Tuesday 29 March 2022

1982 World Cup qualification: Wales

It can almost be viewed as the forgotten campaign, the chapter of heartbreak held between the hands of Joe Jordan and David Phillips. The story of Wales and their attempts to qualify for the 1982 World Cup is not one that is often told when recalling the history of Welsh agony since their only appearance at a finals tournament in 1958.

Maybe it is the 1977 and 1985 agonies that are the real reason for this. Anything compared to those two nights of Scottish-induced suffering will forever live in the shadows. But the 1982 campaign was just as deflating. A qualification programme of two halves that at first brought hope before the reality of despair arrived.

Tuesday 22 March 2022

Marathon seasons: Liverpool 1983/84

Looking back at Liverpool's memorable 1983/84 campaign that saw the club win the League, European Cup and Milk Cup.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, currently chasing a quadruple, may match or even surpass the efforts of their 1983/84 counterparts. But it's doubtful that they will have quite as much fun along the way. It was a season of 67 matches, cup replays, shocks and thrashings, broken bones, beer, brawls and spaghetti legs, Scully and Chris Rea. 

Unusually for Liverpool at the time, it was also a season with a few doubts along the way, starting with the retirement of Bob Paisley at the end of the previous campaign. Joe Fagan, a member of the famous Liverpool Boot Room had been at the club since 1958, was hesitant as to whether he should step up to replace Paisley.

Sunday 13 March 2022

1985: Worst Avid Golfer tournament

Maybe moving the Players' Championship back to March was not such a good idea. With weather heavily impacting the 2022 tournament, it appears as if a Tuesday finish is likely. The only problem is, no one knows if that is Tuesday this week or next.

It has been a frustrating time for players, spectators and television teams covering the event. Love it or hate it, the TPC Sawgrass course is an ideal location for the so-called fifth major. Providing entertainment, thrills, and spills for people at the venue and for those of us at home, the closing few holes in particular mean that this particular show is not over until the fat lady sings.

Monday 7 March 2022

1983/84: Manchester United v Tottenham

There was very little hype. No cheerleaders on the pitch, no fireworks, no whole new ball game as Sky would have us believe at the start of the Premier League. The first live league match on the BBC on Friday December 16, 1983, was in many ways the complete opposite to what we experience now. An undersold product that on the pitch would exceed expectations.

The Division One fixture between Manchester United and Tottenham was an ideal beginning for live league football on the BBC. But circumstances would play a part in this. It had been intended that the Watford-West Ham match in October would be the first live league match on the BBC. But a technicians strike prevented this.