How good was Big Jan?

[red_maradona]

nice to see some of our older posters commenting on some of our great players who I have never seen play but heard of. we should have a series on our former players, talking about how good they were and provide example of contemporary players who they were simlar too.

 

[Oncy]

Me and Peggy started that once. They are in the vault.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

nice to see some of our older posters commenting on some of our great players who I have never seen play but heard of. we should have a series on our former players, talking about how good they were and provide example of contemporary players who they were simlar too.

Yup, it's why I asked tbh ... Do you think Vlad, Portly and Judge remember Elisha?

 

[Mersey86]

Elisha Scott, or Elisha the Old Testament prophet?

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Elisha Scott, or Elisha the Old Testament prophet?

Tbh, JJ may know the prophet ... but Vlad & Portly aren't that old!

 

[Whaddapie]

The 86 Cup Final was (maybe) bigger for me than was Istanbul, too...

As has been said above, '86 was us finally winning the cup, for the first time in my lifetime AND it was the proof that we were the unquestioned best team in the land, beating those bastards into 2nd place in both competitions, having trailed in both as well. And, as Oncy says, the FA Cup was SOOOOOO much more important back then, it really was the be all and end all for me then. Istanbul was more of a glorious, wonderful fluke that brought unbridaled joy as a result.

Both unforgettable days. I still have the carpet burns on my knees from when I slid across the sitting room floor when Rushie got the equalizer! 🙂

 

[Mersey86]

Istanbul was more of a glorious, wonderful fluke that brought unbridaled joy as a result.

Nicely put. I remember watching a taped version that night. When Gerrard lifted the trophy I had tears running down my cheeks - thought to myself, "What's that about?" and rewound the tape to watch agian in a more manly fashion ..... and there were the tears again. Truly a magnificent dream - such a shame we had to wake up afterwards.

 

[Judge Jules]

The joy it brought was plenty real though, lads. That's what makes it my no.1 and, I suspect, always will.

 

[Judge Jules]

Tbh, JJ may know the prophet ... but Vlad & Portly aren't that old!

You cheeky meshuggener. Portly's older than I am. 😉

 

[Mersey86]

Early in Jan's career at Ajax he was on the same team as Cruyff who spent time on the training ground working with him on his passing.
During that 1986 season Molby was crucial to us winning the double. He scored the last minute penalty in the semi final replay against Watford, getting us to extra time where Rushy won it. Molby scored over 40 penalties for us, with a success rate our current vintage could only dream of. Molby also kept our tenuous hopes of winning the league alive on a cold early spring day at Tottenham. His late winner gave us the three points, keeping us within shouting distance of Everton and starting a long winning streak which eventually saw us overhaul Everton and win perhaps our most memorable league title. I remember the day we finally caught Everton - a 6-0 win against Oxford where opponent John Aldridge acknowledged the Kop's chants following a Football Focus article showing him as the Kopite many did not know he was.
Molby was injured at the start of the next season, and his bulk may have prevented him from being even more of a legend as he rarely again hit the heights of 1986.

 

[Whaddapie]

Early in Jan's career at Ajax he was on the same team as Cruyff who spent time on the training ground working with him on his passing.
During that 1986 season Molby was crucial to us winning the double. He scored the last minute penalty in the semi final replay against Watford, getting us to extra time where Rushy won it. Molby scored over 40 penalties for us, with a success rate our current vintage could only dream of. Molby also kept our tenuous hopes of winning the league alive on a cold early spring day at Tottenham. His late winner gave us the three points, keeping us within shouting distance of Everton and starting a long winning streak which eventually saw us overhaul Everton and win perhaps our most memorable league title. I remember the day we finally caught Everton - a 6-0 win against Oxford where opponent John Aldridge acknowledged the Kop's chants following a Football Focus article showing him as the Kopite many did not know he was.
Molby was injured at the start of the next season, and his bulk may have prevented him from being even more of a legend as he rarely again hit the heights of 1986.

Sorry M86, but I think that you're ever so slightly off... Big Jan's goal against Spurs was the equalizer. Rushie got the last second winner. He scored a hattrick of penalties in one game, too. Coventry, wasn't it? He is the reason that we came back to beat Everton in that '86 cup final, and he was also huge in the Auxerre 3-0 classic too - Scored one and made at least one of the other two. God, I loved him... The first player who rivalled Ronnie Whelan as my favourite player as a kid.

 

[Wizardry]

he could dictate a game sitting on the edge of his own penalty area eating a tray of chips and gravy

Couldn't paint a better picture of him.

The thing people forget sometimes is he could do it in any conditions; pouring rain with a heavy, water logged ball and he still laid it at your feet from 50 yards.

 

[Wizardry]

The '86 Cup Final was excellent, but: better than Istanbul? I've been a Red from Shanks' time onwards and I don't ever expect to top 25.5.05.

Different type of joy, I think Jules.

After Istanbul I was still in disbelief; couldn't stop smiling and shaking my head in equal measure but, despite that, there was always that notion we could play them another 10 times and not get a result.

'86 was just so satisfying to see a team that was so good, with so much talent, earn the rewards that they deserved.

Both were amazing but '86 filled you with pride while '05 filled you with more amazement if that makes sense.

 

[Oncy]

I got a wicked blowie watching the replay of Istanbul at Midnight.
That was a highlight.
Probably more info than yous needed.

 

[Judge Jules]

Wizardry: it does make sense, and I understand the rationale behind it, but I see the point differently. One of the things which made Istanbul so uniquely satisfying for me was precisely the fact that it embodied the triumph of team spirit over a collection of mostly more talented individuals.