column
2 days
Pat Nevin was left drooling and at times
bewildered when watching his two former clubs serve-up a nine-goal
thriller this weekend. There can only be one subject for this week’s
column…
I have been involved in some classic, mad games of football over the years. There was a 4-3 victory for Chelsea against Everton and a 4-4 draw away at Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup when we had been 3-0 down at half-time.
Another 4-4 draw I played in was a classic between Everton and Liverpool in the FA Cup at Goodison. It achieved near legendary status on Merseyside for the excitement as well as the after effects; Kenny Dalglish resigned as Liverpool manager in the morning.
Maybe a less well-known game south of the border was one that I was involved in later in my career when at Motherwell. A 6-5 home defeat to Aberdeen in 90 minutes was extraordinary enough, but the fact that the goalkeepers on either side were Scottish legends just added to the incredulity of the watching fans. My memory is that Andy Goram and Jim Leighton both actually played well on the night, but it didn’t stop the jokes about Scottish goalkeepers being rehashed again.
I mention this last game in particular because there was a period, a pretty long one at that, when it felt as though every single time someone attacked, the ball was likely to somehow find its way into the back of the net. Tactics were gone, systems disintegrated and everybody on the pitch suddenly thought, ‘I’m going try anything here, it is the kind of night when it might just come off.’
And so those memories came flooding back while watching the mayhem at Goodison at the weekend. At the start I was engrossed in a professional capacity, I was analysing it for an Irish TV station in Dublin. By the end I was laughing out loud at how ludicrous it got as the second half wore on. I mean, I didn’t think any team could score three goals past Chelsea’s strongest defence, with Courtois in between the sticks, but all three goals were unstoppable for the Belgian. On top of that he pulled off a world-class save from Mirallas at a vital moment in the second half and Everton had a goal ruled out, rightly, for offside because of a sharp-sighted assistant referee.
That was mad enough but Ramires, while not having his greatest passing day, gets involved with arguably the best move of the game and scores a cracker. Didier Drogba seemed to find himself in central midfield near the end when he came on but they all paled behind my moment of the match, the outrageous back-heel step-over flick by Mikel to set up our sixth goal of the game for Diego Costa. With not a hint of exaggeration or embarrassment I hold that if Neymar had played that ball, you would never have heard the end of it from the international football press. It was magnificent piece of skill and vision, eclipsing the goal that it set up, even if Diego Costa’s dummy and drag back was brilliant as well.
I have been involved in some classic, mad games of football over the years. There was a 4-3 victory for Chelsea against Everton and a 4-4 draw away at Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup when we had been 3-0 down at half-time.
Another 4-4 draw I played in was a classic between Everton and Liverpool in the FA Cup at Goodison. It achieved near legendary status on Merseyside for the excitement as well as the after effects; Kenny Dalglish resigned as Liverpool manager in the morning.
Maybe a less well-known game south of the border was one that I was involved in later in my career when at Motherwell. A 6-5 home defeat to Aberdeen in 90 minutes was extraordinary enough, but the fact that the goalkeepers on either side were Scottish legends just added to the incredulity of the watching fans. My memory is that Andy Goram and Jim Leighton both actually played well on the night, but it didn’t stop the jokes about Scottish goalkeepers being rehashed again.
I mention this last game in particular because there was a period, a pretty long one at that, when it felt as though every single time someone attacked, the ball was likely to somehow find its way into the back of the net. Tactics were gone, systems disintegrated and everybody on the pitch suddenly thought, ‘I’m going try anything here, it is the kind of night when it might just come off.’
And so those memories came flooding back while watching the mayhem at Goodison at the weekend. At the start I was engrossed in a professional capacity, I was analysing it for an Irish TV station in Dublin. By the end I was laughing out loud at how ludicrous it got as the second half wore on. I mean, I didn’t think any team could score three goals past Chelsea’s strongest defence, with Courtois in between the sticks, but all three goals were unstoppable for the Belgian. On top of that he pulled off a world-class save from Mirallas at a vital moment in the second half and Everton had a goal ruled out, rightly, for offside because of a sharp-sighted assistant referee.
That was mad enough but Ramires, while not having his greatest passing day, gets involved with arguably the best move of the game and scores a cracker. Didier Drogba seemed to find himself in central midfield near the end when he came on but they all paled behind my moment of the match, the outrageous back-heel step-over flick by Mikel to set up our sixth goal of the game for Diego Costa. With not a hint of exaggeration or embarrassment I hold that if Neymar had played that ball, you would never have heard the end of it from the international football press. It was magnificent piece of skill and vision, eclipsing the goal that it set up, even if Diego Costa’s dummy and drag back was brilliant as well.
I do think this game was right up there with the wildest games in the
history of the Premier League era. Remember Man United trouncing
Arsenal 8-2 back in 2011. That was wild but too one-sided. How about our
6-0 demolition of Arsenal last season at the Bridge, unforgettable. At
this moment I am aware that this is beginning to sound like a personal
attack on the Gooners, but it isn’t, so for balance what about
Liverpool’s 5-0 destruction of Spurs at White Hart Lane that lead to
Andre Villas-Boas getting the heave-ho?
The thing is you can rarely if ever see these weird games coming, even if after the fact you can sometimes rationalise why they happened. For Arsenal they were missing players and the tactics were wrong. For Spurs the defensive high line was an open secret somebody was always going to take advantage of. When Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany at the World Cup, there was much chin stroking afterwards saying that it was an accident waiting to happen, but I can’t really recall anyone suggesting a hammering of such magnitude in the build-up. With Everton on Saturday evening, it may be the case that centre-backs Jagielka and Distan are finally, after great careers and a fabulous partnership, beginning to show their ages. Certainly a few friends of mine who are Toffees feel this is the case and were mumbling just that in the previous games, they aren’t mumbling it anymore!
All this is being smart after the event, in short just underlines the unpredictability of the game. Managers and coaches love certainty and predictability, but the game just refuses to give them it, which is lucky for us watching because we love the opposite, we crave the excitement. With our wealth of talents at CheIsea, I suspect a few more amazing scorelines will pop up this season.
I mentioned last week that I thought Branislav Ivanovic plays like a frustrated attacker and he was at it again at Goodison Park. In amongst the tsunami of goals, his might be overlooked, but just look at the way he takes the ball and slots it. Any centre-forward in the world would have been proud of that one.
The thing is you can rarely if ever see these weird games coming, even if after the fact you can sometimes rationalise why they happened. For Arsenal they were missing players and the tactics were wrong. For Spurs the defensive high line was an open secret somebody was always going to take advantage of. When Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany at the World Cup, there was much chin stroking afterwards saying that it was an accident waiting to happen, but I can’t really recall anyone suggesting a hammering of such magnitude in the build-up. With Everton on Saturday evening, it may be the case that centre-backs Jagielka and Distan are finally, after great careers and a fabulous partnership, beginning to show their ages. Certainly a few friends of mine who are Toffees feel this is the case and were mumbling just that in the previous games, they aren’t mumbling it anymore!
All this is being smart after the event, in short just underlines the unpredictability of the game. Managers and coaches love certainty and predictability, but the game just refuses to give them it, which is lucky for us watching because we love the opposite, we crave the excitement. With our wealth of talents at CheIsea, I suspect a few more amazing scorelines will pop up this season.
I mentioned last week that I thought Branislav Ivanovic plays like a frustrated attacker and he was at it again at Goodison Park. In amongst the tsunami of goals, his might be overlooked, but just look at the way he takes the ball and slots it. Any centre-forward in the world would have been proud of that one.
It crossed my mind that in extremis
it might not be the worst thing in the world to throw him up front, odd
though that may sound. Maybe that will not be needed with the arrival of
Loic Remy. We welcome him of course and wish Fernando Torres good luck
over in Italy.
Maybe the only player with a slight momentary flicker of a grimace on his face at the weekend would have been Loic; brought in to score goals and his side hits six away from home against a top side. Nonetheless the positives outweigh the negatives even for him; he will be thinking, ‘I fancy getting on the end of some of those chances we created.’
Maybe the only player with a slight momentary flicker of a grimace on his face at the weekend would have been Loic; brought in to score goals and his side hits six away from home against a top side. Nonetheless the positives outweigh the negatives even for him; he will be thinking, ‘I fancy getting on the end of some of those chances we created.’
Pat Nevin was left drooling and at times
bewildered when watching his two former clubs serve-up a nine-goal
thriller this weekend. There can only be one subject for this week’s
column…
I have been involved in some classic, mad games of football over the years. There was a 4-3 victory for Chelsea against Everton and a 4-4 draw away at Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup when we had been 3-0 down at half-time.
Another 4-4 draw I played in was a classic between Everton and Liverpool in the FA Cup at Goodison. It achieved near legendary status on Merseyside for the excitement as well as the after effects; Kenny Dalglish resigned as Liverpool manager in the morning.
Maybe a less well-known game south of the border was one that I was involved in later in my career when at Motherwell. A 6-5 home defeat to Aberdeen in 90 minutes was extraordinary enough, but the fact that the goalkeepers on either side were Scottish legends just added to the incredulity of the watching fans. My memory is that Andy Goram and Jim Leighton both actually played well on the night, but it didn’t stop the jokes about Scottish goalkeepers being rehashed again.
I mention this last game in particular because there was a period, a pretty long one at that, when it felt as though every single time someone attacked, the ball was likely to somehow find its way into the back of the net. Tactics were gone, systems disintegrated and everybody on the pitch suddenly thought, ‘I’m going try anything here, it is the kind of night when it might just come off.’
And so those memories came flooding back while watching the mayhem at Goodison at the weekend. At the start I was engrossed in a professional capacity, I was analysing it for an Irish TV station in Dublin. By the end I was laughing out loud at how ludicrous it got as the second half wore on. I mean, I didn’t think any team could score three goals past Chelsea’s strongest defence, with Courtois in between the sticks, but all three goals were unstoppable for the Belgian. On top of that he pulled off a world-class save from Mirallas at a vital moment in the second half and Everton had a goal ruled out, rightly, for offside because of a sharp-sighted assistant referee.
That was mad enough but Ramires, while not having his greatest passing day, gets involved with arguably the best move of the game and scores a cracker. Didier Drogba seemed to find himself in central midfield near the end when he came on but they all paled behind my moment of the match, the outrageous back-heel step-over flick by Mikel to set up our sixth goal of the game for Diego Costa. With not a hint of exaggeration or embarrassment I hold that if Neymar had played that ball, you would never have heard the end of it from the international football press. It was magnificent piece of skill and vision, eclipsing the goal that it set up, even if Diego Costa’s dummy and drag back was brilliant as well.
I have been involved in some classic, mad games of football over the years. There was a 4-3 victory for Chelsea against Everton and a 4-4 draw away at Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup when we had been 3-0 down at half-time.
Another 4-4 draw I played in was a classic between Everton and Liverpool in the FA Cup at Goodison. It achieved near legendary status on Merseyside for the excitement as well as the after effects; Kenny Dalglish resigned as Liverpool manager in the morning.
Maybe a less well-known game south of the border was one that I was involved in later in my career when at Motherwell. A 6-5 home defeat to Aberdeen in 90 minutes was extraordinary enough, but the fact that the goalkeepers on either side were Scottish legends just added to the incredulity of the watching fans. My memory is that Andy Goram and Jim Leighton both actually played well on the night, but it didn’t stop the jokes about Scottish goalkeepers being rehashed again.
I mention this last game in particular because there was a period, a pretty long one at that, when it felt as though every single time someone attacked, the ball was likely to somehow find its way into the back of the net. Tactics were gone, systems disintegrated and everybody on the pitch suddenly thought, ‘I’m going try anything here, it is the kind of night when it might just come off.’
And so those memories came flooding back while watching the mayhem at Goodison at the weekend. At the start I was engrossed in a professional capacity, I was analysing it for an Irish TV station in Dublin. By the end I was laughing out loud at how ludicrous it got as the second half wore on. I mean, I didn’t think any team could score three goals past Chelsea’s strongest defence, with Courtois in between the sticks, but all three goals were unstoppable for the Belgian. On top of that he pulled off a world-class save from Mirallas at a vital moment in the second half and Everton had a goal ruled out, rightly, for offside because of a sharp-sighted assistant referee.
That was mad enough but Ramires, while not having his greatest passing day, gets involved with arguably the best move of the game and scores a cracker. Didier Drogba seemed to find himself in central midfield near the end when he came on but they all paled behind my moment of the match, the outrageous back-heel step-over flick by Mikel to set up our sixth goal of the game for Diego Costa. With not a hint of exaggeration or embarrassment I hold that if Neymar had played that ball, you would never have heard the end of it from the international football press. It was magnificent piece of skill and vision, eclipsing the goal that it set up, even if Diego Costa’s dummy and drag back was brilliant as well.
I do think this game was right up there with the wildest games in the
history of the Premier League era. Remember Man United trouncing
Arsenal 8-2 back in 2011. That was wild but too one-sided. How about our
6-0 demolition of Arsenal last season at the Bridge, unforgettable. At
this moment I am aware that this is beginning to sound like a personal
attack on the Gooners, but it isn’t, so for balance what about
Liverpool’s 5-0 destruction of Spurs at White Hart Lane that lead to
Andre Villas-Boas getting the heave-ho?
The thing is you can rarely if ever see these weird games coming, even if after the fact you can sometimes rationalise why they happened. For Arsenal they were missing players and the tactics were wrong. For Spurs the defensive high line was an open secret somebody was always going to take advantage of. When Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany at the World Cup, there was much chin stroking afterwards saying that it was an accident waiting to happen, but I can’t really recall anyone suggesting a hammering of such magnitude in the build-up. With Everton on Saturday evening, it may be the case that centre-backs Jagielka and Distan are finally, after great careers and a fabulous partnership, beginning to show their ages. Certainly a few friends of mine who are Toffees feel this is the case and were mumbling just that in the previous games, they aren’t mumbling it anymore!
All this is being smart after the event, in short just underlines the unpredictability of the game. Managers and coaches love certainty and predictability, but the game just refuses to give them it, which is lucky for us watching because we love the opposite, we crave the excitement. With our wealth of talents at CheIsea, I suspect a few more amazing scorelines will pop up this season.
I mentioned last week that I thought Branislav Ivanovic plays like a frustrated attacker and he was at it again at Goodison Park. In amongst the tsunami of goals, his might be overlooked, but just look at the way he takes the ball and slots it. Any centre-forward in the world would have been proud of that one.
The thing is you can rarely if ever see these weird games coming, even if after the fact you can sometimes rationalise why they happened. For Arsenal they were missing players and the tactics were wrong. For Spurs the defensive high line was an open secret somebody was always going to take advantage of. When Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany at the World Cup, there was much chin stroking afterwards saying that it was an accident waiting to happen, but I can’t really recall anyone suggesting a hammering of such magnitude in the build-up. With Everton on Saturday evening, it may be the case that centre-backs Jagielka and Distan are finally, after great careers and a fabulous partnership, beginning to show their ages. Certainly a few friends of mine who are Toffees feel this is the case and were mumbling just that in the previous games, they aren’t mumbling it anymore!
All this is being smart after the event, in short just underlines the unpredictability of the game. Managers and coaches love certainty and predictability, but the game just refuses to give them it, which is lucky for us watching because we love the opposite, we crave the excitement. With our wealth of talents at CheIsea, I suspect a few more amazing scorelines will pop up this season.
I mentioned last week that I thought Branislav Ivanovic plays like a frustrated attacker and he was at it again at Goodison Park. In amongst the tsunami of goals, his might be overlooked, but just look at the way he takes the ball and slots it. Any centre-forward in the world would have been proud of that one.
It crossed my mind that in extremis
it might not be the worst thing in the world to throw him up front, odd
though that may sound. Maybe that will not be needed with the arrival of
Loic Remy. We welcome him of course and wish Fernando Torres good luck
over in Italy.
Maybe the only player with a slight momentary flicker of a grimace on his face at the weekend would have been Loic; brought in to score goals and his side hits six away from home against a top side. Nonetheless the positives outweigh the negatives even for him; he will be thinking, ‘I fancy getting on the end of some of those chances we created.’
Maybe the only player with a slight momentary flicker of a grimace on his face at the weekend would have been Loic; brought in to score goals and his side hits six away from home against a top side. Nonetheless the positives outweigh the negatives even for him; he will be thinking, ‘I fancy getting on the end of some of those chances we created.’
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