Shrek 5:20 Wed May 30
Swervin Mervyn
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The Green thread got me thinking about how outstanding Mervyn Day was for a few seasons at West Ham.
from Wiki
1973 he signed with West Ham and became the first team goalkeeper soon after. In 1975, aged 19 he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to appear in an FA Cup Final, in their victory over Fulham. He received the PFA Young Player of the Year Award that same season the only goalkeeper to have won the award. He was tipped as the next great England goalkeeper. In 1976 he appeared in the Cup Winners' Cup Final which West Ham lost 4–2 to Anderlecht at a sold out Heysel Stadium. However, a loss of form and injuries saw him drop out of the side and Phil Parkes' performances were good enough to keep Day out when he regained fitness.
My question is the loss of form mentioned was from memory (please correct me as I may have this wrong) when he was too far off his goal line in a match at UP and he was lobbed after that quite a few players tried to lob Mervyn and I remember the crowd singing "Mervyn", "Mervyn", stay on your line!
"Mervyn", "Mervyn", stay on your line!
Probably didn't help his confidence, equivalent of booing you could say.
Anyone remember the player who lobbed Merv or any other details?
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
Northern Sold
11:03 Thu May 31
Re: Swervin Mervyn
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My first ever away game (with my Dad) was the 75 QF v Arsenal.... in the pouring rain Merve the Swerve put on a display that has lived with me until this day.... I think Coleman called it in the highlights `Goalkeeping Supreme'.... that Christmas I got a pair of light green Mervyn Day goalkeeping gloves (more gardening gloves if I am being honest)
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RoyNaldo
10:06 Thu May 31
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I remember when he got lobbed a couple of times towards the end of his Hammers career.
The "Stay on your line Mervyn" were a bit harsh.
I think he left us for Leeds Utd? At the same time he had a sports shop in South Woodham Ferrers.
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Northern Sold
9:55 Thu May 31
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For a couple of seasons he was as good as we ever had... and then he got married
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Coffee
6:42 Thu May 31
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Nope, no pun in there.
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Ronald_antly
6:40 Thu May 31
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If memory serves, he also had stints at Luton, Sheffield Utd and Carlisle.
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Monk~koknee
6:29 Thu May 31
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Coffee 6:10 Thu May 31
He went to Orient and Villa before turning up at Leeds.
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riosleftsock
6:14 Thu May 31
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He used to keep goal without gloves, i think he broke a bone in his hand and was made to wear gloves after and was never the same.
He was one of the best keepers in the world in his early days.
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Coffee
6:10 Thu May 31
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SDKFZ 222 3:00 Thu May 31
Didn't he go to Leeds first?
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pod
6:10 Thu May 31
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f3visnVN2g
ok here it is...not quite as i described it,memory and all that, but i was there.couldnt fucking believe it, stood right behind the north bank i was thinking "you cant be serious" when he hit it.....then "fuck it" as it hit the back of the net
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pod
6:07 Thu May 31
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feb 79 mervyn had a nightmare against sunderland at upton park in a cracking game we should have won comfortably,but he let in 3 howlers if i remember rightly and we drew 3-3....it was the straw which broke lyall's back and parkes arrived in time for the next home game.the lob you refer too was actually 2 years before in 77 and as stated was goodlass.trouble with the lob though was it just inside the half way line.its on you tube ap in west ham v everton 1977 it will come up
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SDKFZ 222
3:00 Thu May 31
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Ronnie Goodlass was the first player to lob him, it was somewhere from just inside the halfway line, I think. It didn't help that the match was on telly (there wasn't the saturation coverage then that there is now) and it seemed that every player and his son tried to lob him after that... some succeeding.
You are dead right about the chant, I remember that well. He eventually joined Orient, along with a few other of our players, when there was a bit of a clear out in 1978 or 79.
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Shrek
12:59 Thu May 31
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wasabi snooter 12:45 Thu May 31
Re: Swervin Mervyn
who's Ronald Mervyn?
I not sure, but it has a rather dapper ring to it.
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Shrek
12:56 Thu May 31
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Ronald_antly 12:42 Thu May 31
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wasabi snooter
12:48 Thu May 31
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i never realsied he was only 19 in the 75 cup final.
one thing i do rememebr about merv is that the girls used to say rude thing to him from behind his goal.
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wasabi snooter
12:45 Thu May 31
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who's Ronald Mervyn?
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Ronald_antly
12:42 Thu May 31
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I'm not sure I understand your point.
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Shrek
12:37 Thu May 31
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Ronald Mervyn left July 1979. Parkes joined 1979 for a world record fee.
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Ronald_antly
11:54 Wed May 30
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That Wiki extract suggests that Day was still in contention when Parkes arrived.
He was history the moment Parkes put pen to paper.
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DutchCourage
7:18 Wed May 30
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My overriding memories of Merv are of a great shot stopper and a dreadful lack of ability when dealing with crosses. Particularly in the last year or so when he was an accident waiting to happen.
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62Hammer
7:17 Wed May 30
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He was terrific for a while but certainly suffered a severe loss of form, which, from memory, he didn't seem to accept, although he may have just been trying to stay positive. Bobby Ferguson replaced him for the rest of the season, and did well, before Parkes came in.
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WHU(Exeter)
6:43 Wed May 30
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No, but Greenwood was relatively scathing of him, in his biography.
Can't remember the exact words, but along the lines of almost every player at points, suffers a loss of form, vast majority have the mental toughness to see things through, he (Day), didn't.
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