ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Andy Gray query

Just reading through a few random footballer biographies on Wikipedia and the entry for our very own Andy Gray contains the following...

"He moved to Everton in November 1983 for a bargain £250,000... He is also remembered for his infamous 'diving header penalty' which resulted in an embarrassing miss, and a broken nose for the player."

Anyone know anything more about this penalty kick stunt? Did it happen during his time at Goodison? It's contained within the paragraph detailing his time at Everton but I'd never heard the story before.
Jamie Yates, Glasgow Posted 22/04/2008 at 15:19:02

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Chris Jones (Wakefield)
1 Posted 22/04/2008 at 15:43:45

This could just be a bit of the old Wikivandalism going on here. I suspect this story is apocryphal.

I remember seeing Andy get a few knocks going for headers and remember an interview he gave TV after one match, complete with a shiner. I think it was the league game against Sunderland, just before the away leg in Munich of our ECWC semi in 1985.

Paul Formby
2 Posted 22/04/2008 at 15:47:10

Absolute rubbish, I virtually watched every game that Andy played in his 18 months with the blues and never once took a penalty, he even said recently on Sky he wouldbe the last person to step up at a penalty shoot out.
Andy did score a diving header which was virtually on the penalty spot when he headed it. This was away to Notts County in quarter finals of FA Cup in 1984 the year we won it.

Brian Baker
3 Posted 22/04/2008 at 15:52:04

The famous penalty spot header happened while he was at Villa. His head was about a foot off the ground when he made contact. Any other player would have just used one of their feet!!

Adi Baldwin
4 Posted 22/04/2008 at 15:59:07

So the location of the ball when he headed it was near the penalty spot and not actually a penalty header ??

Simon Hughes
5 Posted 22/04/2008 at 16:13:50

Yep. I also remember it clearly. The ball came in from the left and most players would have attempted to slot it home with their foot, but Gray headed it when the ball was about six inches off the floor. It flew into the corner.

He was an inspirational player for around 18 months, but I have to say I can’t stand the man now. He stands for a lot that’s wrong with the game and his continuous promotion of the ’Big Four’ on SKY is shameful.

Tony Sullivan
6 Posted 22/04/2008 at 17:04:02

I thought the header being referred to was scored against Stoke, a full-length dive from just above the ground, from around the penalty spot

Ian Ankers
7 Posted 22/04/2008 at 17:09:05

Spot on Simon. Andy gray was superb for us, but I cannot stand the sound of the mans voice now. He is by far and away the chief promotor of this ’Big Four’ thing as you say. It actually makes me sick to think about it!

Jamie Yates
8 Posted 22/04/2008 at 18:22:08

Cheers lads, think I?ve seen the goal you mention where he?s literally inches off the ground to head it home, it?s on that great montage on the old official history vid from the late-80s.

Pretty sickening how people like Gray and Lineker have got top jobs in the media yet rarely give everton the time of day, whereas the various Reds in the same position use their position as a non-stop platform to cheerlead for their old club.

COYB.

Dean King
9 Posted 22/04/2008 at 19:50:18

Got to disagree a little with you Jamie.
Andy Gray only spent 18 months out of his 20-25 year career with us. Gary Lineker was only with us for one season. There are plenty of other clubs that should by rights be closer to their hearts than our club.
Contrast that with the reds in the media like Hansen, Lawrenson and Big Nose, who spent the bulk of their career with the Reds, and had many (sickening) success with them. It?s a totally different scenario.
Peter Reid is the only pundit who gets on Sky/BBC regularly and has spent several years with us, and he ?cheerleads? for us as much as he can. It just seems that a lot more reds get jobs in the media.

Jeff Spiers
10 Posted 22/04/2008 at 21:19:02

Paul Formby. dead right mate. Gray slotted it with his nut, floor height at Notts.County.

Paul Formby
11 Posted 22/04/2008 at 23:00:10

Thank you Jeff Spiers
And if my memory serves me right Kevin Richardson put us one up in the first five minutes at the Everton end with a header.
Anyone else there who can remember it.
FFS I am getting sad now, but didn't Chedozi equalise for county

Dave Griffin
12 Posted 23/04/2008 at 10:19:45

Talking of half-volley diving headers, Andy would have been proud of a certain goal scored approximately half a mile away from Goodison last night...Ha, ha, fuckin? ha!!!

WillLeaf
13 Posted 23/04/2008 at 10:29:01

My favourite Andy Gray quote, from back in his playing days, and remembering it off the top of my head:

"I’d stick my head in a cement mixer if there was a goal in it for me..."

Jamie Yates
14 Posted 23/04/2008 at 11:05:01

Guess you’re right Dean. To be honest if any of them were proper journalists they’d all be impartial, insightful and actually focus on the bigger picture regardless of who they were commentating/punditing on. The way they condescend towards the general footballing public makes my blood boil, I’m not sure if there’s a single pundit I’ve got any time for these days on radio or TV. Jimmy Armfield’s probably the pick. Much as Ian Wright’s not everyone’s cup of tea I totally understand his decision to quit the Beeb this week. Must’ve been a nightmare perched on the end of the sofa with the bunch of empty suits MOTD has assembled. YAWN!!

Rant over!

Richard Griffiths
15 Posted 23/04/2008 at 12:04:34

"Andy Gray. He huffs and puffs but this time he didn’t huff and puff. He scored." Peter Jones’ BBC Radio 2 commentary v Bayern Munich 1985. Ahh, the halcyon days...

Liam Reilly
16 Posted 23/04/2008 at 13:01:47

With Andy Gray, I wonder sometimes if it’s the same bloke who played for us. His commentary in the Chelsea game last week was difficult to stomach.

Peter Reid really shows his colours as a Pundit as does Joe Royle, therefore I guess that it’s difficult to argue when that ’Big Nosed Cunt’ and that arsehole Rednapp are both so biased towards the Shite.

Hansen however, hated him as a player, but I think he’s an honest Pundit, towards both ourselves and the Shite.

For those of you who haven’t seen this, it’s worth checking out ’Big Noses’ reaction to the Chelsea goal last night. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0ycbUM53mFk
Priceless.

Peter Joshua
17 Posted 26/04/2008 at 13:27:28

Dean?s right about Andy Gray. In his mid-80s autobiography, Andy states "once a Villa man, always a Villa man". He?s lived in the Midlands for most of his time in England (since the mid-70s) and has had very strong links with The Villa throughout. They were the club with whom he had his greatest personal success (1976-77), for whom he played the most games in his career, and to whom he returned as a coach.

It must?ve been hard for him watching them lift the European Cup and knowing he could have been a part of it. So it?s not surprising that he?s got a lot of emotion tied up in Aston Villa. Sure, we gave him some medals via his pretty measly 54 appearances, so I guess we merit a ?soft spot?, but cut him and he?d bleed claret-and-blue, no question about it.

That said, I?m sure he?ll do a good job of being impartial tomorrow when we play the Villa, but there?s no doubt where his true love and his loyalty lie, and it?s not at Goodison Park.