Anderlecht 1984

Published today in The Times. Scholar what a complete cnut

Clash with Anderlecht tonight evokes Uefa Cup final in 1984, a remarkable story told here by those involved
Morten Olsen, Anderlecht midfielder: It was the time of hooliganism and the visit of an English team for the first leg set off alarm bells in Brussels. The city was crawling with policemen and tanks.
Graham Roberts, Tottenham Hotspur defender: There was an atmosphere because a Tottenham fan was shot dead in a bar below our hotel on the eve of the first leg. It was on the supporters’ minds, but the game passed without trouble.
Steve Perryman, Tottenham captain: We should have won the cup that night at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. Paul Miller scored but they equalised and it was soured when I picked up a weak yellow card and would miss the second leg. I didn’t want to show emotion but inside I was aching.
Roberts: The boys were not going to play the second leg because of a row over bonuses with Irving Scholar, then chairman, who did not want to share the television money with the players, as we had agreed. Steve Perryman went to see Scholar, who said he would play the youth team. Keith Burkinshaw [then manager] backed us. Steve told us the chairman was going to sack Burkinshaw at the end of the season and we were pretty angry. We said: “He has to go out with a win."
Erwin Vandenbergh, Anderlecht’s top scorer: Tottenham would not allow us to train at their stadium and gave us a pitch with long grass and without goals. The day before a European final, can you imagine it? We used vests as goalposts, like children. I was hallucinating, but worse was to come when I fell badly after a header and sprained an ankle. It was a stupid injury, but Tottenham achieved their goal. My world collapsed.
Tony Parks, Tottenham goalkeeper: We were probably too confident that we could roll over them. It was an electric night, so much nervous excitement in the crowd. I watched the game for the first time about a year ago and it was pace and thunderous power. Anderlecht played so well, helped by a fantastic young Enzo Scifo, and took the lead.
Roberts: We fell for a sucker punch and conceded on the break and the game was going away from us. Ossie Ardiles hit the crossbar from three yards and made me a legend at Tottenham. I chested down a cross and volleyed into the net. I still get goosebumps. We destroyed them but it went to penalties. I had an agreement with Keith Burkinshaw that I would take the first penalty as I was very confident I would score.
Paul Van Himst, Anderlecht coach: I was not a smoker but asked my assistant for a cigarette because of the stress. I started eating it.

Parks: I didn’t know where many of their players would strike the ball. It was not like today when you have access to clips. I guessed right to stop Olsen.
Perryman: Danny Thomas had the chance to win it and when his kick was saved, the fans chanted his name as he walked to the halfway line. I wondered what effect that would have.
Arnor Gudjohnsen, Anderlecht striker: I returned from injury for the game and I’m remembered for missing the last penalty. I made the goalkeeper famous. It didn’t take very long to get over it. It was the golden times of Anderlecht.
Jacky Munaron, Anderlecht goalkeeper: Key players were chosen to take a penalty but did not want to take the responsibility. Arnor was crying like a baby. I had to console him.
Parks: I didn’t speak to Eidur (Arnor’s son) about it when we were at Tottenham, but I once saw Frank Arnesen and he said: “If I had taken a penalty that night I would have scored." I replied: “You didn’t have the bottle." We celebrated at the stadium and I left there at 6am to go on breakfast television. They looked at me and put me back in a taxi back home.
Roberts: I lifted the cup as captain that night and had to be at Heathrow at 9am to meet up with the England squad as we were to play Scotland. I remember Brian Clough commentating that night and he was gutted as he felt his Nottingham Forest side were cheated out of the semi-final by Anderlecht. The truth emerged in 1997 when the Belgian club admitted to bribing the referee.
Perryman: It was a fitting goodbye to a manager we trusted. Tony Galvin and Graham Roberts came from non-league. Mark Falco, Micky Hazard, Parks, Glenn Hoddle, Paul Miller were homegrown. We added wonderful players like Steve Archibald, Garth Crooks, Ray Clemence, Ardiles, but they did not overshadow the homegrown. They have a similar homegrown group today, Harry Kane etc.
Roberts: We have a great manager now [Mauricio Pochettino] and I hope Tottenham take the Europa League seriously this season as the players would enjoy playing in a European final