Arsenal Legend 4 - Liam Brady

[Aussie]

Oh Brady won it beautifully, Look at that Oh look at that, What a goal by Brady, A marvelous goal designed for the big occasion

That sublime strike from the greatest left foot to ever grace the Highbury turf won Liam Brady the goal of the season in 1978. That sublime strike was also one of five goals in our Christmas eve rout against the old enemy down at the ****ty end of Seven Sisters road. While Sunderland scored a hatrick Brady ran the show that night. He also set up Stapleton with a goal after a exquisite piece of dribbling and a beautiful chipped cross allowing Stapleton to head into a empty net. In fact many believed that it was Brady’s remarkable ability to chip the ball that earnt him the nickname “Chippy” however it was more to with his love of the deep fried variety of the chip.

Brady was born in Dublin on the 13th of February 1956. He had indeed been going to Highbury since he was 13 and at the age of 15 he was to sign for Arsenal as a apprentice in the double year of 1971. He was to make his debut as a substitute against Birmingham City where those present say the young scrawny 17 year old came on changed the game and in the eyes of Arsenal fans a star was born.

The 1974/75 season saw Brady take a regular place in the Arsenal first team and it wasn’t long before the Highbury crowd began to adore the young lad. Over the next few years Brady was to become the midfield general and was constantly firing the precision perfect passes for the likes of Stapleton to pounce on and continually got forward and scored some cracking goals. As he had such a great left peg we could have easily excused him if he hadn’t a right foot. However that was clearly not the case just look at cross for Stapleton’s goal in the 79 Cup Final.

This is Brady trying to shake of McIlroy, sweet skills from Brady, Stapleton out on the right, trying to feed Price, Price is in here for Arsenal, TALBOT

This is Brady, Good Skills from Brady, two waiting in the centre for the cross, Stapleton two nil Arsenal

There is a minute left on the clock, Brady for Arsenal, right across Sunderland its there, Its 3-2 Arsenal back in front through Alan Sunderland

Still wondering why they call the 1979 FA Cup final the Brady Final? It was Brady’s only medal for Arsenal and if ever a Arsenal player deserved more medals it was Chippy. He rightly won the man of the match award for Arsenal, playing a crucial part in all three of Arsenals goals. His effort for the 3rd goal can not be underestimated. Everybody was in complete shock at what had just happened, 2-0 bang 2-2. Brady claims he was just trying to get the ball as far away from Arsenals goals as possible but he did so much more than that. Gaps started appearing and he continued to press forward, a sublime pass to Rix who in turn played the perfect cross to the man with the perm Alan Sunderland. The rest as they say is history.

Liam Brady however rates the two legs of the 1980 semi final of the Cup Winners Cup against Juventus as the biggest achievement of any Arsenal team he played in. Brady again was unstoppable and showed the Italians just how good he was. Since they couldn’t stop him fairly they resorted to try and kick him of the park.

Against impossible odds Arsenal defeated Juve in Turin in what is still considered to be one of the best Arsenal performances ever. Juventus looked like they were going to get the result they were looking for however up popped Paul Vaessen to head home and give Arsenal a remarkable victory. The away leg was only seen by a few hundred Arsenal fans and it was not shown on TV due to Forest playing in a European Cup final that night. Brady had been immense in both legs. However as it turned out the final of the Cup Winners Cup was to be Brady’s last appearance for Arsenal. Unfortunately he did not leave Arsenal fans with a great last memory as he missed a penalty in the shootout as Arsenal went down to Valencia.

Brady’s dazzling performances against Juve simply came back to haunt Arsenal fans. He broke Arsenals fans hearts as he left Arsenal to sign for Juventus. Most Arsenal fans realized that Brady needed bigger challenges and wished him well. However the transfer fee of $514,000 pounds shouldn’t have bought his right boot let alone his left.

Brady continued to show just how good he was as he quickly won over the Juve fans as he dazzled them with his skills. He was only to stay at Juve for two years however he claimed two titles. A penalty also was his last effort with Juve however this time it won them there second title in two years. Brady then had stints at Sampdoria, Inter Milan and West Ham.

He was then to have two unsuccessful stints at managing at Celtic and Brighton in the early 90's however he was to return to the Home of Football in 1996. Liam Brady is now the head of youth development at Arsenal and has led the youth team to FA Cup Success in 2001 and 2002. Whenever the impossible question of picking Arsenals all time 11 pops up Chippy is always one of if not the first to be picked. That goal at WHL summed Brady up well, just beautiful to watch.

Liam Brady, Arsenal Legend.


http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=14W4 ... RVIRH2IH0V

Comp of Goals

Brady Cross, Stapleton goal Cup Final

http://s8.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=19HPN ... K6MV2W9LBZ

Arsenal Record
235 League games, 43 goals
35 FA Cup games, 2 goals
23 League Cup games, 10 goals
13 European games, 4 goals
Other appearences 138, 23 goals

Career Totals
515 appearences, 105 goals

Honours with Arsenal
72 Eire caps
PFA Footballer of the Year 1978/9
FA Cup Winner 1979
FA Cup Runner-up 1978, 1980
European Cup Winners Cup Finalist 1980

 

[Aussie]

Also a big thanks to Bency for the goals. He is registered here but dosent post.

 

[famous no 10]

Brady is a legend indeed, like I said in another thread I was absolutely gutted when he left, it was only years later when Bergkamp signed that we finally had someone just as classy.

 

[Exiled In Newcastle]

Great work Aussie (again).

Brady was amazing. Everyone remembers him for his skills, but he wouldn't have been the player he was without the strength and guts he showed. He was a tackler and a grafter as well.

1979 - we were on the terrace behind the goal. 2-0 up at half time and everything was cushy. Then with five mins to go there was a substitution (Walford for Price) and we're thinking 'ah nice, he gets a run out'. We're all singing 'we've won the cup' then BANG they score. 2-1. 3 minutes. No worries. 'We've won the cup'. BANG. 2-2. Damn. 'We're gonna win the cup'. I remember someone saying something like '4 goals and all up the other end' then Chippy took it forward and the rest is history.

The £600,000 we got for him was a disgrace. The rules at the time meant that it was the most we could get for him from an Italian club, whereas we would probably have got double in the UK (Liverpool were prepared to smash the transfer record for him but he only wanted to go abroad). To be fair to Chippy, there was no back door exit, he said a year before he left that he was going abroad at the end of the season - an extremely brave move.

Could be a very good time to talk about Chippy, because in Frankie Fabregas we have the best young player we've had since Brady. Now that's exciting.

 

[Aussie]

Exiled was he ever close to coming back to Arsenal. I have heared he did indeed think about it but im not sure.

 

[Exiled In Newcastle]

There were two times when it seemed so. Around '83 and when GG first arrived. I think it went furthest the first time because I know that there were talks with JVC about them sponsoring him (wages in Italy then were much much higher than the UK) but it didn't happen.

Mind you he got the best reception I've ever seen an oppostion player get when he came back with West Ham at the end of his career.

I think the moment that sums him up is that goal in the 5-0 at spudsville (my first trip there - bloody good timing!). Everyone remembers the curler, but if you look again it's Chippy that wins the ball to create the chance.

 

[MAK]

He did play twice more for Arsenal after the CWC final. Arsenal had 2 league games left. Away to Wolves and away to Boro. They needed all four points to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Wolves were beaten 2-0 and the onto the Ayrsome Park. It proved one game too far in a season that had stretched to almost 70 games. Our boys went down 5-0. We finished 4th and missed out on a European place.

We seemed to have missed out the best of him. Such a shame. His departure signaled the begining of the 'wilderness years'. There was talk every two seasons that he would return. The summer of 84 was the closest but he signed for Inter and then it seemed a deal had been done around easter 86. The Don Howe quit, the board eventually hired GG and Brady signed for Ascoli, played there for six months and signed for the Hammers.

I think I last saw him play in Paul Merson testimonial match though I'm not too sure about that. I did however get to see play in Pat Jennings testimonial. he was superb that night linking beatifully with Rix and Nicholas. What could have been...

 

[invisibleman18]

Class.
I really wish i couldve been around to see this guy. all the reading and highlights are good but this is one i wish id seen at the time.

 

[Exiled In Newcastle]

MAK - if memeory serves wasn't the Wolves game 2-1?

That week was truly heartbreaking (and knackering). Cup Final saturday. Flew out for CWC Final on the Tuesday. Back on the Thursday then straight up to the midlands for Wolves on the Friday. We drove from that game up to Leeds and stayed the weekend there before going up to 'Boro for the monday game.

The team were just shot by then (the damage had been done around Easter when we had an impossible set of fixtures (apart from the league we played 2 CWC semis against Juve and 4 (FOUR!) FA Cup semis against Liverpool) and had nothing left. But despite the result the reception from the Gooners after the game was magnificent. And Chippy threw most of his kit into the crowd.

To give you an idea - here's our run in:
April 2 - Norwich away
April 5 - So'ton home
April 7 - Spuds away (where we fielded a virtual reserve team and won!)
April 9 - Juventus home (CWC SF)
April 12- Liverpool (FAC SF)
April 16 - Liverpool (FAC SF replay)
April 19 - Liverpool (!) away (league)
April 23 - Juventus away (CWC SF)
April 26 - WBA home
April 28 - Liverpool (FAC SF 2nd replay)
May 1 - Liverpool (FAC SF 3rd replay)
May 3 - Coventy City away
May 5 - Nottm F. home
May 10 - West Ham (FAC Final)
May 14 - Valencia (ECWC Final)
May 16 - Wolves away
May 19 - Middlesbrough away.

 

[yoinkster]

who :?: :roll:
I haven't seen enough of this guy but he is well and truley a legend, the 501 goals was a good watch.

 

[burnsjed]

Juve fans loved him 2, when he took and scored that penalty that clinched them the title in what was his final game for them, he had learn't (not sure on days or weeks etc) on the radio that he was being replaced by Platini, the chairman hadn't even the decency to tell him in the face.
Yet he still had the class to step forward and clinch the title with that penalty, even though he was not surprisingly feeling very bitter towards the men at the top in the club, due to the way they had treated him.

I also read that he was top scorer in Serie A, though I wonder if that had been a typo and maybe he had ben Juve's top scorer.

In case anyone wondered was my favourite player ever, and my first season at Highbury coincided with his as a regular.

As the song goes "Born is the king of Highbury".

 

[burnsjed]

By the way yoinkster, is your aviator sabret00the watching The Arsenal on TV?

Sorry sabret00the couldn't resist it, I kow its cruel!

 

[Henry IV]

A world class player in a workmanlike team. Although we lost three of the finals we reached with Brady in the team, I doubt we'd have been in any finals if it wasn't for Brady's skills. He was magical in the 1979 FA Cup Final. His goal against Tottenham the "LOOK AT THAT!" goal was a cracker. He was only 24 when he left so we missed out on so much of him but he did give us a lot when he was here.

 

[Canuck]

You've done it again you old gooner. (of course I mean that in a good way :wink: )
I hope someone is archiving these in the "other articles" section. Just to collect them in one place for present and future gooners to get an idea of the clubs great history and the men who have graced the red&white.

Kudos to you Aussie.

:mrgreen:

 

[BradySeven]

Excellent post again. Obviously my favourite player ever and the reason I started supporting the Gunners when I was 6. United offered £1.5m for him before he joined Juve. Was sad that he missed the penalty against Valencia but then Mario Kempes missed as well.

 

[Aussie]

You've done it again you old gooner. (of course I mean that in a good way :wink: )
I hope someone is archiving these in the "other articles" section. Just to collect them in one place for present and future gooners to get an idea of the clubs great history and the men who have graced the red&white.

Kudos to you Aussie.

:mrgreen:

Yeah i will do that. Also might have to save a copy on my comp as well in case the forum crashes.