From 1986 to 1995, the team that Jack built inspired unparalleled scenes of joy in the country and laid the foundation stones for Irish football for future generations.
Blended with unseen, forgotten and rich archive of the period, this is the story of the players who made it all possible, with contributions from those in the middle of the action and those who watched keenly from the stands and the press boxes.
Directed by Ross Whitaker, the award-winning film maker behind Katie, Shane Lowry – Open, and Anthony Foley – Munsterman, and produced by Loosehorse, creators of hit sports docs Giles, Micko and Blues Sisters, The Boys In Green is the definitive two-part series for RTÉ celebrating a magical era of Irish sport as we approach the 30th anniversary of its greatest occasion – Italia ’90.
Qualification for major tournaments like Euro ’88, Italia ’90 and USA ’94 meant that football became a symbol of national pride in a country struggling with economic devastation and haunted by the lingering reality of ‘the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. On the field, the country qualified for its first major football tournaments and captured the imagination of the Irish public.
Central to the story was a 1966 World Cup winner from the heartlands of English football. A teak-tough North-Easterner, Jack Charlton revolutionised Irish football with a ‘Put ‘Em Under Pressure’ style that certainly had its critics but also delivered unprecedented success on the pitch.
Seeking a team that could deliver his vision, Jack scoured his home country for players that fit his style, taking advantage of the ‘Granny Rule’ to assemble a unit that was expertly drilled, committed to the cause and bonded.
The team that Jack built mixed national identities from Ireland and England;- this under-laid an on-field rivalry that developed between the two countries during this period. Group games in Euro ’88 and Italia ’90 – and qualifiers for Euro ’92 – led to an increased familiarity between the Irish and English players and highlighted issues of national identity on the playing fields.
This boiled over during one fateful day in Lansdowne Road in February, 1995, when extremist English ‘fans’ rioted during a friendly between the two teams.
Featuring contributions from an all-star cast of Irish football heroes, like Tony Cascarino, John Aldridge, Mick McCarthy, Ronnie Whelan, David O’Leary, Jason McAteer, Kevin Sheedy and Stephen Staunton, The Boys In Green tells the story of a nation coming of age on the football field and off it.