Nessun Dorma 80s & 90s Football Podcast

S4 Ep7: Kevin Keegan's England - Part 2

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Episode notes

In Part Two, KK goes into full KK mode, with the smiles broad as England take a 2-0 lead against Portugal in their first group match. The panel reflect on why David Beckham was right in his belief that it was a precarious lead as Portugal eventually cruised to an easier victory than the 2-3 scoreline suggests. After a 1-0 win over a ponderous Germany in which KK’s lack of tactical nous mattered less than his ability to motivate players, the epic drama concludes with the tragicomic defeat to Romania, Phil Neville’s impetuous late foul and the subsequent penalty leaving England, with Fowler, Owen and Scholes looking on from the bench, needing a goal that doesn’t come. In the epilogue, a miserable farewell to the miserable old Wembley Stadium sees Didi Hamann skid in a long-range winner and KK resign in the toilets, some players in tears and Keegan himself writing his obituary as an England manager - "I'm not up to it”. He may not have been, but Rob, Lee and Gary, with the perspective of 20 years, find that there’s much to commend about the lad from Doncaster whose heart was always to be found just below the T-shirt line we hear so much about these days.  

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