Rix left Arsenal in 1988 and headed for France with Caen before he developed a coaching role with Chelsea just as the Premier League was dawning. It was too little too late and they bowed out.
Injuries to Trevor Brooking and England captain Kevin Keegan meant they missed all the group games, but were thrown in against Spain to try and salvage things. Rix would go on to play in wins over Czechoslovakia and Kuwait qualifying for a second group stage with West Germany and Spain. A third from Paul Mariner made it a triumphant 3-1 win. France scored in the 24th minute, but Robson grabbed his second just as it appeared England were faltering. Steve Coppell took it quickly, Bryan Robson ghosted in at the far post and scored in the opening seconds – the fastest England goal in the World Cup. Kicking off though, the ball bounced out for a throw on the right under the shadow of the stand. It’s possible that if the match had been boring, I might not have been gripped like I was.
England playing in the World Cup was exciting but I was used to watching highlights on TV when the action and goals came thick and fast. England were wearing a fancy away kit which was red with blue and white lapels. It was generally accepted that this was due to the influence of Greenwood’s deputy, and Rix’s former coach, Don Howe. Many preferred Tony Morley of Aston Villa as Brooking’s replacement, fresh from winning the European Cup against Bayern Munich, but Greenwood opted for Rix. Typically, manager Ron Greenwood would have played Trevor Brooking on the right, but he was injured and would only be fit for the latter stages. He was somewhat lucky to be in the squad, let alone the team. Rix was selected for the squad, wearing number 16. In 1982 England qualified for their first World Cup in 12 years.
Like many wingers, Rix’s international career was spasmodic, he made his debut for England in 1980 against Norway but only played in 17 games in the next four years, about a third of England’s games played during that time. For some reason I loved the number 11 shirt – John Robertson at Nottingham Forest, Clive Woods at Ipswich this was the number Rix would wear at Arsenal. Incidentally, that game was also the only European cup final to feature two ex-Oxford managers – Brian Talbot was also in the team that night.ĭuring the early eighties I went to Highbury a few times, so Rix became a bit of a recurring theme. That was the first time I remember seeing Graham Rix. He juggled the ball clumsily while the referee fussed, then rolled his kick harmlessly into the grateful arms of the Valencia keeper to give the Spaniards the win. With the scores 0-0 and penalties carefully poised, a gangly winger with his socks rolled down to his ankles stepped up for Arsenal. To my increasingly sleepy eyes, it was all very exotic. In what was a dreary affair, memorable only because it was live and my parents let me watch it, the two teams slugged their way through normal time, extra time and onto penalties – the first time in European club history.Īrsenal were wearing a special shiny version of their yellow away kit which had numbers with an unusual blocky font. One of mine was the Cup Winners’ Cup final between Arsenal and Valencia in 1980. Not every Sunday was a Super Sunday so live games left an indelible mark on your memory.
Anyone watching football in the 1980s will remember how rare it was to see live games on TV.