Jumpers For Goalposts

[Esmond Million's Bung]

[CiderHider]

A jolly good read.

I think commercially footballs elite clubs have reaped the rewards in today's global economy, or at least the last 20 years.

Football is simply massive in every country around the world now, especially English Football. People are willing to pay to be part of it, lots and lots of people.

Football back in the day was about the game, there were no global audiences, no Sky TV, no mega buck sponsorship deals, nothing. Just the game.

Oh how times have changed, but for the better?? Well if your a top pro football player then yes, absolutely.

I do think the innocence has be replaced with financial opportunity in some respects. But its not the club owners that get rich, SL has ploughed mucho ££ into the club so the players can take it out, look at Man City, Jesus H Christ... totally different league of wealth.

They should enjoy it while they can, its not going to last forever, it simply can't be sustained in todays financial catastrophe.

If we all stoped subscribing to Sky it would change almost instantly, but thats not gonna happen anytime soon is it?

[Esmond Million's Bung]

A jolly good read.

I think commercially footballs elite clubs have reaped the rewards in today's global economy, or at least the last 20 years.

Football is simply massive in every country around the world now, especially English Football. People are willing to pay to be part of it, lots and lots of people.

Football back in the day was about the game, there were no global audiences, no Sky TV, no mega buck sponsorship deals, nothing. Just the game.

Oh how times have changed, but for the better?? Well if your a top pro football player then yes, absolutely.

I do think the innocence has be replaced with financial opportunity in some respects. But its not the club owners that get rich, SL has ploughed mucho ££ into the club so the players can take it out, look at Man City, Jesus H Christ... totally different league of wealth.

They should enjoy it while they can, its not going to last forever, it simply can't be sustained in todays financial catastrophe.

If we all stoped subscribing to Sky it would change almost instantly, but thats not gonna happen anytime soon is it?

Amen my friend.

[Lack of Action Man]

Best post on this forum for a long time.

[silverfox]

[Mr Gow]

Really enjoyable read

[Redhyde]

[bristolcitysweden]

[downendcity]

The OP mentions that pro footballers used to get lower wages during the summer close season.

A Blackpool player went to see his manager about a pay rise for his summer wages, and referred to the fact that Stanley Mathews earned more than he did in the close season.

"But Matthews is a much better player than you are" said the manager, to justify the difference.

"Not in the summer, he's not " the player replied!

[Guest ashtonyate]

Your childhood seems to be the same as mine football Morning Noon & Night it was cheap to do there were not the attraction to do like there is now a days it was Saturday morning film show and watching city every other week in the winter.

I don't agree that footballers were not well paid they were on 3 to 4 times what the average man was on and had a pretty good standard of living for those days.

Even if they were not getting anything like the money they get now a days clubs still found it hard going to make ends meet,the late great Harry Dolman gave the club £30,000 to get them out of the trouble.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

I think this post is laughable. It's mutually beneficial. Players need to take advantage of the chances they get. He did. It was hardly pity on our part. We were very much in need of a new goalkeeper. you're just bitter at a player you believed in hurting something else you care about. That's ok I am too, but it's silly to drag the evils of modern football into this.

Drunks hacking a ball up the pitch deserved to get paid so little, just as the feast of football we're served today deserved the riches tv heaps upon the entertainers. I'm glad we have a global game where a small island who refuses to develop its footballing style isn't able to bully its way to success. I'm delighted to be able to watch the best football from around the world whenever i want. I'd really advise anyone to go and watch a game from the 60s/70s if you can. The world cup final is a good one. It's nightmarish in the lack of ability on show and the pace of the game is numbing. I'll watch Arsenal's foreigners (who ironically play without wide players often) and you can keep the wingless wonders.

The wingless wonders was a tactic employed by Sir Alf Ramsey to win the 1966 world cup and not a tactic that was employed by the more successful clubs during this period. Between 1059 and 72 11 different teams won the league title, Between 1992 and 2009 4 teams have won it (3 if you discount Blackburn who bought it one season and then sold it again for mediocrity). Actually the most notable wingless wonders are the Arsenal team you talk about, Their narrowness as a team leading to their lack of trophies in recent years.

Here are some of the most feared wing partnerships during that period:-

Connelly/Harris-Burnley

Deely/Stobart-Wolves

Medwin/Jones-Tottenham

Scott/Young-Everton

Best/Charlton/Connelly-Man U

Thompson/Callaghan-Everton

Lorimer/Gray-Leeds

Lee/Summerbee-Man City

Armstrong/Radford_Arsenal

Mcgovern/Hinton-Derby

All the above are league title winners with their teams during the 1959-1971 period and other of the 11 was Ipswich whose manager was Sir Alf Ramsey. I would also suggest that all of the above teams including Ipswich were all good footballing sides not hoof ball teams.

The point of my post was'nt to compare football now and then, How could I fitness, Skill, tactics, diets, modern day medical advances alone make it impossible to compare, My point was more about integrity and approachability of the players. Players have been abused for many years by the fans, I remember reading a quote from a former BCFC player of the late 50's saying that even as a BCFC player playing at home in front of the popular stand on the wing was like 'enduring a trial by jury'. For example what planet does Beckham live on if he dosen't expect fans of his club to be angry at him, Many of whom probably only bought tickets to see him when he joined (especially given the amount he was paid) only to see him play on in Milan and then comment in the press about his desire to join Milan permanently.

The problem there are only 3 teams in the premier league who can win the title and 2 now vying for 4th, And Real Madrid being allowed to borrow from the Spanish government to fund their present spending spree, is that good for the game, I don't believe it is.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Your childhood seems to be the same as mine football Morning Noon & Night it was cheap to do there were not the attraction to do like there is now a days it was Saturday morning film show and watching city every other week in the winter.

I don't agree that footballers were not well paid they were on 3 to 4 times what the average man was on and had a pretty good standard of living for those days.

Even if they were not getting anything like the money they get now a days clubs still found it hard going to make ends meet,the late great Harry Dolman gave the club £30,000 to get them out of the trouble.

i'm glad you remember things similarly too me.

You are correct about wages the maximum wage in 1952 was £12 and was doubled to £24 in 59/60 and later in 61 dear old Jimmy Hill as chairman of the professional footballers union managed to have the maximum wage lifted and Johnny Haynes became the first £100 a week player.

However we were during these periods languishing in the 3rd division south/3rd division and occasionally the 2nd and the wages were nowhere close to these amounts, Apart from big John Atyeo who was part financed by Harry Dolman and also his teaching career.

[Guest ashtonyate]

i'm glad you remember things similarly too me.

You are correct about wages the maximum wage in 1952 was £12 and was doubled to £24 in 59/60 and later in 61 dear old Jimmy Hill as chairman of the professional footballers union managed to have the maximum wage lifted and Johnny Haynes became the first £100 a week player.

However we were during these periods languishing in the 3rd division south/3rd division and occasionally the 2nd and the wages were nowhere close to these amounts, Apart from big John Atyeo who was part financed by Harry Dolman and also his teaching career.

I remember Jimmy Hill playing for Fulham this particular game he was trying to take a corner at the open end, but never had the ball in the quadrangle step back to take the kick and this small boy wiped out and put it in the right place.

This happened a couple more times then the linesman placed the ball in the quadrangle and told Hill to get on with it which he did to a big cheer from the crowd.

Your post has started me thinking back I can remember we always had a brass band marching around the pitch before the start of the game.

The leader of the band use to throw his baton very high into the air and always seem to catch it to the merriment of the crowd.

A couple more things I remember was the mascot no costumes like now a days he had a ply wood cut out with a long handle with a painted Robin on it.

I remember the infamous Cup game against the Rovers ( and yes Bradford was off side)when both mascots were play fighting with there motifs at the east end before the KO

what a great atmosphere and no crowd separation in them days.

Also all the buses park out side of the ground sticks in my memory there seemed 100s of them course not many people had cars in them days everybody used buses and trains that will for now,in some ways I still think it was a good time to grow up kids were kids.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Yes and all of the bus crews used to sit on the wooden benches pitchside and 10 minutes before the final whistle there was a mass exodous of bus crews ready to take the fans back from whence they came.

I can also recall reserve games regularly attracted 1,500 fans and occasionally 4,000 if in the old combination Tottenham or one of the other big london teams had a few first teamers returning from injury, But my abiding memory about reserve games is the half time score being posted on the boards at either end and during the 2nd half there would be regular updates from the first teams away matches and if the guy used to walk slowly to put the score up on the board, You knew it was bad news, However if he was running there would be a cheer around the ground and you knew it was good news (no update over the P/A god knows why).

I can remember John Galley's first appearance for city was an away game, I was watching the reserves and if memory serves me right city were leading 1-0 at half time and twice during the 2nd half the scores man ran to put the scores up 2-0 and then 3-0 to big cheers and at the end of the game there was a P/A announcement saying that city had won 3-0 and John Galley had scored a hatrick, This was a much needed win city were struggling in the old 2nd division at the time.