Just ended on Radio 4, and a repeat from 2006, doubtless on IPlayer soon, an excellent bringing together of players (Hurst, Cohen) and broadcasters involved in the World Cup for a bit of reminiscence. It perked me up a bit. Don't really want to use it to have a go at the current game, but a couple of points stood out: - Geoff Hurst's weekly wage was £90. He had 'just' had it increased from £45. This was post the end of the maximum wage and he had won the Cup Winners' Cup and FA Cup with West Ham in the previous two seasons. - The FA had a bonus pot of £20k for the win. The suits wanted it divided between the squad of 20 players according to time individuals had on the pitch, the players simply shared it out equally. Some of them were unaware that there even was a win bonus. I was too young (5) to really appreciate this at the time, but was really into the 1970 World Cup. I still struggle to think of a better English player than Bobby Moore.
I have great memories of the '66 World Cup, Stan - it didn't start off well, though. I was twelve at the time, so in the first year of secondary school, and local schools were asked to take part in the opening ceremony, each school providing 11 children to march onto the pitch in the colours of one of the participating countries. Our school were to turn out as Argentina, with the representatives to come from the first year football team, of which I was a member. I liked the Argentina colours and recall being excited about getting to keep the kit after the ceremony. I was to be disappointed, though, when I was replaced in the line-up by someone who wasn't even a reserve for the first eleven - a kid called Peter Savva. The reason given was that I was too short, although I don't recall being smaller than some of the other kids, and, whilst Peter was indeed taller, he was at least twice my weight. The disappointment was tempered, though, by the knowledge that I would be going to the opening game anyway. Indeed, I went to all of the Wembley games in that World Cup. My grandfather was a retired policeman who worked as security at Wembley and he would arrange for me and my brother to be let in at a certain turnstile, from where we would walk round to the security office to meet him. He would then take us onto a kind of ledge above the playersâ tunnel from where we could watch the match, along with many others, presumably similarly illicit. I remember that we were joined soon after the start of the games by the members of the marching band. As kids, we would always be allowed to the front, so had a perfect view. Some time later, I realised that maybe the teachers were aware that I was going to get to the games and that they would give my place in the opening ceremony to someone more deserving. With hindsight that seems perfectly fair.
Great story Stroller. I love the fact that you can remember the name of the lad who took your place 48 years later! My old man was at the final - as a programme seller, somehow he scammed this for FA Cup finals and rugby league Challenge Cup finals all through the sixties, mainly through 'contacts' in West London pubs I suspect. I had a great collection of programmes at one time, but I've never been a collector, of anything, so long gone now.
1966 was the first year I really got into QPR, we'd had a good season in the 3rd Division which was won by Hull City and I was so looking forward to the World Cup that summer. It's funny you say about Stroller remembering the name of the boy who took his place. On the evening of the first match, a Monday, I had been playing football on the corner of our street with some mates when a local bully called Mickey Poyner turned up and kicked our ball onto the roof of a nearby house. For the first time in my life at 12 years old I totally lost it and flew at him wrestling him over a low front-garden wall and I had him in a head-lock pummelling him with everything I had, when my mates dragged us apart he ran off saying "You're dead!" I remember going indoors feeling ten feet tall despite the cuts and bruises and watching the opening match on the telly in black and white, a 0-0 draw with Uruguay. Bobby Charlton was my hero and the 2nd match on the following Saturday night against Mexico was lit up by a fantastic 30 yard shot from Charlton that set us on the way to a 2-0 win. From then on the whole country was behind the team all the way to that great day we won the final. As for Bobby Moore, what a leader and what a player, he was great in 66 but arguably greater in 70, his performance when we lost undeservedly 1-0 to Brazil was one of the all-time great performances by an English player anywhere and many who play for their country these days wouldn't be fit to lace his boots...
Sooper, do you remember our home game against Hull that season? We were behind three times and wound up drawing 3-3 with a hat-trick of headers from John Collins, who was my favourite player at the time. About thirty-odd years later, I was in the SA road season-ticket holders' bar after a game reminiscing with some friends. I related the story of the John Collins hat-trick and a guy at the bar turned round and said "Do you remember John Collins?". I told him that I did and he said "He's my brother"!
I lived in Brixton then and my mum, bless her, wouldn't let me go to matches so it was my uncle, who was a Rs fanatic, who kept me up to speed on everything QPR. He was going to take me to the League cup Semi-Final against Brum as my first match but was taken seriously ill a few days before the game and it was almost two years later I finally saw my first Rs match in October 68...
I too was only 5 in '66 and would you believe, living in WEMBLEY! I don't remember anything about it but my Dad said we could here the crowd from outside our house. Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton were genuinely World best players! I remember crying myself to sleep in '70 when we threw away that 2-0 lead in the quarters against West Germany!
I remember walking home from Wembley to Harlesden after the 1966 final and all the way people were hanging out of their windows waving and cheering. It was a telling moment at the end of the England v Brazil group game in 1970, when Alan Mullery tried to swap shirts with Pele. Pele shrugged him away and offered his shirt to Bobby Moore. We should have got to the final in '70, but we would never have beaten that Brazil side.
'66, which we both missed, '70 which was the start of my addiction - I remember watching the Brazil game in a family friend's house packed out with blokes because he had a colour telly and '90, because I was there and that semi was the archetypal English glorious defeat, seem to me to be our World Cup highlights. Because I have absolutely no expectations about the next one there's a slim chance I could be surprised. I hope the expectation level in the squad is managed well, and we realise that for a change we have absolutely nothing to lose. Heard a discussion on the radio today that made my heart sink - Lawrenson (I think) and Kilblane saying we should take Cole as back up to Baines as he's the best defensive LB, leave Shaw at home, because he's not sufficiently tested. Balls, lets get the kids in for this one, Gerard in the holding role is enough experience, play with freedom and recognise getting out of the group will be a genuine achievement, a win and 2 draws in it outstanding. I love World Cups, even if we aren't there or don't do well. Really enjoyed USA '94, mainly because I watched the first two weeks sitting in a heatwave in Rhodes with very hospitable bar owners.
Your dad being a programme seller at Wembley tempts me to relate another story, Stan. It was the Man Utd v Benfica European Cup Final in 1968. Once again my grandfather had blagged me in, this time accompanied by a schoolmate. We both used to collect programmes and had arrived early and bought our match programmes before going into the ground. It turned out that there had been a problem with the printing of the programmes for the game, though, and many supporters were unable to get one. On exiting after a fantastic game, my mate was approached by a jubilant Man Utd fan and asked if he wanted to sell his programme. “Nah, mate, I collect them” he said. The same fella then asked me if I wanted to sell mine. “How much?” “I’ll give you a tenner” As you can imagine, I took his money, probably the equivalent of at least £100 today.
Just had a look on eBay, think you did an amazing deal, most programmes for that game seem to be on for less than a tenner today.......
Yes, they did a reprint a few days later. There was just a shortage on the night - supply and demand. Do I sense some incredulity Stan? It would be interesting to know if there was/is any way of differentiating between the original and subsequent prints. What does e-bay say?
