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Three
football legends have died all of whom had retired
shortly before the 1970-71 season, at this point, I'm not
aware of these players having a post-playing career in
the game in the 70-71 season.
Eddie Hopkinson
25 April 2004,
Eddie was an England goalkeeper capped 14 times, who
holds Bolton Wanderers' record League appearances (see Club
Record Apprearances). He was in Bolton's 1958 FA Cup winning side,
still the most recent major trophy for the club. He began
his career at Oldham Athletic in 1951, then just over a
year later moved to Bolton playing right up to the
1969-70 season.
There was
a minute's silence before Bolton Wanders' 4-1 victory
against Leeds United, which marked the club's first ever
4 match winning sequence in the Premiership and saw Leeds
relegated.
Ronnie Simpson Celtic
20 April,
2004. Ronnie may have a place on this site as a coach,
but retired from the playing side in the 1969-70 season.
Ass a member of the Lisbon Lions Ronnie was very much a
star of the era this site covers. Ronnie still has the
record as Scotland's oldest debutant, when he won the
first of 5 caps aged 36 years, 186 days on 15 April 1967.
BBC SPORT Football My Club
Celtic Celts hero passes away has the following obituary:
Former
Celtic goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson has died at the age
of 73 after suffering a heart attack.
The
ex-Queen's Park player kept goal for the Hoops in the
historic 1967 European Cup final win over Inter Milan
in Lisbon.
Simpson
played for the Parkhead club between 1964 and 1970,
making his debut in a Fairs Cup tie at Barcelona's
Nou Camp stadium.
The
Scottish international also played for Third Lanark,
Newcastle and Hibs.
Simpson
made his debut for Queen's Park a month before his
15th birthday in 1945 and, after doing his National
Service in Catterick, he joined Third Lanark in 1950.
However,
within a year, he had moved to Tyneside where he won
the FA Cup with the Magpies in 1952 and 1955 - the
last domestic silverware won by Newcastle.
Simpson
returned to Scotland in 1960 when he joined Hibs,
where he stayed before Jock Stein sold him to Celtic
four years later.
The
legendary Celtic manager teamed up with the 'keeper
at Parkhead soon after.
Simpson
made his debut for the Hoops in the Nou Camp against
Barcelona where the visitors lost 3-1.
However, it
was in 1967 when Simpson joined the ranks of Celtic
legends for his part in helping the club become the
first British team to win the European Cup.
He also
played in another historic game when he made his
international debut for Scotland in the 3-2 win over
then world champions England at Wembley.
Simpson
retired from the game in 1970 but made one final
appearance at Parkhead the following year, when the
Lisbon Lions played together for one final time.
He took
over as manager of Hamilton Academical but stayed at
the club for less than a year.
Lisbon
Lions captain Billy McNeill (Celtic) lead the tributes
to his former Celtic team-mate.
McNeill
described the death of Simpson as adding to the
feeling of lost of invincibility among the Celtic
heroes who beat Inter Milan following the death of
Bobby Murdoch two years ago.
McNeill
said: "When Bobby died, it was particularly hard
because we lost our invincibility.
"Now
Ronnie has joined him and it is a very sad day for
me. The news today has hit me very hard I must admit.
"Ronnie
was a lovely man, great company, a terrific colleague
and the perfect goalkeeper for us.
"I
have lots and lots of fond memories of Ronnie but,
unfortunately, they are only memories now.
"Ronnie
was as much a footballer as he was a goalkeeper.
"Anything
that went in behind us defenders, Ronnie would come
out and do something about it.
"He
had this wonderful habit of pulling off terrific
saves when they were needed."
George Hardwick
According to one report
George was the last player to made England captain on his
debut. George is honoured with a statue at Middlesbrough's Riverside
Stadium.
BBC NEWS Tees Tributes are paid to Boro
legend has the following
brief obituary...
Tributes
have been paid to former Middlesbrough and England
football legend George Hardwick.
The player
known as "Gentleman George" died on Monday
at the age of 84 after a long illness.
He made 166
appearances for Boro, his home club, and led Great
Britain to a 6-1 win over the rest of Europe at
Hampden Park in 1947.
Flags at
Boro's Riverside ground flew at half-mast and there
will be a silence before this weekend's match.
Hardwick
was born in Saltburn and lived his early life in
Lingdale, playing for South Bank East End.
The left
full-back joined Oldham as player-manager in 1950 and
made 190 appearances for them.
He also
coached at PSV Eindhoven and the Dutch FA before
rejoining Middlesbrough as youth team coach.
In November
1964, he was appointed manager of Sunderland.
Despite
taking the club to their highest post-war position at
the time, he was sacked after 169 days in charge.
He was
granted the freedom of the Borough of Redcar and
Cleveland three years ago.
This is The North East Sport
Football Middlesbrough FC has this more complete biography...
Humble
start for the Boro legend by
Scott Wilson
Middlesbrough
Football Club lost one of its most famous sons
yesterday when George Hardwick passed away at the age
of 84. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson remembers the
life and times of 'Gentleman George'.
GEORGE
Hardwick's professional football career didn't get
off to the best of starts. After playing for
Middlesbrough Reserves at the age of 14, Hardwick was
handed his first-team debut three years later and
promptly scored an own goal with his first touch of
the ball.
Hardly an
ideal introduction but, from that point onwards, the
full-back barely made another mistake in an 18-year
career that saw him captain Middlesbrough, England
and, uniquely, Great Britain as well.
Born at
Lingdale in East Cleveland, Hardwick followed in the
sporting footsteps of his grandfather who had played
football for Middlesbrough Ironopolis and cricket for
the MCC.
After being
passed over by Arsenal Hardwick joined his hometown
club and went on to make his mark as the best
defender ever to pull on a Middlesbrough shirt.
His Boro
record eventually stretched to 166 games and seven
goals - although that tally would probably have been
trebled had World War Two not split his career in
two.
Hardwick
spent six and a half years in the RAF, playing in 17
wartime internationals when duties permitted, and
also appeared in two Wembley cup finals for Chelsea
during the war.
He won 13
full international caps for England - a return that
in no way reflected his standing at the time - but
enjoyed his greatest day as captain of Great Britain
in 1947.
Britain's
finest took on the Rest of Europe and ran out 6-1
winners with Hardwick's Middlesbrough teammate, Wilf
Mannion, scoring a hat-trick.
After
leaving Teesside to join Oldham for £15,000 in 1950,
Hardwick made a further 190 league appearances before
agreeing to take over as player-manager at Boundary
Park.
His
coaching career saw him work with both PSV Eindhoven
and the Dutch FA before he returned to the North-East
to take control of Boro's youth team.
He replaced
Alan Brown as Sunderland manager in 1964 and enjoyed
two notable successes with the Wearside club.
The first
was guiding Sunderland to safety in the 1964-65
season, and the second was introducing a certain
Brian Clough to the world of coaching.
Hardwick
always viewed Clough as his long-term successor at
Roker Park but, after he was controversially sacked
in 1965, Hardwick's successor Ian McColl had no place
for the former centre-forward in his plans.
Away from
the pitch, Hardwick revelled in the role of
'Gentleman George', with his straight back and
familiar moustache making him one of the game's first
pin-ups.
His
autobiography described him as football's equivalent
of Clark Gable and Errol Flynn and talked of his
"roguish features" in glowing terms.
He was
awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from
Teesside University after his retirement and
commemorated with a statue outside the Riverside
Stadium.
Further
April / May 2004 news can be found at ...
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