Inside infamous England dentist chair party which sparked outrage before Euro 96
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Paul Gascoigne's wonder-strike for England against Scotland at Euro 96 has been replayed endlessly in the lead-up to Friday night's meeting between the two old rivals.
The goal itself was a thing of beauty: a genius left-footed touch over Colin Hendry followed by a lethal finish into the back of the net to put Terry Venables' men 2-0 ahead.
But what truly made it Gazza's defining moment in an England shirt was the celebration that came after it.
The then-Rangers star collapsed to the turf and, having choreographed it beforehand, was covered in water by team-mate Alan Shearer.
It was, of course, an iconic reference to the England team's infamous pre-tournament night out in Hong Kong.
Before the competition got underway that summer, Venables took his provisional Three Lions squad to Asia for a few warm-up outings against China and the Hong Kong Golden Select XI.
Both friendlies ended in victory, and after wrapping up the second of them England players were granted rare a night out in a nearby bar to let their hair down and unwind ahead of Euro 96.
Venables decided against attending, instead sending assistant Bryan Robson to keep tabs on his stars. It was a decision which set the wheels in motion for one of English football's biggest scandals.
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Because what should have been a relaxed team-bonding session then turned into absolute carnage, with pictures making their way to the press showing the likes of Gazza, Teddy Sheringham, Steve McManaman and Darren Anderton having the night of their lives in a Hong Kong night-club.
All soaked in booze and looking worse for wear, the shamed stars were also seen taking part in what eventually became an infamous drinking game: the dentist's chair.
In a separate room to the bar, Gazza and co stumbled upon the chair and transformed it into a boozing technique, taking turns to lie back and pour spirits and liqueurs down each other's throats.
“I was first in the chair because it looked like a laugh,” Gazza told Four Four Two.
“Then a few of the other lads did it. It was good for team spirit.”
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The Sun led with the headline "DISGRACEFOOL" along with pictures of England stars lapping it up in Asia, while writing in their sub-heading: "Look at Gazza.. a drunk oaf with no pride".
“We were allowed on a night out and it got a bit rowdier than what was expected,” Sheringham said on ITV Sport’s Euro 96: The summer football came home documentary.
“That rowdy night hit the front pages of the papers and the headlines and the news back home and we were in deep trouble.”
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Venables came under serious pressure to drop the players in question, but after an opening euro 96 draw with Switzerland his England side, inspired by the likes of Gazza and Sheringham, beat Scotland 2-0 and thrashed Holland 4-1 to reach the quarter-finals.
A penalties win over Spain then came in the last eight, before they suffered contrasting shootout fortunes and crashed out against Germany in a gut-wrenching semi-final.
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Recalling the dentist's chair incident, Darren Anderton joked on ITV Sport's Euro 96 Relived podcast: "I can't remember it!
“A lot has been said about it, of course, we didn’t start the tournament well, didn’t play well in that first game against the Swiss, but for me and for all the lads that were a part of that, it created a team club environment which is what you need.”
- Paul Gascoigne
- England Football Team
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