England at Euro 88

England went to West Germany as one of the favourites to win Euro 88. What followed was a nightmare from start to finish that threatened the future of both manager and the national team.

It's not unusual for the national press to go slightly overboard when assessing the prospects of England just before a major tournament. Rightly or wrongly, many squads have departed for World Cups and European Championships with a nation expecting. Germany 2024 will see the hype ramped up to 11.

You can see why many see this as the ideal opportunity for England to end all those years of hurt. The squad Gareth Southgate has at his disposal - certainly from an attacking point of view - suggests England can go one stage better than 2021. But whatever happens, it surely has to be better than their last European Championship in Germany.

Golden goals: Gary Mackay (1987)

As the tributes flooded in for Jack Charlton after the recent news of his death, his achievements as Republic of Ireland manager were rightly lauded. Prior to his appointment, Ireland's national team had never qualified for a major tournament. Under Charlton, that situation was about to change.

Charlton's reign of almost ten years saw him lead Ireland to the finals of Euro 88 and two World Cups, and narrowly miss out on qualification for two European Championships tournaments. Creating memories for supporters, boosting the national economy, and becoming a national hero in the process, Charlton squeezed in a lot during his tenure.

1987: Ireland v England (Rugby Union)

Reversing the fortunes of the England rugby union team in the mid-1980s was never going to be an easy task. Winning only two matches in the Five Nations championship between 1983-85, urgent action was required to revive the English patient.

1980s: European Championships A to Z

This week I am attempting to compile my own A to Z of the European Championships in the 1980s, from Arconada to Zenga, taking in mascots, balls and lippy Maltese goalkeepers along the way.

The birth of the Rugby Union World Cup

The Rugby Union World Cup is now one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar, but it took years of negotiations and rejection before the tournament finally kicked off in 1987.

Euro 88: England v Ireland

We're going all the way. Not my words, the lyrical masterpiece of Stock, Aitken and Waterman, "sung" by the England football squad prior to the Euro 88 finals. As events unfolded the words of this song could not have been further from the truth; in hindsight 'Don't Come Home Too Soon' by Del Amitri might have been more appropriate. As performances go England had a shocker, both in the recording studio, and more pertinently for England fans, on the pitch too.