Pickford stars in historic England win over Spain

Monday, 15 October, 2018 116comments  |  Jump to most recent
Spain 2 - 3 England

Jordan Pickford was among the highlights of an incredible first half in Seville that saw England roar into a 3-0 lead, two of the goals initiated by the Everton goalkeeper's pinpoint distribution.

They survived a second-half fightback by Spain, who conceded three goals on home turf for the first time in 27 years and three in the first half at home for only the second time in their history, to hold and win 3-2, easing concerns that they could be relegated from their division in the inaugural season of Uefa's new competition.

Pickford was again named as the starting goalkeeper by Gareth Southgate in the Three Lions' Uefa Nations League game and he had to make an unorthodox intervention inside five minutes when he dived early to anticipate a shot and ended up saving a goal-bound effort with his head.

It was the Blues star's drilled pass to Harry Kane in midfield that set England on their way for their first, the Tottenham man finding Marcus Rashford on the left who picked out Raheem Sterling driving through the middle with another excellent pass.

Sterling took a touch past the last defender before battering it into the top corner, his first England goal for more than three years.

It was Pickford again who played a vital role in England's second goal with a brilliant long pass over the top to Kane who this time played in Marcus Rashford to beat the last man and slot past his Manchester United team-mate, David de Gea, with borderline nonchalance.

For the third goal, former Blue, Ross Barkley, floated a lovely ball over the top of what was by now a completely disorganised Spanish defence, Sergio Ramos reduced to a hopeful offside appeal, as Kane cushioned the ball back into the six-yard box and Sterling finished superbly.

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Spain came back into it after some concerted pressure after the break, Paco Alcácer heading home a superb glancing header over Pickford from a corner just before the hour mark to make it 1-3.

Pickford had something of a lucky mistake later in the half when, in a moment of madness, he dallied on the ball, allowing Rodrigo to steal it off him. The keeper dragged the Spanish player back as he lunged in to put the loose ball behind for a corner.

Barkley gave way to Kyle Walker after 75 minutes, Southgate attempting to protect his two-goal advantage and stonewall the home side for the last 10 minutes. Asensio lashed one that looked to be beating Pickford but it curled away, inches outside of the post.

Alonso then beat Pickford but hit the bar in the last of 7 added minutes before Ramos powered in a clean diving header with the very last play of the game, for a fine if ultimately tentative win for Southgate's men.

 

Reader Comments (116)

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Kunal Desai
1 Posted 15/10/2018 at 21:12:32
Do we need a creative midfielder when we have a creative goalkeeper?

On the other hand, he's nearly cost England a penalty. Theatrics with the ball.

Kieran Kinsella
2 Posted 15/10/2018 at 21:27:32
Goalies these days all fannying around. We saw it with Germany at the World Cup, Allison at Liverpool, now Pickford.
Mike Gaynes
3 Posted 15/10/2018 at 21:54:07
Siggy undistiguished in a lifeless performance by Iceland against Switzerland.
Martin Berry
4 Posted 15/10/2018 at 21:55:33
The best and worst of Pickford tonight which could have meant a draw rather than a win. In his head, he will be secretly kicking himself for that howler, but the good thing is that he will surely learn from it...?

Fantastic performance by the team tonight and Jordan's kicking when "getting rid" was excellent.

Tony Abrahams
5 Posted 15/10/2018 at 22:07:52
Listening to this Jamie Rednap, and all’s I can say is no wonder that Louise fucked off!
Paul Smith
6 Posted 15/10/2018 at 22:14:04
Barkely showing there is life after Everton. Maybe he was telling the truth about that coaching.
Clive Mitchell
7 Posted 15/10/2018 at 22:17:37
I love our goalie, what a fantastic lad he is.
Simon Smith
8 Posted 15/10/2018 at 22:17:39
Watching England is almost exactly the same as watching Everton. Even when we're 3 goals up, you never feel comfortable.
Tom Bowers
9 Posted 15/10/2018 at 22:54:53
Pickford still to learn a few things but still the best in the country; De Gea not so bright at times also.

They can make mistakes but, as long as they are not costly, who cares.

A good win for England but Spain, like Germany, may need to rebuild as the old guard creaking somewhat.

John Pierce
10 Posted 15/10/2018 at 23:02:03
Pickford was up and down. Took one mishit to the balls in the first half and went hard at the ball at other times, often untidy collecting the ball.

His passing was appreciated massively by Kane for the second goal, a big thumbs up as team mates surrounded him.

When Pickford comes up on the forum, my only misgivings are his temperament. I prefer my keepers to be calm and collected. He looks anything but! Often agitated and too anxious to intervene in the game. Tonight was no different, but that should ebb with experience.

We saw the best and the worst. But he is box office!

Jim Bennings
11 Posted 15/10/2018 at 23:07:31
Great distributor of the ball is our Jordan... but one annoyance with him for me: Why does he always do that bloody mad dive when the ball is nowhere near him and sailing harmlessly out?
Daniel A Johnson
12 Posted 15/10/2018 at 23:30:11
For the first headed goal Pickford concedes, he flies across like bloody superman – so Hollywood. It looks like he just needed to jump up from the replays.
Andy Finigan
13 Posted 15/10/2018 at 23:40:41
I love my Everton goalkeeper, Mr Jordan Pickford: loads of charisma, calm temperament, does not get fazed, great delivery. Needs work on his placement across his goal line. A little rushed at times.

Any negatives will be addressed and he will only get better as he discomposed second half.

Colin Glassar
14 Posted 15/10/2018 at 23:51:25
Most goalies are mental, Jim. Jordan is just a bit more mentaler than most.
Karl Meighan
15 Posted 16/10/2018 at 01:11:31
Let's hope any mistakes he may make come when he is playing for England. Nice to see him doing well for England but his main work comes whilst keeping goal for the Blues.
Kieran Kinsella
16 Posted 16/10/2018 at 03:37:46
Mike Gaynes 3

I didn't see the Iceland game but I read a French report on it and they portrayed it as a case of the Swiss goalie putting in a Superman display to hold specifically Sigurdsson at bay.

Bob Parrington
17 Posted 16/10/2018 at 05:49:04
Hmm! Not really convincing from England over the full 90 minutes but took their 1st half chances well.

IMO, Pickford was very much a tad of good and a tad of bad on the night!

But what happened to England in the second half? Same players, different team!

Duncan McDine
19 Posted 16/10/2018 at 06:04:39
Pickford is still young, so hopefully he can improve where he clearly needs to. He does have the makings of a fantastic keeper – let's hope the goalkeeping coach at Everton is up to the task.
Eric Myles
20 Posted 16/10/2018 at 06:12:47
Jim #11, practice for when it's really needed.
John Wells
21 Posted 16/10/2018 at 07:37:59
Goalkeepers are indeed a touch crazy, football goalkeepers a bit but hurling goalkeepers ... over-the-edge nuts! If any of you guys like to read a good sports book, read “Last Man Standing”; it goes through a year of a number of county hurling goalkeepers (if you read, remember – they are amateurs!).

Jordan I think will be the real deal and hopefully will grow out of these occasional howlers. I think his general positioning is better this season, he is key to us going on a run and we need to with tough fixtures coming up.

Bob Parrington
22 Posted 16/10/2018 at 08:32:33
John #21,

Ice Hockey Goalkeepers must be the craziest of all!

Derek Taylor
23 Posted 16/10/2018 at 09:15:28
Humble apologies to Ross Barkley for my comments yesterday. Last night he displayed what he is capable of. Now he just has to find some consistency. At last.
Brian Williams
24 Posted 16/10/2018 at 09:31:08
I have to say, and this may be seen as contentious, but I can't see a change in Barkley from most of the time he played at Everton. He was always capable of the sort of ball he played through for one of England's goals – just as he was always capable of that run through Spain's midfield before he stopped and really couldn't make his mind up what to do.

Quite often last night he would fail to complete his approach to an opposing player with a tackle just as he did numerous times with us. Other times he would be tidy on the ball and keep it simple, just as he did with us or play a good cross field ball, again, exactly like I saw him play at Goodison.

I hold no grudge whatsoever against the lad but what I see is really no different from what I've seen of him before, apart from ONE important factor and that's that he now plays for a high-profile Sky team and, IMHO, the pundits look at him in a totally different light because of that and that alone.

Geoffrey Williams
25 Posted 16/10/2018 at 09:39:13
I agree totally with Brian, the only change in Barkley as a player is he now plays for Chelsea. If he plays for Chelsea, he must be good – whereas, when he was an Everton player, he couldn't be much good – otherwise, he'd be playing for a Sky team.
Len Hawkins
26 Posted 16/10/2018 at 10:49:25
Pickford is a breath of fresh air compared to what Everton have had since Nigel Martyn; there are 10 men in front of him who should be stopping players getting a shot or a header in. If a couple of goals go in that would beat any goalie, he gets slated. I can't bloody well do with it.

Dave Williams
27 Posted 16/10/2018 at 11:10:49
Posting this from Tenerife Airport, having watched the game in a Spanish bar with a great atmosphere.

Jim, don't you think Jordan is like George Wood? George would hurl himself across the goal to collect a backpass, playing to the crowd. He was a really good keeper for us til his Scotland debut when Keegan embarrassed him and he was never the same for us again.

Jordan will hopefully fulfill his potential.

Tony Everan
28 Posted 16/10/2018 at 11:24:29
The speed of thought and execution from Pickford caught out the Spanish. They were shell-shocked and unprepared for that. Great stuff from our boy (not to mention Kane's superb ball control and sterling's finish!)

There were one or two dodgy moments from Jordan though, most avoidable. He will learn from his mistakes hopefully. Particularly, I don't want him to be trying his George Best moves against Wilfred Zaha on Sunday.


Steve Cotton
29 Posted 16/10/2018 at 12:09:06
Nearly every media outlet has sad red fans emailing in trying to ridicule Pickford, most referring to Allison cockup earlier in season, surely the bitterest fans on the planet..
Tony Heron
30 Posted 16/10/2018 at 13:15:04
I've said before that I rate Pickford and think he will become a great as he gains experience and learns the art of goalkeeping.

One thing I wish he would stop doing now though, is this tendency to parry shots rather than trying to catch the ball. It seems to be the modern way and is probably down to coaching, but there's a time to knock the ball away and a time to gather it and end the danger in the box. When you parry the ball, it's down to luck where it ends up, so for me it should only be a last resort, rather than the norm as it seems to be in the modern game.

John Wells
31 Posted 16/10/2018 at 13:19:02
Bob @22,

Yes also nuts! But well padded!

Tom Bowers
32 Posted 16/10/2018 at 13:50:34
Always good to win, especially against a team like Spain, but England have had all too few wins against teams like this and have to have a few more to get the fans warmed up to Southgate and his selections.

Beating teams like Malta and Moldova counts for nothing so one will put the accolades on hold to see what happens down the line.

Steve Ferns
33 Posted 16/10/2018 at 13:55:30
Tony, it's due to the modern ball. If it was an 80s or earlier ball, then they would catch it. They were heavier and their flight was true. These modern balls are too unpredictable and so keepers are taught to parry as, if you misjudge the flight of the ball it's easier to adjust with a parry and still avoid a massive blunder whilst, with a catch, you're going to end up with egg on your face.

The ball simply moves too much in the air, it's too light, and too unpredictable. Cristiano Ronaldo Aveiro is a “free-kick expert” for simply toeying it on the valve and trying to make it move unpredictably in the air. I bet Sheedy would have been able to do even more amazing stuff with these balls.

I loved Koeman, when our manager, giving some YouTube guys a freekick masterclass. That's one part of the game you never lose. He declined to show them how to do a Ronaldo, scoffing at it as if it was beneath him (it was).

Tony Heron
34 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:11:00
Fair point, Steve, about the lightweight modern balls. Mind you I don't know if your old enough to remember the "plassy" Frido balls we as kids used in the early 60s, now they did move; if the wind took them, they ended up on the roof or miles down the road. As for the old caseys, it was like catching a medicine ball!!
Brent Stephens
35 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:21:07
The Frido's were like a beach ball, Tony. Then they came out with a more robust plassy ball - you were supposed to be able to mend any puncture in them with a hot soldering iron etc but it never worked.
Mick Hoban
36 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:25:38
Wembley Trophy - Now that was a good ball to play with.
Rob Halligan
37 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:26:52
Mick, that Wembley trophy football, was it orange?
Bobby Mallon
38 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:28:07
Ronaldo has a 90-odd percent miss rate from free-kicks.
Mick Hoban
39 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:28:48
It was. Loved it when I was growing up. Used it into my early twenties. Not in matches though – just in the park. Do 20-year-olds play in the park anymore? Mine doesn't. He's at Uni and plays all his football on an X-Box!
Rob Halligan
41 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:31:18
We used it in the street, using a substation as the goal. Probably went through about 3 or 4 a month as they were forever bursting.
Peter Mills
42 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:32:59
Those Wembley Trophy balls didn’t half sting when you got one on the thigh on a cold day.
Mick Hoban
43 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:33:23
They did Rob. And the hot knife never worked (found better uses for that later !) but I kept on buying them.
John Pierce
44 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:35:55
Steve, Pickford has only played with the modern ball! What's he got to compare against! He is often untidy collecting the the ball and was so again last night. Both on the ground & in the air.

He often fields the ball with on his knees down & hands out in front especially on ground shots, little to no swerve there. He goes at the ball instead of letting it come to him. His issue there is partly technical.

However, technique is not the issue always for my money. He is far too interested in what he wants to do next which is to affect the game. This is an excellent thing – please don't misunderstand me, but that does lead to a tendency to mishandle the ball.

My previous post, I said I need to see him calmer, this will help balance the need to distribute quickly with handling the ball better. I'm sure it will come but it needs work.

Kieran Kinsella
45 Posted 16/10/2018 at 14:41:23
I hate modern balls. You put the slightest bit of spin on it and you look like Roberto Carlos. It is way too easy. Back in the day, there was a real art to putting spin on a heavy, tattered, soaking wet leather ball. When I was in high school sometimes we would #### around for fun and use those plastic Shoot balls just cause it was funny to see the swerve you could put on them. Nowadays, those types of balls are the norm. SMH
John Pierce
46 Posted 16/10/2018 at 15:09:52
Catching a ball from a cross nowadays is not coached under contact. The coaching I'm involved with emphasizes the need to stay in the game.

Attempting to do so leaves your keeper physically vulnerable and often on the floor. Goalkeepers are coached to punch to stay in the game not on the floor out of it.

If you fluff your punch, you are still in most scenarios upright and able to react to the next phase of play. Fail to catch a ball and you are most likely to be on the floor under contact and unable to react.

In the same way, defenders are now taught to stay up and not go to ground: same principle. Tactically you stay in the game and you also reduce injury as there is less contact.

But some great ball chat though!

Stan Schofield
47 Posted 16/10/2018 at 15:15:39
Brian @24: Totally agree, no noticeable change in Barkley. It was the same for Stones when he went to Man City. When they were here, they couldn't get a game for England... but, as soon as they leave, they get picked. Nothing has changed since Kendall and Harvey.
Stan Schofield
48 Posted 16/10/2018 at 15:19:07
The Wembley Trophy ball was great. Regulation size 5. Although they always seemed to end up with an 'egg' in them, usually when someone sat on them.
Steve Brown
49 Posted 16/10/2018 at 15:37:01
Guardiola and Sarri have extremely high standards and technical requirements of players, so it doesn't scan that their evaluation of Barkley and Stones as top players is wrong. Ross's fellow players like Marcos and Hazard have also sung his praises in interviews.

We have simply been so dreadful for so long that emerging top talent recognise that they will develop better elsewhere. That has proven to be the case with both these players; if we keep targeting them for abuse, we will see the same pattern with Lookman, Davies and other younger players. So let's stop deluding ourselves.

Tony Everan
50 Posted 16/10/2018 at 16:01:13
A load of balls being talked again.

Fridos, Wembley Trophies, and one evil brushed leather Casey were strewn across our yard as a kid, in various states of inflation. The Casey was a birthday present when I was about 9, my dad beaming with pride when he gave it.

Problem was that, when kicked, it didn't really move. When headed, nausea and dizziness followed for some time. When the ball was left out in the rain, then it became a threatening presence. A leather-clad boulder impersonating a footy ball.

Kicking it when wet would cause your metatarsals to fragment into a thousand shards. But these things repair In 15 mins when you're nine. Heading it when wet would cause permanent brain damage. Hang on... that explains a lot.

Mike Doyle
51 Posted 16/10/2018 at 16:12:23
Stan #48 – you might also remember the 'sister' ball – the Wembley International – which came in white.

(See here: http://www.oldfootballgames.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=548174)

Both very popular items in Sullivan Sports (Old Swan) in the late 60s and early 70s.

Rob Halligan
52 Posted 16/10/2018 at 16:24:18
My first Casey was about a size 3. Could you get a smaller football? Was the colour of a chocolate Malteser, with that dangerous-looking lace keeping it together. Caught that on your forehead and you knew about it. Ouch!!
Kieran Kinsella
53 Posted 16/10/2018 at 16:29:34
Steve Brown

I think one point being missed with Barkley is the role he is playing. Martinez used him as a Number 10 – a role in which he had his moments but he was also profligate. Koeman tried him in the same role, then he got injured. Chelsea have used him as a Number 8.

Ross himself said in The Echo that he had played as a Number 8 prior to that long-term injury he had right before he broke into the first team. Essentially, he has gone back to his original role and he is playing better. The mistake from Everton's perspective, I would say, was Martinez shoe-horning him into the Number 10 role which he had the technical skill for but not the judgment. Everton lacked a better alternative for Number 10 so we deployed Barkley there.

The Number 8 is more of a bread-and-butter, water-carrier role. So you're not relying on a Number 8 to make the correct decision with a killer ball in and around the box. It is similar to what happened with that other water-carrier, Deschamps. When he first came along, he was similarly forward-playing and had a lot of assists and goals. When he made the move to Juventus, he shifted to the water-carrier because he lacked the wherewithal to play the Del Pietro role.

Don Alexander
54 Posted 16/10/2018 at 16:32:48
Talking of caseys reminds me of what Nat Lofthouse said in answer to a question as to who was the best England winger, Matthews or Finney? He said they were more of less equal and could put a cross unerringly on his head — but, when Finney did it, the lace was always on the other side!
Paul Birmingham
55 Posted 16/10/2018 at 16:35:56
It looked in my view that Ross has found self-belief and conviction and is enjoying his football.

It would be interesting to hear from himself about the lack of coaching at Everton.

That was under the Klogg and BBS, but he and Everton have moved on to hopefully better places.

Jordan will learn with every game, and so – as with many keepers – they don't peak until their 30s.

Onwards and upwards for Everton.

Kristian Boyce
56 Posted 16/10/2018 at 16:58:09
Talking about footballs, I saw this on an ad here in the States during the Iceland/Swiss game on ESPN last night: Link.

While watching it, the 'Only in America' thought went through my head. Surely a plastic fantastic Shoot ball from the 80's does the same job and for a quid would be a lot cheaper.

Tom Bowers
57 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:01:36
I believe many keepers are doing the same with these balls as they are moving so much when in the air. Pickford is doing probably the best thing with the speed and the swerve but occasionally you get unlucky with what happens next.

Ross Barkley has undoubted skill and, after his injuries and Koeman, his confidence seemed shot. He is coming back slowly but he really isn't doing anything more than many English midfielders at present and I was surprised at his sudden recall to the England squad... but then, many things Southgate does surprises me.

The youngster, Mason Mount, looks like a real gem and I can't wait to see him graduate further.

Duncan McDine
58 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:07:48
I love the way some (most) topics on TW go off on the most obscure tangents. I was a young'n in the 80s so can't relate to the lead footsnappers, but I can remember being completely obsessed with the idea of one day owning an Adidas Tango football. I don't think I ever realised that dream – probably cos I was always being bollocked for booting footballs through dad's greenhouse.
Brent Stephens
59 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:09:21
Don #54 – great story about the lace!

Do you remember when there were no crossbars?!

Rob Halligan
60 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:10:22
Don't think Don is as old as you, Brent!! 😂😂
Brent Stephens
61 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:13:22
You'll have to speak up, Rob.
John Keating
62 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:14:05
Put lots of dubbin on the casey and it did help a little bit with keeping the weight down with the water.

Didn't really stop you getting knocked out when you headed it or getting permanent lace scars on your forehead.

Brent Stephens
63 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:18:39
The dubbin was only useful for keeping my hair place.

And yes, Rob, I do still have hair.

Rob Halligan
64 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:24:30
Is that hair place, or hair piece? 😂😂
Brent Stephens
65 Posted 16/10/2018 at 17:35:07
Toupe - my own.
Stan Schofield
66 Posted 16/10/2018 at 18:20:56
Mike @51:

If I'm not mistaken, the Wembley International was a bit lighter than the Wembley Trophy; possibly more prone to the 'egg' problem.

Rob Halligan
67 Posted 16/10/2018 at 18:23:06
Richarlison starts on the bench for Brazil against Argentina tonight. For anyone who's got Free Sports via Virgin, it's live at 18:55. I'm sure there are other channels who will have it though.
Tony Heron
68 Posted 16/10/2018 at 18:34:30
Pleased to see my mention of Fridos and caseys prompted so many comments and memories.

Caseys were certainly a rarity in my youth. Nobody actually owned one and we only ever used them for school matches. For games period, which was mainly a game of footy, we used a ball made of similar material to a basketball.

Believe me, if you got one of those smacked into your inner thigh on a cold, wet winter's day, you knew about it. If you were playing in goal, your hands would sting if you stopped one. Even if it was wet, you only had a thin pair of woollen gloves to help dull the pain, not like the wicketkeeper gloves they wear today!

Dermot Byrne
69 Posted 16/10/2018 at 18:47:36
My Dad, who was a goalie, said he hated the casey in the second half on a wet day. He said a goal-kick was like kicking a cannonball!
Stan Schofield
70 Posted 16/10/2018 at 18:53:00
Tony, me and my mates (5 of us) clubbed together to get a casey around 1969. It was £5, so it was a good one, certainly by our standards. We thought it was great because it didn't have a bladder and laces, i.e. it had all the benefits of plastic footballs like the Wembly Trophy and the benefit of being a casey. It was regulation weight and size 5, and didn't soak up water when wet, so it must have had some form of plastic coating.

We used that ball until in our early 20s when we still had a Sunday kick around in Stanley Park, near the bowling greens and nearer Goodison than Anfield. That advance of caseys not having laces must compare with the atom bomb, Concorde and the MRI scanner in the annals of advances in technology.

Tony Abrahams
71 Posted 16/10/2018 at 19:08:21
Stan, I got something similar from America, when I was a kid, and it was the only ball I ever owned, that I hated lending out.

Had it for years until it finally went flat, and I remember feeling absolutely devastated, when someone burst it when I wasn’t even there, but it gave us all hours of fun, and is still my favourite ever ball to this day!

Mike Doyle
72 Posted 16/10/2018 at 19:56:11
Stan #70. Bloody Hell. £5 for a Casey in 1969. that about 2 months wages. Was it made of unicorn skin?
John Pierce
73 Posted 16/10/2018 at 20:02:15
Tony, that bastard of a ball you describe sounds like a Mitre Dimplex.

The marks that thing left were brutal. I played in goal and hated that thing. Unless you got your timing spot on, the ball went ‘heavy’ and the recoil was agony on the wrists.

Peter Mills
74 Posted 16/10/2018 at 20:20:21
Surely the creme de la creme casey was the MitreMax Permawhite?
Stan Schofield
75 Posted 16/10/2018 at 20:23:30
Mike, I had a paper round at the time, delivering heavy Echos on a Friday evening, and the pink Echos on the Saturday. I got 50p for that, so the contribution to the casey was a big one. But it was worth it. That casey seemed easier to control, to shoot straight, and you could head it without fear of brain damage.
Stan Schofield
76 Posted 16/10/2018 at 20:32:33
Tony @71: That's the trouble with lending stuff out, it gets broke, like LPs would get scratched. I had a Jonny 7 OMA when I was about 10, and I thought I was the bee's knees.

Kids who weren't my mates would knock on our door in Norris Green and ask if they could 'lend' the Jonny 7. I made the mistake of lending it, and the tripod got broke. Never again!

Stan Schofield
77 Posted 16/10/2018 at 20:49:32
Tony @71: My memory must be playing tricks. It couldn't have been 50p in 1969, so I think it must have been half-a-crown, equivalent to 25p. That makes the £5 casey even more valuable!
Peter Mills
78 Posted 16/10/2018 at 20:55:32
Stan, the Jonny 7 was the ultimate weapon.

Not quite on the same pain threshold as your tripod, I took Paul McCartney’s “Ram” into school to lend to a mate, he left it on the radiator where it warped. Some said it was a fortunate outcome but I was gutted.

Stan Schofield
79 Posted 16/10/2018 at 21:20:13
Peter, I can sympathise, but not too much because it's Paul McCartney.

I was in a pub in Stonehaven a couple of years ago, and got talking to a Swedish couple. When I told them I was from Liverpool, the lass got excited, said "I love Liverpool, fantastic city, and the Beatles are great, who is your favourite Beatle?"

I said "George Harrison," and she was surprised, saying she thought it would be Paul McCartney. I said, "My second favourite Beatle is John Lennon, then Ringo Starr, then Paul McCartney."

She was very surprised that McCartney came behind Ringo Starr, and asked me why?

I said "Ringo Starr was very good in Thomas the Tank Engine."

Tony Abrahams
80 Posted 16/10/2018 at 21:36:25
Funny, Stan, but I always think he sounds like Chrissy in Boys from the Black Stuff and, because I thought Chrissy was a snitch, I could never take to him!

Stan Schofield
81 Posted 16/10/2018 at 21:54:29
Tony, yes, I just had a look on YouTube, Michael Angelis, sounds just like him.

Peter, a mate of mine bought The Who Live at Leeds, and put it on top of the telly, which was quite warm!

Rob Halligan
82 Posted 16/10/2018 at 22:05:08
Michael Angelis may sound like Ringo Starr, but he's a dead ringer for that RS Salah.
Rob Halligan
83 Posted 16/10/2018 at 22:07:55
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-boys-from-the-blackstuff-68013097.html
Brent Stephens
84 Posted 16/10/2018 at 22:10:29
One of the best lines with the priest says, "Call me Dan"...
Steve Ferns
85 Posted 16/10/2018 at 22:51:16
Kieran, Barkley played mostly as a centre-half up to 15. No-one knew where to play him but he'd been stuck at the back because he was always so tall. After one lung-busting run up the pitch too many, he got shoved up front, where he showed he wasn't a striker and then he ended up as a Number 6 in midfield.

And then, to really make me fall off my chair, the lad I'd seen play as a centre-back only 18 months before, is picked for the first team by Moyes as a winger, and then starts doing double step-overs and putting crosses in.

And that's the problem. Ross could do it all. He's got every physical attribute going. Okay, sure, he's not lightning fast, but he's quick. He's big and he's strong. Before his double leg break, he was a fearless tough tackler. He only seemed to lack a bit of nous upstairs.

Personally, I thought the best football he played for us came at the end, that last season under Koeman, before the injury, when he was playing up front to the right of Lukaku and playing sublime crosses with his right, and shooting with his left. He was out of the way for the defensive mistakes that had marred his game and effecting things on the break and scoring and creating.

Peter Mills
86 Posted 16/10/2018 at 22:54:27
Stan (#79), yes, especially when you consider, when “Ram” was coming out, Lennon was creating “Imagine”.

Chris James
87 Posted 16/10/2018 at 23:19:24
I had a point totally unrelated to England's performance, and aside from the discussion of whether a run of two decent performances can constitute Barkley being a consistent top-level player – I seem to recall he had a few decent games for Everton even before the 'supercoaching' he's getting at Chelsea (the club he's featured in just 9 games for in 9 months – most as substitute).

Ahem, anyway I digress, my point was what do we think of Dzeko as a January signing on a 2-year deal?

Yes, I realise he's 32, but his game has never been based on raw pace (like Michael Owen) or relentless lung-busting effort (like Rooney) and always been about being in the right place in the box. He's proven class who's chipped in with 182 league goals and 73 assists from 395 league games (not all starts either) at the highest level (Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A).

He wouldn't need to start every match but could offer us something genuinely different from the bench and, with the pace of our wingers and creative players, he'd be getting service. I feel right now, with Tosun and Niasse, we have a lot of effort and endeavour but a lack of genuine sharpness in front of goal, which is what I think someone like this could provide, if only for a season and a half to buy us some time to unearth a new prospect elsewhere.

Of course I'd love a younger version, a new Lukaku or the next Aguero, but so would half the Premier League, whereas it appears here (based on speculation anyway) we'd be competing against the likes of Southampton and Cardiff – not Man Utd and Liverpool.

What's more, it does sound like he fancies one last crack at the Premier League.

Don Alexander
88 Posted 16/10/2018 at 00:08:38
In deference to the title of the thread, I think Jordan has all the potential to achieve greatness with the likes of Shilton, Banks, Clemence (yes, Clemence) and Jennings. If he really works hard, he just might be fit to lace Nev's boots.

On a less judgmental level, I really appreciate the wit, sarcasm and bonhomie on the history of the casey. Apart from once trapping my dick in my zipper fly, I've never ever experienced pain in "the groin" comparable to taking one in the tezzies from a sweetly struck casey, and that didn't include the laces fortunately.

Alan J Thompson
89 Posted 17/10/2018 at 04:54:27
I see that the Netherlands have beaten Germany and drew with Belgium. Does this prove conclusively that Managers perform better when paid less? Might have been an interesting conversation between managers at the Belgium game.
Sam Hoare
90 Posted 17/10/2018 at 06:43:13
Many worse options out there than Dzeko but not sure he fits the Silva mold. I reckon Silva wants someone who will run all day and stretch defenders to make space for the wingers to run into. Someone who can hold the ball and score goals also helps and those are things Dzeko can do.

I also think Brands does not want to be bringing in players of the ‘one last crack’ variety. Perhaps if we got a good offer for Tosun but otherwise I’d be surprised to see the veteran Bosnian arrive.

James Hill
92 Posted 17/10/2018 at 07:50:49
People are right about Barkley, he's not playing for Everton, he's playing for Chelsea. Proof Pickford in the gun for a mistake he made up for. Never a penalty. Why aren't the pundits having a go at the dreadful defending that lead to the goals?

And guess what: ToffeeWebers do the same. Hate to say it but RS supporters back their players, we rip ours apart.

Eric Paul
93 Posted 17/10/2018 at 09:14:57
Merson just slagging Pickford off on TalkSport. When challenged about Pickford's distribution, he said if he wanted goalkeepers to pass he'd put Glen Hoddle in goal.

What a cock!!!

Martin Nicholls
94 Posted 17/10/2018 at 09:49:59
Stan (#77) – they were underpaying you! Half a crown was only 12½ pence!
Stan Schofield
96 Posted 17/10/2018 at 10:20:00
Martin, yes, I realised afterwards that half-a-crown was 12½p. My wife said she had a paper round, 6 days per week, paid 12s 6d, which is just over 2s, equivalent to 10p, per delivery. On that basis, my two deliveries might expect to be paid about 4s or 20p. So if I got half-a-crown then you're right, it was slave labour! Unless I actually got paid two florins, but I don't recall that amount.

Memory playing tricks, although I do know that the casey was £5!

Dave Evans
97 Posted 17/10/2018 at 10:29:51
James@92 You have a point. I still remember the over-the-top slagging off of Stones and Barkley on here. Too many bloated ageing myopics too quick to put our developing young players in their 'shite' bin.

As a previous poster has indicated, opinions way below the radar of the likes of Guardiola and Sarri. And thankfully, I suspect, Silva.

Len Hawkins
98 Posted 17/10/2018 at 11:26:36
Talking Balls!! My brother married a German girl and moved to Monchengladbach in 1962. One birthday, they sent me a football and it was obviously deflated like I was when I looked for the laces and there were none just a little hole. Off to the sports shop in town (Southport) to buy an adapter then nick the pump off my dad's bike and away I went. I loved that ball and was sick when it finally perished.

Three teams in my life: Everton, Southport, & Monchengladbach. Oh and a soft spot for Arsenal after Bally went there and when they won the league at Anfield, beating the RS in the 80s.

Ray Roche
99 Posted 17/10/2018 at 12:47:58
Dave @97

I don't think it's “ageing myopics” responsible for the slagging off of our younger players. It's the older contributors like Dave Abrahams and others who seem to have more patience than some posters.

Martin Nicholls
100 Posted 17/10/2018 at 15:54:32
Stan #96 – I'd started work in 1966 (1 August, two days after the World Cup Final) and was on £6.10s pw (£5 17s after tax and NIC!) — so your casey certainly was pricey!
Colin Malone
101 Posted 17/10/2018 at 15:59:16
Seen and heard it all before, under McClaren etc. England, couldn't string two passes together, relying on hoof ball from Pickford and Co. This style of football is boring and gets you nowhere.
John Boon
102 Posted 17/10/2018 at 16:06:26
It's always amusing and interesting how one article, in this case, "Pickford in Goal" can lead to so many diverse topics about everything besides our beloved goalie.

There was much banter about new and old footballs. Trying to lace an old football on an icy cold day on December 26 in the fifties was basically self abuse resulting in broken fingers and unlimited frustration.

Then, as a proud 10-year-old you took your brand new 15-lb football out to the nearest piece of grass. Eventually you found three of four so-called friends who agreed to play with you on cold soggy turf. Usually nobody was able to even get the ball off the ground. You were then told by those friends that your brand new ball was shite and probably the "WERST", yes "WERST" present you could ever have got. By that time you hated your Aunty Hilda who should have bought you "Snakes and Ladders" instead of a chocolate brown football that nobody wanted to play with.

I actually had one of those footballs. It took about 15 more years before I could even get it off the ground.

James Hill
103 Posted 17/10/2018 at 16:16:03
Dave Evans (#97),

Thanks for the agreement. Unfortunately, your Age theory doesn't stack up. I'm 62.

Stan Schofield
104 Posted 17/10/2018 at 19:20:10
Martin @100: I've got some 1960s programmes, and one of them advertises work at Fords in Halewood, at just over £6/wk starting wage, which is about what you started on.

The casey was definitely dear, which is why we clubbed together to get it. But it was worth it, just great to play with.

Martin Nicholls
105 Posted 17/10/2018 at 19:34:50
Stan #104 – I worked at Beck Koller on Edwards Lane in Speke and left there (asked to leave!) in March 1968 for another job (don't ask!!) on around £8-odd per week. Seem to remember one of the lads had left to work on the line at Ford's on around £20? My memory playing tricks?
Stan Schofield
106 Posted 17/10/2018 at 20:01:01
Martin, yes, I knew Fords was well paid. I'll have a look at that programme to see the job description.
Kristian Boyce
107 Posted 17/10/2018 at 20:16:51
Alan @89, Aren't we still paying both of these managers to make up the difference in their contracts? I believe Koeman definitely still has a supplement from us, not 100% sure on Martinez though.

I'm still waiting for Allardyce to take up the Luxembourg position, so the 3 Benelux teams are covered by our former coaches.

Albert Perkins
108 Posted 17/10/2018 at 20:42:47
Okay... Where to start? Barkley is playing with world class players who are easy to pass to. Bit more confidence and he'll start shooting and get some goals. It would have been interesting to see how he would have done in the present Everton team which is more skillful and forward playing. Also interesting when his book is ghost-written as to why he left.

Pickford is defo a work in progress but we are lucky to have him. Never a dull moment and he plays with his heart on his sleeve, not some automaton. Another member of our team who plays for his country. It all adds up.

I had a paper round in Litherland from the age of 10. A 15-year-old friend let me do half his round and gave me pennies for the honor. But, as I got into my early teens, that paper round paid for my trips to Goodison, money well spent in the 60s. My first job paid £3 10s. and I had enough money to pay my mum and go the game. And buy footballs with my mates. We liked the brownish plastic ball that was a bit heavier, can't remember the name. Played on the bomb sites.

Back to the present and my American wife bought me an Everton football for my birthday. You know, a real one. When she tried to head it, well that was the end of that fun and games. As already said, you can't get a lighter plastic ball to have fun with in the USA. One that is not too light like a beach-ball but not too heavy like the standard.

I know life in the UK isn't all fun and games right now but, over here in the US, I think it's even worse, so to be able to spend a little time (or maybe too much time) with my beloved Everton is a real joy, especially now we have a team growing in promise. COYB.

Geoff Lambert
109 Posted 17/10/2018 at 21:22:13
Albert, was it the Wembly trophy ball?
Albert Perkins
110 Posted 17/10/2018 at 22:37:23
Geoff (#109).

It could've been the Trophy ball. There was nothing like putting a couple of jumpers down and kicking a ball around with friends. If you were really lucky, there would be an empty footie pitch with goalposts. 3 and in, or sides if you had enough players.

One of my mates used to bring his sister to make up the numbers. She was always picked first cause she was murder in the tackle. Ahh the 60s in Liverpool with both teams on the high.

Albert Perkins
111 Posted 17/10/2018 at 22:40:37
We were all on a high!! "Pass it on, pass it on," they'd shout in the Gwladys Street. I sometimes did.
Alan J Thompson
112 Posted 18/10/2018 at 05:00:19
Kristian (#107); I'm not sure but I thought Martinez got a settlement while Koeman is being paid weekly, quarterly, or whatever and the £500k pa he gets from the Dutch FA is deducted from his £6M pa wage Everton pay. Don't want to sound nasty but I wonder if he needed Everton's permission to take this job and if permission can be withdrawn?

Has any other club sacked three consecutive managers who have led national teams or feasibly, are still being paid and therefore still employed at the same time? It's a tangled web...

Dave Lynch
113 Posted 18/10/2018 at 05:05:40
Think the wembley trophy was bright orange.

The brown ball was a bit heavier and the name will come to me... eventually.

Dave Lynch
114 Posted 18/10/2018 at 05:13:23
Was it Mitre, or am I making it up?
Ray Roche
115 Posted 18/10/2018 at 08:22:34
Dave, Mitre was one of the most popular caseys in the 60s and 70s and the one I remember best. Mainly white though from timid 60s, I think.
David Midgley
116 Posted 18/10/2018 at 08:39:02
Re 'The Old Casey':

Remember when a handball was not spotted and they'd shout, "Ref — he's got the lace!"

Alan McGuffog
117 Posted 18/10/2018 at 10:01:30
Casey, Frido or Wembley. Which was easier to wipe the dog shit off ?
Stan Schofield
118 Posted 18/10/2018 at 11:06:16
Alan, definitely not a casey with all that stitching. They were the days when dogs roamed free, but there still seems as much dog shit around these days, it's just that some of it is neatly packaged in little plastic bags.
Len Hawkins
119 Posted 18/10/2018 at 15:23:57
If you need a laugh this is the place to come, so long as you can ignore the usual negatives, a thread about Pickford morphing to Dog Shit what's next it must be RED dog shit.
Lee Brownlie
120 Posted 21/10/2018 at 03:26:38
Bob Parrington (#17): 'Overall not convincing from England'??? Really, after a 2-3 in Spains back yard??? What you looking to happen exactly??? I'd, personally, say OVERALL very convincing, just some [second half] game-management to be worked on!!!

As for this knocking our Jord for his 'theatrics' for example diving when 'the ball is heading safely out of play'??? You just always know when its going wide??? Nope, not having it. Clearly to say such crap you know nowt about being the best goalkeeper you can be.. and its not quite the same in situ, 'barrel-end' of a shot, compared with your armchair judging via your widescreen TV is it???

I know at least a little, having aspired to be a goalie for a long time as a kid.. and what I remember is you should ALWAYS dive for the ball any shot thats away from you.. at least then you have a chance to save it, regardless of whether or not its not floating as 'harmlessly wide' as it may have seemed, first assessment!!!

Its certainly NOT about theatrics when it comes to a top class keeper.. remember our Nev??? Yes, this young un needs to settle a bit more at times, hence his dallying which nearly gave them a pen but he'll know this better then anyone. And its definately not his shot-stopping, even diving for it when YOU don't think he should, that we should be trying to find issue with!!

To put it in perspective, how many goalies do we see just stand there, assuming [often wrongly] either its going wide, or that they won't get to it anyway??? Even if the shot looks a worldie, you're far, far, better to fling yourself like Billy the fucking Fish at it than to say 'Fuck that, its in already as far as I'm concerned!!!' Cover the shot.. remember that???


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