As Bad as Things Got: England at the Euros; 12th June 1980

England qualified for the first eight-team iteration of the European Championships, but things couldn't have got much worse for them once they arrived in Italy.

This is the first of a three-parter in the build-up to Euro 24, with Scotland and Wales to follow over the next two weeks. Interested but hitting a paywall? You can upgrade to a paid subscription here.

The 1970s were a dismal time for the England national team. They started the decade as the champions of the world and with what was considered a reasonable chance of defending their title, but by its end they were among international football’s also-rans, with a rapidly declining reputation both on and off the pitch. 

Failure to qualify to two consecutive World Cup finals was compounded by underachievement in the European Championships. They were played off the pitch in the quarter-finals of the 1972 competition by West Germany, while their interest in the 1976 competition ended when they failed to win either of their last two qualification matches and lost out to eventual winners Czechoslovakia.

The managerial situation seldom felt much more secure. Alf Ramsey had to be practically dragged from his seat in 1974, while the subsequent tenure of Don Revie turned out to be little more than three years of rancour and indecision. When Revie upped sticks and left for the Middle East in 1977, it was likely as much a relief to the FA as it was an embarrassment, but which direction should they take next?