On this day...
The 1966 World Cup Competition got underway.
If you were around then, it was all in black and white as colour tellies were still a year away and broadcasts of regular colour programmes even longer.
Here's the Radio Times cover from 9July1966 and what was on...
(If you're interested in what was in the Radio or TV Times from the Fifties onwards, follow Graeme Wood on Twitter)

Where was the England flag?

I was only young, but remember my dad and my uncle going off one evening to Goodison to watch a match (not England of course) and then when the final was played we were on holiday on the Isle of Wight at a hotel. The bar was suddenly all decked out for the occasion and chairs set up facing a tele. Us littlies had to sit on the floor at the front and the adults sat behind. I remember my dad sitting there with his beer in an old fashioned barrel glass and the controversy raging in the bar surrounding our third goal.

2 Bee Holed wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:22 am

Where was the England flag?

It is the Welsh edition...

Before Three Lions, there was...
https://youtu.be/TA3btKkbZpU

Tournament programme

Far too many familiar names & shows on there to me than I want to admit.

2 Bee Holed wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:22 am

Where was the England flag?

In 1966 the flag of St George was rarely seen at England games. If you watch the game you will see nearly everybody is carrying a Union Jack.

That was the case up until the 90’s

Wonder how much that football programme fetches now

The tournament brochure was quite common. The image is from eBay where the brochure was signed by all the players going for £450.
WC final prog also common but signed takes that up into several hundreds.

I was travelling through Germany on final day. Just after half-time, we called in at a small petrol station somewhere outside Frankfurt and the bloke who owned it was watching on a small black & white tv in the shop. Four of us then went in and started watching and naturally started shouting for England, much to this bloke's annoyance. We stayed till the end but he took defeat with good grace. I imagine he's long gone by now but for the rest of his days he must have been gutted at having to have watched it surrounded by English folk in his own little petrol station.

Some great nostalgia in those TV listing for the Saturday before the competition got underway two days later with England playing out an uneventful.0-0 draw with Uruguay.
Posted above was Dark Cloud's dad and uncle going off one night to Goodison Park. Some great matches in that group none more so than the first Friday night of the competition when Hungary defeated Brazil 3-1 on a very wet night. Florian Albert was magnificent that night.for Hungary with the whole.of Goodison chanting his name.

We always went on camping holidays every summer. My Mum and Nan, and 4 kids.
My Dad and elder brother never joined us. They took in the Korea v Italy match at Ayresome Park, which the Koreans won to everyones delight.
That summer we went to Ireland. Staying on Achill Island the day of the final, no tv at all. I can remember someone telling us that England had won, and me and my younger brother going mental.
It was a great holiday, but I've always regretted no being at home watching the telly.


This Sunday as the Gods would have it I'm on earlys, which is a 4.00am alarm call. I'm off to the pub regardless, but dreading extra time and penalties. I could be heading to work half cut, and half asleep. All worthwhile if we win mind.

David Attenborough still on the telly 55 years later.

Burnley1989 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 9:18 am

That was the case up until the 90’s

I’ve never understood that. Does anyone know why fans didn’t wave the England flag?

Winstonswhite wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:31 am

I’ve never understood that. Does anyone know why fans didn’t wave the England flag?

I remember asking my Dad when I was watching the Italia 90 video.

What a great video by the way! The one with Gazza on the front

Edit: he didn’t know either

mikeS wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:33 am

The tournament brochure was quite common. The image is from eBay where the brochure was signed by all the players going for £450.
WC final prog also common but signed takes that up into several hundreds.

An original Final programme is just about the hardest to buy - there are so many reprints and outright fakes you really do have to know your stuff .. there are pages and pages of advice on how to identify a real one

mikeS wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:26 am

David Attenborough still on the telly 55 years later.

And Doctor Who.

Colburn_Claret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:50 am

That summer we went to Ireland. Staying on Achill Island the day of the final, no tv at all. I can remember someone telling us that England had won, and me and my younger brother going mental.
It was a great holiday, but I've always regretted no being at home watching the telly.

Achill Island, lovely part of the world.

Funny how football is so much more all encompassing in many ways now in our society.

Winstonswhite wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:31 am

I’ve never understood that. Does anyone know why fans didn’t wave the England flag?

I guess because England and Great Britain were utterly synonymous in those days, referred to interchangeably as one and the same. Whilst the other home nations had their flags and anthems, we took the British ones as ours. I'd have thought a more tactful approach and the George flag became predominant before the 90s though?

The only random things I can remember reading about the 66 WC, are Pickles the dog finding the stolen trophy, and of course World Cup Willie.

And one of the downsides of that tournament was the fact that Pele was kicked out of the competition quite literally.

Bewitched, Juke Box Jury, The Likely Lads and The Munsters are the only shows I recognise from those listings. Besides Dr Who obviously.

The UK always was four separate countries, but once the move to devolution and regional assemblies took place from the late 1990s, that is definitely more so today than it was in 1966.
There are lots of videos on YouTube of the 66 WC final, and this colour example shows there were St George's England flags present, the Union Flag was more predominant.https://youtu.be/PXb306p1BrM

Watched the final on the seafront at Lyme Regis , the semi final in a pub in Poole and the Quarter Final in a pub in Ryde- Isle of Wight.
All during a camping holiday around Devon and Dorset.
Doesn’t seem 55 years ago.

Off topic a little, but here goes: Which team is designated the away team Sunday? If it's England, what are the probabilities of us wearing red, we have quite a good record when wearing red.

DAVETHEVICAR wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:48 pm

Watched the final on the seafront at Lyme Regis , the semi final in a pub in Poole and the Quarter Final in a pub in Ryde- Isle of Wight.
All during a camping holiday around Devon and Dorset.
Doesn’t seem 55 years ago.

You need to go camping this weekend DAVETHEVICAR.

For those who want to revel in it again the full game, in glorious colour is on C4 at 5.40 today. Set your recorder.

minnieclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:55 pm

For those who want to revel in it again the full game, in glorious colour is on C4 at 5.40 today. Set your recorder.

Sam Matterface on comms as well, which I think is a nice touch.

exilecanada wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:56 pm

Off topic a little, but here goes: Which team is designated the away team Sunday? If it's England, what are the probabilities of us wearing red, we have quite a good record when wearing red.

I don't think there is a red option now, unfortunately there's an awful dark blue 2nd kit with a garish red badge. If it were up to me it would be Italy in blue/white/blue and England white/royal-blue/white.

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 3:01 pm

Sam Matterface on comms as well, which I think is a nice touch.

Nnnnoooooooooo!!!

tiger76 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:38 pm

The only random things I can remember reading about the 66 WC, are Pickles the dog finding the stolen trophy, and of course World Cup Willie.

And one of the downsides of that tournament was the fact that Pele was kicked out of the competition quite literally.

Bewitched, Juke Box Jury, The Likely Lads and The Munsters are the only shows I recognise from those listings. Besides Dr Who obviously.

Pele was treated disgracefully by the teams in the group that played at Old Trafford and Goodison Park,Hungary, Bulgaria and Portugal. They all took.turns at him.with the worst.reserved for.Brazil's last.game against Portugal. He was literally kicked.out of the game and tournament with probably the final insult of being kicked in the air by an opponent and then kicked again before he hit the ground.

I was 10 but remember it vividly. Always thought it was in colour but got mixed up with watching the movie released later on, GOAL, which was in colour.

Silkyskills1 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 4:41 pm

Pele was treated disgracefully by the teams in the group that played at Old Trafford and Goodison Park,Hungary, Bulgaria and Portugal. They all took.turns at him.with the worst.reserved for.Brazil's last.game against Portugal. He was literally kicked.out of the game and tournament with probably the final insult of being kicked in the air by an opponent and then kicked again before he hit the ground.

Yes what got me with the Pele incidents was it was clearly pre-mediated thuggery, and they were determined to end his tournament in any manner they could whether fair or foul. And even by the standards of those days it was pathetic behaviour, which should have resulted in harsh punishments, but to my knowledge none of those nations suffered any sanctions for their thuggish acts, so much for the beautiful game.

My Mother, now 85, was convinced she was a jinx and booked an appointment at the hairdressers, it worked .... but we're struggling to find one open at 8pm on a Sunday night for tomorrow !

World Cup Willie

2 Bee Holed wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:22 am

Where was the England flag?

The Union Flag was used extensively in England until the 1990's.

Ticket for the final would have cost you Ten Bob or 50p.
Compared with a ticket for the Euro final tomorrow on offer for over two grand.

It’s staggering to see how poor the quality of football is.

Just watching this. I wasn't around at that time, but can someone explain why teams never bothered to put hardly any players in the penalty area when they won a corner?

It looks bizarre now.

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:27 pm

It’s staggering to see how poor the quality of football is.

It's still entertaining, but so much slower.

Is that because the ball was heavier or were they just not the finely tuned athletes they are today?

fidelcastro wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:30 pm

It's still entertaining, but so much slower.

Is that because the ball was heavier or were they just not the finely tuned athletes they are today?

Not as athletic and nowhere near the same technical ability as today’s players.

Plenty of tackles and dissent on show that would be instant yellow cards these days too.

My Dad and his uncle attended the final, whilst myself, mum and sister watched it through a TV rental shop in Wembley surrounded by ticket less Germans

Not noticing much spitting going on, either.

Just missed it on C4. Who won?

Volvoclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:12 pm

Just missed it on C4. Who won?

You'll have to buy a paper tomorrow

Volvoclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:12 pm

Just missed it on C4. Who won?

No spoilers please I recorded it

ElectroClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:13 pm

You'll have to buy a paper tomorrow

I'll nip out and get a Pink

Final Programme for 1966. Cost price 2s 6d half a crown or 12 and 1/2 pence.
Final programme for 2020 Cost price £10.

ElectroClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:12 pm

Not noticing much spitting going on, either.

Its like walking football, Id be surprised if they broke sweat never mind needed to gob