Bernard Futter
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Posts posted by Bernard Futter
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Funny what the passage of time can do ricardo - there were some fine players that I have especially fond memories of representing the Club in the early part of the 60s!Ron Davies (best ever no 9), Kevin Keelan (best ever no 1), Tommy Bryceland, Gerry Mannion, Gordon Bolland, Hugh Curran, Mal Lucas, Ollie Burton, (and eventually) Terry Anderson, plus overlaps from the 50s the incomparable Jimmy Hill (best ever no 10), Barry Butler (best ever no 5), Terry Allcock and Billy Punton. I think you can pick one hell of a team out of that lot!Despite a career tragically cut short by injury, I would also add Phil Kelly to the list. The housekeeper at my first job was Arthur Banner, a resolute full back for West Ham and Orient in the 50s who was still peripherally involved with the pro game. He came to the Orient away match I referred to (he knew Ron Ashman well) and said he''d never seen a ''catch pigeons'' full back faster than Phil Kelly! Another player with a career much abbreviated by injury and like Kelly a full back, was Barry Staton - he looked like he had all the makings to be a top defender.I guess the Macaulay ''pure football'' template evaporated when Ron Ashman''s managerial reign came to an end? -
NN - I was at CR when Conlon scored 2 goals against Leicester in a 3-0 victory - I think it was a Boxing Day fixture.Certainly the high point of an otherwise undistinguished City career.Ken Mallender was Lol Morgan''s cousin and you are correct he was signed at the same time as Geoff Butler who had been the subject of (at the time and for a fullback) big money moves of over £55/60k from Middlesborough to Chelsea to Sunderland and reputedly around half that to come to Norwich. (The first match with both in the side was a 0-3 home reverse to Millwall!)I''ll always remember his last minute headed goal (a real collectors item, so much so, I initially thought it must have been a Peters special) at the Old Den during a tense end of season promotion run in.Millwall were themselves in real danger of being relegated and with genuine menace in the air, it was not the time to break out into celebrations!In all my time watching City (Ken Oxford was in goal for my first match) I think Malcolm Lucas was one of the finest players ever to wear the City shirt.I loved the class and style of Ollie Burton but Lucas had those attributes allied to real power.I feel priviledged to have seen Denis Law play at the very top of his game on a number of occasions and I also remember vividly the City games where Mal Lucas (with his chest thrust out) singlehandedly ran the show from midfield.Orient away in a 3-2 victory against his old club where Gerry Mannion absolutely roasted ex. City fullback Colin Worrell would be my pick.When I went to City games with non affiliated friends, Mal Lucas was always the player picked out for special plaudits.I find it disapponting that down the years, his contribution to the cause has hardly ever been commented on in these threads. -
Mention by Ardee of Gerry Howshall going walkabout and John Manning in the same thread, prompted thoughts of the latter ''doing a Howshall'' and missing the coach for an evening kick off league match at Crystal Palace.The outcome was an embarrassing 0-6 defeat and how much this dented team morale on the night we''ll never know of course.For a big man Manning was not just excellent in the air but quite adroit on the deck and I remember against Fulham at Craven Cottage he scored with a sublime chip from distance similar to Mark Robin''s debut effort at Highbury.Geoff Butler''s name was also invoked and I really feel he did not get the recognition his classy play deserved. Not helped by having been signed by a previous manager (Morgan), he of course was the main victim of Bond''s flagrant ''Bournemouth-centricity'' which reached it''s nadir when a clearly unfit Machin was idiotically preferred to him for the League Cup Final against Villa with disastrous consequences. If anyone at a distance doubts how extreme this was, I believe the League imposed an embargo on City signing Bournemouth players! -
Don''t think George Waites ever had much of a chance as he was signed as part of the exchange deal (with cash adjustment) which took fan''s favourite and Cup hero Errol Crossan to Orient.Waites had always been a traditional winger but I seem to remember we tried to convert him into an inside forward.He was a short, slight figure (with a shock of black hair) and despite some obvious ability on the ball was easily bustled out of a game.Would appreciate anyone being able to flesh out my remembrances... -
C.B. please spare us from such pathetic posts and show respect for a golden era in the Club''s fortunes you clearly know nothing about. -
I never saw Johnny Haynes at Carrow Road, but as a southern-based product of Norfolk parents, saw a lot of him at Craven Cottage, albeit during the latter part of his illustrious career.Great players generally have a skill/technique unique to them* and I was astounded at how Haynes was adept at running diagonally across the pitch and this is the amazing bit, seemingly without looking up, hit an inch perfect pass out to the winger on the opposite side of the pitch.As well as spectators being unable to anticipate such a play, his collegues couldn''t either and mere mortal team mates such as Graham Leggatt would get the full on Haynes glare when the ball ran out of play. * I used to watch Martin Peters at City and his unbelievable positional play/reading of the game which was all about, at that stage of his career, husbanding resources and only putting effort in when it really mattered. -
I''m amazed that I need to point this out, but there is action footage of Jinking Jimmy actually scoring a hat-trick against Sunderland (one aided by a vicious deflection) in a 4-2 victory (from 1-2 down) at Carrow Road in the ''On The Ball City!'' DVD.Also show a sublime inside the full back pass from Tommy Bryceland that even that master of the technique Johnny Haynes would have been proud of! -
I was interested to know what progress had been made and have just received the following e-mail from James Wallace, Treasurer of the ''Give It To Ron'' Fund, pledged to finance essential hip surgery for undoubtedly our finest no 9 of all time. If you would like further information, the web site is www.giveittoron.co.ukHi Bernard, Happy days!* I''m afraid we''ve not been able to update the website recently - it will be done shortly. Ron''s consultant was hoping that anti-inflammatory drugs would hold off the need for an operation, but after some initial success, it became obvious that they weren''t the solution. Ron now has a date in April for the hip replacement and a final evaluation/decision in Feb. Between now and then he is having a large amount of work done to his mouth - his gums and teeth were in such a poor state that surgeons refused to do the hip op for fear of infection!! This dental treatment (appx £4,000) is being half-funded by a very generous Saints fan who wishes anonymity. We are reserving £10,000 for the hip op. We''re OK for funds at the moment, but please give everyone an update on the Pink-un. All the best. James Wallace* Refers to part of my original e-mail:- As someone who had fantastic times following this prince of no 9s during his time in the yellow and green shirt (including an action packed 2-2 draw on a Dell mudheap from 0-2 down), I was delighted to be able to put something back with a contribution to the fund. -
Totally agree with you CAT, as outsiders we can''t actually KNOW what contribution Mr Gunn makes but one would have thought with his record at the Club he might well have been accorded the benefit of any doubt.A record tellingly illustrated by the fact that the Club wouldn''t have suffered a painful relegation when he missed the latter half of a season through injury.The uncomplimentary tone recalls the spiteful stuff that the Wizard and his mates couldn''t stop themselves bandying about re another great ex playing servant of the Club Ron Davies. -
Doubtless I will be sternly corrected if I''ve got this wrong, but I believe it commemorates Phyllis Barclay who was a Club director in the 50.60s. -
Er, just as well you didn''t come all that way and parachute in to the QPR away game!(And countless others of the same stripe this season.)Pleased your timing has been spot on! -
"It would never work in this country as how is a person english or scottish, nationally we are all British.Ludicrous post - British citizens from the home countries would of course be exempt from any quota arrangement. I seem to remember, before the flood of overseas players took place, there actually was an effective and workable quota system in the League. The perceived threat of EEC employment law meant it was rescinded. See my previous post in this thread re County Cricket for next season. If they can do it...... -
''I think you may be on thin ice legally''.County cricket have got around it with overseas player quotas for each team in place for next season.The other fantastic benefit from such a system is that far more money will stay in the UK game rather than being dissipated around the world. This can only be good for the structure of the game from the top down. -
I too was at that game NN and remember the raucous chortling from the Arsenal supporters before kick off when possible replay arrangements were broadcast over the Highbury Tannoy!The ultimate riposte from a true City great. His performance in the first leg of the LC semi-final, although he did not score, was even more impressive. He literally ran the game singlehandedly. -
What an amazingly naive post!Surely you realise that adopting a football club is a lifetime bonding issue and one doesn''t have to worship at the alter every other Saturday to hurt at a loss or feel joy at a win?I live in London and for well over two decades I never missed a City game in and around the south east even to the extent of attending an obscure indoor 5-a-side tournament in Wokingham! (Did anyone else get to that?)My forays to Carrow Road were necessarily spasmodic but I remember especially an evening testimonial game for Barry Staton featuring Jimmy Hill and Ollie Burton in an Invitation XI when I knew I couldn''t get back to my then Surrey home and had to try to sleep on a bench in Regent''s Park.I''m afraid the costs and time involved today in watching what will almost certainly be undiluted tosh (I was at QPR) now mitigate against other than the odd match attendance.But do I still care about the parlous state of the Club?You bet, as I said it''s a lifetime thing. -
With records like theirs - only in football can this happen!It would seem that their distant celebrity as players totally blinds club directors - who love the fame by association - to their more recent managerial records.A recognised syndrome in the advertising/entertainment industries, appropriately dubbed star****ing.Please enlighten me if anyone can think of a more plausible explanation why these busted flushes continue to land big management roles? -
Like captains of industry, manager''s are ultimately judged on hard results in which case Roeder''s CV is pretty unimpressive.The four clubs who dispensed with his services ultimately thought so too.How is it we ended are clamouring to sign someone with his track record is something perhaps only the Bolton chairman could hazzard a guess at! -
I thought we would be hard placed to find someone with a worse CV than previous Board appointee Bruce Rioch with four sackings out of his previous five managerial roles.But hey, our great Board have done even better and found someone with a 100% sacking record.I bet he was awfully polite at the interview and held doors open for all the right people.So as they will have to give time to this latest clown, I feel that Div 3 in old money is now a virtual certainty. -
If the ''bitter, smug, self-satisfied mob'' had done their homework, they may just have spotted that Ron Davies was making his way as a tiler and had to give up due to a bad hip caused by the fantastic leaping ability he demonstrated during his playing days on our joint behalfs.Servicemen (who also get paid and do the job of their own volition) are on the merits of the case, equally deserving of our generosity.Why does it have to be either or?Thank you NN for pointing this out and I am genuinely pleased to be in a position to make a small contribution to help someone who brightened up my teen years and was a genuine hero...I even remember enduring a torrid Fulham v Portsmouth game at the very tail end of Ron''s career to pay my respects to the great man. -
[quote user="NEIL CLUCKCASTER"]No disrespect to Ron...but he''s had the money and lost it.
I''d far rather give to one of our lads/lasses in the forces who have lost a limb or their eyesight in defending this country. It''s all about priorities unfortunately.......
[/quote]This is one of the most pathetic, spiteful posts it has been my misfortune to read on this forum.Your idiotic remarks may have had some value in the context of todays overpaid, overblown, overated players but even top performers in Ron''s day did not earn kings ransoms to compensate for their short careers.How many of the current crop of Premier League prima donnas will need to sustain their careers in the lower leagues and then find a pub, newsagents or sports equipment shop to run?I feel priviledged to have watched this prince of centre forwards in the yellow no 9 shirt and will be contributing on the basis that I am indebted to him, rather than the other way around.I''m sure that others who actually saw him play for City will think the same. -
This was flagged 5x days ago by myself under:-GARY JOHNSON - MANAGEMENT PROMISE WITH ACHIEVEMENT? -
I must defer to Neil Adams''s first hand knowledge of pro football, but I am staggered by his candidture of his old chum Peter Reid.All manager''s dip in to a bag of pyschological tricks (prime exponent Brian Clough) to either intimidate or cajole players to perform above their station.As the excellent TV documentary a few years ago showed, Peter Reid would seem to have one trick in his locker - abuse.Sure, it may work in the short term, but as soon as the fear factor wears off players will stop playing for him.It wouldn''t be so bad if he had sent his teams out to play in the grand style but kick and rush hustlers sums up a typical Peter Reid prepared side for me! -
Has he EVER been match fit in his career? -
A friend of mine, a perceptive watcher of west country footballing matters, put forward the name of Gary Johnson (see piece below) who is clearly still making his way in management but crucially,already has tangible success to his credit.Anyone else with first hand knowledge of the guy and the way his team''s play?The current manager at Bristol City, Gary Johnson has made a real success of two clubs to my knowledge – Yeovil and now City themselves – both of these on a shoestring. His teams play ‘football’ and he hasn’t got the problem of having any sort of ‘profile’. Whether he would welcome the challenge while he is currently doing OK is another matter.
Gerry Howshall.
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