England Supporters Club

Adrian Bevington: The connection between England’s players and fans at a World Cup cannot be overestimated

Posted by Adrian Bevington at 13:41 on Saturday 14 June 2014

Even now I can recall it perfectly. Lucio stumbled and miscontrolled when heading towards his own goal, and Michael Owen seized the moment. I knew at that point, in Shizuoka in 2002, that Michael would score. And I have to confess that at that moment I really did think we are going to win the World Cup.

It is an emotion that takes over you, and although it didn’t turn out to be correct, one of the great pleasures of being an England fan is when you allow yourself to dream.

I’m able to mark out periods of my life in World Cup matches. One of the earliest England World Cup matches I recall was a qualifier against Italy in 1977. We played fantastically well and Steve Coppell and Peter Barnes made their debuts on the wings. They were electric and for that reason I played on the wing throughout my school days.

I was just devastated when England failed to qualify for 1978, and I was coming up to 11 years old when we finally reached the 1982 Finals. I remember vividly the build-up and being really excited about it, running home from school to get home in time to watch the England v France game.

Bryan Robson was incredible that day, scoring twice, and England looked brilliant in the red shirt with the white shorts and white socks.

One of the great features of any World Cup is when, in the space of three weeks, a player can build a reputation that lasts for decades. You saw it in ’82 with Robson and eight years it was the same with Paul Gascoigne. He was incredible and a true world-class talent in that tournament.

In 1998 I first went to a World Cup as an FA press officer, and it genuinely was a dream come true. My World Cup suit was the same as the players, and I was so excited when, on a blisteringly hot day in Marseille, Alan Shearer and then Paul Scholes scored in our opening game against Tunisia.

The round of 16 game against Argentina in St Etienne remains my favourite game I have attended. Michael Owen took the world stage by storm and I’ll always remember the sheer excitement and exhilaration when he burst forward to score that goal.

When you work around England you try and keep your emotions in check, but ultimately if you are still a fan and in love with the team, your aspiration is to be a part of a team that wins the World Cup.

A World Cup also serves to highlight the strong bond the players feel with the travelling England fans. That’s truly something that cannot be overestimated. The players do feel a massive connection with the fans at tournaments.

They frequently talk about it privately and publically, and recognise that there is a significant financial challenge on anyone who travels. And the players always want to acknowledge them both in praise but also when they are arriving in stadiums and at the end of games.

In Japan we saw such a large number of fans at a tournament that was so far from home and the behaviour was fantastic. That then became our template for the way that we travelled – there were huge numbers in Germany, huge numbers in South Africa and again we will have significant numbers in Brazil.

And it’s on times like this, when England prepare to kick-off their first match of the World Cup, that you realise what the players, the backroom staff and the fans all share.

We’re here for that moment when we let ourselves dream.