Deja Vu

A highly anticipated night of football, with two British heavyweights clashing in the premier european competition. A full house in the stadium, and millions watching on ITV. The away team bring a one goal lead into the second leg clash, but the home team's players and fans expect a better performance than in the first leg. The pundits are undecided - it may be a classic contest.

The game kicks off with an electric atmosphere around the ground. But quickly, the home fans' anticipation is replaced by a subdued sigh - the blue-shirted away team score! The home side now need 3 goals to win, a huge task for a team whose season's form has been below their best.

The hosts press forward. The crowd try to raise the temperature in support of their side. And then, in an instant, the dream is gone.

The away side's star striker makes it 0-2 on the night, and whilst there is plenty of time on the clock, the tie is effectively dead. The away side grow in confidence and the match turns into a stroll, the home players losing a yard of pace as adrenalin levels evaporate. By the time the home side's continental striker scores, it is merely a consolation, and many fans miss the goal as they head home ahead of the traffic.

The game?

November 1992. European Cup 2nd Round, 2nd Leg. Leeds United 1 (Cantona) Rangers 2 (Hateley, McCoist).

Value

A follow up post to my comments regarding Leeds' chances come the annual play-off lottery. I'm sure you can guess the amount of ribbing I have taken since the debacle at the end of the Ridsdale era at Elland Road.

So it was nice of a work colleague to point out that Jermaine Beckford's transfer fee when signed from Wealdstone ( £45,000 ) equated to 8 days wages for Seth Johnson during his 4 year, 50 game Leeds career. Spot the value.
I hold no grudges to Johnson, who suffered unfortunate injury woes during his Leeds career, and his refusal to tear up his own contract when Leeds were in the financial mire was probably due to a realisation that his career was heading towards an end due to injury.

But Johnson's is just one name of many that Leeds fans hear with a shudder. If anyone has a great book inside them, but is struggling to find a subject matter, may I suggest that the Leeds United story, from Peter Ridsdale's 'Living The Dream' period through to Ken Bates' under-the-table re-purchase of the club, awaits it's definitive history.

One Down, One To Go

Like many people, my footballing allegiances come from, firstly, the place of my birth, and latterly, my recent residence. The fortunes of both teams has meant I have rarely announced these allegiances over the past couple of years. But with something to celebrate today, I can confess ( it is Sunday ) to being a supporter of both Burton Albion and Leeds United.

Today belongs to Burton. They came into their final match with the worst form in the division ( check out Cassini's preview ), and as many feared, they went down to yet another defeat at Torquay, despite taking an early lead. However, as often happens at this time of year, a result elsewhere ( Cambridge ) meant the outcome became irrelevant. The last 10 minutes of the game was less than eventful, with both sides happy to hold the result.

So league football next season in a nice shiny new stadium worthy of Division 2. Sadly, the major element of the club's recent success - one Nigel Clough - has moved on, and the dip in form can be attributed directly to his departure. At least there are now 3 months to forget the recent form and prepare for the next challenge. Dagenham & Redbridge, here we come.

As for Leeds, all fingers are crossed that the division's best player, Jermaine Beckford, can stay fit and card-free for 4 more games. He really is the key to success or failure.