Peter Enckelman

[Rory]

I was about to post that, as a former goalkeeper and right back, I blame Mellberg as much as Enckelman because you should never play the ball back directly towards the goal. But I just watched it again (shudder) and the angle of the throw-in was much tighter than I remember, so Olof didn't really have a choice.

[cdbearsfan]

There are loads of times you need to play the ball back directly towards goal. You don't assume the goalkeeper will lose the use of his limbs and the referee won't know the rules. Mellberg wasn't, in any way, to blame.

[ChicagoLion]

I was there, it still haunts me. As it was the first time for years to play them, I was pretty convinced it was going to kick off either inside or outside the ground the atmosphere was pretty hostile until that moment. They turned from seething Orks to jovial halfwits.

[Richard E]

I wonder if he fancies starting for us tonight?

[Rory]

There are loads of times you need to play the ball back directly towards goal. You don't assume the goalkeeper will lose the use of his limbs and the referee won't know the rules. Mellberg wasn't, in any way, to blame.

You shouldn't if you can avoid it, though. Not 'directly towards' as in backwards, but as in 'in line with the posts'. That Paul Robinson one for England, for example, you see one of those a week in Sunday league just because of the state of the pitches.

[cdbearsfan]

They aren't playing on non-league pitches. The fact that you're going back fifteen years to find an example suggests it isn't a huge problem in the professional game.

If you pass the ball back and make the keeper run away from his goal to clear it, you're much more likely to concede if he then miskicks it as he won't be able to scramble back and clear it.

Moot point anyway, as it should have been a corner in that case. Elleray is a wanker.

[Rory]

They aren't playing on non-league pitches. The fact that you're going back fifteen years to find an example suggests it isn't a huge problem in the professional game.

If you pass the ball back and make the keeper run away from his goal to clear it, you're much more likely to concede if he then miskicks it as he won't be able to scramble back and clear it.

Moot point anyway, as it should have been a corner in that case. Elleray is a wanker.

There are more recent examples, including one in the play off final last year or the year before.

The keeper should ideally not be standing directly between the ball and the goal when in possession. Of course it's up to the keeper and defenders to have a positional understanding of that, and there will be exceptions, particularly when defenders are being pressed.

But it's a simple enough thing: you do your best to pre-empt any balls-ups, and avoiding playing it back in such a way that, if your keeper fails to make contact with the ball, it's an own goal, is one of those.

As I said, not the case here due to the angle and Olof did nothing wrong.

[SoccerHQ]

Want to feel old?  20 years ago today that game at the sty.  20 years!

Never seen the game again but from memory we battered them, De La Cruz hit the bar from 25 yards out then Vassell had offside goal that may or may not have been debatable and we were generally camped in their half when "that" goal happened.

That was a bad bad night but I was convinced for months afterwards we'd put everything right and batter them on 03/03/03. In the end the only way that happened was off the pitch and the stuff on the grass was even worse.

Enckelman was just as bad for the second goal that night, should've just come out and booted it away but instead waited for ball to come into the box and bottled grabbing it as soon as Horsfield stuck his foot in. Pretty sure the Holte started booing him for rest of the match and that was pretty much the end of his Villa career in the long run.

Pretty sure he did eventually play in FA cup final after leaving us although don't think he played in premier league afterwards.

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

I always thought he could of done a Les Sealey and gone nuts at the ref and try to blag he hadn't touched it. (you see players blatantly appeal for throw ins they've touched all the time) Instead he crumbled, head in hands. summed up Villa at that time.

His girlfriend worked at my company before I joined, and she turned up at an xmas party a few years ago to see some of her old mates. I asked her about the famous incident and she said that the club - manager, coaches, and some players - never really gave him the support he needed after that goal. He did get a text of support from Schmeichel however....

Taylor left him in for the next games, surely that's all the support you need from the manager?

we had postma who the press made a big deal about us pinching him under the noses of  liverpool as understudy. Taylor could of easily dropped Enk.

[Martyn Smith]

  I think there is a rather myopic, bias view of Enklemanns career at VP.As mellin said, i remember him making a few game saving saves when we was flirting with relegation.He was a much better goalie than given credit for.

  Regarding that night, Enkleman made no mistake, Ellery did.IF he touched the ball then fine, but did he?He did'nt know, and Ellery certainly did'nt....the goal should/nt have been given.


 Personally i would have decked that twat who came on, so i suppose you have to credit him for that.

I have to disagree, Enckelman made two errors, failing to trap the ball and then giving chase. Twunt though Elleray was and doubtless remains, I think presented with Enckelman's actions, I can understand why he allowed the goal.

And moan as we do about VAR, these days the incident would have been examined and more than likely the goal disallowed with a corner to Blues being awarded instead, which is the correct award against a throw in going untouched over the goal line; either into the goal or wide

[Martyn Smith]

.

[Martyn Smith]

Accidentally quoted myself so deleted that but can't delete the whole post apparently...

[dave shelley]

The only person who knows for definite that Enkelman touched the ball or not is Enkelman himself and he ain't gonna admit it.  If he touched it then it's a goal, if he didn't it's a corner.  Maybe we should introduce VAR's little cousin Snicko.