Favourite period supporting England

1966 World Cup. In fact right from the pre tournament tour of Scandinavia where Jimmy Greaves scored goals for fun through to the 82nd minute of England v West Germany in Mexico 70. And a great kit of course.

I didn’t know international football existed until England - Uruguay, first game of the ‘66 World Cup, so that period up to “They think it’s all over. It is now!” is nonpareil. 

AndyG said:

HastingsRed said:

AndyG said:

2121 said:

Just thinking the southgate era was good as we werent expecting anything from the team when he came in… tuchel era, i think we expect more so prepared to be disappointed 😂

I was not best pleased when Tuchel was appointed but I’m warming to him. He is a German with a sense of humour which sets him apart for a start lol. Seriously though he deals with the media very well and takes the heat off the players I think 

Ever met Henning Wehn?

2 out of a population of how many ?

I got off with a German woman once, some would say she had to have a sense of humour. 

1966 and all that. The weather we are having now (wet and cool) was similar to that great year. Still have a book of newspapers cuttings reporting every England game. Watched the matches with mates in rooms with the curtains drawn. Thought (at the time and still today) that the England v Portugal semi was just about the perfect football match full of world class performers. Had to listen to the final on a transistor radio in a damp scout tent (although knowing me, if I had been at home I would have scuttled off to my bedroom and sat in the dark with my fingers in my ears for the extra time).

Watched the final (in colour) at the weekend. The game appears in slow motion compared to the speed and athleticism of today's game but Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton were class acts and Ball, Peters, Beckenbauer and Overath were ahead of their time in terms of movement and skill.

For four years we were World Champions and (apart from the odd crash ie against the Jocks in 1967) always looked the part.  My enthusiasm for the national team went into decline beginning on a certain Sunday evening in 1970, again against the Germans, and three years later on a cold midweek night when a Polish "clown" stopped us from qualifying for the 74 finals much to the amusement of my Scottish college lecturer at the time. 

2018-2024 (hopefully ongoing). After decades of poor tournament showings, to get to a World Cup Semi and 2 Euro finals was more than a welcome change. Ironically I thought 2022 was our best squad and football but unfortunately came up against an incredible France side. Euro 2024 was my second tournament following us outside of England. Germany was an unbelievable host country, one of the best periods of my life.

during the Ramsey era, 1966 and all that, also under Vena(bles)

2 dates come to mind.

30th July 1966 

and 

1st Sept 2001.

Two brilliant days to be English

Mid to late 90's

jimmymelrose said:

Garrymanilow said:

jimmymelrose said:

Carter said:

Italia 90 was still the zenith of world cups for me but watching England especially in the group games nearly turned me off football! A lot of the games were stinkers but the volume of football and the characters, stories had me. I'll love that England team forever 

Euro 96 the country really felt together 

But the best time has been the Southgate years, Harry Kane absolutely walking past the goalscoring record, Harry Maguire and John Stones looking menacing from set pieces, Raheem Sterling carrying the ball and getting kicked shitless but not giving up and let's not forget routinely winning penalty shoot outs and getting to the late stages of tournaments including two finals which I genuinely never thought I'd see 

I genuinely did not like that golden generation period, the games stank, no cohesion and we were relying on moments of individual class. Always supported and expected it to come good but as a group we were always fucked. Groups of exceptionally talented individuals will always get done by the team greater than the sum of its parts 

I have forgotten that. PLEASE remind me, or were you in an alternate reality?

We won 3 of 4 shootouts under Southgate. Before that we'd won 1 in 7.

3 out of 4 is great but doesn’t constitute a routine for me, especially as we lost the big one. It will need us to win 5 consecutively for me to shake the dread and start to erase the bad memories.

This answers the question for me actually.  I don’t have a favourite period because we are eternal losers. I went to every match in euro’96 and was having a great summer but what happened in the end? Idiots smashing up German car showrooms and shit. For every tournament I let the hype get to me and get excited for England but then get let down. I’ve gradually learnt my lesson and tell myself to expect the same old nonsense be it a red card, a bad refereeing decision, dodgy penalty, or just plain bad luck.

I hope my favourite period is to come.

man_at_milletts said:

66 for me. Cursed Ramsey when he dropped Greaves but clearly he knew what he was doing.  My mates Dad who lived in Lewisham just got new colour TV so I got the bus over to watch it with them.  Regretted that ever since, should have stayed at home with my brothers and sisters and watched it. Couldn't understand at the time why I waited nearly two hours for a 21 bus back to Eltham. 

To answer the question:
Euro 96 was the most enjoyable tournament until Southgate's  penalty miss and in the World cup it's mainly been frustration but it's the hope that kills you and we are getting closer and 2026 will be the best for England abroad 🤞🏼

If you watch that Holland game, we were not in control as much as I always remembered we were. Could have easily been 5-5 that Holland team was incredibly stacked too, player for player as good as any team in the world at the time. We were flying after our third goal. The one where Sheringham dummies it ti Shearer to wallop in is one if my favourite goals of all time 

The Germany game when we battered them did two things, it made me feel like I was in an out of body fever drean but it also kicked German football into getting its act together. 

The big fucker they had up front scoring against the run of play weirdly is the bit I remember most, Owen running rampant second 

iainment said:

Algarveaddick said:

Myself and Mrs A had tickets to all the England games at Euro '96, as did a few mates, so that will always be very special, for three weeks it was like following Charlton - meeting at the same pub before the matches, timing it to get in the ground at the optimum moment, feeling like the players were "my" players - recognising them from the way they moved, or stood etc. A marvellous few weeks.   

I too had tickets for all the Wembley games in 96. A couple of years before the tournament a notice appeared in the portacabin ticket office outside the Covered End giving us a chance for tickets on the never never. So I registered for tickets for me and my son. I had to swear him to secrecy as my finances were quite rocky then and I’m sure my wife, probably rightly, would have vetoed the expense.
Best football money I’ve spent. The tournament was great, the atmosphere was marvellous and for the first time ever I felt comfortable carrying an England flag.
A magic summer and the time I remember most fondly watching England.

Probably get arrested for that now.