More highlights from the programme collection. Today a game which, just like the Eurovision Song Contest (GO Katrina !) EVERYONE wanted England to win. Apparently.
Certainly every male over 60 will remember where they were the Jan The Clown prevented us taking our rightful place alongside Scotland and Zaire at World Cup ’74.
I’ve found you (I think) the Polish commentary of the entire match, with one minor omission from about 59:35. See if you can spot it.
The highlight for beer enthusiasts in the programme is this gamechanger.
Or at least it was when it resurrected as Ind Coope Burton in 1976.
I had no interest in football (or beer) back then, being converted at the age of 11 by Dennis Tueart’s acrobatics that I’m still trying to recreate in my back garden for the BBC.
But I’ll bet the villagers of Laziska Gorne were huddled round the telly cheering wildly as their team of no-hopers (which had just beaten England at home and drew in Holland, incidentally) held on.
Here they are in their quaint little bar in 1973 2016.
The roads from home to Sheffield yesterday were as good as I’ve experienced in England ever, almost as good as the route to Laziska we took at Christmas 2016 with our Polish friends from Waterbeach.
Laziska is a rambling town of power stations, coal mines and electronics; not quite the Castleford of Upper Silesia, but you know what I mean.
Our Polish friends were keen to take us to the Tyskie Brewery, but as you know I have no love for breweries. I wanted to see pubs.
It took quite some convincing to be allowed instead to venture into their local bars.
The Polish Grandad described them as “unsympathetic“, while I got the impression Mrs RM’s friend Blanka felt them firmly male-only. Mrs RM isn’t scared of anything, though.
The star of the night was Bar Antalek. Sadly, no website/Facebook/Twitter, but the opening hours are on the door and confirm it’s never shut.
This was the Polish equivalent of the boozer in Erlangan that I loved, though lacking the Landbier or aggressive smoking of that gem.
The Tyskie, Zywiec, and Zubr (NPBSS 3.5) were near identical, and with no bottled options in sight. Unlike Stockport, you can’t nip over the road for a Holts or Robbies when you get bored of Sam Smiths here. Only £2 for a pint and two halves mind.
The beer was secondary though. I wanted to know what the locals were saying (they showed no interest in me or the two blondes). The penalty for Bayern’s 3rd ? The possibility of a Christmas supply of Cloudwater DIPA ? The Mother-in-Law’s cooking ?
No, it was apparently a detailed list of their meals that day, and some reflections on their old schools. BRAPA would have loved it, if Simon understood Polish.
Actually, just the sort of crowd you’d get in a Castleford pub, and even cheaper than that WMC in Glasshoughton that once flirted with the Guide.
Across the road we found the ubiquitous “Beer & Pizza” place. I think it’s called Pizza BRAPA.
There were a handful of drinkers in here, and clearly the local pizza parlours serve as bars for the young. I liked this a lot; as an 80s style hangout with MTV and pool it was pretty decent.
In St Neots it would clean up. Alongside the big Tyskie font they had bottles of Ksiazece Golden Ale, which was a revelation.
If I find another Polish football programme I’ll write about (well, steal from previous blogs) the craft beers in Mikolow and Krakow. I know you want that.
Clough and the Clown ! What was rare was that the game was live on terrestrial TV.
Quite like Zubr and Tyskie. Cheap bottles and cans from my local Polish shop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The lagers are fine but we had some fantastic strong dark beers from the well-known Polish brewers over there; like an Old Tom.
LikeLike
They really don’t mess around when they open a bag a chips. Looks like a family pack.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great stuff. Any chance of you posting a contemporary clip of the Denis Tueart goal? Failing that one of you doing Norman Hunter’s missed tackle would also be fine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If RM won’t re-enact it on here, try The Lightening Seeds.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hoping he will do it if enough of us sign a public petition.
LikeLike
I can recreate using the Eton Rules where you’re allowed to catch the ball.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We call it goalkeeping up here
LikeLike
You have goalkeepers ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
They had Alan Rough !
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know next to nothing about football but wasn’t it that Alf Ramsey who made a surprising suggestion to Rodney Marsh before a match ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was at that game…skived off school with my parents blessing. Me and a mate travelled down to Wembley on a coach organised by the Polish Club of Scunthorpe.
We set off early to try and visit another Polish club somewhere in London. I can’t remember if we found it, but I do remember the coach driver struggling to manoeuvre round parked cars on some narrow streets as we inevitably got lost!
We were behind the goal that England attacked in the second half. I do remember the sickening feeling as Norman Hunter missed the tackle and the subsequent shot under Peter Shilton’s body to effectively knock England out of the World Cup. I also remember how the Polish goal seemed to live a charmed life and the last gasp save on the line from Kevin Hector!
Needless tosay, it was quite a rowdy coach ride home and I do remember one of the Poles, who had a broad Scottish accent, being doubly pleased by the result!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great memories, Pete. Though you were going to tell me you were a ballboy.
I can’t work out how the qualifying tournaments seemed to ensure a top team failed to qualify. England lost out to Italy 4 years later and the Czechs in 75.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Though you were going to tell me you were a ballboy” – or made the tea at half time !
“I do remember the coach driver struggling to manoeuvre round parked cars on some narrow streets” – and I remember at about that time in one of London’s Squares the driver of an empty coach not being able to get round a corner and asking me and a friend to ‘bump’ a couple of cars out of the way which we did. I then imagined the surprise of the owners returning to find their cars in a different position but unharmed.
.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Back in those days only 16 teams qualified for the World Cup Finals (it became 24 in 1982) so if you didn’t win your group that was it…no playoffs! Poland were the up-and-coming team, England were on the wane!
For the 1978 World Cup England lost out to Italy on goal difference…and Scotland qualified from a 3-team group that included Wales and Czechoslovakia!
LikeLiked by 1 person
And now you just have to beat the Faroes and Kazakhstan to go through !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Only the group winners went through. England were top seeds but both Poland and Czechoslovakia topped the group. By the time England lost out to Italy, we were not top seeds anymore.
i wonder how folks in years to come will cope with the 2020 Euros eventually being held in 2023 ? Or the more immediate fact that Wolves could end up playing in the 2020/21 Europa League qualifiers whilst still being in the unplayed SF round of 2019/20 ?
LikeLike
You’re spot on Fred, but seemed a bit nonsensical to only have one team go through, less groups with more teams and top 2 would have been better. How did Scotland qualify in ’74 and ’78 ? (checks) Oh, they beat the Czechs. Twice. I take it back.
LikeLike
I’m still hoping for their 1974 League Cup final against City to be replayed. They can play the 74 team against our current team if they want.
LikeLike
Great stuff! I’ve never been to Poland but instinctively warm to the Poles as a race as they appear to be great fun. Oh yes, and they like beer. I’m loving these programmes…I Used to have loads back in the day but they’ve gone. Do you think anyone collects or reminisces over rugby programmes??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rugby ? Do hope not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Polish people are great. There’s a big difference between their modern craft beer days full of youngsters and the basic net curtained bars serving Tyskie. Bit like Jewellery Qtr v Digbeth.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m with you in the net curtained place!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Poles I’ve met have mostly been conscientious young farm workers with a preference for spirits rather than beer.
LikeLike
The Poles I know are an architect, a teacher and an IT guru !
LikeLike