29-06-2000, 08:56 PM
Adder tomorrow:
By Dave McLelland, former sports editor
MY lasting memory of Ian Wright is, in fact, the first memory.
It was an October Saturday 15 years ago. Palace had won just two of their previous 11 matches and Oldham, leading 2-1 in front of a meagre crowd of 5,000 or so, looked poised to stretch a dismal run to two in 12.
Then Steve Coppell called for his substitute, Ian Wright, recruited months earlier from the London and Kent Border League. It was like letting a greyhound out of its trap. The Oldham defence was suddenly thrown into confusion. Within five minutes the newcomer had threaded the ball through for Kevin Taylor to equalise. And with three minutes left, winger Alan Irvine hit a perfect cross to the far post for the eager Wright to head home.
The youngster wheeled round, raced back to the halfway line, arms waving, without one player able to catch him. A star was born.
Weeks earlier he hadn’t been able to find Selhurst Park when he was told to report for a pre-season friendly against Coventry. Someone had directed him to the Crystal Palace Sports Centre.
Now Selhurst was to be his home for the next six eventful years, launching him towards greater heights with Arsenal and England. It brought wealth and celebrity status and football will miss him now that he has decided to retire at the age of 36.
True, he got himself into a lot of bother, mostly with referees, being totally undisciplined on many occasions. And many Palace fans were unhappy at the way he left after his final appearance - funnily enough against Oldham, and he scored - in the September of 1991.
But Wright had made up his mind. He wanted European competition and he saw he could achieve that goal in North London at Arsenal. Coppell couldn’t cope with a player who now thought he was bigger than the club.
Wright argued that Palace had reaped £2.5m from the move and that he had given them six successful years that had seen promotion to the First Division and visits to Wembley in the FA Cup and the Zenith Data Systems Trophy. His goals tally was 117 in 277 appearances, the best in post-war years.
It was difficult to argue against Wright’s case and in time supporters came to accept his departure - although it was somewhat galling that almost every time he played against Palace after that he got on the scoresheet with some relish.
Of course, there was another key figure in Wright’s rise to fame. Coppell, who had held back on Wright and used him sparingly as a sub in the 85-86 season, bought Mark Bright the following November from Leicester City for £75,000. It was to prove the manager’s second inspirational move.
Wright, impulsive, all individual brilliance, and Bright, thoughtful, with an excellent touch aerially and on the ground, became the double act that set the pattern for the rest of the eighties.
Their chemistry did not come overnight, though. Wright was always keen to listen to instructions but in the thick of the action ignored all he had been told. Bright often had to tell him to keep things simple and that there were ten other players in the team.
It wasn’t easy for Coppell and the other coaches on the training round, either. There was a black versus white conflict, which brought its ugly moments, and had to be concealed from the eyes of the media.
However, the Wright-Bright partnership began to blossom and in the 87-88 campaign Palace finished just outside a play-off place. Still, there was a dramatic rise in the goals column - 86 were scored in the league, the third highest post-war tally.
Nevertheless, there was no disappointment the following season as we all remember. Promotion came via the play-offs with Wright scoring twice, followed by a Dave Madden penalty, accounting for Blackburn Rovers and turning round a 3-1 deficit from the first leg.
Sceptics wondered whether success would follow Wright and Bright into the First Division and a 9-0 thrashing at Liverpool prompted further doubts. Then, in the January, again against the Merseysiders, Wright broke a leg, just as Palace were setting off on their historic cup run.
He fought his way back to fitness, or so he thought, in seven weeks, only to suffer another break after four matches. Wright was inconsolable, particularly as a cup semi-final against Liverpool was looming. Patience was never one of his virtues and he desperately tried to prove he was ready to play again after the famous victory at Villa Park.
Coppell deliberated whether to risk him in the Wembley final, eventually deciding to place him on the bench. It proved a wise decision and all added to the excitement of a see-saw battle.
Wright came on with 20 minutes to go and scored an unforgettable equaliser, showing all the dexterity of a striker who had been hitting the net all season. In fact, it was his first goal since the previous December. Wright’s second goal in extra time would have completed a dream return but for Manchester United’s Mark Hughes taking the game to a replay.
Wright’s last full season with Palace brought his first England cap, against the Cameroon, and another two goals at Wembley in lifting the Zenith trophy. And testimony to his fitness was an ever-present appearance record in the league. He signed off the season with a hat-trick in 18 minutes against Wimbledon and the third goal in Palace’s 3-0 drubbing of Manchester United which gave the Eagles third place in the First Division.
That was virtually the end of Wright’s romance with Palace. When they visited Arsenal three weeks into the new season the writing was on the wall that his days in SE25 were over.
The lingering regret is that Wright never returned to Selhurst after his record-breaking stay at Arsenal instead of having spells at West Ham, Celtic and finally Burnley. Coppell would have welcomed him back but the Goldberg calamity overtook those hopes.
By Dave McLelland, former sports editor
MY lasting memory of Ian Wright is, in fact, the first memory.
It was an October Saturday 15 years ago. Palace had won just two of their previous 11 matches and Oldham, leading 2-1 in front of a meagre crowd of 5,000 or so, looked poised to stretch a dismal run to two in 12.
Then Steve Coppell called for his substitute, Ian Wright, recruited months earlier from the London and Kent Border League. It was like letting a greyhound out of its trap. The Oldham defence was suddenly thrown into confusion. Within five minutes the newcomer had threaded the ball through for Kevin Taylor to equalise. And with three minutes left, winger Alan Irvine hit a perfect cross to the far post for the eager Wright to head home.
The youngster wheeled round, raced back to the halfway line, arms waving, without one player able to catch him. A star was born.
Weeks earlier he hadn’t been able to find Selhurst Park when he was told to report for a pre-season friendly against Coventry. Someone had directed him to the Crystal Palace Sports Centre.
Now Selhurst was to be his home for the next six eventful years, launching him towards greater heights with Arsenal and England. It brought wealth and celebrity status and football will miss him now that he has decided to retire at the age of 36.
True, he got himself into a lot of bother, mostly with referees, being totally undisciplined on many occasions. And many Palace fans were unhappy at the way he left after his final appearance - funnily enough against Oldham, and he scored - in the September of 1991.
But Wright had made up his mind. He wanted European competition and he saw he could achieve that goal in North London at Arsenal. Coppell couldn’t cope with a player who now thought he was bigger than the club.
Wright argued that Palace had reaped £2.5m from the move and that he had given them six successful years that had seen promotion to the First Division and visits to Wembley in the FA Cup and the Zenith Data Systems Trophy. His goals tally was 117 in 277 appearances, the best in post-war years.
It was difficult to argue against Wright’s case and in time supporters came to accept his departure - although it was somewhat galling that almost every time he played against Palace after that he got on the scoresheet with some relish.
Of course, there was another key figure in Wright’s rise to fame. Coppell, who had held back on Wright and used him sparingly as a sub in the 85-86 season, bought Mark Bright the following November from Leicester City for £75,000. It was to prove the manager’s second inspirational move.
Wright, impulsive, all individual brilliance, and Bright, thoughtful, with an excellent touch aerially and on the ground, became the double act that set the pattern for the rest of the eighties.
Their chemistry did not come overnight, though. Wright was always keen to listen to instructions but in the thick of the action ignored all he had been told. Bright often had to tell him to keep things simple and that there were ten other players in the team.
It wasn’t easy for Coppell and the other coaches on the training round, either. There was a black versus white conflict, which brought its ugly moments, and had to be concealed from the eyes of the media.
However, the Wright-Bright partnership began to blossom and in the 87-88 campaign Palace finished just outside a play-off place. Still, there was a dramatic rise in the goals column - 86 were scored in the league, the third highest post-war tally.
Nevertheless, there was no disappointment the following season as we all remember. Promotion came via the play-offs with Wright scoring twice, followed by a Dave Madden penalty, accounting for Blackburn Rovers and turning round a 3-1 deficit from the first leg.
Sceptics wondered whether success would follow Wright and Bright into the First Division and a 9-0 thrashing at Liverpool prompted further doubts. Then, in the January, again against the Merseysiders, Wright broke a leg, just as Palace were setting off on their historic cup run.
He fought his way back to fitness, or so he thought, in seven weeks, only to suffer another break after four matches. Wright was inconsolable, particularly as a cup semi-final against Liverpool was looming. Patience was never one of his virtues and he desperately tried to prove he was ready to play again after the famous victory at Villa Park.
Coppell deliberated whether to risk him in the Wembley final, eventually deciding to place him on the bench. It proved a wise decision and all added to the excitement of a see-saw battle.
Wright came on with 20 minutes to go and scored an unforgettable equaliser, showing all the dexterity of a striker who had been hitting the net all season. In fact, it was his first goal since the previous December. Wright’s second goal in extra time would have completed a dream return but for Manchester United’s Mark Hughes taking the game to a replay.
Wright’s last full season with Palace brought his first England cap, against the Cameroon, and another two goals at Wembley in lifting the Zenith trophy. And testimony to his fitness was an ever-present appearance record in the league. He signed off the season with a hat-trick in 18 minutes against Wimbledon and the third goal in Palace’s 3-0 drubbing of Manchester United which gave the Eagles third place in the First Division.
That was virtually the end of Wright’s romance with Palace. When they visited Arsenal three weeks into the new season the writing was on the wall that his days in SE25 were over.
The lingering regret is that Wright never returned to Selhurst after his record-breaking stay at Arsenal instead of having spells at West Ham, Celtic and finally Burnley. Coppell would have welcomed him back but the Goldberg calamity overtook those hopes.