I suppose it didn't change the final league table over the two years if England still qualified. But yes, you're right that it's never described as being part of the euros. I think we had a similar situation for the 1950 WC, although the top two teams in the 1950 home internationals were invited to take part. Scotland finished second and therefore declined to take part in the WC on a point of principle.
Isn't that because, like the famous Hungary game in 1953, it's a rare (for the time) example of a team other than Scotland coming to Wembley and teaching England a footballing lesson, rather than because it was in a European Championship quarter final?
I think it was both. West Germany were superb, and it was an eye-opener to how sides like themselves and Holland were taking European football. I also think that the European Championships had become a bigger deal by then. The final was televised live, which I doubt happened in 1968. Ditto both legs against West Germany, I think. Certainly the second leg in Germany was. I'm not 100% about the home leg as I was at the game. The other thing is that this game felt like a significant milestone in the decline of the England team, and that Moore, as he readily admitted, had a relatively poor game. Fast forward 15 months to when they lost 2-0 in Poland with Moore badly at fault for the second goal, and you can see the narrative.
I don't remember anyone questioning the penalty at the time, or even in the Powell/Moore book. The comments I remember were about the defence being unbalanced by including both Moore and Hunter when McFarland pulled out, and the midfield missing a holding player to contain Netzer, who we'd never heard of beforehand.
Netzer v Overath, the OG Gerrard v Lampard problem
Netzer v Overath, the OG Gerrard v Lampard problem
Yup. Hunter basically made the same mistake at Wembley as Moore in Katowice. And yes, Ramsey was criticised for his selection for the second leg. As you say, he'd pretty much given up on the tie and wanted to make sure that we weren't humiliated. iirc Netzer's comment after that game was that the entire England team had autographed his legs with their studs.
They probably think there's enough spare seating on the crossbars.
That used to be my go-to mental image for "Scotland winning at Wembley" (I was literally a babe in arms in 77, so I must've inhaled it after the fact), but since they beat us in the second leg of the play off for the 2000 Euros qualifier thanks to a Don Hutchison goal, it's been replaced by that shot of him in the altogether with only a Budweiser label covering his (presumably minuscule) old fella.
True, but I'll still take it compared to most of our first games in these tournaments. Someone commented the other day about Italy's reputation for being slow starters. But I reckon that England's record in their opening games over the years is even worse, so I'll take it and hope we improve.
It's the first time England have ever won their opening game at the Euros.
I suppose a population of 4m is going to occasionally struggle to produce enough high quality players to be really good. And 24 teams was always likely to provide some pretty mediocre sides who wouldn't have made it previously.
