An excellently put together page, surprised at the Mirror, but very well done, an excelent read, I discovered things I didnt know about, so its going into favourites, for future reads, enjoy, I did. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/Bob-Stokoe-article5564.html
One of the first things i remember him doing was putting the lads back into black shorts - tradition! Anyone know this? I THINK he moved Dave Watson to centre half instead of centre forward? Can anyone confirm or deny? x
I think the fall out was when Cloughie got injured. Stokoe was the Bury centre half that day and when Brian went down after the collision with the goalkeeper he accused him of play acting and, I think, tried to pull him back onto his feet. I don't know if Bob ever apologised for that. Yes it was Stokoe who changed back to the black shorts (another thing I always liked him for) and I feel sure he did moved Watson to centre half.
Why what coloured shorts did we have..........i'm guessing white, but without looking, iv'e no idea..
Yes we were playing in white shorts. I'm not 100% certain but I think it was Alan Brown who changed us from black to white. Perhaps one of you historians can confirm that or tell me I'm talking a load of bollocks.
Played in white shorts under A Brown. I think it was Billy Elliot who acted manager before Stokoe who put Dave Watson back to centre half and Bob S. left him there. Billy 2 spells as manager and George Hardwick who also led us for a little while seem to be among the few managers weve ever had who seemed to know what its all about..Can anyone who writes in remember them?Most writers seem to be quite young.
I remember and have met George Hardwick in the days after he left Sunderland to join a Teeside industrial company. He had only one season with us as I remember. We were doing our usual courting with relegation act and he rescued the season as we finished halfway up the league. He was captain of the England team for a while and supposedly a classy full back. Stories abounded about him having a liasion with one of the director's wives, but he told me he had the offer to go into industry and he left at the end of the season with a huge "thank you" bonus. I also had Wilf Mannion (Great Britain, England & Middlesbrough) as a site janitor on construction sites, but that's another story.
