Blog Archives
The Bhoys from Seville
I’d bet the majority of you would remember 2003 with relative ease. I was only 11 years old when the football season came to an end, but it was one of my most vivid memories of that year. I started secondary school in 2003, the same year as the start of the war in Iraq and when Australia won the Cricket World Cup.
Living in the west coast of Scotland I was brought up supporting Celtic Football Club and 2003 was a successful year for the club, in European terms at least. They missed out on the SPL title to bitter rivals Rangers by just one goal. The Ibrox side also clinched the League and Scottish Cups. They defeated Celtic 2-1 in the first Cup Final of the season, with first-half goals from Claudio Caniggia and Peter Lovenkrands before Henrik Larsson’s effort after 57 minutes. They then clinched a famous treble following a 1-0 victory over Dundee thanks to a goal from defensive stalwart, Lorenzo Amoruso.
So Celtic, domestically, had a season to forget, but the UEFA Cup run that the squad put together was simply fantastic. We actually got knocked out of the Champions League Qualifying Round by FC Basel, on away goals I might add. But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
The Headed Hat-Trick Hero
With Newcastle United flying high in the Premier League ahead of tonight’s trip to Stoke, even the most pessimistic of fans might be tempted to think of Europe and of the Magpies returning to the heights enjoyed under Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson.
In the latest ‘Classic’, Rich Pye remembers Newcastle’s first foray into Europe since the late 1970s, and a particularly unique performance by their future England midfielder, Robert Lee.
October 1993: Goss, Munich and the best East Anglian team in Europe
In the 1992-93 season under the stewardship of then-manager Mike Walker, Norwich City finished a highly respectable third placed. This earned them entry to the UEFA Cup and led to a match-up with the German behemoth Bayern Munich. This is the story of 20th October 1993 - a night no Norwich City fan shall ever forget.
