Know The Ledge: The Curse of ’66

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World Cup eulogies continue as CaughtOffside new boy Know the Ledge ponders the pain of knowing your history.

In a year when John Lennon told the world that The Beatles were ‘more popular than Jesus’, when the first credit card was introduced into Britain and some kung-fu kicking french footballer was born, there was a moment which has gone down as the greatest and most talked about moment in English football ever.

The Boys of ’66 may have made history, and 40 years later still be held up as a model team of impeccable discipline under the fierce but beloved leadership of Sir Alf Ramsey, but instead of being the greatest sporting achievement by an English team has it instead struck a curse on today’s heroes who are looking to emulate that great feat?

The media as a whole find it too easy to compare every aspect of our game and our every result to that triumph. The pressure put on our lads is increasingly moving away from an inspirational benefit to an incredible weight visible on every players face throughout the tournament, this was supposedly according to Sven our best chance of World Cup glory since 1966 and told his players: “We’ll be here on the last day on 9 July.” Quite.


Everywhere we look we are reminded of that day in 1966, whether it be ITV supplying us with documentaries abut England route to the final and a ‘drama premiere’ about a dog who found the world cup voiced by Harry Enfield or every clothes shop on the high street selling replicas of the red jersey worn by Moore and Co.

For England to be champions of the world once more, we must move on from the inflicted obsession with 1966 and concentrate purely on what is in front of us. Playing in the World Cup is pressure enough without having being reminded of what was achieved 40 years ago, putting faith in the future and looking ahead is the only way we will ever get close to becoming world beaters.

But that does, however, mean that Geoff Hurst will never get work again.