According to Skinner's autobiography, the original lyric included the line "Butcher ready for war" instead of "Bobby belting the ball". The line was a reference to a notorious World Cup qualifier against Sweden in 1989, when the defender Terry Butcher played despite his head bleeding profusely for much of the match. Baddiel later revealed a handwritten copy of the lyrics on Twitter with "Terry Butcher at war" shown as the replaced lyric. The FA requested that this line be changed to avoid suggestions of hooliganism imagery. The "ready for war" motif was later used in the 1998 version of the song, attributed to Paul Ince.
