SSTT
Thursday 3rd August 2017 10:54pm [Edited]
Southampton
1,548 posts
Quote: Chappers @ 3rd August 2017, 7:40 PM
..Haynes. I've no idea if he was any good.
He wasn't. Old-school knobbly toecaps, lots of brylcreem and often studs-up dirty. I am minded of the Baddiel/Skinner pastiche: 'Old football was sh*te'.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 31st July 2017, 1:06 AM
He and others like Charlie George, Alan Clarke, Ray Kennedy were denied more caps by England not qualifying for any tourney for the whole f**king decade from 1970 and appalling conservative Hodgson type managers who picked work mule forwards like Mullery and Mariner who couldn't hit a barn door between them over goal scoring talent we had.
Old Alf refused to pick any long-haired players until 1973, when under the weight of media pressure, he caved in and picked Tony Currie, but it was far too late. He should have been picking Worthington, Rogers, Venables, Todd, Bowles and Charlie George (to name but 6) in the late 60s/early 70s, but either their hair was too long, or they had 'dodgy' reputations off the pitch, or sometimes both. Whatever the reasons, he didn't like any of 'em.
I watched the final as a lad in 1966. For years afterwards, I remembered the final as one of the most exciting games I'd ever seen. Came the time (1996 ?) when the News of the World gave away a free dvd (?) of the whole game. I watched it again and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was one of the worst, the most boring games I've ever seen. Both teams were awful. Neither could string two passes together to save their lives. Beckenbauer had a stinker. Bobby Charlton was terrible. How Cohen ever made it to professional status, let alone get picked for England, I'll never know. Peters ('10 years ahead of his time'-remember?) was carp. The best player for England was the russian linesman. We were so lucky.
In 1970, a certain young man was full of expectations of an England squad containing Worthington, Todd, Rogers, Alan Hinton, Venables, Whittle etc. What did we get? Mullery, Fatty Lee and the immobile flat-footed Brian Labone. Good grief. What a team we could have had. Alf was lucky ever to win anything. Cheers.