88 v England or 94 v Italy

[centre mid]

Which is you favourite between the two. 88 was amazing but most of the game was a defensive display. We played fantastic in 94 against the italians, i think Roy Keane had one of his best two displays in and Ireland shirt & Paul McGrath aswell.

[superfrank]

I was only months old for Stuttgart so definitely Giants Stadium. I can still remember running upstairs to tell my mother that Houghton had scored. She didn't believe me at all.

[jmurphyc]

I'd have to go for '94. I was also too young to remember '88, however if I was old enough at the time I'm sure I'd appreciate the England game much more.

[Qwerty]

England, no brainer. Our first finals. Our best finals - 3 unforgettabgle games. And to beat the auld enemy in the first game. It will never again be so good. We'd have to win the EC or WC to beat it ::D

[Metrostars]

Agree with qwerty. First time is always the best. No one, not even ourselves gave us a chance. "Galvin pulling it across, miskick by Sansom, in goes Aldridge, and Houghton! One-nill". Hanging on for dear life, Lineker missing, Packie's best ever game, also a bit of luck. Nothing like it.

[osarusan]

England in 88.

A better team, a more 'symbolic' opposition, our first ever major tournament match.

The only thing wrong with the day was that after the game, in a fit of ecstasy, I booted my "Maradona football" up in the air, and it landed in a thick patch of briars, not to be recovered for years.

[Torn-Ado]

Italy. Too young to remember England.

[rovers77]

I remember Euro 88 as a kid and thought it was the best, I still do. I'm gonna say that one was better than 94 against Italy. The match against England I'm not sure if any one player stood out. It truely was a team effort that secured the win.

Maybe I have imagined it because I haven't seen footage of the game in so long but didn't Ronnie Whelan hit the bar in the second half of this game?

[Dodge]

Poll added.

Beating England for me.

[Dunny]

Italy. Too young to remember England.

Ditto.

[stiofain]

I'd have to go for '94. I was also too young to remember '88, however if I was old enough at the time I'm sure I'd appreciate the England game much more.

Same as.

[fergalr]

Euro 88 - its was the start of an era, whereas USA 94 was the beginning of the end. Also given the opposition and the fact that it as our first appearance in any finals.

[Noelys Guitar]

Got to be Euro 88. If someone had have told me in 84/85 that in 1988 we would be beating England 1-0 at the European championships in the opening game I would have had them committed. I loved the Italy game as well but for me Euro 88 had everything.

[gspain]

At both and no contest has to be Stuttgart. If we beat Brazil 7-0 in the final in South Africa it might come close but probably not. :D

[lopez]

It should be Italy, for quality's sake, but there's no doubting that Stuttgart was the better of the two. Just call it the first time we played at a major tournament and the first ever victory. I'm privileged to have witnessed it.

[Emmet]

I could be wrong but I don't think anyone who is old enough to remember both has voted for Italy in 94 - that says it all really. Italy was great but beating England was very very special. England were pre-tournament favourites and were very confident they would embarrass us. We were seen as the weakest side in the whole tournament and the English genuinely believed their forward line of John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Gary Lineker would get something of a cricket score. This also needs to be looked at in a wider sense too - any Irish person who lived in England in the 1980s will know there was still a certain amount of hostility and discrimination against Irish people. It's gone now but back then it was a real issue. Beating them and watching the humiliation they subsequently endured was brilliant - ****ing brilliant!!! :D

By the time we played Italy the players were old and it showed especially against Mexico and Holland. The win over Italy itself was good but the Italians were nowhere near as arrogant as the English had been pre-match.

[kingdomkerry]

I have no recollection of watching the england game. Wish I did! I was only 11 for the Italy game but I remember my parents had friends over for the Italian game in 94. My mother even cooked pizza during the game.

We live in a guest house in Kerry and there was an Italian couple watching the game in the guest room directly over the Living room. I never banged a roof so much after Houghton scored.

They never showed for breakfast the following morning :D

[kingdomkerry]

Does anyone remember Paul McGraths 3 blocks in a row in that game. Compare that with John O'Shea funk in injury time during the Slovakia away game in the last campaign

When Im on happy memories might as well mention Spain in WC02.

Although we went out I have fond memories. It was Munster final day in killarney between kerry and cork. I was watching the game in Mustang Sallys night club. The place was packed in Kerry and Cork jerseys everyone sitting on the dance floor watching the gigantic sceen. The thing I will always remember was that during the penalties everyone was standing arms around each other cork kerry mixed and all in a sort of expression of national pride.

We lost that day on the pennos but I was never as proud to be Irish

[kingoffifa]

i go to college as a mature student. i divide my classmates into two categories. those born for the england match and those not born for the english match.its the only way i feel good about being old ! the biggest soccer fan had never even seen whealans goal against the ussr. thank god for youtube...

[lopez]

I could be wrong but I don't think anyone who is old enough to remember both has voted for Italy in 94 - that says it all really. Italy was great but beating England was very very special. England were pre-tournament favourites and were very confident they would embarrass us. We were seen as the weakest side in the whole tournament and the English genuinely believed their forward line of John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Gary Lineker would get something of a cricket score. This also needs to be looked at in a wider sense too - any Irish person who lived in England in the 1980s will know there was still a certain amount of hostility and discrimination against Irish people. It's gone now but back then it was a real issue. Beating them and watching the humiliation they subsequently endured was brilliant - ****ing brilliant!!! :D

By the time we played Italy the players were old and it showed especially against Mexico and Holland. The win over Italy itself was good but the Italians were nowhere near as arrogant as the English had been pre-match.Very true. The Scum - I know it's hard to believe - were apparently the favourites. Johan Cruyff after seeing the draw walked out saying England had won it already. I think Cruyff was using the same old Dutch footballing psychology of making you think you're great when in reality your sh*te. Seeing Snowflake and his chumps fell for it and that the tans lost all three games, makes my theory on this true, or that Cuyff had just lost the plot.

Yeah, it was so sexy being Irish in the seventies and eighties in Britain ...not! I read this article in my son's Arsenal mag by the bloke who played Dennis Pennis (dunno his real name). He was going on about Arsenal being an anti-establishment club back then, blah blah, loads of Irish players, blach blah, 'I always thought it was an Irish club' and wasn't it all so cooooooooll?!! B*llsh*te! There was nothing cool about being Irish in this time.

Euro 88 was great for what Emmet has written. Stories of tricolours hanging off building sites the next day are one memory. It was, for me, the first timein years the Irish in Britain could flaunt their Irishness in the mainstream.

[Armando]

England '88.

I was almost 9 years old and I was lucky enough to be there with my Dad and 2 of my brothers. I realise how extremely lucky I was to be at that game at such a young age. The unreal experience undoubtedly shaped a large part of the rest of my life and personally it can never be beaten.....even if we actually ever managed to win the Euros/World Cup. Sounds crazy, but I honestly believe the impact that England game had on me as a kid could never be eclipsed.

[Wolfie]

England '88

I was 13 for the '88 finals and was fanatical about the team having avidly followed the qualifying campaign and attended all of the qualifying games with my Da for the first time and dared to dream we just might qualify.

All of this culminated in our first finals game, against the auld enemy and noone gave us an earthly.

The anticipation and tension before the game was unbearable. Don Givens and John Giles (with black hair!!!) were on the RTE panel. Some footage of Mick Byrne roaring to the supporters "We'll do dem for yis today!!!" and a roar back from the crowd.

The sheer elation of Houghton's goal - even on the players faces - I will never forget. Time appeared to stand still for a few seconds as the ball hit the net.

We rode our luck on occasion - that's undeniable - but we had a few opportunities to score again, during the seige, that our often overlooked - after some great link up play in the middle, Houghton was put through late in the first half but fluffed the square ball out for a corner and Whelan hit the bar with a volley in the 2nd half.

Finally, the nail biting, tortuous wait for the ref's whistle for time up and the release when the victory was sealed.

To celebrate, all of the kids in the area ran through the estate with a tricolour bursting with pride until we reached the green. We played our own match then with various re-enactions of the winning goal we had just witnessed.

Off in the distance we could see older lads with Flagons on top of the Ballymun flats - leaping around like lunatics.

There was a T-shirt doing the rounds with a Team Group photo taken just before kick -off - "On the 12th June 1988 - These men made history" - and I don't think that's a major overstatement.

One of the happiest days of my life.

[gspain]

We were totally written off for Euro88. It was also an adventure and the first major finals.

By USA94 we were ranked 6th in the world and frankly losing to Holland was a disappointment and a bit of a shock. OK the Italy team we beat was well ahead of England from 1988 but expectations were a lot higher. We had lost 1 competitive game in 4 years when we beat Italy so it was hardly a major shock.

Stuttgart will always be that little bit extra special as Jimmy Hill et al ate ther words.

[Shedender81]

Folks.. I think we have the rose tinted on.. 94 was a great day... a great preformance but looking at the team is was on the way out... The rest of the World Cup Ireland were very poor. We had one game in us and it was a great one... but v Norway and Holland well lets just say we were not great. I would argue that we played better in Japan/Koera

In 88 in a real tough comp we were 8 mins from the semi... the 88 Euros saw us win a game we should have lost draw a game we should have won and lose a game we should have drawn .

Sheedy in centre midfield for McGrath v Russia was one of the best performances in a green jersey

The homecoming was geniune.. the players were brillant... I still have the image off Jack putting his arm around Ronnie Whelan and Ronnie shaking his head... and the relief on rinus michaels the founder of Total Football at the end of that game


Having lived thro all the glory years.. I was 18 in 88.... I still think there is something magical about Robbie Keanes goal v Germany....

[Hibernian]

I was only 5 when Euro 88 came around so cant really remember it.

But from reading the posts here of people old enough to remember it there is some great stories in here.

This for me is one of the best threads on foot.ie I wish more were like this.

Hopefully something will come up in our lifetime that will surpass this.

Maybe beating England in a World Cup Final would be nice. :))

[redobit]

if i had to pick the best goal: vs England Euro 88 (too young to really remember it but i still get the shiver when I see it)
I would pick the Italy match for performance, Paul Mc Grath just unbeeeelivable

[Bluebeard]

For a neutral who knows nothing about history, etc, the Italy game would win this poll easily. Great performance, a strong command on the game, and good football; a cracking goal, one of our better organised line-ups, some quality players.

However, football is all about history...

1988.

[youngirish]

Easy one this. England of course.

I remember how funny it was when the pundits on bbc had written us off as no hopers before a ball had even been kicked as a highly fancied England (at least highly fancied within their own media) were second favourites to win the competition while we as first time qualifiers were rank outsiders at 25/1 (there were only 8 teams in it then).

Even at half time they still didn't give us much of a hope. Flicking back over to BBC at full time and looking at their faces is a memory that shall forever stay with me.

[Hibernian]

Easy one this. England of course.

I remember how funny it was when the pundits on bbc had written us off as no hopers before a ball had even been kicked as a highly fancied England (at least highly fancied within their own media) were second favourites to win the competition while we as first time qualifiers were rank outsiders at 25/1 (there were only 8 teams in it then).

Even at half time they still didn't give us much of a hope. Flicking back over to BBC at full time and looking at their faces is a memory that shall forever stay with me.

What price would they have been too win the game around 5/1?

[fergalr]

In 88 in a real tough comp we were 8 mins from the semi...
Funny that. Was doing some sorting out at the weekend and found the letter that the FAI were handing out before the Holland game telling us where to go to get tickets for the semis if the result went our way! Yes, hard to believe now but we were that close.

[lopez]

...This for me is one of the best threads on foot.ie I wish more were like this...You don't want to listen to us old dogs' stories, do you? ;)

[Wolfie]

Even at half time they still didn't give us much of a hope. Flicking back over to BBC at full time and looking at their faces is a memory that shall forever stay with me.

I've a distant memory (almost 20 years ago) of Brian Clough being on the BBC panel and making some rather disparaging remarks about the Irish team at half time.

Liam Brady was providing an "outside broadcast" interview from Germany and brought Clough to task for his comments live on air.

Bob Wilson wrapped it up by curtly stating "Enjoy the second half, Liam".

Brady's reply - "Don't worry - I will." :cool:

[youngirish]

What price would they have been too win the game around 5/1?

I wouldn't remember but my guess is more. I think England were 7/2 second favourites to win the tournament after Germany who were 5/2.

Nobody gave Ireland a hope except from my recollections Johann Cryuff who was at that time manager of Barcelona. When asked for his opinions on the tournament he correctly singled us out as having good players and stated that we would surprise a few of the big teams.

[Drumcondra 69er]

I wouldn't remember but my guess is more. I think England were 7/2 second favourites to win the tournament after Germany who were 5/2.

Nobody gave Ireland a hope except from my recollections Johann Cryuff who was at that time manager of Barcelona. When asked for his opinions on the tournament he correctly singled us out as having good players and stated that we would surprise a few of the big teams.

Think we were 8's beforehand with the English bookies.

England wins for me as it was our first game in a major championships, the old enemy etc as everyon else has been saying. However, I wasn't there for that having just completed first year of college and being flat broke! And me Da went off with my uncle and their mates to it and wouldn't take me, the swines!! The fact that I was in Giants stadium makes it special although Robbie's equaliser agaiunst Germany in Japan has to be the greatest moment, never lost it like that at a game in my life!

[gspain]

I would also put Genoa 90 as runner up to Stuttgart. OK it was an awful game and Romania were no Italy (albeit a decent side) but it put us in the quarter finals of the world cup. The tension was incredible and the scenes after THAT penalty were unbelievable. It was also 6 days before the suits and rugby jerseys appeared at our away games.

[Greenforever]

Got to be Euro 88. If someone had have told me in 84/85 that in 1988 we would be beating England 1-0 at the European championships in the opening game I would have had them committed. I loved the Italy game as well but for me Euro 88 had everything.

If somone had told me in late October 87 that we would even have qualified I would have had them committed, having now atended probably over 200 Irish games this still has to be the no 1, only to be surpassed by winning a World Cup. (And yes i'm an ol fogey:D)

[Ozymandias]

I've a distant memory (almost 20 years ago) of Brian Clough being on the BBC panel and making some rather disparaging remarks about the Irish team at half time.

Liam Brady was providing an "outside broadcast" interview from Germany and brought Clough to task for his comments live on air.

Bob Wilson wrapped it up by curtly stating "Enjoy the second half, Liam".

Brady's reply - "Don't worry - I will." :cool:

remember that well...Cloughie and there panel slated our centre Halves..brady came back and said he knew wiht pairing he would prefer to have


I remember the BBC showing the teams arriving in the stadium before the game...there were thousands of irish there to gree them....Mick byrne looked up at the fans and shouted "we'll do em for yez today Lads" fans went mental....great moment caught by the bbc and they hadn't a clue what he said.

[Emmet]

I would also put Genoa 90 as runner up to Stuttgart. OK it was an awful game and Romania were no Italy (albeit a decent side) but it put us in the quarter finals of the world cup. The tension was incredible and the scenes after THAT penalty were unbelievable. It was also 6 days before the suits and rugby jerseys appeared at our away games.Fully agree ... I don't actually remember too much about the 120 minutes of football in that game (I watched it all on my Gran's black and white TV!) I just remember going wild when Bonner saved and then again when O'Leary scored. It was quite poignant listening to O'Leary commentate during the game against Spain in the 2002 World Cup - just before the penalties started he very briefly said something along the lines of I've lived off that moment for years now - its someone else's turn now. It was a truly magical moment and probably comes a close runner-up to Stuttgart. And the boys of 2002 made sure O'Leary will continue to live off that penalty for a good few years yet!!

[Sunny Jim]

Definitely England for me!

I remember Alan Parry (now of Sky Sports) visited the Irish camp before the England game to report for ITV. On the voiceover he referred to the the Irish team as "misfits" and generally patronised them to within an inch of their lives. The tone of the report really, really annoyed me. That made the victory even sweeter!!

[The Legend]

Far and away England... to beat "them" in our first Major Tournament outing... unbelieveable!

[shaneker]

I have to say I have never enjoyed reading a thread on any forum as much as this one. I was only a wee baba in '88 and Italy '94 is the first Ireland game I have any recollection of (my Dad's mate jumping so high he came down and went through the chair!) so Italy has to get my vote, but for people of my age, Germany in Kashima is the highlight, to have worked so hard to get there and be there with five other members of my family as a young lad, and to have turned to my Dad as the clock ticked over 90 minutes and asked 'we're not going to do it, are we?' and think it was all over, the World Cup was ending there in front of me...and then Robbie beat Kahn, in the goal I was stood right behind. The only time in my life things moved in slow motion - I used to think 'yeah, right' when people said that, but it did! The most ecstatic moment of my life.

For you who are lucky enough to remember England, I envy you. It was the first, and sadly we will never be able to experience that again. But the next generation will envy all of us for Robbie's goal in Japan!

[jbyrne]

[QUOTE=shanekerins;938221]... 'we're not going to do it, are we?' and think it was all over, the World Cup was ending there in front of me...and then Robbie beat Kahn, in the goal I was stood right behind. The only time in my life things moved in slow motion - I used to think 'yeah, right' when people said that, but it did! The most ecstatic moment of my life.[QUOTE]

would you believe some Irish fans at that match were walking down the steps beside me out of the stadium and missed the goal?:eek:

why travel half way round the world just to leave early to be first in the queue for the buses back to tokyo that werent leaving for another hour in anycase?

robbies goal was an unbelievable moment

[Emmet]

I think that, considering what happened before the tournament started, there could well be an argument that Robbie Keane's goal against Germany ranks higher than Houghton's against Italy

[Angus]

I had the privilege of being in Giants Stadium which was an amazing experience.

One notable incicent in the game - worth watching if you have the DVD. For the first 10 minutes, it looked like Baggio was going to kill us - he was everywhere.

Big Jack rose from the dugout and pointed at somebody and for the next 80 minutes Roy Keane kicked seven shades of s*** out of him.

2 other surreal moments: I had not ticket and went into a bar at MSG - went up to the barman and asked for a ticket - he said stay there and went down the back. I honestly reckon if I had asked for absolutely anything, he would have told me to stay there - elephant ear on a bun ? Hold it there

Our travel agent apparently also got jerked about on tranpsort so he hired a load of old yellow school buses - so a convoy of these things arriving back into Manhattan with about to be drunken guys singing out the windows was good fun....

[Morbo]

Even at half time they still didn't give us much of a hope. Flicking back over to BBC at full time and looking at their faces is a memory that shall forever stay with me.

Haha sweet, don't suppose thee BBC's prematch or post match analysis is on youtube, or any anywhere else on the net is it?

[jbyrne]

Haha sweet, don't suppose thee BBC's prematch or post match analysis is on youtube, or any anywhere else on the net is it?

i have ITVs with brian clough on a dvd but not a clue how to use youtube

[seanog2001]

id have to say italy in 1994 for the reason that its the first world cup i can vividly remember the game watching it in the pub and the place erupting i was only 11 at the time but can still remember springing around the pub it was all about the houghton roll for weeks later when you scored a goal classy

[Emmet]

Haha sweet, don't suppose thee BBC's prematch or post match analysis is on youtube, or any anywhere else on the net is it?I'd be really interested in seeing that too if anyone has a link to it