the good the bad and the ugly

[TOTOMUNDI]

Hi,

I would like to know what do you think is the best, the worst and the ugliest moments you have seen in a soccer field.

Best regards,
TOTOMUNDI

[Harry Boulton]

Best:

Club: Wayne Rooneys volley against Newcastle United from 30 yards. A moment of sheer brilliance.

Country: Paul Gascoignes goal against Scotland in Euro 96. Genius.




Worst:

Club: Watching Barcelona pull us apart in the CL final in May.

Country: Losing on penalties to Germany in 1990, 1996, to Argentina in 1998, to Portugal in 2004 and Portugal again in 2006.


Ugliest:

Ben Thatchers elbow on Pedro Mendes when Manchester City played Portsmouth a few years ago. Contrived, pre-meditated, senseless act of unprovoked violence which saw an innocent, not to mention wonderfully skilled footballer knocked clean out with horrendous head injures for no reason at all other than his assailent being a brainless, intelligence-free thug. The assault gets more and more sickening every time you watch it.

[webaph]

Worst: Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer fighting

[Yojimbo]

Best:

Bergkamp scoring against Argentina in '98. I was already rooting for the dutch as my second team after England, the fact that they knocked out the argies was a bonus, and the fact they did it through a wonder goal from the absolute legend that is Bergkamp made it even better.


Worst:

Losing the Champions league final to Barcelona when we'd held on for so long with 10 men after that nutcase Lehmann got himself sent off.


Ugliest:

Taylor's horrible challenge on Eduardo, nuff said.

[Big Soccer Member]

Good:

Club: The Keegan Years (part 1). Sorry to be so vague but I could never pick out one particular moment during these 5 wonderful years. From the first few months when he saved us from relegation, to the Andy Cole inspired team that led us to promotion and 3rd place in our first premier league season, to building a title challenging side, that ultimately fell at the final hurdle. I LOVED that team. I loved Cole and then Les Ferdinand, I loved Peter Beardsley causing havoc behind them, Gillespie and Ginola providing unrivalled service from the wings, Rob Lee destroying midfield and towards the end Shearer and Asprillia providing extra flair.

In fact the Premier League owes a lot to our that team. If it wasn't for our brilliant brand of exciting football than the Premier League would never have been known as the most exciting league in the world (we had a little help from Ryan Giggs and co. as well as Wenger's early Arsenal side, admittedly).

Worst : Guess.

Country :

Best: Euro 2004. Euro 96 was great and all, but I knew that our team wasn't as good as people made out. We drew to Switzerland, scraped a win against the Scots, killed Netherlands and drew to Spain. This was in the lead up to the Germany game. Everybody else thought we would win, I looked and the other results and thought not. I loved that tournament, but not as much as Euro 2004. That's because I really thought we would win it. Come the end to the group stages, we had already played France of the park for 90 minutes (but not 93), we had convincingly beat Croatia and the Swiss with a really good brand of football, Spain were out, Germany were out, Portugal had lost to Greece, Italy were out and mediocre teams like Greece were through. I only really feared the Dutch and to a certain extent the Czechs. But I really felt we could win it. We had the team. Owen, Rooney, Becks, Neville, Scholes, Lampard, Campbell and Terry were somewhere near their peaks; which you couldn't say for any of them two years later. Yes, we lost on penalties in the quarters, but it was after what I considered a good showing. I really enjoyed that tournament, more than I did France 98, Euro 96, or Italia 90. What else can I say?

Worst: By a long shot, World Cup 2006. Specifically the first game versus Paraguay. The English public was brainwashed into thinking we were the best team in the World. We played cannon fodder at home in the form of Jamaica to pump up hype levels. We were promised that Gerrard and Lampard would work. That Rooney was among the worlds best. That Owen and Becks still had it. That Terry was as good as Moore. That whole team shambolically let us down. Every match was complete crap to watch. We had no edge to our play, no sharpness, and no fluid interchange. We were among the worst passers at that tournament, keeping it on the floor seemed impossible. A few set pieces was all we had. It was pathetic and by far my lowest of lows supporting England.

Ugliest : Ian Dowie

[Matt Clark]

Worst: By a long shot, World Cup 2006. Specifically the first game versus Paraguay. The English public was brainwashed into thinking we were the best team in the World.
I never get this. Is there a parallel universe, the same shape and size as the British Isles and, it just so happens, located precisely where in this universe the British Isles happen to be?

I have never - and I mean never - seen anyone who thinks England are the best team in the world. Nor have I ever seen an English fan "brainwashed" to believe something so obviously preposterous.

In fact, reading your post, it seems that perhaps you are the only person thus afflicted, given that you list the subsequent disappointments as your worst experience in football.

If that's not it, I honestly don't know what you're talking about.

Anyway - best: Liverpool destroying Forest 5-0 in 1988. I wasn't fortunate enough to be at the ground that day, but I still remember that evening's MOTD and I have the whole match on DVD.

Worst: Losing 1-0 at Highfield Road on my first trip away for about two years, with Phil Babb scoring their winner. We went and signed him. The rest, as they say, is history.