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Rickie Lambert retires


Maggie May

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He came to my sons football presentation at Compton and stayed for hours talking, photos and was an absolute gent...that reminds me he still owes me for the pint I bought him..I'll let that go after all the pleasure he gave me watching him score for us.

Its stupid that a man of 58 feels sad over a footballer retiring but he was our talisman through the dark times and echo all the sentiments above.

 

Come back Minty great post.

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So many of those goals, headers notwithstanding, have a touch of the MLTs about them. The same opening out of the body before shooting, the nonchalant drop of the shoulder, the clever feint/dummy and the striking through the ball from distance. They could almost be peas in a pod, and is testament to how good a player RL was.

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So many of those goals, headers notwithstanding, have a touch of the MLTs about them. The same opening out of the body before shooting, the nonchalant drop of the shoulder, the clever feint/dummy and the striking through the ball from distance. They could almost be peas in a pod, and is testament to how good a player RL was.

 

same lack of pace and love of junk food to...:D

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So many of those goals, headers notwithstanding, have a touch of the MLTs about them. The same opening out of the body before shooting, the nonchalant drop of the shoulder, the clever feint/dummy and the striking through the ball from distance. They could almost be peas in a pod, and is testament to how good a player RL was.

 

I really do feel that Rickie still has a role with us. Not a permanent position, but as an occasional goalscoring tutor to all our players, and at all levels. Rickie has a lifetime of experience, training tips and personal footballing techniques that are invaluable.

 

Whyever not?

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A complete player. Utterly lethal in front of goal but don't overlook his link up play and assists. For a striker he was pretty generous, but then when you know the man and see his statement it's exactly what you'd expect. The highlight reel shows he scored all sorts of goals and of the pens I think there's only one wear a goalie gets a piece of it. So much power.

Easily my favourite time going to games - up there with the mid 80s teams and he was a huge part of it.

 

Favourite goals? Against the skates in the FA Cup watching with the old man in the Northam front row, the years rolled away (from my Dad) and it was likely he was 20 again standing with the docker's choir at The Dell.

Thing is he scored so many they all blur into one. First game back in the Prem was great but it was the getting there where he was truly vital. Those two late goals against Millwall were pivotal (bit like Forte against MK) and marked when I truly believed we'd get promoted.

 

I've got a dent in my ceiling from when he scored against Scotland, that was probably the proudest I've ever been as a Saints fan. Ran on, first touch, boom, and against the Auld Enemy. Roy of the Rovers wouldn't run a storyline like that.

 

Legend for all time, this generation's Le Tiss, Channon, Paine, Davies...

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Other than MLT, absolutely my favourite player we've had in my lifetime. A gent, a hero, and a guy that genuinely loved Saints and football in general. He epitomised what we were about as we rose up the league and took on the Prem.

 

Perfect summary, we won't see his likes again.

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First post in years but if anyone deserves it, Rickie does.

 

As well as all the obvious goals and link-up play we all fondly remember (that we so badly miss at present!), for me Lambert's debut England goal will never be forgotten because it was the night my Dad passed away.

 

Dad loved Lambert and was chuffed when he got the call-up. He had grown somewhat tired of football as his condition progressed and although he looked up results and skim-read the Daily Echo reports with what he had left of his eyesight, he no longer listened to much radio commentary and certainly never watched any games or highlights on television anymore. He had been in a nursing home for several years by now but we talked about football every time i visited and he would have banter with the nursing home staff who were football fans, especially one scouser!

 

I'll never know if Dad had followed the game that night but I like to think that, having seen or heard his favourite Saints player for many generations score on his England debut against Scotland, there wasn't much else to hang around for! He passed away peacefully early the next morning.

 

Dad had grown tired of the money and politics in football, but in Lambert he just saw a lad who loved to play, who gave his all, and who was genuinely grateful for the opportunity life, and football, had granted him. It was an all-too-rare glimpse of how football and footballers *should* be, in his eyes. And who could argue with that?

 

Rickie's statement just typifies that attitude and if it's possible, I think I love him a little bit more now.

 

On behalf of my Dad, thanks Rickie.

 

Minty

 

Great Post. Rickie gets emotional about that game too!

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He came to my sons football presentation at Compton and stayed for hours talking, photos and was an absolute gent...that reminds me he still owes me for the pint I bought him..I'll let that go after all the pleasure he gave me watching him score for us.

Its stupid that a man of 58 feels sad over a footballer retiring but he was our talisman through the dark times and echo all the sentiments above.

 

Come back Minty great post.

 

They weren’t dark times they were great times. Like many I loved that era far more than nowadays.

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Really enjoyed watching that one thing I noticed though was just how many saints players were in and around the Lambert in a lot of those goals from open play we just used to flood the opposition box with bodies complete contrast to todays team...

 

Soccer Saturday did a piece on Watford last Saturday and it was evident how they do the same this season.

 

4 or 5 players in the box when the wide player crosses the into the box.

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Echo pretty much all the thoughts on here...total legend...just a pity he didn't resist the call to Pool. Would love to see him back at SMS even just to watch a game in the Directors box...would be a big boost.

 

One thing I thought about his pens...someone had to create all of those...someone had to be mobile in the box to get the pen awarded. Who the heck is doing that now since Mane left? The answer is no-one most of the time...certainly not Redmond.

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All his Saints goals.

 

 

"....you do not keep out a Rickie Lambert penalty...."

 

One of my all time favourite pieces of football commentary.

 

Loved watching those goals again, funny how despite being there for most of them only a few seem to stand out in the memory. That cross to Lambert at the back post tactic worked a charm so many times.

 

Our "free kick specialist" could learn a thing or too from SRL.

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The other thing is when he arrived we gave him (or did he ask for?) the number 7 shirt. Such a statement of intent, very brave of him to take it on but indicative of his new approach to football. You really do get the impression that we were a match made in heaven - he needed the discipline and training to go to the next level and we made each other's dreams come true. Serendipity is the word I think. I mean, we got that song going pretty quickly more in hope than belief and I'm sure a lot of us never expected the first verse to change a couple of seasons later. We're living in a world of massive and rapid change at the moment but to go from Rochdale on a miserable Tuesday night (we lost) to England in the time he did and at the age he was is just an utter fairytale.

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The other thing is when he arrived we gave him (or did he ask for?) the number 7 shirt. Such a statement of intent, very brave of him to take it on but indicative of his new approach to football. You really do get the impression that we were a match made in heaven - he needed the discipline and training to go to the next level and we made each other's dreams come true. Serendipity is the word I think. I mean, we got that song going pretty quickly more in hope than belief and I'm sure a lot of us never expected the first verse to change a couple of seasons later. We're living in a world of massive and rapid change at the moment but to go from Rochdale on a miserable Tuesday night (we lost) to England in the time he did and at the age he was is just an utter fairytale.

 

Exactly. The 2013-14 FA Cup could have capped it all of dramatically too the way the media use Leicester's league title in Vardy's rags to riches story.

 

But that Sunderland game is another completely different story then eh :lol::lol:

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First post in years but if anyone deserves it, Rickie does.

 

As well as all the obvious goals and link-up play we all fondly remember (that we so badly miss at present!), for me Lambert's debut England goal will never be forgotten because it was the night my Dad passed away.

 

Dad loved Lambert and was chuffed when he got the call-up. He had grown somewhat tired of football as his condition progressed and although he looked up results and skim-read the Daily Echo reports with what he had left of his eyesight, he no longer listened to much radio commentary and certainly never watched any games or highlights on television anymore. He had been in a nursing home for several years by now but we talked about football every time i visited and he would have banter with the nursing home staff who were football fans, especially one scouser!

 

I'll never know if Dad had followed the game that night but I like to think that, having seen or heard his favourite Saints player for many generations score on his England debut against Scotland, there wasn't much else to hang around for! He passed away peacefully early the next morning.

 

Dad had grown tired of the money and politics in football, but in Lambert he just saw a lad who loved to play, who gave his all, and who was genuinely grateful for the opportunity life, and football, had granted him. It was an all-too-rare glimpse of how football and footballers *should* be, in his eyes. And who could argue with that?

 

Rickie's statement just typifies that attitude and if it's possible, I think I love him a little bit more now.

 

On behalf of my Dad, thanks Rickie.

 

Minty

 

wow, great post, thanks for sharing this, got me quite emotional.

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Thanks for sharing that, it brought tears to my eyes. It's sad to realise that players like him are very rare in the overpaid, overhyped world of Premier League.

 

A proper footballer.

 

Me too. Just reading that in my head in a Rickie accent, imagining him saying it on video, brings a lump to my throat.

Quality. Get him in, before someone does. He's an inspiration.

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First post in years but if anyone deserves it, Rickie does.

 

As well as all the obvious goals and link-up play we all fondly remember (that we so badly miss at present!), for me Lambert's debut England goal will never be forgotten because it was the night my Dad passed away.

 

Dad loved Lambert and was chuffed when he got the call-up. He had grown somewhat tired of football as his condition progressed and although he looked up results and skim-read the Daily Echo reports with what he had left of his eyesight, he no longer listened to much radio commentary and certainly never watched any games or highlights on television anymore. He had been in a nursing home for several years by now but we talked about football every time i visited and he would have banter with the nursing home staff who were football fans, especially one scouser!

 

I'll never know if Dad had followed the game that night but I like to think that, having seen or heard his favourite Saints player for many generations score on his England debut against Scotland, there wasn't much else to hang around for! He passed away peacefully early the next morning.

 

Dad had grown tired of the money and politics in football, but in Lambert he just saw a lad who loved to play, who gave his all, and who was genuinely grateful for the opportunity life, and football, had granted him. It was an all-too-rare glimpse of how football and footballers *should* be, in his eyes. And who could argue with that?

 

Rickie's statement just typifies that attitude and if it's possible, I think I love him a little bit more now.

 

On behalf of my Dad, thanks Rickie.

 

Minty

 

Just seen this. What a very generous post.

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Rickie is a proper SFC legend. Most of Channon's career was before my time so only MLT would go above Rickie for me in my time as a supporter. Like MLT, he always seemed to pop up with goals when SFC most needed them and his career story and our rise back through the leagues resonated. Plenty of spectacular goals, free kicks and pens. Never thought he'd miss from the spot.

 

Shame he went to Liverpool and his back got worse by not playing. Would love him back in the current side in his prime, could link players together so well and unlike many of our current squad had a football brain.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In an interview today in the Sunday Times, Vidic (Manure) claimed that he only ever came across one dirty player - which was our Rickie who left

Vidic's face 'a mess of blood' in his final game in 2014.

 

Bectcha there was good reason for that .

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