They think it's all over

"They think it's all over" is a well known quotation popular in England. It is taken from Kenneth Wolstenholme's BBC TV commentary in the closing moments of the 1966 World Cup, where England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time to win the FIFA World Cup.

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 Hurst scores to put England two goals ahead):"It is now, it's four!"

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!" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6253012.stm] .

The fourth goal was allowed to stand, although it was scored as a pitch invasion was in progress.

In pop culture

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. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2002/03/26/sfnove27.xml]

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. [http://www.jpgr.co.uk/pcsp729.html]