ago by John Boy Saint