Sat watching Spain emerge as the true winners of Euro 2008 I couldn`t but help smile.
There I was watching a team that had enthralled us all doing the tournament finally emerge victorious after being so disappointing so many times.
Spain and failure have gone hand in hand in recent years.
As a typical example, just go back less than two years when the winners of Euro 2008 were subjected to a mauling by none other than Northern Ireland, in the qualifying campaign.
That night, the un-fancied Ireland team beat Spain 3-2 courtesy of a hat trick from our very own David Healy.
At the managerial helm at Windsor Park that night was a certain Lawrie Sanchez, a Lawrie Sanchez who was on a high, a Lawrie Sanchez who had taken Northern Ireland to the brink of the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland.
The rest is history. Mr Al Fayed tempted Lawrie to Craven Cottage, things didn`t go as planned and Lawrie, to this day, remains on the old rock and roll.
It`s a fact that Sanchez, speaking after the final, remarked upon when he commented about that night and his quest to get back into football.
‘I am trying to see where I can get back into football, but there is nothing in the pipeline at the moment.”
‘Beating Spain was certainly one of the highlights of my managerial career and a special night for everyone involved.”
‘David was unbelievable. But the rest of the team contributed as well, and the fans played a massive part. I thought we thoroughly deserved our victory.’
Often people will insist they have no regrets when it comes to decisions made in their lives, I wonder if Lawrie has any regrets about leaving the Irish post to come to Craven Cottage?
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