They think it's all over
Encyclopedia
They think it's all over is a well known quotation and football chant popular in England
. It is taken from Kenneth Wolstenholme's
BBC
TV commentary in the closing moments of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final
, where England
beat West Germany
4–2 after extra time to win the FIFA World Cup
.
Soon after the 1966 victory, Wolstenhome's quote became a popular expression and soon was chanted in stadiums by supporters of England and various clubs.
Transcribed, the quotation is:
ITV's commentary for the match (by Hugh Johns
) concluded with "Here's Hurst, he might make it three. He has! He has... so that's it. That is IT!".
The phrase, along with other calls from English football matches, appears in New Order
's song "World In Motion
", although in that case Wolstenholme re-recorded it inaccurately ("Well, some of the crowd are on the pitch. They think it's all over. Well it is now"). The British band The Dentists
called their first album Some People are on the Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now in Wolstenholme's honour; the LP begins with a sample
of Wolstenholme's original commentary. Track #3 on British folk metal
act Skyclad's
EP Jig-a-Jig
is called "They Think It's All Over". The song contains the phrase "They think it's all over. Well is it now?" in its chorus and includes several references to the 1966 FIFA World Cup
.
In Neil Marshall's "Dog Soldiers" the last words that the character Cooper says are, "You think it's all over? It is now."
The quotation was also used as the title of the BBC's satirical sports quiz show They Think It's All Over
, which appeared on BBC One
from 1995 to 2006. The show has heightened the popularity of the phrase in recent years, though Kenneth Wolstenholme was reportedly unhappy with the use of the phrase for the title of the show.
An alternate mix for The Beatles
song "Glass Onion
", which appeared on Anthology 3
, contained a portion of Kenneth Wolstenholme's commentary. At the end of the track he can be heard shouting "It's a goal!" repeating for several seconds until the track fades.
On the television show That Mitchell and Webb Look
in a sketch about cricket
the commentator says, "They're bringing urns and sandwiches onto the pitch. They think it's tea! It is now!".
In the Discworld
book Unseen Academicals
the book has two false endings, each followed by "You think it's all over?" and at the actual end "It is Now!"
BBC
parodist Dave Henson used the line to refer to the 1966 winning team during his parody of I'll Be Missing You
by Puff Daddy and the Family/The Police
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is taken from Kenneth Wolstenholme's
Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme DFC & Bar was the football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s, most notable for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup which included the famous phrase "some people are on the pitch...they think it's all over....it is now!", as Geoff Hurst scored...
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV commentary in the closing moments of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
, where England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
beat West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
4–2 after extra time to win the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.
Soon after the 1966 victory, Wolstenhome's quote became a popular expression and soon was chanted in stadiums by supporters of England and various clubs.
Transcribed, the quotation is:
- And here comes Hurst! He's got...
- (Wolstenholme's attention is diverted by some of the crowd spilling onto the pitch)
- Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over!
- (Geoff HurstGeoff HurstSir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...
scores to put EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
two goals ahead)
- (Geoff Hurst
- It is now, it's four!
ITV's commentary for the match (by Hugh Johns
Hugh Johns
Hugh Richard Lewis Johns was best known as a football commentator for ITV. During his career, he covered a thousand matches including four FIFA World Cup finals. - Early life and career :...
) concluded with "Here's Hurst, he might make it three. He has! He has... so that's it. That is IT!".
In pop culture
It became popular to sing the line from the terraces during the final moments of football matches.The phrase, along with other calls from English football matches, appears in New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
's song "World In Motion
World in Motion
"World in Motion" is a song by English musical group New Order. It is New Order's only UK number one single. The song was produced for the England football team's 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign, and features several members of the 1990 English team, as well as comedian Keith Allen, who co-wrote the...
", although in that case Wolstenholme re-recorded it inaccurately ("Well, some of the crowd are on the pitch. They think it's all over. Well it is now"). The British band The Dentists
The Dentists
The Dentists were an indie/pop band from the Medway towns in England who were active from 1984 to 1995. The band's permanent members were Mick Murphy , Bob Collins and Mark Matthews . The band also had three different drummers: Ian Smith , Alun Jones and Rob Grigg...
called their first album Some People are on the Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now in Wolstenholme's honour; the LP begins with a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of Wolstenholme's original commentary. Track #3 on British folk metal
Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
act Skyclad's
Skyclad (band)
Skyclad are a British heavy metal band with heavy folk influences in their music. They are considered one of the pioneers of folk metal. The etymology behind the term "skyclad" comes from a pagan/wiccan term for ritual nudity, in which rituals are performed with the participants metaphorically clad...
EP Jig-a-Jig
Jig-a-Jig (EP)
Jig-a-Jig is British folk metal group Skyclad's third limited edition EP. According to the band's official website it will be sold through the band's website and at gigs only...
is called "They Think It's All Over". The song contains the phrase "They think it's all over. Well is it now?" in its chorus and includes several references to the 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
.
In Neil Marshall's "Dog Soldiers" the last words that the character Cooper says are, "You think it's all over? It is now."
The quotation was also used as the title of the BBC's satirical sports quiz show They Think It's All Over
They Think It's All Over (TV series)
They Think It's All Over was a British comedy panel game with a sporting theme produced by Talkback Thames and shown on BBC One. The show's name is taken from Kenneth Wolstenholme's famous 1966 World Cup commentary quotation, "they think it's all over...it is now!" and the show used the phrase as...
, which appeared on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1995 to 2006. The show has heightened the popularity of the phrase in recent years, though Kenneth Wolstenholme was reportedly unhappy with the use of the phrase for the title of the show.
An alternate mix for The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song "Glass Onion
Glass Onion
"Glass Onion" is a song by The Beatles from their 1968 double-album The Beatles primarily written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. This is the first track on the White Album to feature Ringo Starr on drums...
", which appeared on Anthology 3
Anthology 3
Anthology 3 is a compilation album by The Beatles released in October 1996 by Apple Records as part of The Beatles Anthology series. The album includes rarities and alternative tracks from the final two years of the band's career, ranging from the initial sessions for The Beatles to the last...
, contained a portion of Kenneth Wolstenholme's commentary. At the end of the track he can be heard shouting "It's a goal!" repeating for several seconds until the track fades.
On the television show That Mitchell and Webb Look
That Mitchell and Webb Look
That Mitchell and Webb Look is a British television sketch show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Shown on BBC Two since 2006, its first two series were directed by David Kerr, who also directed Mitchell and Webb's previous television sketch show The Mitchell and Webb Situation, whereas...
in a sketch about cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
the commentator says, "They're bringing urns and sandwiches onto the pitch. They think it's tea! It is now!".
In the Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
book Unseen Academicals
Unseen Academicals
Unseen Academicals is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. The novel satirises football , and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal. It includes new details about "below stairs" life at the university...
the book has two false endings, each followed by "You think it's all over?" and at the actual end "It is Now!"
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
parodist Dave Henson used the line to refer to the 1966 winning team during his parody of I'll Be Missing You
I'll Be Missing You
"I'll Be Missing You" is a Grammy Award-winning song and hit single recorded by Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112, in memory of fellow Bad Boy Records artist Christopher "Notorious B.I.G" Wallace who was murdered on March 9, 1997...
by Puff Daddy and the Family/The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
.
- Boys of '66 hey take a bow..
- They think it's all over, it is now!