BoysInBlue
Player Valuation: £50m
The following is a list of the biggest EFC disappointments in my lifetime. Any omissions are because, well, those screw ups or bad games were expected because we were crap at the time they happened. I've mainly focused on times when we actually did something good that gave us hope, only to follow it up with defeat. I believe the phrase is 'snatching defeat from the jaws of victory'.
Milk Cup Final Replay 1984 - held LFC in the final & should have won, then lost the replay at Maine Road.
Being banned from Europe for 5 years, despite no history of any EFC fans causing any trouble in Europe. It basically ruined the club for at least 2 generations and counting. People can point to the board etc, but we had the best team/players in the land twice during that time and the players/boss moved on because they were naturally ambitious. Other clubs were in the right place/right time when their golden eras started (eg Utd in 1993, just as the Sky money came in and football became sexy to the mainstream).
Finishing 2nd in 85/86 - top of the league in March, even beat LFC 2-0 at Anfield. Blew it during the run in with defeat at Oxford.
FA Cup Final 1986 - got beat after leading 1-0 at half time.
Season 87/88 - after finishing champions in 86/87, went on to finish 4th the next season, lowest position for 4 years. The good times were over.
Simod Cup Final 1989 - Mickey Mouse cup that we had the piss taken out of for even entering (because we needed the money). Got beat 4-3 in the final by Forest.
FA Cup Final 1989 - we were never going to be able to win that game, for many reasons.
FA Cup run in 90/91 - after the famous 4-4 game & beating LFC in the 2nd replay, thought our name was on the cup. Got beat 1-0 away in the 6th round by then-Division 2 side West Ham.
ZDS Cup Final 1991 - see Simod Cup above. Got beat 4-1 in the final by Palace.
The 2nd part of the Joe Royle era - early European exit in the 2nd round by Feyernoord. Early embarrassing cup exits by Port Vale, York City & Bradford.
Finishing 6th in 95/96 & yet not qualifying for Europe because it was the season UEFA withdrew a Euro place from English clubs as punishment for Wimbledon & Spurs fielding under strength teams in the Intertoto Cup.
Getting beat 3-0 at home by Tranmere in 2001.
Getting knocked out by Shrewsbury during Moyes first full (largely very good) season as boss. Losing to Utd on the last day of 02/03 and costing us a Euro place.
Following up 7th with 17th.
Finishing 4th, then getting beat the next game 7-0.
Getting knocked out of the CL, UEFA Cup & League Cup in the space of 6 weeks in 05/06.
Following up 4th with 11th.
Losing the League Cup semi to Chelsea in 2008.
Losing to Fiorentina on pens in 2008.
Losing the FA Cup 2009 final despite taking the lead with the quickest ever goal in a final.
Losing 5-0 away to Benfica in 2009.
Losing 3-0 away to Sporting Lisbon in 2010, despite winning the first leg 2-1.
The FA Cup in 2011 - Beating Chelsea on pens at the Bridge, then getting knocked out at home by Reading.
FA Cup Semi 2012 - getting beat by LFC, despite leading 1-0 at half time.
FA Cup 2013 - Getting beat 3-0 at home by Wigan, with a Wembley semi in touching distance.
Last night.
Milk Cup Final Replay 1984 - held LFC in the final & should have won, then lost the replay at Maine Road.
Being banned from Europe for 5 years, despite no history of any EFC fans causing any trouble in Europe. It basically ruined the club for at least 2 generations and counting. People can point to the board etc, but we had the best team/players in the land twice during that time and the players/boss moved on because they were naturally ambitious. Other clubs were in the right place/right time when their golden eras started (eg Utd in 1993, just as the Sky money came in and football became sexy to the mainstream).
Finishing 2nd in 85/86 - top of the league in March, even beat LFC 2-0 at Anfield. Blew it during the run in with defeat at Oxford.
FA Cup Final 1986 - got beat after leading 1-0 at half time.
Season 87/88 - after finishing champions in 86/87, went on to finish 4th the next season, lowest position for 4 years. The good times were over.
Simod Cup Final 1989 - Mickey Mouse cup that we had the piss taken out of for even entering (because we needed the money). Got beat 4-3 in the final by Forest.
FA Cup Final 1989 - we were never going to be able to win that game, for many reasons.
FA Cup run in 90/91 - after the famous 4-4 game & beating LFC in the 2nd replay, thought our name was on the cup. Got beat 1-0 away in the 6th round by then-Division 2 side West Ham.
ZDS Cup Final 1991 - see Simod Cup above. Got beat 4-1 in the final by Palace.
The 2nd part of the Joe Royle era - early European exit in the 2nd round by Feyernoord. Early embarrassing cup exits by Port Vale, York City & Bradford.
Finishing 6th in 95/96 & yet not qualifying for Europe because it was the season UEFA withdrew a Euro place from English clubs as punishment for Wimbledon & Spurs fielding under strength teams in the Intertoto Cup.
Getting beat 3-0 at home by Tranmere in 2001.
Getting knocked out by Shrewsbury during Moyes first full (largely very good) season as boss. Losing to Utd on the last day of 02/03 and costing us a Euro place.
Following up 7th with 17th.
Finishing 4th, then getting beat the next game 7-0.
Getting knocked out of the CL, UEFA Cup & League Cup in the space of 6 weeks in 05/06.
Following up 4th with 11th.
Losing the League Cup semi to Chelsea in 2008.
Losing to Fiorentina on pens in 2008.
Losing the FA Cup 2009 final despite taking the lead with the quickest ever goal in a final.
Losing 5-0 away to Benfica in 2009.
Losing 3-0 away to Sporting Lisbon in 2010, despite winning the first leg 2-1.
The FA Cup in 2011 - Beating Chelsea on pens at the Bridge, then getting knocked out at home by Reading.
FA Cup Semi 2012 - getting beat by LFC, despite leading 1-0 at half time.
FA Cup 2013 - Getting beat 3-0 at home by Wigan, with a Wembley semi in touching distance.
Last night.
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