35 years of hurt...your top five low points

[masterwig]

For me a big one was that loss at Blackburn in the cup under Pearce.

Football was getting ever more expensive, the players who were being paid ever increasing amounts looked like they didn't give a shit, the top four looked entrenched and unassailable, we had no money to spend on decent players to even compete. We were stuck in mid-table nothingness. I'll be honest, I was half hoping we'd go down so we'd get the excitement of a promotion campaign. I was starting to fall out of love with football at that point. It was just boring and soulless. We had nothing to look forward to.

 

[mainestand]

All my worst moments and games have been covered, but my personal No1 lowest point turned out to be the Maine Rd derby, City 5 Ushited 1, because after that match when the 5000 rags were calling for fergiscum to be sacked, ushiteds board wanted to, but couldn't afford to sack him so they had to back him, giving him full control of the entire playing side of things, and they have been my worst nightmare until the fa cup semi final on the 16 April 2011.

 

[charliebigspuds]

1) Losing 5-0 to the rags, absolutely sickening and showed the massive gulf between the two clubs.
2) Losing to Notts County in the FA Cup back in the early 90's, the one when Gary Lund scored, I actually did physically sink to knees at the back of the stand and think I don't think I can do this any longer. I thought our name was on the cup that year!
3) The '81 replay, 9 years old and completely demoralised by it. Me and my Dad got home at around 3am and was met by my Mum, I burst into tears when I saw her and was still crying when she put me to bed. Over the past 30 years I've reminded her of her words as she put me to bed "never mind son, they'll soon be there again", I always told her she'd lied to me. After our win vrs Utd I went round and said to her "you were right Mum, it doesn't seem like 30 years!!"
4) Losing to Spurs in the FA Cup QF, when we invaded the pitch. I thought our name was on the cup that year, gutted!
5) Watching Steve Lomas taking the ball into the corner when I and most of the crowd knew we needed to score, my heart was sinking and there seemed fuck-all I could do as the daft cunts in charge and on the pitch had been fed duff information.

As we all now there are plenty more, TBH I could do a top 50!

 

[DenisLawBackHeel74]

1. Going down again despite beating Stoke 5-2 in 97/98, was at uni in Stoke at the time...took a while to live it down.

2. Season 95/96, when we only played well for 45 mins either in first or second half, low point was going 3 nil up against Newcastle at HT, only to draw 3 all since typically, we fell apart in second 45.

3. Not beating Liverpool and getting relegated that 95/96 season.

4. The Pearce management era, really felt like not renewing my SC.

5. That Carling cup semi defeat at the swamp, being locked in the ground for 20 mins or so at the end and those cunts who stayed and taunted us with their rag songs

 

[JohnMaddocksAxe]

Those two cup quarter final defeats under Pearce, West Ham and Blackburn, were bad ones.

They felt like proper kicks in the teeth and rubber stamping that it was never going to happen. A bit of hope and both wasted in gutless fashion.

Samaras seeking out Tugay to shake his hand as he was being subbed after the geriatric had just took the piss and Samaras hadn't had a kick (as usual). Meanwhile, City fans were all seething at the spineless effort.

And I really liked Sun Jihai's attitude but I couldn't believe it when he gave that West Ham player a smack. It was right in front of me and I was seething. There was no need for it at all. Mental stuff from someone who didn't really do that and in what felt like a massive match. I was telling everyone that he should never play for us again after that. But I liked the bloke really.

 

[Kennedy_probably_has]

I can't do 35 years as I'm 28 but ones I remember were:

West Ham in the quarter final a few years back (2006 I think). I thought we'd never have a better chance than that and we were shocking that night.

V Watford on a Monday night under Stuart Pearce. We drew 0.0, worst game I have ever seen.

The relegation under Alan Ball

The 5.0 at Old Trafford

Howard Kendall leaving to go to Everton bloody hurt as well!

 

[Macc]

Luton
0-2 Gillingham

 

[OnlyOneUweRosler]

Which game was it when Andy Dibble cried at the end of the game? Or am I completely making this up? I seem to remember it happening, my Dad took me in the North Stand and I must've been about 5 or 6 years old.

Dibble was one of the worst keepers we've ever had. Only one who was worse was Immel. Weaver was great in Division 2 and 1, but crap in the premiership and never did much after that

 

[JGL07]

1. Having the main derby fixture against Macclesfield in 1998-1999 as City were in a lower division than Oldham, Stockport, Bolton, Bury, and even Crewe!

2. Being robbed by a dubious penalty at Old Trafford in 1996 after leading at half time in an FA Cup tie.

3. Losing 3-2 to United after leading 2-0 with two Niall Quinn goals around 1993.

4. David Pleat's dance.

5. Tactical ineptitude at the end of the season against Liverpool that cost relegation in 1996 by taking the ball into the corner when 2-2. Another goal would have averted relegation.

Some other moments come to mind earlier than the 35 year period.

1. Going to a match at Wolverhampton v Aston Villa on Boxing day in 1964 and seeing David Wagstaffe turn out for Wolves having signed earlier that day for £40,000.

2. A 4-0 home defeat by Grimsby in 1964-65 with Roy Gratrix abysmal at centre-half.

3. An FA Cup defeat at Shrewsbury around 1965.

4. The lowest ever league attendance at Maine Road of 8,015 against Swindon in 1965. There was an even lower attendance against Middlesbrough in the League Cup the same season.

5. Watching the 1968 European Cup Final at Wembley (with tickets purchased from Benfica) at Eusebio missed a sitter in the last minute when 1-1 with United going on to win 4-1 in extra time.

 

[bridgeblue]

Luton relegation
Spurs 81
Stoke relegation
Rags 0-5
York city 1-2 The lowest we have ever been as a club, thought we might go down again after that game.