Quote: morrisseyisawire "Italia 90 was great, they were wonderful times. Me and my mates watched many of the games in the back room of the Barley Mow which was ram jam full every game, then my mates celebrated every England win by carrying me to the fountain that used to be opposite Alice in Wonderland and dropping me in it's stagnant, murky water.
Happy days.'"
I was coming to the end of primary school in Italia '90. First time I got majorly in to football. My first memory of debates in sports tactics was "English 4-4-2" v the continental "sweeper system" and how excited everyone got when Robson switched England to the sweeper system mid tournament with Mark Wright playing there.
Remember collecting ring pulls from coke cans and you could send off to get one of them coca cola mini footballs, and schools all around the country were banning those balls! And making sure my Mum filled up the car with Esso so I could get Esso coins, although I only got three, two Barnes and Steve Bull. I wanted Lineker.
In games lessons everyone was doing stuff they'd seen in the world cup, Roger Milla jigging his booty in the corner flag, gobbing on peoples faces like Rijkaard did to Voeller or doing Klinsmann dives. In headers and volleys we used to set up that Platt goal against Belgium where he got that overhead volley.
Then after the football finished and school broke up it was on to cricket and Gooch got his 333 against India.
Great times as a kid getting in to sport.
