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January 2002

Stephen Poxon writes

Dear Bob,

I loved your website (just discovered it today). Many thanks for it.

I'm married to Manchester City, and have been since 1974, but have had a long standing affair with Hartlepool United, for a few years now.

My all time favourite player is the incomparable Tommy Hutchison .

Thanks again. You (and readers of your website) might like to know that I am organising An Evening with Gordon Banks & Alan Ball (in aid of The Salvation Army) in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, on Friday 26th April 2002. Tickets are £16 (venue yet to be confirmed), and it will be followed by an auction of football memorabilia. Anyone interested in coming to meet Gordon and Alan can ring me on Harpenden (01582) 713778, for more information.

Thanks again for a lovely website. I'll visit from time to time.

All the best,

Stephen.

Steve Phillips orinially asked me the poser

Another footy question got me stumped this week is "Nottingham Forest's proud 32 year record of not having a player sent off was ended when which player got his marching orders in 1971???.

I had to admit defeat, but Steve was kind enough to send me the answer once he'd found it out.

The answer was Sammy Chapman - quote from the answer was - "Sammy Chapman (Nottingham Forest) ended Nottingham's Forest's proud 32 year old record of not having a player sent off when he was dismissed in a game against ~Leeds in 1971".

However, Matt Dixon questions, this answer. See February 2002 Emails

Tom Symonds wrote

Dear Bob,   I was hoping you could tell me where Barry Watling (Notts County) is now.  He was our first goalkeeper at the Seattle Sounders in 1974 in the North American Soccer League.  Four two years he tended our nets registering 14 clean sheets in 43 games and a goals against average of 1.01. 
I last knew he was team manager at Maidstone in the early eighties but have lost track of his whereabouts.  Help.  Thanks a lot.  Your friend in football,   Tom Symonds USA

For once I was able to go some way towards helping with this, and Tom replied with this really interesting letter about the Seatle Sounders.

When our Seattle Sounders began in 1974, Barry was our goalkeeper.  He played here again in 1975 before returning to England.  The Sounders, like all the other teams in North America at that time, depended heavily on foreign imports.  Our coach then, John Best, recruited almost exclusively from England and Scotland.  Players like Jimmy Gabriel (Southampton), Geoff Hurst (West Ham United), Mike England (Tottenham Hotspur) and Harry Redknapp (West Ham United) graced our city with their outstanding play and class.  Jimmy Gabriel remained in Seattle after years of captaining and managing the Sounders.  Presently, he's the assistant soccer coach at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Seattle would have been a natural when Major League Soccer, our premier league, began six or seven years ago.  However, we did not have a suitable grass field.  Because of our rainy weather, all of our stadiums have artificial turf.  Consequently, Seattle stayed in the A-League (one step below MLS) and continued to play on the "rug" which the teams in the 1970s played on.

 We hope with the near completion of our new 65,000 seat stadium built for American professional football and soccer that Seattle will be in the top flight of American soccer in 2003.  The field will be plastic (it's a new turf that looks and plays exactly like grass; really, I've even played on such a field in my home town; European clubs like Werder Bremen have it on their practice pitches and FIFA is actually leaning towards certifying it for full play).  However, modern technology will allow us to lay a real grass field over the plastic one, if required.

I think our old veterans of the 1970s (those mentioned above plus others like Arfon Griffiths, Mel Machin, Bruce Rioch, Paul Crossley, Tommy Jenkins, Gordon Wallace, John Rowlands, Mickey Cave, Jocky Scott, Steve Buttle, Jimmy Robertson, et al) would be proud of the legacy they left in Seattle.  I hope the club will bring them all "back home" in the future for a well-deserved THANK YOU.

Lilian asks

Hello,
Can you please tell me the name of the former Scotland international footballer who is the last manager to take two different clubs to become champions of the English Premier League (or equivalent of old First Division)?

Many thanks,
Lilian

Kenny Dalglish (Celtic squad), he did the first with Liverpool in 1989-90, and the second win with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95, since then the only winning managers have been Wenger and Ferguson

Steve F writes

Hi Bob,   Have visited your web site - it's very good.  As you seem quite knowledgeable about football (something that I'm not!) can I ask you a question?   I have a small gold plated coin, about the size of a 10p, which depicts World Cup Willy and is dated 1966.  Any ideas what it may be?   Thanks,   Steve

I'm no expert at this sort of thing as 1966 is  a little too early for me.World Cup Willy was the England 1966 World Cup mascot (just in case you didn't know) and in 1966 there was a million commemorative items produced with the image on, and this must one of them. They are surprisingly well sought after and it may even have a value way above it's original cost when it was produced. (in the tens rather than hundreds of pounds, though, I'm afraid).

If anyone has a more accurate answer do let me know and I'll pass the information on.

Peter Twiss writes

The England Trainer in 1966 was Harold Shepherdson not Stephenson as on your site photo
cheers
Peter

See World Cup Winners - thanks Peter. If you ever spot an obvious mistake, please do let me know I always appreciate. I have now updated the page.

Mannie asked

What became of the great Spurs centre foward of the Spurs 1962 double side?

Anyone know ???

Andy Pugh - a quiz fan was one of several to ask:

Bob, Can you help me with the answer to this little question - A record number of footballers were sent off in Football League and FA Cup matches on November 20 1982. How many ??? We have come up with lots of guesses in our office but do not know which one is right. Please help. Andy.

Well Rothmans gives the amount as 15 (3 League, 12 FA Cup - record for FA Cup)


Maggie Crehan writes

Hi Bob, could you do me a favour and send me a list of players for Coventry City for the season 67/68. I am a coventry girl, from Canley, living in Ireland and we are trying to remember a player in that era.  We think he played No.5. (and we think he had very bandy legs....) thanks and a happy new year.  Maggie

Well to list every player who played in the 67-68 season we have

Gerry Baker, Dietmar Bruck, Willie Carr, Chris Catlin, David Clements, Mick Coop, George Curtis, Peter Denton, Alan Dickie, Ron Farmer, Ina Gibson, Bill Glazier, Bobby Gould, Ernie Hannigan, Brian Hill, Ernie Hunt, Mick Kearns, Tony Knapp, Brian Lewis, Ernie Machin, Neil Martin, Pat Morrissey, Ronnie Rees, Dudley Roberts, Maurice Setters, Trevor Shepherd, John Tudor.

Maggie replied to say her husband remembered it was Maurice Setters !

Marek quite often writes with various queries and has also answered my queries to him. This month Marek asked about Terry Owen's (Bradford City) career.

Terry is, of course, Michael Owen's Dad. Here's the League games breakdown:

If anyone has a picture of Terry I'd really appreciate it, so that I can start a page for him.

Lisa Stockton writes

Hi could you tell me who sent the ball forward for Geoff Hurst's final goal in the 1966 world cup final ? Thanks.

Hi, yes, it was Bobby Moore.

Rob Birch asks

DEAR BOB,
I have been searching the net to find out who was the first player manager in the football league.
It has been driving me mad for months.
The earliest I can remember is Johnny Giles when he was at the Albion.Could you help put me and All of my mates out of our misery please.
Yours hopefully,
Rob Birch

It's been a post that's been around much longer than Johnny Giles's time. Terry Neill was player-manager of Hull City in the 1970-71 season, and Don Revie initially began as a player manager at Leeds United back in March 1961. ,

In fact, I've just looked up a book that lists John Goodall - manager of Watford 1903-10- as the first player-manager, but Watford weren't in the League then. Baring in mind the book I'm reading was printed in 1960, it also lists Raich Carter at Hull City and Leeds United, Peter Docherty at Doncaster, George Hardwick at Oldham, Fred Steele at Mansfield and Port Vale, Peter Farrell at Tranmere, Allenby Chilton at Grimsby.

So whilst there might be an answer to the question, I'm betting we've never
heard of him !

Incidentally, Johnny Giles was unusual in being a player-manager of a national side, the Republic of Ireland.

If you do have an answer for this question, do write and let me know.

George Quinn asks

On what date in March 1962 did Gordon West sign for EVERTON

He signed on the 18th March 1962.

Danno who's a real-life (i.e. not just-cyber-) friend wrote an email with the following info of some interest. It wasn't meant for the site, but what the hell, I doubt he'll read it to find out ...

This is a list of the number of players used by each Championship winning side since 1984.

See more January 2002 news at the following ...

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