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TIL 1010

Happy Birthday Kevin Keelan.

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NCFC legendary status, lovely, lovely man, fantastic keeper and great inspiration to us kids in Hevingham way back.

Many happy returns, Kevin x

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My favorite keeper. Never forget one where a long shot comes bobbling in, Keelan walks across the face of the goal both arms up in the air as it's going wide.... except it sneaks into the corner. Oops. Everyone forgave him though as he'd usually pull off one or two outstanding saves every game - not like McGovern who makes every catch look acrobatic but only because he can't jump, Kevin Keelan moved like a cat, jumped like a cat and had reflexes like a cat, our Gordon Banks / Peter Shilton. 

Keelan.jpg

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Inspired me to want to play in goal at school. Him and Pat 'shovel hands' Jennings.

 

Never forget my mum taking me to meet him at a book signing in  WH Smith on St Stephens. He was really kind because I was dumbstruck and took his time with me even though the queue snaked out the door and past Belfast Linens!

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Great stuff TIL, we've had some great 'keepers over the years. None, not one, has given me more great memories, great saves and just pure entertainment. Happy Birthday KK.

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Great keeper had he been playing in todays free for all with Players wives all being Page 3 girls he would not have had the energy to even put on his boots given his looks.

 

 

PS Queueing past Belfast Linen great memories also the fish swimming in MacFisheries  shop on The Walk

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To me, the greatest ever footballer. Yes there was Best, Pele, Charlton. But to me, he was Mr Football. Best goalkeeper never to play for his country. Never heard of him wanting to leave. Treated us to some magic moments including laying out players who annoyed him. Smart dresser and liked a night out. Ladies loved him.

In fact, i was probably jealous.

Happy Birthday Kev. There will never be another and how  there isn't a stand named after you is puzzling.

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Feel a bit sad for younger fans who never saw him play. He was magical, cat-like in his abilities, totally dominant in the box at a time when footballers didn't take prisoners. Without a doubt a true legend. And a truly nice guy who was far too handsome. How could we compete? KG, is right, there ought to be some recognition at Carrow Road.

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3 hours ago, keelansgrandad said:

To me, the greatest ever footballer. Yes there was Best, Pele, Charlton. But to me, he was Mr Football. Best goalkeeper never to play for his country. Never heard of him wanting to leave. Treated us to some magic moments including laying out players who annoyed him. Smart dresser and liked a night out. Ladies loved him.

In fact, i was probably jealous.

Happy Birthday Kev. There will never be another and how  there isn't a stand named after you is puzzling.

I agree about the stand naming kg.  👍

So much so, I thought it deserved it's own thread!

 

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Just saw this on Twitter - can anyone shed any light on the game?

Apparently it’s 1973 Wolves v Norwich, Derek Dougan lobbed Keelan for the 3rd goal, he turned and tried to retrieve the ball only to grab the net and pull the crossbar down on him. Then left the field and returned with a bandaged head.

Also, what colour is our away kit? Those were rare days when we only had to wear it once a season!

A2B76C40-4666-4B13-B8D1-7EF12156D18D.jpeg

Edited by Woodman
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I do vaguely remember it. We were desperately hanging on to our 1st Division lives. We had just had a good win away to WBA which gave us hope and we came, excuse the pun, crashing back down when we were hammered against Wolves. Luckily we beat Palace next match.

Dougan was a strange character. Odd haircuts, chairman of the PFA and Wolves in his time and I believe he once stood for Parliament or Council. But maybe his moment was as a member of the infamous ITV 1970 World Cup panel, probably the most truthful, accurate and entertaining panel of pundits ever

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" Also, what colour is our away kit? 971Those were rare days when we only had to wear it once a season! "

 

it was all red

I vaguely remember us having to borrow white shirts v Blackpool away in 1971

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Was lucky enough to live next door to KK when a kid, one of his sons was a bit younger than me, but we and other kids locally used to play football on the road outside his house.  I learned a valuable lesson when playing in his back garden once - not to do with football, but to never to leave bits of wood lying around with nails sticking up.....ouch. 

 

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Privileged to have seen him play, when I was very young, even if was only briefly.

I remember watching him thinking he was a great then.

Happy birthday indeed.

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29 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

The kit was all green

Don't remember that King

He may be thinking of Keelan's kit

Ours was definitely all red around that time.

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54 minutes ago, Bill said:

He may be thinking of Keelan's kit

Ours was definitely all red around that time.

Yep you’re correct

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I used to deliver his paper on Booty Road in Thorpe. 

What a player and gentleman, loved the excitement of watching him play and lay out the centre forwards who where to aggressive with him! Seem to remember his laying someone out and taking his jersey off and running off the pitch only to be called back by the ref - only to send him off properly (thought the ref nearly got thumped as well)

Happy Birthday to the greatest keeper never to get an international cap (think he was born in India?)

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2 hours ago, lake district canary said:

Was lucky enough to live next door to KK when a kid, one of his sons was a bit younger than me, but we and other kids locally used to play football on the road outside his house.  I learned a valuable lesson when playing in his back garden once - not to do with football, but to never to leave bits of wood lying around with nails sticking up.....ouch. 

 

you lived very close to me then, i lived just round the corner. I also knew his sons the eldest used to go to the youth club on longfields rd the same time as me,  we played football on the waste land after the prefabs came down, some of the players would join in on their way home from training #differenttimes

 

Edited by city4eva
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2 hours ago, Midlandscanary said:

I used to deliver his paper on Booty Road in Thorpe. 

What a player and gentleman, loved the excitement of watching him play and lay out the centre forwards who where to aggressive with him! Seem to remember his laying someone out and taking his jersey off and running off the pitch only to be called back by the ref - only to send him off properly (thought the ref nearly got thumped as well)

Happy Birthday to the greatest keeper never to get an international cap (think he was born in India?)

If my memory is correct it was against Northampton, centre forward named Lord ?

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True legend never seen a better uppercut bet the Northampton player had the biggest headache ever

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2 hours ago, city4eva said:

you lived very close to me then, i lived just round the corner. I also knew his sons the eldest used to go to the youth club on longfields rd the same time as me,  we played football on the waste land after the prefabs came down, some of the players would join in on their way home from training #differenttimes

 

and I used to live on Laundry Lane!

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55 minutes ago, CANARYKING said:

If my memory is correct it was against Northampton, centre forward named Lord ?

It was Tommy Robson.

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