Really enjoyable as ever. thanks for taking the time to do this.
A memorable season for me in a non footballing respect as I became a Dad. I well remember pacing the living room listening to the closing stages of the Leeds League Cup game with a cranky Revolution Jr in my arms and throwing him up in the air (and catching him!) when the late goals went in.
Some thoughts about the season:
1. It showed the best and worst of Warnock. He got the best out of a blend of youth and experience, did not break the bank in doing so, and created a "never say die" attitude which saw us score a number of late goals. On the other hand, he made a bewildering number of late season changes to the team - too its detriment - gave up on auto promotion too early (the one point from 2 games at Selhurst was the nail in the coffin) and there were arguably too many new faces. Plus he ended the season feuding with a referee, again.
2. I think you guys are right - the Leeds LC game was a big turning point, in the same way that Gillingham away was for Wilder, and though the season ended in disaster it really signalled an upturn in the club's fortunes. Gates really picked up the following season, and the seeds of promotion were sown, as a number of the squad would be mainstays 3 years on.
3. I am always saying this, but Michael Tonge's career pattern is an odd one. He had the best season of his career - but it was only the third year (really the second, as he had only 2 games in the first) of a 19 year career. He seemed to slip back from those standards, little by little, year by year. At the time I used to say that this was partly because he did not have Brown and McCall or players of that calibre with him so he did not have the freedom he had when we was younger. He is also supposedly a mild mannered person away from the pitch. Perhaps he didn't have an aggressive edge.
4. As well as Kenny played, the choice of Kenny over Brown for POYT is the worst decision I can remember in my lifetime in terms of that award. Brown was the best player in the division, yet alone the team.
5. We played 61 competitive games that season and Kenny played in 59 of them, missing the Ipswich cup tie (Wilko de Vogt played in goal) and the last game of the season at Watford (Alan Kelly's brother Gary played in goal). This is, I believe, a single season club record.
6. John Paul McGovern scored in the league and in both cups for us that season. Not a lot of people know that.
7. The Ipswich Cup game was a terrific game that, as Ben said, everyone forgets about because there were so many other good games that season. Brown's second goal was the hardest shot I've ever seen live (I watched the Pig home game in a pub on TV).
8. I have commented before on this board on the odd nature of the Wimbledon away game, played in front of the lowest crowd for a Blades league game since 1901. There were about 1000 Blades there (a good number of whom were in suits having come straight from work) and about 200 other people scattered around Selhurst. Ben Doane's career was ended by a bad injury that night.
9. I actually thought we could beat Arsenal. That was the only FA Cup semi I've ever been to where I thought we had a chance beforehand (though at HT in 1993 and 2014 I thought we might win).
10. Warnock's record against the Pigs was actually pretty good. It was W4 D3 L1 in the league, and we lost the league cup tie in 2000-1 as well. Kevin Pressman was almost single handedly responsible for preventing us from winning the 4 league games, and our shitty finishing cost us the league cup tie.
11. I might pick the playoff semi as my best game ever at the Lane. it's certainly the best night match. the only one that touches it is the 2-0 win over the Pigs in November 1991.
12. I still don't understand some of Warnock's selection decisions for the PO Final (Mark Rankine?) but I will defend to the death his decision to leave out Dean Windass, who had been mailing it in for about 3 or 4 weeks and was shocking in both legs of the PO Semi Final. Again, I went thinking we were going to win. I stopped thinking that for big games after that defeat, until Wilder came along.
I had no memory of any controversy here. Here's the first penalty, can't really tell if Kuipers gets the ball but he certainly sends Asaba flying (skip to 13:54 if the timestamp doesn't work)
