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About Bob70-71

Febuary 2003 News

This is the latest news of all the players who appeared in the 1970-71

FKS Publishers Ltd Wonderful World of Soccer Stars Album

22 February

Kids' Stuff

Spending 'quality time' with the children recently has turned up a couple of unexpected Bob 70-71 references. Whilst offering made up stories strongly based on Leeds United and Billy Bremner histories, screams of 'shut up Dad' were quelled by reading this week's Beano. (No. 3162, 22 February, 2003).

Imagine my surprise ... Ball Boy is out playing with the lads, moaning that no-one appreciates him, when for a reason not adequately explained, one of them in full kit on the pitch starts to read a newspaper. Ball Boy reads the headline ' T.V. Pundit Coming to Beanotown'.

In the next box Ball Boy has a big dream bubble with Bob 70-71 star Ron Atkinson in it. 'Hope it's Big Ron Atkinson, ex-manager of Manchester United. He'll know what I'm worth', he says.

In the final boxes we learn the identity of the pundit, (I hope I'm not spoiling this for anyone) who says of Ball Boy's worth, 'He's as cheap as chips'. It is Bargain Hunt's David Dickinson, thus proving he really is getting everywhere these days.

Big Ron and David Dickinson were also both guests on the chat show, 'Johnny Vaughen Tonight', do we spot a mutual agent ?!

In a similar vein, a recent episode of 'Renford Rejects' which is showing on the children's satellite channel, Nickelodeon Replay, had a number of stars from West Ham United in it.

The comedy show based on a particularly useless 5 -a-side team, quite often has Premiership stars in it. This episode had an awards ceremony in which all the Renford players believed they were going to get the prizes, but due to reasons I forget, they kept going to the West Ham players.

Finally, the prize is given to Manager of the Year, which natrually enough (given that this is a repeats channel, and the episode was from around 2000/01) was given to Harry Redknapp, who gave a fine acceptance speech.

Whilst we're on this subject, it has been a long time since Bob's 70-71 Pages has extolled the virtues of the last remaining football weekly, Match. Supposedly intended for young people, it continues to be just like youth, wasted on the young.

The statistics section is better than some newspaper daily, the posters good enough to be up all over Bob 70-71 Towers, and the comdey section 'Footy Planet' has some real belly laughs. And hence the inclusion here. In recent weeks a number of Bob 70-71 favourites have been included in comic cartoons.

There has been When I were a boy... in which Sir Bobby Robson recalled, that shin pads were made out of mammoth tusks, Arsène's Review of the Week where Arsène Wenger (70-71 team not confirmed) gives a review of a TV show with a heavy French accent, and Howard Wilkinson has had a Joke of the Week, where the dour looking Yorkshire man tells a joke.

See also March 2003

21 February

Gould Returns

Bobby Gould (Wolverhampton Wanderers) has become manager of the struggling Division Two side, Cheltenham Town. When he took over the club were just a point clear of the bottom placed side, Huddersfield Town. In spite of an early victory, the club are now bottom in a very tight League.

Tensions are already running high for Bobby. In a recent match against Stockport County (a 2-0 home defeat), a match in which Stockport player-manager Charlton Palmer was sent off, Bobby was himself sent from the touch line.

Bobby has joined the side till the end of the seaon. The former manager, Graham Allner had only taken over in July 2002, after Steve Cotterill had secured their promotion the previous season.

Cheltenham have been a League side now for 4 seasons and this is their first ever in Division Two. In 1970-71 they were 15th in the Southern League First Division (below the Premier Division).

And whilst we're at it, two former managers of the club include Mike Summerbee's father, George Summerbee, and Bob 70-71 favourite, Terry Paine !

See BBC SPORT Football Teams Cheltenham Town Robins appoint Gould

Mrs Clarke

Good to see Allan Clarke's wife, Margaret, in an ITV documentary this week (18 February 03) called 'The Real Footballers' Wives'. Generally it followed various Leicester City stars of the modern day era, but a recent history perspective was offered by Margaret.

Allan was a big star at Leicester City before an English record move made him an even bigger star at Don Revie's Leeds United.

Margaret was shown in a clip from a similar programme made in the early Seventies, and some footage of Allan included clips at the 1973 FA Cup final v Sunderland.

Margeret said whilst she realises football gave the family a standard of living they would not have had otherwise, she was glad when the spotlight moved from Allan, as she never enjoyed having to play the footballer's wife role.

That said, Margaret insists there was no special lifestyle. Unlike the TV series, 'Footballers Wives', there was a surprising lack of dual sex children and she insists their family was just like everyone elses.

The programme also featured Mike Walker's son, Ian, with his wife Suzi. See Next Generation.

17 February 2003

Conroy Comments

Good to hear Terry Conroy (Stoke City) on BBC Radio Five Live earlier in the month. Terry was in hot demand because he was a goalscorer in Stoke City's famous victory over Chelsea in the 1972 League Cup Final, and Chelsea were drawn to play away to Stoke City in last weekend's FACup 5th Round.

There was no repeating of history as Chelsea won the game 2-0. Terry remains at Stoke City as a match day host.

Golden Era

For those of us living in the Radio Leeds catchment area, there was a classic show prior to the West Ham United home match. Peter Lorimer's regular show was given over to Peter interviewing each member of a team of former stars including: Tony Currie, Bobby Collins, , John Charles, David Stewart (Ayr United) and Allan Clarke, Terry Yorath, Mick Jones, Paul Reaney (all Leeds United).

Paul Reaney was behind the arrangements for the special event, which he organised through a new company called Golden Era. Paul hopes to have a web presence, which I will report when I find out about it myself.

Good Grolly

Good to see Ron Harris being asked his views on the rights and wrongs of football gamesmanship following a spitting incident last month. BBC SPORT Football Chopper's spitting rage by John May reports the following (go to the link to hear Ron talking in person):

Ron Harris has condemned players who spit at opponents as "the lowest of the low."

The former Chelsea hardman is convinced that football's taboo offence is the game's most unsavoury import.

Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock's claim that Liverpool defender Stephane Henchoz spat at him re-ignited the wrath surrounding spitting.

Unlike a reckless tackle, spitting is not career-threatening and causes no long injury effects.

But the act of spitting marks it out as the basest of insults.

Harris is in no doubt where spitting lies among the scale of offences.

Ron's crime list

1: Spitting at an opponent. 2: Feigning injury. 3: Racial abuse. 4: Encouraging ref to produce a card. 5: Using elbows. 6: Diving to con the ref. 7: Over-the-top tackle. 8: Tackle from behind. 9: Sly hair-pulling and pinching. 10: Shirt-tugging.

"It's the lowest of the low," he said, and he has no doubts of it origins.

"Like a lot of other things, the foreign players were involved in the majority of it years ago.

"I think it's come into our game along like those who are falling down and diving all the time."

Harris was the Football Hard Man's Hard Man at a time when men were men, and footballs were scared.

Harris said: "Spitting is a coward's way of getting your own back from people who aren't so strong in the tackle.

"It happened to me once. I played against AC Milan in an Inter Cities Fairs Cup match.

"They had a Brazilian playing for them and from the first minute to the 90th he was spitting and gobbing at us throughout the game.

"Other than that, I can't remember an instance of it - certainly not in domestic football.

"It's the sort of thing which makes you feel like going up and smacking him with a right hand, but you can't do that nowadays - or back then."

In Harris's day, forwards could expect a kick off Jack Charlton, Chopper, Peter Storey and Billy Bremner the like.

Spitting, though, was considered beneath the dignity of a hard man.

"Let's be fair, football nowadays is a non-contact sport.

"Years ago, you had players who were tough guys who went out and stamped their authority on the football field.

"But now, you can't even slide tackle.

"People who tackle are punished and it's not helped when people are diving and falling all over the place.

"The worst thing that happened in my day was that somebody might punch you when the ball was down the other end of the pitch.

"That doesn't happen now because just about every angle of a football pitch is covered by a camera.

"I used to class something like that as an act of somebody who was an out-and-out coward.

"They wouldn't confront you face to face."

Ray of Hope

Ray Clemence (Liverpool) the England goalkeeping coach is calling for an English goalie to make the No.1 spot their own. BBC SPORT Football Internationals England Clemence calls for a hero by John May reports:

Former goalkeeping great Ray Clemence says the time has come for England's crop of goalkeeping hopefuls to grab their chance and create their own legend.

England goalkeeping coach Clemence also told BBC Sport Online that the halcyon days of England goalkeeping need not die with David Seaman's retirement.

Seaman remains England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's number one choice.

But as Eriksson ponders the approaching friendly against Australia and his longer-term strategy, a clear natural successor has yet to emerge.

Liverpool's Chris Kirkland, Leeds' Paul Robinson and West Brom's Russell Hoult are unproven at international level while West Ham's David James does not enjoy Eriksson's complete trust.

Cap that

Multi-capped England keepers Peter Shilton: 125caps. David Seaman: 75caps. Gordon Banks: 73caps. Ray Clemence: 61caps. Chris Woods: 43caps

From the days of Gordon Banks, England's goalkeeper was almost the first name to be inked on to the team-sheet.

Clemence's 61 caps would have been more had he not been in direct competition for much of his career with record-breaking Peter Shilton.

Chris Wood largely bridged the gap between Shilton and Seaman, whose count stands at 75 caps.

Clemence, currently in Egypt with England's Under-18s, admitted: "Over the last 40 or 50 years there have probably been only six goalkeepers, and England have been lucky in that respect.

"In those days, somebody got into the side and made the place their own, but there was still plenty of competition.

"Shilts and I were under pressure all the time.

"Although we tended to get the jersey, there were at least four or five other goalkeepers in the old First Division who were good enough to play for England.

"Shilts and I always knew that if we didn't perform there was somebody who could take our place."

Clemence did not feel increasingly intense media attention on errors now made it difficult for the England coach to persist with a goalkeeper.

Heirs in waiting

David James: 10caps Paul Robinson: uncapped Chris Kirkland: uncapped Russell Hoult: uncapped

The former England keeper said: "I don't think it's any different to what it was 30 years ago.

"Goalkeepers were under as much pressure back then as they are today.

"That goes with the position and I don't think you can be a goalkeeper if you're not a strong character.

"There are people out there who still have to be tried and given the opportunity, who knows if they can go on to win 50 or 60 caps.

"When David Seaman decides to step down it will create an opportunity for somebody to step forward and stake their claim.

"The oportunity will be there and it is up to them to take it."

Further February 2003 news can be found at ...

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