Thursday 24 November 2016

Goal nets, posts, and stanchions of the 1980s

Is it just me, or do all goal nets pretty much look the same in every stadium nowadays? You know, the bog standard square shaped net that you see at Wembley, the Emirates, Old Trafford, Anfield et al. Yet it hasn't always been like this. Way back in the 1980s, the small band of football lovers who actually care about this sort of thing were spoilt for choice when it came to the variety of goal nets available for us to enjoy, and you can call me a geek if you like, but I kind of miss this.

So this week I have decided to take a look back at some of my favourite football goals and nets of the 1980s. You may think this is a bit sad - in truth, it probably is - and you might not enjoy a supposedly grown man describing net tension, stanchions, and the shape of goal posts, but just let me get this out of my system. Forget porn on the net; this is goal net porn.

Wembley

Football may have come home during Euro 96, but something disappeared from Wembley Stadium that I have never really got over. Those famous old goals, with the green stanchions and arched nets, immediately transport you back to a time that seems alien now, when the FA Cup and League Cup mattered to every team, and England home internationals and friendlies didn't get in the way of the domestic calendar. Just before Euro 96, the goals were removed, and replaced with the common square net. Football has never been the same since.

Of course I'm not blaming the ills of the modern game on the removal of the Wembley goals. After all, half and half scarves, music blaring out after a goal has been scored, and clubs playing weakened teams in cup competitions has nothing to do with the iconic goals being sent to a skip marked "Do one". It is merely a coincidence that Euro 96 ushered in a new era, with money and celebrity fans beginning to flood the sport, and people actually phoning David Mellor to talk about football.




So let's just consider some of the famous times the back of those nets were hit during the 80s. Mackenzie and Villa exchanging goal of the season contenders in the 1981 FA Cup final; Whiteside's curler against Everton; Ian Rush hitting a camera in the back of Bobby Mimms' goal to seal the double; Houchen's diving header; Ronnie Whelan's winner in the 1983 Milk Cup final. And I'm only scratching the surface here.

Why, the Scottish loved the goals so much, that they even tried to dismantle them and take them home in 1977.

Villa Park

A simple design, but again it is the occasions hosted at the stadium that bring back happy memories. Including replays, Villa Park hosted eleven FA Cup semi final matches during the 1980s, during an era where the FA had the wacky idea of hosting these matches at a neutral venue that wasn't the same location as the final.




The goals at Villa were not particularly unique. There were similar types at other Midlands clubs such as Birmingham City, West Brom, and Coventry, and these can probably be seen during many a Sunday league match today. Yet the triangular stanchion with the sloping net running unsupported to the pitch is not used enough today. The fact that this means we miss out on Trevor Brooking moments like this is also disappointing.

The Dell

There is something about a tight net that is appealing. It's probably to do with the fact that one finish can lead to another as a joyous player slams in the follow up, or the ball that rebounds out of the goal can be lashed away in disgust a la Bruce Grobbelaar in 1984. The Dell was always my pick of these goals and nets, although I had a soft spot for Upton Park and Ayresome Park too.




The Dell was such a compact ground, with spectators almost on top of the pitch, so this probably forced the hand of the goal designers. Deep nets like the Nou Camp or my next selection would have been touching the perimeter fencing, and it was with great sadness that I shuffled away from The Dell after the last League match there in 2001.

Hampden Park

Another memorable component of football in the 1980s, the Hampden Park goals were a unique element of the stadium. With the curved stanchions that seemed to stretch back miles, and those famous square posts, FA Cup final day in England was never complete without a quick journey up north to catch some highlights of the Scottish equivalent.

FIFA, being the killjoys that they are, banned the famous squared posts in 1987, and they were sold in an auction for £6,200. A business consortium led by pub landlord Bill Campbell won the bid, and after living in a Hampden Park museum, French club Saint Etienne bought them as a reminder of the 1976 European Cup final which they lost to Bayern Munich.




After hitting the woodwork twice in that final, I'm just glad Saint Etienne didn't burn "les poteaux carrés" (the square posts). Saint Etienne President Roland Romeyer, speaking in 2013, thankfully indicated that the club loved the posts as much as the rest of us: "These square goalposts were in part a symbol of this 1976 final, which created an emotional tie between the French people and AS Saint-Etienne." Phew.

Deep nets

The Hampden Park nets may have been pretty deep, but there were others around that seemed longer than the wardrobe that led to Narnia. Barcelona's Nou Camp housed nets that spanned two time zones, as witnessed here against Dundee United in 1987. And some of the nets at Mexico 1986 were like nothing I had seen before.

But I'm not sure either Barcelona or Mexico could compete with Real Zaragoza's La Romareda, with the club proudly boasting a cracking claim to fame in that their nets stretched back four metres, or roughly two Peter Crouches. It was a miracle that some of the goals scored in this wet and wild UEFA Cup semi final in 1987 actually reached the back of the net.

Coloured nets

Off to Merseyside for my next two choices, as the red and blue nets of Liverpool and Everton come into focus, although I have to admit that it was sometimes quite hard to see that there actually nets at Anfield or Goodison Park, but that might be down to my eyesight more than anything.

There were plenty of goals flying into those nets during the trophy winning seasons of both clubs: Ian Rush bagging four at Goodison in 1982; Graeme Sharp's goal of the season winner at Anfield in 1984/85; that unforgettable evening for Everton against Bayern Munich; John Barnes waltzing through the QPR defence in 1987. I probably shouldn't mention Michael Thomas' goal on May 26, 1989, though.

Other teams adopted the same approach as the Merseyside giants, including Dundee United and their tangerine nets, Grimsby Town's black and white stripped effect, and Nottingham Forest in the latter part of the decade. Brendan Rodgers may not be everyone's cup of tea, but at least he had the sense to restore Liverpool's coloured nets in 2012, in a nod to the glory years of the club.

Old Trafford

During an era where the search for a League title continued for Manchester United, their goals were definitely top class. They were a strange arrangement. The stanchion was similar to Wembley, perhaps just a little less curved, but the net was not fully supported by the stanchions, and did not stretch all the way to the back of the frame. Thus, the net slightly sagged and billowed, but what a sight they were.




For me, the old goals will forever be a symbol of United and their quest for the title under Big Ron. This classic goal disappeared after the 1986/87 season, and eventually the silverware would arrive under Alex Ferguson. But were United fans happy with this development and the loss of their famous goals? Oh, they probably were I'm guessing.

Going on a European tour

A few European goals to end the blog, Sportsnight and Midweek Sports Special providing me with many interesting variations across the continent. There was Anderlecht's shallow, curved goal frame; the goalposts in Bilbao with black sections at the base; Sweden's green net with the small holes, and frame that looked like it might possibly blow away at any moment.

More deep nets at Steau Bucharest; a simple goal frame such as those seen at Lyon during Euro 84; the anti-Lyon style goal in Chorzow as England scraped through to Italia 90; the strange goals that pretty much had another goal behind them for support, as England stuffed Yugoslavia and qualified for Euro 88.

And many, many more that I'm sure that some of you may wish to recall.

43 comments:

  1. I'd also have to mention (not 1980s in fairness) the classic saggy nets of the Olympic Stadium when Liverpool won the European Cup in 1977. 'That's nice, that's McDermott, and that's a goal' went the commentary, but Barry Davies might have added 'Even though the ball is in the back of the net, it's only about a foot over the line.'

    One of my favourite editions of the blog. Keep up the good work.

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  2. Loved this, football geek chic.

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  3. This is spot on.

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  4. I've never read anything better on the internet. I'm serious. The Mexico 86 nets - brilliant.

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    1. Loved those nets, seeing the USSR smash them into the top corners. Brilliant

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  5. Mexico 86 top 20 goals - unbelievable. What would Josimar be worth in today's money?

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  6. Look - a whole blog dedicated to this exact subject
    http://goalnets.blogspot.com

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  7. 2 additions to this wonderful blog. The nets at the Estadio Sarría in Barcelona for Italy-Brazil 1982 World Cup which were perfectly fitted to allow the ball to spring back a little; and the goals at the Nep stadium because it brings memories of Brooking'so wonderful goal that got stuck behind the stanchion. Also, for some reason I loved any goals that had a section of black paint at the bottom of the post. They evoke memories of away games with the wonderful tinny, buzzy commentary sound that made your team seem to be battling in a distant land.

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  8. I have had an onion bag fetish all my life.....great stuff.

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  9. Now a facebook group dedicated to goals and stanchions.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/1006665702710811/

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    1. I can't find that group mate - can you add me on it?

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  10. What about the unusual, striped goal frames in Belgrade, as seen in the Busby Babes' final outing in February 1958. Mention must also go to the silver goal frames in Gothenburg, used in the 1983 Cup-Winners Cup Final when Aberdeen beat Real Madrid.

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  11. Norwich City’s yellow nets were great but the old Wembley goals top the lot

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  12. I liked the old Elland Road nets in the 70s with the blue stanchions but the net was pulled back about a metre further back than the bottom of the stanchion

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    1. Yeah remember curry volleying home into them - wonderful

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  13. Totally agree with you, especially the Wembley goals. They were part of what made the FA Cup Finals so special.

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  14. Does anybody know why they had the black bands round the bottom of the posts at world cup 78, also barcalona had them late 80s. Iv heard it was to do with the civil rights movement but not sure.

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  15. What were the green trimming that held the netting to the ground from behind the posts to the bottom corner and along to the other corner of the stanchion then up behind the other post. RSVP ASAP plz

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  16. 1970 world cup England v Brazil at the The Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara at the Jalisco stadium in Guadalajara the net set up was unique, nets hanging down from the stanchion but really tight and shallow. Jairzinho,s goal in that game was the more spectacular and memorabke because of this.

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  17. Wow. I was actually looking for someone, something, anything that would comment on getting back the old
    Wembley nets back. And I found this !!!! I thought I was the only looney who wanted this back. I'm not a fan of a lot of the goal/net combinations, but Wembley needs to return to the curved back. It was totally unique to Wembley Stadium and really made Cup Finals special. Now they are not and I think it has a lot to do with the goal posts. Maybe a petition to return Wembley to its old form?

    Absolutely great article. Thanks for posting this. Now I'm confirmed non crazy. By the way, we used to call the Wembley goals The Subbutteo set up. Probably just in my neighborhood though. Great article.

    J.

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  18. Anyone know what happened to them Wembley goalposts?
    I was gutted when euro 96 started and i realised what they had done.

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    1. Me too....I desperately hoped to see them reinstated after the tournament but it didn't happen!

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  19. Great article. Didnt realise anyone else cared but yes, football never been the same since identikit box nets were introduced (or identikit stadiums come to that). All magic gone from the game now.

    My favourites Liverpool nets in the 70s,Liverpool & Everton in the 80s, Brazil v Italy from 1982, Kenilworth Road..one glimmer of hope are the shallow red & white striped nets still used at Leyton Orient that have great ball retention...

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  20. Loved the different styles it’s always fascinated me & still does to this day think it identified many clubs with there net style 👍why are they all the same now it’s so boring the only club in the PL with different netting I can think of is Watford .Is it a regulation thing now that all clubs have to have the bog standard box net ??

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  21. I can remember all cup final up to 1996 but remember next to none since. Definitely the goal shape mattered

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  22. Fantastic blog. Wembley iconic goalposts and nets. Loved West Ham and QPR. Then Chelsea which were different. Gave grounds original character. Hate the uniform look of modern grounds

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  23. I'd say that the goalposts and goalnets that were used in Argetina '78 World Cup were the best ever in any World Cup, sheer class.

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  24. I used to dream about seeing a goal in off the old square posts at Hampden- and I'm not even Scottish! The Welsh pen that merely scraped the inside one yr hardly seems to count in my book! Even that McGee header against England in 84 seemed destined yet even a touch from Shilton and still evaded the white flat of the post!

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  25. Euro 96- Ur so right- FIFA/UEFA knew they had to deny us every advantage of being 'at home'- how else do u explain Switzerland losing a friendly in 95 3-1 and yet grabbed a draw the following summer? Don't give me any of that friendly/competitive nonsense!

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  26. A great article! For most of my life, I had thought that a fascination with goal posts was just a strange personal obsession, so it’s great to know that I’m not alone! There is also a great Facebook page called ‘Goal Nets & Stanchions’ which invites likeminded enthusiasts to pass comment on the wide array of styles and colours that have existed over the years. I do agree that the modern box nets have taken away the identity of many clubs and it is a real shame. The FA Cup final and England’s home games have never been the same since the box nets were put-in just before Euro ‘96. Also, it’s a shame that the Mitre ball disappeared from the top flight. It really added to the identity of English football. At least they’re still the suppliers for the football league!

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  27. Fantastic article. I did not even knew that this article exist until I written article for my blog and research for old style stadiums. i think that those deep nets still exist somewhere in central America, maybe Mexican league. I miss old goals with lose deep net. 👍

    I did reference (linked) to this article from
    https://ficazfootball.com/chelsea-f-c-stamford-bridge/

    Fantastic. Thanks man for this article.

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  28. What a fantastic article. Used to love the different goalposts. Now its all the same and so boring. Give me back the days of Upton Park and Loftus Roads shallow nets and if I could have a wish come true it would be to reinstate the old Wembley ones at the new stadium along with the twin towers. Happy memories.

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  29. DidvSwindon town have red goal stantions

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  30. Orient has the best goals in the country, red and white checkerboard nets on an old fashioned loop stanchion. Love them

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  31. A lot of the nets in Brazil were the size of a London one-bedroomed flat, so deep they were. My favourite style was the Man City and Olimpico Stadium nets. Two examples of the two I mentioned are from the 1970s but the style did carry on to the 80s:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e-QIkrkn9I

    Italy's brilliantly worked 2nd goal (from 1m onwards) - the way ball just sits in the loose netting after Roberto Bettega's header is something else.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTYq9PEJkC4

    The way the ball just clings and slides down the back net is, again, something else.

    Probably my favourite sub-subject in football: goalnets. Such a shame that everything now is formulaic rigging.

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  32. I've never seen nets as deep as in Iran vs. Germany 2004. Please look it up and have a laugh. Also, the best net of all time? El Monumental Stadium River Plate 1990's. Goals looked amazing.

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  33. Who remembers the half hexagonal nets that Palace used to have?

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