72 YEARS AGO

Football On the 2nd July 1950 

England was looking forward to its first World Cup (ever), held in Brazil in 1950.  But England finished the World Cup finals with a disappointing result (sounds familiar!). There was a victory over Chile 2-0 in the first game in their group, but  a 0-1 defeat in their final tie, against Spain, meant elimination at the group stage. The issue?? it was a famous group defeat to the minnows, USA (0-1). 

With the elimination came the realisation that English football wasn't the best in the world. The Daily Herald printed a mock obituary: ‘In affectionate remembrance of English football which died in Rio on July 2, 1950.’ 

Just after the war England had a team that was regarded as the best in the World. But Walter Winterbottom, who was the national team's first “tracksuit” manager was losing some valuable stars who never had the chance to show their skills on the world stage. Tommy Lawton, one of the reasons why Italy had been comfortably beaten by England in 1948 and 1949, retired after some post War Time internationals. George Hardwick, a seriously good full back and Frank Swift, the country's huge handed goalkeeper were on the decline. 

More star players, centre half  Neil Franklin, was becoming a Bogota Bandit, lured to Colombia by wages of £120 a week and Lawton had joined Notts County because he was offered a day job, as well as his weekly wage for playing in the Third Division South! 

The post war England team was being dismantled, but they had played three games before hand against Scotland, Portugal and Belgium, winning all three, with goals totalling 10-4.

England went to Brazil expecting to do well. Despite a long journey, a dreadful experience in the Hotel Luxor on Copacabana, where food and rooms were awful and the place full of journalists, the players had no rest or comfort, but were confident of success.

When they watched a friendly match between the hosts and Mexico at the Maracana, the tour party was amazed at the skills performed by the South Americans. 

The first England match, on June 25^th in their group was against Chile, a team that included centre-forward, George Robledo, who played for Newcastle United.  England were tournament second favourites after Brazil and in a dour game England won 2-0 with goals from Stan Mortenson and Wilf Mannion. Four days later, they were shocked by a defeat against the totally unfancied USA, a team made up from amateurs. Stanley Matthews, at 35 years old, was rested, the Yanks scored a fluke and England had to beat Spain to qualify. They didn't ((lost 0-1) and that was that!! 

In the US game, Joe Gaetjens, a Haitian centre-forward (below), scored a header (or deflection?) after 37 minutes past Bert Williams (below) and England had a Frank Lampard, over the line goal score disallowed and another clear penalty ignored, as well as many chances scorned.  Gaetjens,a restaurant dishwasher by trade, had a brief history with two French clubs and returned to his home country only to “disappear” in 1964 as a victim of one of Papa Doc Duvalier's Tonton Death Squad (nothing to do with England??).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ESTvxyqsI