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About Bob 70-71

- Know any others ??! Let me know and I'll include them on this page.

May 2001

For reasons I can no longer remember the 'Where are they now ?' page for March 2001 was never completed. As I had a spare minute or two this month, this has now been rectified - visit March 2001.

1970-71 Cup Final Teams

This brief run down appeard in the 'Daily Mirror' on Cup Final Day, 12 May 2001 - the re-match thirty years on. in 70-71 the score was 2-1 to Arsenal. Heighway opened the scoring for Liverpool, Eddie Kelly equalised and Charlie George won the match.

Arsenal

Liverpool

All Arsenal's players can be found on the Arsenal page. All the Liverpool players can be found on the Liverpool page except for John Toshack who began the 70-71 season with Cardiff City

Ray Kennedy (Arsenal squad)

This picture and article appeared in 12 May, 2001 Cup Final edition of 'The Mirror'.

'Make the most of your big day, life can change at any minute'

by Simon Bird.

Ray Kennedy

THE memories of golden years with Arsenal and Liverpool still burn brightly in Ray Kennedy's eyes. :

Triumph was never far away during his illustrious career .As a teenager he helped Arsenal to FA Cup glory and their famous 1971 Double. And his determined midfield battling anchored Liverpool as they conquered Europe and collected medals at will. But today courageous , Kennedy is a shadow of the giant who strode football's greatest stages bringing , trophies to Highbury and Anfield.

He cuts a tragic figure as he bravely fights the ravages of Parkinson's Disease, living alone in a bungalow in the Tyneside coastal village of New Hartley.But Kennedy , 49, is refusing to give in. Cup Final day is still a big event in the Kennedy household:

Once he proudly marched up the Wembley steps to lift the FA Cup, but today will be a triumph if he is well enough to get out of bed to watch the two clubs he loves on TV. Kennedy's fight against Parkinson's puts the losers 'tears and winners' hype of Cup Final day into stark perspective.

For his story is a reminder to today's millionaire stars how quickly and drastically life can change. And it's a warning to sulky prima donnas that there is more to life than money, medals and the next big contract. This forgotten hero shows no bitterness, only joy, as he proudly plays a video of his greatest goals and medal winning performances.

He loses balance as he clambers off his sofa and staggers towards the television. And these days even pressing the button on the remote control is a struggle. As he watched film of himself scoring 30-yard spectaculars, he admits: "I can't believe that is me. I look at myself now and wonder how I did it and what this terrible disease has done to me."

But Kennedy is not after pity or sympathy. He soldiers on, an inspiration even now as he fights a battle he can't win with good humour and honesty. Old team-mates, including best pal Jimmy Case, Charlie George and George Graham, keep in regular touch.

But at times, Kennedy admits to feeling cut off from his old friends and the footballing life he enjoyed. "I would just love to be in Cardiff watching but I couldn't trust myself," he said. "I could be having a falling over day and I'd hate for people to see me like that.

"I can't make any plans like going to watch football live. I just hope I'll be having a good day and  able to catch it on television. It's just so frustrating. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"I take 29 pills a day to control the symptoms, sometimes up to 50. The side-effects are awful. That's what I can't deal with. I can't stop myself jumping around or get my balance right. Some days I'm not too bad and I can get by. But then there are times when I just have to stay in bed knocked out by the pills. It's difficult to get the right combination:'

Last week Kennedy spent four days in bed unable to get up, but was yesterday well enough to look forward to the football highlight of his year "I'm like a kid," he said. "I'll try to get sat down for 11 am and see all the build-up, if I'm having one of my good days.

"It is impossible for me to choose between the two clubs. I love them both. It will be great to see either of them win.It is about time someone else won a Cup.He didn't realise it at the time. but the onset of Parkinson.s hit him during the last spell of his trophy. You get a bit sick of seeing Man United clean up."

As a 16-year-old, Kennedy was plucked from New Hartley's junior team and given his big chance with Arsenal. He went on to play 17 times for England, won five League Championships, three European Cup winner's medals plus FA Cup, UEFA Cup and European Super Cup medals.

Later he became a Bill Shankly signing at Anfield, and went on to win every medal apart from the European Cup Winners' Cup. He didn't realise it at the time. but the onset of Parkinson's hit him during the last spell of his career, at Swansea. Fetching a picture from his sideboard, Kennedy proudly tells of his meeting with Mohammedl Ali, another sporting great to be struck by Parkinson's. He would be too modest to admit it, but he's a fighter in his own right.

Pat Rice (Arsenal)

This article by Russell Kempson appeared in 'the Times' just before the FA Cup 2001 final (May 2001)

BEHIND every great manager is a trusty lieutenant, a man who carries out the wishes of his master with a joke and a smile. He is there to lean on in times of stress, there to confide in should the players feel the need. He can stand aside, taking a considered overview, yet is always available. At Arsenal, Pat Rice is that man.

While Arsene Wenger, the manager, exudes his Gallic charm, inside and outside the dressing-room, Rice chivvies the troops along with a well-directed barb or two. .. "Arsene doesn't ask me to do the shouting," Rice said yesterday, as Arsenal continued their preparations for the FA Cup Final in Cardiff on Saturday. 'That's just the way I am."

A solid full back, who won 49 caps for Northern Ireland, Rice, 52, returned to Highbury in July 1984. He has served his time, working his way through the youth and reserve team ranks, and has been involved with the first team since 1996. The youngsters won the FA Youth Cup under his tutelage in 1988 and 1994; the seniors did the Double in 1998.

As the No 2, the reliable assistant, his appreciation of Wenger has grown. "When Arsene first joined us, I immediately noticed how calm he was:' Rice said. "He never gets flustered. Besides that, he always does his homework. You can ask him about any player in the world and he will know them. He is great with the players as well. His door is always open to them, he is always available to talk things over. I don't think I've ever heard him shout. Well, hardly ever."

Rice pauses, smiles and recalls that dreadful day on February 25, when Arsenal were beaten 6-1 by Manchester United at Old Trafford. They were losing 5-1 at half-time and when Wenger returned to the dressing-room, he exploded. No more Gallic charm. "Well, that was about the only time," Rice said. "

Arsene was quite forceful and he talked about pride and trying to get things right in the second half. I think it had quite an impact on the lads." Rice, who also played for Watford, won a Cup winner's medal with Arsenal in 1971 and 1979 and a league championship in 1971. It was in 1971, shortly after Arsenal had secured the league title by beating Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, that they went to Wembley to take on Liverpool - their opponents again on Saturday - in the Cup Final.

Rice remembers it well, and not just the hangover that he had when Arsenal took their victory parade on an open-top bus in North London the next day. .'I went into the Final feeling very relaxed," Rice said, "because we knew that we had already achieved the main goal - the championship. Going back to North London after beating Liverpool, seeing all the people there, filled you with a huge sense of pride. When we lost in the final the next year, you got the feeling that you'd let all the people down. That was hard to take."

Arsenal defeated Liverpool 2-1 after extra time. It was 0-0 after 90 minutes and although Steve Heighway gave Liverpool the lead, Arsenal equalised through Eddie Kelly though, to this day, George Graham claims it - and won with a memorable shot by Charlie George.

Rice can still picture George lying on the grass, his arms raised to the sky in acclaim. "When he hit it, you could see that it was in. Charlie was always capable of something like that, although, up until then, he hadn't done much. For us, the Cup was the icing on the cake. It was not the cake itself- that was the championship, the priority - but it was definitely the icing."

Thirty years on, Rice is hoping that history repeats itself. "I think the game will be just as tight," he said. "I hope that it's us who scores the first goal this time. Both sides have got great forwards and we might have Dennis Bergkamp back as well." Bergkamp has missed eight matches with Achilles tendon problems, but scored in a 4-0 win for the reserves against Tottenham at Highbury last night and declared himself fit for the final.

So who would win if Arsenal1971 played Arsenal 2001? "I think it might be the current team," Rice said, "but not at a canter. We were a very well-organised side. Mind you, if you'd told me then that two French managers would lead out the teams in a Cup Final in Cardiff in 30 years' time, I'd have said you were crazy ."

Charlie George (Arsenal) - this was too long to appear on this page so see Charlie

Stuart Boam (Mansfield Town) Stuart appeared on Middelesbrough's website this month offering his tribute to Bobby Murdoch (Celtic), who died this month. In the article, it is revealled that Stuart now owns a shop just outside Mansfield. See May 2001 News

Jim Platt (Middlesbrough squad). Similarly, Jim was quoted on the BBC site offering his tribute to Bobby Murdoch (Celtic). In this it states that Jim is now head coach at Middlesbrough's Football in the Community Centre. See May 2001 News.

See more May 2001 news at the following ...

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