The problem with working on a project like this is that because it is so diverse you get started on one thing, get inspired by something else, and then end up working in six places at once as the site mushroooms out of control. I have almost finished the Germany v England section and have images of all of the match programmes from 1938 onwards, but got sidetracked by a new feature – improved tournament squad lists for all major tournaments from the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

Previously, the tournament squad lists were fairly basic – there was the player name, squad number, position and club side. This format still remains in place for all tournaments up to and including the 1984 European Championship, but for all tournaments after that – the real focus of the site – there are complete tables that show:

– player Name, and a small image mugshot thumbnail;
– birth date;
– birthplace;
– squad number;
– position;
– date of debut;
– appearances at the time of the start of the tournament;
– goals scored at the time of the start of the tournament;
– club side at the time.

The tables are “interactive” in that by simply clicking on each of the headers you can order the data in any way you like – the default is field position, but you can order the table alphabetically, by squad number, or even by the date of the player’s debut.

The new interactive squad list tables
The new interactive squad list tables

Better still are the “mugshot icons” – which when clicked fire larger square image that you can scroll through. In many instances I have deliberately selected older photographs that will stir memories in some of us more established fans of the Nationalmannschaft – the one of Stefan Effenberg is an early 1990s classic, though I did find it hard to choose just one of Olaf Thon’s many looks throughout his career.

If you have been reading the site closely you would also have noticed the addition of a new small section – Weiß und Blau, a little area reserved for the former East German national side. Although at some stage it may be expanded, this section at present focusses on those GDR players who were incorporated into the unified side in late 1990 – in fact, the little table containing the eight former GDR internationals who got to wear the Schwarz und Weiß after 1990 was the inspiration for the larger tournament squad lists project.

My plan is now to finish these newer sections off – there just a few gaps to fill here and there – before completing the Germany v England section; after that I will set about writing some of the tournament match reports while at the same time kicking off the stadia section, which will contain a potted history of each of the grounds used by the German national team since 1908. Of course, I have no organised plan of action, but the general idea is to get things more or less complete by the end of this year – with the aim of getting things fully in motion in time for the finals of Euro 2012.

So… Keep watching, and if you do spot any errors or have something to say – please drop a comment!

Illustrated Squad Lists
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