1986 Finals Squad
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Finals Squad

Bobby Robson summoned a preliminary World Cup squad of 26 to Burnham Beeches in May. On May 21, he announced his final squad of 22. The four players that missed the cut were goalkeeper Dave Beasant, of Chelsea, and three Arsenal players: central defender Tony Adams, midfielder David Rocastle, and forward Alan Smith.

Beasant got a reprieve when, on the eve of England's second game, against the Netherlands, he was summoned, with FIFA's permission, to replace David Seaman, who had suffered a thumb injury.  Adams was axed in preference to Mark Wright, chosen although he carried a thigh injury.  Rocastle was excluded although he had played in five of England's six World Cup qualifying matches.  Smith was omitted in favour of Steve Bull, one of the few old Third Division players to gain a senior England cap and the only one to be named in an England World Cup squad.

 

No. Name Age Pos Club Starts Subs Total Goals Capts
1. Shilton, Peter L. 40 G Derby County FC     118 74ᵍᵃ  
2. Stevens, M. Gary 27 RB Rangers FC, Scotland     39 0  
3. Pearce, Stuart 28 LB Nottingham Forest FC     24 1  
4. Webb, Neil J. 26 M Manchester United FC     19 3  
5. Walker, Desmond S. 24 CD Nottingham Forest FC     18 0  
6. Butcher, Terence I. 31 CD Rangers FC, Scotland     72 3  
7. Robson, Bryan 33 M Manchester United FC     85 26  
8. Waddle, Christopher R. 29 F Olympique de Marseille, France     52 6  
9. Beardsley, Peter A. 29 F Liverpool FC     40 7  
10. Lineker, Gary W. 29 F Tottenham Hotspur FC     51 31  
11. Barnes, John C.B. 26 F Liverpool FC     53 10  
12. Parker, Paul A. 26 RB Queen's Park Rangers FC     5 0  
13. Woods, Christopher C.E. 30 G Rangers FC, Scotland     16 1ᵍᵃ  
14. Wright, Mark 26 CD Derby County FC     24 0  
15. Dorigo, Anthony R. 24 LB Chelsea FC     3 0  
16. McMahon, Stephen 28 M Liverpool FC     12 0  
17. Platt, David A. 24 M Aston Villa FC     5 0  
18. Hodge, Stephen B. 27 M Nottingham Forest FC     22 0  
19. Gascoigne, Paul J. 23 M Tottenham Hotspur FC     11 2  
20. Steven, Trevor M. 26 M Rangers FC, Scotland     26 3  
21. Bull, Stephen G. 25 F Wolverhampton Wanderers FC     7 4  
22. Seaman, David A. 26 G Arsenal FC     3 _ᵍᵃ  
22. Beasant, David J. 31 G Chelsea FC     2 _ᵍᵃ  
Averages Age 27.6   Appearances 32.1 Goals 4.3
 
World Cup Record  
No. Name vs. Ire (1-1) vs. Ned (0-0) vs. Egy (1-0) vs.Belg.
(1-0)
ᴭᵀ
vs. Cam.
(3-2)
ᴭᵀ
vs. W. Ger. (1-1)ᴭᵀ vs. Ita (1-2) mins
1. Shilton, Peter L. GK 1ᵍᵃ GK 0ᵍᵃ GK 0ᵍᵃ GK 0ᵍᵃ GK 2ᵍᵃ GK 1ᵍᵃ GK 2ᵍᵃ 720
2. Stevens, M. Gary RB unused sub squad member squad member squad member squad member RWB 180
3. Pearce, Stuart LB LWB LB LWB LWB/LB
71
LWB/LB unused sub 630
4. Webb, Neil J. squad member squad member unused sub squad member squad member squad member sub (LCM) 72 18
5. Walker, Desmond S. RCD LCD LCD LCD LCD LCD LCD 720
6. Butcher, Terence I. LCD RCD unused sub RCD RCD ⛛74 Sweeper ⛛71 squad member 445
7. Robson, Bryan RCM RCM ⛛65 injured withdrawn 155
8. Waddle, Christopher R. RM CM ⛛59 RM ⛛87 RM CM CM sub (RM) 72 614
9. Beardsley, Peter A. AM ⛛69 squad member sub (AM) 84 89 unused sub sub (AM) ht AM AM 360
10. Lineker, Gary W. CF 9 ⛛83 CF LF CF CF
83,105+1
CF 81 CF 713
11. Barnes, John C.B. LM AM AM AM ⛛75 AM ⛛ht injured squad member 390
12. Parker, Paul A. unused sub RWB RB RWB RWB/CD RWB/RB
60 65
LCD 630
13. Woods, Christopher C.E. unused sub unused sub unused sub unused sub unused sub unused sub unused sub 0
14. Wright, Mark squad member Sweeper RCD 59 Sweeper Sweeper
/
RCD/M
RCD Sweeper ⛛70 610
15. Dorigo, Anthony R. squad member squad member squad member squad member squad member unused sub LB 90
16. McMahon, Stephen sub (AM)
69 75
unused sub RCM RM ⛛72 unused sub unused sub CM ⛛72 255
17. Platt, David A. unused sub sub (RCM) 65 sub (RM) 87 sub (RCM)
72 120
RM 26 RM LM 81 406
18. Hodge, Stephen B. squad member squad member squad member squad member squad member squad member injured 0
19. Gascoigne, Paul J. LCM LM LCM LM 88 LM LM 99 suspended 630
20. Steven, Trevor M. squad member squad member squad member unused sub sub
(RM
/B) 73
sub (RM) 71 RM/RCM 186
21. Bull, Stephen G. sub (CF) 84 sub (LF) 59 RF ⛛84 sub (RF) 75 unused sub unused sub unused sub 166
22. Seaman, David A. injured withdrawn 0
22. Beasant, David J. n/a squad member squad member squad member squad member squad member squad member 0
 
Post-World Cup  
No. Name Age Pos Club Starts Subs Total Goals Capts Disc
1. Shilton, Peter L. 40 G Derby County FC     125 80ᵍᵃ    
2. Stevens, M. Gary 27 RB Rangers FC, Scotland     41 0    
3. Pearce, Stuart 28 LB Nottingham Forest FC     30 1    
4. Webb, Neil J. 26 M Manchester United FC     20 3    
5. Walker, Desmond S. 24 CD Nottingham Forest FC     25 0    
6. Butcher, Terence I. 31 CD Rangers FC, Scotland     77 3    
7. Robson, Bryan 33 M Manchester United FC     87 26    
8. Waddle, Christopher R. 29 F Olympique de Marseille, France     59 6    
9. Beardsley, Peter A. 29 F Liverpool FC     45 7    
10. Lineker, Gary W. 29 F Tottenham Hotspur FC     58 35    
11. Barnes, John C.B. 26 F Liverpool FC     58 10    
12. Parker, Paul A. 26 RB Queen's Park Rangers FC     11 0    
13. Woods, Christopher C.E. 30 G Rangers FC, Scotland     16 1ᵍᵃ    
14. Wright, Mark 26 CD Derby County FC     30 1    
15. Dorigo, Anthony R. 24 LB Chelsea FC     4 0    
16. McMahon, Stephen 28 M Liverpool FC     16 0    
17. Platt, David A. 24 M Aston Villa FC     11 3    
18. Hodge, Stephen B. 27 M Nottingham Forest FC     22 0    
19. Gascoigne, Paul J. 23 M Tottenham Hotspur FC     17 2    
20. Steven, Trevor M. 26 M Rangers FC, Scotland     29 3    
21. Bull, Stephen G. 25 F Wolverhampton Wanderers FC     11 4    
22. Seaman, David A. 26 G Arsenal FC     3 _ᵍᵃ    
22. Beasant, David J. 31 G Chelsea FC     2 _ᵍᵃ    
 
notes  

Peter Shilton and Des Walker were the only squad members to play every minute of every match, 720 minutes in all, a figure inflated by England's three-extra time matches.  Gary Lineker, who persisted despite a painfully swollen toe, and Chris Waddle, were the only other players to appear in all seven matches.  Lineker missed only the last seven minutes of the first match.  Waddle started all matches save the last, the third-place consolation match against Italy, when he came on as a substitute at 72 minutes.

Two squad members, Stuart Pearce and Paul Gascoigne, played every minute of the first six matches, but did not appear in the third-place match.  In that last match, manager Bobby Robson gave playing time to some of the squad members who had appeared not at all or very little in the tournament.  That may account for Pearce's absence in favour of Tony Dorigo after 25 successive starts at left fullback following the 1988 European Championship.   But Gascoigne could not have played against Italy anyway.  He was the only England player to draw two yellow cards and a resulting match suspension.  His second caution came in the semi-final against West Germany and, in an unforgettably poignant scene televised around the world, reduced him to tears as he realized he would not play in the final match were England to win the semi-final.  As it turned out, the suspension forced him to miss the third-place match instead.

Two players, Paul Parker and Mark Wright, did not appear in England's first match but started the remaining six.  Parker played every minute of the six, while Wright was substituted off only from the third-place match and that near its end.  David Platt also gained in favour through the tournament.  He did not play in the opener, but then made three straight substitute appearances, and, after scoring the last-minute extra-time match winner against Belgium, graduated from his "super sub" role to starter for the last three matches.

Tony Dorigo and Neil Webb made their only appearances of the tournament in the third-place match.  Steve Hodge was injured and, apart from the backup goalkeepers, was the only player not to make a single appearance in the tournament.

One squad member, Gary Stevens, who played the full 90 minutes in the first match against Ireland, definitely fell out of favour, perhaps partly because of Bobby Robson's change to a sweeper system in some of the later matches.  Stevens did not play again until the third-place match.

Two players were forced to withdraw from the squad during the tournament because of injury.  David Seaman, unlikely to play in any event, was the first with an injured thumb.  Bryan Robson was the second.  After lasting the full 90 minutes in the first match against Ireland with the aid of a  pain-killing injection for an injured toe, Robson strained his Achilles tendon and had to be taken off after 65 minutes of the second match against Netherlands.  He had to sit out the third match against Egypt, and, although he had a faith healer flown out to treat him, then himself flew home for surgery.  It was the second World Cup tournament in succession in which injury had forced the withdrawal of England's captain, although in Mexico four years previously he had remained with the squad.

Two England veterans ended their international careers in this tournament.  Peter Shilton, who won a record 125th cap in the third-place match, was the tournament's oldest player at 42 years, 292 days on July 7, 1990, the date of that final appearance.  He also became the oldest team captain in World Cup history.  The tournament also marked Terry Butcher's last hurrah for England.  The semi-final was his 77th and final appearance.

 

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