It's a 90s football drinking session which has gone into British folklore. England's Euro 96 squad got so battered during a pre-tournament tour of the Far East, they made the front pages of national newspapers back home, with Three Lions manager Terry Venables forced to publicly defend his players.
Rumours of a 'dentist chair' drinking game, involving a player being strapped to a chair while team-mates poured liquor into his open mouth were later confirmed when Paul Gascoigne celebrated his wonder goal against Scotland by re-enacting the stunt with his fellow offenders.
But while the partying ultimately appeared to bond England's players ahead of a high-pressure home tournament, not everyone was involved. Indeed, goalkeeper Tim Flowers striker Alan Shearer missed out on the madness due to their big appetites.
"Before Euro 96, we went to China and I played there, then flew to Hong Kong before that infamous night out with the dentist’s chair," Flowers tells the Players Lounge section of FourFourTwo – order the latest issue of the mag here.
"Terry Venables had organised this magnificent Chinese meal on a barge – 15 courses or something – and you could see some of the lads were itching to get out. A few of us, including me and Alan Shearer, stayed to finish the food. Obviously, all hell broke loose the next day and we ended up going into the tournament with the public not particularly having us as a team."
Despite a frosty reception from those back home, the country soon fell in love with England's party animals, who would go on to reach the semi-finals before losing out on penalties to Germany.
"As the tournament went on, the country was going potty and it was brilliant to be part of even if I wasn’t playing. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of a really good group. You’re a football fan first, so it was unbelievable to be there. Then two years later was France 98. It’s everybody’s dream to go to a World Cup for their country with the pure size of it all, so it was another incredible experience. I also played in Le Tournoi in 1997 [which England won] and I still have my medal at home!"
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