Clutch Players - An American term for which, forgive me, I can think of no direct equivalent in English.
For those not familiar with the concept, a Clutch Player is a sportsman or woman who excels under pressure, when the crunch comes. Examples from the NFL include Tom Brady or Joe Montana, not the most gifted Quarterbacks but frequent play-off and Superbowl victors each, whilst statistically better players like Dan Marino are left trophy-less.
In real football, a good example might be Zinedine Zidane whose two headed goals in the 1998 WC final are outdone only by his magnificent volley in the Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen. Rushes of blood to the head aside, Zidane made his mark in the biggest international and club matches both. In England we had Eric Cantona who scored 3 goals in FA Cup finals, two of which were pressure penalties against Chelsea and one the only goal against Liverpool. After returning from his hefty ban for his assault at Selhurst Park, Cantona scored the only goal in an incredible 5 (five!) matches as Manchester United won the title.
So my question is this: When did Sheffield United last have a player who be described as Clutch? It seems nearly the entire time I've been watching us we've had a veritable parade of perennial chokers and, more recently, serial penalty shoot-outs failures. Even Warnock's promotion team smacked more of 'not messing it up' than seizing the bull by the horns. The last three seasons have been marked by players like Collins and Doyle failing to deliver when it mattered most.
We can look further back too - The days of Woody and TC and their frequent FA Cup disappointments. In a History of Sheffield United book I have, Fred Priest (1896-1905) is described as 'always a player for the big occasion'. He's quite possibly the last player we've had who fits that description!
Anyone think of anyone else?
For those not familiar with the concept, a Clutch Player is a sportsman or woman who excels under pressure, when the crunch comes. Examples from the NFL include Tom Brady or Joe Montana, not the most gifted Quarterbacks but frequent play-off and Superbowl victors each, whilst statistically better players like Dan Marino are left trophy-less.
In real football, a good example might be Zinedine Zidane whose two headed goals in the 1998 WC final are outdone only by his magnificent volley in the Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen. Rushes of blood to the head aside, Zidane made his mark in the biggest international and club matches both. In England we had Eric Cantona who scored 3 goals in FA Cup finals, two of which were pressure penalties against Chelsea and one the only goal against Liverpool. After returning from his hefty ban for his assault at Selhurst Park, Cantona scored the only goal in an incredible 5 (five!) matches as Manchester United won the title.
So my question is this: When did Sheffield United last have a player who be described as Clutch? It seems nearly the entire time I've been watching us we've had a veritable parade of perennial chokers and, more recently, serial penalty shoot-outs failures. Even Warnock's promotion team smacked more of 'not messing it up' than seizing the bull by the horns. The last three seasons have been marked by players like Collins and Doyle failing to deliver when it mattered most.
We can look further back too - The days of Woody and TC and their frequent FA Cup disappointments. In a History of Sheffield United book I have, Fred Priest (1896-1905) is described as 'always a player for the big occasion'. He's quite possibly the last player we've had who fits that description!
Anyone think of anyone else?
