My word lindentree - you are certainly a successful "old knacker"! I have just watched the Mill Reef Derby and Linden Tree ran a cracker - giving the great horse a real race and beating the rest convincingly.
Bustino,Itake it you were in school uniform in60,s when you were either cheering or booing me then. Fulke,don,t know about successful but had lots of fun. Tam,do you remember Dusty Millar,he crunched me so hard nearly severing my b******,Ionly went for his knee but he came in a bit higher.You were prob on the terrace cheering.
Evening all. Just got back home, had something to eat and a cup of tea. Now I 'm trying to catch up. Shame I missed the chat about Rodney. I remember QPR coming to Loakes Park to play Wycombe in a friendly and Rodney was magic. To think you played against Real Madrid LT, and won, ****, we're honoured. What position did you play?
Lindentree, if you mean Brian Miller, Burnley Left half, of course I remember him- very fit and strong left legger only; a bit unbalanced as a player but a great team man. You mentioned Andy Lochead and Brian O'Neill earlier. Yes Andy was a good, old fashioned centre forward- and hard as nails, like you said. Brian O'Neill was a very talented midfielder; my best friend at school was over the moon when he went out with his sister. Brian liked the booze- and the women- perhaps a bit too much. Didn't we all!
Yes in school uniform in the '60s. I went to a lot of Chelsea games as I watched a lot of sides without really supporting them. The most memorable game was a visit to the shed the day they beat WBA and returned to the 1st Division. The crowd were in total adoration of Tommy Docherty and I stayed on the pitch for ages after the game. I was in short trousers then and playing in the same school district representative side as Gerry Francis. Unfortunately I peaked at 11. I can hazard a guess at who you are but out of respect will not do so. But you moved in the opposite direction to me coming to London from the NE. I have spent the last 25 years up there and enjoyed it, although at the moment in HK (hence the funny times I post). Never really booed Chelsea, but you did beat QPR in the 1970 FA Cup Quarter Final: surprisingly easily really because QPR were going through a good run then. Chelsea of course played in two of the nastiest FA Cup Finals ever (proper one and reply) that year and I was definitely supporting you those days as I shared Clough's view of Leeds. As regards your namesake he was a sort of equine Ian Hutchinson.
Bustino, don't want to upset Lindentree but those Chelsea supporters- a nasty piece of work! As a neutral really, I went on a pub trip from Stoke in 1972- to watch them play Chelsea in the League Cup Final ( a friend had moved to Stoke and invited me on the trip). Stoke caused an upset- I think George Eastham got the winner- and the Chelsea fans were like Neanderthals 'short of a couple of sheep in the top paddock' - especially after their team lost.
Errrm yes Tamerlo. I try to distinguish between the fans and the team. In the 60s I always thought Chelsea had the thickest fans but put their lack of knowledge of the game down to the pitch being so bloody far away from the stands that they didn't know what was going in. But in December 1971 I was asked to go by a friend (Chelsea Fan) to a League Cup game at Chelsea versus Tottenham. To say the least very nasty. Had no interest to go to Chelsea again. A few weeks later saw QPR at the Den and the Millwall fans were utter gentlemen in comparison.
Ron,I tell people I would play anywhere as there were so many good players,you were lucky to get a game. but I mostly played midfield or defence.In 71 I played right back and had to mark Francisco Gento whom I had watched as a 14 year old when they won the EC at Hampden 7-3. Tam,Dusty Miller was better at chipping forwards than he was the ball. Bust,I was at that game too but I,m sure it was Portsmouth not WBA.I think it was 1963 as my parents put me on a train at Motherwell to London in Aug 62 then moved house. They gave me the address 3 months later.(only kidding> I made my debut in Jan 65 inSFof the league cup three days later I made my league debut at LEEDS INCREDIBLE GAME ,Lots of Blood and Thunder. One week later I made my FA cup debut at West Ham who had won the cup the year previous.That was the day WC got buried so we got a police escort across London. Blackpool has lots of funny memorys for me.First time I went there all the REAL PLAYBOYS were there as in TerryV,GeorgeG,PeterB, Eddie Mac they taught me all I know. Bill Shankley and Tommy Doc walking along the tramlines going back to the Norbreck Hydro discussing the merits of Tony Hateley,Doc says "aye Bill but he,s good in the air", Mr Shankley says aye Tom, "Douglas Bader was good in the air but he,s got no legs".
You are of course right. I was thinking WBA because the talk at that time was of the signing of Derek Kevan. Strange how the memory plays tricks like that.
Tam: Only just found this - brilliant write up, and brings memories flooding back I remember well the Ragusa/Relko debate - obviously it was boiled down to English v. the damn Frenchies again And even more so Mill House v. Arkle, with the Irish replacing the French in our patriotic support (conveniently ignoring Mill House's antecedants!) And Ayala - what a result, 66-1 I do believe, and probably the reason I study the form book much more in March/April than at any other time! I started my first employment in July of '63, and hence my first real exposure to betting and betting shops, via gambling mad work colleagues. I became the office "runner", spending almost as much time in the bookies than in my real office! Keep up the good work Tam
Thanks, Reebok. It all seems such a long time ago now. Even though I try not to be biased- or live in the past- there were some cracking horses in 60's and 70's, and footballers, music, etc, etc. Ayala, yes , unbelievable but that lucky so and so, Teasy Weasy won it again with Rag Trade! Some things were just meant to be. Poor Mill House! How on earth do you deserve to be born in the same year as a horse like Arkle?
