Do I Not Like That! England's Downfall Under Graham Taylor | Part Two
About this episode
The episode continues the story of Graham Taylor's England during the tumultuous 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign, focusing on Paul Gascoigne's influence and the clash of footballing philosophies.
Welcome back to It Was What It Was. In today's episode, co-hosts Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson continue Graham Taylor’s England story as the 1994 World Cup qualifying begins to wobble, with Paul Gascoigne’s talent and volatility dominating the narrative. They examine how Taylor’s pragmatic, direct style—shaped by lower-league realities and later linked (often unfairly) to FA long-ball doctrine—collided with more technical European approaches, and how internal battles involving Charles Hughes and data pioneer Charles Reap poisoned the backdrop. England’s campaign lurches through a Norway draw at Wembley after a late stunner, a Gascoigne-inspired win over Turkey, and a damaging 2–2 draw with the Netherlands featuring an undetected elbow and a late penalty. With Gascoigne returning in a mask, England then stumble in a hostile Poland away match and escape with a late equaliser, before Taylor’s brutal “headless chickens” verdict leaves his team heading to Oslo under growing pressure. 00:24 Setting the Scene 03:08 Taylor’s Pragmatic Roots 06:50 Pressing vs Possession 10:04 Charles Hughes and the Winning Formula 13:55 Reap vs Hughes Fallout 19:31 Norway’s Long Ball Irony 21:59 Back to…
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- Do I Not Like That! England's Downfall Under Graham Taylor | Part One
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