World Cup Final 1966.

[Robbie]

Did anyone watch the rerun of the 1966 Cup Final between England & West Germany on channel 4 this evening?

It brought back some great memories for me. The World Cup of 1966 was the first time I had watched football on the telly.

Me & my mates used to play football either on the road or on the playing field not far from our houses. 

Never watched the telly much at all, all my spare time after school was either playing football or playing Subuteo or Monopoly games with my mates or riding our bikes 

Watching the game this afternoon and the skill of those players 58 years ago, the England players of today could learn a lot from watching them.

There were no substitutes allowed at the 66 World Cup. That is hard to believe when you see both teams still going for it in extra time on a cut up pitch.

The players in those days had to be tough & last the full 120 minutes.

I think I would still back the England side of 1966 to beat the England side of 2024. 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Robbie

I didn't watch the Channel 4 rerun of the 1966 World Cup Final, but believe it or not I have a copy of the match on DVD which was given away with a Newspaper ( I Don't remember which) quite a few years ago.

I also remember watching the Final  as a 9 year old with my Dear Old Dad. We sat there glued to the box and every time England went close he'd squeeze my right arm when I complained about it, he would say sorry and rub my arm, then go back to squeezing it when England went close to scoring.  When England scored he'd jump up in the Air and shout Goal. The second Geoff Hurst goal he sat there hand on my arm he thought the Ball had crossed the line, then he said the Ref's not going to give it. Then the Russian Linesman said yes it was a goal, we jumped up together hugging and cheering. My Mum who wasn't really into football and didn't follow the Match, would come in from the Kitchen when we were cheering and say They've Scored Then.

Regarding that England Team I'm in Full Agreement with You Robbie, The 66 Team would Hammer the current 3 Lions side.

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man

When you look back at a match that was so famous and watch it once again after probably over 20 years in my case, I was actually comparing it with what we see from the England side today.

Gordon Banks was not just a great goalkeeper, but he was a great distributer too 

We hear so much about how the role of the goalkeeper has changed over the years, but what I was seeing in that match, the way that Banks was distributing the ball over arm, sometimes to Alan Ball on the wing 40 yards up the pitch was sensational.

The England passing was superb too, being quick & sharp with players running off the ball to create space.

The full backs, Cohen, & Wilson, were seen upfield supporting the attacks and delivering crosses into the box. They were right & left backs, no wingbacks then.

The English style of play does have it's merits, for one it is very entertaining as well as being a very successful style of play.

[Fan of Big Tone]

I was 14 and typically my mam booked a holiday that started on the day of the match, we arrived in Southsea on the south coast after a long bus ride and got to our digs, the owners of the boarding house were watching the game on the telly in their lounge and kept coming to tell us the score I really wanted them to ask me if I wanted to watch it and the finally did for the last few minutes so I did get to see some of it.

[super_ram]

I was 19 in 1966 and the day of the final was the first day of my holiday to Blackpool with some of my mates. Our bus was due in Blackpool about 1.30 but we got stuck  in traffic outside Preston North End's ground and didn't arrive in Blackpool till well after 2pm. The bus dropped us off on Bloomfield Road near Blackpool's ground and we needed to get to a road near the Tower. We collected our cases and  rushed along crowded pavements before we finally got to our boarding house. We made a hurried entrance, introduced ourselves to the owners and were shown to our room which ,of course, was on the top floor..We just dropped our cases and rushed back downstairs to the lounge where we were told the telly was and that there was already some lads watching. When we entered the lounge the players were lining up for the kickoff and the lads already there turned out to be Scots , supporting Germany. There was a lot of good natured banter though even if they did cheer the German goals. But we had the last cheers.We had a very good night that night too, even if I can't remember all of it.

[Piethagoram]

I recall family friends from Bermuda staying at my parents house that went to the game but I cannot remember watching the game itself. 

My first memory of any TV was the assassination of JFK and my first TV football memory was probably Man U Benfica in 1968.

My very first Notts match was in March 1967 

 

 

 

[liampie]

i have never seen the full game but i have seen extended highlights and a lot of clips of it over the years, it would have been something special and to see a united england would be nice.

does anyone know why england wore red when they were the home team and it allowed germany to wear white?

[Robbie]

55 minutes ago, liampie said:

does anyone know why england wore red when they were the home team and it allowed germany to wear white?

Both teams played in white shirts so it was just a good will gesture by the host Country England to let Germany play in their first playing strip & England changed to their second playing strip.

[TheSkipper]

Yes, go ahead and tease us younger supporters who have only experienced hollow promises and teams labelled as world conquerors under a misleading “golden generation”. Not only did you fortunate folks witness England clinch the most prestigious tournament, the World Cup, but many of you would have also had the pleasure of watching Notts compete in the top flight.

At least under Gareth Southgate, despite underperforming, the team reaches the later stages. This provides a glimmer of hope for fans of my generation and younger ones.

[Robbie]

11 minutes ago, TheSkipper said:

Yes, go ahead and tease us younger supporters who have only experienced hollow promises and teams labelled as world conquerors under a misleading “golden generation”. Not only did you fortunate folks witness England clinch the most prestigious tournament, the World Cup, but many of you would have also had the pleasure of watching Notts compete in the top flight.

At least under Gareth Southgate, despite underperforming, the team reaches the later stages. This provides a glimmer of hope for fans of my generation and younger ones.

We thought that England had a great chance of following up their win in 66 with a win in 1970. When we were 2:0 up we were confident of getting to the semis but that was dashed rather quickly with the German comeback. So we have seen disappointment too. That was a very hard defeat to accept at the time.

[TheSkipper]

At least now, it seems we’re making progress. Reaching the final after poor performances speaks volumes. While we may not have won, I believe we have a good chance of growing stronger. England, like Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, will always have times when they bow out too early.

[KB1862]

I've got this match on DVD and have watched it numerous times. It's in black and white but I feel like it's the only way to watch it. My personal preference is to watch it in black and white rather than in colour.

[Chris]

I have seen the footage numerous times. When I was younger, I felt amazed when I first watched the game in colour. As all the footage before was shown in black and white.

Here's a great read about what happened to the shirts after the final whistle had blown - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-63703479

@super_ram likes to tell me, that England lost to Scotland in the very next game after the World Cup final.