Terrace Talk

I have been a United fan for as long as I can remember, which in footballing terms stretches back to the evening of May 21, 1977 in Malaysia, when my father sat me down in front of a small black and white screen and told me about the team in the lighter jerseys, and how they were the underdogs and the team they were playing against were going for a historical treble.

The team in white won that day. And to be quite frank, while I do recall sitting down to watch that match and having seen subsequent highlight reels and replays, I don’t remember too much of it.

What I DO recall are the following matches from the early to mid 1980s that I have had the immense pleasure of seeing with my own slightly older eyes. This is as much a walk down memory lane for me as it is intended to be sort of a primer for you, so join me…

1983 F.A. Cup semifinal: Manchester United vs. Arsenal

Not too much to say about this, other than the fact that it was none other than Captain Marvel himself who stuck the ball into the net to open the scoring with a sweet volley. This was years before the rivalry exploded into what it has come to be today, but in truth, it was only the most recent edition of a classic rivalry. In some measure, it was slight revenge for United’s defeat at the hands of Arsenal at the last gasp in the 1979 final.

1983 F.A. Cup Final: Manchester United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton were heavy underdogs, having scrapped and fought their way through to Wembley despite having been relegated to Division Two at the end of league play. It was an unglamorous lineup with aging veterans and some promising youth taking the field against the likes of Robson, Wilkins, Coppell, Bailey, McQueen, and Stapleton.

Imagine the shock when Gordon Smith put Brighton ahead. Frank Stapleton returned some normalcy to proceedings with an equalizer early in the second half. When Wilkins cut in from the left and curled a sweet shot into the corner of the net with less than 20 minutes left, I was up and cheering. It looked like United was on the verge of glory, until Gary Stevens popped up and leveled the score close to the end. If not for Gary Bailey’s miracle save towards the end of extra time, history would have been so different. As it turns out, the Final went to a replay later that week: a replay that was absolutely one-sided, with Robson scoring twice, Whiteside setting a record as the youngest FA Cup Final goalscorer, and Muhren wrapping up a romp from the penalty spot.

I still remember Robbo going up the stairs at Wembley to claim the trophy, and forgetting to take his hat off in front of the Duchess of Kent, and BBC making a big deal out of it.

1984 Cup Winners’ Cup: Manchester United vs. Barcelona

This will be known forever as the night Maradona came to Old Trafford. It should rightfully be known as the night Maradona was bested at Old Trafford. The situation looked bleak for United, kicking off down 2-0 from the first leg in Spain.

Once again, Robson was in inspired form (do you see a pattern here?), as he netted twice to level the aggregate score, and then just as the Old Trafford crowd sensed something special, Stapleton hammered home the third goal. You would’ve thought Manchester United had just won the World Cup, such was the fans’ reaction. It was sheer madness, and in the dead of night halfway around the world, it felt as though the crowd was in my
own living room that night.

This was truly one of the great Manchester United matches of all-time. If you haven’t seen it yet, do so, especially given recent managerial comments about the atmosphere at Old Trafford.

More will come at a later date. The next installment will look at matches from the 1985-
1990 period. Thanks for letting me indulge!

- Posted on behalf of RobsonLegend