Way back in time, September 1989 to be precise was to be the last time i stood on the Famous Kop at Liverpool before leaving for Aussie shores. The visitors that evening were to be Slim Sammy Agnew's team Crystal Palace, and what was witnessed that night will live with me for evermore.
Liverpool were just coming off the back of losing the Championship to Arsenal the season before but with the likes of Rushie, Beardsley, Aldridge and Johnny Barnes on show this was never going to be easy for the newly promoted Palace.
The drama started as early as the 7th minute and after that it just got worse for the visitors, poor old Suckling in goal was never the same after that drubbing as the goals were flying in from everywhere, if i remember nearly everyone in the team got on the score sheet that night and if they'd have played any longer then perhaps the canteen girls would have also ended up scoring. The biggest cheer of the night came when we were awarded a penalty and with John Aldridge on the bench and soon to depart for Spain, the Kop chant went up for Dalglish to bring him on and take the penalty, With the score already 6 - 0 and pressure off Aldo came on and with about 10'000 mad Scousers behind the goal we almost sucked it in to the net. Again we all went mental as the party was in full swing.
As i was leaving the ground i saw a Young Cockney Chap sobbing by the side of the road after what he had just witnessed - It was to be a further 23 years before i was to see that face once again out on the running scene...........it was none other then Slim Sammy Agnew :)
For the record Liverpool went on to win the league title that season (and have NOT won it since) so it looks like I've not missed much in all the years I've been away. Coincidentally in the same season ( April 1990 ) the two teams met again in the F.A Cup Semi Final, and yes you guessed it. Palace inflicted some form of revenge beating the Reds 3-4 at Villa Park to go on and meet Man Utd in the Final ( At least it brought a smile back on the face of that "Young Cockney' Slim Sammy Agnew.
Not a big fan of the Aussie A League but this Saturday is the Sydney vs Newcastle game on at the footy stadium, and with the big names out Del Piero and the MegaStar Emile Hesky on show they are predicting a big crowd. I might even have to go and take a peek and even hurl some abuse Heskey's way - the useless piece of lard :)
cheers
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
A Sporting Feast
Well what a weekend of sport that turned out to be - and what better results all round,
Saturday was the beginning of it all with the Swans win in the AFL that i have already mentioned in the Trash Blog, i didn't see much of The English Premier games live this week ( due to too many drinks consumed watching the Swans) but was delighted to wake to see that Liverpool, and Stoke recorded wins, as did Crystal Palace for my mate Slim Sammy Agnew, Old Master Sweeney wouldn't have been happy to see his Goonnnners get turned over by Chelsea, and the week was complete in the EPL when i saw Man Utd got beat at home as well.
Sunday afternoon was spent watching the NRL between 'The Bulldogs vs The Storm, and again the sporting Gods were on my side as the Storm got up against those Lunatics from Canterbury, What is it with these boys and there off field behavior? I don't mind how they party or how drunk they get - but why would they parade it in front of the cameras and then carry on like Pork Chops especially in light of what has happened in the past.
Over in Ireland and Enda's team Galway got a good shoeing from Killkenny in the All Ireland Hurling Final, Galway had beat them 3 times throughout the year but couldn't do it when it mattered ....In the Final :)
And then we perhaps saved the best till last in the Ryder Cup Golf between Europe and our American friends. i left for work and the Yanks were 10 - 6 ahead and J-Fen was on the phone to me every 10 minutes shouting the odds before a late rally that saw Europe win 8 of the last round of singles in the comeback of all comebacks for us to retain the Cup.
J-Fenton actually send me a photo of him in celebration mode and i will fish it out and post it tomorrow for all to see.
No doubt the great Seve Ballesteros was looking down with a great smile taking it all in.
I see the Wallabies also got steamrolled over in Sth Africa and now play the Pumas this week in a must win game for them, Can't see it myself to be honest and this could be coach Deans last game if they take a good beating?
Over in Sri Lanka the Cricket Twenty 20 is going on ( does anyone really care?) and i noticed England got beat last night as well, On the positive side if you are an Aussie you still have something to cheer in sport with the Aussies still in it and will play the Pakis tonight.
Cheers
Saturday was the beginning of it all with the Swans win in the AFL that i have already mentioned in the Trash Blog, i didn't see much of The English Premier games live this week ( due to too many drinks consumed watching the Swans) but was delighted to wake to see that Liverpool, and Stoke recorded wins, as did Crystal Palace for my mate Slim Sammy Agnew, Old Master Sweeney wouldn't have been happy to see his Goonnnners get turned over by Chelsea, and the week was complete in the EPL when i saw Man Utd got beat at home as well.
Sunday afternoon was spent watching the NRL between 'The Bulldogs vs The Storm, and again the sporting Gods were on my side as the Storm got up against those Lunatics from Canterbury, What is it with these boys and there off field behavior? I don't mind how they party or how drunk they get - but why would they parade it in front of the cameras and then carry on like Pork Chops especially in light of what has happened in the past.
Over in Ireland and Enda's team Galway got a good shoeing from Killkenny in the All Ireland Hurling Final, Galway had beat them 3 times throughout the year but couldn't do it when it mattered ....In the Final :)
And then we perhaps saved the best till last in the Ryder Cup Golf between Europe and our American friends. i left for work and the Yanks were 10 - 6 ahead and J-Fen was on the phone to me every 10 minutes shouting the odds before a late rally that saw Europe win 8 of the last round of singles in the comeback of all comebacks for us to retain the Cup.
J-Fenton actually send me a photo of him in celebration mode and i will fish it out and post it tomorrow for all to see.
No doubt the great Seve Ballesteros was looking down with a great smile taking it all in.
I see the Wallabies also got steamrolled over in Sth Africa and now play the Pumas this week in a must win game for them, Can't see it myself to be honest and this could be coach Deans last game if they take a good beating?
Over in Sri Lanka the Cricket Twenty 20 is going on ( does anyone really care?) and i noticed England got beat last night as well, On the positive side if you are an Aussie you still have something to cheer in sport with the Aussies still in it and will play the Pakis tonight.
Cheers
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Stoke City F.C
Disappointing result from Sunday afternoon when Man Utd came away with victory over Liverpool 2-1 thanks to a late penalty from R.V.P. I thought Liverpool were worthy of a draw but things were made tough for them when they had a man sent off, I know I'm a Liverpool fan and may be accused of a little bias but if that was a straight Red Card then they may as well take tacking OUT of the game, and if he had to go then so should Evans ( Man Utd Player)
Still tough times for Liverpool and i cant' see it getting any better in the short term as i can't see where the goals are going to come from, but i think you need to stick with the boss and show him the support that the old Liverpool way was famous for .... not to mention successful.
I take my hat of to the club and the supporters for the way they handled the occasion on Sunday from the terrible Hillsborough disaster back in 1989, It was an emotional day all round but i felt it was done with a lot of dignity and respect and when 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was played it seemed to carry even more volume and significance.
It brought back many happy memories of when i used to stand in the middle of the Kop in the mid eighties and some of the great games i witnessed , with the many greats of the game, Dalglish, Rush ,Souness, Hansen, Lawrenson just to name a few, and in later years the Barnes, Beardsley era.
Well before all that i was watching my home team Stoke City in action with my Dad a mad supporter from when he was a kid taking me to the games when i was only about 6 or 7 years of age, Stoke to had a very good side at the time ( probably the best they've ever had) , certainly much better then about 12 years later when i was around ( Probably the worst team in the history) .. :)
One of the first BIG matches i went to was in 1974 ( Only Master Sweeney and Tommy H will remember this one) and was against the mighty Leeds team of the day who were on 29 unbeaten games at the time and were going for a record 30 matches should they not get beat. The atmosphere was electric that day ( especially for a kid of 6) and when Leeds took a 0-2 lead things weren't looking good for the men from the Potteries, that was until the talented Alan Hudson and Jimmy Greenhoff took the game by the scruff of the neck bringing the game back level at 2-2, The place then went ballistic when local boy and Hardman Dennis Smith popped up for the winner late in the game to end the Leeds run.
As i said it was a very good Stoke team at the time and should have gone on to bigger and better things unfortunately a few years later in the winter of 1976 disaster was to happen when the roof blew of one of the stands and left the club with a massive 250'000 repair bill. In True Stoke fashion we were NOT insured and were forced to sell all the best players in the club to help finance the ground.
It set the club back many years, and its only the past few years has the Club returned to the Premier after a long time out, Things are looking up now though, and although we have since moved grounds and an away game against Stoke City is not one many clubs look forward to these days.
In my younger days , i was a big collector of all programs from the matches that i attended, i think even now i have thousands stored away from games over the years - sure some are worth a few bob these days and one day i might see about selling them off to any collectors back home. Here is one that training partner Tommy Highman might remember seeing he is a Geordie Lad ?
Newcastle vs Stoke program from 1974 at St James Park, For the record the game ended all square 2-2 :)
Good to see i have at least one reader out there, with Gun runner Master Sweeney taking a peek, Master is a Arsenal supporter but we wont hold that against him, and i will be sure to write about the Big Game from 1989 that Arsenal won the title with at Liverpool to keep him happy in time to come :)
Cheers
Still tough times for Liverpool and i cant' see it getting any better in the short term as i can't see where the goals are going to come from, but i think you need to stick with the boss and show him the support that the old Liverpool way was famous for .... not to mention successful.
I take my hat of to the club and the supporters for the way they handled the occasion on Sunday from the terrible Hillsborough disaster back in 1989, It was an emotional day all round but i felt it was done with a lot of dignity and respect and when 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was played it seemed to carry even more volume and significance.
It brought back many happy memories of when i used to stand in the middle of the Kop in the mid eighties and some of the great games i witnessed , with the many greats of the game, Dalglish, Rush ,Souness, Hansen, Lawrenson just to name a few, and in later years the Barnes, Beardsley era.
Well before all that i was watching my home team Stoke City in action with my Dad a mad supporter from when he was a kid taking me to the games when i was only about 6 or 7 years of age, Stoke to had a very good side at the time ( probably the best they've ever had) , certainly much better then about 12 years later when i was around ( Probably the worst team in the history) .. :)
One of the first BIG matches i went to was in 1974 ( Only Master Sweeney and Tommy H will remember this one) and was against the mighty Leeds team of the day who were on 29 unbeaten games at the time and were going for a record 30 matches should they not get beat. The atmosphere was electric that day ( especially for a kid of 6) and when Leeds took a 0-2 lead things weren't looking good for the men from the Potteries, that was until the talented Alan Hudson and Jimmy Greenhoff took the game by the scruff of the neck bringing the game back level at 2-2, The place then went ballistic when local boy and Hardman Dennis Smith popped up for the winner late in the game to end the Leeds run.
As i said it was a very good Stoke team at the time and should have gone on to bigger and better things unfortunately a few years later in the winter of 1976 disaster was to happen when the roof blew of one of the stands and left the club with a massive 250'000 repair bill. In True Stoke fashion we were NOT insured and were forced to sell all the best players in the club to help finance the ground.
It set the club back many years, and its only the past few years has the Club returned to the Premier after a long time out, Things are looking up now though, and although we have since moved grounds and an away game against Stoke City is not one many clubs look forward to these days.
In my younger days , i was a big collector of all programs from the matches that i attended, i think even now i have thousands stored away from games over the years - sure some are worth a few bob these days and one day i might see about selling them off to any collectors back home. Here is one that training partner Tommy Highman might remember seeing he is a Geordie Lad ?
Good to see i have at least one reader out there, with Gun runner Master Sweeney taking a peek, Master is a Arsenal supporter but we wont hold that against him, and i will be sure to write about the Big Game from 1989 that Arsenal won the title with at Liverpool to keep him happy in time to come :)
Cheers
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Here We Go.
In addition to the other blog 'The Trash' i thought i would also give the readers, fans or anyone else that may be sitting bored another Daily Dose as i see events unfold each day in the sporting world. Will focus more more on the footy from back home, but will also cover Cricket, , other footy codes and the darts as well as anything else that catches the eye.
Started the late afternoon off watching the twilight game in the AFL between the Hawks and the Crows to see who would be lining up to play the Swans in next weeks grand final - Cracking game with the Hawks powering away in the 3rd quarter only for Adelaide to hit back and take the lead with only 4 Min's remaining. The Hawks prevailed to meet the Swannies next Saturday at the 'G' in the big one - Go the Swannies.
Sat back then to see Canterbury destroy the Hapless Bunnies in the NRL to set up a Bulldogs vs Melbourne Storm final next week, Being a Rooster fan i was fairly happy with the result although i will be cheering on Melbourne come final time.
Continued into the night watching old club Stoke take on the drug money men from Chelsea in the premier league, pretty average to be honest with Chelsea snicking it in the last 4 minutes to come away with a 1- 0 win. Although i was abusing the telly at one stage when some foreigner went down as if he'd been shot looking for a penalty when it was obvious that nobody touched him - cheating b@$tard :) To me the act of simulation of trying to deceive the referee is one of the lowest acts in the game and needs to be outlawed, I'd be sending players off for such acts. The Chelsea player involved would have got a silver in the Olympics from the 10 mtere diving board it was that bad.
Tonight sees the BIG one between Liverpool and Man Utd, wouldn't be surprised to see the Scouse men come away with something from this one even though they are playing very average and you wonder where the goals are going to come from
Timmy's Tip - Go for 1 -1
Over in Ireland (yes i better keep our Irish mates happy) - Its the final of the Gaelic football between Mayo and Donegal, what with Galway in the final of the Hurling, Sligo Rovers winning the football as well there must be something blowing in from the Atlantic ......The West is Awake :)
Timmy's Tip. Take Mayo to win the All Ireland
Cheers
Started the late afternoon off watching the twilight game in the AFL between the Hawks and the Crows to see who would be lining up to play the Swans in next weeks grand final - Cracking game with the Hawks powering away in the 3rd quarter only for Adelaide to hit back and take the lead with only 4 Min's remaining. The Hawks prevailed to meet the Swannies next Saturday at the 'G' in the big one - Go the Swannies.
Sat back then to see Canterbury destroy the Hapless Bunnies in the NRL to set up a Bulldogs vs Melbourne Storm final next week, Being a Rooster fan i was fairly happy with the result although i will be cheering on Melbourne come final time.
Continued into the night watching old club Stoke take on the drug money men from Chelsea in the premier league, pretty average to be honest with Chelsea snicking it in the last 4 minutes to come away with a 1- 0 win. Although i was abusing the telly at one stage when some foreigner went down as if he'd been shot looking for a penalty when it was obvious that nobody touched him - cheating b@$tard :) To me the act of simulation of trying to deceive the referee is one of the lowest acts in the game and needs to be outlawed, I'd be sending players off for such acts. The Chelsea player involved would have got a silver in the Olympics from the 10 mtere diving board it was that bad.
Tonight sees the BIG one between Liverpool and Man Utd, wouldn't be surprised to see the Scouse men come away with something from this one even though they are playing very average and you wonder where the goals are going to come from
Timmy's Tip - Go for 1 -1
Over in Ireland (yes i better keep our Irish mates happy) - Its the final of the Gaelic football between Mayo and Donegal, what with Galway in the final of the Hurling, Sligo Rovers winning the football as well there must be something blowing in from the Atlantic ......The West is Awake :)
Timmy's Tip. Take Mayo to win the All Ireland
Cheers
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