They Weren’t Pansies in the 1950s and 1960s
Bobby Smith was one of those real hard bustling centre-forwards of the 1950s and 1960s. I saw him play many times for Spurs at the time, and when he was on song he was very good, striking fear into opponents. But he was skillful too and in addition to scoring a lot of goals, he made many for those players around him. Sadly he has died at the age of 77.
This extract from the obituary in The Times today, sums up Smith’s style and attitude.
His bustling style came in for particular treatment from foreign players in European matches such as Spurs’ 5-1 win in the 1963 Uefa Cup Final against Athletico Madrid.
Smith recalled: “Bill Nick told me that their centre half would come up and hit me hard the first time. And he did. The second time he tried it, I elbowed him in the gut. The ref came up to me and said ‘Well done!’ ”
The tale typified Smith’s willingness to take punishment for the team from opposing centre halfs, which made him so popular with the fans and team-mates. His battles with players such as Leeds’s Jack Charlton freed up space for players such as Jimmy Greaves and created marvellous theatre for the fans as he and his marker traded blows, at varying degrees of legality, usually mixed in with plenty of banter and all tolerated by the referee who would often volunteer a few humorous remarks of his own.
But he was not alone in taking and giving punishment. Nat Lofthouse, Stan Mortensen and others could be equally abrasive in those days, when referees were far less strict and goalkeepers were fair game for a hard shoulder charge.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow is an actress I’ve never come across before, but then I’ve never seen any episode of Friends. However, I’ve just seen her trace her family history on the American version of Who Do You Think You Are?
Lisa is Jewish and many of her ancestors were murdered by the Nazis in Belarus. It was a moving story, but it did have a happy ending, when she was reunited with a Polish man, who had met her father years before.
I have been to Belarus to see England play football and it is a country with a lot of sorrows. It lost about a third of its population in the Second World War and it wasn’t until about thirty years ago, that it recovered to its pre-war level. I showed some of the pictures, I took in this post.
I also wrote a piece for the East Anglian Daily Times about the trip. It is in two parts.
Both these files are in a PDF format.
One day, I hope I’ll be able to Belarus again.
Jimmy “No Bellies” Gardner
Today one of the competitors in the Great North Run is Paul Gascoigne’s old drinking mate Jimmy “Five Bellies” Gardner.
Except that he’s slimmed from twenty-one stone to thirteen and now goes by the nickname of “No Bellies” according to The Sun.
Let’s hope he keeps to his new lifestyle!
A Steve Hillel Special
Steve was a friend from Minchenden Grammar School. I think he was in the party on at least one occasion, when we went to see some of the latest bands at the Regal Edmonton. I can remember seeing The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Nashville Teens, Chuck Berry, Adam Faith and Joe Brown in a long gone venue, that is now a supermarket. He may have actually got the tickets, but it is now nearly fifty years ago.
But Steve’s other claim to fame, was that he was a rather eccentric right back in the school football team, with a penchant for scoring own goals.
Ipswich’s first goal today was one that was straight out of his manual. Sorry Steve, if you read this, but Adam Matthews’ own goal was one of the most spectacular I’ve seen. His header never gave the goalkeeper any chance.
Saatchi in Ipswich
I was surprised to see a sign as the coach arrived in Ipswich, advertising the parking for a Saatchi exhibition. I had not heard anything about it.
So as I had a hour before the match, I walked into the town and asked in the Corn Exchange about the exhibition. I was told it is in the old Art School just to the north of the town centre. Here is the web site.
Yet again something worth seeing has been badly publicised and Ipswich is doing nothing to attract visitors to the town to see the exhibition. Next time, I go to the football, I’ll go early specifically to see the exhibition. It’s free and is open from ten until five from Tuesday to Saturday.
By Coach to the Football at Ipswich
Tuesday’s match against QPR is best forgotten and I did think about abandoning my trip to see Ipswich host Cardiff today. But in the end I took the Supporter’s Club coach from Haverhill. And very comfortable and sociable it was too!
The only problem was crossing to Tesco’s in Haverhill after being dropped at the bus station, so that I could get my supper. You just had to brave the traffic as the crossing was in the wrong place. But then supermarkets aren’t designed to be accessed on foot, as the average person can’t carry much!
But I did come quickly in a taxi!
Ely to York via Scunthorpe
I’m going to see Ipswich at Scunthorpe on the 25th. I have been told by East Coast, that I’ll need to use two single tickets, as I can’t break my journey at Doncaster, like I did last week at Micheldever.
So I’ve booked the first leg from Ely to Scunthorpe and that has cost me £16.45 First Class. Not bad as it would probably cost about £50 for the diesel in the Jaguar!
But getting from Scunthorpe to York, doesn’t seem so easy to buy a ticket. All that seems to exist are Anytime Singles at £20 or £13.20 with my Railcard. Why are there no Off Peak Tickets?
In the end, Ibought the Anytime Single from East Coast at £13.20!
Women’s Football
Last night on BBC3, I watched the English women beat Switzerland to qualify for the finals of the next World Cup in Germany in 2011.
The football was good and fast and of a high standard, but you couldn’t say that for the refereeing! England’s goal-keeper was sent off for a non-offence, but this was balanced by England being given one of the softest penalties I’ve seen in a long time.
If sports are to be taken seriously and that includes women’s football, then the officials must be of the same high standard as the players. I suspect that last night, part of the problem was that the referee couldn’t keep up with the fast pace of the game.
A Goalless Draw at Portsmouth
On my travels this season, Ipswich have won all of the games I have seen. They also have won the one game I didn’t!
So I was hopeful, that things would go well. But even if they didn’t, I would get to see one of the last remaning stands designed before the Second World War, by Archibald Leitch.
Fratton Park
Note that Archie’s signature criss-cross balustrades have been remved from the tront of the top deck of the stand to the left.
I spent a lot of my youth watching Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and when I went to Liverpool University, I visited Goodison Park several times. Both were Leitch stadia and still had the criss-cross bracing, as did the old Twickenham and many other places.
But to return to yesterday at Fratton Park. It was a good game and a goalless draw was probably fair. But both teams could consider themselves unlucky.
Note that if you want to learn more about Archibald Leitch, a man who probably did more for the football spectator in the British Isles, than anybody else, read his biography by Simon Inglis called Engineering Archie. It should be compulsory reading for all football fans. I wonder how many fans, who troop to Craven Cottage realise that they are sitting in a Leitch stadium, that he designed around 1904. Thankfully, it is still pretty much intact and actually has Grade II listed status, which is fairly unique as sports grounds go. Brian Inglis sums up the chapter on Craven Cottage like this.
Had Letch slapped up one of his routine stands (of which he built many), had there been no corner pavilion; whether in a pleasant riverside spot or not, the ground would have succumbed to develpers years ago.
Such is the power of the place. Such is the aura of architecture.
There are countless football grounds bereft of character. But there is only one Craven Cottage.
And for much of that, the credit lies with Archibald Leitch.
Craven Cottage is on my list of must-see grounds.
Off to Portsmouth
I know the match isn’t until Saturday, but soon, I’m off to London, where I’m spending two nights, before going to the match.
The Anonymous Widower 