RIP Gordon Banks, England’s 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper, who died yesterday. Arguably the greatest keeper this country has ever produced, he was one of those rare people for whom nobody had a bad word. Banks is best remembered for the “Save of the Century” against Brazil in 1970 (1:15 on this clip), when England had a great chance of winning the World Cup again. Then Banks was struck down by a very mysterious stomach bug. The team were allowed one beer the night before the quarter-final, and it’ll always be suspected that Banks’s drink was spiked. Too ill to play the following day against West Germany, he was replaced by Peter Bonetti. Bonetti was no Banks, England lost 3-2 and didn’t play another World Cup game for twelve years. But June 1970, Gordon Banks was indisputably England’s No.1. Not just as a goalkeeper but, with this at No.1 in the charts, as a pop star.
The original Banksy.

- Uncle Jim.25th Jan 2019
- It Ain't Half...20th Jan 2019
- Brian and Bri...13th Jan 2019
- Ten years on ...7th Jan 2019
- New Year's Re...6th Jan 2019
- Famous. Thoug...4th Jan 2019
- The ever decr...1st Jan 2019
- The Argos Cat...24th Dec 2018
- The one thing...23rd Dec 2018
- Paul Jeffreys...21st Dec 2018
- Shaun Keaveny...14th Dec 2018
- What do they ...8th Dec 2018
- "I'm a QPR fa...4th Dec 2018
- Moneybox with...1st Dec 2018
- Theresa May a...26th Nov 2018 prev next