Joe Hart determined to turn past failures into success at the World Cup
England’s goalkeeper, then nine years old, was glued to the television screen as England reached the semi-finals at Euro 96.
Terry Venables had the nation in thrall – in sharp contrast to the response of fans as England limped over the line and into next summer’s World Cup finals in Russia. They were so bored as England toiled to a turgid 1-0 win over Slovenia at Wembley they threw paper planes at the pitch.
Hart prefers to remember the Wembley semi-final that followed memorable wins over Scotland, Holland and Spain, and he wants to recreate that feeling.
Hart, the model of diplomacy, did not mention that it was a missed penalty by Gareth Southgate, now England’s head coach, that ended their dreams of the final. Perhaps best to brush over that little detail.
But after his crucial late double save on Thursday prevented even greater embarrassment for Southgate, Hart said: “I really enjoyed the good memories of 1996. That was an amazing feeling and I’d love to give that to the fans.
“I’d love to say I know how we turn good qualifying campaigns into good tournament displays, but I obviously don’t because I’ve been a part of those great qualifying campaigns before, and then we’ve gone on to tournaments and we haven’t done it.
“We all have good ideas, good intentions. We are going to dig deep and get the best out of each other. But ultimately it’s about performing on the pitch and that’s what we have to do.”