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Well good morning and a very warm welcome. Today the first of three very big mornings for soccer fans, not just in our normal viewing areas but right around the country.
A special welcome to those of you joining us for the first time, especially in Perth and in Adelaide.
This morning of course live in a few minutes from Rotterdam, the final of the European Cup winners cup between new English league champions Everton and the illustrious Austrian side Rapid of Vienna.
And talking of illustrious, two illustrious men with me to help analyse this morning's game are the coach of the renowned 1974 soccer Rouge, Vali Rashic and our present World Cup coach Frank Aroch.
Welcome gentlemen and we'll join Frank and Raleigh in a moment but first the two teams on the menu of this tantalising soccer breakfast.
First Rapid Vienna, according to the punters the underdogs, the team many will say shouldn't even be there after the way they knocked out Celtic thanks to a replay brought on by crowd violence.
But I wouldn't underestimate them as others may have done on their way to the final.
Rapid's true character and enormous power of recovery first became evident in the third round tie against Dynamo Dresden. Here in the second leg they had to make up a crippling 3-0 deficit and they did it in devastating style.
They began the road back with a curious penalty given after a player had fallen having been pushed by his own colleague.
Even the penalty had a hard time going in. Buckled netting the rebound after the ball had been hit against the post.
They took a further step when Linus scored after getting on the end of a Panenka free kick.
Earlier scorer buckled then scrambled the ball in for number three and the two teams were level.
They then had another 45 minutes in which to go ahead, that master of penalty kicks Antonin Panenka making it 4-0.
And with 12 minutes to go former Barcelona star Hans Krankel hammered home number five and Rapid were in the semi-finals.
In their semi-final they met Dynamo Moscow first at home and there too it was their opponents who drew first blood.
By the 26th minute Dynamo had a penalty which Karatayev converted with ease and Rapid were down by the crucial away goal.
And their luck didn't improve later when Panenka missed a penalty but finally an equalizer from perhaps a man to watch in the final, Leo Leina.
Two minutes later they had the lead when Hans Krankel thumped home a penalty much to the delight of the home fans.
And another three minutes on they had a fairly secure 3-1 home win when Peter Hristich drew more jubilation with a fine goal.
In the second leg the Viennese had no real problems. Just four minutes in Panenka scored a beauty to make the aggregate 4-1.
And though Dynamo soon equalized through Bosniakov, Rapid made it comfortably into the final.
So to recap on how Rapid got there they began with a 5-2 aggregate win over Besiktas of Turkey.
Then that infamous second round win over Celtic. 5-3 over Dynamo Dresden in the quarterfinals and in the semis 4-2 over Dynamo Moscow.
But what of Everton whose favoritism stems not from a roll call among their players but simply from what they have already done.
They all but steamrolled their way to the Home League Championship and are in Saturday's FA Cup final.
Even in Europe they had not put a foot wrong conceding just one goal in eight matches.
By the time Everton went to Holland for the second leg match against Fortuna Sitard they had scored eight goals in five matches and conceded none.
Graham Sharp who opened the scoring in this match had scored three of them and here the tireless Peter Reid added the second to take Everton through on a 5-0 aggregate.
Fortuna were really easy pickings compared to Everton's next opponents the fearsome Bayern Munich of West Germany.
The first leg at the Olympic Stadium in Munich brought no goals but it may have been the most important performance by Everton on their way to the final.
Bayern had enough stars and experience to put the fear into anyone and to hold them scoreless at home was a major accomplishment.
The Germans of course tried every which way to get the ball in the net including this thumping drive by Soren Lerby but nothing would go in.
Welsh World Cup keeper Neville Southall stood his ground well and indeed Everton even had a chance to go ahead when Graham Sharp squandered a golden opportunity.
But apart from that the ground was tilting Bayern's way and in the second half too the gods seemed to smile on Everton as the Germans missed chance after chance.
Somehow the soon to be crowned English champions survived as they did the second leg which they won 3-1 and put themselves on the doorstep of a mouthwatering league FA Cup and Cup winners cup treble.
So recapping on Everton's run up they started slowly against University College of Dublin but made easy work of Inter Bratislava four goals to nil on aggregate.
Then came Sitard of Holland five nil and finally despite the one goal conceded a 3-1 on aggregate win over Bayern Munich.
So the treble is in the offing which of course is added pressure and that in turn some would say may prove to be their undoing.
Rally can that happen?
Anything can happen because that's what football about.
The Cup football is much different than league football and I think that Everton has so much strength I would be surprised.
But only one thing that I'm worried about that something has happened to Leeds United a few years back could probably repeat again.
But Everton won the league already and I think they are in such a great mood.
As Kevin Keegan said you couldn't name single player but you can name the team and the manager so I would go all the way for Everton.
But how would a coach Frank approach a week in which a team plays a European Cup final on Wednesday and an FA Cup final on Saturday?
I mean you know those matches take an enormous toll out of their players.
Probably that's the reason they lost the last game in the league and because they can't concentrate on everything in eight days.
Celebrating the league championship it is already a big thrill for them.
And I'm expecting a very strange game.
If the Austrians are capable to hold their own in the first half an hour it can be a very big surprise.
It's a big difference between the two competitions. It's definitely the biggest and strongest league in Europe is the English league.
And to win that one you should put together at least 20 good games and they had a very long period of time.
They never lost a game and it is about time to lose something very precious.
Are you suggesting that the favourites might go down?
It could be easily because as Raleigh said it is a different kettle of fish to play a final than to play a league game.
And it would be a nice thing to have a real good game.
And it's not so every time in the finals because both teams are very cautious about the result and they would defend very thoroughly.
So I'm not expecting too many goals but one or two goals will change the whole.
Well that's been the tradition recently in European Cup football but back to Everton the momentum is there of them having won all these games in recent months.
And everything is going right for them. Surely that's an advantage.
It must be because they won the league easily but you see the inclusion of four members into the national squad.
It's another four members have to prove something more than they had a few weeks before.
You know what it means to someone to be added to the national team.
But suddenly four members from one club which has been underdog for ten, fifteen years to Liverpool, as I said pointing out at Keegan,
he said there is no need for psychological preparation or mental talks to the team.
Kendall doesn't have to talk to the team at the present time.
Not while they're winning.
Sure each player has something to prove and as Frank said eight days.
This is a characteristic of English football only probably in the world that can do that.
Only league in the world that can do and they play normally Wednesday and Saturday.
And some of them as Keegan says play up to 70, 72 matches a year.
So there is hardly any training it's only matches and recovery.
What is the Everton quality? I mean it's very difficult to put your finger on just what is it exactly that has brought them all the success this season,
the FA Cup last season. How would you distinguish them from other teams?
Being underdog for so long as they have been, that mental part of the preparation in professional football would play such an important role.
So Liverpool really, Everton wouldn't really have to worry about it because league started easily.
That spirit was introduced there and then once Liverpool was in the bottom of the league they just probably let's keep Liverpool down below us.
I mean that's a great rivalry between Manchester United and Manchester City.
And on the top of it there were a great number of players who haven't been recognized.
And so each one of them had to prove the point. For example you have now a player of the year in the team.
Then you have four internationals. Then you have Andy Gray. Then you have a sharp.
You know it's very difficult to say this is weak link in a team.
And I think the difference between top team and average team is it's own strength.
Because Everton at the present time hasn't got one bad link. You couldn't point out one bad link in a team.
The Fire North Stadium is the venue as you can see.
And I should think a full house there.
And I gather that the blue and white flags mean that a lot of Everton fans have travelled across.
Frank, the British support for teams in Europe is just about legendary.
It is very strong for them. And Rotterdam is not very far from England.
Would that also place Everton at an advantage?
Definitely it is a big advantage to have people on your side.
But I don't think it will disturb in any way the other team.
Because those teams have been playing big games in the last six, seven months.
And I am not expecting any of those influences to decide a game.
Probably what is already mentioned that Everton is in good form.
They are full of confidence. They are doing things.
And they can expect a good, smooth game from their own side.
It depends on the other side. Are they capable to come up with something different?
And I would say that they are. Because they have got a very strange cocktail.
Having some players from East, I am telling you, from Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia.
And those players are a little bit more different.
Probably Karinča, Heršić and all other ones are going to do some different things and spoil the whole game.
If they are not capable of this, it will be an easy game for Everton.
Right. Let's talk about Rapid for a moment. Just before we go over there.
Their coach is Otto Baric, who is a Yugoslav.
And of course a couple of fine players there, particularly Hans Krunkl, who is a former European player of the year.
You know Baric, don't you? In fact both of you do.
Yes. I have been against him about six, seven years.
And I can tell you that he is a very shrewd young man.
Oh, when I am talking young, he is as young as I am.
He is a new spring chicken.
And probably his attitude to the game is very different than the English coaches and managers.
He is very much in favor of tricks and good solutions.
He is not mechanical.
Probably the game will be entirely different from their side and the English side.
But I don't think so that they are capable to do it.
They are the better side. Definitely the Everton side is the better one.
Okay. Well let's hope we have a good game.
We are ready now in Rotterdam, so let's go over there to our commentator, Brian Moore.
It's a mild evil. Everton will be right back after the break with the views of Ron Atkinson.
Yes. The game tilting Everton's way.
They are putting the pressure on, but still no goals, except for that disallowed effort,
which of course is not good enough.
We'll be back to analyze that first half with our guest Rally Rasic and Frank Aroch after this short break.
And welcome back.
And a reminder that the score at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam between Everton and Rapid Vienna 0-0.
Rally Rasic, it was, as Brian Moore and Brian Clough said, very much Everton's first half.
But things might change in this second if the pattern continues.
It's unfortunate that the game of soccer has to be always decided by goals.
You see, it's 45 minutes of soccer on one goal.
It seems from time to time really like a practice match.
But unfortunately there is no final finish, which is characteristic of Everton's football.
And what I really noticed that Everton is not capitalizing on the crosses, which they are really good at.
Shidi is given just so much space and they, on a number of occasions, from left to right was magnificently played.
But still that finishing is not there, as I said, which is really a characteristic of Gray and Mountfield,
who is coming absolutely brilliantly from behind.
Frank, what should Everton be doing now?
If you were in their shoes, just continue this relentless pressure or change something, because they're not getting the goals.
I don't think so that they can change too many things in that game, because they are good in pressurizing.
They are not really capable to play a Brazilian type of game, to let the other side to come out and then try to counter-attack.
But that's the only way to fight the rapid Vienna, because they are defending very thoroughly and very cleverly, getting back in the funnel.
And the most important, I was very surprised with their strength in the air.
At the back?
Yeah, of course. They won nearly everything in the air and all the crosses on the fire posts have never been working properly.
Right, so the fact that they were terrified of the high crosses?
Yeah, I've been expecting that they will be terrified, but they've never been.
If the game would open up a little bit more, I would say that Everton, the players, would have much more chances.
All right, let's have a look at some of the highlights of that first half, beginning with an incident that came in the 12th minute,
when a very good save was brought out of the Austrian keeper by Kevin Schiede.
... from Gary Stephens. He really has got some length on these throws tonight.
And Graham Sharp getting there with a backward header.
Happol completely missing his. Schiede.
Gray, back for Schiede!
Tremendous save, a great move by Everton. Explode!
Well, that could have turned the tide, really, couldn't it?
I mean, that ball could have so easily have gone in an excellent save by the keeper, which would have changed the pattern.
It's exactly what Frank said seconds ago. If Everton would continue doing this, what Schiede does,
they would find the goal net much quicker and much easier, because that's purely individual work.
You know, he beat two, three men.
Rather than what?
Rather than crossing the ball time after time, I think that they are sort of being signaled in advance that the cross will come from either side.
So there, of course, you must congratulate the coach who already has prepared his defense to counter attack,
and absolutely excellent goalkeeping of the cancel.
Well, in fact, all of the incidents that we kept from that first half, all but one, were at the Everton end,
or at least at the rapid end, in other words, were created by Everton.
And so was the second, which came in the 24th minute, where Graham Sharp had an opportunity, but his shot went just wide.
This is Weinhofer.
Oh, a lovely bit of play again by Everton as Bracewell gets into line for a shot just wide of the rapid goal.
Yes, another chance there, Frank, for Everton.
But what about rapid? Do you think they have come into this game with this approach, to bide their time in that first half,
expecting Everton to pile on the pressure in the way that they were expected to do?
And in that sense, are they doing what is expected of them so far?
I'm not quite certain what was the plan of the coach for that game, but when you are forced to defend, you have to defend.
And it was so one-sided that you really couldn't do anything else, just to be concentrated on everything and try to hold that ball.
And that's a big surprise for me that in the first 20 minutes they never tried to hold that ball or never tried to waste time, just to settle somehow down.
And I would do the similar thing just like Baric, that you have to contain the English teams.
And probably they've been doing their homework on that team because everything was according to the expectation.
The ball would come always on the side and then cross and cross and cross.
And so they've been doing the right thing against them, but they've never done anything for themselves only in the last couple of minutes.
That's the biggest problem.
Right, one more opportunity in front of the rapid goal, which came four minutes later, and here it was a beautifully driven cross.
And Andy Gray, the master header, just missed his opportunity.
Mountfield, Steven, Mountfield, Sheedy.
There's space for Gary Stevens and his cross comes in, but Babers there for rapid.
Bankjah hits it straight at Peter Reed, battled his way through there.
Bracewell really stiffened up the midfield and Garga again beating sharp to it.
And here's Pat Vanden Haag.
Again a good looking cross coming in.
The Austrians missed it and so did Andy Gray.
But he just flicked off the defender and it means another corner for Everton.
Yes, a good looking cross rally there.
The beauty of it was that it was played from the left side with the right foot.
And it may have been the thing that bewildered Andy Gray himself.
He was surprised because the defender did the right thing because he finds himself in the front of the opponent.
That's exactly how correct approach from the defender.
Everyone missed that ball.
But he stood in front of Gray completely and Gray couldn't possibly see the ball.
That's right, he may have been blinded.
Okay, we're almost ready to go back to the second half, but before we do for our viewers in Perth and Adelaide, a short break.
Such a strong team so far as Everton is.
The teams' opposition they played in the past to come towards Everton, they haven't met really as strong a team as Everton is.
Viewers in Perth, TVW7, welcome back.
We're not quite ready to go back to that second half so we'll continue analysing the situation.
Frank, what about Everton?
You said that they really can't change their pattern.
That's the way they play.
But is there something that Howard Kendall should do or would be telling them at half time to change things for this second half?
There are some solutions for them.
The President's rally was saying about the long crosses and they should play it on the floor the way she did there.
They are capable to play on the floor and they've done it at least 50 times this year.
They are capable to worry their game and probably the midfielders are not doing their part so far.
Thanks very much Frank. We're ready for the kick-off in Rotterdam.
So back to our commentator, Brian Moore.
There's jubilation among the Everton players and among their fans.
In the words of Brian Clough, doing it deservedly with class, strength and style.
At this point we must leave viewers in Perth and Adelaide.
Thank you for being with us and we hope you can join us at this time next week when we bring you the second leg of the UEFA Cup final.