Wonder goal…oh…hang on: Jurry Koolhof

hehe .. a classic clip in dutch football history

Koolhof was an interesting player, he reminded me (a bit) of me all time fav. english player; Matt Le Tissier … what a player that was!! he made some amazing goals, ill look for a YT clip with some goals

Posted from  Netherlands

Top 10 goals Matt Le Tissier; watch this and enjoy!!

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=FSsdfe4Z69g

Posted from  Netherlands

Matt Le Tissier is doing commentary for Sky Sports now. He is also writing articles and whatnot. He’s actually relatively insightful…

Le Tiss is also semi-involved with Southampton still. Think he may even be on the board. The Saints have fallen on hard times and nearly went bankrupt last season. There is an interesting story that happened this summer

Their team captain of 12 years retired last year (Klaus Lundekvam, CB with a number of appearances Norway NT). He was given his testimonial this summer against Celtic (all proceeds go to the player as a thank you for services to the club. Usually given after 10 years for the same club in England). Le Tissier was the head of the organizing committee. Well, the funny thing about Lundekvam’s testimonial was that Klaus personally wanted badly to play Celtic because when Gordon Strachan managed Southampton (now the Celtic manager) they became very close personal friends. The only date Celtic could squeeze in was a certain weekend this summer. The only problem was that the week before, there was a big rock concert at the stadium, and the stadium turf got all messed up because of crowds combined with rain.

The net result was the pitch was not going to be playable in time. So what did Lundekvam do? He paid 100 000 UK pounds out of his own pocket to get a complete new turf in place so that they still could play his old buddy Strachan. In fact, this is the same turf that Southampton will be using all season, so he personally bailed out the club for this season giving them a new turf. After apperance fees to Celtic etc., there wasn’t much money left for Lundekvam and his family.

In this day and age of egos, you don’t get too many stories like that. That’s a true team captain right there, team before self, maybe even to the extreme in this case. I am sure him and his family are not struggling, but Drenthe and Sno should take notice. Hope they read this blog.

@Finnster; i wonder if Sno and Drenthe can read at all!!!

Posted from  Netherlands

‘Sno way Drenthe can read !!!

Posted from  Singapore

Oh by the way – Finn again ! great story . Very few like him !

I get to see Real/Zenit because it’a a holiday here tomorrow and I can stay up to watch , then Arsenal too !!!
Finn ? you surviving the turmoil ?

Posted from  Singapore

@carlos; hehe, nice one

btw; about Le Tissier; does anybody know the story about his fight with Hoddle and why he never was capped for England..i heared something bout him signing for Spurs and then tearing(?) up his contract..

Posted from  Netherlands

Hey Goose Apperantly the old story I recall(I am a Le Tissier fan as all Dutchies would be) Matt the Mouth leaked info to his brother in Germany about an upcoming qualifier against Italy for the 1998 WC. Hoddle had chosen Matt as well as Mcmaneman to play behind Shearer as “free men”.
Hoddle was incensed and furious and after the Italy game (think Dick Jol refereed superbly) left Matt out of the 1998 England squad altogether.
Personally I think he was exactly the same as Hoddle and Glenn probably didn’t want Matt to get too much glory and be “forgotten”.

Posted from  Singapore

@Goose & Carlos: Excellent comments. I am still smiling

Now in terms of Le Tiss and England, he got a raw deal. He was actually capped around 10 times or so, but had a difficult time under Venables when he probably played his best football. During that time Hoddle was manager of Chelsea and wanted to sign Le Tiss, but he turned Hoddle down. Evidently, Hoddle carried a grudge ever after that and didn’t give him a chance when he became England manager.

The tearing up of the Spurs contract I know less about. It is a story that has been floating around, but I don’t know what is real and what is myth. Le Tissier became a cult hero as he is special in that he was a big name that stayed with a smallish club his whole career and as Jan posted before, scored some spectacular goals throughout his career.

Speaking of Le Tissier, he also managed to create a spectacular nickname for a goalkeeper amongst the fans.

In a game against Man U on Old Trafford when Massimo Taibi made his debut in goals. He had recently been bought by Man U from Venezia. Well Le Tiss managed somehow to score from 35-40 yards with a slow roller that actually went in. After that, the press and the fans called Taibi “The Blind Venetian”

And here is the video of the Le Tiss/Taibo incident:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMpjRfOmTjM&NR=1

haha, the blind venetian! thanks for the info people, great to see how much knowledge is up here! and thanks for the link finnster

i always love these ’slow’looking players, the little flick is so f lazy! its amazing

Posted from  Netherlands

off topic;

was just looking at some YT vids and found this classic Harry Rednap interview clip, cant stop laughing

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=4MrWS0bZqsY&feature=related

Posted from  Netherlands

Off topic again:

Was thinking about freak injuries (i.e. Robben & Babel etc), but the best one ever I can think of was Alex Stepney (legendary Man U goalkeeper) in 1975 against Birmingham who managed to get his jaw dislocated by yelling at his defenders and had to be subbed.

Anyone with a story to beat that?

@Finnster: this one: http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/fame/Inductees/berttrautmann.htm

Posted from  Netherlands

Wow ! Love the stories here….Lowiesje I had seen the TV documentary on this not too long ago, they dont make them like Bert anymore. OK a little bragging here, Bobby Charlton was in Singapore about 15 years ago and I was invited to have a round of Golf with him. He did bring up this Goalkeeper in one of his many tales. And who did he thnk was the best player in the world ? Of course he said Pele but he did say that JC was technically and gifted the better player. Pele only because of his record !

Posted from  Singapore

@lowisje: That’s pretty remarkable. Don’t think too many goalkeepers stay in a game and play with a broken neck…

@Carlos: Must have been absolutely awesome to have met Bobby Charlton, let alone play a round of golf with him. That is outstanding!! Was he any good by the way?

Anyway, trying to stay alive and hang in here in NYC, but the US politicians are doing their best to make life as difficult as possible. Thanks for the thought though. Maybe I’ll come to Singapore and carry your clubs

@ Finn, Bobby was a sportsman and played off a decent 12 handicap, I was asked not to beat him as we played teams and he and I were the low handicappers. At the 17th we were 1 up and I was determined to lose the next two holes. A simple par 3 where I usually use a wedge I decided to pull out an 8 so I would be way over. Lo and behold as I struck the ball a huge gust of wind blew straight into us and my eight iron ended up 6 inches from the hole. Gimme birdie ! Bobby hit it 15ft from the pin….and SUNK it !!! We “lost” the last hole and had a nice meal/drinks afterwards.
It was an honour to play with him.

Posted from  Singapore

@Finnster: Yea, its remarkable. He easily could have died. I remember this was one of my father’s old time stories ’bout football. I couldn’t remember the name of the goalkeeper, so I had to google a bit. Anyway, sometimes – as a contactsport – football is a dangerous game with injuries like that of Peter Chech… wearing his helmet know… But I like that story of yours with the MU goalkeeper. It’s freaky and I couln’t resist a smile.

@Carlos: Never met Bobby Charlton and I never will do, I guess, but, as you know, he himself, a Matt Busby-boy, has a remarkable story of his own, as one of the few survivors of that awfull planecrash in Munich, back in… what was it? 1958?

Posted from  Netherlands

@Lowiesje… Bobby was found several hundred metres from the crash still strapped to his seat….amazing !

Posted from  Singapore