In a pub in Carrick with all the mates. Forecasted beforehand that if England didnt start Hoddle, we would beat them. Then................HOUGHTON!!!!!!!!
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In a pub in Carrick with all the mates. Forecasted beforehand that if England didnt start Hoddle, we would beat them. Then................HOUGHTON!!!!!!!!
I was at Primary school in Hong Kong. I remember we had an assembly in the morning during which the (English) music teacher was asking the kids there to name the teams taking part; after they had gone through all eight teams he then said Ireland was probably the weakest side and England one of the strongest. The game was on at around 9pm HK time - I remember my Dad jumping up and down thumping the sofa in a mad frenzy when Houghton scored. Next day at school, we had another assembly. I remember we sang a football song before which that same teacher said sheepishly 'A song for all you Irish fans' ... I remember thinking 'Ha!!' :D :D
Probably at home in Cork, crushing toy soldiers with a Tyrannosaur. I was 3.
i was 6 - dont remember:p
I was at the game. We stayed on for the whole tournament including final. Been on many trips since, but, nothing will ever beat our first ever qualification for a tournament.
http://www.dermothardy.com/pictures/...land%20end.JPG
At the game and can be seen in one TV view signing along to "Come on you boys in green" (yes, the chants haven't changed much). I had waited 34 years for us to qualify and what a way to start!!
It's funny but I will always remember the game but never the time I watched it as I was in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia glued to a black and white Tv set in a very run down hostel , hard to beleive it was 20 years ago ..........:)
i still had 3 months until i was born :)
A mate of mine was in Cordoba yesterday for the 30th anniversary of Archie Gemmils goal againt Holland. He was able to get on the pitch and do a Phoenix from the Flames type recreation.
Would love to do that in Stuttgar in 10 years time.
in a nappy rolling around on the floor :D
:oUp along with my father in the athletic grounds, Armagh, watching Donegal get thumped in Ulster championship.
:DGo for it Neil!......with 10years to go you should be able to get in shape!Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
I am sure I can be just like Ray Houghton is now.
8 years old in a jammed pub. Couldn't see the TV at all but got the idea of what had happened when the goal went in. Burnt my arm on some guy's cigarette too. :mad:
In the Neckarstadion Stuttgart behind the goal.
20 years where have they gone.
The greatest day in Ireland's history bar none (and no I did not leave out the word football by mistake).
First game in a major finals and what a way to enter the world stage.
The reaction of the Germans afterwards was fantastic too. We were cold shouldered before the game but had little old ladies shaking our hands afterwards, "Thank you thank you so much for beating England".
We slept in our broken down car the night before as it was too wet to pitch the tent. Those 84 minutes probably took years off my life but who cares.
In the Archway Tavern North London, chaos and believe it or not a lock in was required as pubs used to close on Sundays during the day back then,
Well, they had failed twice before ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by gspain
Quote:
Originally Posted by beautifulrock
I'd say it was some lockin though rock!
Naughty naughty, the game was on during holy hour if I recall corectly! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Schumi
Watched at at home, my Da had gone over but wouldn't take me, the swine!
Was just gone 18 and a student, had no cash to go over myself, still sick over missing it! :(
What a day though, was in disbelief afterwards, the pubs filled up more and more for the Russia and Holland games over the next week as the non football fans in the nation stood up and started taking notice and the homecoming down O'Connell Street, while not the same scale as in 1990 was still amazing. Proper spontaneous homecomings not like the contrived boll1x up the phoenix park we had to endure in 94 and 02.
Truly the start of something special in Irish society, heady days.....
in my kitchen, with my mum, uncle and sister. I was 9. At the final whistle, I remember my uncle on his knees, banging his head against the floor in celebration! I went outside and picked up my 'Maradona' football, and kicked it up in the air. In my emotional state, and due to my lack of skill, I ended up kicking it into a patch of briars from which it was not recovered for years.
My dad and brother were on a quay in Wexford waiting for a boat to take them to the Saltee Islands, as they went every year. I was mercifully still too young to go that year. They watched the first half in a bar, then had to head to the quay to be in time for the boat. Except, the lads taking them out to the islands didn't turn up for another hour, because (as they cheerfully admitted) they'd been watching the game.
I'm guessing the same for me. I was only two months old.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jofspring
It was a bar in a sports club, were they covered by that?Quote:
Originally Posted by Drumcondra 69er
I remember having to break out of a bar in Drogheda during a holy hour 12 years later to go to a game. :D
In the lounge in a hotel in spain. full of english people except me & my ma. even at 8 years old I knew to make the most of it.. kids can get away with horrendously gleeful gloating!!!
You parents rolled you around on the floor when you were 2 months? Explains a bit! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by superfrank
Anyone got a video clip of the goal??
I was ten watching the game at home in my house. I remember sitting in the corner during a break in play praying to God that we would hold out. We just about did. By that stage I had been at a good few Ireland matches and had already caught the bug.
I was 10, watched it at home, recorded it (kept it for years , no idea what happened to the tape)
then went to a fundraising fete of some sort beyond the bons hospital in tralee, met a pal of mine and we spent ages laughing at kenny samson and peter shilton. glorious day in kerry too.
was also shocked at how few people on the day had watched it. I was banging off the walls.
When Houghton scored I was probably becoming a thought in my parents minds.
My parents were gone to it so I watched it in Daddy no.2's house across the road, I'm told. Just 3 at the time, I can't remember any fundraising fete near the Bons, the glorious weather in Kerry, nor, thankfully, the hangover the day after. :D
Any decent sized photos?
I'm having to make do with a fairly pixellated photo of the scoreboard on my desktop at the moment.
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.
I watched the game at home with my family.
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.
Remember it like it was yesterday Wolfie - remember the auld fella nearly jumped through a plate glass window when we scored!!
I am genuinely impressed at your lot's powers of recall. I can't remember all the details of games we won two or three years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by G Spain
Somewhere, he's running still....................................:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Youwerethereray
well your fathers anyhow ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by irishultra
Wolfie the t-shirts were done before the actual game, how was it not an over-statement then? Before it I mean?! :confused:
I was 5 and god knows what i was at. I cant remember any of it unfortunately, though my brother tells me i should remember and "am a brat for not remembering" as he was just ond enough to fully understand what was going on.
I was a 4 year old, who unfortunately was born to parents with no interest in sport. I watched Italia 90 in the neighbours house because it wasn't to be seem in my gaff. I remember it even though I was 6.
I was only 7 at the time. Oblivious to the going-ons of one Ireland's greatest football achievements. Dont remember anything about football till the build up to Italia '90!
True. didn't Quinn come off the bench and throw himself at a corss for a decent diving header as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfie
Bonner was inspired that day, I remember the Irish times the following day had a cartoon entitled 'St. Patrick' with Bonner diving around the goals and the ghostly figure of St. Patrick in full regelia with his crozier in his hand and mitre on his head shadowing Packies every move and saving anything that got past him! :D
.....pride ,tension, emotion, fear, Neckar Stadion Stuttgart had it all that sunny Sunday.The freakout for the goal remains the best of the lot, falling down steps, total incredulity written accross every face.This was soon followed by the realisation that there was 84 minutes remaining.I still have the Cork City jersey(complete with blood stains thanks to Ingerland fans) I wore that day.The German response afterwards was humbling, free beer ,backslaps, it had never felt so good to be Irish.In the hostel the following morning every fan had that high on life mood, it wasn't a dream, we had beaten England 1 nil:)
Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
It was three times according to the T shirts "2 world wars and 1 world Cup!" on the front - "England invasion of Germany 40 years on" on the back.
It was just 2 British teams according to the locals until we won and there was obviously a lot of stuff on local tv as the attitude changed completely after the game.