Imagine a world where football fans across England could, in effect, choose which players could represent their country in international matches. Back in November 1981,
Shoot! magazine wasn't quite able to offer such a direct influence on England team selection, but it did invite readers to send in their preferred team to beat Hungary in the upcoming crucial World Cup qualifier.
Having received a “phenomenal” response to their appeal in a previous issue,
Shoot! compiled the team that its readers thought Ron Greenwood should pick. “Some positions were clear-cut” it said, while for “one or two we almost needed a recount” due to the closeness of the vote.
Peter Shilton was first choice between the posts, twice as popular as Ray Clemence who was said to have had a poor game two months earlier in the 2-1 defeat against Norway (
you know the one...)
Bryan Robson, however, was an even bigger hit with the fans - his approval rating was 98% - while up front “only a handful of readers selected a team without [Kevin] Keegan. The final team selection was immortalised in a mocked up picture using some pre-Photoshop trickery known technically as ‘glueing other people’s heads on the wrong bodies.’
Seven of the starting eleven that faced the Hungarians at Wembley on 18 November 1981 was correctly predicted by
Shoot! readers, but Ron Greenwood dealt a couple of wild cards from the bottom of the pack in the shape of Alvin Martin and Tony Morley. In the end, England secured the 1-0 win they needed to qualify for Spain ‘82, but some were already questioning Greenwood’s suitability as manager, not least former England striker Mick Channon.
“I believe the only thing wrong with England is the manager” he said. “Don’t get me wrong - I have no personal grudge against Ron Greenwood. I happen to believe he is a gentleman, a nice man. But I don’t believe he is the right man for the job.” Channon went on to explain his feelings: “Perhaps Ron does what the media thinks, rather than what he himself feels... I don’t know. But whatever it is, I don’t believe he has picked the right sides in recent years.” Channon’s comments after the 1-0 win over Hungary were not available at the time of writing.
In other news, Peter Beardsley was announcing his return to Canada to play for Vancouver Whitecaps - and appeared to care little for any English clubs wanting to sign him from Carlisle. “I thoroughly enjoyed my first summer over there and I'm already looking forward to returning” said Beardsley. “ I've heard reports that some English clubs are still interested in signing me, but they can forget it. I'm going back to Vancouver.” Beardsley ultimately had three spells with the Whitecaps - joining Manchester United in between where he played just one match in the League Cup - before finally restarting his English career proper at Newcastle United in September 1983.
Sadly things weren't going so well for England’s World Cup hero Gordon Banks back in 1981.
Shoot! reported that “arguably the greatest goalkeeper ever seen” was “almost on the dole.”
Banks found himself out of work and lamented “ I'm more disappointed than bitter that I'm not still involved in football. I believe there is a need for specialised goalkeeper training.” He went on: “I didn't win my 73 caps by fluke and I feel my experience could help someone.”
Such a shame, then, that Banks’ views were a decade ahead of their time. It wouldn't be long before the former Leicester and Stoke goalkeeper found a new role, however. Since the 1980’s, he’s been one of the three men making up the Pools Panel that assesses postponed matches, one of the others being his former England team-mate, Roger Hunt.
A two-page feature on the Merseyside derby played around the time Shoot! was published gave Phil Thompson and Mick Lyons their chance to discuss the great rivalry between their sides. Everton had knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup in a rare victory earlier in the year, but Lyons’ reluctance to predict another Toffees win proved shrewd enough - Everton wouldn't get another win over The Reds until August 1984, and the match he and Thompson discussed finished a 3-1 win to Liverpool.
The letters page,
Goal-Lines, had more negative comments about Ron Greenwood’s management of the England team, but it was Ron Atkinson’s flamboyant style that irritated Stephen Wash of Great Barr.
“There seems no end to Ron Atkinson’s pursuit of publicity and sensation firstly with the possible return of George Best and culminating in the signing of Bryan Robson on the Old Trafford pitch” he said. “It is a great pity that Buckingham palace was not available. The signing could have been done in the Throne Room with the Lord Chamberlain as witness.”
Shoot! replied sternly: “Ron Atkinson is a personality. Football needs personalities. Personalities sell the game.” And
Shoot! needs readers letters, let us not forget...
While England were toiling in their qualification for the 1982 World Cup,
Viva Scotland! showed Jock Stein’s team already home and dry. A montage of pictures showed some of the action from a campaign in which Scotland faced Sweden, Israel, Portugal and Northern Ireland and lost only one of their eight games. A goalless draw against Billy Bingham’s men in their penultimate match secured qualification, enabling Scotland to play in their fourth consecutive World Cup Finals.
Elsewhere in
Shoot! this week were all the old favourites:
You Are The Ref, the colour centre-page team picture (in this case featuring Southampton),a run-down of recent results from around the UK and copious adverts for cheap football duvet covers and digital watches. We end, however, with the
Super Focus interview with Wolves midfielder Peter Daniel in which we not only find out that his favourite food and drink are the impressive combination of ‘Halibut steak and Tetley bitter’ but also that his superstition as a player was to “Always come out last.”
Where this review is concerned, Peter, we hope we've done you proud.
“He feels it will be killed eventually, maybe even during the coming decade, by the surfeit of national feelings and international troubles that affect it and which will in time sicken die hard fans and football associations of the competing nations” said McGhee. “And he insists that he won’t be sorry to see it disappear, to be replaced at the game’s grass roots by competition between clubs in which anthems and flags and patriotic drum-beating will be out of place.” Thought-provoking stuff.
In other news, Peter Beardsley was announcing his return to Canada to play for Vancouver Whitecaps - and appeared to care little for any English clubs wanting to sign him from Carlisle. “I thoroughly enjoyed my first summer over there and I'm already looking forward to returning” said Beardsley. “ I've heard reports that some English clubs are still interested in signing me, but they can forget it. I'm going back to Vancouver.” Beardsley ultimately had three spells with the Whitecaps - joining Manchester United in between where he played just one match in the League Cup - before finally restarting his English career proper at Newcastle United in September 1983.
Elsewhere in Shoot! this week were all the old favourites: You Are The Ref, the colour centre-page team picture (in this case featuring Southampton),a run-down of recent results from around the UK and copious adverts for cheap football duvet covers and digital watches. We end, however, with the Super Focus interview with Wolves midfielder Peter Daniel in which we not only find out that his favourite food and drink are the impressive combination of ‘Halibut steak and Tetley bitter’ but also that his superstition as a player was to “Always come out last.”
Inside the programme, Brian Glanville set the scene by reminding us that this was all part of England’s preparation for the 1970 World Cup Finals as well as being a much welcomed annual grudge match. Only the right sort of players would be included in the Mexico '70 squad and the feint-hearted need not apply:
Back at Wembley, the fans had everything they needed in their programme to feel the sense of occasion alright. There was a quiz featuring ten questions that only the most die-hard fans could have answered, and there were trivia facts galore about the match to come.
One surrounded the fact this would be a live match covered by BBC Television – something of a rarity back in the 1960’s. A large audience watching from home was hoped for, and even an all-time record wasn't out of the question: “It will take 27 million, the number which saw the World Cup Final and almost half Britain’s entire population. One million fewer watched Manchester United beat Benfica – also at Wembley – in last year’s European Cup Final.” No pressure then…
The Spanish side were making their second visit to Wembley in less than a year, as shown on page 4. A friendly match in May 1967 had resulted in a 2-0 win for the home side but “victory did not come easily, nor soon.” England fans had waited until the 72nd minute for Jimmy Greaves to break the deadlock while Roger Hunt added a second six minutes later.
For those who think Chelsea’s free-spending habits are a recent development, Leitch provides food for thought: “How remarkable that both Bonetti and Stepney began last season with the same club - Chelsea! Despite having the security of Bonetti. Chelsea went out and paid a new record fee for a goalkeeper of £55,000 to Millwall for Stepney. Then put him in the reserves.”
The top talent between the sticks didn’t end there. Peter Springett (Sheffield Wednesday), Peter Grummitt (Nottingham Forest) and Peter Shilton (Leicester City) were all pushing for attention as well as someone who Sam Leitch came desperately close to tipping for future greatness: “Then there is a young man called Dave Clemence who appeared for England’s Under-23 team against the Welsh Under-23 earlier this season. Clemence is the Liverpool reserve keeper!” I wonder whatever happened to Liverpool’s ‘Dave’ Clemence...?
1. Umbro 2003-2005 
