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Joined April 2017
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Remember Cantona at Old Trafford and Klinsmann at White Hart Lane, Jonah at the Olympic Stadium, Hadlee at the Gabba, Graham Lowe's Kiwis in '83, and Alan Hewson's salute in '81.
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Roosters versus Storm on Friday night was a classic on so many levels and crystallised the absolute fact that these two teams, more than…
Sir Alex Ferguson famously said he took on the challenge of managing Manchester United "knock Liverpool right off their f***ing perch. And you can…
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Sam Whitelock has been named to captain the All Blacks for today's test against Wales. It will be his 95th test and his first…
Michael Cheika is an emotive coach at the best of times, so the weekend's loss to England was going to draw a response worthy of…
Monaco played their best game of the Champions League qualifying stage overnight, very much deserving the 1-1 draw they gained against group leading Turkish…
We saw a great finals series match again on Saturday, with Melbourne pushed so hard by a Parramatta team that refused to be intimidated.…
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I'm not much of stats guru – who has the greatest number of hat-tricks or goals in consecutive appearances is beyond me. But what…
Tautau Moga is a great footballer and athlete. Watching him as part of the wrecking ball that was the Broncos backline as it tore…
It is fantastic from a neutral point of view to see Brighton and Hove Albion securing the first automatic spot for promotion to the…
Arsene Wenger has publicly asked his English players to take control of Arsenal's future, short and long term. But the longstanding coach has never managed…
I came to Australia in 1996. By the time Rod MacQueen had led the Wallabies to a second World Cup I was almost ready…
A one-all draw overnight away to Anderlecht leaves Manchester United with work to do in the return leg of their Europa League quarter-final at…
Statistically, Sunderland can stay up in the Premier League this year. That's why statisticians work in finance and insurance, anyone with a passing appreciation…
Wayne Bennett made a comment to the media during the week, the sort that gets relegated behind the salaciousness of Panthers players being suspended…
I became a Manchester United fan in the early hours of a May Sunday morning, glued to black-and-white images of Alan Sunderland sinking dreams…
I was just a bit young for that Southampton final, and the one the next year when United defied the odds and BEAT that Liverpool. Two results which sum up a lot of the beauty of football.
I think the ’79 final was the first time I had really taken note of emotion on that level, I grew up in New Zealand where stoicism was a national pastime in sport, It was the desolation of the losing team that caught my attention the most, and I was a United supporter from then on.
I know what you mean about missing things from those times in football, stadiums such as The Dell, Ayresome Park, Luton’s plastic pitch. And you are right, I wonder if kids who would go on to become players such as David Armstrong of Middlesborough, or even Matt le Tissier, would go unnoticed these days, forgotten in the tide of athletic youngsters from all over the world.
This was Anfield: A United fan's lament
I think so much depends on timing. I will always be a United fan, but my real love ended with that time of Cantona, for whatever reason. I was obsessive during the days of Frank Stapleton, Mike Duxbury… so the Liverpool dominance defined a big part of my life. In the same way I still admire the athletes of the NBA, but they are not Larry Bird v Magic Johnson, for me. As I was writing that article I realised how much I missed Ipswich at Portman Road, Norwich and Luton were difficult, exciting games, Wimbledon almost always upset United and made the title chase that much more forlorn. Southampton with Laurie McMenemy on the sidelines, Middlesborough with a great team. I hope that the modern game maintains as many wonderful small pieces that make up a great whole.
This was Anfield: A United fan's lament
Thanks Rodger, I do despair a little of the modern football world where we will never be relegated, and will always play in Europe because we have so much money.
Part of the folklore of united comes from the ’70’s with relegation at the feet of Denis Law at City, and the years of unfulfilled promise.You have to have the bad to appreciate the good.
At least the English game has diverged into enough dynasties that many clubs can dream of another golden generation, not like the Spanish or German games.
Leicester of last season was a throwback to Derby County, Ipswich under Alf Ramsay.
You’re right that nothing lasts forever, hopefully that means we’ll get another Brian Clough equivalent one day, a treble of premierships and a European title for Peterborough.
This was Anfield: A United fan's lament