did you enjoy Subbuteo?

[cidered abroad]

1 hour ago, Oh Louie louie said:

Not a wind up but the guy who ran the supporters club bar for many years his son respented England at subbuteo recall him being in the evening post weird thing was his surname was flicker 

Rob Flicker was the father. I met him first en route by train to Scunthorpe for first match of 1959-60 season. 

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, Oh Louie louie said:

Not a wind up but the guy who ran the supporters club bar for many years his son respented England at subbuteo recall him being in the evening post weird thing was his surname was flicker 

True!

Also, the old Bishop Sutton GK Darren Clarke played subbuteo for England too.  Story was he had his fingers insured.  Must’ve been a high premium unless he didn’t declare he played in goal too!

[spudski]

26 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

True!

Also, the old Bishop Sutton GK Darren Clarke played subbuteo for England too.  Story was he had his fingers insured.  Must’ve been a high premium unless he didn’t declare he played in goal too!

Not sure about the insured fingers but I know some have.

A few Bristol connections, and one of the lads mentioned still plays for England. Again it's ' sports table football'...even though it's associated with Subbuteo. 

The 'Politics' in 'Subbuteo' is mental. So many different codes and fractions. 

Sad tbh...because it puts many off playing again. 

http://subbuteoassociation.co.uk/articles/161/Player-Profile--Darren-Clark 

Also just watched the BBC points west article. Father and son both City fans. Great that they've bonded as father and son and enjoying playing the 'game' and getting to travel and enjoy other countries, experiences etc.

Whatever bonds you as family has got to be good.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by spudski

[Barrs Court Red]

Bought my boy a set at Christmas…which led to me getting all the stuff I used to have put my parents loft.  It’d been so long, if forgotten how much I had.

Then I went on eBay and got more.  
 

9 months later, the kids aren’t really interested but every so often some mates come over, we stick the football on and play subbuteo while having some beers. 
 

 

[archie andrews]

Preferred super striker meself..... 

[Rob]

I was trying to remember the name of super striker game, thanks for that.  One thing I remember if you hit the head too hard too many times it would snap off and you'd he left with a headless footballer.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Rob

[Davefevs]

2 minutes ago, Rob said:

I was trying to remember the name of super striker game, thanks for that.  One thing I remember if you hit the head too hard too many times it would snap off and you'd he left with a headless footballer.

Diving goalies (prone to diving too slowly), or swivel arm goalies (very prone to throwing it in your own net)”

[Northern Red]

All the stuff we had is still in my parents' garage, although I don't know if there are any completely intact teams, and the FA Cup is definitely missing one of its handles and the top of the lid.

 

[spudski]

23 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

All the stuff we had is still in my parents' garage, although I don't know if there are any completely intact teams, and the FA Cup is definitely missing one of its handles and the top of the lid.

 

It's worth checking what you have. Some collectors pay silly money for less common teams.

This team went for just over £1100 in July. A friend of mine bought it.

I tell him every time I see him that he's got more money than sense :laugh: 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125402297456?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Jy16ppz6QGq&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=c-tt8z5WRDe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[Mad Cyril]

I still have my boxed astropitch (rolled not folded) plus a wide array of boxed teams. My fav is Coventry city circa 1977, the one with the hand painted braces now recreated in this season's kit.

The striker is a bit heavy - a large transplant of super glue following a near career-ending injury, smashing into the kitchen wall from a penalty follow through....

[downendcity]

5 hours ago, spudski said:

This is true. Peter Adolph the inventor ( stole the idea of the game from Newfooty which was around way before WW2. It's a blatant rip off. Adolph was the better businessman so Subbuteo succeeded over Newfooty.

Adolph was also an ornithologist, hence the Hobby Falcon connection. If you notice, the Subbuteo logo has a Falcons head over a football.

Pretty much all the history and what there is to collect can be found on this website. Be warned though...there are hours of rabbit holes to go down.

http://www.peter-upton.co.uk/sub1.htm

Just go on eBay mate. There are thousands of items for sale. Buy a box set. Two teams, pitch, balls, goals...that's all you need to have some fun. Then if they get hooked you can add more. Tbh...the accessories are great for collecting as are the different teams, but when playing the accessories just get in the way.

 

Used to have Subbuteo late 60s and lads from school around Downend had a league going.

Fast forward to 1980 when I covered the Tunbridge Wells area for work. Went to meet a business connection in a little place called Langton Green and came across the place where Peter Adolph started Subbuteo.

Recollection is hazy but I think there was a big green hut/shed which was where it all began.

[Red-Robbo]

I was the only one in the gang who used to have Subbuteo cricket - with its giant bat, miniature slide to "bowl" and stationary fielders. Much like myself, whenever I was put in field at school.

Also, Subbuteo rugby, with its giant rugby ball shaped device for deciding where the ball came out of a scrum. 

[BigAl&Toby]

I used to play with my brother. Always remember the pitch going up in the air when one of us lost.

And we had the floodlights…..

[Oh Louie louie]

Bob flick rip another person who was the fabric of the club.

[Sheltons Army]

1 hour ago, Red-Robbo said:

I was the only one in the gang who used to have Subbuteo cricket - with its giant bat, miniature slide to "bowl" and stationary fielders. Much like myself, whenever I was put in field at school.

Also, Subbuteo rugby, with its giant rugby ball shaped device for deciding where the ball came out of a scrum. 

Subbuteo Cricket was a copy / versionof the Balyana cricket game which was beautifully made (I think mine is in the loft ) and IIRC emanated from a game made by prisoners in WWII

Edited September 21, 2022 by Sheltons Army

[Red-Robbo]

4 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

Subbuteo Cricket was a copy / versionof the Balyana cricket game which was beautifully made (I think mine is in the loft ) and IIRC emanated from a game made by prisoners in WWII

 

Great knowledge there, SA. 

Wish I still had some of my old childhood games. 

[old_eastender]

5 hours ago, archie andrews said:

Preferred super striker meself..... 

Me too, genuinely different players kicked the ball in different ways when your pressed their heads (by accident I'm sure), but I had one that did a perfect chip into the goal from any side angle - he was "Jimmy Mann" in my City side! The Rovers team was made up of the worst kickers I could find.

Still got the game and about a dozen teams in the loft somewhere! 

[swanker]

I’ve still got my five a side court and about 10 teams. Mrs always threatening to throw them out!

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, Sheltons Army said:

Subbuteo Cricket was a copy / versionof the Balyana cricket game which was beautifully made (I think mine is in the loft ) and IIRC emanated from a game made by prisoners in WWII

I had the football and cricket, my cousin had the rugby.  
 

For cricket we played on our snooker table, so that the little red ball stayed within reach most of the time.  If you angled the bowlers triangle to one side you could bowl spin.

For rugby you could put the ball into the scrum machine at an angle so you always win the scrum!

[archie andrews]

7 hours ago, Rob said:

I was trying to remember the name of super striker game, thanks for that.  One thing I remember if you hit the head too hard too many times it would snap off and you'd he left with a headless footballer.

before that was plain old striker......

[spudski]

5 hours ago, downendcity said:

Used to have Subbuteo late 60s and lads from school around Downend had a league going.

Fast forward to 1980 when I covered the Tunbridge Wells area for work. Went to meet a business connection in a little place called Langton Green and came across the place where Peter Adolph started Subbuteo.

Recollection is hazy but I think there was a big green hut/shed which was where it all began.

That's fantastic. There's a blue plaque there now showing where it started.

Tunbridge Wells housewives were the people that painted Subbuteo. Thousands of figures laid out in living room tables. Van turned up, dropped off figures, then picked them up later. So village

[archie andrews]

2 hours ago, Sheltons Army said:

Subbuteo Cricket was a copy / versionof the Balyana cricket game which was beautifully made (I think mine is in the loft ) and IIRC emanated from a game made by prisoners in WWII

test match was a good one too big shoot for the bowler and if the ball went between the feet of the fielders that meant a catch...

[Med/MadHatter]

We had a league going at school where we would go to eachothers houses to play, my Dad glued my pitch onto a sheet of plywood which made altered the nap of the pitch and made the ball run faster, a bit like early astroturf :laugh:, unfortunately the plywood also warped from corner to corner so the pitched sloped too, giving me and my brother an advantage over the visitors as we knew how to play on the sloping pitch :laugh:, a bit like the old Yeovil ground!

[LondonBristolian]

I had the same thing with my Subbuteo as I had with my model trainset where I loved the idea of it and loved excitedly setting it up with my Dad on the dining table but it always seemed to take so long to set up that I was always losing interest by the time we started to actually play!

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

Loved subutteo as a lad. Had lots of teams including Dukla Praha (although sadly not the away kit). 

[GreedyHarry]

3 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I had the football and cricket, my cousin had the rugby.  
 

For cricket we played on our snooker table, so that the little red ball stayed within reach most of the time.  If you angled the bowlers triangle to one side you could bowl spin.

For rugby you could put the ball into the scrum machine at an angle so you always win the scrum!

Sounds like it must have been the rugby league version.

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

I had the cricket. Great game. I remember once claiming a stumping when my opponent missed the ball which rebounded off my keeper back on to the stumps. The rugby (presumably early) version I had was poor as it was just a lot of discs and no model players. I also had the Subutteo Angling board game, and I really enjoyed that. 

[hantsred]

I didn't have subbuteo but had a version of a football game...dont know what the game was called (and dont think it was the super striker game mentioned above) where you would pull back the spring loaded leg of the player and get some pretty good kicks. Any ideas? All I remember is that if you tried to get too much out of the spring leg it would pop out the hip socket. I remember always gluing players back together as well.

[Red7]

11 hours ago, RoystonFoote'snephew said:

Loved subutteo as a lad. Had lots of teams including Dukla Praha (although sadly not the away kit). 

I had a few teams, too. My favourite was the Peru kit in white with the red diagonal stripe.

[Oh Louie louie]

Older bloke who used to drive us to games used to get us playing pub cricket the rules seemed to differ but for how many legs there was in the pubs name you got runs like the dog and duck for example I always seemed to get the bell and go for a duck