why we hate ...
... mark bosnich

Originally featured in MEHSTG Issue 10 - November 1999

There are few redeeming features of this ex-Manchester United and Aston Villa and now Manchester United goalkeeper which are worth mentioning. Like an obsequious MP who goes around kissing babies, Mark Bosnich seems to leave people in tears and in a rage in his wake.

Our particular case against the Aussie whinger has more merit than other clubs. For some reason, he seems to have it in for us, but this probably stems from his appearance at White Hart Lane when he slid into Jurgen Klinsmann, bringing him down in the box and getting away without conceding a penalty. He gave Jurgen some stick for diving and he got some back from the Spurs crowd. In the return game at Villa Park that season, he was lucky that on the same night Eric Cantona decided to flip and kung-fu his way into football infamy at Selhurst Park. In Tottenham’s match it was Klinsmann’s turn to flip (see above), courtesy of a cynical headlong rush from his line by Bosnich, that saw our German striker carried from the pitch on a stretcher. He was as lucky to get away without serious injury as Bosnich was to get away without serious punishment. His next flare-up came when Chris Armstrong was making his home debut. The player caught the keeper when he went for a 50-50 ball and Bos reacted angrily - surprise, surprise.

But the worst incident came the next season, when the crowd started to get onto Bosnich at White Hart Lane and sang “ Klinsmann Wonderland” and “One Aussie W****r”. He reacted in a completely bizarre way by doing a Nazi salute to the Paxton Road end (see right). Spurs fans around the ground did their nut and the linesman and the referee both took action by giving him a yellow card. His excuse that he was only doing a Basil Fawlty was misguided at the most innocent and ridiculously malicious at worst. Given a reprimand, he was at it again when he made gestures to the Everton crowd on the first day of the following season thus proving he can’t learn a lesson.

He was involved in a Sunday tabloid expose of his videoing of his and Dwight Yorke’s night of passion with a couple of girls, which was embarrassing for him. The fiasco about Bosnich wanting to leave Aston Villa on a Bosman left his own fans fuming and manager John Gregory saying that if he didn’t want to play for Villa he wouldn’t pick him. The subsequent transfer to Manchester United went through and he was spotted at a lap-dancing bar on the eve of his wedding, thumped a photographer and spent the night in a cell. His wedding made the headlines for all the wrong reasons - like much that he does on the pitch too.

Bosnich caught up in 
a web of lies

Having been left out of the Villa side towards the end of the season and then moving to Manchester United, the Red Devils found that they had a lardball of a keeper to replace the one they had just let go. His early season form saw Van Der Gouw come in and then Massimo Taibi. The slip that Taibi made against Southampton, where the ball went straight through him spoke volumes as Sir Alex would rather persist with him than the Aussie loudmouth, who’s move has turned into a nightmare. From joining the team who had just won the Treble, he found himself banished to the third team and making a bit part appearance in Ferguson’s testimonial match. He’s even been reduced to being in the Man U side that plays in the Worthington Cup !! While I’m sure he is making good money there, his career suffers and he slips out of contention for a place in his national team.

I don't know about fired, but certainly demoted or 
relegated to the bench comes to mind.  
Dream on Mark, dream on ...

I take no joy from seeing an international despatched to the bench at Old Trafford. (Well Teddy is an ex-international - isn’t he ??) But I think in the case of Mark Bosnich, I might just make an exception !!

SYDNEY ARBER

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