***Official*** English Football Season 2020-21

[GIMH]

you'd think it'd be pretty hard to mess up building a squad around Platt and Lineker in 1992 huh

Taylor and Lineker didn't really see eye to eye as I recall.

 

[BoyBrumby]

you'd think it'd be pretty hard to mess up building a squad around Platt and Lineker in 1992 huh

And yet...

Tbf Lineker was pretty much done by 92, think he may've already signed to go to Japan and was constantly troubled by his big toe.

He was famously yanked off in our defeat to yer Swedes in what proved to be his final cap. Not for the tyro Alan Shearer who was also warming the pine, but for dear old Smudger Smith, who I love very dearly but wasn't in the same class as Lineker or Shearer.

 

[BoyBrumby]

What was David Batty like? I always thought he was as ploddy as they come but I’ve recently heard multiple people talk about how good he was.

"Solid", is probably the most accurate adjective.

Very, very English sort of player. Strong in the tackle, good engine, deceptively impressive passing accuracy because 90% of them were 5 yard square lay offs, and looked as if he could do his own plumbing.

 

[Himannv]

Do you mean the 96 Euros?

Pretty sure Gazza was still nursing a busted ACL during the 92 finals.

God, Graham Taylor's squad was ordinary. Andy Sinton, Neil Webb, Carlton Palmer, David Batty and Tony Daley...

I’m looking at a specific timeline that starts after Euros in ‘92, hence the mention of that specific tournament.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

In light of the current overload of right backs in the Euro squad it’s a bit ironic to see mention of Euro 92 and David Batty. He played right back in one match in the tournament, as did Keith Curle and Martin Keown, none of whom were right backs for their club. I didn’t necessarily criticise Taylor for not using Shearer at Euro 92 as he only had a couple of caps and wasn’t yet the prolific scorer he became. But yanking off Lineker when you need a goal was utterly brainless. Not forgetting with Gazza in the discussion that Taylor dropped him in his prime for Gordon Cowans during the qualifiers.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

you'd think it'd be pretty hard to mess up building a squad around Platt and Lineker in 1992 huh

Lineker was done in 92. They had a young Shearer and Gazza who missed the world cup campaign and Platt and that was it. Most of the 90 side were either past it or never repeated their heights and half the league played hoofball so we had no decent players to call on. I don't think many other people would have done much better than Taylor though obviously we wouldn't have been subjected to Curle, Palmer and Sinton. We would have missed out on Geoff Thomas though.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

In light of the current overload of right backs in the Euro squad it’s a bit ironic to see mention of Euro 92 and David Batty. He played right back in one match in the tournament, as did Keith Curle and Martin Keown, none of whom were right backs for their club. I didn’t necessarily criticise Taylor for not using Shearer at Euro 92 as he only had a couple of caps and wasn’t yet the prolific scorer he became. But yanking off Lineker when you need a goal was utterly brainless. Not forgetting with Gazza in the discussion that Taylor dropped him in his prime for Gordon Cowans during the qualifiers.

Which was all the more bizarre in a way as Lee Dixon was solid enough and given the lack of quality we had I was always surprised we never went with the old Arsenal back line at any time. Only really Pearce ahead of Winterburn could be acceptable but the rest could easily have got in at any time under Taylor.

 

[Furball]

Do you mean the 96 Euros?

Pretty sure Gazza was still nursing a busted ACL during the 92 finals.

God, Graham Taylor's squad was ordinary. Andy Sinton, Neil Webb, Carlton Palmer, David Batty and Tony Daley...

Did Gascoigne not play a handful of games towards the end of 1991/92 which basically proved his fitness to Lazio?

edit: cursory glance at Wiki says he played no competitive games in 1991/92. I'm sure I'd read in an autobiography that he'd returned to playing football, so might have been reserves or something.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I remember Gazza’s first match after his injury. It was early in the 92/93 season. There were two matches between Tottenham and Lazio as part of the deal. It was either friendlies or some half baked two legged cup. There would probably have been a few more gentle warm ups leading up to it. A lot of people forget that he crippled himself again on a night out which prolonged his absence beyond what the crippling of himself in the Cup Final would have done.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

He lost about 3 years due to it and was never the same player again anyway. Still too good for the Sweaties in 96 though.

 

[GIMH]

Furball, was Gazza still with you in 98? Do you think Hoddle made the right decision?

 

[Uppercut]

Which was all the more bizarre in a way as Lee Dixon was solid enough and given the lack of quality we had I was always surprised we never went with the old Arsenal back line at any time. Only really Pearce ahead of Winterburn could be acceptable but the rest could easily have got in at any time under Taylor.

I think this too looking back. Given how much of defence is about structure rather than individual quality why wouldn’t you just drop in the Arsenal back four? Their defence was definitely better than England’s for most of the 90s. I guess we just didn’t really see football that way.

 

[grecian]

We should have had Chris Waddle in the 92 squad, helped Marseille to a Euro cup final, voted either the best player or one of the best in Europe in 1990/91. Came back to England won Footballer of the year for Sheffield Wednesday. Taylor preferred Daley and Sinton though.

 

[GIMH]

I remember as a 9 year old looking at the first squad Venables picked and thinking how much better it was. We definitely had the talent to qualify for USA94 even if we wouldn't have done much in the tournament. Though it was a tricky group tbf, as even Taylor's England were better than Greece who qualified and then floundered

 

[grecian]

I think this too looking back. Given how much of defence is about structure rather than individual quality why wouldn’t you just drop in the Arsenal back four? Their defence was definitely better than England’s for most of the 90s. I guess we just didn’t really see football that way.

Trying to remember back, but I think there was a belief that England needed pace in International Football, something that back 4 lacked, same as the Liverpool defence of the early 80s that were all English, Neal, Thompson, Hughes, A Kennedy.

It gave us Terry Fenwick playing for England, so can't be considered a good thing.

 

[Uppercut]

Trying to remember back, but I think there was a belief that England needed pace in International Football, something that back 4 lacked, same as the Liverpool defence of the early 80s that were all English, Neal, Thompson, Hughes, A Kennedy.

It gave us Terry Fenwick playing for England, so can't be considered a good thing.

They probably considered it for 5 seconds, realised they’d need to inform Stuart Pearce in person that he was dropped for Nigel Winterburn, then never thought about it again.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I remember as a 9 year old looking at the first squad Venables picked and thinking how much better it was. We definitely had the talent to qualify for USA94

suspiciously specific troll

 

[GIMH]

suspiciously specific troll

Hey I acknowledged the tough group

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Hey I acknowledged the tough group

fair

wrt Greece they got a plum group cos of war too, they originally were said to play the USSR and Yugoslavia

 

[GIMH]

fair

wrt Greece they got a plum group cos of war too, they originally were said to play the USSR and Yugoslavia

Ah that makes sense. Did the former Soviet states not have a crack? I remember they played as CIS at euro 92

Edit, ignore me, Oleg Salenko got the golden Boot ffs