A question for those of you who remember 1966

[Brovion]

m20gull - booing the opposition anthem started in the early 70s. Our school used to organise trips and I went to quite a few England home games between about 1969 and 1973. I can't tell yiou exactly when it started, but I remember the teacher who organised the trips once had to tell us before we set out not to boo the oppostion anthem. He said it was 'ugly' and merely inspired the other team to ram the insult down our throats.

OTLW - What a coincidence! We where part of the Relieving force. What were you? A plucky Brit or a dastardly Boer? I do remember at the end some plummyh bloke coming up to the mike saying "England have beaten Argentina 1-0" and we were all allowed to throw our caps in the air.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

On the topic of booing the National Anthem, I thought it started at a game against Argentina in 1980 (i.e. pre Falklands) because their anthem goes on for about 15 minutes. Though now I have looked and I think it must be earlier than that. I have a flier from the next game at Wembley (a week later aginst Northern Ireland) quote "this habit we seem to be getting into of booing and whistling our opponents' National Anthem". That would suggest it was a newish habit then.

I wonder therefore if it was connected with the Scots' invasions of the late 70s?

As an English habit, it can't have started with games against Scotland.

They only played GSTQ at England-Scotland games in those days.

 

[On the Left Wing]

m20gull - booing the opposition anthem started in the early 70s. Our school used to organise trips and I went to quite a few England home games between about 1969 and 1973. I can't tell yiou exactly when it started, but I remember the teacher who organised the trips once had to tell us before we set out not to boo the oppostion anthem. He said it was 'ugly' and merely inspired the other team to ram the insult down our throats.

OTLW - What a coincidence! We where part of the Relieving force. What were you? A plucky Brit or a dastardly Boer? I do remember at the end some plummyh bloke coming up to the mike saying "England have beaten Argentina 1-0" and we were all allowed to throw our caps in the air.

Wonder if that was the first time GOSBTS was sung at Withdean!
I was a Brit old chap!!!!
Remember getting No26 bus home after being feeeied back into Brighton by a Scout minibus!
And Lady Baden Powell was in attendance!

 

[The Large One]

I was watching a programme about the North Korea side of 1966 recently. Apparently, this caused a bit of a diplomatic nightmare at the time, because the UK did not officially recognise North Korea (or the People's Republic of Korea as they preferred their Englsh translation to be).

And because PRK wasn't officially recognised, the FA were put under intense pressure by the governemt to refuse to fly their flag outside Wembley Stadium, or play their national anthem. They were even going to be refused to be allowed to play at one point. The diplomatic nightmare was that the Koreans would then have been singled out.

The diplomacy was all resolved by the PRK being referred to as 'North Korea' (and name hitherto unused), no flags being flown, AND NO NATIONAL ANTHEMS BEING PLAYED THROUGHOUT THE TOURNAMENT, except GSTQ at the first and last game - which England played in both of. This was what they said in the documentary.

Needless to say the Middlesbrough public took North Korea to their hearts as underdogs, and the final group game against Italy is now the stuff of legends - as is their quarter final against Portugal at Everton.