Colossal Squid
Returning video tapes
For me, the European Championship of 1996 was one of the first major tournaments I got absolutely besotted by. I lived and breathed football for those four weeks when the entire country went nuts at having the continent's premier international football tournament on our doorstep. Great days.
BUT, of that tournament's decent if not world-beating England squad, where are these players now, and what are they up to?
David Seaman - Occasionally pops up on TV for charity events or celebrity shows although rarely anything football related as far as I can tell. Apparently he is goalkeeping coach for Wembley FC but I doubt that's a proper job. Enjoying his retirement then?
Tim Flowers - Seaman's premier league winning deputy is now goalkeeping coach for Northampton Town after a few spells as assistant manager at Coventry City, QPR and Hull. Also had a brief spell in charge of Stafford Rangers.
Ian Walker - Much maligned former Spurs and Leicester stopper is now goalkeeping coach at Shanghai Shenhua. Also had a brief spell as boss of Bishop's Stortford.
Gary Neville - One of the most recent retirees form the game. Now a pundit for Sky.
Stuart Pearce - Psycho recently lost his job as coach of the Under 21s. Also managed the GB team during the Olympics.
Tony Adams - Arsenal stalwart tried his hand at management with unsuccessful spells at Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth. Then he got a job coaching some Azerbaijani team but he left them in 2011 and as far as I can tell has done nothing since.
Gareth Southgate - Arguably most famous for his penalty miss in this very tournament, Crawley boy Southgate went on to manage Middlesbrough for three years but was sacked after seeing them relegated from the Premier League and not mounting enough of a fight to go straight back up. Later became the FA's head of elite development (whatever that is) but he left last year and now seems to spend his time popping up as a commentator and pundit for ITV.
Steve Howey - Remember him? Geordie stalwart now presents a radio show on BBC Newcastle.
Sol Campbell - BIG player for England in his day. Retired from the game in 2011 and appears to have largely dropped off the radar since.
Phil Neville - Gary's younger brother is the squad's most recent retiree, having officially hung up his boots last season. Now first team coach at Manchester United.
Paul Ince - Midfield general has had an up and down career in management since retiring from playing. Currently boss of Blackpool trying to recreate the successes he enjoyed earlier in his management career at Macclesfield and MK Dons. Interestingly from an Albion perspective, his last ever game as a player was as a substitute for Alan Navarro whilst player manager of Macclesfield.
David Platt - Great player on his day, it didn't really transfer into a great manager as he had a terrible spell taking charge of former club Sampdoria and was abject as player manager of Forest. Subsequently tried his hand at coaching, with Man City, but left along with Roberto Mancini at the tail end of last season. Apparently he's hooked up with David Moyes at Manchester United since then, as fitness coach.
Paul Gascoigne - Mercurial midfield maestro was probably the most gifted player of the entire squad, and quite possibly of any English player of the last 30 years. His mental health problems have been much documented and he's not worked since being sacked as boss of Kettering Town back in 2005. Will always be remembered for THAT goal and THAT celebration when England beat Scotland in the group stage of this tournament. Sadly however he will also be remembered for his drunken offerings of fried chicken and a spot of fishing to mentalist cop killer Raoul Moat.
Darren Anderton - Frustrating winger who could be devastating on his day but seemed to struggle with injuries and form a lot of the time. Still racked up 299 appearances for Spurs though and now pops up on Canadian TV football coverage.
Nicky Barmby - Another midfielder who could really cut it with the best on his day, but that day wasn't often enough. He had a brief managerial career as boss of Hull City but left last year after the board got pissed at him spouting his mouth off once too often (sound familiar?)
Jamie Redknapp - A good enough player to be known for more than just being the son of Harry, he was much beloved by Liverpool and Spurs fans during his playing career. Euro 96 was the only international tournament he played at and since retiring he has become a pundit for Sky as well as popping up in dreadful adverts for tour operators.
Steve McManaman - Despite an excellent career at both Liverpool and Real Madrid I still think Macca is a bit of an underrated player who could reasonably be considered one of England's finest midfielders of the past 30 years. Since retiring in 2005 he has worked as a pundit on various channels and can this season be found on BT Sport.
Steve Stone - Another near forgotten Geordie, like Howey he is still associated with the Magpies, working as a coach under Alan Pardew.
Robbie Fowler - Liverpool hero racked up 7 goals in 26 appearances for England, without ever establishing himself as a first choice starter. His well known property portfolio means he never need work again and he's listed as one of Britain's wealthiest men. Despite this he does occasionally pop up on TV for a bit of pundit work.
Les Ferdinand - Well travelled striker regularly appears on TV for media work and had a spell coaching at Tottenham.
Teddy Sheringham - One half of the deadly SAS partnership, this was arguably Teddy's best tournament in an England shirt, having been a late developer and only receiving his first cap at the age of 27. Since retiring he has become a well known figure on the world poker circuit and is no doubt well acquainted with our beloved sugar daddy Mr T Bloom.
Alan Shearer - One of England's most dependable goal scorers despite a long barren spell at international level before this tournament. Within the very first game of Euro 96 he clicked into gear and ended up as the golden boot winner, with 5 goals. Had a brief flirtation with management, failing to rescue Newcastle from relegation in 2009, and has since expressed little interest in returning to the game, instead focusing his efforts on being one of the most dreary pundits imaginable for the BBC.
So, there you have it. A great tournament, some great players, but not one player has subsequently gone on to become a top manager.
What are YOUR memories of Euro 96? And what now has become of other players for different countries who were part of this great tournament?
BUT, of that tournament's decent if not world-beating England squad, where are these players now, and what are they up to?
David Seaman - Occasionally pops up on TV for charity events or celebrity shows although rarely anything football related as far as I can tell. Apparently he is goalkeeping coach for Wembley FC but I doubt that's a proper job. Enjoying his retirement then?
Tim Flowers - Seaman's premier league winning deputy is now goalkeeping coach for Northampton Town after a few spells as assistant manager at Coventry City, QPR and Hull. Also had a brief spell in charge of Stafford Rangers.
Ian Walker - Much maligned former Spurs and Leicester stopper is now goalkeeping coach at Shanghai Shenhua. Also had a brief spell as boss of Bishop's Stortford.
Gary Neville - One of the most recent retirees form the game. Now a pundit for Sky.
Stuart Pearce - Psycho recently lost his job as coach of the Under 21s. Also managed the GB team during the Olympics.
Tony Adams - Arsenal stalwart tried his hand at management with unsuccessful spells at Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth. Then he got a job coaching some Azerbaijani team but he left them in 2011 and as far as I can tell has done nothing since.
Gareth Southgate - Arguably most famous for his penalty miss in this very tournament, Crawley boy Southgate went on to manage Middlesbrough for three years but was sacked after seeing them relegated from the Premier League and not mounting enough of a fight to go straight back up. Later became the FA's head of elite development (whatever that is) but he left last year and now seems to spend his time popping up as a commentator and pundit for ITV.
Steve Howey - Remember him? Geordie stalwart now presents a radio show on BBC Newcastle.
Sol Campbell - BIG player for England in his day. Retired from the game in 2011 and appears to have largely dropped off the radar since.
Phil Neville - Gary's younger brother is the squad's most recent retiree, having officially hung up his boots last season. Now first team coach at Manchester United.
Paul Ince - Midfield general has had an up and down career in management since retiring from playing. Currently boss of Blackpool trying to recreate the successes he enjoyed earlier in his management career at Macclesfield and MK Dons. Interestingly from an Albion perspective, his last ever game as a player was as a substitute for Alan Navarro whilst player manager of Macclesfield.
David Platt - Great player on his day, it didn't really transfer into a great manager as he had a terrible spell taking charge of former club Sampdoria and was abject as player manager of Forest. Subsequently tried his hand at coaching, with Man City, but left along with Roberto Mancini at the tail end of last season. Apparently he's hooked up with David Moyes at Manchester United since then, as fitness coach.
Paul Gascoigne - Mercurial midfield maestro was probably the most gifted player of the entire squad, and quite possibly of any English player of the last 30 years. His mental health problems have been much documented and he's not worked since being sacked as boss of Kettering Town back in 2005. Will always be remembered for THAT goal and THAT celebration when England beat Scotland in the group stage of this tournament. Sadly however he will also be remembered for his drunken offerings of fried chicken and a spot of fishing to mentalist cop killer Raoul Moat.
Darren Anderton - Frustrating winger who could be devastating on his day but seemed to struggle with injuries and form a lot of the time. Still racked up 299 appearances for Spurs though and now pops up on Canadian TV football coverage.
Nicky Barmby - Another midfielder who could really cut it with the best on his day, but that day wasn't often enough. He had a brief managerial career as boss of Hull City but left last year after the board got pissed at him spouting his mouth off once too often (sound familiar?)
Jamie Redknapp - A good enough player to be known for more than just being the son of Harry, he was much beloved by Liverpool and Spurs fans during his playing career. Euro 96 was the only international tournament he played at and since retiring he has become a pundit for Sky as well as popping up in dreadful adverts for tour operators.
Steve McManaman - Despite an excellent career at both Liverpool and Real Madrid I still think Macca is a bit of an underrated player who could reasonably be considered one of England's finest midfielders of the past 30 years. Since retiring in 2005 he has worked as a pundit on various channels and can this season be found on BT Sport.
Steve Stone - Another near forgotten Geordie, like Howey he is still associated with the Magpies, working as a coach under Alan Pardew.
Robbie Fowler - Liverpool hero racked up 7 goals in 26 appearances for England, without ever establishing himself as a first choice starter. His well known property portfolio means he never need work again and he's listed as one of Britain's wealthiest men. Despite this he does occasionally pop up on TV for a bit of pundit work.
Les Ferdinand - Well travelled striker regularly appears on TV for media work and had a spell coaching at Tottenham.
Teddy Sheringham - One half of the deadly SAS partnership, this was arguably Teddy's best tournament in an England shirt, having been a late developer and only receiving his first cap at the age of 27. Since retiring he has become a well known figure on the world poker circuit and is no doubt well acquainted with our beloved sugar daddy Mr T Bloom.
Alan Shearer - One of England's most dependable goal scorers despite a long barren spell at international level before this tournament. Within the very first game of Euro 96 he clicked into gear and ended up as the golden boot winner, with 5 goals. Had a brief flirtation with management, failing to rescue Newcastle from relegation in 2009, and has since expressed little interest in returning to the game, instead focusing his efforts on being one of the most dreary pundits imaginable for the BBC.
So, there you have it. A great tournament, some great players, but not one player has subsequently gone on to become a top manager.
What are YOUR memories of Euro 96? And what now has become of other players for different countries who were part of this great tournament?
