I remember seeing that at the time and so wanted it! As I was already getting Quest from Marschall Cavendish, it was a stretch too far. I do have a Quest special on the 1990 World Cup though. Shall have to dig that out :)
Thanks for the confirmation about Quest, Anonymous and Rich J! I have vague recollections of the TV advert for it but never actually collected that partwork. Come to think of it, World Cup '90 is the only partwork I've ever seen through from start to finish!
Brilliant observation, Anonymous. That's a great spot! I shall have to look into that and find out why Banks got himself a special inclusion in that section!
That overflowing binder is a portable World Cup degree course! I can't imagine the number of hours I spent trawling through it. By the time Italia '90 started I was an 11-year old expert. My parents began joking that "World Cup History" would be my chosen specialised subject were I ever to appear on Mastermind. Seeing those pages again brought it all flooding back... I remember every photo, every sticker! Incidentally the design of the stickers themselves was so stylish and understated.
My dad was an art teacher at the time and began swapping stickers with his students. He'd come home with gigantic wads of them that we'd then spend ages organizing by country at the kitchen table. I remember mentioning I hadn't yet seen any France stickers, to which Dad informed me that they hadn't qualified. This to me seemed highly unfair. "But they might have really wanted to be in the World Cup," I naively suggested. Dad's response: "Yes, they probably did." I suppose that's when I realised that defeats have consequences.
Great to hear from you and thanks for your excellent message. Do you still have your old binder?
Funny what you say about the World Cup being a specialist subject on Mastermind. I always felt I'd do well if the subject was ever featured on the programme, and then one day (way back in the 80s) it was. I hardly got any questions right! So much for my great knowledge...
Anyway, it was great to hear of you and your Dad collecting the stickers, and as you say, France were sorely missed from World Cup 90. Who knows - we may have even seen Eric Cantona playing in the greatest competition in the world, had they qualified...
Oh, yes I still have the binder. I mean, it's at my parents' house back in England. I always make a point of browsing through it with a cup of tea whenever I go home.
Yes, it's hard to believe that it was Scotland that pipped France to qualify for Italia '90 (they didn't qualify for Euro 88 either, finishing behind East Germany). Then again, the French went through a strange wilderness period between the mid-80s and mid-90s, despite having some good players (Cantona, Papin, Ginola, Angloma).
I remember seeing that at the time and so wanted it! As I was already getting Quest from Marschall Cavendish, it was a stretch too far. I do have a Quest special on the 1990 World Cup though. Shall have to dig that out :)
ReplyDeleteRemind us all what Quest was again? Sounds familiar... :)
ReplyDeleteQuest was a science part-work from Marshall Cavendish which I collected (and completed, IIRC), but sadly threw away about 15 years ago.
ReplyDeleteChris O: Did you notice that one of the "Great Goals" was actually Gordon Banks's save v Pele in 1970?
It was a similar collectable series based on science...i'm a scientist dontcha know :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the confirmation about Quest, Anonymous and Rich J! I have vague recollections of the TV advert for it but never actually collected that partwork. Come to think of it, World Cup '90 is the only partwork I've ever seen through from start to finish!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant observation, Anonymous. That's a great spot! I shall have to look into that and find out why Banks got himself a special inclusion in that section!
That overflowing binder is a portable World Cup degree course! I can't imagine the number of hours I spent trawling through it. By the time Italia '90 started I was an 11-year old expert. My parents began joking that "World Cup History" would be my chosen specialised subject were I ever to appear on Mastermind. Seeing those pages again brought it all flooding back... I remember every photo, every sticker! Incidentally the design of the stickers themselves was so stylish and understated.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was an art teacher at the time and began swapping stickers with his students. He'd come home with gigantic wads of them that we'd then spend ages organizing by country at the kitchen table. I remember mentioning I hadn't yet seen any France stickers, to which Dad informed me that they hadn't qualified. This to me seemed highly unfair. "But they might have really wanted to be in the World Cup," I naively suggested. Dad's response: "Yes, they probably did." I suppose that's when I realised that defeats have consequences.
Hi James,
DeleteGreat to hear from you and thanks for your excellent message. Do you still have your old binder?
Funny what you say about the World Cup being a specialist subject on Mastermind. I always felt I'd do well if the subject was ever featured on the programme, and then one day (way back in the 80s) it was. I hardly got any questions right! So much for my great knowledge...
Anyway, it was great to hear of you and your Dad collecting the stickers, and as you say, France were sorely missed from World Cup 90. Who knows - we may have even seen Eric Cantona playing in the greatest competition in the world, had they qualified...
Thanks again and best wishes... Chris O.
Oh, yes I still have the binder. I mean, it's at my parents' house back in England. I always make a point of browsing through it with a cup of tea whenever I go home.
DeleteYes, it's hard to believe that it was Scotland that pipped France to qualify for Italia '90 (they didn't qualify for Euro 88 either, finishing behind East Germany). Then again, the French went through a strange wilderness period between the mid-80s and mid-90s, despite having some good players (Cantona, Papin, Ginola, Angloma).