This week's Big Match comes from the weekend of 17 October 1971 and features the fantastic old shallow A-frames at Loftus Road and a perfect hat-trick from Rodney Marsh as QPR thrash Birmingham City.
What is interesting is how well the Loftus Road nets retain the ball, in contrast to QPR's later reputation and despite the basic lack of area in which to do so.
Might this be down to the saggy software of big white squares, which was later replaced by the thin mesh-like net of the later 1970's?
The Monday night Liverpool v Manchester United match permits a second MOTD for the week and the Big Match series will follow Tuesday.
Previewing tonight's clash by looking back at two 3-3 classics and the wonderful ball retention at Anfield across two different methods of supporting the red goal nets.
April 1988 - the old red A-frames were still in place as late as 1988, with the nets hanging short, off the hardware. There are a couple of great goals among the six, particularly Steve McMahon's for 3-1 which goes straight in the corner - and stays there!
January 1994 - six years later, another six goal thriller. The Anfield goal nets were the supported by Continental D's but they had the same ball retention properties as the old stanchions. Check out Denis Irwin's free-kick for 0-3, its goes straight in the top corner - and stays there!
This week's Match of the Day previews this weekend's Manchester City v Everton clash at the Etihad by looking back at three previous fixtures and the History of Goal Nets at Manchester City's old home, Maine Road.
In April 1971 City beat Everton between big A-frames with blue nets dropped just behind the goal line and pulled taut, similar to West Ham at the old Boleyn Ground with similar ball retention properties.
Fast forward to March 1982. City are still hanging taut blue nets but this time they are suspended by the Continental D's installed just after Euro 76.
By the mid-1990's City have replaced the taut blue nets with saggy white software that responds beautifully to the four goals (the pick of which may be Paul Walsh's for 3-0).
You could put Frank Worthington's picture in the dictionary under the word laconic. With a skill so great, Frank needed few words of explanation (though he did write an autobiography, the hilarious One Hump or Two).
In his 1979 goal of the season contender for Bolton Wanderers versus Ipswich Town, the goal nets too go all laconic.
Yes, if they were of 2016 vintage, the goal nets could have responded to Frank's wonderful keepy-uppy and volley by making a big noise and springing a rebound round three sides of the goal before jettisoning the ball to the penalty spot.
However the old, laconic Burnden Park A-frames are happy to kill the shot behind the line which requires the beaten goalkeeper to walk the walk and retrieve the ball. The game is paused in this time and Frank's magnificent skill can be celebrated properly.
This week's Match of the Day is a World Cup qualifying special.
It previews this weekend's England v Malta match by looking back at the teams' previous game at the old Wembley Stadium, in May 1971.
It was back in the day when England could be expected to run riot against opposition such as Malta and they (particularly Martin Chivers) did, winning 5-0.
Much has changed since then, not least the Wembley goal nets.
Life was simpler then...
In retaining the ball behind the goalkeeper, the Wembley nets of 1971 keep things simple and, as such, are perfectly in keeping with a routine win for England over Malta.
At least three of the goals scored in 1971 would rebound round the goal like a pinball or out to the penalty spot if scored into the Wembley nets of today.
I read this week online that such rebounds add a "spectacular" element to the goal scored.
If true - it's not, but if true - this would change the optics of the five goals scored in 1971 from the mundane to the spectacular and would distort the nature of the England victory over a then lowly Malta.
You probably thought it was done, but there's still life in the old 101 Great Goals series.
Three wonderful things about John Metgod's legendary free kick for Nottingham Forest immediately spring to mind;
The 100 metres run-up (which gave the hint something special was about to be unleashed;
The Exocet trajectory of the shot;
John Metgod's celebration.
As our focus is the goal nets, I'd like to add a fourth wonderful thing - the simple physics of a traditionally hung and supported goal net killing the shot and retaining the ball.
The West Ham goalkeeper Phil Parkes is beaten - humiliated - and when he finally gets up, he still has the walk of shame to retrieve the ball from the net.
Match of the Day previews a fixture of the forthcoming weekend. It shows a previous meeting between the sides featured, and highlights the History of Goal Nets on display in the clip.
Two great goals right into the goalkeeper's left hand corner and both shots killed by the superb A-frames at Vetch Field, meaning the ball stays behind the beaten goalkeeper.
Match of the Day will preview a fixture from the coming weekend by looking back at that same fixture in a previous year.
This week's Match of the Day is Watford v Arsenal from September 1984, played out between the old out-sized Continental D's at Vicarage Road.
Pick of the goals for me is Charlie Nicholas' opener (at 2:30 in the clip). Just love the way the net kills the ball, leaving a long walk for Steve Sherwood, the Watford goalkeeper, to retrieve.
Ajax were in the middle of their European Cup three-in-a-row at that time so perhaps we see the influence of Dutch football in the shape of the stanchions - check out PSV Eindhoven, for example.
Tottenham's recent World Cup winning Argentine imports Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa attracted most of the attention at the time.
Connoisseurs of the goal nets will instead revel in the instantly recognisable White Hart Lane hardware and marvel at the software's ball retention properties.
Gerry Armstrong's rocket shot for 2-1 would rebound to the halfway line today, while Kenny Swain's header for 2-2 would pinball round box nets pulled taut and made of trampoline.
Check out the behind the goals replay for that equaliser, you just don't see nets this good any more.
Remember the premise behind the 101 Great Goals series?
What constitutes a Great Goal? As this is The History of Goal Nets, simply any goal can be considered Great if we enjoyed the aesthetics of ball striking net so much that we are moved to nominate that goal.
With this in mind, the next goal I'd like to study in terms of a greatness perceived immediately by the commentary and sold into folklore is Steven Gerrard's against Olympiakos.
In terms of technique and ball placement, the Gerrard goal is remarkably similar to the vastly underrated Graeme Souness goal v Manchester City (at 6.04) below.
The difference is, though scored in the Champions League, Gerrard's goal is pure EPL in terms of hyperbole.
Two things have conspired to transform a good Gerrard goal into a wonder strike.
Firstly, the aesthetics of the goal. Most pertinent for us who understand how the aesthetics of ball striking net can affect how a goal is rated, Gerrard's shot rebounded ridiculously off the software like a ball in pinball machine.
That's right - off the software - as there wasn't an atom of aluminium within a metre of the corner of the net.
Rebounds off the hardware can be ridiculously spectacular.
But as always argued that rebounds off 21st century box-nets pulled taut and made of trampoline are simply ridiculous and are ruining the aesthetics of the game.
Then there's the commentary from Andy Gray, which has become almost as famous as the goal itself. Though it must be remembered he was there to sell "product," it must rate as highly doubtful that the Souness goal - which rebounded normally off the A-frame - would elicit such an immediate response from the commentator.
If you think it unlikely that the legend of Stevie G is down to poor ball retention at Anfield, ask yourself, does anyone remember the Graeme Souness shot which was the exact same goal without the rebound?
