The Big Matches Of The Day 1990s

At the dawn of the 1990s, English football was arguably at its lowest-ever point. Horrified by the disasters at Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough, plus the ongoing blight of hooliganism, supporters had voted with their feet. Attendances had more than halved since the post-war boom and facilities at grounds were basic at best.Under Bobby Robson, and against the musical backdrop of Luciano Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma and the England squad’s World In Motion, the national team restored pride in the beautiful game with a thrilling run to the semi-final of Italia 90, where it ended in tears, some of them Gazza’s, after a penalty shootout. Graham Taylor was unable to maintain the feelgood-factor and it was left to Terry Venables and his players to rekindle the fans’ passion at Euro 96, forever associated with the chant of Football’s Coming Home. Sadly, the trophy the country yearned, after thirty years of hurt, proved elusive, following another cruel shootout loss, which became an unwanted hat-trick in France two years later.On the domestic scene, the old First Division was replaced by the new Premier League, and marked an end to Liverpool’s dominance, as Manchester United, then Arsenal, came to the fore, with Sky’s coverage of this Whole New Ball Game and the gradual transition to all-seater stadia attracting new fans to the sport. For all the changes off the field, the drama on it was just as compelling as it had always been, culminating in the astonishing climax to the 1999 Champions League Final, summed up afterwards by Alex Ferguson: 'Football, bloody hell!'