In the summer of 1988, Robert Davro, a 21-year-old from Bournemouth, took his first steps beyond British shores — not for a holiday, but to follow England into the heart of West Germany for the European Championships. This collection of words and photographs documents that formative trip, capturing the essence of what it meant to be an England fan during an era when football was tribal, lawless, and proudly working-class.
Born and bred on the south coast, Davro’s love for the game began in the concrete terraces of Dean Court in the mid-’70s, watching Bournemouth in Division Four. By the late ‘70s, he was a regular. Grounds were falling apart, crowds were volatile, and young lads like him, roamed freely in donkey jackets, Harringtons and Parkas, the main tribes those days being skinheads and Mods. As the casual scene hit in the early ‘80s, young Bournemouth fans adopted the look too — and this became the look that Davro and his mates really got into.
By Euro ’88, English clubs were still banned from Europe following Heysel, and cheap flights were a fantasy. Davro and a mate booked a coach with Travel Scene — accommodation, match tickets, and a hard seat all the way to Germany. What followed was a whirlwind: Düsseldorf alive with mobs of England fans, running skirmishes with police, and the unmatched theatre of Marco van Basten dismantling England in the shadow of riot shields and orange-clad Dutch.
“Mobs of England were marauding around the city centre looking for the Dutch.”
Robert Davro
This is not a tale of glory or trophies. England went out early. But Davro’s memory and personal collection of photos recall something more striking: a raw, unfiltered snapshot of football culture before sanitisation — when you could still pay on the gate and sleep rough with your mates. This is Euro ’88, as seen through the eyes of and England fan.
“I was just 21 in the summer of 88 and had never been abroad, me and a mate from Bournemouth booked a coach with a company called travel scene which came with hotels and match tickets so we were completely sorted. The England fans on the coach were a fairly sensible bunch who supported all sorts of different clubs, we soon met up with Englands more boisterous followers in Germany…
“Düsseldorf the night before the Dutch game was very lively, mobs of England were marauding around the city centre looking for the Dutch. The police were always looking to break up the mobs and keep us away from the Dutch and locals, I saw more fighting with the police than I did with any rival fans. Gary, who I was with, got arrested in Düsseldorf when the police blocked off both ends of a street following disorder, I just got through their lines in time and escaped. The atmosphere amongst the majority of England fans was to cause trouble and in the city centres where the police were heavy handed to say the least.
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Wembley 1990-03 | Tony Davis
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Baby Squad 1984 | Steve Pyke
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The Third Element | Steve Pyke
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England Lad – Italia 90
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Blades 1989-90 | Bill Stephenson
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“The clubs with the largest followings I would say were Chelsea and Leeds. The look was not that different to today, plenty of adidas trainers, CP Company, Aquascutum and of course everyone carried a Head bag. I was wearing Lacoste, Ocean Pacific and Chevignon and Gary I was with was sporting a smart Best Company top.
“Plenty of lads made their own way out to Germany and sleeping rough due to a lack of funds was common place. We had a few Bournemouth lads on our hotel floor for various nights and I was glad to help out, and I’ve had this good deed repaid many times over the years.
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The Famous CFC | John Ingledew
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Leeds Leeds Leeds | Justin Slee
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No One Likes Us | Jérôme Favre
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Looking for Trouble VI
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MUFC Rotterdam 91 | Richard Davis
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“The German touts didn’t do very well outside the England end, I saw a few get turned over by English lads who just took their tickets off them. The Holland game was the stand out fixture, they had a great side featuring Rijkaard, Gullit, Koeman and the lethal Marco Van Basten who scored a hatrick. Gullit and Van Basten were sensational that day and their performances still rank amongst the best I’ve seen.
“Leaving the ground provided a memorable sight, I had left the terracing and was on the concourse a level up from the ground when the gates were opened. There was plenty of orange just back from the entrance and then a sea of white helmets (the riot police). England charged out and all the orange started running followed by the white helmets followed by thousands of young lads with union jacks!
“England’s following in those days was far smaller than it would be today for a tournament. In 1988 English clubs were banned from Europe, cheap air travel was not yet a thing and so everyone travelled by sea and rail. No mobile phones, no internet, no problem, we managed to meet up with plenty of lads we knew although it was more by luck than judgement.
“Another massive change is in the standard of teams at the finals, in 88 there were 8 teams. Germany, Italy Spain, Holland, England, USSR, Denmark and Republic of Ireland. At Euro 24 there were 24 teams of which half were ski resorts and fishing villages!”
Robert Davro is a Manchester United and A.F.C. Bournemouth fan and a published author. You can get a copy of his cult football book, No Ticket Required, here – where Davro talks in-depth about 80s casuals, terrace culture and jibbing the turnstiles and the trains whilst following United home and away.
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