So some 36 years after Tommy Smith inflected the tackle of the decade (infamous in Swan's folkore) against the recently minted Argentinian World Cup winning midfield player in a League Cup tie against Spurs, little Ossie gets to tee off against Lawro in this week's predictions (http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/29435443). True to form Lawro thinks we're going to tender a 1-1 draw to visiting Newcastle who apparently will stop being ****e for the first match this season and get a point to save Pardew's job. Ossie, bless his heart, thinks we're going take it 2-0. I'm sure his shorts still turn color when he thinks back to that cup tie against Spurs; but in my book he's called this correctly ..... or perhaps Tommy has once again looked in his general direction.
Smith's appalling tackle,(not the right word to describe it,more an assault),on the delightful player that Ardiles was,made Pintado's attack on Lily Savage seem like a lover's caress.
I don't think Tommy got carded for that tackle. I think he played the ball too, but just lined everything up so that the ball and Ardilles and his boots collided at the same time. In the black art of tackling, Tommy was a master. Ossie didn't play in the replay.
Curt comments on this episode in his book. Tommy's attitude was .... let's say very domestic oriented.
Industrial, even. Saw the predictions and can't help thinking Lawro has taken against us this season. If he'd got his predictions right so far we'd be 13th with 8 less points.
Yes - remember it well. Was standing on the North Bank that night and can still visualise Tommy homing in on his prey!
i was at that game, i was in the small standing enclosure on the south stand. it happened on the touchline near where i was standing, still have vivid memories of it. At the time i thought it was just a good robust well-timed tackle, but i'd see it different now. i certainly wouldn't want anything like that dished out to of any of our players. it doesn't matter whether ball is taken first, the intent was to follow through and put the man down, not part of the Swansea way