To listen to the full four-part series instantly, subscribe to our Patreon where listeners can enjoy ad-free listening, our World Cup Wednesdays, bonus editions and live Q&A episodes.Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson begin a four-part series revisiting England’s 1966 World Cup win by focusing on Sir Alf Ramsey’s background and the conservative England setup he inherited, including the FA selection committee and a poor early World Cup record. They argue Ramsey, often caricatured as dour, was socially conservative and xenophobic but tactically radical, demanding control of selection and modernizing England with a system-focused approach influenced by his Ipswich success, zonal marking, and experiments that questioned traditional wingers. They discuss his reserved personality, class and heritage issues, a reported instance of backing a player convicted of gross indecency, and why blaming 1966 for later English insularity is misguided. Ramsey’s early England results are mixed, but a 1964 Brazil trip helps crystallize his shift away from 4-2-4, and by April 1965 the emerging core includes Banks, Moore, Jack Charlton, and Nobby Stiles.00:00 Meet Alf Ramsey01:49 Ipswich Miracle Title03:28 Ending Selection Committees05:20 England World Cup Woes06:50 Dour Yet Radical09:23 Xenophobia And Origins14:14 Was 1966 A Curse17:28 Ramsey Playing Roots20:36 Ipswich Tactical Experiments24:38 Brutalism And Football27:27 Brutalism Meets Football31:21 Ramsey Blueprint Emerges33:02 First Camp Shock Therapy36:43 Early Results and Doubts40:05 Brazil Trip Reality Check40:43 Curfew Crackdown46:16 Tactics Shift and New Spine47:51 Jack Charlton and Stiles Debut53:19 Foundations of 1966 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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