Just been diagnosed with Alzheimers, hope your journey is good on you my son, I saw you play many times and still hold you dear even if it was for the hoopey ones. Stan was one of a gifted generation that never benefitted from some stubborn England and FA management at the time, not sure of his stats but you only had to see him play to know he was a very talented and gifted footballer. I can recall around 1978-79 ish QPR were at St Andrews his wife had just left him, the Birmingham crowd were singing " where's your wife gone, where's your wife gone, where's your wife gone, Stanley Bowles " He was stood in the center circle just about to kick off, he heard the chant, shrugged his shoulders, arm's stretched out with the palms of his hands face up to the sky and said " I've no idea ". Class just a great footballer and a type that we may never see again, Kudos Stan.
I echo your opinion of Stan Bowles, what a fabulous player. He played for fun, didn't have a defensive thought in his mind ,just went for goal all game. Skill, flair, pace, he had it all. Not the type to attract the Alf Ramsays of this world, who put workrate above skill. Like Rodney Marsh, Jimmy Greaves and Matt Le Tissier, a crowd favourite every time. Hope he has someone to look after him in the days ahead.
Those were the day's CP, we thought they'd never end, we'd sing and dance forever and a day. Mary Hopkin. Opportunity Knocks.
Ah yes, you would see the Chelsea players in the Kings Road in those days, all long hair and tight trousers. The Chelsea Potter used to go off on Saturday afternoons and the Arathusa Club close by was always good for a sighting of a Rolling Stone or Steve Marriott of the Faces, an habitual. Even George Best was a local then. Everyone was zonked on dope, so it was mostly smiley sleepy, not like ICE today. My trousers are too tight now and the long hair is long gone, but I remember the time with huge affection, and the likes of Stan Bowles, Charlie George and the others will never leave me. Mind you those boys would have to work their arses off to make it in todays game. Wonder what Jose would make of Stan, Rodney and Matt? Makes me smile just to think about it.
I saw the great Stan Bowles play but a couple of times. What I remember most about him was his appearance on TV on BBC Superstars during the late 1970s? Stan Bowles must have been totally boozed up the way he paddled his canoe and almost sank. He could have won Superstars if he'd stayed sober. Great footballer, great character - a true legend.
A sad piece of news. I remember him well. Am I wrong or did football have greater personalities in the 60s and 70s. You don't seem to have the likes of Georgie Best, Chopper Harris, Bobby Moore in the game nowadays
I think they were just able to play up a bit more without all the media hype. The George Bests etc were part of the image of the swinging 60s and the free lifestyle that went with it.They also didn't have the obscene amounts of cash to fly in private jets from Ibiza holidays, like the dopey Raheem Sterling just did, you know the one who said "it's not about the money". In todays world, they would be working harder, sleeping in their own beds most nights and avoiding pubs and clubs,( just like us BM2) It's only the really dumb ones that follow the glitzy life of the 60s football stars.
CP- that's just about right! They didn't have the Sun newspaper in those days tracking everything they said and did, but more importantly they lived on income that wasn't much above that of the senior manager!
I was quite young at the time but did Harris have much of a personality. I would have chosen Alan Hudson, Peter Osgood, Ian Hutchinson from that era in your example?
.....Terry Venables, Billy Bremner, Frank Worthington, Jimmy Greaves - the game was rammed with top personalities during the 60s and 70s.
I meant as an example from your team. Venables and Greaves are more famous for their time with Spurs and the other 2 didn't play for Chelsea. Harris always struck me as a dour character, but I could be wrong.
....alright, William Henry "Fatty" Foulke - the goalie we had for the 1905-06 season. Probably the greatest character football has ever known.
Well Hudson and Osgood were ,like Bowles and George best, "Jack the Lad " types, Kings Road and dolly birds for sure. Chopper was a bit more mature, Greaves was a bit of a larrikin, the others Bristol Blue mention were fabulous players and characters for sure, but different to Bowles, Best, Marsh etc. Still every one of them would walk into any team in Britain if they were starting out again today. The other thing all have is common is they all earned their fame on the pitch, not because some agent talked them up into superstardom after a couple of good performances. They were all the real deal.
Don`t forget Frank Worthington I was at Old Trafford for a game against QPR when Stan had a poor shot at the Stretford End. The whole stand chanted "Stanley Stanley show us your arse", he did and then gave them a wave. It raised the biggest cheer of the day (we lost) and never caused a riot or any offence, great football with great banter
He'd probably get sent off today Diego. Am I mad or was there more fun from the players and supporters? Don't wan't to be just an old fart ( unavoidable though that is) but I think the huge money has made everything much more serious,much more professional, but not necessarily better.
There was definitely much more fun and artistry in the game back then, I miss many of the old players.
Mike Summerbee was of the same ilk, think he taught Marsh how to misbehave, I rekon' we would have won the big one a few times since 66 if the stuffed shirts had not got involved. Don't get me started on PC, it has stifled talent of many kinds.
Chopper did have a personality as he used to laugh every time he went through the back of someone's legs. But you are right Hudson was more like Bowles, Best, Marsh - true entertainers who didn't know the meaning of defence and the term showboating was coined for ! I remeber once watching Peter Storey (think it was him) chasing Bowles all round the pitch so he could kick him but he just couldn't get near him !
