The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 2 (England and Scotland)

Working here on the assumption that to most readers these will be the most familiar goals, I’ll bow to your prior comprehension and suggest that if you’ve already seen and made your own judgments of these, you might want to skip over this section.

Compilations

There are many of these indeed.  Here are some I found useful and entertaining.

Top 10–2008/09–Premier League–first round.  Best EPL goals from the months of August and September; all goals of high quality: Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal) vs. Bolton 9.20.08; Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) vs. Bolton 9/27/08; Matthew Taylor (Bolton) vs. Wigan 10.05.08; Stephen Gerrard (Liverpool) vs. Boro 8/23/08; Germaine Defoe (Portsmouth) vs. Everton 8.30.08; Geovanni (Hull) vs. Arsenal 8.16.08; Juliano Belletti (Chelsea) vs Boro 10.18.08; Gretar Steinsson (Bolton) vs. Stoke City 8.16.08; Amir Zaki (Wigan) vs. West Ham 8.16.08; Peter Crouch (Portsmouth) vs. Stoke City 10.05.08.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CrpZILEWhho&feature=related

2008 EPL top goals.  Includes memorable September goals from Robinho (Man City) vs. Chelsea 9.13.08; Seyi Olofinjana (Stoke City) (from a Rory Delap long throw) vs. Everton 9.14.08; Geovanni (Hull) v.s Arsenal 9.27.08; Luis Antonio Valencia (Wigan) vs. Man City 9.28.08; also Bellamy, Carvalho, Park, Kalou, Cousin, plus a couple of Bundesliga goals including some Diego (Werder Bremen) beauties, plus an oddly included final goal from Racing Club of Buenos Aires (why not?).
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xYgoHBBxyu4&feature=related

Premier League top 10 goals 2009 August-September goals from soccer a.m.:  stands out among among all this year’s top-ten clips if only for the oddity that it contains but nine goals: Denilson, Osman, Derbyshire, de Michele, Wright-Phillips, Owen, Bendtner, C.Evans…and now I too seem to have missed out another…watch, enjoy, but please don’t count!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=weIGVlm1-8E

and these four superb compilations superbly represent the superb goals of the season so far:
Superb Goals 08/09 Part I
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sj2oBTInU0I&feature=relatedhttp://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sj2oBTInU0I&feature=related
Part 2
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BpcTrOgY864&feature=related
Part 3
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fsVzPPG4aTs&feature=related
Part 4
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ONpcJwhBirE

Carling Cup

Well, didn’t one’s imaginary internal editor want something from the Carling Cup?  Anything to please.   But one said to oneself, no more than the one. And one thought of young Aaron Ramsey’s fine Carling Cup goal for Arsenal.  Then one said to oneself again: no, only the one.  How about this:

Carlos Tevez (Man Utd) vs. Blackburn (Carling Cup) 12.06.08 (The tic-tac-toc from Giggs & Anderson, finished off by a visibly animated Carlitos on his four-goal night after months of languishing unhappily in mothballs.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wcP8vNyMUvo

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo top ten goals 07/08. A compilation that remains astounding no matter how many times one  looks.  Still, perhaps the best summary of Ronaldo’s semi-mythic season of seemingly unending wonder-goals is contained in the top two comments I found on this You Tube video clip, last time I called it up– rendered here  verbatim, for their curious eloquence: “i hate him but i gotta admit that he is a great football player”; “he is an ars hole but u cant deny he has got bags of talent”. ( Er, sic–and amen to that.)  For a good exhibition of what came out of those bags during that famous season, see especially the last three goals on the video:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) vs. Portsmouth 1.30.08 (The free kick that probably did most to establish the legend.)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) vs. Bolton 3.19.08 (The backheel that stopped the world.)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) vs. Aston Villa 3.29.08 (The legend enhanced.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-GJetwg_nGs

Cristiano Ronaldo–from Dimitar Berbatov (Man Utd) vs. West Ham 10.29.08 (A new season here–and though the goal is our Ronnie’s, the miracle-work on the byline is all that of the sullen maestro Berbatov, who here proves himself a pure footballing genius even if he were never to take another touch: anyone who hasn’t yet seen this is not living on planet earth.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xxJ9wdXXbwY&feature=related

Scottish Premier League

Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic) vs. Rangers 4.16.08 (This swerving screamer from distance is Nakamura’s first Old Firm goal, and also a very strong contender for goal of the year.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lkeUNsCbJ1g&feature=related

Scott McDonald (Celtic) vs. Rangers 12.27.08  (McDonald wins the old firm derby in stirring fashion.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=m4pyAVbJaZo&feature=related

English Premier League

David Bentley (Tottenham) vs. Arsenal 10.29.08 (Wondrous–and wondrously lucky?– shot from over the rainbow, simply unforgettable once you’ve seen it–one memorable highlight from another dismal Spurs season.)
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1941068/david_bentley_goal_for_tottenham_vs_arsenal_on_29_10_08/
–and for better quality video, see also TV Golo goals-of-the-week clip for10/08/week 5: Bentley’s is first goal on clip:
http://www.tvgolo.com/best_goal_of_the_week.php?subaction=showfull&id=1225470027&archive=&start_from=&ucat=57&

Juliano Belletti (Chelsea) vs. Tottenham  1.12.08 (A scorcher from outer space–surprises himself as well?)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-lTsCOZfbQg&feature=related

Kevin Nolan (Bolton) vs. Blackburn 1.15.08 (Amazing sidewinder on the full volley: Nolan isn’t supposed to be able to do this sort of thing, is he?)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N40wuZK6Et0&feature=PlayList&p=C14778CAA1B465BD&index=12

Fernando Torres (Liverpool)(3) vs. Middlesbrough 2.23.08 (This El Nino hat trick shows why he may be the finest striker in Europe –see especially the 2nd goal.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RG2_7ohR_ZY&feature=related

Kieran Richardson (Sunderland) vs. Newcastle 10.25.08 (Have you seen a better free kick this year?)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1699569/

Grant Leadbitter (Sunderland) vs. Arsenal 10.04.08 (In every way a wonder goal–timing, opposition, intangibles: the journeyman Leadbitter comes on late and scores this blinder from the spot where his dad’s ashes are buried, presumed fact thus once again outdistancing the weirdest fiction.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tfqTvTHGA8U&feature=related

Geovanni (Hull) vs. Arsenal 9.27.08 (Like the little girl with the curl, when he’s good he’s very very good.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1605226/

Geovanni (Hull) vs. Tottenham 10.5.08 (Another spinning scorcher from the dangerous Brazilian.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1634465/

Javier Garrido (Man City) vs. Liverpool  10.05.05 (Surprising free kick score from the unheralded City defender.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1631626/

Frank Lampard (Chelsea) vs. Hull 10.29.08 (A long, lovely and lethal Lampard chip–can  anyone do this better?)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pu1QEkeNg18

Peter Crouch (Portsmouth) vs. Stoke City 10.5.08 (Gobsmacking this–a Peter Crouch chilena.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1632080/

Matthew Taylor (Bolton) vs. West Ham 10.05.08 (Another Matt Taylor laser.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1631545/

Deco (Chelsea) vs. Bolton 12.06.08  (A pretty overhead kick from the veteran Brazilian/Portugese artisan.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EggJeeAYoRU&feature=related

Steed Malbranque (Sunderland) vs. Hull 12.20.08 (Super Slowhand Steed, lethal at this range.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1883884/

Robin van Persie (Arsenal) vs. Liverpool 12.21.08 (Great control, awesome technique, when he’s healthy no forward plays better textbook football.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1883884/

Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea) vs. West Brom 11.15.08 (Was it a shot? Are you having me on?)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Wli7Cz4A1OY&feature=related

Glen Johnson (Portsmouth) vs. Hull 11.22.08  (Click on second half highlights–see second goal–yes that’s really Glen Johnson.)
http://www.eplmatches.com/index.php/2008/11/22/portsmouth-vs-hull-highlights/

Robinho (Man City) vs. Arsenal 11.22.08  (So this is why they paid $25 m.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1791291/

Felipe Caicedo (Man City) vs. West Brom 12.21.08 (The longer and more surprising of Caicedo’s two great backheel goals in a ten-day period.)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1876055/

Rafael da Silva (Man utd) vs Arsenal  11.08.08 (Young Rafael’s belter: shock goal of the English domestic season?)  first clip is “raw” video shot from stand:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Y11hmA6Lt5A&feature=related
also see this clip from unlicensed webcam, capped tv, no sound:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ0zA-Mq3Lo&feature=related
and here’s one with Italian narration (“mama mia!… bellissimo!...spectacular!):
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1744304/

Wayne Rooney (08-09) (Part 1) (Sweet compilation of Wazza goals for United and England in the new season, with a music track that nicely fits the action: “hits you like a ton of bricks”.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OpnwfK1okGQ&feature=related

Wayne Rooney: he’s getting perfect. (The title of this video is almost justified by Rooney’s spectacular early season form:  a nice short montage of his Fall ’08  goals, plus a couple of near misses, showing he’s still a bit short of perfect.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4jXn14wgxoY&feature=related

The Delap Phenomenon–this season’s Ronaldo?  (with pseudo-Delaps)

With Ronaldo suddenly proving himself mortal after all in the new season, the most notable attacking phenomenon on the English scene, remarkably enough, was–and who would have believed it–an Irish journeyman plying his trade for newly-promoted and otherwise absolutely unremarkable Stoke City.  And what a trade it was.  Until  Rory Delap wore out his shoulder with all those devastating super-long laser-like throws on goal, he had the likes of David Moyes, Martin O’Neill and Arsene Wenger grinding their teeth and scratching their heads over ways and means of warding off harm from the Delap Bomb; which, due to its brilliant manipulation of a loophole in the offside rules, multiplied by Delap’s untoward ability, kept proving utterly impossible to defend against  (if not also–to some hidebound football purists–indefensible).  The following clips provide rare views, woolly analysis, and some curious evidence of the worldwide influence of this strangely refreshing if short-lived phenomenon, as well as some worrisome hints of its potential dangers for the children of all footballing nations. (Not that the long throw was new to football–most recently J.J.Okocha is still remembered, as are the somersault throws of various Brazilians, not to mention Steve Watson–but nothing quite like what you will see here has ever happened before.)

It’s ironic proof, perhaps, of the deep strangeness of the Delap phenomenon, that no other EPL clips on the net–not even those of the golden Ronaldo–are more universally proscribed than Delap’s.  Believe it.  And treasure these rare gems then, accordingly; particularly the first two, available only in corner pockets such as these, while in the freshly-laundered annals of You Tube, Delap vs. Arsenal has already ceased to exist. (And hasten ye unto said clips, for at any moment, like so much Delappian-goal faery dust, they too may well soon vanish in the night.)

Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City) vs. Arsenal  11.01.08 (from Delap long throw: 1-0)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1723071/

Seyi Olofinjana (Stoke City) vs. Arsenal  11.01.08 (from Delap long throw: 2-0)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1723070/

Rory Delap–Stoke City re. Stoke City/Everton 9.14.08 (Fascinating highlights of multiple Delap throws-on-goal terrorizing Tim Howard and the Toffees in this thus-made-bizarre contest.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vvTS2wmnt3A&NR=1

Tribute to Rory Delap. (Highlights of Delap throws-on-goal vs. Villa, Everton, Sunderland,  Sept./Oct. 08.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=742KZspdgr0&feature=related

Leah/ Daiane (brasil) v Mexico, Womens Under-20 WC 11.24.08 (With segue to unfortunate sub-16 pseudo-Delap.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdf_U5Wgds&feature=related

Saque de banda espectacular 11.08  (Quick glimpse of pseudo-Delap mini-catastrophe.)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UxcugR4jdXI&feature=related

Pseudo-Delap catastrophe: football throw-in to face (Pompey boys) (longer clip than the above, for context–1:20)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2ldlAI3bUTU

The Best Goals of 2008 – Navigation:

In Pursuit of the Elusive Perfect Goal: 2008
The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 1 (World Football)
The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 2 (England / Scotland)
The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 3 (Europe)
The Best Goals of 2008 – Part 4 (Americas)