Latest news with #OssieArdiles
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Football legends reunite for evening of entertainment at County Ground
The pair were also team-mates at Tottenham Hotspur for several years (Image: Swindon Town Football Club) Football legends Ossie Ardiles and Micky Hazard have returned to Swindon Town for a night of nostalgia. The Tottenham Hotspur legends and Swindon Town alumni joined fans at the Nigel Eady County Ground on Wednesday, June 11 for 'An Evening with Micky Hazard and Ossie Ardiles'. Advertisement Swindon welcomed the former midfielders to the Legends Lounge to entertain an audience with tales from their impressive playing careers. Ardiles and Hazard spoke to supporters about their time at White Hart Lane and the County Ground, their time in English football and their experiences on the international stage. Ardiles managed Swindon from 1989 to 1991, describing the club's 1-0 win over Sunderland in the 1990 Second Division play-off final as one of his all-time favourite achievements. He also made two appearances for Swindon as a player in a career that also saw him win the 1978 World Cup representing Argentina. Advertisement Hazard scored 17 goals for Swindon in 121 appearances and helped guide the club to the Premier League under the management of Glenn Hoddle. Recommended reading The pair were Spurs team-mates from 1978 to 1985 before Hazard departed for Chelsea, winning the FA Cup and UEFA Cup while at the club. Their evening at the County Ground is part of a calendar of events that will see a number of legendary figures from the world of football. Stuart Pearce visited the Legends Lounge to speak with fans earlier this year in March, while Paul Merson will be making a similar appearance at the club on October 29. The events are part of a club initiative to push for increased commercial revenue that could help guide Swindon back to League One. Advertisement The club's Chief Commercial Officer, James Watts, said: "We are doing a selection of events in The Legends Lounge. We want to try and turn it more into a venue, using it for more events and getting promoters involved in that, who we are talking to on a local and national level. "That goes beyond club events but also guest speakers, race nights, and things like that. "The concert was the starting point, and on the back of that, we can add things to the commercial portfolio in the lounge, but also the suites upstairs and then with a redevelopment of the stadium, you can look at other things."
RTÉ News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
United and Spurs ready for Basque battle with eyes on both prizes
There was a time in the early 1980s when Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were the kingpins of the cup scene. Barely a year past when either side weren't getting suited and booted down Saville Row, while tinkling the ivories alongside Chas 'N Dave, or hiding out with Herman's Hermits in Stockport's Strawberry Studios all for the Glory, Glory of Man United. Ossie Ardiles, of course, had a dream back in 1981, and it was realised later that summer as Spurs beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup. And despite the trembly knees that afflicted the gifted Argentinian throughout the latter stages of his career, he took the north London club back down Wembley Way the following summer as they made it a cup double, beating QPR for the 1982 trophy. Back in 1983, United were more renowned for their rowdy travelling element, the players' post-training rituals, and a perma-tanned manager with a penchant for all things glittery. Two FA Cup finals in three years for United as they beat Brighton in '83 and prevented Everton from winning the treble in '85 thanks to a Norman Whiteside wondergoal in a game remembered more, perhaps, for Kevin Moran becoming the first player to get a red card in the Wembley decider. Tottenham would also take their cup credentials to the mainland – Europe that is – by beating Belgian side Anderlecht in the UEFA Cup final – Europa that is – in 1984. By the time United were back winning FA Cups and adding a European Cup Winners Cup, things were changing up north amidst the Madchester scene, as Alex Ferguson was in the process of completing the greatest switcheroo in English football history, by turning a much-maligned cup side into the dominant team of the decade, while relegating the all-conquering Liverpool outfit into a squad of spice boys. Ferguson has long left the building; with him, United's place at the top table of European football, and despite their best efforts, they are slowly but surely returning to the days of saving seasons off the back of a cup final celebration. Spurs, despite a few decent runs of form in recent years, have largely remained the same throughout, and now remarkably both sides go into their final Premier League game of the season still shy of the magic relegation-avoiding 40-point mark. Luckily for both, there are three teams in the league who are a lot worse, and Premier League football is already guaranteed for next season, yet somehow Spurs and United have battled their way through the attritional Europa League series all the way to the final. It all takes place in Bilbao this evening as the two English sides will enjoy battle in the Basque Country with a lot more on offer than just an away day to remember and a chance of pocketing some silverware. For a place in next season's Champions League is the real reward for slogging their way through this Europa campaign, and should United lose, it would be their first time missing out on a continental escapade since 2015. So while adding to the trophy cabinet is not necessarily United's main motivation, Spurs could certainly do with a pick-me-up following a 17-year barren spell, since winning the League Cup back in 2008. Both sides will, naturally, hope form goes out the window for this particular game, and they will be mainly cutting clips from the European exploits rather than their domestic delights. And yet, it will all most likely result in a Premier League-style encounter, with both sides looking for a high-tempo approach in what should be an electric atmosphere at San Mamés Stadium. United do have a strong squad to choose from – on paper at least – and they will be further buoyed by the fact that Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot and Leny Yoro are all back training. Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez are both missing, however. Spurs come into the game with three wins over United this season, which will certainly give them a major confidence boost, however, they have lost their last two games to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, which won't have helped preparations. Based on the season that both sides have experienced, this game could take a while to ignite, and rather than players lighting up the occasion, it might well come down to which side makes the least number of mistakes. So let's not expect too much in the entertainment stakes, with a scoreless bore draw after extra-time, at least, offering a thrilling penalty shoot-out. But there is always hope that an early goal could spark this tie into life and create one of those seven-goal type thrillers to end the season with a bang for both sides, and offer some welcome respite before returning to the reality of the Premier League on Sunday in their quest to hit forty.
