Latest news with #AlfRamsey
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Thomas Tuchel discards Southgate's blueprint to build England's mettle
When, in April 1965, a month shy of his 30th birthday, Jack Charlton was called up to play for England for the first time, he was baffled. In characteristically blunt fashion, he asked Alf Ramsey why on earth he had picked him. 'I have a pattern of play in mind,' Ramsey replied. 'And I pick the best players to fit the pattern. I don't necessarily always pick the best players.' Or at least that is the printable version of their conversation that has been left to history. 'You're a good tackler and you're good in the air, and I need those things,' Ramsey continued. 'And I know you don't trust Bobby Moore.' There is a fallacy that the winning of major tournaments is about having the best players. It is not; it is, as Ramsey understood, about picking the right players in the right configuration – even if that means leaving out players who have played very well for you, as he did with Peter Thompson, or leaving the goalscoring darling of the media on the bench, as he did with Jimmy Greaves. England now are in a position not unlike that in which they found themselves in 1965. They have a year left before a World Cup for which they will be one of the favourites, and they have a manager who has made clear he is not concerned by such nebulous concepts as developing the culture or blooding players to be ready three or four tournaments down the line. Thomas Tuchel, no less than Ramsey, knows his job is to win. Tuchel does have one complication that Ramsey did not, which is that he still needs to qualify. England would expect to top their group but the two games against Serbia and the trip to Albania cannot be taken for granted. Saturday's fixture against Andorra, meanwhile, probably can. In that regard it represents an opportunity for Tuchel, a chance to foster team spirit and perhaps test out a couple of theories, even if the tougher test may come in training sessions than at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona. That's why, for instance, Ivan Toney has been called up. When he left Brentford for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, it made sense that he should lose his place in the England squad. He had voluntarily taken himself to a lower level and it was a reasonable assumption that his sharpness would diminish as a consequence. But he scored 23 goals in 29 starts this season, playing well enough at least to be entered into the conversation for squad places. After all, his role would almost certainly be as one of two back-ups to Harry Kane, and he remains a formidable converter of penalties. For most players the fact that only 11 of their 23 goals this season were from open play would be a negative, but for Toney it almost works in his favour: he scored 12 out of 12 from the spot, taking his career record to 42 penalties converted out of 44. Quite aside from his physicality and movement, which helped turn the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland, that is a very useful weapon to be able to bring on for a shootout. So it's understandable that Tuchel wants a look at Toney, to see whether he has lost his edge, to work out whether he can fit into his vision for the team. Tuchel has acknowledged that he would have liked to go to Saudi Arabia to watch Toney in action but, having been unable to fit that into his schedule, it makes sense to see him in a squad environment. Whether he plays against Andorra is probably less important than the impression he has made more generally in this camp. Pre-tournament camps, of course, are always the stuff of legend. West Germany were adamant that the 1954 World Cup was won by the Kameradschaft generated at Spiez on the Thunersee before the tournament. The Italy squad of 1982 and the France squad of 1998 talk about how they bonded against the common enemy of a critical media. Pelé led the 1970 Brazil squad in communal prayer sessions. However it is achieved, a sense of togetherness is vital. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion With time limited, this international break represents a rare chance for Tuchel and his squad to spend time together, to foster that team spirit – which, having been good for three tournaments under Gareth Southgate, seemed lacking at Euro 2024. That's why Tuchel insisted on warm-weather training and took the squad to the Barcelona grand prix last Sunday. Some tactical work may have been done, but this was far more about trying to recreate the inflatable unicorns of 2018, or at least the bonds they represented. And this is the right time to do it. England cannot take Serbia or Albania lightly, and club commitments restrict the time available during the season. But with no English representation in the Champions League final, before a June qualifier against the team ranked 173rd in the world and a friendly on Tuesday against Senegal, there is some leeway in the calendar. Whether it has worked will become apparent only next summer at the tournament. Either way, this week and the two games to come are not about the result or even about the performance; rather they're about what goes on behind the scenes in terms of refining the squad and engendering the right mentality.
Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Brian Glanville, influential football writer, dies aged 93
In seven decades of covering English football, Brian Glanville found no individual more mercurial than Sir Alf Ramsey, the World Cup-winning manager. 'Sometimes reporting on England was enjoyable, sometimes it was very depressing. He could be very spiky but I didn't get on badly with him. Everybody had difficulties at some point with Alf. When they turned against him, he told people that he didn't blame me because I had been consistent all along.' Such was Glanville's standing. He brought a rigorous intellectual and analytical approach to his columns in The Sunday Times that was not matched in any other publication. His knowledge of the game, particularly as it was played in Italy, was considered unrivalled among journalists. He had a considerable capacity for work
North Wales Chronicle
16-05-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Everton great Derek Temple expecting emotional farewell to ‘fortress' Goodison
The 1966 FA Cup match-winner will be present this weekend for the visit of Southampton as the ground bids farewell to 133 years of men's football. Everton's women will give Goodison a new lease of life but Sunday is the final farewell for the men. 'I only ever scored one hat-trick – against Ipswich when they won the championship in 1962 and Alf Ramsey was manager,' the 86-year-old told the PA news agency. 'That was my favourite game – not that I remember getting the ball though. They were probably short of money!' Temple, one of Everton's oldest surviving players, has one other memorable match – against the Manchester United pre-Munich air disaster team of 1957-58. 'It was a sellout. The crowd was spilling over onto the track,' he added. 'That United side was superb. At half-time we were 3-1 down – I'd scored the one – and one of the lads said to me, 'we're going to get hammered here' and I said, 'it looks like it'. 'We came back – Jimmy Harris made it 3-2 and then I scored after playing a one-two with Hicko (Dave Hickson) and putting the ball into the Gwladys Street net. 'Goodison was like a fortress for us. Once they got behind you they roared you on and you couldn't help but put that effort in.' Former midfielder Peter Reid played in arguably the greatest Everton team of all time under Howard Kendall in the 1980s and admits leaving the ground will be tough. Almost 59 years since his famous goal at Wembley fired us to FA Cup glory, Everton Giant Derek Temple is the 2025 winner of the Dixie Dean Memorial Award. 💙 — Everton (@Everton) May 13, 2025 'It will be not like anything else. It will be emotional,' he said. 'When you see some of the players who played here: Pele, Eusebio, Dixie Dean, Dave Hickson, Alan Ball – it's a unique stadium. 'The atmosphere in the stadium is great. It holds memories which will never be forgotten and no one can take them away from you. 'Bayern Munich in the semi-final of the European Cup Winners' Cup against a very good side, the atmosphere that night was second-to-none. 'That season we beat Manchester United here on the way to winning the title 5-0 and those two really hold special memories. 'They were good team performances but the atmosphere within the stadium was absolutely brilliant.' Reid is confident the atmosphere can be recreated at Bramley-Moore Dock. 'The way the club have done it architecturally wise it is going to be incredible,' he added. 'We will miss the Grand Old Lady but we are going to another absolutely marvellous stadium which will enhance atmosphere. It is brilliant.' Even current manager David Moyes, in his second spell at the club, is getting emotional. 'I'm hoping it's only age but I am, actually. I am only just back but it has played a huge part in my life,' he said. The Scot arrived at Goodison as a 38-year-old after four seasons at Preston and admits he had jitters. 'I felt unbelievably nervous. The nervousness going into Goodison on the first occasion was wild,' he added. 'I didn't know if they knew who I was. We had David Ginola, Paul Gascoigne, Big Duncan (Ferguson), Tommy Gravesen in the dressing room and I was thinking, 'they will be thinking – who is this coming to talk to us?'.' When the first stint is so nice, you just have to do it twice… David Moyes will be looking for more success upon his return to Goodison Park 👏 — Premier League (@premierleague) January 11, 2025 Asked to pick his favourite moments, he said: 'The year we qualified for the Champions League (2005). 'We finished fourth, Liverpool finished fifth but unfortunately they went on to win the European Cup that year (meaning Everton went into a qualifier which they lost against Villarreal). 'We've had disappointing moments as well – we lost the (UEFA Cup) last 16 against Fiorentina; we were 2-0 down and came back and then went out on penalty kicks.'
Scottish Sun
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘It's time' – England could host World Cup after seven decades as Fifa chief tells FA to ‘seriously think' about it
The FA unsuccessfully tried to land the 2018 and 2022 World Cups COMING HOME 'It's time' – England could host World Cup after seven decades as Fifa chief tells FA to 'seriously think' about it Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ENGLAND could host the World Cup after a SEVEN-DECADE wait following a top Fifa figure's encouragement to bid for the tournament. The nation hasn't bid for the tournament since the controversial 2010 vote for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar, in which it was alleged that Fifa members were bribed to vote for the host countries. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 England hasn't hosted the World Cup since lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1966 Credit: GETTY 4 The FA failed to land the 2018 or 2022 World Cups Credit: GETTY 4 Fifa Vice-President Victor Montagliani believes it's time the tournament returns to Old Blighty Credit: GETTY England hasn't staged a World Cup since the historic 1966 tournament, which saw Sir Alf Ramsey's troops win the competition on home soil. And Fifa vice-president Victor Montagliani believes it's high time the tournament returns to these shores. During an interview with The Times, he said: "I can't see why, not just England but the United Kingdom shouldn't be hosting the World Cup. "I think it would be a fantastic World Cup and I think they should seriously think of putting their foot forward to host. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS RED CARD England star admits speeding SIX TIMES in just 2 months & is banned from driving "We all know what the game means in the UK and I think it's time.' The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the 2030 tournament set to be split across Spain, Portugal, Morocco and South America. Saudi Arabia will stage the 2034 tournament having run unopposed for the hosting rights. The Women's World Cup will take place in the UK in 2035 and could be a potential catalyst for the men's tournament to return to these shores in 2038 or 2042. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 England could bid to host the 2038 or 2042 World Cups Credit: Getty Speaking on Fifa's rotation model, Montagliani said: "I support what we have done in recent history, I think it's the only way. "Now it shouldn't be the Fifa president's decision alone, he has a board, he has a council. Major change to World Cup final confirmed by Fifa chief Gianni Infantino with Coldplay to perform half-time show 'But I think the old way we used to do it where people just waste their money and then all these shenanigans happen. That's ridiculous. Let's get away from that. 'Let's become a proper business. Let's have an event management strategy so that we're properly rotating it, everybody gets a crack at it. 'The reality is that the World Cup generates 80 to 90 per cent of Fifa's income, which then sends 80 per cent of that back to its members for the development of football. "And if Fifa doesn't generate that money there is a significant number of the 211 countries that do not have the funds to develop football.' Next year's North American World Cup will be the first tournament to include 48 teams. But South American footie chiefs have called for future tournaments to be expanded to an incredible 64 TEAMS, a total Montagliani believes would devalue the prestige which comes with qualifying for the competition He said: "Sixty-four teams is just too much in my opinion. We still haven't kicked the ball for 48 teams, although I think we'll be fine. 'We're OK where we are and I'm not comfortable with any more — scarcity is still important. "It still needs to be difficult to get to a World Cup and I think at 48 you're still going to have some nations you may think should be at a World Cup but fail to qualify.'
