Bjørge Lillelien can you hear me?

It's September 1981.

Princess Diana has been practicing her new signature for a couple of months, the Mini Metro is selling rather well and Visage are re-writing the laws of facial cosmetics against the backdrop of synthesizer pop. Steve Strange? Yes, he probably was.

Bryan Robson, meanwhile, is about to play his final few games for Albion. With a bushy perm and still finding England caps hard to come by, Robson is clearly not long for the Black Country.

But, before he travels up the M6, he has one final bit of an eight-year Throstles' chapter to finish off.

It's September 7, 1981. Ulleval, Oslo. Ring any bells?

No.

Let me remind you.

"Vi er best i verden! Vi er best i verden! Vi har slått England 2-1 i fotball!! Det er aldeles utrolig! Vi har slått England! England, kjempers fødeland. Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana--vi har slått dem alle sammen. Vi har slått dem alle sammen. Maggie Thatcher can you hear me?

"Maggie Thatcher, Your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!"

The words of Bjørge Lillelien, the famous commentator who was to start an annoying trend for post-final whistle sign-offs. England lost 2-1 to Norway.

The relevance is this - it was to be the last competitive England international to feature an Albion player. Sure, Derek Statham, Cyrille Regis and Steve Hunt followed, but they played during tours of Australasia, the Home Championships or in friendlies.

Robson's game was the last time an Albion player performed (and scored, as it happens) in an England game which mattered.

That could be about to change. With England playing Kazakhstan and Belarus in World Cup qualifiers, what price Scott Carson being given a go?

While you ponder that, here's the offending clip - just for old times sake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqZTP8-8wIs

In the meantime, Let's fire up the Quattro!