Gary Sprake Interviewed by Eddie Gray 

2006

sprake was better than harvey , but dropped too many clangers and thats what he is always remembered for. eddie gray arse lickiing as usual , thats why he is still there.

Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton would have had exactly the same problem Sprake had and that was just trying to maintain your concentration for long parts of the game when he never saw the ball. Sprake used to get through a full bag of sweets in each half just trying to keep his focus. It was interesting that in the same year as Sprake dived over the ball against Chelsea, Banks did the same thing for England. With Sprake it was all another clanger from Sprake with Banks it was the pitch has more sand on it than Blackpool beach and he was anticipating the bounce. Very rarely does Sprake get a mention for the great saves he made that sometimes kept us in competitions. The year we won the cup we had Liverpool away, they got a corner late on that was only partially cleared Emlyn Hughes got on the end of it and hit a volley that Sprake had covered but it took a deflection and Sprake turned in mid air to tip it over the bar. The game was drawn and we won the replay and went on to win the cup. But all he gets remembered for are the clangers which very often happened in appalling conditions. The famous one against Liverpool the pitch was almost waterlogged and he had wet gloves, the Colchester game it was blowing a gale, the cup final for some reason they had allowed the Horse of the Year Show on it in the weeks preceding and there was more sand than grass on the pitch. Unfortunately for Sprake the mistakes he did make nearly always happened when we were on TV.

I remember one against Derby Frannie Lee got the ball at the half way line in front of the dugouts and he took a shot towards the Kop knowing that Harvey would not pick it up because he wore glasses and refused to wear contact lenses in games and sure enough it sailed over his head into the top corner. Lee had a huge grin on his face. Sprake tended to make his mistakes in bad weather Harvey's were in all conditions.

Mitigating circumstances for that Houseman cup final goal, the pitch was a disgrace, sand everywhere, which meant the ball didn’t.t bounce at all. If you watch Leeds first goal, the Chelsea defender on the line would normally have cleared it, but as it didn’t bounce it went under his boot.

@@gilbertsonlufc lol mitagating for both clubs yeh?

@@andisadler2897 indeed, but that being said, most journalists and commentators described it at the time as the most one-sided final ever, and didn’t understand how Leeds didn’t win

@@gilbertsonlufc In 1st game yes, Leeds deserved to win but that doesnt mean anything does it. Teams have to put chances away!. At Old Trafford Leeds gave up in Extra time in Replay, they knew they couldnt win so dont talk daft. Players were so tired and gave up. also chelsea knopcked Leeds out of the league cup also that season. Celtic knocked Leeds out of the european cup. so Leeds hated Teams beginning with C!. HAD CHANCE OF 4 TROPHIES, ENDED UP WITH NONE.