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Greg (no login)
Posted Sep 5, 2005 3:01 PM
I've watched a lot of football and experienced most of the highs and lows along the way. As a York City fan I've seen us win the division title once, win at Wembley on penalties in the play offs, and seen us beat the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and most joyously of all, Man U (3-0 at Old Trafford). I've also seen us relegated - and worst of all, relegated out of the league.
However, in all that time and in hundreds of matches watched at all levels and thousands on television, I have never experienced the same "pure football" moment as that sequence and that Gascoigne goal (sorry Mark) - the McAllister penalty save, the punt upfield, the ball through to Gascoigne, that flick over Hendry's head, and drilling it past Goram, all in the space of something like 20 seconds.
I watched it live in a packed bar in Newcastle and the surge of adrenaline from the penalty miss through to the ball in the back of net and Gazza's "dentist chair" celebration was incredible.....
In fact, I think that Euro 96 (Three Lions, Terry Venables, David Seaman, Shearer and Sheringham, all that) was one of the best England teams of all time and was one of the most emotional tournaments I can remember, matched only by Italia 90 (World In Motion, Nessun Dorma, Lineker, Bobby dancing etc.). That gradual build up of hope and expectation culminating in national excitement and anticipation - and then the inevitable disappointment as we go out on penalties in the semi to the fucking Germans.
The antithesis to the Gazza goal is of course the agonising moment when the ball slides across the German goal in that semi and Gazza somehow fails to connect from two yards when everyone south of the border thinks he's going to score....
I saw Gazza a few months back at a do in Newcastle for Bobby Robson - he looks pale and gaunt these days, a shadow of his former self.
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