I hope you don't mind Peter, but just a correction or two regarding Don Howe and the team in 1986.

[sodd]

We finshed that season in 7th place, not 3rd and in fact Don Howe, who had gone before Easter, wasn't sacked.
He resigned in mid-March after he got wind of the fact that Hill-Wood was going behind his back by touting Terry Venables, in order to get him in as the next manager that Summer.
We did have an outside chance of the league in early March, but the management upheaval put paid to that, with a spectacular collapse in form, including 3 defeats in 4 days.

[Nicosia Gooner]

[Paul Vaessen's moment of glory]

c**ts West Ham (was there, frank mcavennie scored at least two, c**t)? Don Howe destroyed the fantastic Vladimir Petrovic, for which i will always spit in his soup.

[sodd]

hopes.
Was McAvennie at West Ham then?
I thought he was still in Jocko-land then, pre London scene lure.
Petrovic was a Neill purchase/sale.
Didn't he think he couldn't hack it in the First Division?
I think Vlad was too good for the team back then: he was on FM whilst the rest were on medium-wave.

[Bergkamp's Brain]

All I remember is that people raved about his ability but also that he didn't fit into the team.

[sodd]

I think he used to be in and out of the team, without a chance to establish himself, although I also reckon the language barrier on the pitch may not have helped him.
I don't think he lasted a whole season.

[Bergkamp's Brain]

[Paul Vaessen's moment of glory]

[Peter]

And yes, he resigned but only because the club were looking to replace him. He jumped before beig pushed.

The point is we were doing rahter well that year but the club were not settling for it. And they were right.