Gary M. STEVENS

An athletic and committed full back, Gary Stevens was probably the most maligned of all Bobby Robson's regulars who went to the World Cups in Mexico and Italy but his reputation within the game was always strong, and for four years he was untouchable in England's number two shirt. His competitive, raw streak and crunching tackles made him a hero of Everton's outstanding young side of the mid 1980s and Robson, unconvinced by Viv Anderson and whose experiment with Mike Duxbury had been scuppered by the Manchester United player losing his club place, decided to take a look at Stevens when selecting an extended squad for a mini-tournament in Mexico in the summer of 1985, a year before England hoped to back there for a slightly bigger contest.

A problem was caused due to the presence already of professional football's other Gary Stevens (the Tottenham defender) in the squad, which was the first instance of two players of exactly the same name being called up together (the two Dave Watsons missed each other by two years) and given Robson's reputation for being confused over his players' names, jokes aplenty were made. The England fans joined in by singing "there's only two Gary Stevens" once the two finally featured on the same field together in the Rous Cup game against Scotland in April 1986. By now, the Everton right back had become England's first choice right back with a series of assured performances, pushing the ever-patient but frustrated Viv Anderson back into the reserve role he had occupied previously under Phil Neal. Stevens was given the number two shirt in England's squad for the World Cup and was duly named in the side for the opening group game against Portugal. Slack covering from Gary and fellow full back Kenny Sansom led to Portugal scoring the game's only goal; then a goalless draw with Morocco left Robson with pondering to do over changes he had to make, some due to unavailability (Bryan Robson was injured, Ray Wilkins banned) and some through lack of form.

Stevens had received his first bout of criticism and Anderson awaited a recall, but Robson decided to keep faith with Gary (predominantly because changes in the midfield had taken lots of pace from it, leaving Stevens as the fastest outlet on either flank) and he responded with one of his best England performances, combining superbly and telepathically with Everton team-mate Trevor Steven, reprising their club roles as they set up the first of a glittering hat-trick for another Everton pal, Gary Lineker. Poland were swept aside and England were on their way. Against Paraguay in the second round, Stevens had the awareness to nod a clever rebound down to the feet of Glenn Hoddle after an initial attempt at a cross had been blocked, and Hoddle swept the ball across goal majestically for Steve Hodge to slide in and set up a Lineker tap-in. Later, the other Stevens came on, which led to amusing confusion, but the FA and the teamsheets had got round the identification issue by referring to the Everton full back as "M.Gary Stevens", because his real first name was Michael. England went through 3-0 and Argentina beckoned in the last eight. (Matthew Rudd)

The only England player who came close to stopping Diego Maradona's awe-inspiring second goal in the 1986 World Cup quarter final was Gary Stevens. The attack by Maradona occurred down England's left and so right back Stevens was the only player of a defensive bent (this included his three fellow defenders, a defensive midfielder and a goalkeeper) whom the Argentina captain didn't dribble past on his way to goal. The rapid Stevens was only a yard or so away from covering the near post at which Maradona steered the ball home, and Gary had to stop himself from smashing into the post head-on, such was his effort to get across the defensive line and provide cover when all his team-mates had failed.

England lost 2-1 and came home but Stevens had played in every minute of an eventful and unlucky World Cup campaign, and felt quite rightly that his place in the team was secure and vindicated. Robson selected Anderson for the first five games after the World Cup, including four qualifiers for the 1988 European Championships, while Stevens nursed an injury. Gary was recalled for the 1987 Rous Cup tournament and played well in the two draws against Brazil and Scotland and, by the time the qualifiers resumed at the end of 1987, Stevens was the man very much in favour again. Winning the League title for the second time in three years helped, while Anderson had joined an underwhelming Manchester United team and was not regularly at right back. After qualification was assured with fine wins over Turkey and Yugoslavia, Stevens won his 20th cap in a 2-2 draw with Holland in March 1988 and then played his only England game away from the right back position a month later when he came on as a substitute for the injured Stuart Pearce and played a few minutes at left back instead.

Gary then contributed cleverly to a superb England winner against Scotland in the summer's Rous Cup game at Wembley (the photo above is during the game), when his swift throw-in led to a magnificent dummy and turn combination between Peter Beardsley and John Barnes, with the former scoring the only goal of the game as a consequence. Stevens won his 23rd cap in a friendly against Switzerland prior to being given the number two shirt again in the squad which headed for Germany. Anderson was once again his back-up and the tournament would prove somehow to simultaneously make and break Stevens as England's right back at the same time. (Matthew Rudd).

England were notoriously appalling during the European Championships and Stevens received his rightful share of the criticism. He did little wrong as an individual in the opening defeat to the Republic of Ireland but against Holland in Dusseldorf he made a bad error which gave their opponents the lead. Gary was retrieving a ball on the touchline which had dropped behind him but was slow to react - or didn't get a shout from a team-mate - as Ruud Gullit popped up behind him and stole the ball. As Gullit crossed into Marco van Basten in the six yard box, Stevens raced across to try to make amends. In the time it took van Basten to turn Tony Adams upside down and get into a shooting position, Gary had valiantly reached the Dutch striker and made a last-ditch challenge as he took his shot. He got to the ball, but only to the extent of helping it into the net. A split second earlier and it would have been deflected wide.

The 3-1 defeat ended England's hopes of progress and Stevens then duly played as poorly as every other player in the shocking 3-1 defeat to the USSR which heralded a return home in complete disgrace. Again there were calls for Stevens to be replaced but Robson stood firm. Anderson was ageing and Robson discarded him, but there was no immediately better alternative to Gary for the number two shirt, which acted as a back-handed compliment and also an incentive to Stevens. He duly completed a lucrative move to Glasgow Rangers and began to produce his best form at club level. Robson gave Mel Sterland of Sheffield Wednesday one single cap and then declined to try him again, before realising that the pace and athleticism of Paul Parker in the Queens Park Rangers defence could be a viable alternative to Stevens. Parker was a centre back at club level but there were far too many ahead of him in this position internationally, yet his pace and distribution, as well as defensive capability, lent credence to the idea that he could work the flank.

As the qualifiers for the 1990 World Cup got underway, Stevens was still in control of the right back's jersey but Parker was given a debut in April 1989 and stuck around in the squad afterwards, giving Gary food for thought. Stevens hadn't helped himself when he committed an error in a friendly in Greece two months beforehand, losing the ball as he turned away from a winger and subsequently watching in horror as the hosts took the lead, although England fought back to win 2-1. He later redeemed himself by setting up both goals in a 2-0 Rous Cup win over Scotland at Hampden; the first a magnificent curling cross which was headed home with glee by Chris Waddle in the first half, before a more speculative but still accurate centre was brought down aggressively by debutant Steve Bull, who crashed it home. In a 3-0 win over Poland in a World Cup qualifier a week later (the photo above is during the game), Stevens sent over another superb cross, this time from the byline and on the sprint, which John Barnes volleyed home to make the game safe at 2-0. (Matthew Rudd).

The odd mistake was always highlighted when Stevens made it, but his credentials as a fit, courageous and resourceful full back were often being strengthened too. England secured their place at the World Cup after drawing 0-0 in Poland, which earned Stevens his 35th cap, and he then followed that with his best individual performance in an England shirt when Italy came to Wembley for a friendly. Gary combined superbly in attack with Waddle on the right flank and, rarely for him, had opportunities to score his first England goal, when he fired an angled set-piece shot narrowly wide from 30 yards with Walter Zenga well beaten, then hit the side netting from distance as Steve Hodge, Chris Waddle and Peter Beardsley proceeded to destroy the Italian resistance with some real flair play. This got the critics off Stevens' back and re-affirmed his role as an experienced England campaigner with a World Cup approaching. A debut was given to Arsenal's late-developing Lee Dixon in April 1990, whom Gary had acknowledged publicly as a real threat to his place, but only Parker was ever in contention for Stevens' role in the team as Robson put the finishing touches to his squad. For the fourth tournament in a row, Gary would wear England's number two shirt, with his 40th cap coming in the opening group game against the Republic of Ireland. The howling gale which whistled through Sardinia made the conditions unbearable and Stevens didn't have a good match, with his Everton team-mate Kevin Sheedy giving him a hard time and later scoring the Irish equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Robson afterwards switched to a three at the back formation for the game against Holland and decided to use Parker on the right instead of Stevens. Gary watched helplessly as Parker flourished in the role and stayed in the team up to and including the semi-final heartbreak against West Germany, which England lost on penalties. Stevens returned for the pointless third-place play-off game against Italy (the photo above is prior to the game) and waited to see what Robson's successor, Graham Taylor, would have in store for him. It seemed sensible for Parker to be regarded as England's first choice right back from here on in, though it was worth also considering whether he could act as an orthodox attacking right back in the Stevens mould when England were playing in a flat back four, which gave Gary some hope. (Matthew Rudd).