Shels vs Deportivo Memories

applehunter

Anybody on this forum remember going to the home leg in Lansdowne?

I'm on study leave at the minute and as most people do on study leave, they look for anything to do other than study. Anyway I found a copy of VHS cassette of the Shels vs Deportivo match at Lansdowne Road(don't know why i taped it).

Anyway, watched it yesterday and was blown away by the performance of the Shels players that day. Owen Heary was immence vs Luque, Stuart Byrne manmarking job on Valeron. And above everybody else on the pitch the display of little Wes Hoolihan(the irish Valderama). On another night they could have taken a 2 goal lead to Spain with good chances for jason Byrne and Ollie Cahill. Wasn't to be.

It was a great EL watershed I think. Even the interview afterwards when Fenlon described how he looked around in the crowd to see the colours of other teams in the stands.

Did anybody on this forum go to the game or have any memories of it?

DSB

Yeah amazing night that I'll remember forever.

kinaldo

I was there and remember Deportivo being abysmal. That was around the start of their decline this decade from winning the Spainish Primera back in 2000 to destroying the defending champions AC Milan in the 03/04 Champions League quarter final.

iregk

I was there myself, was a cracking night. I do go along with Deportivo being woeful and playing way below themselves. On the other hand the athmosphere in the stadium was one I'll never forget. Best I've ever experienced in this country.

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applehunter wrote:

Anybody on this forum remember going to the home leg in Lansdowne?

Think I remember it yeah:D

applehunter wrote:

Anyway I found a copy of VHS cassette of the Shels vs Deportivo match at Lansdowne Road(don't know why i taped it).

I'd love a copy of it, my mother taped Emerdale Farm or something by mistake.

applehunter wrote:

Anyway, watched it yesterday and was blown away by the performance of the Shels players that day. Owen Heary was immence vs Luque, Stuart Byrne manmarking job on Valeron. And above everybody else on the pitch the display of little Wes Hoolihan(the irish Valderama). On another night they could have taken a 2 goal lead to Spain with good chances for jason Byrne and Ollie Cahill. Wasn't to be.

No mention of Weso?:eek:

He made the Depor midfield look like a crowd of jokers that night, not a team that had beaten Milan 4-0 the previous May.

applehunter wrote:

It was a great EL watershed I think. Even the interview afterwards when Fenlon described how he looked around in the crowd to see the colours of other teams in the stands.

Yeah, I have a lot of respect for all the people who came to that match wearing the colours of other eL teams.

applehunter wrote:

Did anybody on this forum go to the game or have any memories of it?

Of course I went.

The club had reserved a whole section for the actual fans who go to Tolka every week, it was an amazing summer. I had a lot of people around me who I knew from Tolka park, and after the game we were actually leaving angry that we hadn't beaten this team of stars from La Liga.

I have my fondest memories are of the game previously, the home leg against Hajduk Split in Tolka Park. My christ, when Davey Scouse scored that goal, the volley from outside the box, I was crying, laughing, roaring, hugging everyone around me, best football moment of my life. Bar none.


Have a look at this thread on the Shels Forum, it's actually strange that you should bring it up here, as the thread on the Shels forum was opened yesterday. There's a couple of great pictures taken in the ground the day of the Depor game.

http://forum.shelbournefc.ie/chat/viewtopic.php?t=9188

24,000 people in Landsdowne that day, I'd say 18,000 haven't seen a eL team playing since.

Horsefumbler

I was at that game. They gave a spirited performance but there didn't have to many clearcut chances so I wouldn't go far as to say they were immense:o

MrJoeSoap

DesF wrote:

No mention of Weso?:eek:

Yeah there was!

What a European campaign that was, I remember coming home from the States and going straight to Tolka the night of the Split game. Don't think I've ever been more ecstatic in my life. What a goal. The second goal came when we were still celebrating the first one practically, the unforgettable trickery of Joey Ndo.

The Deportivo game was unforgettable but in a different kind of way, there were no stand-out moments like Dave Rogers goal but things like Owen Heary's last ditch tackle, Weso nutmegging Mauro Silva and sending him out for an Evening Herald, Stewie Byrne completely dominating Valeron in midfield etc... made it a quality night. Seeing Landsdowne as full as it was, that was special. It gave us all a bit of hope for the league for a week or two.

Then a couple of weeks later we played Lille and the place was comparatively empty, the rain obviously keeping people away. That was another classic night, the despair after going 2-0 down was obvious, but super Glen Fitzpatrick rescued the night, and even though we lost the away leg we will be eternally grateful to him for giving us one more classic night in Europe that season.

Have all three games on DVD, must get you a copy Des.

Horsefumbler wrote:

I was at that game. They gave a spirited performance but there didn't have to many clearcut chances so I wouldn't go far as to say they were immense:o

They were more than immense.

raheny red

It was a fantastic night indeed but it comes nowhere close to the night of the Split game in Tolka :cool:

MrJoeSoap

Fitzpatricks first against Lille:

http://www.shelbournefc.ie//multimedia/video/highlights/Lille1.rm

And his second:

http://www.shelbournefc.ie//multimedia/video/highlights/Lille2.rm

THAT goal:

http://www.shelbournefc.ie//multimedia/video/highlights/HadjukScouse.rm

The icing on the cake.

http://www.shelbournefc.ie//multimedia/video/highlights/HadjukMoore.rm

A timeless piece of commentary.

http://www.shelbournefc.ie//multimedia/audio/highlights/drake1.mp3

And again.

http://www.shelbournefc.ie//multimedia/audio/highlights/drake2.mp3

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MrJoeSoap wrote:

Yeah there was!

Indeed there was, apologies applehunter.

MrJoeSoap wrote:

The second goal came when we were still celebrating the first one practically, the unforgettable trickery of Joey Ndo...

...Declan Drake singing La Bamba on the commentary. Legend.

MrJoeSoap wrote:

but super Glen Fitzpatrick rescued the night, and even though we lost the away leg we will be eternally grateful to him for giving us one more classic night in Europe that season.

Another great night. Feck the rain.

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Have all three games on DVD, must get you a copy Des.

Cheers, that'd be brilliant.

MrJoeSoap wrote:

They were more than immense.

Heroes, each and every one of them.

gustavo

I remember those Declan Drake commentaries Great memories

Eirebear

DesF wrote:

24,000 people in Landsdowne that day, I'd say 18,000 haven't seen a eL team playing since.

Understatement maybe?

Blowfish

Eirebear wrote:

Understatement maybe?

I'd say so.


And yes, I'm included in that number

MOH

I was there for the Deportivo game, that was brilliant.

I was there for the Lille game, that was so awful I left at half time. It wasn't the weather (I was already soaked) or the performance(though it could have been better) - it was that the game should never have been played there. It was pure greed and it was a huge mistake. they were never going to get the same crowd as the Deportivo game and the place was dead, whereas even if we'd all been sitting soaked in Tolka that number of people could have made a great atmosphere.

Still, that Deportivo game was magic

MrJoeSoap

MOH wrote:

I was there for the Lille game, that was so awful I left at half time.

Your loss.

Jonny Arson

good times indeed, if you hadn't a clue of who the teams were or the players you would have thought Wes Hoolahan was the multi million pound la Liga superstar. The players were immense that night, held their own, weren't out of place and even could have nicked it.... wasn't it Alan Moore who had a 20 yard curler that just went past the post?

That night told us alot about the Irish domestic game that fans of domestic football already knew, we can be great. if the 10,000+ odd who are that match and haven't been at a match involving an eL team since regularly attended more matches and support an Irish club there probably wouldn't be a need for these nostalgic threads because nights like that could become a regular occurance for Irish football! That night proved what potential the domestic game has in this country and what it can achieve if people give the domestic game a chance to flourish. Just think what the likes of Shels, Bohs, Cork, Derry etc. could achieve if even 10,000 people came through the turnstiles each week.

Oh well great times but still, after the tunmoil of the winter months, seeing 11 red shirts come out to play ball against Kildare County last March meant as much to me than Depor to put things into relative perspective

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Jonny Arson wrote:

Oh well great times but still, after the tunmoil of the winter months, seeing 11 red shirts come out to play ball against Kildare County last March meant as much to me than Depor to put things into relative perspective

Take it you weren't at the friendly the week previous then

Ah yeah, seeing a Shels team coming out at all this season means more to me than that Summer.

Jonny Arson

DesF wrote:

Take it you weren't at the friendly the week previous then

Ah yeah, seeing a Shels team coming out at all this season means more to me than that Summer.

[part-time fan]the first i heard of that Waterford match was about 5 hours after it took place! [/part-time fan]

ntlbell

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Have all three games on DVD, must get you a copy Des.

I wouldn't mind a copy of these myself

any chance you could rip them to avi if give you FTP space to throw them up on?

MrJoeSoap

I could try, but I'm only back in the country and have a fairly poxy connection, not sure of download/upload limits at the moment. I'll see what I can do.

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Jonny Arson wrote:

[part-time fan]the first i heard of that Waterford match was about 5 hours after it took place! [/part-time fan]

Freezin' cold, lashin' rain Sunday morning at 11 kick off!

Yes, you are a part time fan:D