Included in the excellent Leo McKinstry biography (‘Sir Alf’) of England World Cup winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey, is a pertinent and somewhat prophetic quote from former Chelsea and England striker Peter Osgood.
Talking of the moment when England became world champions, Osgood, then a young professional who had recently broken into the first team at Stamford Bridge, comments:
‘I remember thinking as I watched Alf’s amazing self-restraint at the final whistle, ‘enjoy it Alf, because it doesn’t get any better than this.‘
It was ironic that Osgood of all players should make such a comment. By the time England came to defend their crown at the 1970 Mexico World Cup, this supremely gifted centre-forward would be a member of the squad who travelled to South America.
Making his international debut only months before the tournament, many felt Osgood should have been selected by Sir Alf much earlier than he was – his reluctance to put faith in one of such mercurial ability, something of a metaphor for the years between England rising to the top of world football and having to put their title on the line in Mexico.
Indeed, between the halcyon heights of July 30 1966 and the spring of 1970, England played thirty three fixtures to the overall effect of being a team who steadfastly adhered to the pragmatism of their manager. Through the period Ramsey maintained a conservative approach to tactics and team selection and while the policy resulted in only four defeats, England, although hard to beat, were in the eyes of their sternest critics even harder to watch.
Excellent defensive organisation returned clean sheets in over half of the games, yet at the other end their often guarded approach to forward play yielded three or more goals on just eight occasions. Leaving aside Home International matches, after scoring four to win the 1966 World Cup Final it would be early 1969 when they finally bettered that tally against foreign opposition.
Of the quartet of games to be lost only one was at home, but a painful experience nonetheless, the other three being friendly defeats to West Germany and Brazil, neither of which would be without significance when the next World Cup came around – the number completed by losing to Yugoslavia in the semi-finals of the 1968 European Championships.
On each occasion they only lost by the odd goal and fate it could be argued, conspired against them in a couple of instances. It is therefore curious to reflect that defeats against the West Germans, Yugoslavs and Brazilians have come to be regarded among the best England performances of the era – and given such fine margins it does beg the question of whether more attacking conviction would have brought greater reward than encouragement in defeat.
During the period under review Ramsey awarded first caps to twenty players, a quarter of whom failed to be selected again, half of that group not reaching five before their international careers could said to be over. Given World Cup winning full-back partnership George Cohen and Ray Wilson were first to depart the scene, injuries shortening the careers of both, it is perhaps no surprise most of the debutants were in these positions, Ramsey spoilt for choice in this department as six very capable candidates were evaluated.
Yet in other areas the picture reflected the low-risk Ramsey way. David Sadler of Manchester United was the only new cap centre-half without pre-1966 experience, the manager otherwise placing total faith in skipper Bobby Moore who would be partnered in the central defence by either Brian Labone or World Cup winner Jack Charlton – whose Leeds United central defensive foil Norman Hunter rarely failed to be called-up, often utilised by England as a midfield enforcer.
So contented was Ramsey with his centre-half options, Charlton kept being recalled even when his time as an international player looked over. The story was not dissimilar to that attached to fellow ’66 stalwart Nobby Stiles who had been replaced by Spurs midfielder Alan Mullery in the engine room, only to be summoned again when Mexico ’70 began to loom. When it came to the Manchester United man, Ramsey was prepared to overlook Stiles being past his best and increasingly prone to injury, selecting him for another World Cup on the basis of ‘Nobby is good for the party, good for the team,’ despite their being little chance of him actually playing.
While such loyalty to those who had served him well endeared Sir Alf to the players in his charge, whether it served England well in reaching their full potential is a moot point. The core of goalkeeper Gordon Banks, Moore, Alan Ball, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters – joined increasingly by Labone and Mullery as time passed – was an enviable group in whom his belief was implicit, just as it was in the functionality of a low risk style of play.
When Roger Hunt, another hero of ’66, informed Ramsey after a dour January 1969 friendly against Romania his legs were no longer up to the demands of playing up front in a rigid 4-4-2 formation, the decision was reluctantly taken not to select the redoubtable Liverpool forward again. Had Sir Alf then turned to the outstanding goal scorer available to him in order to fill the void left by Hunt, his gaze would have immediately fallen on Jimmy Greaves, whose finishing prowess remained unrivalled.
But Greaves, despite a widespread press campaign calling for his reinstatement, was once again deemed unsuitable for the way Ramsey wanted England to play, just as he had been in the latter stages of the 1966 World Cup campaign.
At this juncture, with the next World Cup less than eighteen months away, it might have been the time to blood the rapidly developing Osgood in giving the England attack a different dimension. Ramsey however, opted for bustling Manchester City forward Francis Lee, the solid (in every sense) rather than spectacular option. Just prior to Lee establishing himself in the England team, his Maine Road team-mate Colin Bell had emerged as a fully-fledged international footballer, excelling under the tutelage of coach Malcolm Allison as City won the league title in 1968.
The most gifted English player to emerge between 1966 and 1970, Bell with some justification was seen as the natural successor to the great Bobby Charlton in the England set-up. With both at his disposal for the challenge in Mexico, along with an experienced, rock-solid nucleus, the normally taciturn Ramsey was moved to tell journalist Hugh McIlvanney on the eve of departing for South America:
‘It’s going to be difficult for anybody to take the World Cup from us.’
It was a tournament in which Osgood would make appearances from the bench in two group games and then never picked again – both he and Ramsey already experiencing their ‘doesn’t get better than this moment.’
SAMTIMONIOUS.com hereby travels the road from England winning the World Cup to the moment thoughts turned to what would happen in the next……………
1966-67:
Eighty four days after reaching the summit of world football, the World Cup winning XI returned to the international stage with a visit to Windsor Park, Belfast, where they faced Northern Ireland in a 1968 European Championship qualifier, the Home International fixtures of the next seasons doubling as qualifying group eight.
While Alan Ball (Blackpool, now Everton), had moved clubs since the glory day in July, England were soon back in a recognised routine, moving largely untroubled to a 2-0 victory secured by goals from Hunt and Peters.
To the latter day observer it seems strange to the point of incredible in finding there were four top flight matches taking place on the same Saturday afternoon in October as England returned to duty, a workmanlike win over tenacious but otherwise limited opposition by no means the last through the 44 months that lay ahead.
Before Anis Mirrablis was over England lumbered through a goalless Wembley friendly against Czechoslovakia, 1966 ending with a 5-1 qualifying win over Wales, the visiting Welsh conceding a brace to Hurst, one each from the Charlton brothers and contributing to their own downfall with a Terry Hennessy own goal.
After twelve months that began with the manager momentarily dropping his usual reserve to predict his team would win the World Cup, (England moving undefeated through seventeen matches from January to November), the following year also began with attention on the man behind it all – the final accolade in becoming world champions bestowed on Ramsey when was knighted in the New Year Honours List.
Their unbeaten trot however, dating back to October 1965, came to grief when Scotland emerged victorious from one of the most compelling, if not curious encounters between the oldest rivals in international football. From a thrilling, yet physical contest England came off worst on the injury front and scoreboard, losing by the odd goal in five.
On a perplexing April afternoon they finished the match with only eight fit players as injuries to Jack Charlton, Ray Wilson and the recalled Greaves forced a reshuffle that saw Peters playing at centre-half for half an hour – the days before substitutes in international football resulted in the injured playing in makeshift roles (Scotland not without injury issues themselves with Bobby Lennox off the field for fourteen minutes to receive treatment).
But after all was said and done Scotland deserved their victory, as Ramsey acknowledged afterward, despite it being a fixture he hated losing (they would play the Scots’ a further seven times during his reign and never lose). The visitors took a first half lead through the ebullient Denis Law, appearing to make the game safe when Lennox (one of the four Celtic players on view who would win the European Cup six weeks later), doubled the advantage with twelve minutes remaining.
Playing as an ad-hoc forward Charlton reduced the deficit only for Jim McCalliog to restore the two goal buffer, the fact Hurst responded again for England testament to their spirit and tenacity.
In some quarters it is the showmanship of the great Jim Baxter that most typified a notable Scottish triumph (Ball returning it with interest when England won at Hampden in ’72), but often overlooked is the outstanding display of Scotland centre-backs John Greig and Ron McKinnon. While chastened by their first loss as world champions, which brought with it the prospect of now not qualifying for the European Championship finals, there was still a sense it could have been worse – England avoiding a much heavier defeat on a day they were there for the taking, some Scottish players preferring to take the mick rather than their old adversaries to the cleaners.
With Charlton and Wilson still feeling the effects of their Scotland-related knocks, Keith Newton (Blackburn Rovers) and Labone (Everton) – the two soon to be team-mates at Goodison Park – were drafted for the friendly against visiting Spain a month later, a 2-0 victory marking the first and only cap for Chelsea midfielder John Hollins. The game also witnessed the final goal in an England shirt of Greaves whose 44th in international football was added to by a clincher from Hunt.
Three days later England completed their first post-World Cup winning campaign when a first half goal from Ball brought victory over Austria in Vienna, Ramsey showing his intent on shutting things down for the summer without further mishap by deploying Hunter and Mullery in midfield.
1967-68:
The season opened with continuation of attempting to qualify for the European Championship finals of the following summer, Saturday 21 October 1967 proving significant in more ways than one.
While England were overcoming Wales in Cardiff, flattered somewhat by a 3-0 margin of victory, (Bobby) Charlton and Ball (penalty) scoring in the last four minutes after Peters opened the scoring, in Belfast Scotland encountered a young George Best at his most mesmeric.
Inspired by Best, the Manchester United man at times unplayable, Northern Ireland scored a 1-0 victory, a result that had the effect of sending England back to the top of Group Eight – their position strengthened by a 2-0 Wembley victory over Northern Ireland three weeks later. Sadler was called up for his debut in a game decided by goals from Hurst and Bobby Charlton, the threat carried by the visitors diminished when Best and Wolves striker Derek Dougan failed fitness tests.
The year ended with an early December visit from Russia, the wintry conditions not prohibitive of an entertaining encounter where Ball opened the scoring, England then coming from behind to earn a draw when Peters levelled eighteen minutes from time.
In facing the Russians Ramsey had retained Sadler and awarded a first cap to Spurs full-back Cyril Knowles, although both were stood down for more experienced performers (Everton pair Labone and Wilson) when February 1968 took England to Hampden for the Group Eight return against Scotland. By now the home side needed victory in order to progress, a draw sufficient for a Ramsey and his men to go through, their number including Manchester City debutant Mike Summerbee.
In front of 134,000, English anxieties were eased when Peters scored for the second match running and although Scotland hit back through Celtic striker John Hughes, England collected their required point without undue alarm, skipper Moore and goalkeeper Banks carrying out their duties in typically unflappable manner.
With only four teams going forward to the finals scheduled for Italy in early June, to ensure their involvement the world champions would have to advance from a two-leg quarter-final against Spain. On Wednesday 3 April a Wembley stalemate beckoned until the 84th minute when Bobby Charlton joined Jimmy Greaves as all-time leading England scorer, his 44th international goal giving the hosts a slender advantage for when they visited Madrid a month later.
When Hurst was forced to withdraw through injury shortly before kick-off, Sir Alf erred on the side of caution by drafting Hunter into midfield, 120,000 spectators in the Estadio Bernabeu witnessing England mount an exercise in containment until Spain leveled the tie by going ahead two minutes after half-time. But overall parity did not last long as Peters weighed in with another vital goal, Ramsey then vindicated in his team selection when Hunter netted an 81st minute winner – England finishing strongly in recording a commendable 2-1 win, securing a place in the finals along with Russia, Yugoslavia and hosts Italy.
As preparation for the tournament England welcomed Sweden to Wembley on Wednesday 22nd May, Bobby Charlton scoring between strikes from Peters and Hunt in a 3-1 win to become top England goal scorer, the Manchester United captain, along with debutant goalkeeper Alex Stepney (winning his first and only cap) returning to the same venue a week later when the Old Trafford side would win the European Cup.
Their pre-Italy itinerary also included a trip to Hannover on June 1st where a late Franz Beckenbauer goal gave West Germany a first ever victory over England, the visitors paying a high price for not converting long spells of possession into tangible advantage. To the side beaten by the Germans, Ramsey recalled Wilson, Mullery, Bobby Charlton and Peters, while also switching Hurst for Hunt when England came to face Yugoslavia in Florence – these semi-finalists aware victory would earn them a place in the final against Italy, who earlier in the day had won through by beating Russia on the toss of a coin following a goalless draw.
With Sir Alf again opting for a guarded approach by selecting Mullery and Hunter in midfield, a contest described by one scribe as ‘bad tempered‘ and ‘often vicious‘ ensued, England beaten by an 87th minute goal from highly regarded Yugoslav winger Dragan Dzajic. Things turned even more calamitous when Mullery became the first player to be sent off whilst playing for England, receiving his marching orders in the last minute for kicking out in retaliation at Trivic by whom he had just been fouled.
Afterwards Ramsey complained the referee had been too lenient with the Yugoslavs and described some of their tackling as ‘evil.’
Some agreed with his assessment in their match reports, although others drew a broader picture, pointing out in recent times England, through the likes of Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles, had never been slow in resorting to rough stuff, Ramsey also receiving criticism for tactics now being perceived as one-dimensional and negative.
Victory in the third/fourth place game against Russia, achieved through goals from Charlton and Hurst in a match where Everton full-back Tommy Wright made his debut (Italy won the trophy by defeating Yugoslavia), did little to ease increasing frustration around the national team, Fleet Street continuing to call on the manager to update his tactical outlook.
1968-69:
The growing sense of England being an unadventurous team was not dispelled by a goalless November 1968 draw in Romania or lacklustre 1-1 encounter with visiting Bulgaria a fortnight before Christmas, a smartly taken equaliser from Hurst the sum total of any festive cheer.
Across the two fixtures debuts had come the way of Arsenal defender Bob McNab, Everton goalkeeper Gordon West, Leeds United full-back Paul Reaney and Manchester City forward Francis Lee, the calendar year ending amid anti-climax on the pitch, antipathy on the Wembley terraces and animosity in the press box.
Those who felt England had reached a state of inertia saw the recall of Stiles and Jack Charlton for the mid-January arrival of Romania as a retrograde step and although not selected for his goalscoring prowess the Leeds centre-half obliged by scoring in the first half. England, however, were condemned to a third successive draw when the Romanians levelled with a penalty fifteen minutes from time, the one and only outing for Arsenal striker John Radford thus ending all-square.
In the wake of another fitful England display the press were unable to hide their disdain, poison pouring from the pen of Daily Mail football columnist J. L. Manning, who wrote:
‘Since the World Cup only thirty goals have been scored in nineteen matches, those are the facts. Ramsey drives in low gear and the public is losing enthusiasm for his methods. In game after game opponents are gobbled up without being swallowed.’
Given Sir Alf had developed a reputation for being willful and obstinate where the press (and the FA hierarchy, foreigners, the Football League, in fact everybody except the players), were concerned, what happened next was suitably perverse – England going about France on their March 1969 visit to London with such abandon they were 3-0 up before the second half was five minutes old.
In the end they ran out 5-0 winners by virtue of a hat-trick from Hurst and a first international goal from Lee, but even then the night was not without anomaly. Leeds forward Mike O’Grady netted on his first international appearance in four years, only to never be selected again.
With the Home Internationals back as a stand alone competition for the first time in three years, in their opening fixture England were as competent as they needed to be on winning 3-1 in Belfast where Leeds full-back Terry Cooper made his debut (remaining in the side for the two matches that followed), as Northern Ireland were done for by goals from Peters, Lee and Hurst.
Four days later prolific West Brom striker Jeff Astle made his debut when Charlton and Lee (who also missed a penalty) were on target in a 2-1 win over Wales, the sternest test of the week coming with the first visit to Wembley of Scotland since their jamboree of two years before.
But a repeat of their ’67 achievement never looked likely with England two up before the twenty minute mark through Peters and Hurst. Despite Rangers striker Colin Stein pulling one back a minute before half-time, the West Ham pair struck again after the break (Hurst with a penalty), England content to declare with the score at 4-1.
With the World Cup now only twelve months away, a three match tour of South America in the early summer of 1969 made perfect sense, England given a taste of the intense heat they could expect when opening their itinerary with 0-0 draw against ’70 tournament hosts Mexico.
Moving onto Montevideo a 2-1 win over Uruguay secured by goals from Lee and Hurst showed plenty of encouraging signs and there was little to disparage in the 2-1 defeat suffered against ’58 and ’62 World Cup winners Brazil at the Maracanã stadium.
The home side, containing six of the players, including the great Pele, who would be on duty in a Mexico group game when the sides next met, netted late through Tostao (79) and Jairzinho (81).
England had made all the early running (arguably too much given the humidity) in taking a 13th minute lead through Colin Bell – the trip a worthwhile exercise in regard to the exhausting conditions that awaited in Mexico the following summer.
1969-70:
If Sir Alf had glimpsed what lay ahead in terms of climate, in tactical terms he looked back over his shoulder on engaging Holland in Amsterdam on November 5 1969. The recalled Jack Charlton was part of a defence, including Liverpool first-cap Emlyn Hughes, who kept a clean sheet as England won the fixture with a late goal from Bell.
The year, indeed, the decade, ended with a home win over Portugal, the opponents and means of victory somehow fitting in bringing the decade to a close. Back in July 1966 the semi-final defeat of Eusebio and co represented the best ninety minutes England had produced through the past ten years – World Cup winning Charlton brothers combining for the goal to defeat the visitors on a dank December night, Jack heading home a corner from Bobby to win an otherwise nondescript game.
Two weeks into World Cup year England again went face to face with non-qualifiers Holland (although with a team sheet boasting Krol, van Hanegem, van Dijk, Cruyff and Kiezer, you wonder how), Ramsey giving the once over to Nottingham Forest winger Ian Storey-Moore and taking a third look at Leeds striker Mick Jones (although his first since 1965). Neither, however, were asked again following an uninspiring goalless draw.
For the visit to Brussels five weeks later Sir Alf gave in-form Osgood the nod in facing Belgium, the Chelsea man enjoying a winning debut as goals from Ball (2) and Hurst clinched a 3-1 success. Due to the Stamford Bridge outfit having an FA Cup Final replay against Leeds United to contest at the end of the April, players of both clubs were withdrawn from national squads when the Home Internationals, brought forward to accommodate England in their World Cup preparations, came around.
Ramsey therefore was deprived of Elland Road quartet Charlton, Cooper, Hunter and striker Allan Clarke, who along with Osgood would all be on the plane to Mexico. England began the championship being held to a draw against Wales in Cardiff, Lee earning a share of the spoils by levelling eighteen minutes from time.
The second match of the week brought Northern Ireland to Wembley, a fixture that marked the 100th cap of Bobby Charlton, who joined Billy Wright in reaching such a plateau.
Named captain for the night, the centurion led out a side that contained first-cappers Brian Kidd (Manchester United) and Ralph Coates (Burnley) and lined up in the curious guise of Stiles partnering Moore in central defence (Ramsey not risking Labone who carried a slight knock before the imminent visit to Hampden).
After Peters gave England an early lead, a superb individual effort from Best had the visitors level five minutes after half-time. Roused from a soporific display England regained the lead through Hurst before Charlton commemorated his personal milestone in completing the scoring with nine minutes left.
Ending the week with the visit to Glasgow, even with Labone restored to the team Ramsey found a place for Stiles who took his combative instincts into midfield. While Scotland were also missing their Leeds and Chelsea contingent, the Celtic trio of Tommy Gemmill, David Hay and Jimmy Johnstone, who were only eleven days away from a European Cup Final, all took the field for what proved an anti-climatic, goalless affair – the vociferous support of close on 134,000 not enough to galvanise the home side into giving England a Hampden headache to nurse on setting out for South America.
Before defence of the Jules Rimet trophy began in earnest, to come were the recognised agenda items of warm-up games against Colombia and Ecuador along with Ramsey trimming his squad from twenty eight to the tournament regulation size of 22. But the most challenging matter prior to arriving in Mexico was Bobby Moore being arrested for allegedly stealing a bracelet from a jewelers in Bogota where England had recently beaten their Colombian hosts, the England captain subsequently exonerated with all charges dropped.
But when they pulled away from Hampden on Saturday 25 April 1970 all that and the World Cup itself was still to come – England having journeying through an era that stretched from ‘Sunny Afternoon‘ to ‘In The Summertime‘ as world champions yet rarely performing as the best team in the world.
In 1966 they started the World Cup among the favourites, steady improvement through the competition, aided partly by home advantage, surprise results elsewhere – but not overlooking a clutch of world class players and first rate manager – taking them all the way to utopia.
In Mexico they would need to quickly acclimatize, play well from the off, enjoy a degree of good fortune and hope key performers were always fit, if, in the words of their squad song currently climbing the UK charts, the World Cup was to come ‘Back Home‘………….
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