Mammoth Book of the World Cup

by Nick Holt

  Strengths: Awesome creativity in midfield and a finisher par excellence

  Weaknesses: Lack of robust defenders

  Likely first XI:

  Cech

  Buzánszky Popluhár Mátrai Jankulowski

  Bozsik Nedvěd Masopust

  Hidegkuti Albert

  Puskás

  2.3 THE BEST SIDE NEVER

  TO WIN THE WORLD CUP

  This unwanted mantle has been draped around the shoulders of various sides throughout the history of the tournament.

  Austria, 1930s

  Das Wunderteam were the best team of the late 1920s, and had they bothered to travel to the inaugural World Cup in 1930 they would have stood as the European side most capable of challenging Uruguay and Argentina. They didn’t, and by the time the competition came to Europe in 1934 they were past their best, and never hit the same heights.

  Hungary, 1950s

  They were fantastic (see the section on the 1954 Final), full of world-class attacking players. They butchered weak sides (and some decent ones) and refused to concede ground even to strong opponents, opting for a policy of all-out attack. They could respond to a bit of argy-bargy, too, as the Brazilians found in Berne. They were far from flawless at the back, with a tendency to open up when teams counter-attacked at speed. Great team, should have won in ’54.

  Holland, 1970s

  The team that played Total Football. They were rock solid in defence – just look at the games they won 1–0 and 2–0 – creative in midfield and could score goals. And they had Cruyff, just as Hungary had Puskás, the best forward of his generation. Their weakness was a tendency to sit on narrow leads and a tendency to overplay – plus the age-old Dutch problem of internecine squabbling and unseemly rows over money. Should have won in 1974.

  France, 1980s

  They had an outstanding midfield quartet, with a supreme play-maker in Platini and a reliable defence. They lacked a seriously good international striker, despite the occasional flash from the injury-prone Dominique Rocheteau, and never found a top goalkeeper. At the 1984 European Championships they were sublime, and Platini was in such sensational form that he was midfield maestro and goalscorer all rolled into one.

  Brazil, 1982

  They were full of exciting midfield talents, just like France (who beat them in 1986), but they too lacked a genuinely great striker – unlucky for a Brazilian side. Their defence was no better than competent, and the full-backs too often went missing when attacks broke down.

  Holland, 1980s

  Like France in 1984, they peaked for a European Championships rather than a World Cup, winning the 1988 tournament in sensational style with a team built around the “holy Trinity” of Rijkaard, Gullit and van Basten. Two years later they went out in tetchy fashion to West Germany.

  Portugal’s Golden Generation

  They flattered to deceive. For all the gifted players they possessed, they never brought their “A” game to a major tournament. Good goalkeeper, wonderful midfield, decent finishers, no bottle.

  The best? Hungary, just, from the Cruyff Holland team, with Platini’s France third.

  * It is unthinkable now that England would take players to a major tournament without first giving them experience in at least a friendly match. In this squad there are two players over thirty who are yet to be capped. The squad is far from young but still not experienced at this level – only Wright has more caps than his age. Taylor and Nicholson (nowhere near as good a player as a manager) won two and one caps respectively (not in this tournament) and were clearly not there to play as first choice, so why bother? The answer lies in the innate conservatism of the England selection panel.

  * Willie Watson was one of that rare breed, a dual international at cricket and football. He was an elegant wing-half who made a handful of appearances as a teenager for Huddersfield before the war, but enjoyed most success with Sunderland post-war, where he made over 200 appearances, despite having intense commitments as a county and Test cricketer. He played most of his cricket for Yorkshire, with a late spell as captain of Leicestershire (the same route Ray Illingworth would later take). Watson played in twenty-three Tests but never really held down a regular place in a strong team. His finest moment came in 1953 when an unbeaten century was instrumental in saving an Ashes Test at Lord’s – he was still dropped for the next game!

  † McLaughlin, a tricky winger for the USA and one of their better players, was selected in the final squad but was unable to get time off work and did not travel.

  * This record attendance for a football match is unlikely ever to be surpassed in an age of heightened health and safety and all-seater stadia. The four highest attendances for World Cup games were for Brazil’s games against Uruguay, Spain, Yugoslavia and Sweden in this tournament.

  * Yes, him, the motor-mouth future manager of Chelsea and Manchester United. Docherty was one of the few who recognised just how inadequate the Scots’ preparation and performance was in this tournament.

  * Why bother? (The reason was money, actually.) Of these makeweights, only Haynes wasn’t. He would have been worth a gamble at nineteen, even though he was a disappointment when he finally did play in the World Cup. The other four won five caps between them (Hooper never played for the senior team) – makeweights indeed.

  † Ellis lost control of this game in the second half, but referees in those days weren’t given the extensive training they are now and didn’t get the back-up of the football authorities – witness FIFA’s pusillanimous decision not to punish either team or any of the players involved in this match. Ellis later found fame as the portly arbiter on TV’s It’s A Knockout.

  * One Uruguayan source suggests Martinez was made captain to avoid discord between the Peñarol and Nacional players; the two Montevideo clubs were bitter rivals.

  * Mention of Josef Hügi’s name at FC Basel will have fans in raptures. He is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer with 244 league goals in a fourteen-year span starting as an eighteen-year-old in 1948. Big and direct and with a sweet left foot, Hügi netted twenty-two goals in thirty-four games for Switzerland.

  BRAZIIIIIIL!

  3.1 WORLD CUP 1958

  Sweden seemed a good selection as hosts; good infrastructure, good stadia, nice, friendly people. Argentina, Chile and Mexico all put their names forward – by no coincidence they would be the next three non-European hosts.

  Qualifying

  Sixteen teams again, with four groups then straight to knock out, and the groups would be all-play-all, none of that easy passage for seeded teams nonsense. This was the classic, simple formula that would serve the next four tournaments well. Europe got a generous eleven places, including the hosts and holders, Sweden and West Germany; South America was given three places and North America one, with a single place shared between Asia and Africa – and it only earned them the right to enter a play-off with yet another European side. This last one was an emergency ruling that no team could qualify without playing a match, and, when Turkey and Sudan declined to play Israel, the ruling came into force.

  Wales, granted a reprieve after being eliminated by Czechoslovakia, duly won home and away and packed their bags for Sweden. With Northern Ireland also springing a surprise by beating a woeful Italy side, England cruising through their group and Scotland also winning through, it was a first (and last) full house for the home nations. Scotland owed much to their diminutive centre-forward Jackie Mudie, who scored five goals including a vital hat-trick at home against Spain. England’s centre-forward did even better, scoring successive hat-tricks in emphatic wins over Denmark and Ireland. Tragically, by the time of the Finals, Tommy Taylor was dead, killed in the Munich air disaster that also claimed the lives of England players Roger Byrne and Duncan Edwards. Edwards, in particular, was being talked about as a cornerstone of the team for the next decade; powerful and strong in the tackle, he could use the ball too, as a ball-carrying half-back, and was a goal threat with his shooting from distance – the first
and last complete English holding midfielder. Prior to that, Brazil, England and the Soviet Union were the pressmen’s pick, but England’s form after the devastating plane crash was understandably patchy.

  1958

  SWEDEN

  Sweden used twelve stadia in twelve cities for the World Cup in 1958.

  Solna (Stockholm): Råsunda Stadium

  The Råsunda was the traditional home of Sweden’s national side until 2012 when the purpose-built Friends Arena (65,000) replaced it. Just over 50,000 attended the 1958 World Cup Final in the Råsunda; the stadium later (1995) hosted the Women’s World Cup Final. Solna is a city to the north of the Swedish capital Stockholm, and is part of the Stockholm municipality.

  Gothenburg: Ullevi Stadium

  The Ullevi was a 53,500 capacity (now 43,000) stadium built especially for the 1958 finals. The Ullevi has no club attachment, but hosts occasional big matches and lots of open-air concerts and events.

  Malmö: Malmö Stadion

  Another stadium built for the finals, with a 30,000 capacity, was in Malmö at the southern tip of the country. The ground was shared by Malmö FF (the team with which European football fans will be familiar) and IFK Malmö.

  Norrköping: Idrottsparken

  Idrottsparken or Nya Parken opened in 1904 and still stands today, albeit with extensive refurbishments. The stadium now holds around 17,000 and is home to three clubs, including IFK Norrköping.

  The other eight stadia were located in various smaller cities around the country:

  • Örjans Vall, Halmstad: 15,000 capacity.

  • Olympia in Helsingborg: 14,500; opened in 1898, it is the oldest of the grounds used.

  • Ryavallen, Borås: 15,000 capacity; home of IFK Elfsborg and replaced by the Borås Arena in 2004; England played one match here in the 1958 finals.

  • Jernvallen, Sandviken: claimed 20,000 attended one World Cup match (highly unlikely), but now has a capacity of 7,000.

  • Arosvallen, Våsterås.

  Three stadia hosted just one game each:

  • Tunavallen, Eskilstuna

  • Rimnersvallen, Uddevalla: built on a hill, so according to some accounts a few thousand people just camped higher up the hill and watched Brazil play Austria from that vantage point!

  • Eyravallen, Örebro.

  Elsewhere the usual suspects won through, except for Uruguay, in some decline and surprisingly knocked out by Paraguay. Mexico won the North American place yet again – they might as well just have been given a Finals’ spot, so weak was the competition. The only other debutant finalists were the Soviet Union, who deigned to come and play with the capitalists.

  In preparation for the games Sweden built two new stands in their main international stadium in Stockholm, and constructed two brand-new grounds in the cities of Gothenburg and Malmö. The rest of the games would be played in existing club stadia around the country.

  West Germany, for all their poor recent form, were expected to qualify comfortably from the first group. Czechoslovakia had rebuilt a modest side, while Argentina were still finding their feet after a long period in self-imposed international exile, and had, as before the war, lost key players to the Italian leagues. Northern Ireland were newbies and had qualified in odd circumstances.

  The final match of their group had left Italy needing a point in Belfast. The original game was beset with problems, as foul weather prevented both the original Swiss referee and his English replacement getting to the game on time. The Irish offered a local substitute but Italy declined and FIFA – correctly, for once – declared the game a friendly and ordered a rematch. Some friendly; a partisan crowd and a spiteful Italian performance almost led to a riot, and there were fears for the safety of the Italians for the rescheduled game the following month. It was an anti-climax; the Italians surrendered meekly. Northern Ireland won 2–1 and played in the World Cup Finals for the first time.

  Finals

  GROUP 1

  West Germany recalled the elegant Fritz Walter, now thirty-seven, so concerned were they about the lack of a playmaker, but it was another recalled player, the revitalised Helmut Rahn, who was to the fore as they beat Argentina after conceding early. Later the same day in Halmstad, Northern Ireland upset the apple cart by beating Czechoslovakia 1–0. Perhaps it shouldn’t be written as such a surprise; Northern Ireland had a top-notch goalkeeper in Harry Gregg, who had just survived the Munich air crash with Manchester United. A workmanlike defence sat behind the masterful Danny Blanchflower, ably assisted by Jimmy McIlroy and Willy Cush in a strong midfield. The wingers were Billy Bingham of Sunderland and Peter McParland of Aston Villa, both highly rated top division players. It was the diminutive but combative Cush who scored the only goal of the first game.

  The surprises in the group continued when Argentina beat the Irish in their best display of the tournament, full of flamboyance and party tricks, and the Czechs held the Germans. Northern Ireland failed to play at sufficient tempo to trouble Argentina, but Czechoslovakia watched and learned and crushed the South Americans 6–1 in their last match. They had spotted a vulnerability to pace in the Argentinian defence, and fed their speedy wingers Zikán and Hovorka all afternoon – both scored twice. Northern Ireland played with much more gusto and passion against West Germany; McParland twice gave them the lead (and nearly sneaked a winner at the death) before first Rahn and then the young centre-forward Uwe Seeler (only twenty-one, but already thin on top, the German Bobby Charlton in appearance as well as playing style) equalised, Seeler with a rasper that left the hobbling Gregg floundering. Northern Ireland withstood a ton of pressure and Harry Gregg was heroic, despite playing virtually the entire match on one leg. Gregg had exhibited a different and more telling brand of heroism when he braved the flames of the Munich air crash to drag colleagues clear of the wreckage.

  These results condemned the Irish to a play-off against Czechoslovakia (no goal difference was applied), and another two goals from McParland finished the job. It was a real backs-to-the-wall performance, the paper-thin Irish squad was already depleted by injury and they suffered two more here, with Cush and Peacock limping through extra-time. Czechoslovakia were obliging opponents, very patient and pretty but lacking punch up front. Peter McParland, scorer of an FA Cup Final winner for Aston Villa a year earlier, hadn’t scored for Northern Ireland for two years until the Argentina game, but he scored his fourth of the competition during a goalmouth scramble and his fifth with a deft volley from a Blanchflower cross. He finished as fourth highest scorer in the tournament, just behind Rahn and Pelé – elevated company.

  This was a fantastic achievement by Northern Ireland, not because they were a weak side but because everything was stacked against them with the bad run of injuries. The Irish never stopped playing for each other and never felt sorry for themselves; on two out of the three occasions they have qualified for the Finals, they have acquitted themselves magnificently.

  GROUP 2

  The second group looked by far the weakest. Yugoslavia were a good side – they had beaten the reshaped England side 5–0. France had scored freely but against untested opposition; Paraguay were an unknown quantity, though their 5–0 win over Uruguay in qualification demanded respect. Scotland were given little or no chance, their squad bereft of world-class players.

  The Scots did really well in their first game to hold Yugoslavia. The Yugoslavs were rich in talent but they did precious little with an abundance of possession here after taking the lead early, and the Scots’ policy of pumping crosses at a flaky goalkeeper proved effective when Jimmy Murray eventually beat Beara to one of them.

  France had some silky ball players, especially Raymond Kopa (he had pruned the Polish surname Kopaszewski) of Real Madrid, their one expat; he had five of his former colleagues from the strong Stade de Reims squad alongside him, including the veteran centre-half Bob Jonquet. Jonquet was no stopper, but a quick and mobile athlete, adept at setting up attacks. What he was less good at was defending, so France ad
opted a policy of all-out attack. Another Reims player, René Bliard, was injured, so the French played his club colleague Just Fontaine further forward. With the wisdom of hindsight, it was a wise move by the coaching team.

  Paraguay scored first with a hammer of a free-kick from the dangerous left-winger Florencio Amarilla – he had hit a hat-trick in that famous win over Uruguay, and he scored Paraguay’s second with a penalty that nearly broke the net. In between, Just Fontaine had sprinted through the centre of the defence to score twice – on the first occasion the ball nearly reached the six-yard box before the goalkeeper thought to come out! Paraguay took the lead again through Romero, who held off a challenge in the penalty area and drove in low through a crowd. Almost immediately Piantoni scored with a deft curler from the left-hand edge of the area, and France moved up a gear. Wisnieski scored from Kopa’s free-kick – the Madrid star was dictating the game now – and Piantoni unselfishly set up Fontaine for his hat-trick. Fontaine turned provider for number six, running clear again and crossing for Kopa to score (deliberately) with his knee; Kopa made a tap-in for Jean Vincent to complete the scoring.

  Paraguay scored three again in their next match, but Scotland were never going to muster seven in reply, especially as Paraguay replaced their goalkeeper after the first horror show. An ageing, small side was barged and bullied by the South Americans and goalkeeper Tommy Younger brought the curtain down on his career (a bit like Merrick for England in 1954) with a stinker of a performance. He dropped a corner at Parodi’s feet for the third and it was a bridge too far for Scotland, despite a heroic performance from Bobby Collins, who pulled one back with a thumper. Scotland deserved what they got; their selection was mystifying. Tommy Docherty wrote later that he was asked to watch Paraguay against France and reported on their intimidating size and style, yet both he and Dave Mackay, Scotland’s two toughest players, were left out. Here begins a theme of the book for the next thirty years.