They say never go back... but some can't help it

Darren Norris

THEY say never go back. But nobody obviously told Robbie Keane. Or Thierry Henry. Or Paul Scholes. This has been a week of sporting comebacks – albeit ones that are destined to be brief.

Having left the Premier League for the good life in America in August Ireland’s most prolific goalscorer is now back in England having joined Aston Villa on a six-week loan deal. Keane knows a thing or two about comebacks. In 2009 he rejoined Tottenham after a brief spell at Liverpool but he failed the scale the heights he hit during his first spell at White Hart Lane. Nevertheless Keane is now back and will hope to have the same type of instant impact Henry had on his return.

For most Irish fans Henry is a figure of hate after the infamous sleight of hand which denied Ireland a place in the last World Cup. But for those of us who happen to be Irish and support Arsenal our feelings towards him are significantly and understandably more complicated. How, after all, can you truly hate a man who has scored 227 goals for the club you support? The most recent of those 227 goals, a trademark exquisite Henry finish against Leeds in the FA Cup on Monday will be remembered fondly long after the great man has returned to America.

Then there’s Scholes. His error may have cost Man United a goal in Sunday’s FA Cup thriller at Man City but his composure and vision instantly gave the Red Devils’ much maligned midfield a more imposing look about it.

Sporting comebacks are tricky things though. If they work out they’re hailed as masterstrokes but if they don’t they can leave an asterisk on a legacy. Here are a selection of comebacks that worked out brilliantly and a few that backfired pretty spectacularly.

 
The successes

Brian Corcoran: In 2001 the Cork centre back stunned the hurling world by retiring from inter-county hurling. However three years he came back as a full forward. His impact was spectacular. A stunning point fired over while on his knees in his Championship return against Limerick signalled he was as good as ever and he inspired Cork to All-Ireland glory in 2004 and 2005 before retiring for good from the inter-county scene in 2006 after Kilkenny denied the Rebels’ three-in-a-row bid.

 
Ian Rush: “I couldn’t settle in Italy — it was like living in a foreign country,” Ian Rush famously said after returning to Liverpool after a brief, unhappy spell with Italian giants Juventus in the late eighties. Rush’s second spell at Anfield wasn’t quite as successful in terms of trophies as his first but he added another league title medal, another FA Cup medal and another League Cup medal to the considerable bounty he won in his first spell at the club.

Lester Piggott: In 1985 the jockey brought down the curtain on a remarkable career as a jockey. However two years later he was sentenced to three years imprisonment for tax evasion and having served a year and a day of his sentence Piggott returned to the saddle in 1990 at the age of 54. Remarkably, Piggott win the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Royal Academy within ten days of his return, and won his final classic when steering Rodrigo de Triano to victory in the 2000 Guineas in 1992. He finally retied for good in 1995.

Denman: An emphatic winner of the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup the chaser’s career was almost ended when he developed a heart problem a few months later. Remarkably he recovered sufficiently to defend his Gold Cup where he finished second to stablemate Kauto Star. Denman finished second in two further Gold Cup but perhaps his greatest day post his heart-problems was an heroic weight-defying display to win his second Hennessy in 2009 on an emotional day at Newbury. He retired last month.

Niki Lauda: The Austrian suffered multiple injuries and lapsed into a coma after a horrific crash in the 1976 German Grand Prix but bravely returned to Formula One action just six weeks later. He went on to win the world championship in 1977 and again in 1984.

Stephen O’Neill: The Tyrone forward, the 2005 footballer of the year, sent shockwaves through the football world when he retired from inter-county football in January 2008, aged just 27. However he ended his exile in time to play a part in Tyrone’s All-Ireland triumph over Kerry later that same year. O’Neill refused to accept a medal, feeling he had not earned it but helped Tyrone to Ulster Championship victories in 2009 and 2010.

 
Bob Champion: The jockey came back from cancer to claim an emotional victory on Aldaniti in the 1981 Grand National. It was perhaps the greatest racing fairytale story of them all and the story was later made into a film, Champions, with John Hurt portraying the brave, heroic Champion.

The failures
Muhammad Ali: Boxing is a sport renowned for people staying on one-fight too many and ‘The Greatest’ certainly didn’t grasp when the time was right to leave the party. Ali probably should have retired after the Thriller in Manilla against Joe Frazier in 1975 and finally called it a day after beating Leon Spinks to win the world heavyweight for a third time in 1978. However, tragically he was tempted back into the ring and shipped heavy defeats to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick, fights that would have a massive impact on his health.

Robbie Fowler: Ian Rush may have made a success of his second spell at Anfield but Fowler was a shadow of the great player he had once been when he returned to Liverpool in 2006. Fowler scored just eight times in his second spell at Anfield in contrast to 120 in his first period there.

Roy Keane: The Manchester United legend stunned many when he ended his international exile in April 2004. In 2003 Keane, who missed the 2002 World Cup finals after a training ground bust-up with Mick McCarthy, announced that due to medical reasons his international career was over. However in April 2004 Keane said he was returning to the international scene and his comeback took place against Romania a month later. However he was no longer the force of nature he had been in his prime and after Ireland failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals Keane finally exited the stage.

Bjorn Borg: The Roger Federer of his day Borg won 11 grand slam titles including five successive Wimbledon titles before retiring in 1983 aged 26 after losing his motivation for tennis. Eight years later he attempted a comeback but he was a pale shadow of his former self and failed to win a single match before he finally called it a day two years later.

Mark Spitz: The American swimmer is an Olympic games legend. In 1972 he set a then record of seven gold medals in a single games, an astounding achievement bettered only by Michael Phelps in 2008. Spitz attempted an astonishing comeback in 1992 as he attempted to qualify for the Barcelona Olympics. However at 41 he was two seconds slower than the requisite qualifying time at the Olympic trials.

Michael Schumacher: The methodical, calculating German is possibly the greatest driver in Formula One history and holds just about every record it’s possibly for an F1 driver to have. In 2006 he brought down the curtain on a glittering career but like so many others before him he couldn’t stay away and returned to Formula One in 2010. However the seven-time world champion has toiled since his return finishing ninth in 2010 and eighth last season.
 
Howard Kendall: The Englishman enjoyed three separate spells as Everton manager and also served the club with distinction as a player. His first spell as manager between 1981 and 1987 was a massive success as Kendall lead the Toffees to two league championships, an FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup. His second spell at Goodison Park between 1990-and 1993 was undistinguished while his final spell at the club between 1997 and 1998 very nearly ended in relegation from the Premier League. Like many comebacks Kendall simply couldn’t recreate the magic of his first spell at helm.

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/CmbbevUY_8w/post.aspx

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