Euro 96 - Where are they now?

[Ernest]

Should have won it, another MASSIVE let down

 

[ROSM]

Should have won it, another MASSIVE let down

Exactly we should have HAD a TIRED and TESTED English MANAGER

 

[Jam The Man]

Odds? Stake? Winnings?

100/1
£1
£101

It was a throwaway bet. I was 20 at the time and wandered past the bookies after leaving work (Sainsburys) and only had £2 in my pocket, so I put a quid on 4-0 & 4-1 in the vain hope of a miracle score.

Wish it'd been more, but nonetheless £100 for a 20 year old working at Sainsburys was welcome at the time!

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Great tournament, but looking at that squad it was a fairly run of the mill England squad that for once had a bit of luck and home advantage.

The 2 tournaments where the squad should have done something were Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006. I maintain that in 2004 England were the best team in that tournament, but the dreaded penalties did for us. In 2006 were never really turned up and still got to the quarter finals.

euro 2004 wasn't a great tournament (what with GREECE winning and all) so I kind of agree in that England had a good chance of winning it. However, the Portugal side we lost to were very strong, containing several of Mourinho's Porto side that won the Champions League plus Figo, Rui Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Czech's were also very strong in that tournament and insanely attacking. Pavel Nedved was probably the best player in Europe at that time...I really thought they'd win the whole thing but lost to Greece. The Dutch were also very strong and probably would've beaten England in the semi's.

Don't remember much about Englands 2006 exploits other than they seemed to really struggle in almost every game? Had a fairly easy group and a 2nd round victory against Ecuador.

I'd say their '98 squad was probably the strongest I've seen.

 

[Jim Van Winkle]

Great tournament. But WC '90 made me fall in love with football. I do remember everyone at school collecting these for Euro '96:

 

[Commander]

It was a fantastic tournament

It was actually a shit tournament, that England happened to be good in. Everyone else was dull, defensive and uninspiring.

 

[Uncle Buck]

euro 2004 wasn't a great tournament (what with GREECE winning and all) so I kind of agree in that England had a good chance of winning it. However, the Portugal side we lost to were very strong, containing several of Mourinho's Porto side that won the Champions League plus Figo, Rui Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Czech's were also very strong in that tournament and insanely attacking. Pavel Nedved was probably the best player in Europe at that time...I really thought they'd win the whole thing but lost to Greece. The Dutch were also very strong and probably would've beaten England in the semi's.

Don't remember much about Englands 2006 exploits other than they seemed to really struggle in almost every game? Had a fairly easy group and a 2nd round victory against Ecuador.

I'd say their '98 squad was probably the strongest I've seen.

The weakness in 2004 was the keeper and that Rio Ferdinand was suspended.

2006 in many ways was a stronger squad, although no Scholes, but for whatever reason England did not turn up for that tournament.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

2006 in many ways was a stronger squad, although no Scholes, but for whatever reason England did not turn up for that tournament.

The defence and midfield were very strong (was always a big Hargreaves fan and Joe Cole was on good form), but up front they ended up majorly lacking...Started with Rooney, Owen, Crouch and Walcott...Owen got injured in the first game and Eriksson wouldn't play Walcott (should have brought Defoe). Couldn't have truly predicted that Owen would end up missing the whole tournament (even though his injury issues were obvious) but taking one striker who you had no intention of playing was a major gamble.

 

[Mellotron]

The defence and midfield were very strong (was always a big Hargreaves fan and Joe Cole was on good form), but up front they ended up majorly lacking...Started with Rooney, Owen, Crouch and Walcott...Owen got injured in the first game and Eriksson wouldn't play Walcott (should have brought Defoe). Couldn't have truly predicted that Owen would end up missing the whole tournament (even though his injury issues were obvious) but taking one striker who you had no intention of playing was a major gamble.

I would say the main issue was that Sven appeared to have mentally checked out of the job months before the tournament.

 

[Uncle Buck]

The defence and midfield were very strong (was always a big Hargreaves fan and Joe Cole was on good form), but up front they ended up majorly lacking...Started with Rooney, Owen, Crouch and Walcott...Owen got injured in the first game and Eriksson wouldn't play Walcott (should have brought Defoe). Couldn't have truly predicted that Owen would end up missing the whole tournament (even though his injury issues were obvious) but taking one striker who you had no intention of playing was a major gamble.

Owen was fit (ish) going into that tournament, but got seriously injured in the third game against Sweden.

Rooney went into that tournament injured and was not fit at any point.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

I would say the main issue was that Sven appeared to have mentally checked out of the job months before the tournament.

this is true

Owen was fit (ish) going into that tournament, but got seriously injured in the third game against Sweden.

Rooney went into that tournament injured and was not fit at any point.

Just looked it up and you're completely right...for some reason I thought it was in the first game

 

[Colossal Squid]

I would say the main issue was that Sven appeared to have mentally checked out of the job months before the tournament.

Absolutely right.

Sven is such a strange one. He obviously DID have the ability as a manager and knew how to get results BUT he's seen as this comedy buffoon now, moving form one high paid nonsense job to the next without anyone actually expecting him to do anything much beyond letch on local women and make a lot of money

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Absolutely right.

Sven is such a strange one. He obviously DID have the ability as a manager and knew how to get results BUT he's seen as this comedy buffoon now, moving form one high paid nonsense job to the next without anyone actually expecting him to do anything much beyond letch on local women and make a lot of money

in his 3 tournaments with England they reached the Quarters each time...losing to the eventual winners in 2002, and on penalties in 04 and 06. The tournament before he took over they were knocked out in the first round, and the tournament after he quit they failed to qualify. For some reason he's seen in a much worse light than many England managers who performed worse than him. England beat Germany 5-1 under him ffs....FIVE ONE

 

[joeinbrighton]

There are some parallels with 1990 in as much as England didn't start particularly well and were under pressure but then got better and in fact played one of their best performances in the tournament in defeat. The match against Holland stands out because of how well England played that night, especially how well Sheringham and Shearer linked up with one another. The quarter-final with Spain was the get out of jail card, much like Cameroon was for England in Italia '90. Then it culminated in playing well against Germany and coming agonisingly close to winning, only to lose from 12 yards.

As a whole, it wasn't a vintage tournament other than England's run to the semis, although Suker's duel with Schmeichel and Poborsky's chip against Portugal stand out as classic moments from elsewhere. And Matthias Sammer was exceptional for Germany in that tournament, pretty much the last of the top notch sweepers. Shame his career was cut short by injury not too long afterwards.

 

[Colossal Squid]

in his 3 tournaments with England they reached the Quarters each time...losing to the eventual winners in 2002, and on penalties in 04 and 06. The tournament before he took over they were knocked out in the first round, and the tournament after he quit they failed to qualify. For some reason he's seen in a much worse light than many England managers who performed worse than him. England beat Germany 5-1 under him ffs....FIVE ONE

Exactly. I think he quite clearly OVERACHIEVED for the most part with England and yet the tabloid media seem to want to portray him as some embarrassing cock up

 

[MattBackHome]

Absolutely right.

Sven is such a strange one. He obviously DID have the ability as a manager and knew how to get results BUT he's seen as this comedy buffoon now, moving form one high paid nonsense job to the next without anyone actually expecting him to do anything much beyond letch on local women and make a lot of money

Slightly OT, but any opportunity to include this beautiful vignette of Sven, courtsey of Didi Hamann's autobiography:

“A man of such charm and sophistication that had the James Bond character been Swedish, then it would surely have been modelled on him.

“He was polished, professional, polite, dapper unflappable and likeable. Added to that he had great knowledge of the game and was prepared to show himself as a leader. He led from the front and made us want to play for him.

“As the 2007-08 season came to a close with Manchester City, we all knew these were almost certainly Sven’s last days as manager, yet during our time on a post-season tour of Thailand, he never changed his demeanour at all.

“One morning when I was on a sun lounger by the pool, he walked towards me with a bottle of champagne and two glasses on it.

“It was still only 10 in the morning. I looked up and said, ‘Boss, what are we celebrating?’ expecting him to make the triumphant announcement he was staying.

“He turned to me and smiled that gentle smile of his and took the air of a Buddhist philosopher, as he said, ‘Life, Kaiser. We are celebrating life’.

“With a glass of champagne in hand he stood and looked out towards the horizon, then spoke in that higgledy-piggledy Swedish accent:

“‘You know Kaiser, I like this place. I think I will manage for another five years and come back here and live with two women. Yes. I think I need two beautiful women.’

“He was a man who loved life and it was impossible not to like him and love being in his company.”



What a man.

 

[Mellotron]

Exactly. I think he quite clearly OVERACHIEVED for the most part with England and yet the tabloid media seem to want to portray him as some embarrassing cock up

While I do agree mostly with you two that Sven was probably a bit underrated, some would argue he was manager at a time when we had the best crop of English players in a long time - if you consider what a lot of these players did at club level.

 

[edna krabappel]

Absolutely right.

Sven is such a strange one. He obviously DID have the ability as a manager and knew how to get results BUT he's seen as this comedy buffoon now, moving form one high paid nonsense job to the next without anyone actually expecting him to do anything much beyond letch on local women and make a lot of money

Sounds like the dream job for most of NSC.

 

[joeinbrighton]

While I do agree mostly with you two that Sven was probably a bit underrated, some would argue he was manager at a time when we had the best crop of English players in a long time - if you consider what a lot of these players did at club level.

Up to a point, but then England reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup with Danny Mills, Emile Heskey and Trevor Sinclair in their team. That was the one that slipped away really, in as much as England were a goal up approaching half time and then seemed to lose the plot in the 2nd half playing against 10 men.

 

[Brovion]

It was a fantastic tournament,but we should have been beaten by Spain. For once in our lives (they didn't score) the penalty gods smiled on us.

Depressing to think of those who have gone in to management. They have been utter turd.

Indeed. Especially as they had a perfectly good 'goal' incorrectly ruled out for offside.