(Part 4) 1986 World Cup.
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Bobby Robson finally seemed to have got the message about Hoddle which the player himself brought home to him with a series of fine performances prior to the tournament getting underway. However, an underperforming England lost a shocker 1-0 to Portugal in the opening game and Glenn found himself undertaking unfamiliar defensive duties when England were reduced to ten men thanks to Wilkins' red card against Morocco and were forced into a goalless draw. Wilkins and the injured Bryan Robson were both absent for the decider against Poland in Mexico City and Robson threw in the entirely pragmatic Peter Reid and went for less flair on the flanks by dropping Chris Waddle and calling up Steve Hodge. Hoddle was finally free to dictate, and dictate he did. Gary Lineker plundered a hat-trick and England were off and running, with Paraguay waiting in the second round. Glenn's supreme, twisting, low centre helped Lineker to the opening goal against the unfancied South Americans (the inset picture shows the celebrations), and his corner was blasted towards goal by Terry Butcher early in the second half for Peter Beardsley to pick up the scraps. Minutes from the end, Hoddle delightfully sent clubmate Gary Stevens away down the flank with a sublime left-footed pass and Lineker stroked home the resulting cross. A 3-0 win and Glenn had set up all three. This was why his England career still mattered. Argentina's threat in the quarter-finals was not lost on Robson, who admitted that he spent much of his pondersome moments at the England hotel wondering how he could shackle Diego Maradona, something which nobody had managed to do thus far. It led to concerns that Hoddle may be dropped - even in the absence of Wilkins and Robson - with the likes of Stevens being recruited to put the squeeze on the Argentine captain. Eventually, Robson decided to sacrifice the natural England width and prompt Hodge and Trevor Steven to play as tucked-in midfielders, allowing Reid to hold it together and Hoddle (Glenn is pictured above contesting a high ball as Maradona looks on) to seek out attacking opportunities through the centre. Maradona's illegal opener with his knuckles was something for which no coach could legislate, but Glenn and everyone else was beaten and dead when Maradona took on the whole England rearguard to score his stunning second. England fought back thanks to John Barnes' late cameo, with Hoddle and the others all following instructions to get the ball as fast as possible to the Watford winger, but only one goal was produced and England came home. (Matthew Rudd)
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Picture of Glenn Hoddle taken on 15th. October 1986 by George Herringshaw.
(Part 5) July 1986 to 1988.
| Glenn Hoddle went back into enigmatic mode after the World Cup, with Robson again opting for caution ahead of entertainment in the lion's share of games leading up the 1988 European Championships, although Hoddle was not ostracised entirely. He played in the qualifying wins against Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland (the photo above is during the Irish game) and hung around through the summer of 1987 as he also finalised his move from Spurs to Monaco. However, the emergence of Nottingham Forest's more pragmatic Neil Webb, a skilled player but not to the extent of putting bums on seats, heralded the beginning of Hoddle's end. Webb scored the final goal in an 8-0 destruction of Turkey at Wembley in a qualifier, having been set up by Glenn who was playing via the bench. Hoddle was then only a sub again - on for Webb - as England completed their group with a 4-1 rout of Yugoslavia in Belgrade and, with Robson honing a partnership between Webb and the irreplaceable Bryan Robson during the early part of 1988, Hoddle's place in the team was again put in doubt. He only featured in three of the six matches leading up to the tournament in Germany and started none. Although handed a place in the squad, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that England would start the 1988 European Championship finals once again relying on wingers for the creativity and more indelicate play through the middle. England were woeful in the opening game against the Republic of Ireland, throwing on Hoddle as a late sub for the overawed Webb, but he couldn't exercise any influence and the Irish team won 1-0. The media clamour for Glenn then re-emerged. This was the fiercest pro-Hoddle campaign there had been since the earliest days of his England aspirations, and Robson knew deep down he had to fight the immense Dutch creative fire with creative flame of his own. Hoddle was in, Webb was out, and Chris Waddle also stepped aside to account for the extra central craft and the more stamina-led Steven was installed. England hit the post twice - once through an off-song (and unknowingly hepatitis-riddled) Gary Lineker, and once through a stunning Hoddle dead ball effort which curled outrageously round the Dutch wall. Holland's luck then turned into authority and they eventually won 3-1, ending England's ambition for the tournament. Robson kept Hoddle in the team for the pride-only third match but the Soviet Union out-thought and out-ran an extremely sorry England, who came home from a tournament in genuine disgrace for the first time ever. Hoddle, approaching 31 and playing away from English soil, was not considered by Robson again and the calls for his re-instatement rapidly subsided when the precocious Paul Gascoigne was spotted at Newcastle. Hoddle's England career lasted nine years - a period which more appreciative coaches would have ensured produced twice as many caps as the 53 he ultimately attained. It remains one of English football's great mysteries just why Greenwood and Robson wouldn't find room for him, even when the hopes of England actually seemed to depend on it. (Matthew Rudd) |