Number 35 June 19 2017
Red
Rose County Footballing Legends
(Number 8)
Bobby
Charlton (Manchester United)
I
do not believe that there has ever been a bigger legend in English football
than this knight of the realm. He was born into the wider Milburn family in the
Northumberland mining town of Ashington, his mother having 4 brothers who all
played the game professionally and her cousin was Jackie Milburn, a centre
forward still revered at his hometown club of Newcastle United. Bobby’s older
brother was Jack Charlton of course, defensive lynch pin of England’s 1966
World Cup winning side. The younger Charlton played for England Schoolboys
before Manchester United secured his services and he quickly became a schoolboy
idol. He forced his way into the United 1st team (reigning Football
League champions) on the approach of his 19th birthday and played in the 1957
FA Cup final when the Busby Babes surprisingly lost 2-1 to Aston Villa. His
England call up came the following season shortly after recovering from
injuries inflicted in the Munich Air Disaster where the 20 year old was
fortunate to escape with his life. He was selected for the 1958 England World
Cup squad but he never actually played. He was to make up for that
disappointment by playing in 62, 66 and 70, finally gaining a then record 105
caps to complement his then record 49 England goals, as well as a much coveted
World Cup winner’s medal. At club level he collected 3 League Championship
medals, an FA Cup winner’s medal and in 1968, a European Cup winner’s medal,
scoring twice including a rare headed goal in a 4-1 defeat of Benfica. So why
was he such a great player? He had pace, a wonderful first touch, could take on
and beat opponents, passed long and short with ease and had dynamite in both
boots. He could score from 30 yards with either foot and as he matured into a
mid-field general, we saw a footballing intelligence that enabled him to
control a game whatever the level. Voted World Footballer of the Year in 1966,
he was never sent off and only booked twice. For many players, physicality has
to be a vital part of their armoury but Bobby Charlton was so good that he
never had recourse to stoop to foul tactics. In retirement, his demeanour makes
him respected by all. A wonderful advert for both club and country, he is a
true gentleman and a legend of English football, inferior to no-one before or
since.
A young Bobby Charlton at Wembley post Munich in 1958
Quiz of the Week (Answers at the foot of the Blog)
Each question has a Red Rose County club connection
1 Charlton (2) and Best scored for Manchester United in the 1968 European Cup Final win v Benfica but which future Blackburn Rovers manager also scored?
2
Which club eliminated Manchester City from the Champions’ League
at the last 16 stage in both 2015 and 2016?
3
Which club does Mason Holgate play for, the only Red Rose County
player to have so far started for England U/21s in the current European
Championships?
4
John Hollins who played with distinction for Chelsea, Arsenal
and QPR, gaining 1 England cap, managed which Red Rose club from 2001-2002?
John Hollins; FA Cup winner with Chelsea in 1970
5
Burnley scored their
first ever Premier League hat-trick on New Year’s Eve 2016. Who was the scorer
v Sunderland?
6
Who was the
Frenchman who managed Liverpool immediately prior to Rafa Benitez?
7
Who, with 12 league
goals and 1 in the League Cup, was Preston North End’s leading scorer in the
2016-17 season?
8
The Premier League
has had only 3 Title Sponsors in its 26 year history, Barclaycard, Barclays and
which other company?
9
From which club did
Manchester United sign Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2001?
10
In 1995 Bolton
Wanderers won promotion to the Premier league for the first time. How many
seasons did they stay there before being relegated with just 29 points?
Post Weekend Musings
The
onset of summer has definitely put a spring in the step of English football,
Reaching the final of the European U/17 Championships, being crowned as U/20
World Cup winner’s and now further progress in the even more important European
U/21 Championships represents a level of performance rarely seen in the modern
English game. A semi-final berth has already been booked against opponents
currently unknown. It could be the Germans and apparently Spain, who are
potential final opposition, has a side packed with “wunderkinds”. England first
entered the competition in 1978, twice winning in 1982 and 1984 under the
managership of Dave Sexton. Many lean years followed until we reached the
semi-final in 2007 and the final in 2009, Stuart Pearce being heavily involved
on both occasions. The names of Hart, Milner, Walcott, Richards and Rose were
in that squad captained by Mark Noble of West Ham. There is no doubt that it is
extremely competitive at this level and to be fair to coach Adie Boothroyd, the
likes of Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford are all eligible,
but certainly in the Slovakia and Poland games, we have seen skill and pace not
always on view in our senior national side. An English triumph would be
wonderful and give our game the lift it needs as our big clubs continue to
throw money at foreign imports, so good luck to Boothroyd and his boys in
Poland,
Hart of England but where to next for Man
City’s nomadic keeper?
Pep
Guardiola apparently wants someone to pay £25million for a goalkeeper that he
doesn’t rate and surprise, surprise, there are no takers. Most of us were
astonished when Joe was allowed to leave for Torino on loan, being replaced by
a footballing keeper who struggled to stop a shot. In spite of a successful
year in Italy, there are many question marks about his future at both club and
international level as England suddenly appears to be producing quality
goalkeepers once again. Hart has his faults but no one doubts his passion and
leadership. Surely he must reappear somewhere in the Premier League this coming
season.
Mohamed
Salah moving from Roma to Liverpool? A good player and a good signing, even at
£34million, but should he be Klopp’s number one target? Surely they would have
pushed the London clubs more last season with a better centre half and
goalkeeper, so why splash out on yet another offensive player. It seems strange
to me.
When
did your club last fall through the trap door?
Winning
a trophy is the most satisfying feeling in football, hence the reason why Manchester
United, now the country’s all-time greatest club, is possibly the best supported
club world-wide; commercially speaking. But if it is a form of ecstasy to win a
trophy at the end of a season,
it is certainly totally demeaning to
be relegated. So if stability is your thing, there are advantages to supporting
a side which rarely if ever drops down a division. The critics of Arsene Wenger
will tell you that consistency is nothing without silverware, but those
statistical minded folks out there will know of Arsenal’s greatest achievement;
never being relegated since 1913. And if you want to put that into perspective,
no-one alive can possibly have seen them play in the old 2nd
Division. So if the Gunners are England’s most consistent club, who else joins
them in the top ten? Be prepared for a surprise or two. The names of several of
our current big hitters all feature, but the likes of Man United, Liverpool,
Everton, Chelsea and Spurs all have to give precedence in the chase for second
spot to one of the Red Rose County’s football minnows. Take a drive up the M6,
exit at Lancaster and you will soon find the Globe Arena, home of Morecambe FC.
It is 97 years since they started to play semi-professional football and they
have never…..yes that is never been relegated. Whether the good people of the
seaside resort are conscious of the gradual upwardly mobile nature of their
club is another matter. I was shocked when I stumbled upon the statistic, but
it can perhaps be used by Jim Bentley in one of his motivatory dressing room
rants, helping to prolong the record for another few years. Journey south
towards the West Midlands and you will come across one of country’s most famous
brewery towns (Bass, Marston’s) which is also the home of Burton Albion.
Currently England’s most successful small club, they were last relegated in
1977. Carrying on the mystery tour, travel west of the Cotswolds and you will
discover the village of Nailsworth, home of the Football League’s most recent recruit
Forest Green Rovers, never relegated since they joined the Hellenic League in
1975. And finally of course there is Oldham Athletic. They are starting their
21st consecutive season in League 1. Will the Football League give
them the key to the door?
The 10 most stable clubs in
England; according to one set of statistics
|
Pos
|
Club
|
Relegated
|
From where to where
|
|
1
|
Arsenal
|
1913
|
1st
Division to 2nd Division (Tier 1-2)
|
|
2
|
Morecambe
|
Never
|
Entered
Lancashire Combination 1920 (Tier 9).
|
|
3
|
Everton
|
1951
|
1st
Division to 2nd Division (Tier 1-2)
|
|
4
|
Liverpool
|
1954
|
1st Division to 2nd
Division (Tier 1-2)
|
|
5
|
Manchester United
|
1974
|
1st Division to 2nd
Division (Tier 1-2)
|
|
6
|
Forest Green Rovers
|
Never
|
Entered
Hellenic League 1975 (Tier 9)
|
|
7
|
Tottenham Hotspur
|
1977
|
1st Division to 2nd
Division (Tier 1-2)
|
|
8
|
Burton Albion
|
1977
|
Southern League
Premier to Southern League 1 North (Tier 7-8)
|
|
9
|
Chelsea
|
1987
|
1st Division to 2nd
Division (Tier 1-2)
|
|
10
|
Oldham Athletic
|
1997
|
1st Division to 2nd
Division (Tier 2-3)
|
Review
of the EFL League 2, 2016-17
There
were just 3 Red Rose County clubs in League 2 during the 2016-17 season, Accrington Stanley, Blackpool and Morecambe. Since the Third Division North and South became the 3rd
and 4th Tier of English football in 1958-59, a Red Rose club has
only sat proudly at the top of the 4th Tier tree on 4 occasions. Southport achieved the feat in 1972, Burnley 20 years later and following on
in quick succession, Preston North End
in 1996 and Wigan Athletic 12 months
later. None of our three candidates ever looked like improving that figure this
time round, but each of them had interesting seasons nonetheless. Stanley could
have and should have gained automatic promotion the previous year but they made
a disappointing start to this season. A total of 27 points from 32 games by the
end of February was classic relegation form, but following a 1-0 home win to
Barnet, the next 11 games yielded 27 points and all the talk was about the
Play-Offs. Sadly defeats by Newport County and Luton Town spoiled the script,
but a 13th place finish was a satisfactory end to a season where
they beat Burnley in the League Cup and reached the 4th Round of the
FA Cup. Morecambe’s form was similarly topsy-turvy. They flew out of the traps,
winning 4 of their first 5 but then stuttered for a while. As soon as the New Year
was ushered in, they commenced a run of 11 games with only 1 defeat only for
them then to lose the next 7 on the spin, before finishing in a less than
complimentary 18th position, albeit well clear of relegation. They
qualified from the group stage of the EFL Trophy only to lose on penalties at
high-flying Scunthorpe United, but the season will be long remembered for the
Board Room shenanigans where once again, a foreign owner attempted to take the
money and run. For Blackpool supporters, there was a golden ending to what had
been a generally non-descript season for the most part. A total of 33 points
from 23 games up to the end of December was mid-table form, followed by 10
points from the next 30 which dropped them down the league. March gave them 5
wins and a draw and suddenly the Play-Offs were within sight, an achievement
which they accomplished with a steady if unspectacular end to the season. They
qualified in 7th and last position, but the late season form of
striker Mark Cullen produced the goals to overcome Luton Town 6-5 on aggregate
after two pulsating ties and they had enough in the tank to see off Exeter City
in the final at Wembley. Their cup performances also brought joy, eventually
losing at Blackburn in Round 4 of the FA Cup and qualifying and reaching Round
3 of the EFL Trophy. League 1 now beckons and only 2 clubs will fly the Red
Rose County flag in League 2 this forthcoming season. Managers Gary Bowyer, John
Coleman and Jim Bentley all managed to stay in post throughout the year, and
although all 3 sides struggled to attract support, their on field performances
merited much bigger average gates than 3,456 at Bloomfield, 1,704 at the Globe
and 1,699 at Accrington’s Wham Stadium.
Quiz
Answers
1
Brian Kidd, 2 Barcelona, 3 Everton,
4 Rochdale, 5 Andre Gray,
6
Gerard Houllier, 7 Jordan Hugill, 8 Carling, 9 PSV Eindhoven, 10 One season.
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