Gordon Banks, aged 28, 27 caps Leicester City FC, Goalkeeper
ENGLAND, TWICE QUARTER-FINALISTS, go into the eighth World Cup final series as one of the favourites to win on home soil. This elevated status seems to be mainly derived from their position as host nation rather than any recent football pedigree. England have only won three of the fourteen matches they have played at the World Cup and never reached the semi-finals in four attempts. Home advantage can be exaggerated too. Even double-champions Brazil failed to cope with the pressure and expectation of playing in front of their own public in 1950.
To progress to the latter stages, England must finish in the top two of what, on paper, is a difficult opening group. Mexico have lost all but two of their World Cup games and should be there for the taking. However, no one has won the World Cup more than England’s first group opponents, the formidable Uruguayans. England have only beaten Uruguay once and their only World Cup meeting in Berne in 1954 ended in humiliation for a team including Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse. France did not feature in the 1962 tournament but finished third in 1958, defeating Scotland and Northern Ireland along the way. Only three years ago in Alf Ramsey’s first match in charge, France demolished England 5-2 in Paris. It is likely England will need to defeat them in their final group game to stay at Wembley for the quarter-finals.
Since that defeat, the last England team to be selected by an FA Committee, Ramsey has gradually reorganised the team on his own terms. Under previous manager Walter Winterbottom at World Cup ’62, everything went through the mercurial Johnny Haynes but Ramsey’s England is no longer reliant on a single player. Haynes himself, widely acknowledged as the finest passer in English football, has not been picked since a serious car accident in 1962.
It was Ramsey who gave a debut to Leicester City’s Gordon Banks, who has emerged as England’s first choice goalkeeper. Without a win in Ramsey’s first three matches, West Ham’s Bobby Moore was appointed captain for the fourth and has retained the armband ever since. Bobby Charlton, a previously inconsistent winger for Manchester United and England, has been moved centrally and now seems better equipped to display his undoubted natural talent in what will be his third World Cup. Up-front, hopes will rest on the hugely talented Jimmy Greaves. A prodigious scorer for every team he has played for, will he now prove he can score the important goals England will need at the sharp end of a World Cup?
Although not first choice to succeed the long-serving Walter Winterbottom, Alf Ramsey has settled into the job after a difficult start. His management credentials cannot be questioned having guided Second Division Ipswich Town to promotion and then a first-ever League Championship in 1962. Without him they were soon relegated back to the second tier.
Some would call Ramsey England’s first “professional” manager, as he is the first to select the team without any input from the FA Selection Committee, who picked the England squad for Winter-bottom. Gone is the preference for merely a selection of the best players in England. Now it is all about choosing the best team of players. A former international with thirty-two caps, including the fateful 1950 World Cup in Brazil, Ramsey knows what it takes to play at the highest level and has earned the respect of his players.
Certainly, this will be the best-prepared England team at a World Cup. Ramsey will be assisted by his two coaches, Harold Shepherdson and Les Cocker. Shepherdson, a survivor of the previous regime, is Ramsey’s most trusted lieutenant. The more abrasive Cocker is the fitness trainer, ensuring the England squad reaches a peak of physical fitness at the tournament. In addition, for the first time the squad will have a recognised doctor alongside them, the Harley Street consultant Dr Alan Bass. Attention to detail is the management’s policy, even down to the way the players cut their toenails.
During an intensive two-week training camp at the spartan Lilleshall retreat, the team has fostered more of a club spirit. The squad have been living in each other’s pockets, rarely allowed out into town and estranged from their families. It is hoped that this closeness will stand them in good stead when the pressure and confinement created by the World Cup competition will ensure that their every move is scrutinised by a worldwide audience — for the first time, able to watch every match broadcast on television.
Alf Ramsey initially named a squad of forty on 7 April before the 1965-66 season ended. A month later he named a reduced squad of twenty-eight to join him for pre-tournament training. The twelve players omitted at this stage and put on stand-by were:
Gordon West (Everton)
Tony Waiters (Blackpool)
Chris Lawler (Liverpool)
Paul Reaney (Leeds United)
John Hollins (Chelsea)
Tommy Smith (Liverpool)
Terry Venables (Chelsea)
Peter Osgood (Chelsea)
Derek Temple (Everton)
John Kaye (West Bromwich Albion)
Joe Baker (Nottingham Forest)
Gordon Harris (Burnley)
From the twenty-eight remaining players Alf Ramsey picked to join him at Lilleshall at the start of June, twenty-seven reported for duty. Everton captain Brian Labone asked to be excused as he was preparing for his wedding and had pre-booked a honeymoon for the summer. Five more players were cut by Ramsey on 18 June before the final squad embarked on their pre-World Cup tour of Scandinavia. The following players had been asked to stay match-fit with their clubs in case of emergency:
Johnny Byrne: “Budgie” first appeared for England as a Third Division player in 1961, earning him a British record transfer to West Ham the following year. Seven goals in his first six internationals proved his ability but he has failed to score in his last five England games and not played for his country in over a year. This season he has been eclipsed at West Ham by his young strike partner Geoff Hurst who has scored forty goals in all competitions compared to his seventeen. Having narrowly failed to make the squad for the 1962 World Cup, Byrne can count himself doubly unfortunate to have missed out again.
Gordon Milne: The Liverpool wing-half played fourteen times for England in 1963 and 1964 but not since. His club form in helping Liverpool win a second league title in three seasons kept him in Ramsey’s thoughts but at twenty-nine, the Preston-born mid-fielder has surely lost his chance of playing at the highest level again for his country.
Keith Newton: The Blackburn right-back made his England debut against West Germany in February 1966 but was carried off injured. He played again in April in the win over Scotland. His club season ended in disappointment as Blackburn finished bottom of Division One. The twenty-five-year-old Newton will now face the tough job of trying to prolong his promising international career while playing in the Second Division.
Bobby Tambling: The Chelsea captain this season scored twenty- three goals in all competitions to help his club finish fifth in the league. He started England’s last game at Wembley against Yugoslavia alongside Geoff Hurst and the man he replaced at Chelsea, Jimmy Greaves. His only international goal remains in his previous cap three years earlier in Ramsey’s first game in charge, the 5-2 defeat to France in Paris.
Peter Thompson: The exciting Liverpool winger helped his club win the League Championship this season but has failed to score in his twelve England appearances to date, the last of which came against Northern Ireland last November. At twenty-three, Thompson can look forward to playing in the European Cup next season and becoming an England regular in time for the 1970 finals.
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Gordon Banks, aged 28, 27 caps Leicester City FC, Goalkeeper |
With Chesterfield since the age of fifteen, Leicester City signed him for £7,000 in 1959 after only twenty-three appearances for the first team. By the end of his first season he had established himself as first-choice goalkeeper and thereafter played in four Cup finals, winning the League Cup in 1964 but otherwise on the losing side in the same competition, 1965, and the FA Cup 1961 and 1963. Banks broke his wrist before the start of this season but recovered to play thirty-seven games in all competitions for Leicester. Alf Ramsey brought in Banks for only his second match in charge, a 2-1 defeat to Scotland, but retained faith in his choice. In 1964, Tony Waiters made five appearances to briefly threaten Banks place but his greatest rival for club and country could eventually come from promising teenager Peter Shilton, who made his Leicester debut this May. However for this summer at least, Gordon Banks is undoubtedly his country’s No. 1 and, faced with the greatest forwards in the game, may have to prove his world-class status if England are to win the tournament.
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George Cohen, aged 26, 24 caps Fulham FC, Right-back |
Made his Fulham debut in 1957 and helped them reach the FA Cup semi-finals the following season and promotion to the First Division the next. Since replacing Jimmy Armfield in the England side against Uruguay in May 1964, Cohen has been virtually ever-present at right-back, playing in ten internationals this season. One of five right-backs chosen by Ramsey in the preliminary squad of forty, Cohen has seen off considerable competition to wear the No. 2 shirt this summer. His speed and determination are qualities that will be put to the test against the world’s best wingers this summer, his ability to overlap and support the attack perhaps crucial in breaking down massed defences.
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Ray Wilson, aged 31, 45 caps Everton FC, Left-back |
A former railway worker, Wilson was recommended to Hudders-field Town in 1952 but only became a regular for his club five years later after Bill Shankly had converted him into a full-back. After twelve years in Yorkshire he joined Everton in the summer of 1964, recovering from a torn muscle in his first season to help the Merseysiders win their first post-war FA Cup this year. First capped in 1960, Wilson did not taste victory with England until his sixth match. He played in all four of England’s games in the 1962 World Cup and ten of the twelve this season. A hard tackler and supremely fit, Wilson is undisputed first choice at left-back.
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Nobby Stiles, aged 24, 14 caps, 1 goal Manchester United FC, Midfield |
An England Schoolboy International before he signed for Manchester United as an apprentice, Stiles was given his club debut by Matt Busby in 1960 aged eighteen. He did not play in the 1963 FA Cup final but only missed one game all season when Manchester United won the First Division in 1965. His ability to win the ball and effectively complement Bobby Charlton for his club has now been utilised by Ramsey at international level ever since Stiles’ debut against Scotland in April 1965. He has played all but three of England’s games since, even scoring the only goal in the win over West Germany in February earlier this year. Although lacking the skill and flair of more-vaunted midfielders, Stiles nonetheless seems a certain starter in the World Cup.
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Jack Charlton, aged 31, 16 caps, 2 goals Leeds United AFC, Centre-back |
With Leeds United since the age of fifteen, Jack Charlton’s fortunes have ebbed and flowed as much as his club’s in the intervening years. When John Charles was pushed into attack, Charlton came into the defence on his debut in 1953. Twice promoted and once relegated with Leeds, he is now the lynchpin of a young defence for a club which has finished second in the First Division for the past two years as well as reaching the FA Cup final in 1965 and the semi-finals of the European Fairs Cup this season. Nonetheless, at the age of twenty-nine, it was surprising when Jack was given his first England cap against Scotland last year. Alongside younger brother Bobby, they became the first siblings to play for England this century. It is felt his strength in the air and tough tackling adds something to defence alongside the more refined Moore. Charlton has been Moore’s regular partner ever since, even scoring on his last two appearances.
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Bobby Moore, aged 25, 41 caps, 2 goals West Ham United FC, Centre-back |
England’s youngest-ever captain when appointed in 1963, Bobby Moore is the man England hope will raise the Jules Rimet Trophy at Wembley on 30 July. Since his West Ham debut aged seventeen, Moore has never looked out of place, whatever stage he has performed on. A ball-playing central defender of rare ability and composure, seemingly destined to perform at the highest level. He led West Ham to their first major honour in 1964, lifting the FA Cup, and then returned to Wembley the next spring to lift the European Cup Winners’ Cup, although it was to prove third time unlucky as the Hammers were defeated this season in the League Cup final. Impressive as an England Youth and Under-23 international, the uncapped Moore was chosen to travel with the 1962 World Cup party. His stand-out debut in a warm-up match against Peru alongside Maurice Norman led to the pair forming the defensive partnership for England in every game at the tournament. With Johnny Haynes and Jimmy Armfield both recovering from injury, Moore first captained his country against Czechoslovakia aged twenty-two and is now full-time captain. He has scored his first England goals this year against Poland and Norway. There remains press speculation over his long-term future at West Ham, but Moore will be looking to put that to one side this summer if he is to lead his country to victory on the greatest stage.
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Alan Ball, aged 21, 10 caps, 1 goal Blackpool FC, Midfield/Forward |
Rejected by Wolves and Bolton as a schoolboy, Ball eventually signed for Blackpool and became their youngest-ever player in 1962. In three successive seasons he has scored more than ten league goals, recording a career best sixteen from forty-one games 1965–66. Ball made his international debut in Belgrade just over a year ago aged nineteen and remains the youngest member of the England squad this summer. Whether utilised as a winger, a right-sided forward or part of a three-man midfield, his stamina, work rate and adaptability are valued by Ramsey to such an extent that he is likely to play ahead of more seasoned internationals.
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Jimmy Greaves, aged 26, 51 caps, 43 goals Tottenham Hotspur FC, Forward |
England’s all-time record goalscorer, can Jimmy Greaves now prove this summer he is the best striker in the world or will the bout of hepatitis he suffered this season prevent him from showing his true potential on the greatest stage? A prolific goalscorer from his days as a schoolboy, he was signed by Chelsea aged fifteen, scored on his first team debut aged seventeen in 1957 and finished the season as the club’s top scorer with twenty-two goals in thirty-seven appearances. Another 102 league goals in 124 appearances over the next three seasons persuaded AC Milan to sign him for £80,000 in 1961. Greaves failed to settle in Italy and despite scoring nine times in fourteen games, returned to London with Tottenham Hotspur. Greaves continued where he had left off, scoring a hat-trick on his debut and helping the club retain the FA Cup in 1962. The following season he scored twice in the final as Spurs became the first English side to win a European competition, the Cup Winners’ Cup against Atlético Madrid.
The First Division’s leading goalscorer in five seasons, Greaves goes into the World Cup having failed to score twenty goals this season for the first time in his career after missing three months due to illness. Greaves made his England debut aged nineteen in Peru, scoring in a 4-1 defeat in 1959. He scored one goal in four appearances at the 1962 World Cup but failed to shine. His recent form for England has been called into question having not scored for his country in over a year, but four goals in the recent game against Norway, a record sixth hat-trick for England, seem to have ensured his starting place.
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Bobby Charlton, aged 28, 68 caps, 38 goals Manchester United FC, Midfield/Forward |
The most experienced member of Ramsey’s squad, Bobby Charlton heads into his third World Cup looking to finally prove he is the world-class footballer many believe him to be. By the time he had scored twice on his Manchester United debut in 1956, Charlton had already won the FA Youth Cup three times. A league champion in 1957 and 1965 and an FA Cup winner in 1963, Charlton’s performances this season, helping Manchester United reach the semi-finals of the European Cup, have earned him the Footballer of the Year award. A survivor of the Munich Air Crash in 1958, Charlton made his international debut the same season, scoring a spectacular goal against Scotland. He has rarely stopped finding the net since, becoming England’s highest goalscorer in 1963 before Greaves overtook him the following year. Originally a left-winger, Ramsey seems to have at last found his best position, central and free of any defensive duties. His rare ability to beat a man and shoot powerfully with either foot will be crucial to England’s hopes in a tournament where they are likely to come up against packed defences.
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Geoff Hurst, aged 24, 5 caps, 1 goal West Ham United FC, Forward |
The son of a professional footballer, Geoff Hurst is a late addition to the squad. In 1960 Hurst played a first-class cricket match for Essex against Lancashire and seriously considered giving up football until Ron Greenwood took over at West Ham, converting him from left-half to centre-forward in 1962. Since then he has developed into an old-fashioned English target man, strong in the air, adept at holding the ball up and bringing others into play. He scored in the Hammers’ 1964 FA Cup final win over Preston North End and played throughout their successful 1964-65 European Cup Winners’ Cup campaign. This season has been Hurst’s most prolific, scoring forty goals in all competitions, twenty-three of them in the league. That form persuaded Ramsey to give him his first England cap in February for the friendly against West Germany; he opened the scoring in his next game, the 4-3 win over Scotland, but struggled to look convincing in the recent matches in Scandinavia and will start the tournament behind the more prolific Greaves and Hunt in the pecking order. Barring injury it is unlikely he will play a significant part in this tournament.
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John Connelly, aged 27, 19 caps, 7 goals Manchester United FC, Winger |
Able to score with either foot, Connelly has won league titles with two different clubs, Burnley in 1960 and his current team, Manchester United, in 1965. Spotted playing for St. Helens at the age of eighteen in the Lancashire Combination League, Connelly remained an amateur even after signing for Burnley until he finished his apprenticeship as a joiner aged twenty-one. In seven years at Turf Moor, Connelly scored over one hundred goals from the wing, nearly one every other game, before joining Manchester United for £56,000 in April 1964. This season, he has helped Manchester United reach the semi-finals of the European Cup. First capped in 1959, Connelly has never quite cemented a starting place in the England team. An unused member of the 1962 World Cup squad, Connelly will be hoping to start this time around having played six games this season, scoring twice.
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Ron Springett, aged 30, 33 caps Sheffield Wednesday FC, Goalkeeper |
Spent five years at QPR before joining Sheffield Wednesday in March 1958. Although relegated in his first season there, he helped them win the Second Division championship the following year. This season, he helped Wednesday reach the FA Cup final where after leading 2-0 they lost 2-3 to Everton. First capped in 1959, Springett went to the 1962 World Cup as first choice, playing every game. At fault for two of the French goals in the 5-2 European Nations’ Cup defeat, Ramsey’s first game as manager in 1963, Springett was soon replaced in goal by Gordon Banks. Springett has played only four times since but remains Banks’s first deputy for the time being.
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Peter Bonetti, aged 24, 1 cap Chelsea FC, Goalkeeper |
Nicknamed “The Cat,” Bonetti made his club debut aged nineteen in 1960 and has been Chelsea’s No. 1 since the 1960/61 season. He helped his club win the 1965 League Cup final with an inspired performance in the goalless second leg away to Leicester City. This season, Bonetti played every game as Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the European Fairs Cup in addition to thirty-eight League appearances. The last of the squad to be capped in the penultimate game against Denmark, Bonetti is unlikely to feature in this tournament but the experience gained this summer may prove invaluable if he is called upon in 1970.
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Jimmy Armfield, aged 30, 43 caps Blackpool FC, Right-back |
Originally a left-winger and a keen rugby player, the former England captain was voted best right-back in the world at the 1962 World Cup. Since making his debut for Blackpool aged nineteen, and helping them to finish second in the league in 1955/56, Arm-field has stayed loyal to his boyhood club despite their lack of success. Young Player of the Year in 1959, he finished second in the main award behind Bobby Charlton this season. Such form earned him his first England caps in two years, returning as captain in the absence of the injured Bobby Moore.
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Gerry Byrne, aged 27, 2 caps Liverpool FC, Left-back |
A Liverpool player since he was fifteen, it took a few years, and the arrival of Bill Shankly, for Byrne to break through as a first-team regular. In the 1965 FA Cup final, Byrne suffered a broken collarbone after only three minutes but played on throughout the game, even setting up Roger Hunt’s goal in extra time. An ever-present in Liverpool’s Second Division title campaign in 1961-62, Byrne has just repeated the feat, playing every minute as Liverpool won the First Division for the second time in three seasons. His club form led to a second international cap against Norway in June, three years after his first in 1963. Byrne is capable of providing cover in either full-back position.
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Martin Peters, aged 22, 3 caps, 1 goal West Ham United FC, Midfield |
Uncapped until May, Peters has impressed so much since, he may have forced his way into Ramsey’s World Cup team. Having first appeared for West Ham in 1962, he was pivotal in the Hammers’ successful 1965 European Cup Winners’ Cup campaign playing in a three-man midfield. Peters scored in this season’s League Cup final to add to a career-best eleven league goals. He has taken that form into the international arena, starring on his debut against Yugoslavia before scoring in his second appearance against Finland. His versatility and technique make him one to watch this summer.
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Ron Flowers, aged 31, 49 caps, 10 goals Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, Centre-back |
The oldest member of the squad, the former RAF airman first played for Doncaster Rovers academy before joining Wolves’ nursery side, Wath Wanderers. Signed by Stan Cullis in 1952, Flowers initially made his name as an attacking midfielder winning three league titles in the 1950s and the FA Cup in 1960. Three years after making his debut back in 1955, Flowers played in forty consecutive internationals between 1958 and 1963, scoring two penalties in the 1962 World Cup and England’s first-ever goal in the European Nations’ Cup the following year. No longer first choice, Flowers provides experienced cover should injuries or suspensions occur.
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Norman Hunter, aged 22, 4 caps Leeds United AFC, Centre-back |
With Leeds from the age of fifteen, Hunter has been Jack Charlton’s defensive partner since 1962, winning the Second Division title in 1964 and narrowly missing out on the league and cup double in 1965. This season, Hunter has added goals to his fierce tackling, scoring five times in forty-one matches. Having made his international debut in 1965 as England’s first-ever substitute, he has started three games this year alongside club colleague Charlton and some would have England utilise this partnership in the World Cup at the expense of captain Bobby Moore.
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Terry Paine, aged 27, 18 caps, 7 goals Southampton FC, Winger |
A man who originally made a living building coaches for the British Railway Depot, Paine has just helped his club win their first-ever promotion to the First Division, scoring sixteen times. Signed by Third Division Southampton from Winchester City, Paine is a crowd favourite at The Dell, renowned for his pace, crossing ability and goalscoring, having found the net 137 times in ten seasons at the club. In 1961, he was appointed captain and led them to promotion this season. An established international, Terry, alongside Ron Flowers, is one of two members of Ramsey’s squad playing outside the top division. Having made his debut in 1963, he became the first right-winger since Stanley Matthews to score an England hat-trick against Northern Ireland later that year. The last of his seven international goals was the winner against West Germany in 1965. He has only appeared four times this season for England and is likely to be battling Ball and Connelly for a starting position in the World Cup team.
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Ian Callaghan, aged 24, 1 cap Liverpool FC, Winger |
Callaghan joined Liverpool as a member of the groundstaff aged fifteen before signing on as an apprentice five years later. He made his debut in 1961 but didn’t make his breakthrough until Liver-pool’s promotion-winning season in 1963, appearing twenty-three times. He was an ever-present for Liverpool in both of their recent title-winning campaigns, scoring eight times in 1963-64 and five times this season. In between, Callaghan played a pivotal role in Liverpool’s first FA Cup win in 1965, crossing for Ian St John’s extra-time winner against Leeds United. Ramsey called him up for the pre-tournament European tour in which Callaghan made his debut in the 3-0 win over Finland. Inexperienced at international football he may be, but Callaghan goes into the World Cup brimming with confidence as an English champion and having experienced European club football for two successive seasons.
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Roger Hunt, aged 27, 13 caps, 12 goals Liverpool FC, Forward |
Signed by Liverpool from Stockton Heath as a twenty year-old, Hunt had to wait a year before making his debut for them in the Second Division. He scored then and has rarely stopped since, finding the net forty-one times in forty-one games as Liverpool won promotion in the 1961-62 season. Liverpool’s top scorer in their 1963-64 championship-winning campaign with thirty-one, Hunt repeated the feat this season, scoring another twenty-nine for the champions. In addition Hunt scored in Liverpool’s 1965 FA Cup final win and their 1966 European Cup Winners’ Cup final defeat to Borussia Dortmund. He made his international debut as a Second Division player in April 1962, scoring on his debut against Austria and earning a place in the 1962 World Cup squad. Somewhat overlooked at first by Alf Ramsey, he has now cemented his place with a series of impressive performances this season, particularly away from home, including a goal in the win away to Spain, two in Glasgow against Scotland, and England’s last goal in the victory in Poland.
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George Eastham, aged 29, 19 caps, 2 goals Arsenal FC, Midfield |
The son of a former England international George played alongside his father at the Northern Irish club, Ards, before joining Newcastle United in 1956. When Newcastle refused to allow him a transfer, Eastham went on strike at the end of his most prolific season, 1959-60 scoring twenty, in 1960 eventually securing a move to Arsenal. He has never hit such heights for Arsenal, only twice reaching double figures and scoring six from thirty-seven appearances this season. Called up for the 1962 World Cup squad, Eastham didn’t make his debut until the following year against Brazil. Barring injuries to others, it is unlikely he will see action this summer.
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Alf Ramsey, aged 46 The Manager |
Born in Dagenham, Ramsey served in World War II, playing for the British Army XI before embarking on a professional career with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur as a diligent right-back, nicknamed “The General.” Capped thirty-two times for his country, including at the 1950 World Cup, Ramsey retired from playing in 1955 and entered management with Ipswich Town, then in the Third Division South. Within seven seasons, Ramsey had incredibly led Ipswich to the First Division title. He was appointed England’s first full-time manager in charge of selection, succeeding Walter Winterbottom in October 1962.
