Just been watching The Big Match - revisited on ITV4. Games from February 4th 1979. Briwyant stuff. Spurs lost 3-0 at home to Manchester City, Forest beat Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park and Arsenal beat Man Utd at Old Trafford 2-0. Great goals from Alan Sunderland and his magnificent Euro haircut (white mans afro).
Very refreshing that in all three games shown the referee only seemed to blow his whistle four times - to start and stop the game in each half. Quite a high level of technical ability too which was surprising. There was a perfect blend of skill and violence. Marvelous stuff. Not quite so good was the state of the pitches, the jewellery and sheep skin coats sported by the managers and the rather unpleasant booing of Viv Anderson - the only black player on the whole show - by Middlesbrough fans.
Speaking of Middlesbrough fans, their game with Forest at Ayresome Park was very amusing (apart from de old racism). The referee gave Forest a penalty and a few minutes later a dude in a very ill-fitting suit ran onto the pitch to confront the referee. I assumed since no police or stewards arrived to remove him, that he was Middlesbrough's manager. But no, he was a fan and the police were actually waiting patiently for him on the touch line! Ha, what ze hell?
Anyway, this dude, he looked uncannily like my uncle. And my uncle is almost certainly the kind of bloke who would have done this sort of thing, if it was him then that's just the best thing ever. As a steward at the Riverside a few years ago and assigned to the away end when Sunderland were the visitors, he offered a Sunderland fan outside for a fight.
Ha, I'm giggling as I type this. I think this Mackem fan was giving him some grief and my uncle just told him to shut up or words to that effect. Sunderland fan then informs my uncle that after the game he'll meet him outside. My uncle suggests there's no time like the present and offers him outside right there and then. Sunderland fan decides against it. Tee hee.
Tony Woodcock was good for Forest in that game. When he moved to Arsenal he was my favourite player. I was about 7 so was too young to find his name amusing. He's morphed into some sort of German glam rock singer now, but back then he was awesome. Actually Graham Rix was my favourite player with Tony Woodcock a close second, but since Rix is now a convicted nonce, I prefer to forget how I so admired him. Happy days. Let's finish on a song.
Very refreshing that in all three games shown the referee only seemed to blow his whistle four times - to start and stop the game in each half. Quite a high level of technical ability too which was surprising. There was a perfect blend of skill and violence. Marvelous stuff. Not quite so good was the state of the pitches, the jewellery and sheep skin coats sported by the managers and the rather unpleasant booing of Viv Anderson - the only black player on the whole show - by Middlesbrough fans.
Speaking of Middlesbrough fans, their game with Forest at Ayresome Park was very amusing (apart from de old racism). The referee gave Forest a penalty and a few minutes later a dude in a very ill-fitting suit ran onto the pitch to confront the referee. I assumed since no police or stewards arrived to remove him, that he was Middlesbrough's manager. But no, he was a fan and the police were actually waiting patiently for him on the touch line! Ha, what ze hell?
Anyway, this dude, he looked uncannily like my uncle. And my uncle is almost certainly the kind of bloke who would have done this sort of thing, if it was him then that's just the best thing ever. As a steward at the Riverside a few years ago and assigned to the away end when Sunderland were the visitors, he offered a Sunderland fan outside for a fight.
Ha, I'm giggling as I type this. I think this Mackem fan was giving him some grief and my uncle just told him to shut up or words to that effect. Sunderland fan then informs my uncle that after the game he'll meet him outside. My uncle suggests there's no time like the present and offers him outside right there and then. Sunderland fan decides against it. Tee hee.
Tony Woodcock was good for Forest in that game. When he moved to Arsenal he was my favourite player. I was about 7 so was too young to find his name amusing. He's morphed into some sort of German glam rock singer now, but back then he was awesome. Actually Graham Rix was my favourite player with Tony Woodcock a close second, but since Rix is now a convicted nonce, I prefer to forget how I so admired him. Happy days. Let's finish on a song.
I know Alan Sunderland,
Alan Sunderland knows me,
I knoooooooow Alan Sunderland
Alan Sunderland knows meeeeee.
Labels: Football, TV
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