Just reading some of his story. Real interesting stuff. Ferie offered him retirement and a testimonal game. He refused and went to Villa for 7 years.
Sunderland. Villa had four north-east lads in their team that day.whereas Sunderland had three. Tommy Barber who had been born in Newcastle and later played for West Stanley, scored the only goal of the game. Sadly, Tommy had both his legs blown off at the Somme in 1916. He died a couple of days later.
He was a mess. Between his drinking and a ****ed knee, he was barely hanging on. Somehow he managed some brilliant play between Villa and ROI after ManU. Fergie loved him like Charlton did. I think he was trying to do right by him. Sorry for bringing up '94, but his game against Italy was one for the ages. At the time he could barely walk. I remember he and Baggio had a 50/50 ball at midfield, which if he didn't win, Baggio was in alone. He won. He also blocked a Baggio rocket in the box right flush in his face. ****ing heroic. Love the man.
I know we get slated for all this old football stuff. But i couldnt give a ****. This type of stuff interests me.
Villa came 2nd in his first season. A ****ed knee and an alcoholic. Yet still outstanding. Its good that you remember him so fondly mate. God i love our morning natters.
Hope they are all kicking **** out of each other. Reckon i could get into watching them psychos if it was shown here.
Why cos i find some bloke scoring against us in an FA cup final and latter getting his legs blown of and then dying for the country interesting?
"Accused"..."Slated"... ****ing hell, since when have you cared what folk think? I've no problem with you liking the old stuff, I started out making reference to it as a joke and now you've taken it seriously, getting your little violin out like its a sob story. You and I get on so stop talking about me in the third person and use my name and that doesn't need to change
Hows Paul McGrath doing these days? I hope he's doing better than that ex-Arsenal player, Kenny Sansom? Poor guy's in a bad way.
He's an alcoholic as well. There are pictures of him in a bad way with the demon drink quite often now. He's lost his home, family, everything because of it. Jackie C was right in that interview. Once you're out of football, no one wants to know or help you.
During that Charlton interview I thought it was pretty good that some of the other players went to him and offered to be responsible for McGrath. One thing you can say about Charlton, he was a good manager and for him the team was everything. He and his assistant Maurice Setters, were probably two of the hardest men in football but were in no way the sergeant major types. Sansom was one of the classiest full backs that England have had in many a long year and I suppose was in at the start of the "personality" trend for footballers.
And he is now suspended for the second time in a month! So proof that it can always get worse! League one or league two before they stop falling?
It`s an absolute shambles. It`s going to take some putting right and can only happen if the owner is prepared to do something about it. tbh it doesn`t look like he`s got the slightest interest in what happens to them.
