your memories of...

Liverpool at home 97/98.


Flicking between Liverpool and Newcastle matches last night, I looked at the Anfield pitch and it brought back memories of the cup win in '08. I watched it on the giant screen they rolled in at Oakwell because I couldn't get a ticket to go to the game.

It was a very emotional ending to a match. This in turn led to me telling the Mrs about the other time I got emotional while watching Barnsley, coincidentally, against Liverpool.

I remember hugging my younger brother, both of us in floods of tears, (aged 8 and 11) after Redders made it 2-2 from the spot after Georgi went down in their box.

I just wondered what people's memories of that day in March 1998 were from a personal point of view.

 

If we hadn't lost that game we would have stayed up. Everything around that game knocked the stuffing out of us and mentally and emotionally we were spent.

Another reason to hate the f.ucking scouse ******. Makes me laugh that people who support Barnsley also think they support Liverpool.

 

I remember when we equalised with 9 men, ive never been as happy. The emotional rollercoaster of that game aged me by about 5 years. Remember about half a dozen folk trying to get to the referee, Wellard or summat, and Paul Ince wrestling with one fella. Thats when it was made clear that we wernt welcome at the top table of english football.

 

Anger, sheer anger

Dress it up how you want but that game showed how 'some' refs treated the big mesters and the rubbing rags differently.

That put the tin lid on any delusions that The Premiershipw as an open competition.

 

Remember thinking Gary Willard was walking off because he'd realised he'd f.cked up and was bringing Morgan back out.

Then I realised he was a lovely person. Just like every other Liverpool fan.

F.cking hate Liverpool.

 

memories coming back now, remember scrapping with the scousers under the flyover, taking out my rage on their tashes!!

 

Tottenham at home a couple of weeks later was the key game and one we should have won, against 10 men and battered them but couldn't find a winner, they actually played better with 10 men than they did with 11 i seem to remember

 

I'm still convinced McManaman was offside for their third goal (they've edited the TV pictures to make it look like he's on side !!!) and although in every other circumstances I'd condemn a fan running on the pitch I hoped at the time someone had decked Willard

 

I've always thought it was the Spurs game that sent us down, rather than this one.

 

I was that angry I was coughing blood up. Part of me wishes that the pitch invader had got hold of Willard. We were shafted good and proper that day. I still believe that the powers that be had decided they did not want little old Barnsley staying in their club.

The league table said otherwise but I also believe we were relegated that day.

 

The Liverpool game didn't relegate us mathematically but I think it did mentally and emotionally. I can honestly say I have never come away from a football match feeling as cheated and as angry as I did after that game. I am glad that I was at the back of the Ponty because my emotions were running so high at one point I think I might have made my way onto the pitch with the other fans.
I can honestly say that I could gladly have knocked Willard out cold that day for what he did which in my opinion was nothing short of cheating.

 

Still makes me angry thinking about it. Owen going down like he'd been shot. Shez getting sent off for retaliating to a slap by Ince, who got clean away with it. Hristov earning the penalty. McManaman inciting the crowd and getting away with it, and the single most biased, blinkered and inept refereeing display ever seen at Oakwell. Remember even Alan Hansen on MotD asking how Sheridan could get sent off but not Ince. Horrible day.

 

I wouldn't say at Oakwell. I'd say the worst refereeing in the history of the Premiership.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DupJP_V7IUM

Smashing laptop up.

 

The Liverpool fan on the floor bleeding from the head down past the clinic down the hill. Looked in a bad way. The horse with eye knocked out (which I think led to the compulsaory blinkers?) - poor horse. Turned over police van?

The game? We were flying at the time in the league after great run of results, Redders first put us in the lead before equaliser then the first of the red cards. Possibly Barnard's by letter of the law was but the others were a joke.

Left fuming and also feared for points penalty.

Was the Wilard leaving in a helocopter ever the true story?

 

Slapping a gobby scouser twice my size, my old man climbing fences to get a better view int west stand like a deranged monkey shouting various obscenities.

Darren Sheridan dropping the guvnor like a bad penny.

Georgi coming on and terrifying them.

Feeling robbed. That result cost us stopping up.

 

Even prior to the sendings off

Willard had been showing bias towards Liverpool to an unbelievable degree. Normally placid fans were raging at his performance. There's little doubt in my mind that a Liverpool player committing the same 'offences' as Barnard, Morgan & Sheridan would have seen them stay on the pitch, probably without receiving a card.

 

My memories are crackers about that day, the unfurling of their silly justice banner, the sendings off and then my mate running from the Ponty end onto the pitch. He was the first on before that kid ran at the ref, we were in the East Stand watching the farce when one of my mates said "someones on the pitch, ******* hell its *name deleted for legal reasons* whats he doing? he sat at the edge of the area and refused to move, Paul Ince came over to him and said "come on mate, its only a game". He eventually moved, in handcuffs.. We then went into town via the Metrodome route and Scousers were being picked off at will, laid out all down the road towards the fly over. Police had lost control. To our surprise our pitch invading mate then came running up behind us after he had escaped from the charging office down at Oakwell. He had given a false name and whilst the coppers back was turned he ran out of the door, couldn't believe it was unlocked. Then a mad night round tarn and a K2 3 piece of chicken and chips and a chubby growler.

 

Re: Even prior to the sendings off

We know that to be true. Ince hit Sheridan, Sheridan hit him back. Sheridan got sent off, Ince wasn't even spoken to.

 

No he left the ground a couple of hours after kick off. Remember the Scouser on the floor laid on the speed bump, saw him get chinned, thats what l've recalled above. Never seen a group of away fans get bullied like that ever at Oakwell.