James Maddison and the Wild Cards

[kushiro]

Running through the soap opera that is the history of the England football team there are a number of recurring plotlines. Possession football or the direct approach? Loyalty or current form?  Club or country?

 

Another one is 'Wild card - in or out?'. Every four years, there's a clamour for a certain player to be included in the squad. The man in the spotlight this time is, of course, our very own James Maddison.

 

This is the story of the men in whose footsteps he is walking. Three who were chosen, and three who weren't. 

 

 

The Wild Cards Who Made It In

 

 

1) Italia 90   Paul Gacoigne

 

Bobby Robson didn't really trust him. He hadn't started any of the qualifiers, and In the game he had started, a friendly at Wembley v Chile, England played out a dull goalless draw. 

 

Then in the last friendly before they boarded the plane, Robson gave him another chance. He was outstanding as we beat Czechoslovakia 4-2, and this is how he rounded off the performance:

 

 

That sealed his place in the squad, and made him an almost certain starter too. 

 

In Italy came those moments v Holland, Belgium, Cameroon and West Germany that we know so well.

 

 

2) France 98   Michael Owen

 

He only made his Liverpool debut in May 1997, and he can't have dreamed he'd be in with a chance of making the finals a year later. He was only 17, and anyway, it was a golden age of English strikers. Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Robbie Fowler - Glenn Hoddle was spoilt for choice. But then Owen took the Premier League by storm in 1997/98, and Hoddle picked him for the full squad in February for a friendly v Chile. He became the youngest England player of the 20th century, and showed glimpses of his potential in a match mostly remembered for a world class performance from Marcelo Salas. 

 

He finished the season joint top scorer in the Premier League, along with two other contenders for the World Cup squad - Chris Sutton and Leicester born Dion Dublin. Just before the finals, Glenn picked Dublin for a friendly in Morocco, with Owen on the bench. Then Ian Wright was injured, and Owen came on. 

 

In the second half, Owen got away from the last defender and was through on the keeper, but at an angle. He had two choices - shoot, or pass to Dublin, who would have had an easy tap in. Owen shot and scored, becoming England's youngest ever scorer.

 

 

Owen made the squad, Dublin didn't (and nor did Gazza - that was his last cap).

 

Owen's next task was to oust Teddy Sheringham, Alan Shearer's trusted sidekick, from the starting line up - and as the group stage in France progressed, that's just what he did. In the last 16 v Argentina came that moment. Running through the defence he had that choice again - give it or shoot - but Paul Scholes was never going to get the pass.

 

 

3) Italia 90   David Platt

 

Yes - two from the same tournament. 

 

David Platt's Italia 90 story is if anything, even more dramatic than Gazza's. He was nowhere near selection a year earlier, but then hit the most glorious run of form as Aston Villa challenged for the title. Time after time he would receive the ball on the edge of the box and dance his way through the defence before scoring. His composure as he did so was extraordinary - he seemed to be playing at a different level to everyone else on the pitch, seeing possibilities no one else could. Think Madison at Goodison last week, only more so. This was clearly a talent waiting to flower on the world stage.  But with Gascoigne pressing his claim, could there be room for Platt too?

 

The thing often forgotten about World Cups is that there is time for all kinds of development to take place within a squad. People are saying now that Maddison has no chance of being picked ahead of Foden, Saka, Bellingham and Sterling - and maybe that's true for the first game, or even the first stage. But what about injuries, fatigue, substitutions, changes in tactics? There's time for so many things to happen.

 

That's what happened with Platt in 1990 - he made only two substitute appearances in the first three games, but then came his magical moment against Belgium, after which he had to start.

 

 

 

 

The Men Who Didn't Make It

 

 

1954 Switzerland   Duncan Edwards

 

It's quite a coincidence that arguably the two greatest players the world has ever seen - Pele and Maradona - were born at exactly the same stage of the four year World Cup cycle. They were both 17 years and 8 months old when their national manager had to make the big decision - is this young talent ready for the greatest stage of all? Pele of course was given a chance in 1958 by Brazil - and he led them to their first World Cup triumph. 20 years later, Maradona came so close to following Pele's example. In the end, manager Menotti decided not to include him in the squad - and their victory on home soil shows they didn't need him anyway.

 

Many believe that Duncan Edwards, had he not died tragically in Munich, would have become a legend of a similar stature. And incredibly, he too was born at the same stage of the World Cup cycle - meaning that the England selectors in 1954 also faced that dilemma - do we pick someone who is only 17 years and 8 months old?

 

in 1953/54, Edwards had already established himself as a giant on the football field. He'd made his Man U debut the previous season, and now the talk was of him being England's great hope for the finals in Switzerland. 

 

On March 31st, the England selectors went to Highbury to watch him in a League game. A good performance and he was in contention for the Scotland game the following week. But he had one of his rare off days and Arsenal won 3-1. Had he missed his chance?

 

England announced a preliminary squad of 40 at the end of April - and Edwards was included. The following month came the final cut, and Edwards missed out.

 

The selectors were a stubborn lot that year. Just before the finals, we lost 7-1 in Hungary, but they decided to keep exactly the same set of defenders for the games in Switzerland. The first decent side we played, holders Uruguay, hit four past us in the quarter final. 

 

It's one of the great what-ifs of English football history - what might have happened had Edwards been selected? Oh well, maybe his chance would come four years later...

 

 

France 98   Matt Le Tissier

 

Glenn Hoddle deserved great credit for finding room for Michael Owen, but there are many who have never forgiven him for his treatment of Le Tissier.

The clamour to include the Southampton man was even greater. He was touted as our one truly creative genius - the talent that could unlock any defence in the world. 

 

Hoddle had picked him in the crucial qualifier v Italy at Wembley, when Zola scored the only goal of the game, and the famous headline in the press the next day was 'Glenn's a Mug Punter'. He had thrown his two mercurial talents - Le Tissier and McManaman - into the same team, and it hadn't worked. 

 

Still, Glenn seemed prepared to give him a final chance by selecting him for an England B game against Russia just a few weeks before the finals. If Le Tissier could shine here, he would surely make it in. 

 

This is what happened:

 

 

But when the final 22 was named, Matt's name wasn't there. It seemed all the more bizarre, as Hoddle himself had suffered the same treatment in the 80s - clearly the most talented player of his generation, but never really trusted on the big stage.

 

 

1)  Sweden 1958   Bobby Charlton

 

Bobby was the man fans all over the world were talking about in 1966, but he would never forget the disappointment of being overlooked in Sweden eight years earlier. 

 

Four months before the finals, Duncan Edwards and seven other United players died in the Munich Air Crash. Bobby not only survived, but was back playing three weeks later, with reserves and hastily signed newcomers filling the places of those who had lost their lives. 

 

Somehow, Charlton was playing even better than before the crash, and he was chosen for his England debut in April for the match against Scotland at Hampden:

 

 

 

A 4-0 win and 'World Cup hopes were riding high', as the Pathe News man said.

 

Three weeks later, Charlton scored both goals as we beat Portugal 2-1 at Wembley.  The FA insisted he play despite United having a European Cup semi-final v AC Milan the following day. Without him, United could only manage a narrow 2-1 win, which Milan easily overturned in the second leg. Bobby probably got over that pretty quickly - he'd made a sensational start to his England career, and was raring to go on the big stage.

 

England's next warm-up match was, unbelievably, in Belgrade - the place United were returning from when the plane crashed in Munich. It's impossible to know how much the memories affected Charlton's performance, but England lost 5-0. 

 

He was left out of the final warm up in Russia, and though he was part of the squad that went to the finals, he didn't play a single game. The England selectors thought that, just four months after the crash, there was something not quite right about Bobby (but if so, why take him in the first place, why fly him to Belgrade for one friendly, and why pull him out of the United - Milan match for another?)

 

There are so many what ifs about those finals. If only the team hadn't lost three key players at Munich (not just Duncan Edwards, but also Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor were England regulars). If only Bobby Charlton had been given the chance to prove he was world class. Would Jules Rimet have been gleaming eight years earlier?

 

 

So that's the story of the wild cards - six of them anyway. Please add your own memories below.

 

It's a bit of a long shot to imagine that our James could rank alongside the greats mentioned here, but there's little doubt that right now, he is playing the best football of anyone in his position, or maybe any position. We don't know just how good he could be. Timing is such a key factor, and he may have timed his late run to perfection. 

 

 

[Manley Farrington-Brown]

Pretty sure James Maddison and the Wildcards played on the same bill as the Shadows at De Montfort Hall in 1963.

[kushiro]

Those examples above are all from the World Cup - and there is often a similar clamour before the Euros - Jack Grealish was in that role two years ago, and our own Kevin Phillips was the man in the spotlight for Euro 2000 in Belgium and Holland when he was a Sunderland player.

 

He had scored 30 goals in the Premier League that season, and he must have been giving his North East rival Alan Shearer a few things to think about. 

 

Just personally, I was heading for those finals to follow England and I'd have been delighted if Shearer had been dropped. Still hadn't forgiven him for the Neil Lennon kick in the head two years earlier (when he threatened to pull out of France 98 if the FA charged him).

 

in the end, Phillips was left on the bench for all three games and we didn't make the knockout stage. 

[ozleicester]

20 hours ago, kushiro said:

Running through the soap opera that is the history of the England football team there are a number of recurring plotlines. Possession football or the direct approach? Loyalty or current form?  Club or country?

 

Another one is 'Wild card - in or out?'. Every four years, there's a clamour for a certain player to be included in the squad. The man in the spotlight this time is, of course, our very own James Maddison.

 

This is the story of the men in whose footsteps he is walking. Three who were chosen, and three who weren't. 

 

 

The Wild Cards Who Made It In

 

 

1) Italia 90   Paul Gacoigne

 

Bobby Robson didn't really trust him. He hadn't started any of the qualifiers, and In the game he had started, a friendly at Wembley v Chile, England played out a dull goalless draw. 

 

Then in the last friendly before they boarded the plane, Robson gave him another chance. He was outstanding as we beat Czechoslovakia 4-2, and this is how he rounded off the performance:

 

 

That sealed his place in the squad, and made him an almost certain starter too. 

 

In Italy came those moments v Holland, Belgium, Cameroon and West Germany that we know so well.

 

 

2) France 98   Michael Owen

 

He only made his Liverpool debut in May 1997, and he can't have dreamed he'd be in with a chance of making the finals a year later. He was only 17, and anyway, it was a golden age of English strikers. Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Robbie Fowler - Glenn Hoddle was spoilt for choice. But then Owen took the Premier League by storm in 1997/98, and Hoddle picked him for the full squad in February for a friendly v Chile. He became the youngest England player of the 20th century, and showed glimpses of his potential in a match mostly remembered for a world class performance from Marcelo Salas. 

 

He finished the season joint top scorer in the Premier League, along with two other contenders for the World Cup squad - Chris Sutton and Leicester born Dion Dublin. Just before the finals, Glenn picked Dublin for a friendly in Morocco, with Owen on the bench. Then Ian Wright was injured, and Owen came on. 

 

In the second half, Owen got away from the last defender and was through on the keeper, but at an angle. He had two choices - shoot, or pass to Dublin, who would have had an easy tap in. Owen shot and scored, becoming England's youngest ever scorer.

 

 

Owen made the squad, Dublin didn't (and nor did Gazza - that was his last cap).

 

Owen's next task was to oust Teddy Sheringham, Alan Shearer's trusted sidekick, from the starting line up - and as the group stage in France progressed, that's just what he did. In the last 16 v Argentina came that moment. Running through the defence he had that choice again - give it or shoot - but Paul Scholes was never going to get the pass.

 

 

3) Italia 90   David Platt

 

Yes - two from the same tournament. 

 

David Platt's Italia 90 story is if anything, even more dramatic than Gazza's. He was nowhere near selection a year earlier, but then hit the most glorious run of form as Aston Villa challenged for the title. Time after time he would receive the ball on the edge of the box and dance his way through the defence before scoring. His composure as he did so was extraordinary - he seemed to be playing at a different level to everyone else on the pitch, seeing possibilities no one else could. Think Madison at Goodison last week, only more so. This was clearly a talent waiting to flower on the world stage.  But with Gascoigne pressing his claim, could there be room for Platt too?

 

The thing often forgotten about World Cups is that there is time for all kinds of development to take place within a squad. People are saying now that Maddison has no chance of being picked ahead of Foden, Saka, Bellingham and Sterling - and maybe that's true for the first game, or even the first stage. But what about injuries, fatigue, substitutions, changes in tactics? There's time for so many things to happen.

 

That's what happened with Platt in 1990 - he made only two substitute appearances in the first three games, but then came his magical moment against Belgium, after which he had to start.

 

 

 

 

The Men Who Didn't Make It

 

 

1954 Switzerland   Duncan Edwards

 

It's quite a coincidence that arguably the two greatest players the world has ever seen - Pele and Maradona - were born at exactly the same stage of the four year World Cup cycle. They were both 17 years and 8 months old when their national manager had to make the big decision - is this young talent ready for the greatest stage of all? Pele of course was given a chance in 1958 by Brazil - and he led them to their first World Cup triumph. 20 years later, Maradona came so close to following Pele's example. In the end, manager Menotti decided not to include him in the squad - and their victory on home soil shows they didn't need him anyway.

 

Many believe that Duncan Edwards, had he not died tragically in Munich, would have become a legend of a similar stature. And incredibly, he too was born at the same stage of the World Cup cycle - meaning that the England selectors in 1954 also faced that dilemma - do we pick someone who is only 17 years and 8 months old?

 

in 1953/54, Edwards had already established himself as a giant on the football field. He'd made his Man U debut the previous season, and now the talk was of him being England's great hope for the finals in Switzerland. 

 

On March 31st, the England selectors went to Highbury to watch him in a League game. A good performance and he was in contention for the Scotland game the following week. But he had one of his rare off days and Arsenal won 3-1. Had he missed his chance?

 

England announced a preliminary squad of 40 at the end of April - and Edwards was included. The following month came the final cut, and Edwards missed out.

 

The selectors were a stubborn lot that year. Just before the finals, we lost 7-1 in Hungary, but they decided to keep exactly the same set of defenders for the games in Switzerland. The first decent side we played, holders Uruguay, hit four past us in the quarter final. 

 

It's one of the great what-ifs of English football history - what might have happened had Edwards been selected? Oh well, maybe his chance would come four years later...

 

 

France 98   Matt Le Tissier

 

Glenn Hoddle deserved great credit for finding room for Michael Owen, but there are many who have never forgiven him for his treatment of Le Tissier.

The clamour to include the Southampton man was even greater. He was touted as our one truly creative genius - the talent that could unlock any defence in the world. 

 

Hoddle had picked him in the crucial qualifier v Italy at Wembley, when Zola scored the only goal of the game, and the famous headline in the press the next day was 'Glenn's a Mug Punter'. He had thrown his two mercurial talents - Le Tissier and McManaman - into the same team, and it hadn't worked. 

 

Still, Glenn seemed prepared to give him a final chance by selecting him for an England B game against Russia just a few weeks before the finals. If Le Tissier could shine here, he would surely make it in. 

 

This is what happened:

 

 

But when the final 22 was named, Matt's name wasn't there. It seemed all the more bizarre, as Hoddle himself had suffered the same treatment in the 80s - clearly the most talented player of his generation, but never really trusted on the big stage.

 

 

1)  Sweden 1958   Bobby Charlton

 

Bobby was the man fans all over the world were talking about in 1966, but he would never forget the disappointment of being overlooked in Sweden eight years earlier. 

 

Four months before the finals, Duncan Edwards and seven other United players died in the Munich Air Crash. Bobby not only survived, but was back playing three weeks later, with reserves and hastily signed newcomers filling the places of those who had lost their lives. 

 

Somehow, Charlton was playing even better than before the crash, and he was chosen for his England debut in April for the match against Scotland at Hampden:

 

 

 

A 4-0 win and 'World Cup hopes were riding high', as the Pathe News man said.

 

Three weeks later, Charlton scored both goals as we beat Portugal 2-1 at Wembley.  The FA insisted he play despite United having a European Cup semi-final v AC Milan the following day. Without him, United could only manage a narrow 2-1 win, which Milan easily overturned in the second leg. Bobby probably got over that pretty quickly - he'd made a sensational start to his England career, and was raring to go on the big stage.

 

England's next warm-up match was, unbelievably, in Belgrade - the place United were returning from when the plane crashed in Munich. It's impossible to know how much the memories affected Charlton's performance, but England lost 5-0. 

 

He was left out of the final warm up in Russia, and though he was part of the squad that went to the finals, he didn't play a single game. The England selectors thought that, just four months after the crash, there was something not quite right about Bobby (but if so, why take him in the first place, why fly him to Belgrade for one friendly, and why pull him out of the United - Milan match for another?)

 

There are so many what ifs about those finals. If only the team hadn't lost three key players at Munich (not just Duncan Edwards, but also Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor were England regulars). If only Bobby Charlton had been given the chance to prove he was world class. Would Jules Rimet have been gleaming eight years earlier?

 

 

So that's the story of the wild cards - six of them anyway. Please add your own memories below.

 

It's a bit of a long shot to imagine that our James could rank alongside the greats mentioned here, but there's little doubt that right now, he is playing the best football of anyone in his position, or maybe any position. We don't know just how good he could be. Timing is such a key factor, and he may have timed his late run to perfection. 

 

 

Love your writing.... thanks @kushiro

Edited 12 November 2022 by ozleicester

[Nalis]

Geoff Hurst stands out for me, dont think he make his England debut until early 1966

[kushiro]

On 12/11/2022 at 16:01, Nalis said:

Geoff Hurst stands out for me, dont think he make his England debut until early 1966

Yeah - in terms of the timing he fits, though it's interesting that the man the media and fans would clamour for was his big rival Jimmy Greaves.

 

Another one to add to the 'not chosen' list is Brian Clough in 1958. He was in the squad just weeks before the tournament but mysteriously cut from the party that went to Sweden. Apparently he said something disrespectful to Billy Wright after the last warm up match in Moscow. 

 

Amazing footage of Clough and the England party in Red Square before that game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9pl3gQosK0

 

Of course 20 years later the clamour was for Clough to be England boss - but the FA weren't having it.