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00:00So Alan, welcome to 442, we're going to do a little Euro 96 look back, some iconic tournament
00:18Good times
00:18Indeed, pre-tournament then, presumably you would be raring to go, you were in the prime
00:26of your career, England had missed USA in 94 and there'd been no competitive games for
00:31two years, so you must have been ready to go
00:33Well I was ready to go but I hadn't scored in those competitive games leading up to the
00:37tournament for two years, so it was about 13 games if I remember rightly, so I was ready
00:43to go but I was also under huge pressure from everyone, including my teammates, the manager,
00:49the fans, because of the number of forwards that were around then that were also scoring
00:56goals on a regular basis, I mean I'd scored for Blackburn, I think I'd got 34 that season,
01:03so it wasn't as if I wasn't scoring but I just couldn't score for England leading up
01:06with the tournament and then Terry Venables pulled me to one side about a month before
01:10the tournament and sort of said to me, whatever happens, you will be my number one centre forward
01:16and you will start that first game against Switzerland and I just thought wow, for him
01:21to have that belief in me, I felt as if I couldn't let him down and I had to go out, I mean luckily
01:28I scored in the first game against Switzerland and then went on to finish top scorer so God
01:35knows what would have happened if I hadn't scored but yeah I owed Terry a lot for having the belief
01:41in me.
01:42What's the story of Euro 96 starts for England in China, can you remember why that was picked
01:48as a destination for the pre-tournament warm-up games?
01:50I haven't got a clue, China and Hong Kong, I remember more about it in Hong Kong in the
01:55dentist chair than I do the games to be honest, yeah we were on our, we'd finished and we're
02:03on our way home and we decided to go out or we were let out to go out for a few drinks that
02:08turned into a few more and a few more and then before we know it there was one or two in
02:13the dentist chair and things had gone a bit too far, I was sort of there but I was at the
02:19back you know I could see everything happening but I was like hiding away at the back and then
02:25I just thought this is not, this is not going to really be a good look if this gets out and
02:30it did and then all hell broke loose but to be fair to the manager Terry he sort of stuck
02:39by us and he used that as a rod really for us to repay him and everyone loved him, we all
02:46respected him, he was an amazing coach and like a genius as a man manager and he used
02:53that to his strength and we sort of all sort of got together and we'd realised what had
03:01happened, we realised how bad it looked and being front page instead of back page, yeah
03:09and he used that to his advantage and it worked I mean because as I said we all respected him
03:15and got on great with him and we were all determined not to let him down. Did the problem
03:21start when Terry sent Brian Robson to be the chaperone for that evening? It's not a good idea
03:26really. Yeah I mean Robbo was renowned for us having as good time as anyone and he was a great
03:31bloke Robbo and still is obviously but probably not the wisest of ideas to send Robbo out and keep
03:38eye on us but yeah everyone loved him and he got on with everyone as well but we all know Robbo did
03:47like a pint or two yeah. Very sensible move from you as a 25 year old though to sort of back away when
03:52you notice things were getting a bit light. I don't know whether that was through luck or with that
03:55was that was other people I was with I was with the Umbro guys, a good friend of mine Simon Marsh who was
04:01with us and sort of he was the one that sort of kept me back at the bar really rather than going into
04:08the centre into the dentist chair. We'll get to the football in a bit. I'm still very interested in
04:12China because a lot obviously happened. The flight home, Gaza says in his book that he was asleep on
04:18the plane until someone slapped him in the face. Don't know who that was. Yeah and well he did say
04:23actually it was you. Oh really? I don't know if we need to get the lawyers involved but was that
04:29yourself or because that caused a bit of an excitable Gazza on the flight? I don't think
04:35Gazza needed any prompting to be excitable but honestly to this day I couldn't tell you whether
04:42it was me or not and I wouldn't take his word for it but someone must have done something to upset him
04:49you know but yeah he didn't need much prompting did he but honestly I couldn't tell you whether it
04:58was me or not and I'm not just saying that. Fair enough. It was an interesting summer for yourself
05:02as well because your club future was up in the air. Can you remember what your frame of mind was
05:06because that would have presumably been quite a big distraction but obviously it didn't distract you
05:10when the tournament actually started? No it wasn't a distraction at all because I just said I'm putting
05:16everything on hold until after the tournament and that's exactly what I did. I knew how important
05:21the tournament was. I knew how much I had to go out and score and I couldn't let anything else get in
05:27the way of that so as tough as it was it was it was parked it was parked until after the tournament
05:34and I didn't speak to anyone regarding my future at club level at all during the tournament and it
05:40was all going to be done after it. Did you think you were leaving Blackburn though? Not really no I knew
05:46that I had big decisions to make but there was also still an opportunity or a chance that I was
05:51going to stay at Blackburn. I hadn't a clue what I was going to do. I knew that I had chances I knew
05:58that we'd sort of finished further down the league than I wanted to do after winning the league the
06:05season before but no honestly I didn't have a clue what I was going to do. Does Alan Shearer get nervous
06:12before games you'd have been forgiven for being nervous before that? No no excited not nervous I
06:16mean I had a bit of the knot in the stomach but I think that's a good thing I don't think that's
06:23nerves I think that was excitement rather than anything but I never really got got nervous and
06:29all I was just I just wanted to get out there and get started. And where does the Switzerland goal
06:32rank? A huge relief to get just open. I think in terms of importance it was one of the most important
06:39goals I ever scored. I mean it wasn't one of the better goals and it was a good pass it was a good
06:44run and a decent finish but in terms of importance yeah right right up there. Was the Scotland game
06:50the biggest game of your career to date at that stage do you think? Not really no. In terms for
06:58England or club level? I think just the magnitude of playing Scotland and both teams had drawn their
07:02opening games it was just felt like a massive game at the time. No it was a huge game I mean in terms of
07:08being the most important my career probably not but in terms of it being a big game yeah it was it was
07:17big I mean all England Scotland games whether Wembley or Hamden or wherever it may be are big games
07:22but that game could have went either way as well I mean we hadn't played fantastically well against
07:30Switzerland we drew the game we didn't play really well either against Scotland we got a little bit
07:36of luck with them missing the penalty because if they score that penalty then who knows they miss it
07:41and then within a few minutes we're up with the other end and Gazza scores that brilliant goal
07:45and it's really funny actually because not many people remember who scored the first goal obviously I do
07:51but everyone remembers and rightly so because it was that was such an iconic moment in English
07:56football to do it against Scotland at Wembley in a major tournament Gaza and they I mean the
08:04brilliance of the goal was something else there's not many people could have done that if any there'd
08:09been calls from it be dropped before the game but you did just feel he had that moment of brilliance in
08:13him and and so it proved him yeah I mean there was there was there was plenty of calls for him not even
08:19being in the in the squad I mean but Terry knew him better than anyone and he loved Terry he had a
08:25respect for him and it was vice versa so I think Terry knew that Gazza owed him and we all owed him and
08:33again it was the how good he was at the man management thing Terry and using that to his advantage and the
08:40team's advantage so if anyone was going to do that then it was going to be Gazza and when he did score your reaction was
08:47brilliant you ran straight to the bottle and and did the dentist chair we did the dentist chair that
08:51was all that was all planned whoever was going to be nearest to whoever score then yeah that that
08:59celebration was always planned and well planned and it worked out pretty well yeah and obviously just
09:03prior to that was Gary McAllister's missed penalty and the moving ball did you did you see that at the
09:09time didn't see it at all no I didn't see it I just was obviously I was wasn't far behind it but I
09:14didn't I didn't see the ball move at all until until after the game yeah did you chat about that in
09:20the dressing room with the players anyone reference not that I can remember to be honest no I mean
09:24who was the guy that tried to claim that he moved it who was it Uri Geller that's it Uri Geller yeah
09:29um I remember reading about that nonsense but um I don't remember it too much being mentioned in the
09:35dressing room no the following game Holland they were tournament favorites 92 favorites to win
09:40and England's performance was like shockingly good did did it take you by the surprise or did
09:46you feel like England had a performance like that no I just we I felt as if there was something special
09:51happening before the game on the way there because the the atmosphere was sort of built and after the
09:55Scotland game you know the confidence and the belief in the country and the thousands of people that
10:00started to line the streets when we got within a mile or two of Wembley the music got a bit louder
10:07on the bus you know and the atmosphere on the way to the game and and everyone else was getting that
10:11little bit more excited but I didn't see us putting in that performance against them no I mean I felt we
10:17could win but not as convincingly as we did that was probably the best England atmosphere I played in
10:25um and without doubt I think a highlight of uh of my career um with England and I just the atmosphere
10:34during the game before the game and particularly after was just it was off the charts and it was
10:39when we went back to the hotel as well you know we had such a great atmosphere and we had such a great
10:43squad and I think that was probably the first time we felt we could perhaps go on and win this your
10:50second goal against the Dutch was that the best team goal you've ever been involved in you overloaded
10:55them and found the extra man which was you and you've all you powered it into the top corner yeah
10:59I mean Terry Terry as I've mentioned Terry a few times because of how good he was I mean we we talk
11:06now about how Pep and uh Jurgen changed systems changed players into Terry was doing that back in 96 you
11:13know we we played three or four different systems and during that game and we knew we were going to change
11:18we knew we were going to flip into a three at the back or four at the back or or Gary Neville was
11:23going to push further upfield or or whatever it was we knew that we were going to play different
11:27systems and that's how good he was but to do it against an opposition how good they were um and to
11:33make them look as poor as we did then um we felt that was in us but not as much as uh not as much as
11:39that Patrick Clymer just famously scored late in in in sent Scotland yeah that was a perfect evening
11:45and won it because us winning scoring four winning the game and then us conceding one which ultimately
11:51knocked Scotland out didn't it so um it was a perfect evening yeah the um Venables regarded Spain
11:58as stronger than Italy Germany and Holland and that was who England played in the quarter final
12:03um it was the first time England had experienced a golden goal situation as well how did that affect
12:08you as a player did you think it sort of tightened things up in extra yeah it was all a bit it wasn't a
12:13great game that I mean it was it was a bit tight and tense and um could have went either way um
12:19but what I remember that about that is is I know I had scored the first penalty but I was also aware
12:27of who was coming next you know knew that Stuart Pearce was coming after his miss in 90 him and uh him
12:33and Chris Waddle were missing for someone to step up again and say give me the penalty and it was a
12:40redemption time if you like I mean I can't tell you the pressure that you're under and the walk
12:46from the halfway line to the penalty spot is the longest walk you'll ever make in your life
12:51there's a million things going through your head um it when you go when it's going well there's a
12:58million things going through and when you haven't when you've missed a penalty like he has and the
13:03size of it and the enormity of of missing a penalty in a world cup then to say oh all right I'll take
13:08another one um and I mean I think we were all probably as worried as he was you know you can
13:14tell even now if you look at the pictures of it or the videos of it the the reaction and the the
13:20relief on on his face more than anything is isn't is incredible nothing was said of in the Spanish
13:26press of Herrero and Nadal who missed the Spanish penalties and they've rarely been asked about it
13:30afterwards yet Southgate Waddle Pierce they get asked about I suppose that tells us a lot really
13:35about the English mentality towards well I mean it might be different in their in their country
13:40the questions in in in Spain would have been as probably as intense as they were here when Waddle
13:48and um and and Pierce missed I guess but just because we're in our country I suppose we we focus more
13:55on that but um yeah I mean I wouldn't I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy you know missing a penalty
14:00of of that size and and I mean you've got you've got millions of people watching on television all
14:08around the world and in England or wherever um you've got the 90,000 in the stadium who are watching you
14:14but I think you're under more pressure because of the 10 or 20 guys behind you and your team who you
14:21don't want to let down you know um and that's why you're under the most pressure so it's a it's a bloody
14:28tough walk that is but it's probably even tougher if you haven't hit the back of the net thankfully I
14:33never experienced that I mean in thankfully England won a penalty shoot having to set up a famous game
14:38against Germany in the semi-final is it true you forgot the three lines tape to play on the bus on
14:44the way to Wembley is that story true no not that I remember no I wasn't aware it was uh it was my job
14:50I mean I wasn't captain then in 96 so um I was captain a couple of months after that but it wasn't
14:57my I don't think that was my job to remember that but I always I always remember those coach journeys
15:02from the hotel to the ground they were brilliant I mean because you're on your own you're in the zone
15:07the music's blasting and everything else and yeah there were good moments but no I can't remember
15:11that no can you can you remember when you first heard the song and did it caught on after the
15:17Scotland game I think I remember yeah when we were asked to take part in it I'm thinking what the
15:22am I doing getting involved in in a video of I mean you can you know when you go into cup finals and
15:27you see all these players making prats of themselves when they're going to get involved in this song and
15:32that's I think I don't I'm not it's Skinner and Bedile you know I was thinking but then it was
15:38such an iconic song I mean even now fans are singing it before the Euros and what have you for England so
15:43in a in a in a strange way it was great to be a part of yeah do you ever pop it on quietly
15:48I can't remember the last time I played it no but I was forever playing it during year 96 even at
15:54night time you know it was blasting out of my room yeah so between 66 and 96 it was obviously the 30
16:01years of hurt England had played Germany 13 times lost nine of those games won two friendlies yet
16:07we played them in the same final you scored after 133 seconds did you think this is it we're destined
16:12to get the final yeah I think we thought that after Holland you know and then to win a penalty shoot
16:18out against Spain so you just you know when you just get that feeling that this might just be it
16:24and then me scoring after a minute and a half yeah and in the semi-final yeah we got the feeling that
16:31that was it but we knew because of who they were and what they were Germany at times against good
16:37opposition you're gonna have to suffer and it's yeah suppose you need a little bit of luck here and
16:42there um they could have won it we could have won it with Gaza in extra time um but then it goes down
16:50to penalties again yeah the the game became you know they equalized the game became tense but I
16:55felt the extra time England who were naturally a more attacking team they seemed to go for it was
17:00that instruction from Terry Venimals to let's try and get this done with the golden goal in extra time
17:04yeah I think so yeah I mean that was that was Terry was always positive that was always his mentality
17:09was that we were better than them we could take the game more to them we had we had more energy
17:15um and but it's you have your penalty takers but very very rarely are there are those you know still
17:25on the pitch at times you know you've got I don't know you you look at tiredness or you look at
17:30whatever but if I remember rightly I mean there were 10 unbelievable penalties from five from us and
17:35five from uh from Germany and then you're into I'm reluctant to say they also runs but then you're
17:42you're into the guys who really don't want to take a penalty um and it was one where okay oh and you can
17:50see one or two heads going down when the managers who's looking around to who wants to take the penalty
17:56after the first five that are chosen or who are the first five who have have said yeah and practiced
18:02um but then you're into I think you're into luck land really of of what happens after that
18:09those players you say who who put their heads down do you remember the conversation do you hold any
18:15resentment towards those lads who didn't want to step up no never because if you if you're asked
18:20you've got to be you've got to be honest in that situation um because it is really tough it's really
18:26hard you know that if you and if you've never taken penalties and you've never been in that
18:31situation then the manager looks at you said you want one and or if you're putting your head down
18:37in the hope that the manager doesn't ask you because you don't want to be looked upon as weak I guess
18:41um but then you're into who's brave or who's stupid I guess and Gareth was one of the brave ones and
18:49sort of put his hand up and said and I guess maybe in hope because think that it might it probably won't
18:55get past the uh the five that have put the hands up so um yeah I remember it well and looking around
19:02and thinking okay we probably should be all right here because I was I was confident with who we'd
19:06had because we'd already won one shootout in the quarterfinal and I mean you you can be critical of
19:13of as a striker of Gareth's penalty it was it was a it was a bit weak it was too central can you remember
19:19how he was afterwards do you remember did you speak to him in the change yeah I mean everyone was just
19:23in console mode you know just to make sure he was he was all right um and you had to face the reality
19:32of it I mean we'd been away for for a month and it's a long month you're getting into the last few
19:38days of the tournament um although we're all devastated and he was I mean he had to live with
19:44that still does now and I suppose it's out of his system now because he's won a penalty shootout as a manager
19:49um but you have to live with that for the rest of your life uh which is is tough as you've got to go
19:58back to pre-season you've got to go back to playing so um as I said I wouldn't I wouldn't wish that on
20:04my worst enemy because it's such a really difficult situation to uh to be in so there was no animosity
20:09there was no anger it was just we were proud because we'd given everyone something to shout of it
20:15it was such a great tournament um but it just wasn't to be you mentioned that that Gaza moment
20:22in extra time if you volleyed it across to him I just my read of that is sort of his football and
20:26IQ was so high he's tried to read the goalkeepers parry and hesitated yeah there's just that I mean
20:32I've watched it a million times as you can imagine I'm thinking what the have you stopped for you know
20:36it's like but yeah he just has that he just has that split second which may be um that made all
20:45the difference I suppose it was I don't know why he hesitated I don't know what the reason was um
20:50perhaps he thought he could get to it and then stopped again and what have you I mean it was a
20:55it was a cross come shot for me it was one of those where if you if you hit it at the far post someone
20:59might get on the end of it but no one did he said if it was the other way around him volleying it to
21:04you your instinct would have been to go to the ball probably yeah I mean I don't know you'd never
21:08know that but I guess so yeah did you watch the final Czech Republic where we're 80 to 1 I did you
21:13know I'm I mean I was such a I suppose I'm putting my selfish head on here yeah I remember watching
21:19it and sat there like that because I think if there was one thing to come out of the tournament
21:24then at least I could walk away with a golden boot but I was also aware that if Jurgen Klinsmann had
21:30scored a hat-trick um and there was every chance because you're playing the Czech Republic who
21:36weren't great I mean it's pretty much a given whoever won between us and Germany we're going
21:40to go on and and win the tournament so I sat there with my hands over my face hoping and praying that
21:45Jurgen wouldn't score so I could at least take home the golden boot 442 is 30 years old this year our
21:52first ever cover was Terry Venables so we'll leave the last word to Terry he did multiple systems during
21:58Euro 96 he should be given credit for backing you um having coming into it on a barren run yeah
22:04and where does he rank in in terms of managers he played he was a genius everyone loved him
22:09everyone um respected him he made training really difficult but really enjoyable that so much that
22:18he didn't really want to come off the training ground and um yeah he was ahead of his time what
22:23Pep and what Jurgen are doing now he was doing in 96 on before that brilliant thank you thanks very much