Gary Jordan - Out of the Shadows: The Story of the 1982 England World Cup Team

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2017

Pitch Publishing

A2 Yeoman Gate

Yeoman Way

Durrington

BN13 3QZ

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk

Gary Jordan, 2017

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Print ISBN 978-1-78531-316-5
eBook ISBN 978-1-78531-372-1

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I WAS excited when Ron Greenwood got the England job because he had tried to sign me for West Ham United when I was at Plymouth Argyle. Hes a great tactician and what a fantastic manager.

The qualifying campaign wasnt ideal because we had to wait until the last game against Hungary. It was a bit nerve-wracking all the way through, but we got there in the end. That final game was a great team performance in front of a full house at Wembley. To get the winning goal against Hungary to send us to Spain felt wonderful. I couldnt ask for more.

Personally, the build-up to the World Cup finals themselves could not have gone any worse for me. I ruptured my Achilles tendon, so I had to have rehab at Cambridge University. Dr David Dandy did the surgery, and he was fantastic. Afterwards I worked very, very hard indeed to get back to peak fitness. Soon I was back in the first team at Ipswich Town and was back amongst the goals. This form got me recognised again by Ron and I was back in the England squad. I thought Id lost my chance but it was by the skin of my teeth that I got into the World Cup squad.

We knew going into the first group game against France it was absolutely crucial that we win. Ron said that he wanted to play a high-press game. It was a very hot day in Bilbao. We came through that game with great confidence, winning 3-1. Czechoslovakia wasnt as difficult as the France game; we saw them off early, and fairly easily, 2-0. By the Kuwait match we were qualified for the next round, and they offered different challenges, but we beat them 1-0, so that was fine.

Then we moved on to Madrid to the Bernabeu for the second round. Playing West Germany and the hosts Spain was a tall order. We drew both games. Yes, West Germany had chances, but we also had chances. I think if wed have had Trevor Brooking and Kevin Keegan fit it would have been different. We were undefeated in the tournament, but still we exited. FIFA had to change the tournament format after that. It was a massive disappointment for the players and all the England fans. We all thought we were very unlucky.

Every single boys and girls dream is to play for your national team and to play at the highest level, in the World Cup. So, for me to have been fortunate enough to play in every game, to score the goal that got us through, then to go to the World Cup, was that dream fulfilled. That I ended up equalling Jimmy Greaves goalscoring record for England of consecutive games hitting the back of the net, is still something I am very proud of.

Most of all, I am proud of the way that England team played, the way that we conducted ourselves, and the way that we represented the country. Same old thing in football, its just the smallest of things that can let you down.

It was an incredible honour to be part of it all.

Paul Mariner
Former Ipswich Town and England striker

I T was a decision that was born out of pure desperation and frustration. The more annoying fact that in hindsight the whole episode couldve been avoided.

Kevin Keegan was the poster boy of the England team. His flowing black perm made him instantly recognisable, and his boyish grin would light up a room. He epitomised everything that was English football. A fierce competitor on the field for both club and country, but a fun-loving, family man off it. He was modest enough to know that even though his place in the starting eleven each week was crucial to his teams success, each game could also be his last, such is the nature of the game. Keegan was fortunate enough not to be labelled as injury-prone, therefore his playing career was a long and fruitful one. Having paid his dues with Scunthorpe United, he was scouted well by Liverpool and this is where he made his name globally, before a switch to Hamburg in Germany in 1977. He made his international debut in November 1972, a 1-0 win against Wales, but wasnt a regular feature until 1974 when Don Revie started to see the influence he could have on the team and started to build around him.

However, England were in a transitional phase after the departure of 1966 World Cup-winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey, and failed to qualify for both the 1974 and 1978 World Cup finals in West Germany and Argentina respectively. This meant that the 1982 finals in Spain were to realistically be the last chance Keegan would have at playing on the grandest stage. Having helped drag his team, and manager, through a dark and troubled qualification, that stage was now set.

Five days before Englands first game in a World Cup finals tournament for twelve years, Keegan had a huge problem. His back had troubled him somewhat in the past and had side-lined him on occasion. Sometimes he played through the minor discomfort it would cause. This time though it was to flare up enough that he could barely move, to the point that even standing up would mean excruciating pain. There was no chance of him recovering in time to face France, and with group games against Czechoslovakia and Kuwait due in the coming days, all of a sudden Keegans world, and indeed World Cup, had turned upside down.

He called a meeting with team doctor Vernon Edwards and manager Ron Greenwood. Keegan had a plan, although there was an element of risk involved. When this injury was at its worst before, he was playing in Germany for Hamburg and saw a specialist who had put this severe pain down to his constant heading of the ball. Although not that tall, 5ft 8in, he was often the man who would be used at set pieces for flick-ons. Add this on top of his usual amount of heading activity as a dynamic attacking midfielder. This repetitive strain had caused four vertebrae to fall out of place. Keegan tried his best to assure Dr Edwards that the specialist Jrgen Rehwinkel could perform a minor miracle by popping the displaced joints back into place and hed be back in full training within three days. Greenwood wasnt sure, so he asked Edwards for his opinion. The diagnosis was one that had Keegan fuming; he couldnt believe that the team doctor would order him to have an epidural for what he thought was simply a knotting of some muscles.

Ever the team player, Keegan went along with this charade knowing full well that it was not the cure. It was a simple enough procedure, and low key enough to keep the media off the scent of a front-page headline. Suffering the ridicule of his teammates when they found out that he had had an epidural, and subsequently pumped full of drugs to help and ease the recovery, but it was becoming clear the treatment wasnt working. Days were being wasted. The clock was ticking not just on Keegans World Cup, but possibly the fortunes of the entire team.