Tony ADAMS

Graham Taylor recalled Adams in October 1992 for a World Cup qualifier against Norway at Wembley, and a stunted team performance resulted in a 1-1 draw. Tony stuck around for the next six games as England got their campaign back on track with two victories over Turkey and a 6-0 mauling of San Marino. Then the Dutch overturned a 2-0 deficit to grab a 2-2 draw at Wembley and England struggled thereafter against Poland, eventually managing a scrappy 1-1 draw. Adams then played in a sweeper system for the first time in his England career as Taylor shuffled his tactics for the visit to Norway, but confusion reigned throughout the England side, which lost 2-0. The subsequent summer tour of the USA didn't feature Adams but he was back in for massive World Cup qualifiers at the end of 1991. England thumped Poland 3-0 to give themselves a chance if they could win in Rotterdam, but Holland overran England's defence and, with the aid of the odd controversial refereeing decision, won 2-0. Taylor's last game in charge was the 7-1 no-brainer against San Marino and Tony didn't play, but his stop-start England career was about to receive its first major shot in the arm for six years with the appointment of Terry Venables. Adams became an immovable object at the heart of the England defence and, fitness permitting, he finally would take part in his second major tournament as England were hosting the 1996 European Championships and therefore qualification as hosts was in the bag. Venables' first two years in charge was all about initially building a spine to his team and he pretty much had it, with Tony providing the defensive aspect. Moreover, Venables decided to switch the captaincy from David Platt to Adams, simply in order to have a natural bawler and encourager leading the team.

Tony captained his country for the first time in October 1994 at Wembley when England drew 1-1 with Romania. It was his 33rd appearance in an England shirt. The confirmation of his permanent appointment to the captaincy came in September the following year when the emergence of Paul Ince and completed repatriation of Paul Gascoigne made Platt's place in the team less secure. With the spine built, Venables tried a number of centre backs to find Adams' partner for the European Championships - as Walker had drifted away from the international scene, a more ball-playing and pacier companion at the back was required, and experiments with Wright and Pallister were unimpressive as a result. Less familiar players like John Scales, Colin Cooper and David Unsworth were tried in the Umbro Trophy competition of 1995 but never came back, while the likes of Steve Howey and Sol Campbell were deemed worthy of a gentle and gradual introduction to the rigours of international football but too raw to be considered first choice defenders. Ultimately, Adams was paired with the elegant Gareth Southgate and, at times, the veteran hardman Stuart Pearce as manager Venables switched between a flat back four and a back three. The defence performed superbly as England conceded just two goals in their group games and quarter-final against Spain (see pictures above) before losing on penalties once again to the Germans in the semi-finals. Adams' captaincy throughout the competition received continent-wide praise, as did his candour and humility as he revealed afterwards that he was receiving treatment and counselling for chronic alcoholism. (Matthew Rudd)

Tony Adams' effort to put his addiction troubles behind him was supported wholeheartedly by a new manager at Arsenal, the Frenchman Arsene Wenger, who instilled new lifestyle habits into the ageing defence he inherited and as a result, Adams' found himself maintaining his highest level of performance despite passing the age of 30. Called up by Venables' successor Glenn Hoddle in September 1996 for the first game after the summer's dramatics, Tony was dismayed to be told he was losing the captaincy to striker Alan Shearer, who at that stage had never captained any of his clubs. The decision certainly confused sections of the media, and Adams later gave a press conference to vent his spleen at the decision Hoddle made. However, Tony was frequently in squads though not as immediate a choice on the teamsheet, with Hoddle showing occasional inclinations towards a three-at-the-back system and additionally giving Sol Campbell an opportunity to establish himself in the side alongside Southgate. Hoddle, aware that Adams would be pushing 32 prior to the 1998 World Cup, sought other options in defence but ultimately turned to Tony when qualification was within touching distance.

Adams only played two of the first ten games of 1997, but the crucial second was the goalless draw in Italy (the photo above is just prior to the game on 11th. November) which guaranteed England's place at the finals in France. Adams was one of many colossal figures in Rome and, injury permitting, was finally due to grace a World Cup finals. As Arsenal's form improved and their title chances grew into a certainty, Hoddle kept Tony in the loop in the early part of 1998, with him winning his 50th cap in a stunning 3-0 friendly win over Portugal at Wembley. Hoddle picked him for the World Cup squad and Adams defied his years and ageing muscles to play every minute of England's canter through the group and the classic second round game against Argentina which went to extra time and penalties, England playing much of the game with ten men following David Backham's 47th minute red card. England's exit on penalties was upsetting but honourable and Adams' appetite for international football never waned as preparations began for England's assault on a 2000 European Championship qualifying group containing Sweden, Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Poland. (Matthew Rudd)

Tony Adams played in the first game of the 2000 European Championships qualifying campaign as England lost 2-1 in Stockholm and Hoddle dropped him for the next two qualifiers. It looked bleak until Hoddle's infamous remarks to The Times cost him his job, and caretaker boss Howard Wilkinson brought back Adams - and two of his Arsenal defensive colleagues - for a friendly against France. Many claimed Tony's Arsenal team-mate Nicolas Anelka exposed his club skipper's frailties with advancing years as he scored both goals in a 2-0 French win, and when Kevin Keegan was appointed to the job afterwards, he left Adams out of the next four qualifiers. Tony came back for a 6-0 cakewalk over Luxembourg and stuck around, winning cap number 60 in a 2-1 friendly win over Belgium before putting in two giant performances against the Scots as England stuttered past their biggest rivals to win a European Championships play-off 2-1 on aggregate. Adams was once again on his way to the European Championships, selection permitting, but there seemed little doubt that he would be in the squad for Belgium and Holland, although he only played one of the four pre-tournament liveners, in the process scoring his first England goal for a dozen years with a bouncing shot (not a header from a set piece) versus the Ukraine at Wembley. England's concession of a 2-0 lead against Portugal to lose the opening game of the competition 3-2 didn't endear the defence to the critics, with Nuno Gomes netting the Portuguese winner after escaping the clutches of Adams. Tony was replaced by Arsenal colleague Martin Keown in the 81st minute after picking up an injury that was to keep him out of the remainder of the tournament, England going out sorrowfully at the end of the group phase, but he was back afterwards to play his part in a 1-1 friendly draw against France in Paris.

The 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign then got underway in the most daunting of manners, with Germany visiting Wembley (the photo above is during the game) in the old stadium's last ever match in October 2000, four days before Adams turned 34. An early free kick to the visitors prompted chaotic organisation of the England wall which allowed Dietmar Hamann the opportunity to exploit a big gap and slam a quickly-taken shot past David Seaman. Tony ventured forward as things got desperate in the second half and saw his late, stooping header saved at the near post. Upon the final whistle Keegan resigned, and a few days later Adams, who had looked noticeably strained in the last stages of the match, issued a statement announcing his own immediate retirement from international football, stating his weakening body couldn't cope with the workload any more, and while Rio Ferdinand finally got his chance as a result, Tony found that the longer rests enabled him to win more honours with Arsenal before finally retiring from the game as a whole. The history books are rightly kind and complimentary to Adams because it was a long, distinguished and patriotic England career, yet 66 caps, while outstanding, probably should have been more than 100 when considering various factors: the 13 year gap between the first cap and the last; the unjustifiably long periods out of the reckoning; and the two major tournaments he missed. But this is churlish, as it's hard to think of anyone - perhaps even the great man Moore - who was more born to captain England than Adams, and he remains a player of which his country can be hugely proud. (Matthew Rudd)