I'm a United fan since 76. I remember this game so well. I'd never heard of Cunningham, Batson or Regis but the battered us. Embarrassing to hear the boos at the start but those boos were turned to gasps of excitement every time one of these 3 got the ball. My favourite ever United defeat! I will never forget the last goal. I wanted to be Cyril Regis after that. What they did for black players is underrated. Love them forever.
Same I've been supporting united since 1977 I remember this game as if it was yesterday It was on the big match that Bailly save Sammy McIlroy was so underrated
Gerald Sinstad was commentator, he couldnt really admit why Regis ,Cunningham and Batson were getting booed,, .. In the end when when we ripped them to shreds in the second half he almost said thats shoved it right up your racist backsides!!!! I was there that day and got to admit as we walked back to the train station i did have a great sense of pride with all the Albion fans, victory for attacking football and humanity....
I was there - as an Albion fan in the Stretford End ! We got there too late to get in the away end. Wouldn't be allowed now. We kept our colours hidden and celebrated when we got back to our car ! My only ever visit to Old Trafford, but what a day to remember. Still the best game I have ever seen.
I will NEVER forget that game. I was never a supporter of any of those two sides, but this was the match of the day in Norway back then and for us oldtimers this is concidered to be one of the very best ever shown from England. And I can tell you this - the games from England drew a LOT of attention in Norway in those days. To us it was almost a magical thing. Every saturday we were looking forward to the game, and we didn't know who was playing until just a couple of hours before kick-off.
Remember staying with partner’s grandparents in Denmark and was stunned to see live England division one football on tv a 15:00 on a Saturday which is still not allowed to this day in Uk. Grandparents were very keen followers.
im a spurs fan.. and i always show this to my lads football team on how to counter attack . regis and cunningham were in a class of there own. rip to both of them. respect....☹️
Atmosphere was "TOXIC" that day... Remember wondering how I was going to get back home...!!! Then when Cyrille got the 5th We just did not care!!!!! R.I.P Big Guy ... Legend ... Pioneer and total gentleman....
Big Cyril's goal so good I couldn't help clapping it like a demented seal! Ahh the good old days of Bomber Brown's moustache, the "Three Degrees" (sorry that's probably unPC now) and teams with home grown talent before we were over run by the bloody money men at Sky. Come on you Baggies!!!
One of my favorite United matches, even though they lost. I was like everybody else mesmerized by WBA. Cunningham and Regis ...wow they tore United to shreds. it was end to end attacking at its finest. walking home aged 13, thinking "what a game". I wasn't even upset that United had lost. Fond memories
I was a 13 year old West Brom fan,in the away end, behind the goal for that game.That 5th goal still brings a tear to my eye.Better than Carlos Albertos for Brazil.The finest West Brom side ever!
This West Brom team was probably the best team in Europe around this time. Every team they played back then, they ran them ragged. Sadly, if I remember correctly, that winter was quite a bad one and West Broms games were getting postponed a lot resulting in an end of season glut of games that was to much for them and they faded away, finishing, second or third. It was a great time to be a Baggies fan, although the decline that began with selling our best players and losing our manager Atkinson, ironically to Man Utd was painful. Until Leicester won the Premiership last season, I didn't think any mid sized club would win the league again, so we can all live in hope.
@@thomasandersen6719 they were incredibly unlucky not to win the league that season. The winter meant we were unable to play for a month while forest and liverpool could. Leading to all our fixtures to be congested
OOOHHH WHAT A GOOAAL!! Broms second goal by Cantello was superb. If Brazil scored that they would be banging on about it for years. Thanks for posting.
This was just another incredible football match combined with abysmal racism in the 70s, us kids we were spoiled with great games and yet appalled, sick and confused by the racism. At the time it seemed like even Mr. Nice from the Grocers down the road would reveal his true colours and transform into a model imbecile in a far-right paramilitary wing, hurling salvos of bananas onto the field at a game. Those 3 legendary black players for WBA were like Gods in the way they combined playing with consummate skill, and their smooth diplomatic handling of the appalling racist environment of football and those numbskull idiot racists. RIP Cyrille
The second goal by West Brom is still one of the goals ever I like best. Creativity, finesse and power. That Cantello finishes it by hammering it in just under the bar after the "front coloured people" embarrassinig of one of the greatest defenses of the time was the icing of the cake. Wonderful goal!
I remember coming back from a Killie game and hearing about the game on the radio. (Forerunner of 5 live) and then seeing it next day on the Big Match playing with my Xmas presents in front of a roaring fire and thought life couldn't get better. I was only 9 btw!
As a 40 yr old Man Utd fan, i well remember this result - amazing scoreline, and i remember that "what a goal" commentary on the last WBA goal so clearly in my head, it was amazing to hear it again for real in this clip.
The game that made me a life long WBA fan. Showed on Swedish "Tipsextra", I was eleven yours old completely taken in by their effort. Sent a snail mail letter to Mr Regis, and got his autographed photo in return. Still, watching the team, never met another Swedish fan.
I'm from Glasgow and can remember this WBA team as a 10 year old.Everybody around me in Glasgow supported Liverpool,Man u,Arsenal,Everton but for me it was WBA the way they took apart that Man u team will always be a big memory for me it was the attacking football they played with Cunningham,Regis sticking out.They were a team though and that 1 one of the greatest of their time you wonder what some of the players would be worth nowadays ordinary players go for 10 million now
RIP Cyrille and Laurie from a Man Utd fan! Pace, guile, class and an inspiration to the legions of young black boy's who grew up in the 70's and cherished the way you represented our community on the pitch in the face of racism and ignorance.
I was enjoying a great game of English football until Paul Warner here introduced the Racist Card! No racist comments here until you happened along Paul!
i was stood on the stretford end that day and saw a game of football like nothing i have seen today .ever since cunningham and regis blitzed man utd that day i have always had a soft spot for wba oh by the way the game was played on sat 30/12/1978 as everybody at the match will remember many thanks mark h (nufc)
I remember watching this match on a programme called The Big Match, I remember Cunningham being booed, I think back in the late 70's England certainly had the best club sides around.
The saddest part of Cyrille's career was he, so so deserved to score a goal in the 87 FA Cup Final. That, i think, would have been the icing on a fantastic cake. However, at least, he took part in the GREATEST FA Cup Final ever. The Lord's my shepherd.......and Regis the Star! God bless
I'm on here today to pay tribute to Gerald sinstadt r. i. p.. Superb commentary and one of the best football matches I've ever seen and Gary Bailey was awesome.. Laurie cunningham ripped utd to shreds and big cyrille was awesome... 43 years ago this game and what's changed not much as the booing of black players is still around... How sad is that.... Thanks for the memories Gerald and both teams for this magnificent game that will live on forever with real lovers of the beautiful game
i love Tony Brown wish he was in the WBA side now. such a g reat day for WBA we play the best football back then. even the liverpool fans commenting here agree :-D
Laurie Cunningham My First Hero. I Saw this Guy fly down the Wings at Brissie Road E10 What A Player what A Talent. He Scored a Goal away at Chelsea we Drew 1-1. One of the Best Goals i Ever saw . Thanks for The Memories Laurie A White Impressionable boy !! Wil Always remember 2 days of shock & sadness the day you left the O's and the day you left the World. The Black Pearl Sleep Well my Man
Thats when we had a TEAM a collection of individual talents who worked their socks off and competed. Just so pleased I witness this period of Glorious Albion........ apart from Laurie and Cyrille we had the legend Tony Brown
Laurie Cunningham was one of England's greatest players of all time. One of the most talented, exciting and gifted players to grace the game. RIP Laurie.
Its easy to forget that there were some very highly skilled players around back then. This game would be a sensation if it were played in the modern era, was there a bad goal amongst those I think not. The racism is sickening to witness and I was in the terraces myself back then and sadly saw Cyril Regis have hundreds of bananas thrown at him...disgraceful. Loved West Brom in that era played the game the way I love attack and more attack.
Boing boing! WOW that bought back memories. Incredible how people viewed "colour" players back then. But The Baggies were a great team till we were ripped apart when Big Ron left us for Utd. Great win though.
Came back to watch this after reading about the passing of the outstanding commentator Gerald Sinstadt. The abuse received by Cunningham at this time was a disgrace.
Gerald Sinsdat's commentary enhances this game no end. From highlighting the racist booing; "Albion trying to football their way out of trouble"; "if he keeps his head .. he'll score"; and, of course "what a goaalll!". It's perfect. RIP Gerald.
"One of the Coloured lads upfront" - Imagine saying that nowadays, We have come a long way, and it's good - Now, how about that pitch?, That was Old Trafford!, league 2 would be ashamed of it nowadays.
Gerald Sinstadt used the right term at the beginning he said black Atkinson was involved in another racist incident with Marcel Desailly he 's a strange man
Sadly I believe this was the last time the Baggies beat Man. Utd.Still i thank them for that 10 goal thriller in final game of 2012/13 season.Great display by Romelu Lukaku and a well deserved draw.
Ron Atkinson said that the bad winter of 1978/79 disrupted the teams form and that cost WBA the league title. I agree. WBA had a number games postponed early 1979 that caused a horrendus backlog of league fixtures. PLus they were in the UEFA Cup and FA Cup too. This team should have won a trophy or two.
Dude, Injuries were what wrecked his career at madrid nothing else. He had so much talent and class that similar to the 'original' Ronaldo, had it not been for those crippling injuries the paths to even more greatness would have been stupendous
Sexton's bizarre nomination of Coppell immediately forgotten as Big Ron salutes "one of the coloured frontpeople". Them was the days. Nice tache, Gerald, btw.
As a long-suffering West Brom fan (since 1974) I find myself looking at this for the umpteenth time. All three United goals were down to defensive mistakes. Bailey actually had a good game in the United goal. 8-0 would have been a fairer result. Godden, Batson, Statham, Robson, Cantello, the two Browns, Cunningham and the incomparable Cyril Regis. Some team. The only weakness was the centre of the defence and it definitely cost us a league title that year plus the weather which played havoc with the fixture list. The two 'managers' are hilarious at the end. How can Dave Sexton give Stevie Coppell 'man of the match'? He must have been on pretty strong medication. And Atkinson's comment "one of the coloured front people" says everything about the man and the period ...
Dear Connyabela Albion have one league title to their credit. If you refer to your football history stats, you will find that WBA recorded a number of highscoring wins v Man Utd from the late sixties through to the early eighties, tho none finer than the 5-3 win at Old Trafford.
Only knowing this game by reputation, I have to say I can understand the hype very well. Laurie Cunningham was years ahead of his time. The 2nd and 5th West brom goals are pure class.
I love how man utd fans also love this! Maybe its because they knew Ron was going there and taking Robbo, moses ( who was only in our youth team at this point). Laurie also played for United ( loan) did he play in a cup final?
As good as this team was. It never lasted long enough. And the club subsequently declined and ended up spending 16 years in the abyss. A real shame as it's taken us so long to get back. But it will still never be the same unfortunately.
This match made me a WBA supporter 30 years ago and I still is;-) I guess there are several swedish Tipsextra-viewers who have the same experience... Even today I think Cunningham is one of the greatest players ever. It's a pity his career was ended too soon.