12 years ago

[Claret Till I Die]

Despite subsequent events, I will forever view OC as a top man and will happily buy him a beer if I bump into him to say “thank you”.

I've said this before on here but my eldest son is the same age as OC Jnr and they played in the same Saturday junior league. About 2 years after OC left he was watching his son play against my lad on Pleckgate.
I saw his car and wandered up to him and as he wound his window down I offered my hand to shake which he did whilst I thanked him for giving me some of my best moments as a Claret.
I couldn't leave without telling him that he was a t**t for the way he left us though. He told me that he had his reasons but I wasn't interested.

[martin_p]

I was absolutely gutted walking off that match. But I think if someone had told me that 12 years later we’d have spent half that time in the Premier League, beaten all of the big six at least once including wins at Anfield and Old Trafford, and played in Europe, I may have been slightly consoled.

[chipbutty]

Coyle really started to get a proper tune out of the team that season and what a season it was. The cup momentum built with the “Capital Punishment” wins and despite the Spurs disappointment, on what was a fabulous night to be on Turf Moor, as we all know the season reached a crescendo at Wembley.

I was at White Hart Lane for the 1st Leg and for 45 mins we played them off the park. Harry brought on Jamie O’Hara at half time who according to the Spurs fans had been struggling. He then, for 45 minutes only in his career, played like Ronaldo and we couldn’t cope. Which put us on the back foot for the 2nd Leg. I agree with the various comments on here that there was a feeling at the ground that night that it was very much “game on “ despite being 1-4 down. Blimey the Clarets did not disappoint. Cracking atmosphere under the lights again.

OC and the team created so many memories that season that will last a lifetime. Nothing finer than being at Wembley with my 2 sons hugging total strangers as the final whistle went.

Along the way enjoying watching a proper footballing team, who went out and attacked. When Robbie Blake was on it, he was almost unplayable.

Despite subsequent events, I will forever view OC as a top man and will happily buy him a beer if I bump into him to say “thank you”.

I think we let more goals in, in that 2nd half than we had in all our previous games put together!
Even though, like you say, it was Game On! We did ourselves more than proud that night, maybe the original Proudsville?

[I'maclaret]

Caballo I remember that song - I would love to hear it again.
I'm pretty sure that it was a friend or relative of someone who posted on the old board. So if anyone knows who it was please ask them if they still have the song and to repost if if they do.

[thelaughingclaret]

Akinbiyi Lost the ball that lead to that first spurs goal. I remember saying ‘don’t you f**kin lose it!’ And then he lost it. Still not forgiven him for that fully! No idea why we pushed so high up when we just had to hold on as well.
I like to believe if we had got to Wembley we would have almost certainly lost to United and we wouldn’t have got to the play off final. I had to believe that and still do really for my sanity.
As others have said I wasn’t too disappointed, was proud but there was also a feeling of if they are going to snatch Wembley off us like that then let’s get to Wembley in may. That lose drove us for the second half on the season. Without that really where would we be now? League one? League two? Could we have been in a position Bolton are in now or even worse? Thankfully it doesn’t matter.

[JohnDearyMe]

I was at White Hart Lane for the 1st Leg and for 45 mins we played them off the park. Harry brought on Jamie O’Hara at half time who according to the Spurs fans had been struggling. He then, for 45 minutes only in his career, played like Ronaldo and we couldn’t cope. Which put us on the back foot for the 2nd Leg. I agree with the various comments on here that there was a feeling at the ground that night that it was very much “game on “ despite being 1-4 down. Blimey the Clarets did not disappoint. Cracking atmosphere under the lights again.

.

We were brilliant that first half. Didn't we have a number of players out injured as well for that game too? (Vague memory of us having to make a first half substitution too)