West Ham Online

"Anyone here remember this game? One of those are occasions when a football game was on live tv during the week. England had to win to qualify for '74 World Cup. The England team: Shilton, Madeley, Hughes, Bell, Mcfarland, Hunter, Currie, Channon, Chivers ,Clarke ,Peters. Those of us who watched it on TV will never forget it as England could only draw 1-1. the Polish goalkeeper had the game of his life. Poland went on to have a brilliant WC and could have reached the final."

Was reading a report .... 1-1 but Bobby Moores error in Poland in a 2-0 defeat meant Norman Hunter played and the result saw England eliminated. Hunter mistimed a tackle on the half way line and Poland broke. The shot went under Shilton who could have thrown his HAT on it. Two terrible mistakes. Allan Clarke scored a pen shortly after (Martin Peters admitted he dived to win it) but couldnt find a winner. England had 36 shots to Polands 2 and 26 corners. Hit the woodwork twice and had 4 shots cleared off the line. Tomaszewski made 11 saves according to the report Highlights were on BBC but the match was shown LIVE on ITV so perhaps the result was inevitable..

I may be wrong but I think this was the game where Sir Alf completely lost the plot and was caught like a deer in the headlights where a substitution needed to be made and one of the players on the bench urged him to make the sub?

"Was a huge game, similar to Holland 93 when a defeat cost us a place at the world cup. Fast forward to 86 and 90 and that overrated, curly haired, wife beater Shilton was still costing England in huge games."

In 73 we were still dining out on the success of 66. The international game was rapidly passing us by. Especially in Europe. As others have said. Poland weren’t mugs.

Eastern European countries were really good. Didn't get enough respect

Poland were not the mugs the English press made them out to be. In the 1972 Olympics many of their team had played and won gold for the Polish football team. In getting to the semi final at WC 1974 Poland were the tournaments top scorers and in truth they were unlucky to lose that game played on a rain soaked pitch in conditions that would have caused a postponement nowadays.

Kazimierz Deyna Fantastic Lato too of course Poland were a pretty good team then

Yes I went to that game. Wasn't it Hunter's missed tackle near the half way line that allowed the Poles to score tge winner?

Didn't Norman Hunter replace Bobby Moore? Seem to remember the Poles finished 3rd in the WC so they weren't a crap side.

I was there mate.Still remember it.

"I think they ended up 3rd in the finals, Lato"

"The Polish GK Tomaszewski is a clown said Cloughie How did that work out for you, Brian?"