Chelsea FA Cup 1997

[fox766]

I remember listening to the game on the radio and was absolutely gutted  and then Danny Baker on radio 5 ranting on after the game as he was just appalled as we were and he got the sack the day after for it.

[sishades]

Marton O God on this night called Ken Bates a "Bearded Mooron".

[Dan LCFC]

 Danny Baker is absolutely brilliant.

[HighPeakFox]

38 minutes ago, Dan LCFC said:

 Danny Baker is absolutely brilliant.

He was trolling Spurs fans on Sunday too.

[kushiro]

Leicester City fan who took out the legal writ over THAT penalty against Chelsea in 1997

Supporter took out £20 claim that it cost the FA more than £33,000 to defend after most controversial FA Cup clash ever

 

By

Mark Clayton

15:08, 28 FEB 2018

 

Leicester City fan John Regan who took out the legal writ against the FA after the Chelsea FA Cup tie in 1997. PICTURE CHRIS GORDON

 

Leicester City fan John Regan has good reason to remember Leicester City’s FA Cup clash against Chelsea in 1997 – one of the most controversial games in the club’s history. The 65-year-old was at Stamford Bridge for the fifth round replay and, like the rest of the travelling Blue Army, was shocked when referee Mike Reed awarded a 117th-minute penalty as Chelsea’s Erland Johnsen dived in the box to win a penalty. Frank Leboeuf converted the penalty to dump City out of the FA Cup, but the resulting protest spread far beyond Leicester and even ended with questions to the then-Prime Minister John Major in the House of Commons while BBC radio presenter Danny Baker lost his job after an on-air rant about the decision.

 

Regan, then a 44-year-old leading salesman, was the City fan who lodged a legal writ with the courts claiming “shock, trauma and hurt” after needing two days off work to recover. The fan, who lives off Groby Road, in Leicester, and still travels to all home and away City games has now come forward to talk about events 21 years ago after City were drawn against Chelsea in this season’s quarter-final. He said: “I thought immediately the Chelsea player went down that it looked dodgy. Then when I saw it on TV later I just could not believe it. It was a disgraceful decision, I just could not believe it.”

 

The editor of the City fanzine Where’s The Money Gone? took a couple of days off work as afterwards to get over the “shock” and “hurt”. “I then overheard someone talking and saying wouldn’t it be great if we could sue the referee over his decision,” said John. “So, I went to the County Court in Leicester to lodge a writ and was told that I couldn’t sue the referee, it would have to be his employers. I paid £20 and lodged a writ for hurt and distress against the Football Association asking for compensation.”  The writ stated: “The first defendant (the referee) gave a penalty that was made negligently and in breach of his duty of care. As a professional referee he has a duty of care to those persons watching the match. “The plaintiff suffered trauma, shock and distress acknowledged by independent experts as negligent. The second defendant as employee of the first defendant is liable for the negligent acts of the first defendant.”

 

Regan was asking for £160 compensation – £100 for two days’ loss of earnings, £20 for his ticket, £20 for travelling and £20 costs for the court fee.

The response was huge after a Leicester Mercury front-page story, with John doing 44 interviews in two days for media organisations across the world.

Simon Grayson and Matt Elliott argue with referee Mike Reed after his controversial penalty award in the FA Cup game at Stamford Bridge in February 1997

John said: “I could not believe the response. I got this huge parcel from the FA with a whole load of details on the case, which was switched from Leicester to London.

 

“A date was set for the hearing, but the moment had passed. I wasn’t going to attend the hearing. I’m told that the FA spent £33,000 on legal fees and I only paid out a 20 quid to lodge the writ.” John is looking forward to the quarter-final clash at the King Power Stadium 21 years on and has no doubt how he would like to see it end. “I really hope City go through with a dodgy penalty in the final minutes of the game – that really would be some form of justice,” he said.

 

[Stadt]

Took two days of work, what a burger  

[burleighfox]

It was one incident that my old man always went on about, think that's why he never liked Chelsea as well the fact that my Mum's brothers supported them. Chelsea were always lamented at that time for introducing masses of foreign players to the English game and bringing their more shall we say, continental approach to the game with them.

[dynamark]

I remember a John Regan who used to lead the singing in the kop 1970s .Hes the right age top fella if its he 

[Mike the Metal Ed]

I found Spencer Prior cheering on Chelsea in a Champions League match a few years ago on Twitter, simply because they were the English team, and I just had to take him to task over it.

[Karljohn]

Was at the game, Lebouef squirted water at us as he walked down the tunnel at the end, all I can remember was O'Neill was fuming, absolutely seething, and we chased shadows most of the game but Erland Johnsen should have been banned for the dive. Utter cnuts him and Lebouef.

[worthosoriginals]

On 19/02/2018 at 11:37, Blue ROI said:

I found the cup final song they made that year far more offensive.

 

 

knees ap mavver brahn.

singalonga cockney shite

[Bluefoxtim]

On 19/02/2018 at 14:34, fox766 said:

I remember listening to the game on the radio and was absolutely gutted  and then Danny Baker on radio 5 ranting on after the game as he was just appalled as we were and he got the sack the day after for it.

Here's the radio clip in all its glory!

 

http://www.internettreehouse.co.uk/audio/reflamb.mp3

[fox766]

42 minutes ago, Bluefoxtim said:

Here's the radio clip in all its glory!

 

http://www.internettreehouse.co.uk/audio/reflamb.mp3

Cheers. Makes this cup even more of must win game listening to that again. Im sure he went on even further about it if I remember correctly. But after todays showing, us winning at the moment is probably not very likely. Thanks again

Edited 3 March 2018 by fox766

[kushiro]

Here's what Danny Baker says about it in book 2 of his life story, 'Going Off Alarming':

 

"I had recently been noisily fired from 606 for suggesting on air that appalling refereeing, and one referee in particular, was a constant threat to law and order
and should a mob one day decide to go to an official’s house with lighted torches and demand a sacrifice, I could totally understand their ire. In fact, I might support it. The fallout from this glorious tirade made the front or back pages of most newspapers and even the nine o’clock TV news. I will deal more fully with the various times I have been fired and re-hired a little later in these recollections".

 

So I presume he'll have more to say in volume 3, which I've just bought (hope it's as good as the first two).