1998

[The Equaliser]

Gawd. Horrible memories.

Watched the Coventry game in a pub on Smithdown Road full of RS wearing 'Going to One' shirts. Only because it had multiple screens and I could keep an eye on the Chelsea game. The relief after the game was indescribable as I really thought we were gone after getting away with it in '94. The worst bit was that it was out of our hands and we were relying on Chelsea.

The post-mortem lives in the memory. After celebrating staying up the gloom set in the next day with the realisation that it should never have happened in the first place. The Echo headline screaming at Johnson 'NEVER AGAIN'. At the time all I could think of was that if it happens again it will be third time unlucky.

Thankfully it hasn't happened since and hopefully never will again.

 

[Twinkletoes123]

Thank the lord that these forums weren't around then, that's all I can say. Makes me sick to my pit of my stomach what us fans had to go through then!!!

 

[Khalekan]

You see, I don't have a recollection of a season long struggle.

I recall Palace beat us in the first home game....that Lombardo ripped us a new one.

And I was chucked out the home end of WHL when I went haywire after Madar scored near the end of the season.

But those two games, plus Hammers away when Madar scored again plus Cov are the only games I can remember about 1997/98.

Did we suffer a late collapse which brought us to the brink of were we there all along?

 

[Khalekan]

Just checked wiki which said Oster Bilic and Farrelly but you are right about williamson, found it on another page.well done mate, great memory.
Remember gary Speed leaving?? His last minute pen away at Leicester was one of the few highlights of the season for me.
Kevin Cambell signed March 1999 so he saved us the next year!!! Dark days. The state of poor Howard Kendall on last day too. Thought he would have heart attack.

It was Madar came in late on in the season, wasn't it Allez?

 

[GBH73]

Horrible season. Awful light blue shirt and Speed, Ferguson and Ball aside the players were the worst I've seen. That first game against Palace, I seem to remember Bilic scoring from a corner early on only to be disallowed as Stuart was offside? I also remember Lombardo becoming Palace's player-manager later that season (with a comically overweight Tomas Brolin as his assistant).

Almost forgot about Danny Williamson, he had one good game in the Cadamarteri derby, then nothing. Also recall Michael Ball playing a couple of games in midfield and thought he looked great there. Big Dunc's hat-trick against Bolton was a rare highlight (with Tony Thomas putting in the crosses) but in general the football was dire.

At the time my Mum worked for the BBC and along with half a dozen other Blues I got roped into doing a 'talking head' interview thing for North West Tonight about what Everton meant to me, my favourite memories of games etc to be broadcast in the event of us going down. Thank God that was never shown...

 

[allezlesbleus]

It was Madar came in late on in the season, wasn't it Allez?

Oui!!!! Jan 1998 played 19 scored 6.

 

[Khalekan]

Oui!!!! Jan 1998 played 19 scored 6.

Yay.........

 

[SingBlue]

are you aware of the goal that was disallowed when we played bolton that season?

it should have stood, and those who say we don't have much luck would do well to remember it

You could argue that Gerry Taggart fouled Southall in the run up to it. So whilst the ball did cross the line, it should've also been a foul.
All a bit "if my auntie had balls" etc. but one thing I am absolutely certain of, if any other team had been relegated off that, they'd have had the Premier League tied up in court cases for years. We'd have just taken it like the soft shoites we are.

 

[Billy Dean]

I had boss curtains in 1998

 

[Groucho]

are you aware of the goal that was disallowed when we played bolton that season?

it should have stood, and those who say we don't have much luck would do well to remember it

I seem to remember someone fouled Nev there and then too, so it wouldn't have been a fair goal.

Swings and roundabouts and all that.

I had boss curtains in 1998

Stay on topic please.

 

[catcherintherye]

We showed signs of promise at moments that season. We were very lucky to survive looking back. Kendall bought badly. Danny Williamson was poor, Joe Parkinson never returned from injury, while Speed and Hincliffe left mid season. Fergusan was injury prone.

We had such a young team/squad back then as well. At times we had 4 or 5 teenagers in the team. Our strikeforce was led for parts of the season by an 18 year old Cadamateri, backed up by an 18 year old Oster. Barmby was underwhelming.

As for the day itself, I always felt we'd survive. I had this ridiculous optimism. We had got hammered by Arsenal the previous week, but they were a top team. I always felt we'd get a result against Coventry who were a poor team, while I never fancied Bolton to get anything from Chelsea. It was a horrible two minutes though when Dublin scored.

The final recollection I have is Myhre kept us up. Southall was well part is. He came in and we kept clean sheets again. He had a great season and was crucial for us.

 

[Yorkie]

Will bookmark this thread to come back to and visit when disappointed with results.
Puts it all into perspective.

I've got a friend who is a Sunderland fan and we're watching their game tonight, I hope they get something tonight so it doesn't go to the last day.

 

[kithnou]

Yeah, THAT year. Thankfully I was only 6 years old so too young to remember what was going on. Just been watching it back on Sky Sports' Premier League Years and felt like I was re-living the drama myself. Can anyone put into words how they felt during the last few weeks of that season? Looking at the table going into the last game and realising our fate was out of our own hands? What was the overriding emotion at the final whistle, euphoria or just pure relief? Scary stuff, when you think about how close we ran it

God seeing that again brings back such painful memories. Hopefully never again.
Chelsea fans? Absolute garbage cheering on Bolton to equalise and booing their players. Karma can be a sweet little wench and the day will come when their fairy tale ends and we will have the last laugh.
Nothing club....nothing supporters...

 

[tim cahill]

The noise inside the ground against Coventry was incredible. It was a very tense few minutes after they equalised though.

 

[Ballymoney1]

Remember this season well reliving it through this thread makes this past season seem like a walk in the park. Truly bad times, I was hopeful when Walter smith was brought in and he signed john Collins, Olivier dacourt and a then unknown marco matterazzi. Things however didn't get much better and if Kevin Campbell hadn't been signed late on that season I reckon we would have gone then. Both the 1997:98 and 1998/99 seasons were painful.