Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (February 9th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, please post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!
On this day in 1964 - Barca coach Valverde was born
As a player, Valverde amassed La Liga totals of 264 games and 68 goals over ten seasons, adding 55 matches and nine goals in Segunda División. He played for six teams in a 14-year professional career, including Espanyol, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.
Valverde began his career as a manager in the youth departments of former club Athletic Bilbao. Four years later he became a co-trainer in the main squad and, in 2002, he again acted as head coach when he took over the B-side, being promoted to first-team duties the following year; in 2003–04, they finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
On 28 May 2008, Valverde was appointed coach at Superleague Greece club Olympiacos FC, winning the championship in his debut campaign and adding the cup for the double. Villarreal CF announced that Valverde would succeed Manuel Pellegrini on a one-year deal, after the Chilean had left for Real Madrid in June of 2009, but he returned to Olympiacos in 2010. And after six months in Valencia, Valverde was back to Athletic Bilbao, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in his first year whilst also reaching the final of the 2015 Spanish Cup.
On 29 May 2017, Valverde replaced Luis Enrique as the new Barcelona manager. His spell began with a defeat as rivals Real Madrid won both legs of the Spanish Supercup at the season's outset. However, the team then went on a 29-match unbeaten run in all competitions from 20 August 2017 until 17 January 2018, when they lost to Espanyol in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup (also the club's first defeat at the RCDE Stadium, home of their neighbours, since its 2009 opening); they recovered to progress in that tie as part of another sequence of 15 matches without defeat, before a loss to A.S. Roma in the last-eight stage of the UEFA Champions League on 10 April, with the final 3–0 meaning the Italians progressed on the away goals rule.
On this day in 1978 - Milan boss Gattuso was born
As a player, he mainly played in the centre as a defensive midfielder, although he was also capable of playing on the wing. Although he initially played for smaller Italian clubs Perugia and Salernitana, as well as Scottish club Rangers, he is mostly remembered for his time with Milan in Serie A, where he won the Champions League, in 2002–03 and 2006–07, the Coppa Italia in 2002–03, and also the Serie A title in 2003–04 and 2010–11. In addition to these titles, he also won two Italian Supercups, two UEFA Supercups, and a FIFA Club World Cup. At international level, he represented the Italy national football team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, three FIFA World Cups, two UEFA European Championships, and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Gattuso's talismanic midfield partnership with playmaker Andrea Pirlo, both at club and international level, played a key role in Italy's World Cup victory in 2006, as well as Milan's domestic, European, and international successes during the mid-2000s. In addition to his ball-winning abilities, Gattuso was also renowned for his competitive nature and leadership qualities throughout his career, often wearing the captain's armband for Milan following Paolo Maldini's retirement.
Gattuso's managerial career began as player-manager of his final club, Sion of the Swiss Super League, and he also had short spells in charge of Palermo and OFI Crete. In June 2016, he led Pisa to Serie B promotion. Now he is current manager of Milan.
On this day in 2014 - Man Utd put a record breaking 81 crosses
Manchester United came from behind before conceding a stoppage time equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Fulham.
It was a back to the walls performance by Rene Meulensteen's Fulham, somehow picking up a priceless point at Old Trafford.
Man Utd produced a ridiculous amount of crosses during the nervous draw under David Moyes.
They totalled a staggering 81 crosses during the costly result in the race for 4th of that season.
On this day in 2009 - Scolari was sacked as Chelsea manager
Scolari took over as manager of Chelsea on 1 July 2008. This was announced shortly after Portugal's Euro 2008 match against the Czech Republic on 11 June.
Under Scolari, Chelsea had the biggest away win of the club in five years in which Chelsea won 5–0 at the Riverside Stadium in October 2008. It was also the club's biggest win ever at Middlesbrough.
Scolari was sacked as Chelsea manager on 9 February 2009 after a run of poor form culminating in a 2–0 defeat at Liverpool followed by frustrating 0–0 home draw with Hull City. The club's stated reason for his removal was that "the results and performances of the team appeared to be deteriorating at a key time in the season". Scolari's replacement at Chelsea for the remainder of the 2008–09 season was Dutch manager Guus Hiddink, who simultaneously managed the Russian national team.
On this day in 1979 - Meet The Million-Pound Man
On 9 February 1979, Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough introduced the press to his newest signing, English striker Trevor Francis--the first player in England to break the £1 million barrier. Clough added to the spectacle by showing up at the press conference in a bright red leather jacket with his squash racket in hand.
When Clough signed Francis from Birmingham City, he was careful to set the transfer fee at £999,999 in order to prevent the "million-pound" mark from going to the striker's head. But taxes pushed the total fee over £1.1 million, more than doubling the previous record of £495,000, paid by Manchester United to Middlesbrough for defender Gordon McQueen in February 1978.
With Francis in the side, Forest lost only one league match for the remainder of the season, finishing second in the Division One table, and won the League Cup. The crown jewel in their season, however, was their 1-0 win over Swedish side Malmö in the 1979 European Cup Final, with Francis heading in the winning goal.
That proved to be the highlight of Francis' career. Injuries hampered his time at Forest, preventing him from playing in their win in the 1980 European Cup Final, and he moved to Manchester City in 1981 for £1.2 million.
On this day in 2010 - The first woman referee appeared in an English Football League match
On 9 February 2010, Amy Fearn became the first woman to referee an English Football League match when she took charge of the last 20 minutes of Coventry City's contest against Nottingham Forest.
Fearn had worked League matches as a referee's assistant since 2006. And she was again filling that role for the Coventry-Forest match when, with 20 minutes left, the match's originally-assigned referee, Tony Bates, left the pitch with a leg injury. Fearn then took the whistle and her place in history.
The match ended as a 1-0 win for Coventry. Although Fearn heard a few taunts, she shrugged them off, saying afterward "I just laugh and take it with a pinch of salt." Coventry striker Clinton Morrison praised Fearn, saying "There was no dissent when she was in charge and no bad language. It would have been interesting if there had been any controversy but there wasn’t because she did a very good job. There is only one thing that matters about the person in charge and that is how good a referee they are."
