Wembley Stadium: Martin Tyler shares his favourite memories of England's home
Thursday 30 April 2020 17:09, UK
At a time when football grounds have closed their doors, we've asked Martin Tyler to share some of his favourite facts and memories of the homes of teams around the world.
Today, Sky Sports' Voice of Football takes us on a virtual visit to the home of English football, Wembley Stadium.
Keep an eye on The Football Show on Sky Sports News and @SkySportsPL for some special Tyler's Teasers from Martin.
How I get there
By car. Over many years of visiting, I have sorted out a couple of short cuts and a parking space not too far away.
What it's like to commentate there
The bigger the stadium, the further back the television position platform. The disadvantage with the current Wembley is that the commentators are not alongside the main camera which follows the action. It is the same at Chelsea and at Liverpool. It means that I am seeing the coverage at a considerably different angle to you, the viewers.
- Emirates Stadium | Villa Park | Vitality Stadium | Amex Stadium | Turf Moor | Stamford Bridge | Selhurst Park | Goodison Park | King Power Stadium | Anfield | Etihad Stadium | Old Trafford | St James' Park | Carrow Road | Bramall Lane | St Mary's | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | Vicarage Road | London Stadium | Molineux
Did you know?
The original stadium was built in just over a year from January 1922 to April 1923, a stark contrast to its protracted demolition and the rebuilding of its successor between 2002 and its opening in 2007.
My memories of the ground
One among many which stand out is the first Sky Sports live broadcast of an FA Cup Final in 1998, when Arsenal completed their double by beating Newcastle 2-0.
It was a big day for us because we had all grown up with the BBC/ITV rivalry over coverage of what for decades was one of the few live television football broadcasts each season. That May day we were given the chance to show what a pure sports channel could do.
The injured Dennis Bergkamp was a big miss for the Gunners, but fellow Dutchman Marc Overmars stepped in with the opening goal. Nicholas Anelka, then only 19, made sure of the silverware and that Arsene Wenger's first full season in charge would never be forgotten
After the old stadium had been officially closed I jumped at the chance of a re-visit when an actor friend of mine Philip Jackson, a big Leeds United fan, told me he was filming on the site. The movie was the much-loved, Mike Bassett, England manager, and the pitch was still good enough to stage the fictitious matches for the film.
I hung around long enough to be given a small commentary role on the final cut, including the famous "handball" goal (revenge for Maradona) by which England beat Argentina.
It was Gareth Southgate, England manager, as England came from behind to beat Croatia in November 2018 in a true-life drama which could have had a sad or a happy ending in the context of the newly-created Nations League. On the agenda was potential relegation from the top group or a place in the last four in the inaugural competition.
A Jesse Lingard equaliser and a Harry Kane winner inside the last 12 minutes brought a genuine piece of international history to the new stadium and a place in the semi-finals the following summer. I have commentated on England games since 1982 and the atmosphere that afternoon was very special.
What I like about this ground
Just as players feel privileged to play at Wembley, I feel the same about being asked to commentate there. It is the centrepoint of our national game and at a combination of the old and new grounds so much football history has been created. I have been so fortunate to witness a great chunk of it.
My first commentary there was in 1979, a schoolboy international which was shown live on ITV but my excitement turned to terror when I found out that West Germany had turned up with one set of shirts, white, the same as England, who refused to change.
The eventual solution was to send out to a local sports shop to buy a set of shirts for the German boys but I was convinced that if they got a complete kit it would have no numbers and identification would be a nightmare.
A yellow strip was rushed to the ground. To my considerable relief it was all numbered up and I survived my debut.
