In the world of football, there can be few more iconic images than the twin towers of the old Wembley. Flattened in 2003, they remain forever ingrained in the mind’s eye of football lovers across the globe.
Their demolition slammed shut a chapter in the history of English football that stretched back to Wembley’s first ever FA Cup Final in 1923.
There followed 80 years of football rich with memorable moments, and the last 10 years of those presented plenty of opportunities for photographer Tony Davis to compile his own tribute to the grand old national ground.
Wembley 1990-03 | Tony Davis
Wembley 1990-03 is a series of photographs by Tony Davis on the final chapter of the old Wembley stadium.
A limited edition A5 zine containing 30 colour and black and white photographs across 40 pages.
“Euro 96 was huge for the nation… England had done so well at Italia 90, recapturing the support of fans, and then disastrously not qualifying for USA 94. Euro 96 really became when the whole country fell in love with football again. Despite only making the semi-finals, it was Euro 96 at Wembley when football really did come home.”
Tony Davis
From 1990 and a Crystal Palace v Manchester United FA Cup Final that went to a replay, right through to the summer of 2000, and a friendly against Brazil, Davis recorded what became the stadium’s last rites.
And when the towers were reduced to builders’ rubble some three years later, Davis was back again to pay his final respects.
Along the way he saw some thrillers, none more so than Euro ’96. On the pitch England had their own twin towers of attacking flair as Shearer and Sheringham combined in a footballing demolition of the Dutch, while Gazza’s impudent volley, and dentist chair celebration, broke Scotland’s hearts only for Southgate’s penalty miss to break England’s following a stirring semi-final against Germany.
“The mood of the nation was quite sour when the decision was made to rip down the towers,” said Davis. “Despite protests and petitions, they couldn’t be kept. They were so well built they couldn’t be moved.
“The new stadium is unrecognisable in comparison. All the way from the tube station, the whole of Wembley Way, is so different. Now, it’s all retail parks and hotels. The only similarity is that it’s still the same way in and same way out..”
Davis was awestruck the first time he set eyes on the stadium as a teenager. Hardly surprising as standing tall like sentries guarding the home of English football, the first sight of those towers on the Wembley Way approach to the famous old stadium could send shivers down the spine.
“I first went to Wembley in 1975 for the Charity Shield between Derby County and West Ham United,” said Davis. “I was 15 or 16 years old. My team, Derby who’d won the first division that year, won 2-0 in front of about 60,000.
“I’d never seen Wembley before. I remember the excitement as the train pulled in, craning my neck to get a glimpse of the iconic towers.
“Like so many other fans I’d only ever seen Wembley on TV, cup finals from years gone by, the 66 World Cup.
“It was symbolic of so many things. Getting to Wembley and getting a glimpse of the towers just felt like glory.
“There was something so special about seeing your team coming out onto the pitch, managers in their suits, the players wearing their club tracksuit tops… or walking up those steps to lift the cup.”
Those towers had witnessed it all. World Cup glory in 1966, epic European Cup finals and an annual dose of FA Cup Final fervour. There was World Cup qualifying hope and heartache, and those quite uplifting Euros of 1996 when England went some way to restoring their hitherto shaky standing on the World football stage.
Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester United. FA Cup Final, 17 May 1991.
Liverpool 1-1 Manchester United. Charity Shield, 18 August 1990.
Sampdoria 0-1 Barcelona. European Cup Final. 20 May 1992.
Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Leicester City. Division 2 Play-off Final. 25 May 1992.
Liverpool 0-1 Manchester United. FA Cup Final, 11 May 1996.
UEFA Euro 96. 8th – 30th June 1996. Wembley, London.
England 1-1 Brazil, 27 May 2000.
Wembley demolition, 2002-03.
Wembley 1990-03 is a series of photographs by Tony Davis on the final chapter of the old Wembley stadium. The limited edition A5 zine contains 30 colour and black and white photographs across 40 pages.
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Irish Giants, USA 94£100.00 – £150.00 -
England Lad – Italia 90£100.00 – £150.00 -
San Siro Spirals£130.00 – £175.00
Over the years Davis has compiled a deep archive of pictures that capture British football culture in the 80s, 90s, and 00s as well has being well known for his rave photography, his work with the British Culture Archive and Café Royal Books.
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