Great Goals 2008/2009 (3 Viewers)

[Luther Blissett]

Yeah, and John O Shea's a defender. I've never heard of him before, what's the deal? Strange career trajectory - Middlesborough to California via Turin. Did he ever get a full Irish cap?

You've really never heard of 'Time's Person of the 20th Century' Ronnie O'Brien? That was a major story back in the day when the internet was but a wee sprog.

I think Stan tried to give him a game on that US tour a few years back but he didn't want to play. It says below that there's been talk of him declaring for the US on residency grounds.

Back in 1999, with the Millennium looming, America's Time magazine, which annually honours their Person of the Year, decided to launch an open, internet-based public vote for a Person of the Century. Names such as Martin Luther King and Bill Clinton would have been expected to be up there but mysteriously Juventus' latest acquisition, Ronnie O'Brien, surprisingly topped the poll. The magazine was suspicious, and rightly so.


As it turned out some Irish jesters had sent emails and set up a website urging their countrymen to get behind O'Brien who they saw as the epitome of an Irish good-time story. The editors at Time were not amused and disqualified O'Brien from the vote.



Brilliantly, Juventus had been simultaneously running a Player of the Century vote so O'Brien's fans again got to work. Platini? Rossi? Vialli? Zidane? Nope, you've guessed it, Ronnie O'Brien was voted as the Old Lady's greatest ever player. Disappointingly, Juve took the same view as Time and decided to disqualify O'Brien from the vote but the young midfielder's place in football folklore was assured.


Despite playing well for the reserves at the Stadio delle Alpi and making his sole appearance for the club in the Intertoto Cup as a substitute, he was loaned out to Lugano of Switzerland, FC Crotone and Lecco of the Italian lower leagues, before appearing for Dundee United in the SPL. But after three years in Italy it was obvious that O'Brien would not take Serie A by storm, so he decided on a move to the nether regions of World football, the MLS in America.


Signing for the Dallas Burn, he made a solid start to his MLS career, scoring on his debut, but it was in his second season in Texas that he was expected to really take to the league. He scored a "memorable goal" (according to one US journalist) against the LA Galaxy before being cruelly cut down by Dema Kovalenko against DC United resulting in a broekn leg for O'Brien.



Once again his career was in limbo, but to his credit he remained in America, fought for his fitness and came back even stronger. "The operation itself and waking up and seeing what they'd done to my knee, was torture," O'Brien reflected later.



His comeback season saw him amount ten assists and apparently perform like an "MVP player".
Internationally however he was isolated. He was ignored by former manager Brian Kerr but Steve Staunton tried to tempt him back under his doomed reign as national coach, but O'Brien stood fast and decided against it. In fact he will soon be available for selection for USA due to having only represented the Republic at youth and Under-21 level.

 

[Unicron]

You've really never heard of 'Time's Person of the 20th Century' Ronnie O'Brien? That was a major story back in the day when the internet was but a wee sprog.

I think Stan tried to give him a game on that US tour a few years back but he didn't want to play. It says below that there's been talk of him declaring for the US on residency grounds.

I wonder if that plan would be scuppered becasue he played a couple of his more recent seasons in Canada with Toronto FC, even though they are still a MLS club.

 

[Wheels]

http://footballvids.blogspot.com/2008/09/groningen-utrecht-2-0-highlights-140908.html

Granqvist's scrapbook goal at the weekend.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

http://videos.sapo.pt/9pQ6MKfRtnlkLqqaGbE5

Cracker for Shakthar last night. He really caught hold of that nicely, as they say.

 

[Lefty Frizzell]

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Did well to make an angle for himself there.




(Do you ever notice that as you get older it's almost possible to talk entirely in clichés? It's kinda cool)

 

[Unicron]

Del Piero just scored a better free than Fernandihno got last night. Great hit.

 

[Dktr. Faustus]

Del Piero just scored a better free than Fernandihno got last night. Great hit.

yeah, amazing. he seems to be happy with it too

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[Lefty Frizzell]

 

[Wheels]

Van der Vaart scores two beauts in the 7-1 thrashing of Sporting Gijon.

http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1597363/

http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1597364/

 

[Hector Grey]

jayses, gijon are getting spanked by everyone

 

[Unicron]

Taking the piss with that second one.

How much was the Van Der Vaart transfer, something like €6-8 million? Bargain of the summer.

 

[Franco]

jayses, gijon are getting spanked by everyone

They're badly missing Kevin Moran.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

http://videos.sapo.pt/fAWSL04UM6QanOYI6Lzq

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Personally I woulda given a free out for a high foot but anyway.....here's Zlatan:

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[Franco]

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[Wheels]

Henry frappe encore

http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1666102/

 

[RED(tape)MENACE]

Did we miss this one?

http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1613684/

Goal number 2.
And he's Irish!

 

[old]

Fancy Arshavin goal. http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1668188/

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Simply beautiful:

YouTube - Bordeaux 2-1 Toulouse ( Gourcuff )