Monday, 25 April 2022

1984: Pat Nevin and that penalty

We all had our footballing heroes during our childhood. Maybe Jorginho was a big Pat Nevin fan, and he would spend hours reading about the diminutive Scottish winger and his time at Stamford Bridge. Certainly the tribute act performed by the Brazilian against West Ham last weekend would suggest this.

Jorginho's weak effort saved by Lukasz Fabianski immediately got many of us older football lovers rewinding our memory banks back to Nevin's tame attempt at the same ground on November 21, 1984. Fortunately for both Jorginho and Nevin, their awful misses did not matter ultimately. But it doesn't stop smart-arse bloggers like me writing a few words on the subject.

Thursday, 21 April 2022

1985/86: Manchester United v Chelsea

It's a marathon, not a sprint. An oft-used phrase in sport that sadly for those involved has proved to be correct on many occasions. Think Crisp in the 1973 Grand National, Rory McIlroy at the 2011 Masters, and Steve Davis in that black ball final. Timing in sport is everything.

It is possible to come flying out of the blocks and lead from the front. But in the case of Manchester United in the 1985/86 season, the pack had started to breathe down their necks as soon as the clocks went back in the autumn. Winning their first ten matches, and remaining unbeaten for the first 15, surely the long wait for the Division One title was over?

Tuesday, 12 April 2022

1986/87: Manchester United v Norwich City

The mid-80s had been a topsy-turvy experience for Norwich City fans. Winning the 1985 Milk Cup at Wembley was a joyous occasion, yet soon the experience would turn sour. Relegation at the end of the season, and the European ban placed on English clubs after Heysel, left Norwich in Division Two with their UEFA Cup spot taken away from them.

There would be a couple of crumbs of comfort after these twin disappointments. Ken Brown remained in charge to lead the club to the 1985/86 Second Division title, and with rivals Ipswich passing them on the way down, the club bounced back just as they (and Alan Partridge) regularly do in recent Premier League years.