<div id="attachment_10709" style="width: 213px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10709" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-10709" src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/fwclogo1.gif" alt="South Africa 2010" width="203" height="127"></figure></div>South Africa 2010</div>
Almost twenty years ago England went to Poland knowing that a draw would qualify them for Italia 90. A backs-to-the wall performance and the magnificence of Peter Shilton ensured they had their point and the team then went onto reach the semi-finals of the tournament that arguably saved English football from itself and ultimately elevated it to today’s dizzy heights.
Were it not for the&nbsp;crossbar however that Poland hit in the last minute with the superlative Shilton well beaten, England would have&nbsp;lost that night and not have qualified for Italia 90.&nbsp; &nbsp;There would have been no glorious <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH_Yt0K3tZA">semi-final defeat</a>, no tears from Gazza and the EPL might never have been born. Yet lady luck was smiling on England that night and here we are some 20 years on with England once again on the brink of the finals of the World Cup.&nbsp; Like Bobby Robson’s team, England remain unbeaten throughout their qualifying campaign but there is unlikely to be a repeat of that night in Chorzow where England had to get a result as their campaign for South Africa draws to a close.
Should England fail on Wednesday they have a second and a third stab at qualification against the Ukraine and Belarus respectively in October although in all likelihood their passage to South Africa next summer will be sealed with those two games to spare.

There’s something about a do-or-die game however that somehow makes it all seem worthwhile. All those weekends where the EPL comes to a grinding halt and all eyes are fixed firmly on the England camp seem to frustrate fans and managers alike but when it all comes&nbsp;down to one night, it&nbsp;serves up a starter that wets our appetite for the main course of the Finals themselves next summer.
In years’ gone by, as well as the nail-biter in Poland, England supporters have endured the catastrophe in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Us6K9HLhcs">Rotterdam in 1993</a>, the miracle of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_10WqWZ3qds">Rome in 1997</a>, David Beckhams <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRMa0285d4I">finest hour </a>in 2001 although last time around in 2005 it was something of a damp squib as Sven’s men actually qualified for Germany on the back of a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/4319660.stm">Dutch victory</a> over the Czech Republic.
Of course the misery of failing to qualify for Euro 2008 is still relatively fresh in people’s minds and whilst you could argue that England have come on in leaps and bounds since that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaBvsqUlMsU">horror show </a>in 2007 – ironically also against Wednesday’s opponents Croatia – it could be argued that international football is steadily falling down the interest radar. Of course everyone loves the World Up but the whole qualification process? It just seems inconvenient particularly to fans of the Bloated Four although it must be said but when it is their teams that are pretty much decimated by international call ups you can maybe see their point. 
There was a time when England games seemed to really matter and they&nbsp;would capture the imagination of the English public in as much as they seemed to unite the football world but now they seem nothing more than a little sideshow than needs to be gotten out of the way before everyone can back to the real deal of the EPL.
With two huge games coming up on September 12th (Man City v Arsenal; Spurs v Man Utd) when the league resumes it is sometimes hard to get too excited about the international scene&nbsp;but come next summer no doubt even England’s biggest critics will be on the bandwagon&nbsp;although it is fair to say that the EPL has become the be all and end all of football in England and sadly that seems to include international football as well.
As far as Capello is concerned, well all he has done really is take the same group of players and taught them how to win again in a not too dissimilar way that one of his predecessors Sven Goran Erickson had England playing. It’s not pretty but it is effective – albeit against mediocre opposition it must be said. &nbsp;Indeed, perhaps one of the biggest reasons for England’s recent winning streak is not necessarily the new manager but the standard of opposition in their group. You can only beat what’s in front of you and England has obviously done that but without really making anyone sit up and take notice. There’s still questions about the left side of midfield, there’s still doubts about Gerrard and Lampard in the same team and whilst those issues have been part and parcel of the England set up for years it seems there’s now doubts about just who is the first choice goalkeeper and just who should partner Rooney up front if there is to be a partner for him at all.
The warm up game against Slovania on Saturday will merely be a taster for the big event on Wednesday with Capello hoping above all to avoid any injuries to his squad so he may play his first team.&nbsp; Looking at the team that faced Poland in 1989 what Capello wouldn’t give for the likes of Shilton, Bryan Robson and Gary Lineker to be lining up for him.&nbsp; Indeed it makes the mouth water doesn’t it?&nbsp; Gerrard and Robson together in the middle of the park?&nbsp; Rooney and Lineker up front?&nbsp; Maybe England would even progress beyond the Quarter Final stage and maybe even…nah, it wouldn’t be the same without&nbsp;a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss would it?
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8kOsi51Sf0">Poland</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8kOsi51Sf0"> 0-0 England 
</a>11 October,1989 
Stadion Slaski, Chorzow 

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Shilton" target="_blank">Peter Shilton [Derby County]</a> 
G<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Stevens" target="_blank">ary Stevens [Glasgow Rangers]</a> 
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Pearce" target="_blank">Stuart Pearce [Nottingham Forest]</a> 
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Walker" target="_blank">Desmond Walker [Nottingham Forest]</a> 
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Butcher" target="_blank">Terence Butcher [Glasgow Rangers]</a> 
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rocastle" target="_blank">David Rocastle [Arsenal]</a> 
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Robson" target="_blank">Bryan Robson [Manchester United]</a> 
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon" target="_blank">Stephen McMahon [Liverpool]</a> 
C<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Waddle" target="_blank">hristopher Waddle [Marseille]</a> 
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Beardsley" target="_blank">Peter Beardsley [Liverpool]</a> 
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Lineker" target="_blank">Gary Lineker [Tottenham Hotspur]</a>

England On The Brink Of 2010 World Cup

England On The Brink Of 2010 World Cup - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6159" src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/45681473_gazza_av5121.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="288"></figure></div> 
This Sunday, Paul Gascoigne appeared on Match of the Day 2 as a pundit/guest. This was part of a triumvirate of televisual appearances. One in which perhaps we have seen a refreshing look a man we have all been seriously worried about, a man all who love football deeply care about and one we are worried that could be another George Best happening in front of our eyes.
However, this whistle stop tour of television Gazza has recently been on was largely positive, which gives the football world hope that the lost boy of English football has finally been found. Furthermore Newcastle fans finally have something to be happy about through these dark times.
Paul Gascoigne, the former England, Newcastle, Spurs, Lazio, Rangers, Everton and Middlesbrough legend was in trouble. This time last year he was on a self destruct mission, indulging in addictions to drugs, drink and prescription medications.&nbsp; This great of the game was blighted by severe depression which ultimately manifested itself in psychotic episodes of paranoia, removal from reality and OCD.
This culminated in multiple apparent suicide attempts and twice being sectioned under the mental health act. The front pages of British tabloids were covered by pictures of Gazza being led out of hotels in Gateshead by police and paramedics. Some of the more bizarre stories about Gazza’s tormented lifestyle consisted of talking to robotic parrots, an addiction to the Nintendo Wii and repeatedly phoning his dad asking for help in chess matches v American presidents.
This all reached a climax in the hardest documentary ever to watch, Surviving Gazza broadcast in January on the UK’s channel 4. The documentary focused on Gazza’s relationship with his ex wife Cheryl and his step children Bianca and Mason also his son Regan. On the impact he had on their lives in the final scenes; under the advice of an apparent “expert” they were told to ditch Gazza out of their lives completely. One of the hardest scenes in it was Paul’s young son Regan saying he wished his dad was dead for the hurt he had brought to his family.
From that to his appearance on Sunday night, the difference is clear as day, sure Gazza looks skeletal at times and maybe is not all there occasionally but he appears to be in his best state for years. He is more cogent than ever and alleges he has been clean for fifteen months and sober for four. No longer is the former BBC sports personality of the year 1990 going on crazy drunken binges with Iron Maiden which were surely killing the England great.
In his appearance on Soccer AM, Gazza was on absolute top form which was brilliant to see. They bigged up his ego which sure might have seemed mad but was very heart warming. They included his goal, possibly the greatest ever scored against my nation in their flagship showboat sequence (highlights of the best bits of footballing skill that week).
The Birmingham fans in the studio repeatedly chanted the Geordie footballers name. In asking Gazza about his former team mates, they brought out the best in the man. He was very intelligent, clever and witty in his talk and produced the greatest responses to that regular line of Soccer AM questioning. This was apparently all thanks to the sporting chance clinic of Tony Adams which appears to have done a great job here.
It was brilliant to see this great of the game getting some sort of public rehabilitation. As he even said himself on his Match of the Day appearance it was to build up confidence. Confidence is vital for anyone in the public spotlight as much as himself and can arguably have just as great an effect on an individual as advice from doctors.
It’s also brilliant that the man is on his way to getting grounded, in his own words his schedule consists of training every morning then eating rice and pasta at his “mams”. Maybe living with his mother was what the man needed, the only person who can maybe fully forgive him for indiscretions and heal this tortured soul.
In being back home he is away from such tomfoolery of the past, possibly harder to associate with idiot drinking buddies like Chris Evans and Danny Baker. The man is never going to live a normal life certainly, but he is on his way to something stable and healthy. Let’s hope the Gascoigne line will get redemption, as there is new hope for that and the revival of Newcastle.
That hope comes in the form of one Cameron Gascoigne, aged seven, nephew of Paul who recently signed a contract with Newcastle United after scoring an incredible magpie (the new term for 22 goals in a single match) in just 30 minutes in a junior game. Redemption for the Gascoigne name, and who knows Geordie’s maybe in a few years this young lad could be your third messiah.

Gazzas Good

Gazzas Good - World Soccer Talk

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