WHEN England crashed out of the 1974 World Cup in the qualifying tournament, considered a major shock at the time, Poland, their conquerors, were seen as also-rans, a relative minnow that had audaciously knocked-out the 1966 champions. Yet if the British media had been as informed as they thought they were, it would have realised that this game, which ended 1-1, was almost as significant as Hungary’s 1953 triumph at Wembley stadium. The Poles didn’t win, but they were, like the Magyars, reigning Olympic gold medallists. Hungary won the Olympic tournament in 1952, Poland 20 years later. In 1954, Hungary finished runners-up in the World Cup, in 1974, Poland were third. Both teams had other things in common, not least that they were both…