BIG VASE, BIG NIGHT
Eintracht Frankfurt already have one European trophy to their name. They won Euro Vase back in 1980, on away goals, in a two-legged final against Borussia Mönchengladbach, but while The Fiver isn’t knocking it in terms of achievement, on these shores, and in plenty of other areas outside the old Bundesrepublik Deutschland we’ll be bound, that’s not what they’re principally known for. And what they’re principally known for is, having the temerity to take the lead in the 1960 Big (né Li’l) Cup final at Hampden against Real Madrid, who then went on to roll seven goals past the hilariously static Eintracht keeper and Antony Gormley muse Egon Loy. Ach Richard Kress! Was hast du getan! Du hast den Käfig der Bestie erschüttert!
Some scholars from the East End of Glasgow may also gleefully recall that 1960 Frankfurt side giving the Pope’s O’Rangers a dreadful smack in the mouth in the semis, beating them 12-4 on aggregate. But it hasn’t been all plain sailing for the German side in European semi-finals over here, as West Ham fans of a certain vintage may remind you. Trevor Brooking was the two-goal hero for the Hammers as they turned around a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Eintracht in the 1976 Cup Winners’ Cup semi with a 3-1 victory at Upton Park. They went on to lose the final, but that’s not the point, and there were two notable things about that win: Brooking, who famously never scored with his head, the 1980 FA Cup final being the exception that proves the rule, scored with his head; and the Frankfurt keeper that night was called Peter Kunter. Yes we are that puerile. This can’t come as a surprise to you.
The West Ham of 2022 will hope history augurs well, for they host the Eagles again on Thursday, in the semi-final of Big Vase. While manager David Moyes proved during his time at Everton that you don’t need trophies to be a winner but he is a winner, actually winning one would prove that even more, and he’s just three games from glory now. His team are favourites to establish a first-leg lead at the London Stadium, and while he insists he “hasn’t considered” that status, he must secretly be dreaming of a repeat of the 1976 scoreline at the very least. By comparison, the Pope’s Newc O’Rangers, who in the other semi face Leipzig, German opposition in the last four of European competition once again, are unlikely to seek quite so much inspiration from historical precedent.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Current health status for the ones wondering: [p1ssed] off second time in four months they kill me. Seem also able to ressuscitate [sic]” – Mr 25% Mino Raiola denies widespread and premature reports of his demise.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Get your ears around the latest Football Weekly Extra. And while we’re at it, Max, Barry and the pod squad are going back out on tour. Tickets to live shows in June and July are available here – there’s even a new date added in Dublin – so get buying.
FIVER LETTERS
“In Wednesday night’s game the TV showed ‘LIV v VIL’, which is the only such abbreviated palindrome in professional football. Will any pedants please note that Spurs v Dundee, or ‘TOT v DUD’, is lazy and does not count. And yes, I was watching the game” – Jeremy Foxon.
“So there’s a new incoming football regulator any day now and Michael Lloyd (yesterday’s Fiver letters) is fishing for names. Well, if it’s run by an overbearing white male contingent, dictates what people can and can’t wear, and have jurisdiction over the import of Brazilian midfielders, so … Offred? Blessed be the fruit, under his eye, etc and so on” – James Maltby.
“Re: yesterday’s Fiver. Pedantically, I must point out that Pep’s luxury flat is actually in Salford rather than Spinningfields. Although the north is probably a strange and foreign land to The Fiver. Now I need to make my tea and feed the whippet” – Micheal Jacob.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Jeremy Foxon.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Happy days for Liverpool fans and all lovers of heavy-metal football and performative cheese: the club have opened talks to extend Jürgen Klopp’s contract beyond 2024.
Happy days for Liverpool fans and all lovers of heavy-metal football and performative cheese: the club are 2-0 up on Villarreal after the first leg of their Big Cup semi.
The ever-resourceful Ralf Rangnick has somehow found time from the all-consuming task of pointing out his players’ myriad shortcomings and failing to address his own, and reckons Manchester United failing to qualify for Europe under his stewardship might help Erik ten Hag. “It could be an advantage,” he self-exculpated, “but that does not mean we will give away any of the remaining four games.”
One to file away: PSG’s Mauricio Pochettino insists both he and Kylian Mbappé will be at the club next season. “100% in both cases,” he tooted. “That is what I can say to you today. I can’t say anything else. That is how I feel right now.”
In marked contrast with the men’s team’s recent direction of travel, Barcelona will move up in the world – literally – to Montjuic while the Camp Nou is renovated in 2023-24.
Rare good news from the Premier League regarding the launch of a scheme to identify players of South Asian heritage, who are currently underrepresented in club academies. “That shouldn’t be the case and we’re committed to addressing that,” said Neil Saunders, its director of football. “We recognise it isn’t going to happen overnight but we’re committed to a long-term plan.”
And there’s also long-overdue positive news emanating from Italy, where players in its top division have finally turned pro. “It’s been a long time coming, but finally, it’s happened,” cheered Elisabetta Vignotto, a celebrated striker who was among Italy’s first female footballers in the 1970s and 80s.
STILL WANT MORE?
“Football without punctuation marks or pause for thought” – no, Jonathan Liew isn’t describing The Fiver’s trademark care and attention, but the Liverpool hurricane that Villarreal ran into.
Barney Ronay on Karim Benzema, the embodiment of Madrid-ism.
The state of Everton FC. By Karen Carney.
When Ronald Koeman won a Big Cup golden boot … from centre-back.
And if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!
