England Archives ⋆ An Old International

John Motson, 1945 – 2023

Some classic John Motson commentary. Two matches of football which Motson commentated on and which have engrained themselves in memory for various reasons. Enjoy. Germany’s Wurst Nightmare, 2001 This is a classic match: for one team it was a nightmare, for the other it was the beginning of a dream that come to an end…

fan culture: all new or swapping one for another?

In an article published in The Guardian, the author claims that England fan culture is changing. This is supported by a statement from Jamie Cleland, an academic who is stating that the trip to Qatar was too expensive for many ordinary England supporters. “With the World Cup occurring mid-season, close to Christmas, and in a…

Maradona

There are few players who not only achieve great things on the pitch but in doing so have been elevated to the status of a demi god or even a god. Maradona was one of those players. What he did with the ball was outstanding. He lifted his team to win the World Cup 1986…

When Hungary Turned England’s World Upside Down – Interview With George Robb

England hosted Hungary, the reigning Olympic champion at Wembley on the afternoon of November 25, 1953. After the game, the world was turned upside down for the home side. Read more →

Germany – England September 1987: Football in the Dark Ages

Thirty years ago West Germany were hosting England who had come with a burden to Düsseldorf to play a friendly match: The valley Parade and Heysel tragedies had shed a bad light on English football. The match served as a testing ground for either team to see where they stood a year before the European…

The Bundesliga through British Eyes

The German Bundesliga is one of the most popular football leagues in Europe. Through British eyes there is a very special appeal to it. Read more →

A Cut Prize Manager

After a surprisingly short Euro campaign in which England were beaten by Iceland, the FA, surprise, surprise appointed Sam Allardyce as new manager. While Allardyce has made it clear that he always wanted the job and that it is the best job in English football, the salary for his services is reported to be less…

Germany – England 2016

As England visit Germany tonight it is time to use some material from past match reports to describe the match in 2016 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. During Euro 1996 the Daily Mirror led the charge against foreign football teams with their jingoistic, almost xenophobic coverage of the tournament. At the time there was…

Moving in Circles

Yesterday’s 1-0 defeat of Manchester City against the Spanish giants Barcelona, saw the last English club eliminated from UEFA’s top competition. Once again, the soul searching has begun.There is no conclusive answer to the fact that none of the English clubs have made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season. It would…

England 3 – Hungary 6

England, the country that gave birth to modern football hosted Hungary at Wembley in Noember 1953 and had to acknowledge that they had a bit of work to do to keep up with the Europeans. Read more →