JUNE 1988

International football is in the air. England are warming up for European competition and they will be hoping for a better preparation than in 1988, which clearly did not help our nation prepare for a serious competition, Whose idea was this? The FAs?

On 4th June 1988, before setting off to the European Championships in Germany,England played a warm-up match against the mighty…..Aylesbury United. England beat the Southern League champions 7-0 but not surprising, didn’t do as well in Germany – they found the opposition was a little better than Southern League standard and lost all three matches.

Prior to this, in 1988, England drew four internationals; three friendlies against Israel 0-0 in Tel Aviv; The Netherlands 2-2 at Wembley; Hungary in Budapest 0-0, Colombia 1-1 at Wembley, AND beat Scotland at Wembley 1-0,  The Scots and Colombia played England in the Rous Cup, named after Sir Stanley Rous, once the top man in  the FA. Finally there was a friendly against Switzerland in Lausanne, which England won 1-0.

In the European Championship Finals FIRST Rd, England lost to Ireland 0-1 on June 12th, The Netherlands, three days later 1-3, USSR 1-3 on the 18th. These were 1st Round games. SO Bobby Robson's team did not qualify!! P3 W0 D0 L0 F2 A7 NIL Points!

On  top of this embarrassment, in Dusseldorf before the Dutch game there were riots in the streets and 130 arrests. The good news was that Peter Shilton won his 100th cap, following Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, and Billy Wright. 

England team v The Netherlands: Shilton, Stevens, Samson, Adams, Watson, Steven,Webb, Robson, Barnes, Beardsley, Lineker (subs: Wright, Hoddle, Hateley). Lineker and Adams scored.

Prime Minister Thatcher, pushed her identity card scheme, using events in Germany to her political advantage. 

The rest of the year resulted in a friendly win over Denmark at home 1-0; a 0-0 v Sweden at Wembley which was a World Cup qualifier and another thumping 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh 1-1. Lineker who had featured in the five of these games had not scored. His form and England's inertwined.

In  this year (1988) England scored 9 goals in 12 games. Goalscorers: Lineker 3,  Adams 3, Beardsley 1, Robson 1, Webb 1. On the bright side England conceded only 11 goals!