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Thursday, August 09, 2007

Remember this cynical foul?

The 1980 FA Cup Final was contested by West Ham United and Arsenal and contained one of the most cynical moments of football I have ever seen.

The moment occurred minutes before the end when un-fancied second division West Ham had a breakaway on goal as Paul Allen, just 17 years old and ready to take a chance on goal that would have brought him glory was tackled from behind in a shocking display of un-sportsmanship by Arsenal’s Willie Young.

Unfortunately, at the time, this offence was not on the rule books as a strait red, but it should have been. It was a sad moment, a cynical central defender ruining a clear goal scoring chance with only goalkeeper Pat Jennings to beat. Allen made an appearance as the youngest player to ever appear in an FA Cup Final and had a chance stolen to make it a fairytale.

Here is the moment:


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16 Comments:

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fu*ker! Still makes me angry today. I remember when I was watching that, my father went nuts. At age 8, I had never heard such a tirade. Even told me "if I ever see you do that"...

8/09/2007 9:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blatent dive, no wonder Ronaldo hits the deck so much looking back at moments like that in football.

Up the Arse!

8/09/2007 9:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ugly cynical foul, sure, but I hardly think it qualifies as one of the 'worst moments in football,' especially when compared to some of the violent assaults that are also featured in this series.

Materazzi alone probably commits worse fouls in just about every game he plays.

8/09/2007 9:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

'Ave it!!!

8/09/2007 9:37 PM  
Blogger Football Commentator said...

I think added it to the series because of what Willie Young ruined.

Imagine yourself as a 17 year old and having that moment robbed from you?

8/09/2007 9:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

An article about a foul made in a game 30 years ago...?What was the point of this...Was that West Hams peak or something? I`ve seen fauls that ended in broken legs or crushed skulls, surely more cynical then this .

8/09/2007 9:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ha Ha. Class, bet that taught the little begger not to mess with clear superior talent. Cheeky little runt gets a lucky break through the middle and wham gets a lesson from the big boys! Ha ha

8/09/2007 9:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If the game was 0-0 at the time, there would have been a riot.

8/09/2007 9:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the greatest most cynical foul .

we love you grimster

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KuVT6-iRR2U

8/09/2007 9:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Conpmletely agree.

Surely more cynical than Schumaker on Battiston, Keane on Haaland, Maradona's 'hand of God', let alone almost the entire Chelsea v Leeds FA Cup final in 1970 or thousands of other incidents.

If you wish to be taken seriously as an analyst then please make some serious analysis.

8/09/2007 10:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://fantasy.premierleague.com

wanna join a Arsenal only leauge


Code to join this league: 100992-23903

8/09/2007 10:26 PM  
Blogger Dr Gonzo said...

haha only an arsenal defender could do that. it was even mentioned in fever pitch!

8/09/2007 10:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Seriously, a moment of pure beauty. Typical Arsenal. I remember that classic tackle like it was yesterday. Will Young became an instant hero.

8/09/2007 10:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gets better every time I see it.

8/09/2007 10:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the point, you prick, is that you are an arsenal fan and want to defend your own. It was a dreadful thing to do.

8/10/2007 2:16 AM  
Blogger Rio said...

A shovel or man block could do wonders. (not referring to the topic incident), the goal is to stop the play at the cost of a deadball, so defense have the time to reorganize.

Tactical fouling and attempt to hurt opponent players [With frustration, or personal problem, or just simply being an irresponsible and unsportsmanlike asshole (aka. Materazzi)] are two completely different things.

8/11/2007 12:19 AM  

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