England boss Sam Allardyce has shared his memories and thoughts about the Three Lions’ World Cup victory of 1966.
With Saturday 30 July 2016 being the 50th anniversary of England’s greatest football achievement, there are planned celebrations to commemorate the famous 4-2 win over West Germany at Wembley.
And Allardyce, who was only appointed as new Three Lions manager last week, admits he still vividly remembers watching the game as a football-mad youngster in the West Midlands.
Bobby Moore is held aloft by team mates while raising the World Cup in the air in 1966
"In '66, I sat in front of the TV at home in Dudley, with my brother and my parents, my dad particularly," he revealed.
"I remember Geoff Hurst's hat-trick, particularly the last goal, and of course at the end of it, Nobby Stiles dancing around with no teeth in and the Jules Rimet trophy above his head.
"That was the everlasting memory from when I was 11-years-old, so you could see what an impression it had on me, even at that stage in my life."
Allardyce went on to enjoy a long career as a central defender with clubs such as Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and Coventry City before embarking on a coaching pathway which has led him to the national team.
And the former West Ham United boss also spoke of his admiration for the work of Sir Alf Ramsey during the ’66 World Cup, which saw him using tactics years ahead of their time.
"I think that squad of players were enhanced by the tactics and coaching techniques of Sir Alf Ramsey and his staff," he explained.
Allardyce has just finished his first full week as England manager ahead of the '66 anniversary
"They actually delivered a new system that nobody else had seen before, where there was no wingers and the full-backs were the advancing players.
"We talk about advancing full-backs today as if it's something new, but in '66 it was Sir Alf Ramsey's secret weapon which meant he could overload midfield with more players than the opposition, with four in there and the full-backs could create the width.
"And the goalscoring talent of the team in general was that good, not just Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and Bobby Charlton, but people could all score a goal and contribute like Roger Hunt.
"So there was enough goalscoring talent on the field ultimately in the end, to win the World Cup."
The World Cup anniversary will be celebrated with two events taking place at the SSE Wembley Arena on Saturday, a World Cup 66 Live show in the afternoon when a number of the squad members will be special guests along with music and cultural memories from the time before the Gala Dinner later that evening.
'66 heroes George Cohen, Gordon Banks, Martin Peters and Sir Geoff Hurst with the Jules Rimet trophy
It promises to be a great day, in the shadow of Wembley Stadium, and Allardyce believes it’s fully deserved for those players and supporters to recall and rejoice.
"It was tremendously important, not just in football terms, but for the whole country,” he said.
"It was a fantastic time, winning the World Cup in your own country was a terrific achievement of course.
"All the players that are still alive should be brought out and we should celebrate with them.
"I'm sure they'll be eager to celebrate the 50th year of winning the World Cup and of course the country as well, I think it's important that we recognise how important it was and what a great piece of history it was."
Tickets for both events at Wembley Arena are still on sale now via the links below.
• 2.30pm: ‘World Cup 66 Live’, SSE Arena Wembley – re-live the afternoon when England won the World Cup.
• 6.30pm: Gala Dinner, Wembley Stadium.
