Blades Program for my Birthday

[Vancouver]

My mate just gave me a present for my birthday - it's an original program from the day before I was born (Blades vs Wolves Dec 11th, 1971). It's an amazing present particularly considering he lives in Canada.

The team bears some reading:
Hope
Badger
Hemsley
Flynn
Colquhoun
Hockey
Woodward
Salmons
Dearden
Currie
Reece
Scullion

The centre pages are a series of photos from our 7-0 drubbing of Ipswich when Woodward scored 4.
Amazing present.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

My mate just gave me a present for my birthday - it's an original program from the day before I was born (Blades vs Wolves Dec 11th, 1971). It's an amazing present particularly considering he lives in Canada.

The team bears some reading:
Hope
Badger
Hemsley
Flynn
Colquhoun
Hockey
Woodward
Salmons
Dearden
Currie
Reece
Scullion

The centre pages are a series of photos from our 7-0 drubbing of Ipswich when Woodward scored 4.
Amazing present.

Amazing present
Amazing team
Amazing match (Ipswich)

Sighs.......

 

[DuncDisorderly]

Amazing present
Amazing team
Amazing match (Ipswich)

Sighs.......

Ditto, ditto and ditto.

I had the original programmes from both these games myself but they were lost in a house move, shame...

 

[Donut1889]

Saturday 11th December 1971 – Football League Division 1
Sheffield United 2 v 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

United: Hope, Badger, Hemsley, Flynn, Colquhoun, Hockey, Woodward, Salmons, Dearden, Currie, Reece. Manager John Harris

Wolves: Parkes, Shaw, Parkin, Bailey, Munro, McAlle, McCalliog, Hibbitt, Richards, Dougan, Wagstaffe. Manager Bill McGarry

Goalscorers: United – Currie, Woodward pen Wolves – Colquhoun OG, Richards

Att: 29,046

 

[Mad Mick]

I was there to see us stuff Ipswich.
Happy Days.

 

[Rustyblade]

It was amazing. A side you could watch every week in the sure and certain knowledge that almost every single one of those players could do something to make going to the Lane a sheer joy. Even Hope was good entertainment value. Badger's 'reverse' tackles, sliding in with his back to the player in possesssion and coming away with the ball; opposition wingers bouncing off the brick shithouse that was Ted Hemsley; Eddie Colquhoun getting cheered to the rafters every time he ventured across the halfway line with the ball at his feet; Flynn, never spectacular, always reliable, an unsung hero if ever there was.

One thing really bugs me though and has done for a while now. Try as I might, my obviously failing memory cannot provide me with an accurate picture of just how that lot actually lined up. Abiding images are of Salmons ghosting past players, Scullion running around like a clockwork toy in a quest to see how many times he could beat the same player and Gil Reece tormenting full backs all on the left side of midfield and attack. Did we really need three on the left to balance Woody on the right? Or, reminding myself of the obvious fact that one of those three was substitute, two?

It's just that I can't think about that side in terms of numbered formations. It's pretty obvious we had a back four, of that I'm certain. Hockey was a permanent fixture in the middle of the park, apart from when he'd get wound up and chase Billy Bremner all over it. TC had pretty much a roaming brief but was usually fairly central to take the ball off Hockey. Woody stayed glued to the touchline for most of the game. I suppose that with Salmons or Scullion in the side, Reece played more centrally alongside Dearden. Would that make it a 4-2-4? Anyone's memory better than mine?

Bloody great to watch anyway. Those last four home games of the 70/71 season with the same side (maybe without Scullion?). Millwall, Birmingham, Cardiff (thrashed 5-1 in what was really a promotion decider) and Watford. 13 goals for, 1 against. We even beat the eventual champions Leicester at home and drew away. What a wild and wonderful ride that was.

 

[Silent Blade]

It was more of a 4-3-3 formation. Reece played closer to Dearden rather than attack on the left wing. Salmons had the pace to run from the middle to attack the left wing. Hockey would win the ball in the middle and pass it to TC. The Badger, TC and Woody triangle created a lot of chances

The formation would look like this

Hope
Badger ------------- Colquhoun--------Flynn-------Hemsley
------------------------------- Hockey
---------------- TC----------------------------Salmons
Woody
------------------------------------- Reece
------------------------ Dearden

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

It was more of a 4-3-3 formation. Reece played closer to Dearden rather than attack on the left wing. Salmons had the pace to run from the middle to attack the left wing. Hockey would win the ball in the middle and pass it to TC. The Badger, TC and Woody triangle created a lot of chances

The formation would look like this

Hope
Badger ------------- Colquhoun--------Flynn-------Hemsley
------------------------------- Hockey
---------------- TC----------------------------Salmons
Woody
------------------------------------- Reece
------------------------ Dearden

Now that's a 4-3-3 team. Just look at all the creativity and all the attacking options. Blummin' 'eck what a team that was! I can't believe that's 40 years ago!

 

[Rustyblade]

Thanks, Silent. It almost looks like a way ahead of its time 4-1-3-2.

 

[raul]

From just a few short weeks earlier...