Peter Enckelman vs. Birmingham City
Ahhh Peter Enckelman. First things first, I think I speak for football fans when I say ‘thank you’. Being a football fan is often a miserable, stressful experience. Thanks to you, we have something which will always make us laugh and, in our darkest moments, we now have something which reminds us that things could be worse.
If you’re going to drop a clanger of this magnitude, do it when you’re 4-0 up against a team of no-hopers in a friendly. Don’t do it in a fierce local derby with the game still in the balance. With his Aston Villa side 1-0 down to Birmingham City, Olof Mellberg sought the sanctuary of his goalkeeper with a defensive throw-in. So far, so good.
Then came the moment which will come to define Enckelman’s career. Somehow the ‘keeper let the ball roll under his foot and into his unguarded net. Well, it was guarded, but by him, so not really. Bizarrely, the contact with the ball – which allowed the goal to stand – was minimal, and if he really wanted, Enckelman could surely have denied making contact at all. However, his honesty betrayed him. Villa went on to lose 3-0.
Massimo Taibi vs. Southampton
Surely the worst ’30-yarder’ to have ben scored at Old Trafford. If Matt Le Tissier is selective with his phrasing, he can recall the day he scored a long-range equaliser at Old Trafford. I – and history – remember it differently.
With United 2-1 up against Southampton, Le Tissier worked space to shoot and unleashed a drive from range. For a man who only seemed to score cracking goals, this was – with all due respect – a pathetic effort. Most Soton players turned away, the crowd were ready to draw breath and acknowledge a simple stop. They didn’t. In fact, the sharp intake of breath around Old Trafford probably caused a major Oxygen deficiency in Manchester for the next week.
Taibi gained cult-hero status (ish) and is now coaching…imagine getting goalkeeping advice off him!
Jerzy Dudek vs. Manchester United
Liverpool vs. Manchester United. The biggest game in English football. A chance to make a name for yourself and make history. Dudek did just this on a cold, December afternoon at Anfield, but for all the wrong reasons.
With the match delicately poised at 0-0, Jamie Carragher played an, in truth, pretty rubbish back-header to his goalkeeper, with Diego Forlan in close attendance. No matter, the Polish goalkeeper got to the ball first and prepared to pick the ball up. Except he forgot the ball.
Somehow, in a flash of Uruguayan blonde hair and dazzling sunshine, Dudek lost the very thing he was meant to be controlling. Forlan, who had to that point been known for his ability to miss sitters, couldn’t pass up this opportunity and scored what proved to be the winner.
Artur Boruc vs. Arsenal
The second Polish keeper in this very small list. Earlier this season, Southampton hosted table-topping Arsenal and would need a strong, disciplined defensive effort to succeed. Boruc couldn’t fulfil his end of the bargain.
The goalkeeper suddenly thought he was a flash right winger as he tried to dribble past Olivier Giroud in his own penalty area. He kind of did, but then went back for seconds. Giroud couldn’t believe his luck, robbed Boruc and slotted the ball home.
What makes this error so special for me is the fact that Boruc has about 75 opportunities to clear his lines, but kept running back into the same French striker who, at that time, was prolific in front of goal.
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