PEARCE: FAN CONNECTION AT EURO 96 SO SPECIAL
Nottingham Forest legend Stuart Pearce has a new book out detailing his famous exploits in Euro 96 for England – compiling it has helped fill his time during lockdown. In an entertaining inerview with Post Forest writer SARAH CLAPSON, he explains how watching it all back again made him cringe.
STUART Pearce, bona fide Nottingham Forest and England legend, has a confession to make.
One of the Reds’ greatest players and a man who won 78 caps for his country quips he “almost feels like a fraud” when passing on advice to today’s generation of footballers.
Along with much of the country, Pearce has indulged in a little nostalgia this year.
With the European Championships postponed by 12 months, the heady days of Euro 96 were relived, with re-runs of matches shown on TV this past summer.
Pearce was at the heart of that tournament. The image of him banishing his Three Lions penalty demons in the quarter-final shoot-out against Spain is ingrained in many a memory.
The 58-year-old, though, caught a few glimpses of himself in action and “cringed”.
“I’ll tell you what, I watched some of them – a few from the 1990 World Cup – and I couldn’t believe how bad a player I was!” he told the Post, with a laugh. “Honestly, I’m not just saying that. It was horrific watching football from yesteryear, it really was! “I almost feel a fraud walking back in and trying to coach young players now.
“If they watched any of those re-runs they’d be saying, ‘what do you know about defending? I saw you against Cameroon!’ I watched some of the matches and almost cringed, if I’m being honest.
“I did watch some of the Euro 96 re-runs and some of them were OK. The Switzerland game, not great. Scotland, so-so.
“But once we got going a bit, they improved, let’s say that.”
Nearly 25 years have passed since Pearce and England, under Terry Venables, side fell at the last-four stage, denied a place in the final by defeat to Germany on penalties at Wembley.
Now part of the coaching staff at another of his former clubs, West Ham United, Pearce is working with players who were not even born then.
“Of course it doesn’t feel like that long ago,” he said.
“When people tell you how old those games are, you don’t believe them!
“The worst thing is, when you’re coaching young players now and they weren’t even around for it.”
And then the conversation went off at a tangent.
Pearce said: “How are you on your history of the world? You pretty good? OK, well not to worry. I was talking to a young goalkeeper at our place whose name is Trott (Nathan Trott). I said, ‘you’ve not got Russian in your family, have you? (Leon)
Trotsky, the Russian leader?’
“He didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. Then he told me when he was born and I thought, ‘well, that is a sobering thought’, you know?
“I think there’s very few of them who were around for Euro 96.
“You’ve got to understand when you’re coaching nowadays that noone knows who you are, with regard to your history in football.
“And really, you don’t overly want to talk about your history. My job
I couldn’t believe how bad I was. I feel a fraud walking back in and trying to coach young players now. Stuart Pearce
now is to make the next generation of players that much better.”
Pearce does himself a disservice, of course.
Despite an unsuccessful return to the City Ground as manager, he remains an idol to many Forest fans, in particular.
And his efforts for England, especially at Italia 90 and Euro 96, earned him recognition among a wider audience.
“Probably after 1990 I got more well-known,” he reflected. “Before that, I was known in Nottingham but not overly so outside of it.
“After 1990 I was more recognisable across the country as an England player. And then, with Euro 96, there was that connection with the fans in the stadium, which was so special.
“It was by far the best tournament I played in, for sure.
“The first tournament I went to with England was the 1990 World Cup. That gave a fantastic feel-good factor to the country after a long period of sketchy success, if anything.
“I saw that as the forerunner for the Premier League in many ways. It was the start of that era.
“I’m fortunate enough that my international career went across two semi-finals and a major tournament in our country as well, which was so special for all of us.”
Pearce goes into detail about his international experience in his recently-released book Never Stop Dreaming: My Euro 96 Story, althought he is not normally one to wallow in the past.
“It was enjoyable doing it,” he said. “It’s quite topical, with it being nearly 25 years ago since Euro 96 and with the next Euros coming up on our shores next year.
“And certainly during lockdown, you were forever looking for something to do to fill your time. It all just fell in quite nicely and the timing was fantastic.
“I think it (lockdown) was a bit of a chance to reflect, certainly with regard to television, because I think yesteryear has been pumped out at us. Whether it be Euro 96 or World Cup 1990, it was re-runs of this and re-runs of that.
“You do reflect a little bit. Not just myself but people in their own lives have had time to reflect too.
“I love travelling and all of a sudden travel’s not available. I love live music but gigs are not available.
“It’s given us time to reflect on how we might live our lives going forward.
“I don’t normally look back. In my house I have one football-related picture.
“I’m one of these people who is forever looking forward and has the mentality that the past will almost take care of itself.
“But I’ve come through with some brilliant memories and with some great friends from that era.
“The good thing is, when I bump into people now, like Tony Adams or Gazza (Paul Gascoigne) or people like that, you’ve got that connection because you went through that tournament together.”
And after looking back, the former defender is now very much focused on the future, working with David Moyes at the Hammers.
“I absolutely love it at the moment,” he said.
“I think it’s because I’ve managed before and have a few miles on the clock as a human being as well – you appreciate every day that you’re in work.
“I enjoy working with David Moyes. He’s a very genuine man.
“I hadn’t realised his knowledge of the game until I worked alongside him on a daily basis; it’s quite incredible. Every day is almost an education, even for someone like myself who has put a few games together.”
Never Stop Dreaming: My Euro 96 Story, by Stuart Pearce, is published by Hodder & Stoughton.
With Euro 96, there was that connection with the fans in the stadium, which was so special. Stuart Pearce