#They are The Moment! The Drama! The central players of this unjust game!

[ancient-day]

While I'm already reaching into game mechanics for significance, I'll also go ahead and point out that the fusion of the Fool + Justice arcanas creates Star, which is the primary symbol of the game.

[365footballorg-blog]

Graham Taylor: When England's World Cup hopes were ended by Koeman in Rotterdam

Media playback is not supported on this device

International friendly: Netherlands v England Venue: Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam Date: Friday, 23 March Time: 19:45 GMT Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, online, tablets, mobiles and BBC Sport app. Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website.

England in the Netherlands. For an entire generation of fans, the very mention of the fixture brings on a shudder, a cold sweat. A reflex impulse to berate a linesman.

Friday night’s friendly in Amsterdam may be an important piece in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup jigsaw, as well as a big night for new Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman, who takes charge of his country for the first time.

But a turbulent night in Rotterdam 25 years ago ended hopes for another England team.

Koeman, then his country’s captain, was a central figure in a match that had it all, along with David Platt, Brian Moore – and, of course, Graham Taylor.

England’s then-manager would find his time in charge forever bound up by Dutch defeat – an unjust one, in his eyes at least.

It was a drama played out on both a national and a human scale, as a warts-and-all documentary broadcast on Channel 4 a year later carried images of Taylor’s touchline fury and exasperation into the memories of England fans forever.

Graham Taylor – football pays tribute[1]

‘A true gentleman’ – Phil McNulty’s obituary[2]

Listen again to a 5 live special: Tributes to Graham Taylor[3]

The big problems Gareth Southgate must sort[4]

When he died last year,[5] Taylor was a much-loved, much-respected manager and pundit.

But in the aftermath of his failure to reach the World Cup finals of 1994, he was vilified, felt “cheated” and almost left the country.

This is the story of that match, the documentary, and how it affected Taylor.

‘It sticks with you for life’

“If you say ‘Holland’ to me, to this day I see David Platt running through on goal. I can’t help it. When things don’t go well as an England manager, it sticks with you for the rest of your life.”

<!–

Wednesday, 13 October, 1993 was a date lodged firmly in the mind of Taylor when we spoke on the 20th anniversary of that fateful night.

Three years into the job, three years after Bobby Robson, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker had captured the nation’s hearts by reaching the semi-finals of Italia 90, the unthinkable happened.

But how had it got to that point?

Taylor’s touchline Taylor produced some memorable lines in ‘The Impossible Job’: “Can we not knock it?” “Do I not like that…” “It’s got to go, son. It’s got to go big. It’s got to go big!” “Go Les! Hit Les! Hit Les over the top!” “Wrighty? It’s made for Wrighty to come on and score, isn’t it?” “The referee’s got me the sack. Thank him ever so much for that won’t you?”

After a poor Euro 92, which saw England eliminated in the group stages after scoring just once in three games, Taylor’s maiden World Cup qualifying campaign got off to a bad start.

Leads at home to Norway and then the Netherlands were squandered, putting qualification in doubt.

“We played very well in both of those games and if we had won just one, which we deserved to, we would have been OK,” Taylor remembered.

The away double-header in May and June of 1993 did not go well either.

A draw in Poland and defeat away to leaders Norway in the space of four days left Taylor’s side up against it. However, after an impressive 3-0 win over Poland at Wembley, England’s fate was in their own hands going into the penultimate fixture in Rotterdam.

“We were a point above the Netherlands, with two games to go,” said Taylor. “A draw would have been enough for us to qualify and we were as confident as we could expect to be.”

No Gazza, no problem

With captain Stuart Pearce injured and Lazio midfielder Gascoigne suspended, Taylor made five changes to his side.

<!–

Off the pitch, he was called on to help smuggle in the documentary crew who would film so many of his famous moments after they were denied access by the Dutch FA. The crew donned England tracksuits and carried their film equipment into the stadium in team kitbags.

Once the match kicked off, Leeds full-back Tony Dorigo – standing in for Pearce – smashed a long-range free-kick against the post, while Frank Rijkaard had an effort for the hosts disallowed in a goalless first half.

So far, so good.

The Koeman incident

<!–

The match, England’s hopes and Taylor’s career were all transformed by a two-minute spell around the hour mark. Andy Sinton – on at half-time in place of Carlton Palmer – hit a long ball over the top for Platt to run on to.

The England skipper was hauled to the ground by Koeman, but referee Karl-Josef Assenmacher decided to only show the Barcelona man a yellow card, rather than red.

The documentary was to show Taylor imploring the German official to send Koeman off, memorably asking fourth official Markus Merk: “What sort of thing is happening here?”

Even 20 years later, Taylor was incensed by the decision.

Media playback is not supported on this device

“I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a goalscoring opportunity and Koeman should have gone,” he said. “Fifa had made a very strong point in the weeks before the game that the denial of a goalscoring opportunity was to be a straight red card.

“He should have been sent off, absolutely.”

<!–

After the game, Koeman admitted he had expected to be dismissed. Instead, Dorigo’s free-kick was blocked by the advancing Dutch wall and two minutes later the home side were given a free-kick at the other end.

To heighten England’s sense of injustice, it was Koeman who stepped up to score.

His first effort was charged down by Paul Ince, but he made no mistake second time around. ITV commentator Moore’s prophecy of “he’s going to flick one, he’s going to flick one” proved accurate as the future Southampton and Everton manager curled the ball into the top corner.

“That was when I lost it,” Taylor said. “I honestly felt that we were being cheated. The referee was favouring the home side, I really felt that, as the free-kick we had blocked was exactly the same.

“The only other occasion in my career I felt like that was when I was in charge of Lincoln and we had a terrible penalty awarded at Birmingham. But this was obviously worse.

<!–

“I lost the plot because I honestly and truthfully felt that England were being cheated in a vital game for the country.

“That was the worst I’ve ever been on a touchline. I’d never been like that before. But that is the one time I end up on film, so that’s what people remember.”

Paul Merson hit the post again but a second goal for the Netherlands followed, with Dennis Bergkamp scoring.

“The referee’s got me the sack,” Taylor told the linesman in the closing minutes. “Thank him ever so much for that won’t you?”

Taylor concluded his reign with a futile 7-1 win in San Marino in November 1993,[6] as the Netherlands secured qualification by beating Poland. Taylor resigned six days later.

“I try not to think about what would have happened next if Koeman had been sent off,” Taylor said. “I’m sure we would have qualified for the World Cup and I probably keep my job. But that’s life.”

‘An honest piece of film-making’

Taylor’s documentary is legendary. Film-maker Ken McGill and his team had been recording Taylor and his team throughout the qualifiers, with access that could only be dreamed of now. Taylor had agreed to take part in the programme as he hoped it would show the differences between club and international management.

But as results turned for the worse, the focus shifted to Taylor himself – the man in the ‘Impossible Job’, the title of the film that more than six million people tuned in to watch.

<!–

“I didn’t ever expect that we wouldn’t qualify; I was arrogant enough to think that,” admitted Taylor.

“So I was keen to show the problems of being England manager. Then, as the results went on and we didn’t qualify, I became more central to the documentary, quite rightly.

“You’re the country’s number one villain.”

Taylor thought about cancelling filming before the trip to Norway in June 1993, but knew that the written press – who were already hostile towards him – would seize on it as an admission that England might not qualify.

“One positive which came out of it is that people saw I was passionate about the job,” Taylor said in 2013. “But I can’t watch it. I put a little bit of the documentary on my computer recently but I couldn’t watch it.

“I said to myself: ‘Don’t watch it Graham, because for the next week you’ll be down.'”

In the aftermath of his resignation – and being labelled a ‘turnip’ by the Sun newspaper – Taylor considered leaving the country. Instead he stayed and rebuilt his club career, taking Watford back to the top flight.

The documentary was a hit. But McGill, who has also made films[7] with Gascoigne, Lennox Lewis and Ian Botham, had mixed feelings 20 years on.

Taylor may have been able to return to work, but his assistant Phil Neal was criticised for being ‘a yes man’ after the documentary was broadcast. At the time, he was England’s most decorated player, yet his managerial career never recovered, with a brief spell in charge of Manchester City in 1996 his last job as a coach.

“At the time I felt terrible,” McGill admitted in 2013, “not only for Graham but I also feel responsible for Phil not being able to earn a living in football any more.

“If it wasn’t for Graham’s help, we would not have been able to film in Rotterdam. We would have missed all of that drama.

“I found it hard to take the consequences of the film. But there is nothing I would change. It is a piece of honest film-making.”

A version of this feature was published on 8 October, 2013[8]

References

^ Graham Taylor – football pays tribute (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ A true gentleman’ – Phil McNulty’s obituary (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ Listen again to a 5 live special: Tributes to Graham Taylor (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ The big problems Gareth Southgate must sort (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ died last year, (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ Taylor concluded his reign with a futile 7-1 win in San Marino in November 1993, (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ who has also made films (scotsese.blogspot.co.uk)

^ A version of this feature was published on 8 October, 2013 (www.bbc.co.uk)

BBC Sport – Football

Graham Taylor: When England's World Cup hopes were ended by Koeman in Rotterdam was originally published on 365 Football

[spryfilm]

“Decline and Fall” (2017)

TV Series/Comedy

Episodes: Three

Created by: James Wood

Featuring: Matthew Beard, Stephen Graham, Douglas Hodge, Jack Whitehall, Eva Longoria

Jack Whitehall has come a long way since his British sitcom origins, he has worked to become a regular celebrity on English television, so it is not without any surprise that he may want to try something a little different. HE has struck gold with his new television series, “Decline and Fall” (2017), not quite a comedy but more fun than a drama – it has mixed results but the inclusion of a high caliber of supporting players means that there is always something interesting to look at, as well as a rich analysis of the upper class in the UK.

I was fascinated to see how this series would function as it was adapting an classic novel by Evelyn Waugh (Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh) into something that would not only be entertaining but fun to watch, with some acerbic wit thrown in. My mind was put at ease when I saw the name John Wood, the creator of the excellent “Rev” (2010 – 2014) which like “Decline and Fall” (2017) balanced drama, comedy, plot and narrative in such an expert way that it left you only wanting more. Wood seems to have a knack for comedies about people who are trying to find their way in an unjust world where no matter their own principles they are faced it situations outside of their control.

The series sees Paul Pennyfeather (Jack Whitehall) as an inoffensive divinity student at Oxford University in the 1920s, who is wrongly dismissed for indecent exposure having been made the victim of a prank by The Bollinger Club. This is just the set up, any more plot would spoil his on going adventures into a calamity of a life.

This is a wonderful mini-series that cracks along at a pace that may surprise many, it follows Paul as he stumbles from one situation to another – there are many elements within the narrative that are taken from other genres which make this great for a modern audience. There is no doubt this is a comedy that makes the central character the brunt of others whims to the point that he becomes a truly powerless figure without any agency of his own – but because of extremely poor decisions made by Paul you can never feel pity for him. Pennyfeather is taken advantage of by almost everyone from the opening scene where he is stripped naked, forced to run home naked while saviors are all around. Of course Pennyfeather is a representation of the lower classes of the time (although that could be easily said to be now, an anti Forrest Gump if you will) who is pushed around by the rich and powerful but never really getting ahead in the game of life. Of course the high and mighty that exist in this plot are all devious disguised crooks who are all guilty, one way or another, while Pennyfeather actually plays their victim, doing their bidding but clueless in every respect.

“Decline and Fall” has a real eclectic cast that on the surface may seem disparate but come together to bring the story to life in a way that my surprise many viewers. The cast led by Jack Whitehall who plays Pennyfeather without a hint of irony comes alive in a role like he has never before, which bodes well for his coming career – having escaped any comedy dungeon he may have been facing. There are far too many fantastic character actors to delve in too deeply but I have to talk about a couple.

Firstly not all characters make appearances or at least long appearances in every episode. The always-great Stephen Graham as Philbrick who turns up as a kind of butler in the first episode plays such a different part to anything else he has ever portrayed, is at once menacing, terrifying, funny as well as empathic all at very different moments throughout the series. Probably the surprise of the series is the American import Eva Longoria who plays Margot Beste-Chetwynde, the mother of one of Paul’s students, but by the end of the series is something of a femme fatale of sorts, who as a somewhat antagonist plays a most important part in Paul’s life, as well as his ultimate fate. The other main supporting character is David Suchet who plays one of the oddest characters in this series, he is initially a head master at the school Paul initially winds up at, playing it straight but with a bent that will strike many as eccentric, but like everyone else is not what he first appears. Finally Douglas Hodge as Grimes who comes and goes and must play three distinct versions of the same person, you will die laughing especially with his exaggerated limp.

The writer as well as main producer James Wood has crafted something utterly magnificent in his version of a fine novel that plays out like a bad dream, especially for the main character, Paul Pennyfeather. Wood who was the creative behind the excellent underrated “Rev” that featured another anti-hero in the form of Todd Holland’s Rev. Adam Smallbone (another great name), here has Pennyfeather the person not so much stuck in the middle, but pushed out in front of everyone else. Whereas Smallbone had some modicum of control, here Pennyfeather seems to have none at all – he is at the whim of others, even when he thinks he is being independent and in control. In fact much of the action takes place around him much like the student being shot in the foot on sports day, like us Pennyfeather is just a witness – great stuff.

Another aspect of the show is just how perfect the tone is, as well as how evenly the performances are with each actor within every scene. “Decline and Fall” is also a great break from other genre shows that are floating around, such as the endless supply of police procedural shows as well as the thrillers that seem to proliferate at the moment. The show is also a nice refrain from many comedies that have been produced, it is not highbrow but can come off like that, it is an interesting juxtaposition with many shows, even with its source material. When Waugh wrote this there is no way he could have known that it would be adapted into a television show, so we are witnessing a hero that is semi-autobiographical as well as an ideal hero of Waugh’s – but of course this is a deeply flawed character, which makes it even more human.

If you get a chance to view this mini series you should grab the chance, it runs for a little under three hours so it takes a small amount of time but the rewards are immense as is the entertainment, just great television, with excellent performance from a classic novel.

  DVD review: “Decline and Fall” (2017) “Decline and Fall” (2017) TV Series/Comedy Episodes: Three Created by: James Wood Featuring: Matthew Beard, Stephen Graham, Douglas Hodge, Jack Whitehall, Eva Longoria…