1985 World Youth Championship

[boovidge]

Does anyone have any detailed information/pictures of this? I've read a bit from Brian Kerr about the game against Brazil but that's about it.

[DannyInvincible]

Tried this?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_FIFA_World_Youth_Championship

Includes links to FIFA match reports.

Squad here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_FIFA_World_Youth_Championship_squads#.C2.A0Re public_of_Ireland

[DannyInvincible]

Out of the squad, I notice that most spent the remainder of their careers playing football in the League of Ireland with a significant number pursuing careers in the English lower divisions. One of them, Pat O'Kelly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_O%27Kelly), went off and made a career for himself in the US, whilst another went off and made a career for himself from crap punditry with Setanta Sports. ;)

There's some information on the Brazil game on the Wikipedia page of Marcus Tuite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Tuite), who was the only player to score past Taffarel in the entire tournament.


Tuite represented Ireland in the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship in the USSR.

In the first group game against Saudi Arabia, Tuite started in midfield during Ireland's 1–0 loss. During Ireland's game with Brazil in Tbilisi, Tuite was brought on by Irish manager Liam Touhy in the 79th minute and scored Ireland's only goal of the game in a 2–1 loss, when he scored past Taffarel in the 86th minute which was to be the only goal that Brazil conceded in the entire tournament.

Brian Kerr recalled that "it was amazing...The stadium was packed. They had all come to see Brazil, but they ended up cheering for us." At the end of the game the Irish team were given a standing ovation.

Some more on it in this article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article1020426.ece


The year was 1985. Kerr was assistant to Liam Tuohy and they took a squad to Tbilisi for the world youth championship finals, the first Irish squad to make that stage of a tournament. In their opening game, they squared up against eventual champions Brazil before a crowd of 45,000. “The mere sight of the Brazil jersey was amazing,” said one Irish player, Eamonn Collins. “My heart was jumping out of my chest.”

Two-nil down at half-time, Tuohy and Kerr made sure their kids made a game of it in the second half. Marcus Tuite clawed one back. It turned out to be the only goal Brazil conceded in the entire tournament. At the end Ireland left the field to a standing ovation. “It was amazing,” Kerr recalled several years later. “The stadium was packed. They had all come to see Brazil, but they ended up cheering for us.”

[theworm2345]

Tried this?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_FIFA_World_Youth_Championship

Includes links to FIFA match reports.

Squad here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_FIFA_World_Youth_Championship_squads#.C2.A0Re public_of_Ireland
Interesting not a single one of them would ever win a single senior cap. Then again from the '97 team only Duffer and Glen Crowe did.

[DannyInvincible]

Just having a brief look through the 1985 squads of the other competing teams and I'm not sure there is an overall or general trend within any squad of the majority of players making the step up to senior international level. Although, most squads contain at least two or three players who made the progression, as opposed to us who had none, which is rather disappointing and obviously provokes questions which might still be relevant today?

I notice Emil Kostadinov in the Bulgaria squad along with a few others who had long and very successful international careers consisting of World Cup and European Championship participation. René Higuita, famous for his 'scorpion kick', was a member of the Colombian squad. Hungary also had a few who made the step up whilst Brazil had about four or five from what I can make out; including Taffarel, Silas and Müller (assuming the others would have Wikipedia articles had full international honours bestowed them with such notability). Fahad Al-Bishi went on to play in the 1994 World Cup for Saudi Arabia whilst a few, but not many, of the Spanish team had what you might call peripheral success (between 1 and 8 caps) with the senior Spanish international side; the most successful of them being Ion Andoni Goikoetxea who won 36 caps and also played at the 1994 World Cup. Former Hearts manager Valdas Ivanauskas was part of the USSR squad of which most players went on to receive full international honours, many for new nations post the break-up of the Soviet Union, although most didn't receive any more than a few caps. Also, Alberto García Aspe and Ignacio Ambríz of the Mexican squad might be remembered from the 1994 World Cup. Aspe received 109 caps for Mexico and played at three World Cups in total.

Like Ireland, most of the England squad went on to pursue fairly unremarkable careers. Michael Thomas, however, went on to play for England at senior level (receiving 2 caps), as well as enjoying a central role in Arsenal and Liverpool teams over the next number of years. John Beresford, who played with Newcastle, was also part of that squad, although he never played senior international football. Mark Stein, who I recall played for Chelsea in the 1994 FA Cup final also featured. The remainder pretty much paled into mediocrity, if not obscurity, from what I can make out.

I also notice, we were the only team in the tournament who had players at teams outside of our own league. Every other team consisted entirely of players from that country's own league, whereas our squad consisted of 11 English-based players out of 18.

[Stuttgart88]

I met Brian Kerr at Italia 90. He was outside a bar wearing a Brazil shirt. I asked him why the jersey and he said he got it when his team played Brazil in that tournament. It just came back to me now.

[BonnieShels]

I also notice, we were the only team in the tournament who had players at teams outside of our own league. Every other team consisted entirely of players from that country's own league, whereas our squad consisted of 11 English-based players out of 18.

And now we're possibly the only uefa member outside of Liechtenstein where none of our senior squad play league soccer in their country.

[geysir]

I think only Irwin made it through from Touhy's babes of the mid 80's
I once had a look at the German team we beat in the u18 euro final and afair, only 2 made it onto the senior team, Christian Timm got a few caps and another - Diesel?
I can understand it, I peaked too early myself.

[DannyInvincible]

I'm guessing you mean Sebastien Diesler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Deisler)?

Timo Hildebrand was the Germany goalkeeper in that tournament. He's never been a senior international regular but he has won 7 caps to date and has marked out a fairly successful career for himself at club level with the likes of Stuttgart and Valencia.

[EastTerracer]

I think only Irwin made it through from Touhy's babes of the mid 80's

Niall Quinn and Terry Phelan both played for Tuohy's youth team as well and won an impressive 134 caps between them. Article below is from the Sunday Times in 2003 recalling a 1-0 win over the England youth team.


Caught in Time: Irish youths beat England, 1985

Paul Rowan
Witness a team in its pomp. “We gathered at the Ormond hotel on the quays for the pre-match meal and the pep talk,” assistant coach Noel O’Reilly recalls, “and then set off for Tolka Park in three cars. There was my own, a Toyota Corrolla at the time, Brian Kerr’s and Liam Tuohy’s, which weren’t much better. Four or five big youngsters to each car, plus all the gear.”

It was Tuesday February 26, 1985. Waiting at Tolka Park was a full house of 10,000 people and an England Under-18 team that boasted the names of Tony Adams, Michael Thomas, David Rocastle and Des Walker.
“I don’t think any of our players had experienced first-team football,” says Niall Quinn, “yet we were playing against guys who had broken into teams like Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United. There were some frightening names who went on to be great players.”
The Irish boys didn’t do as well, but didn’t do badly either. Quinn and Terry Phelan went on to distinguish themselves at senior level and most of the rest have managed to eke a living out of the game. It was an unusually poignant experience tracking their progress last week. Now in their mid- to late-thirties, several have just retired or are on the verge of doing so. Martin Russell, then a fine prospect at Manchester United, hung up his boots last month after finishing his career at St Patrick’s Athletic and is now trying to decide what to do with the rest of his life.
For some of them the uncertainty had begun even back then. “The lad who scored the winning goal, Tommy McDermott, had just been released by Leeds,” says Quinn. But Ireland could afford to miss a penalty on the way to a 1-0 victory, the first side representing Ireland to have beaten England since 1949.
“It was a brilliant night,” says O’Reilly, “and the crowd played a big part in it. I felt it was the first time they got behind the youths.”
It helped that Tuohy was on a great roll. Since 1981 his youth teams had qualified for three European Championships and one World Cup, but the wheels were about to fall off the wagon spectacularly. Exactly a year later, in the corresponding fixture at Elland Road, Ireland’s newly-appointed senior manager Jack Charlton stormed into the dressing room at half-time, cut across Tuohy and tore strips off his tactics and the team, who were losing 2-0 at the time. Tuohy quit the international set up, never to return. Kerr and O’Reilly followed in solidarity, but that is another story [The numbers refer to a photograph, which is not carried on the website].
1 Terry Phelan Then a reserve-team player at Leeds United, the English-born left-back whose mother hailed from Sligo went on to win an FA Cup winners’ medal with Wimbledon in 1988 before making a big-money move to Manchester City. He also had spells at Chelsea and Everton and is now playing for the Charleston Battery in South Carolina in the US, as well as coaching at the local university. One of only two players in the group to make it through to the senior ranks, he won 42 caps and featured at the 1994 World Cup in the US.
2 Aaron Callaghan A strapping centre-back and Stoke City reserve, Callaghan enjoyed a long career in the lower divisions of the English league with Crewe Alexander and Preston. Returned to Ireland in 1995 after 350 league appearances and had spells at Shelbourne, Crusaders and St Patrick’s Athletic. Now assistant manager at Longford Town and a sports development officer for Dublin City Council.
3 Eamonn Dolan Born in Chelmsford to Irish parents and the twin brother of Pat — the current St Patrick’s Athletic manager — who was on the bench that night.An elegant centre-forward on West Ham’s books at the time, his career was cut short by injury. Now youth director at Exeter City.
4 Paul Kelly Regarded as an excellent prospect, he excelled himself that night and kept a clean sheet. Enjoyed limited success with Home Farm before leaving the game. Believed to be living in Australia.
5 Paul Caffrey Left-sided midfielder with University College Dublin. Now coaching at a university in Virginia, USA.
6 Derek Ryan A centre-forward born in Swords, Co Dublin who had already made a number of first-team appearances for Wolves at the time and scored several goals for the club as they struggled in the Third Division. He failed to maintain his early promise and returned to Ireland, where he successfully completed his Leaving Certificate. Now working in banking.
7 Pat Dolan “The Dolan twins were incredible mickey-takers,” remembers one player, Ken O’Neill. “At 17, Pat used to dress like a civil servant. He had a Cockney accent and we used say to him, ‘You’re not Irish’. Then he’d sing the Irish anthem, which most of us couldn’t do, and he’d say ‘You don’t even know the Irish anthem’.” A centre-half on the Arsenal youth team at the time, Dolan moved on to Walsall and Shamrock Rovers, before joining St Pat’s. Now manager there, having taken over from Brian Kerr in 1996, and one of the Eircom League’s most vociferous advocates.
8 Tim O’Shea Tottenham youth player who went on to make three first-team appearances. Also won two Ireland Under-21 caps and played for Leyton Orient and Gillingham before spending seven seasons in Hong Kong. O’Shea is club captain at Farnborough Town, but was on loan to Welling at the time of their glamour tie with Arsenal in the FA Cup last month. Combines his semi-professional duties with cleaning work at The Sunday Times office in London.
9 Niall Quinn Began at right-back for Liam Tuohy, but had established himself as a striker by this time. He also had a fine minor hurling career behind him and would go on to become Ireland’s top goal-scorer at senior level with 21, retiring after last year’s World Cup. His 18-year career spanned spells at Arsenal, Manchester City and Sunderland. Now works as a Sky pundit and a columnist.
10 Ken O’Neill A Stoke City apprentice at the time, he returned to play for Waterford, his home town, and then Cobh Ramblers. Shifted careers dramatically to take up painting and examples of his work now hang in the Gandon Museum in Dublin’s Custom House.
11 Tommy McDermott Scored that night and played beautifully, even though he had just been released by Leeds. Had a spell at Home Farm and helped Bray Wanderers to their FAI Cup win in 1990.
12 Martin Russell The Manchester United midfielder was captain that night and has just finished his career at St Pat’s. Also played for Leicester and Portadown.
13 Pat O’Kelly Home Farm right-back at the time, he moved to New Jersey in 1986 to take up a scholarship at Seton Hall University and has been playing semi-professionally there since.
14 Martin Bayley The Coventry City player had already played for Wolves, but returned to Dublin and was player manager of Home Farm till he was replaced in 1996.

[DannyInvincible]

Makes Paul Kelly sound like a fugitive.

[boovidge]

8 Tim O’Shea Tottenham youth player who went on to make three first-team appearances. Also won two Ireland Under-21 caps and played for Leyton Orient and Gillingham before spending seven seasons in Hong Kong. O’Shea is club captain at Farnborough Town, but was on loan to Welling at the time of their glamour tie with Arsenal in the FA Cup last month. Combines his semi-professional duties with cleaning work at The Sunday Times office in London..

Tim O'Shea was, until recently, manager at Lewes FC (my team) which is why I started looking into the 1985 youth squad in the first place.