Watching England in a World Cup semi final

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sicknote
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Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by sicknote »

Being an old twat, as some of you younguns say, grumpy and cantankerous I also hear you say

Believe it or not, some of us have done some things in life that will live with us forever, now there’s lads on here that I know did 66 semi and final but they are old twats as I wasn’t born till December 66, but my story was

Italia 90

I was very lucky to do the whole tournament with England,

Sardinia was not much fun, in fact it was a caribinieri state and we were a target for them, I met Irish lads there and met up with them by chance in Rome and they couldn’t believe the intimidation we English fans had from the police compared to them, fortunately it got better later in the tournament, but the Holland game was the low point, I was in the group rounded up in the petrol station, but I was at the back by a low wall and I got over it and away ,all those who didn’t got deported, no charges just rounded up and deported , it was a sign of things to come though, as for the Irish game, that was the wettest I’ve ever been at any football match ever it rained cats dogs fish the lot, getting off that island which was beautiful and still is ,as I found out returning 2 years ago, was a relief as we though the mainland policing may be a bit more civilised

How wrong we were, Rimini next for Belgium game was in Bologna but Rimini was the close by resort, the night before the game I got lucky again not being in the pubs that got rounded up by police and everyone I think 250 got deported , no charges just airport and home, some sent home were actual holiday makers with their family wrong place wrong time, when we got to Naples after the Belgium game the policing changed 360 and it became a pleasure to be in Italy for all reasons then

Anyhow, there was football going on and the last minute of the Belgium extra time David Platt goal was one of them bobby dazzler special special moments, akin to the penalty shoot out win over Columbia for its late drama and explosive ending, it was magical to be there, and it sent us to Naples to face the surprise package of the tournament Cameroon

This turned out to be a nerve wracking and dangerous opponent, and we struggled, but Gary Lindkar whilst all around were bricking it stayed cool in front of huge pressure and calmly put away two top penalties to take us to the Turin semi final against Germany, there were a couple of other things from Naples though, the constipated police dog trying to have a dump at half time up the England end, and every time he tried it was like he had sat on a cactus and jumped out of his skin he never did have that dump during the game, the already popular England fans (actually in Italy) song, that was “let’s all have a disco” with the arms up high and dancing at the same time, was already big for us out there ,but it got world wide attention from the England fans doing the conga and the players after the game doing the song and dance to it on the pitch with us, it was a great night, we actually stayed about as two of our lot had tickets to the semi final in Naples between Italy and Argentina, that Italy lost, we got out sharpish after on an overnight train to Rome then up to Turin for our semi final

Turin was lively, we traveled up on the train overnight but the England camp sites had not fared so well from attacks by Juve fans overnight and the FA had not done enough to look after the fans in a city that was always going to be tough to visit after Heyael, and it was, and that’s before the trains from Germany started pouring in from all sorts of German cities, we were hugely outnumbered but as I said before the policing except at the camp site had improved to levels we know these days and it was well organised, there were pockets of carnage and chaos but it was 28 years ago, cctv may have been around when Michael Caine went to Turin in the Italian job , but in 1990 there was none

The Stadio Del Alpe , was for the time a colossus of a stadium , **** views for football, fortunately the penalties were up the other end and if I’m honest you couldn’t see that from the lower tier at the other end, which may have been a good thing, the other end was the England end, we had got ourselves in the wrong end but there were thousands of us in the lowers tier we had Eric’s to each side and both tiers above us, singing god save the queen that night in our little pocket of England fans was one of the proudest moments at a football match

The game was ours , we played our best game of the tournament, we rocked the Germans , a great German team for 120 mins, their goal was a fluke ours was classic us at the time, when Gary Liniker hit it,if it had kept rolling as it went in the goal it would have rolled to our little section

We went ballistic, we were the better and stronger team at the moment we looked the only winner, Chris Waddle hit a post from 25 yards out in extra time but the Germans never scared us and I felt opted for penalties early on

Now being out there back then you had as little clue about the euphoria back home as the players did, we were with them in our own little Italian bubble, some new faces would turn up each game and the numbers would swell and we’d hear how everyone is behind the team , the papers and tv has gone mad for it etc etc

But we had no mobile phones to speak of, no internet at all nothing , when us travelling fans got back we were as shocked as the players when they landed at Luton and couldn’t get out the airport,

Others here who experienced the UK for 1990 will testify to that better than me as I was in Italy and can’t


But to this day that night in Turin, and the way our team grew and played in that World Cup of Italia 90 will live with me and has done now for 28 years , it was one of the greatest experiences of my life, I went on my own, I met friends I’ve kept for life some were West Ham United lads I’d never met before, but I met a lad from carlisle Utd and a Man City lad, we became inseparable and sadly one passed away a few years ago and I lost touch with the Man City fella but it was meeting fellas from so many different clubs all getting on and enjoying our countries football team

I hope you all enjoy either your first second or even third England World Cup Semi Finsl, but whatever happens remember how proud sir Alf Ramsey and his squad, Sir Bobby Robson and his squad and Gareth Southgate and his young squad of players have made us feel and the scenes of joy they have bought to England and us expats all over the world,

Come on England
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by Samba »

Great post,sn. Interesting to read your memories.
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by NT Hammer »

Good read mate enjoy first hand accounts like yours
I was only 14 & the excitement at school was brilliant special memories that World Cup
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by westham,eggyandchips »

Sicknote, did you catch the ball from Waddles's penalty?
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by S-H »

Sicknote :thup:
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by sicknote »

westham,eggyandchips wrote:Sicknote, did you catch the ball from Waddles's penalty?
It landed in Milan , so no !!!

From memory a young lad did and ended up on all the breakfast news show, it was up the other end to us and our much smaller England section

And thank you gents
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by pablo jaye »

Good read Sicknote.

For the 1990 semi - I was watching the Rolling Stones at Wembley Stadium. In the distance you could see all of these small green screens at the mixing desk and at the side of the stage- where the crew and band were watching the game. No big screens for the audience though and IIRC, Mick, Keef et al didn’t let on what the score was. Unsurprisingly, I couldn’t sell the ticket beforehand.
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by sendô »

I'm not one for superstitions or omens, but at the weekend the old man told me that when England won in 1966, he was in Italy and watched the final in an Italian bar.

If we win tonight, he's in Italy again this weekend.

I told him that's a load of old b*llocks, the chances of him being in Italy during the summer are pretty ****ing high given that the soppy old sod is Italian, but there you go.
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by Clacton-ammer »

Great post Sicknote, have loved your enthusiasm in the WC forum, keep it up :thup:

My second, Italia 90 my first as a young adult, first time I have ever had tears over football, it wasn't the last....
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by 3times »

I was working at a Phil Collins gig in Edinburgh the night of the Cameroon game. They kept announcing the scores over the PA before he came on stage and the sweaties were going wild. I was watching it on a small portable backstage along with the few crew that were English.

When we won PC was on stage and announced the result to a lot of boos but he laughed at them.
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by Patito »

That was a great read sicknote cheers :thup:
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by the pink palermo »

Good read that Sickie, just so you know, one or two people in the Tap had a bit a grit in their eye the other day when we beat Sweden, tonight it will be bedlam in there.

Come on England indeed. :thup:
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by Andrew »

sicknote wrote:
It landed in Milan , so no !!!

From memory a young lad did and ended up on all the breakfast news show, it was up the other end to us and our much smaller England section

And thank you gents
Great post sicknote,a really enjoyable read mate :)

The lad catching the ball talks about his experience of being there in this excellent video:

https://youtu.be/A0ltHY8-gfs
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by Officer Dibble »

Listened to Italia 90 on BBC World Service in the middle of the Atlantic.

Tonight I am on a 12 hour shift, hopefully finishing at 2 am.

Hoping that I will be able to watch the match.
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by sicknote »

Andrew wrote:
Great post sicknote,a really enjoyable read mate :)

The lad catching the ball talks about his experience of being there in this excellent video:

https://youtu.be/A0ltHY8-gfs

Thank you Andrew

I’m an emotional bloody wreck now having watched that video I’d never seen that before
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by Andrew »

sicknote wrote:
Thank you Andrew

I’m an emotional bloody wreck now having watched that video I’d never seen that before
I thought that would get you going :)
I don't ever remember seeing it on TV, just came across it by accident.
An excellent video that really captures how Italia 90 really united the nation.
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by JerseyHammer »

Great read, thanks for sharing.

The Italia 90 logo is till on the side of Cagliari's stadium, went past it not so long ago
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by Up the Junction »

Wonderful piece - thank you sicknote. Now here too:

http://www.kumb.com/article.php?id=4185
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by westhamgardner »

Great read that Sicknote. I've never seen England get past the quarters being born in 92. I am a nervous wreck but this has been the best summer of my life and I just hope t continues even if it's just for a few more days. I still don't quite believe but I'm bloody getting there
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Re: Watching England in a World Cup semi final

Post by Billy Hunt »

Love it, what a great read Sicknote :thup:

Here's to an even older bugger doing a "Watching England in a World Cup Final" post ...
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