After Friday night’s dire performance in the World Cup group game against Algeria, PHILIP BARKER suggests 10 of the worst performances by an England team in the past 40 years. Post your suggestions in the Comments box below
1972 Berlin — West Germany 0, England 0 – European championship quarter-final second leg: After losing the first leg 3-1 at Wembley, Sir Alf Ramsey selected a physical squad to 
avoid another defeat against arguably the best German team of all time. “The whole side autographed my leg,” said German star Guenter Netzer.
1973 Wembley — England 1, Wales 1 — World Cup qualifier: England rescued by a goal from Norman Hunter. Never mind the Polish goalkeeper, dubbed “a clown” by Brian Clough, who blocked all efforts to score, this was the game which effectively stopped England from qualifying for the 1974 World Cup.
1973 Chorzow — Poland 2 England 0 — World Cup qualifier: Bobby Moore makes an uncharacteristic error and Alan Ball is sent off as England lose.
1976 Rome — Italy 2 England 0 — World Cup qualifier: Don Revie lacks ideas, England undone by Italian flair and what Bill Shankly called the goal of the century by Roberto Bettega.
1977 Wembley — England 0 Holland 2 — Only a friendly but England’s limitations exposed in a way not seen since the Hungarians came to Wembley.
1981 Basel — Switzerland 2 England 1 — World Cup qualifier: Fans riot and England make the road to Spain 
far more difficult than it should have been.
1981 Oslo — Norway 2 England 1 — World Cup qualifier: “Maggie Thatcher?! Can you hear me?! Your Boys took a helluva beating!” You know the rest…
1983 Wembley — England 0 Greece 0 — European championship qualifier — England can’t break down the Greeks and fail to qualify for Euro 84.
1986 Monterrey – Morocco 0 England 0 — World Cup group match: Scoreless draw against north African opposition. Sound familiar? Ray Wilkins was sent off (pictured left), but England regrouped before the next game and started playing in the next group match against a team from eastern Europe… Only the Hand of God eventually blocked their path to greater glory.
1993 Oslo Norway 2 England 0 — World Cup qualifier: “Do I not like that?” World Cup qualification becomes an impossible job for Graham Taylor.
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