Monday, October 26, 2009

John Goossens for NEC Nijmegen (v ADO Den Haag), 17 October 2009

101 Great Goals #34 - John Goossens

It's not very often that my adopted Dutch club, NEC Nijmegen, appear above the radar. They are the very definition of 'mid table mediocrity' - sitting in the middle of the Eredivisie every single year, doing absolutely nothing whatsoever.

To include a goal that earned them a 1-1 home draw against ADO Den Haag also sounds like the dullest thing in the world, but this particular piece of brilliance from ex-Ajax kid John Goossens deserves to shine a light on the club...if only very briefly.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Cesar Delgado for Lyon (v Liverpool), 20 October 2009

I can't believe the reaction to Rubin Kazan beating Barcelona in the Champions League. Rubin are the strongest side in a very tough and high quality Russian league and, as Zenit have shown in recent seasons, Russian club sides should be a force to be reckoned with in European football.

It's not as if the team that finished third in the weak French league went to a multiple European champions and won, is it?

Eh?

Oh.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Darren Bent for Sunderland (v Liverpool), 17 October 2009

Cheer Up Alan Shearer's Top 10 TV Football Moments

1. Goooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllll

It would be fair to say that Kelvin Koogan's 'love it!' rant on Sky was our nailed on Number One clip when we sat down to formulate this list. That was, however, until I was sent this cfootage.

It's impossible for me to add any insightful commentary or analysis to this clip. It is just one of those glorious, perfectly bizarre things that happens on a football pitch sometimes.

We hope you've enjoyed our countdown as much as we enjoyed compiling it, and we'll leave you with a goal of the most sparkling quality....from the most unlikely of sources.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Keith Gillespie for Newcastle United (v Leeds United), 29 April 1996

Cheer Up Alan Shearer's Top 10 TV Football Moments

2. "You Can Tell Him Now - He'll Be Watching It....."

I doubt there's anyone outside the Newcastle United community who would deny that this now infamous television interview deserves its place in the annals of TV footballing folklore. It's football at its rawest - the very public display of a man fraying at the seams under the most intense pressure.

Lest we forget, the story goes back to the title run-in in 1996 when Sir Alex Ferguson accused Leeds United of 'helping' Newcastle to the title by not trying during their league game. Ferguson believed that teams tried harder against his United side than they did against Keegan's Geordies.

When interviewed for Monday Night Football directly after a 1-0 victory at Elland Road, Keegan seemed desperate to control his emotions before instead melting down in one of the most celebrated moments of the Premiership age. When Richard Keys asked if Ferguson's comments were 'part and parcel of the psychological battle' his response was, well - you know what his response was, right?

Oh, and Newcastle drew their next two matches and Manchester United won the title. If you needed reminding....

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Jairzinho for Brazil (v Zaire), 22 June 1974

Cheer Up Alan Shearer's Top 10 TV Football Moments

3. Ilunga Mwepu

No disrespect to the intelligent, knowledgeable CUAS readership here, but I bet there's hardly any of you who know who Ilunga Mwepu is.

In the 1970s he played his club football for TP Mazembe and he now lives in Malta, where he is an assistant coach in the Adelaide Cini Championship with Girgenti Athletic.

Still no idea?

Right. Well, the clip we've chosen was selected at #17 in a Channel Four poll of the "All Time Best World Cup Moments" (quite how it was so lowly when it's our favourite World Cup moment, I am not sure).

If I were to say that he played right-back for Zaire in the 1974 World Cup, would that make things clearer?

Yes, he's that fella.

Brazil were awarded a free-kick about thirty yards from goal in their 1974 World Cup group match. Having ordered the defensive wall, the referee blew the whistle so the Brazilians could take the kick, but on hearing the whistle Ilunga came steaming out of the wall and lashed the ball down the other end of the field. To say it was a rather basic ignorance of the law would be an understatement, and his bemusement at receiving a yellow card only underlined how little he must have known about the rules.

Brazil went on to win the match 3-0, but Ilunga's genius will live forever.

I *love* this clip.