Cantona at Selhurst 30 years on

The Brown Bull

It's Coming Home.
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Got a shock this morning looking at news and saw it was 30 years since Eric's most famous (infamous) red card at Selhurst Park.
I always thought United were treated differently to every other club but that incident confirmed it.The uproar and outrage that followed this incident really exposed the ABU mob.
It also United us Reds like nothing before or since.
Always thought it was a shame we fell just short, two goals short, of doing the double that year! I think there would have been mass suicides if we did!
Be interesting to hear other Reds memories. One of mine was of having a quiet pint in a Dublin pub and listening to two old lads conversation.One of them reading a tabloid that revealed at one stage Eric's family lived , as a lot of people did in a cave outside Marseille.
' That explains it ' he said to his mate ' Cantona, he's a bleedin' cave man'.
 
I remember listening to 5 live radio and thought they were just being hysterical and making more of it. But if I remember correctly it was at night, midweek maybe game and I could watch it later on BBC who I think had a midweek roundup (was it sports night?).

Couldn’t believe it.
 
Mental it's 30 years ago. Brother was listening to it on 5Live and shouted down to me that Eric had been sent off and then attacked a fan.


Simmons claim as to what he said or claimed what he was actaully doing is beyond hilarious.

"Off you go Cantona, it's an early bath for you."
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Think he also claimed be just happend to be on his way to the toilets at the same time.
 
Fr. Todd Unctious said:
Mental it's 30 years ago. Brother was listening to it on 5Live and shouted down to me that Eric had been sent off and then attacked a fan.


Simmons claim as to what he said or claimed what he was actaully doing is beyond hilarious.




Think he also claimed be just happend to be on his way to the toilets at the same time.
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Didn't he meet with an early demise?
 
Chumpsbechumps said:
I remember listening to 5 live radio and thought they were just being hysterical and making more of it. But if I remember correctly it was at night, midweek maybe game and I could watch it later on BBC who I think had a midweek roundup (was it sports night?).

Couldn’t believe it.
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It was a midweek game.If I'm not mistaken it was the game after we had a big win at OT, beating league leaders Blackburn 1-0 .Eric with the late goal to win it. I've no doubt that we won have won the title again but for the sending off.
 
Never change Eric we feckin adore you!

'Cantona has never expressed regret over the incident. In a recent interview with a reputable source, he remarked that his only regret was that he didn’t kick harder. “I didn’t hit him hard enough. I should have kicked harder'
 
Chumpsbechumps said:
I remember listening to 5 live radio and thought they were just being hysterical and making more of it. But if I remember correctly it was at night, midweek maybe game and I could watch it later on BBC who I think had a midweek roundup (was it sports night?).

Couldn’t believe it.
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Same for me - 5 live then Sportsnight. Those were the days!
 
The Brown Bull said:
It was a midweek game.If I'm not mistaken it was the game after we had a big win at OT, beating league leaders Blackburn 1-0 .Eric with the late goal to win it. I've no doubt that we won have won the title again but for the sending off.
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It was and I agree we would, probably fairly comfortably.

The following season in the run-in, Cantona was absolutely incredible - I think my favourite individual season from a footballer I've seen. I'm sure from January we won about 6 games 1-0 in all comps where he got the winner.
 
Always liked the rest of the team charging over. That iteration will always be my favourite Fergie team despite success later teams had.
 
Go on Eric, flying kick racism out of football.
 
duffer said:
What did the palace fan actually say?
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Simmons claimed he had shouted: "Off! Off! Off! It's an early bath for you, Mr Cantona!" during his trial in May 1996.

The footballer though gave a very different version of events. He said that the fan chanted: "F*** off back to France you French bastard" whilst also calling his mother a "French whore".
 
Rood said:
Simmons claimed he had shouted: "Off! Off! Off! It's an early bath for you, Mr Cantona!" during his trial in May 1996.

The footballer though gave a very different version of events. He said that the fan chanted: "F*** off back to France you French bastard" whilst also calling his mother a "French whore".
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Can totally see a rabid fan saying 'Mr. Cantona' in those circumstances
 
I remember listening to it on radio 5 Live and I'm pretty sure it was the leading story on the news channels that night.

The Jonathan Pearce radio commentary for Capital is worth listening to. The baseline pitch of outrage in his voice at the red card means that when the kung-fu kick happens his voice goes to a whole new level

 
dcrompton said:
I remember listening to it on radio 5 Live and I'm pretty sure it was the leading story on the news channels that night.

The Jonathan Pearce radio commentary for Capital is worth listening to. The baseline pitch of outrage in his voice at the red card means that when the kung-fu kick happens his voice goes to a whole new level

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Calling for an immediate permanent ban without the context of what the fan may have said :lol:

Pretty mental thing to do, incidentally was he banned for longer than what the racist footballers get these days?
 
Chumpsbechumps said:
I remember listening to 5 live radio and thought they were just being hysterical and making more of it. But if I remember correctly it was at night, midweek maybe game and I could watch it later on BBC who I think had a midweek roundup (was it sports night?).

Couldn’t believe it.
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It definitely was a weekday evening match, but the highlights were on that same night. I remember watching absolutely open mouthed with my mate.
 
Think it was a Tuesday night. We had just beaten Blackburn at OT with a goal Cantona scored from a Giggs cross, and had just signed Cole. Things were looking very promising. It’s very likely that if Cantona hadn’t flipped that night, we’d have ended up with five titles in a row, and he’d have six out of six in total.
 
The Brown Bull said:
The uproar and outrage that followed this incident really exposed the ABU mob.
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That’s a really weird take. Something happened that was incomparable to anything I, and I’d assume, most fans, had ever seen. And it was right at the explosion of the Premier League.

What are your comparators you are using to suggest that if this had happened to a high profile foreign player (yes that mattered to the tabloids) from another big team, that the response would have been different?
 
Always remember someone chucking a brew over Schmeichel as he was sheperding Eric off the pitch.
 
NicolaSacco said:
It definitely was a weekday evening match, but the highlights were on that same night. I remember watching absolutely open mouthed with my mate.
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Yep, I vividly remember me upstairs doing my homework and my Dad calling me downstairs to see
 
NicolaSacco said:
That’s a really weird take. Something happened that was incomparable to anything I, and I’d assume, most fans, had ever seen. And it was right at the explosion of the Premier League.

What are your comparators you are using to suggest that if this had happened to a high profile foreign player (yes that mattered to the tabloids) from another big team, that the response would have been different?
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Do you recall that time?
 
Yes, I remember dipping in and out of the 5 Live commentary in between homework and I recall the commentator at the end saying something like the game won't be remembered for the result but rather for the actions of Eric Cantona, and the there will surely be big repercussions for him and the club, and I was thinking "what the f**k has he done?!"

I remember I did a project in English class the following week analysing the newspaper coverage of the incident.

There was one article in one of the Irish tabloids with a United fan wearing a Cantona shirt, but saying he'll no longer support the club after what Eric had done, and a lot of other reds will do the same!

In my project I said that was a load of bollocks, but a bit more eloquently than that!
 
Oscar Bonavena said:
Yes, I remember dipping in and out of the 5 Live commentary in between homework and I recall the commentator at the end saying something like the game won't be remembered for the result but rather for the actions of Eric Cantona, and the there will surely be big repercussions for him and the club, and I was thinking "what the f**k has he done?!"

I remember I did a project in English class the following week analysing the newspaper coverage of the incident.

There was one article in one of the Irish tabloids with a United fan wearing a Cantona shirt, but saying he'll no longer support the club after what Eric had done, and a lot of other reds will do the same!

In my project I said that was a load of bollocks, but a bit more eloquently than that!
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Good for you!
I remember listening on 5 Live and thinking the commentator was OTT.
 
The Brown Bull said:
"Fcuk off back to France you motherfcuker" or something like that.
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Didn’t he claim in court he said “Get off you naughty Frenchman go and have an early bath”!

I’m sure there was also a story about him having a go at the judge as well.

EDIT just checked it he physically attacked the prosecutor and his claim was…
During the trial in May 1996, Matthew Simmons claimed he had shouted "Off! Off! Off! It's an early bath for you, Mr Cantona!" – the Frenchman having been dismissed for challenge on Palacedefender Richard Shaw.

Cantona's defence denied this version of events, claiming what Simmons had actually shouted, "F*** off back to France you French bastard", before dubbing the Manchester Unitedforward a "French animal" and his mother a "French whore".
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Remember The Word on channel 4? They actually knocked on Erics house door in the aftermath, expecting him to answer
 
The Boy said:
Didn’t he claim in court he said “Get off you naughty Frenchman go and have an early bath”!

I’m sure there was also a story about him having a go at the judge as well.

EDIT just checked it he physically attacked the prosecutor and his claim was…
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Yeah, pretty sure he ended up doing actual time so was punished worse.
 
My memory was of the following day, I was a student in Manchester and went to Old Trafford to do the official tour…. The place was swarming with media of course, it was crazy. Even though it hindsight it makes absolutely no sense, part of me was hoping to see Eric or Fergie that day. Can’t believe it has been 30 years.

Highlight of the tour that day was suddenly seeing Ryan Giggs in the stands, he was showing someone around. Aside from seeing Paul Parker in Manchester city centre one day, id never seen a player “in the wild” before. Anyway, that’s my personal memory when I think back to that incident.
 
Chumpsbechumps said:
I remember listening to 5 live radio and thought they were just being hysterical and making more of it. But if I remember correctly it was at night, midweek maybe game and I could watch it later on BBC who I think had a midweek roundup (was it sports night?).

Couldn’t believe it.
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Same here was listening to it on 5 live Radio. Jonathan Pearce and co couldn't hold back on the glee they had in their voices knowing United's key player was in for a long suspension. Thankfully Ferguson convinced Cantona to stay on for another few seasons and win the double in 1996 and league title in 1997.
 
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