Forgotten football stories

[ICTChris]

Probably one for the auld da contingent, but what are the football stories that people seem to have forgotten about from years gone by that deserve remembered?

 

I’ll start with -the Chilean World Cup scandal. In 1990 the Chilean team walked off the pitch in a World Cup qualifier against Brazil after their goalkeeper was injured by a firework from the terraces. The game was abandoned as the Chilean team refused to play on in an unsafe ground. Photographs from the game showed that the firework didn’t hit the keeper and when questioned he confessed that he’s deliberately injured himself with a razor blade hidden in his glove, as part of a plot to have the game annulled by team management. The keeper, Roberto Rojas, was banned for life and Chile were barred from the next World Cup.

 

What other completely mental stories do P&Bers have that should be remembered?

[Carnoustie Young Guvnor]

Roy Essandoh was one of my favourites

[BFTD]

I remember that Chilean thing. It was back in the days of the tiny three-team qualifying groups in CONMEBOL, with countries like Brazil and Argentina usually only having to beat a couple of diddies like Chile and Bolivia to qualify (Chile were a ways off their late Nineties resurgence). IIRC, Brazil had already won the first game, and Chile were likely to get humped in the second, which is why they decided to do something so daft. Brazil had never lost a qualifying game up to that point.

Around the same time, Mexico got banned from a World Cup (might have been the same one) because they played an overage player at an U-19 tournament. Seemed a bit harsh, considering it'd have been a major shock if they didn't qualify. Also, Cameroon had to change their shirts for the 2002(?) tournament because they didn't have sleeves and most of the squad were built like fucking tanks. FIFA thought the other teams would be intimidated by the gun show  

[ICTJohnboy]

Sometime during the early 80's my father persuaded me to go with him to a function in Glasgow where the legend that was Bill Shankly was the after dinner speaker.

He told a few stories that night - this one stuck in my mind from his days as a player....

 

Quote

"I was playing for Preston North End against Sheffield Wednesday at home and we were getting beat 1-0. We were doing most of the attacking but time was running out, and with a few minutes to go we won a corner on the right. I was a defender at that time but got myself into the 6 yard box to challenge their keeper in the air. He made out it was his intention to fist the ball away, but managed to catch me full in the face. I was stretchered off and was out cold for about 3 minutes. My team-mates said it was probably accidental, but I was far from convinced. Anyway I remembered that keeper - I had his number so to speak. Later on that season we played Sheffield Wed again at Sheffield and I noted the same keeper was in the team. I'm not usually a man to hold grudges but nevertheless I decided this was the day I was going to get my revenge. Halfway through the first half we managed to win a corner so I took up a strategic position on the 6 yard line. The ball came across and I made my move along with their keeper.

You'll never guess what happened next? 

The b*****d did it to me again.

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by ICTJohnboy

[Jacksgranda]

58 minutes ago, ICTJohnboy said:

Sometime during the early 80's my father persuaded me to go with him to a function in Glasgow where the legend that was Bill Shankly was the after dinner speaker.

He told a few stories that night - this one stuck in my mind from his days as a player....

 

 

Couldn't have been Sheffield United, Carlisle weren't in the same division as Sheffield United in Shankly's time. Maybe it wa sa cupgame, but in that case why say "later on that season we played Sheffield United again in Sheffield"?

[ICTJohnboy]

12 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said:

Couldn't have been Sheffield United, Carlisle weren't in the same division as Sheffield United in Shankly's time. Maybe it wa sa cupgame, but in that case why say "later on that season we played Sheffield United again in Sheffield"?

 

It was nearly 40 years ago, when I heard this story, Granda....  The memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

Maybe it was Sheffield Wednesday, or it could even be that Shanks was playing for Preston North End at the time. 

Great bit of research from you there all the same.

 

[Jacksgranda]

20 minutes ago, ICTJohnboy said:

 

It was nearly 40 years ago, when I heard this story, Granda....  The memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

Maybe it was Sheffield Wednesday, or it could even be that Shanks was playing for Preston North End at the time. 

Great bit of research from you there all the same.

 

Couldn't have been Sheffield Wednesday either (while playing for Carlisle), more than likely he was playing for Preston as you suggest.

ETA: If you hadn't mentioned Carlisle, the penny wouldn't have dropped, I knew Carlisle were in the Third Division North in Shankly's playing days and neither of the Sheffield teams ever were.

It was probably season 1935/36 PNE lost 1-0 at home to Sheffield WEDNESDAY.

Edited September 27, 2020 by Jacksgranda

[Brummie Clyde]

My Dad tells a similar story about Villa against Wolves.

Steve Bull absolutely clattered Villa GK Nigel Spink from a corner.

Later in the game Wolves crossed the ball into the box and Spink completely ignored the ball and punched Bull straight in the face. Referee played on as he assumed Spink had accidentally missed the ball.

[Guest DAVIDB69]

Scotland v Saudi Arabia world youth championship 1989 . Weren’t some of the Saudi sides later discovered to be 10 to 15 years older than they were claiming

 

[Aubrey Maturin]

Just now, DAVIDB69 said:

Scotland v Saudi Arabia world youth championship 1989 . Weren’t some of the Saudi sides later discovered to be 10 to 15 years older than they were

The captain was 52 years of age.  Tremendous tournament, I remember being at Tynecastle with 29000 in the place, it was much more than that as we beat a Portuguese side with Figo in it.

Some of the lads had good careers but unfortunately no real superstars emerged for Scotland.

[ICTJohnboy]

11 minutes ago, DAVIDB69 said:

Scotland v Saudi Arabia world youth championship 1989 . Weren’t some of the Saudi sides later discovered to be 10 to 15 years older than they were claiming

 

 

I seem to recall someone saying at the time that most of them had several wives and several kids.

[trainspotter]

3 hours ago, ICTJohnboy said:

Sometime during the early 80's my father persuaded me to go with him to a function in Glasgow where the legend that was Bill Shankly was the after dinner speaker.

 

I remember hearing a story on the radio some years back, possibly Ian St John was telling it. It had more than a hint of urban legend about it, however the story goes that Liverpool were flying to Iceland and had to use Prestwick Airport to get there. On being advised that the flight was going to be delayed by a number of hours, Shankly wanted to arrange something to get the squad away from the airport, and presumably its bar. Being local-ish, he knew of Butlins down the road and arranged for a coach to take him and the players there to while away a few hours. The coach arrived at the gate and Shankly jumped off, introducing himself to the gatekeeper.

"Hello there, Bill Shankly here, Liverpool FC. On our way to Reykjavik".

To which came the response

"Well Mr Shankly, I'd say you were a bit lost then."

 

Now the above may well be a pile of pish, but the bit about flying to Iceland from Prestwick isn't.

https://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/470

[ICTChris]

The captain was 52 years of age.  Tremendous tournament, I remember being at Tynecastle with 29000 in the place, it was much more than that as we beat a Portuguese side with Figo in it.
Some of the lads had good careers but unfortunately no real superstars emerged for Scotland.

I think the only ones who got senior vans were Brian O’Neil and Paul Dickov.

[Aubrey Maturin]

4 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

 

I think the only ones who got senior vans were Brian O’Neil and Paul Dickov.

 

Yes quite incredible that so many never kicked on.   

[tongue_tied_danny]

7 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

 

I think the only ones who got senior vans were Brian O’Neil and Paul Dickov.

 

What in the wide, wide world of sports is a "senior van"?

 

[ICTJohnboy]

1 hour ago, trainspotter said:

I remember hearing a story on the radio some years back, possibly Ian St John was telling it. It had more than a hint of urban legend about it, however the story goes that Liverpool were flying to Iceland and had to use Prestwick Airport to get there. On being advised that the flight was going to be delayed by a number of hours, Shankly wanted to arrange something to get the squad away from the airport, and presumably its bar. Being local-ish, he knew of Butlins down the road and arranged for a coach to take him and the players there to while away a few hours. The coach arrived at the gate and Shankly jumped off, introducing himself to the gatekeeper.

"Hello there, Bill Shankly here, Liverpool FC. On our way to Reykjavik".

To which came the response

"Well Mr Shankly, I'd say you were a bit lost then."

 

Seem to recall a story about Hearts when Tom Forsyth and Tommy McLean were in charge. 

Can't remember where they were going but they were all assembled at Edinburgh Airport heading off somewhere - presumably for a European tie.

An announcement on the airport tannoy requested that a member of staff from Hertz please contact the information desk.

Says wee Tommy to big Tam :  Will you go, or do you want me to go?

[velo army]

The subject of world cups and scandal reminded me of Colombia Andres Escobar (unsure how common a name that is in Colombia...) firing in an O.G. against the yanks in 1994 and getting shot after he returned home. Awful stuff. 

[GordonS]

6 hours ago, DAVIDB69 said:

Scotland v Saudi Arabia world youth championship 1989 . Weren’t some of the Saudi sides later discovered to be 10 to 15 years older than they were claiming

 

No, they just looked much older because many had moustaches. Most of the world matures quicker than our skanky northern genes.

 

[bluearmyfaction]

Bertie Auld, in his brief sojourn at Blues, had one of the best sendings-off ever, against Fulham.

 

Bertie nutmegged the £100 per weeker Johnny Haynes.  Haynes was not exactly keen on that and tried to deck Bertie.  Big mistake.  One right hook later and Haynes was spark out.  Fulham full-back Maurice Cook ran over for revenge and never got it as Bertie decked him too.

 

Alas Bertie was sent off.  So was Haynes.  On a stretcher.

[GordonS]

I can't find any record of it now, but I'm absolutely sure I remember hearing about Falkirk's big Crawford Baptie (yes. really) going into the changing room at half time one freezing day at Clydebank, putting his hands in a basin of hot water, and fainting.

Jock Brown tells a story that absolutely must be apocryphal of Rangers playing a European Cup tie away at Red Star Belgrade in, I think 1990 or thereabouts. As he tells it the Radio Clyde commentator didn't see who scored one of Red Star's goals so he turned to the stalwart journalist Doug Baillie to ask. Misunderstanding his reply, he turned to his microphone and announced "And Fuktifano scores for Red Star."

Priests used to get into Celtic Park for free (don't even go there). I think it was Fergus McCann that ended it.

Oh, and Celtic once announced plans to move to a massive, brand new stadium in Cambuslang to be funded by a Swiss bank that had never heard of the project, via some deeply shady people. Unsurprisingly, they were soon hours from bankruptcy. http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Celtic+Park+-+Cambuslang+site+plans