125 Evening Videos

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Charlie was amazing looked awesome, Harry I thought looked pissed as a fart but I might have been wrong wasn't buying this whole not a Leeds fan though.

Do you remember Harry G going down to the Semi vs Wendy in a supporters coach?

 

[Silent Blade]

Do you remember Harry G going down to the Semi vs Wendy in a supporters coach?

I think I read somewhere that Harry G's son is a Blade

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

Gration had a book about Yorkshire sportsmen published a while back in which he expressed the view that Tony Currie played the best football of his career at Leeds which was ridiculous to anyone who'd seen TC when he was 21.

 

[Maidenhead]

Thought Harry were from (and supported) York?? I know Paul's a Bradford fan.

He said at the do that his team was York but that he also has a season ticket at BDTBL as United are his 2nd team thanks to his long association with the McCabe family

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

A better voting system (apart from a panel of experts) would be is that all fans nominate the player and indicate the year when the fans started watching the Blades. My vote would be “Tony Currie” and “1970”. My dad’s vote would have been “Jimmy Hagan” It is scandalous that Jimmy Hagan didnt get into the top three best ever players...

My dad’s vote would have been “Jimmy Hagan”...It is scandalous that Jimmy Hagan didnt get into the top three best ever players...

I totally agree.

I only ever saw Hagan play once and that was at Joe Shaw's testimonial on March 29, 1965. It was the night before my seventh birthday so I think I can be forgiven for having only the haziest memory of his performance although I do remember him scoring direct from a free kick at the Kop end to general delight. Even at that age I had my suspicions that Ron Springett in the All-Stars XI goal hadn't done his absolute best to keep it out - he was grinning after it went in - but, to be fair, Hagan was 47 by then.

What does stay in my memory is something my dad said to me and my year older brother on the night. Dad was born in 1921 and was a Unitedite through and through although like many others in the thirties, forties and fifties he used to go one week to Bramall Lane and the next to Owlerton (as he called it). By 1965, he was no longer a regular at matches but Hagan coming out of retirement to play in Joe Shaw's game was always going to guarantee his attendance and he took us both and we stood near the front on the John Street terrace. After the teams came out but before the game started, he called the two of us over to him from the railings on which we were standing and he proceeded very seriously to make a little speech to us both, looking us in the eye and wagging his finger at us to make his point. It went something very like this: " now listen, you two, I want you to remember this night. I want you to remember that you saw Jimmy Hagan play. I want you, when the time comes, to tell your children and your grandchildren that you saw Jimmy Hagan, the great Jimmy Hagan, play. Never forget this night. Never forget that you saw Jimmy Hagan play."

It made such an impression on me. I had never seen him as serious about anything before and I don't think I ever saw him as serious about anything again (and he lived until he was 84). He revered Hagan and he clearly wanted his sons to try and understand just how good Hagan was.

So, when Silent criticises the voting system and laments Jimmy Hagan's failure to get in the first three, I think he has a very valid point.

 

[metalblade]

I totally agree.

I only ever saw Hagan play once and that was at Joe Shaw's testimonial on March 29, 1965.

Is that the game where Stanley Mathews came on as sub for the opposition ?

 

[Kenilworth]

I totally agree.

I only ever saw Hagan play once and that was at Joe Shaw's testimonial on March 29, 1965. It was the night before my seventh birthday so I think I can be forgiven for having only the haziest memory of his performance although I do remember him scoring direct from a free kick at the Kop end to general delight. Even at that age I had my suspicions that Ron Springett in the All-Stars XI goal hadn't done his absolute best to keep it out - he was grinning after it went in - but, to be fair, Hagan was 47 by then.

What does stay in my memory is something my dad said to me and my year older brother on the night. Dad was born in 1921 and was a Unitedite through and through although like many others in the thirties, forties and fifties he used to go one week to Bramall Lane and the next to Owlerton (as he called it). By 1965, he was no longer a regular at matches but Hagan coming out of retirement to play in Joe Shaw's game was always going to guarantee his attendance and he took us both and we stood near the front on the John Street terrace. After the teams came out but before the game started, he called the two of us over to him from the railings on which we were standing and he proceeded very seriously to make a little speech to us both, looking us in the eye and wagging his finger at us to make his point. It went something very like this: " now listen, you two, I want you to remember this night. I want you to remember that you saw Jimmy Hagan play. I want you, when the time comes, to tell your children and your grandchildren that you saw Jimmy Hagan, the great Jimmy Hagan, play. Never forget this night. Never forget that you saw Jimmy Hagan play."

It made such an impression on me. I had never seen him as serious about anything before and I don't think I ever saw him as serious about anything again (and he lived until he was 84). He revered Hagan and he clearly wanted his sons to try and understand just how good Hagan was.

So, when Silent criticises the voting system and laments Jimmy Hagan's failure to get in the first three, I think he has a very valid point.

Great story, Shalalers. My Dad's favourite was Hagan - his opinion is that he has never seen anyone better in a Blades shirt - since I never saw him, or any footage of him I can't disagree. TC, Woody, Dearden, Salmons, Reece, Hems, Badger, Eddie, Colqers etc. were the team I started watching and grew up with.

I have one of those bricks at Bramall Lane and it's right next to Hagan's brick - me father was quite pleased about that random occurrence

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

Is that the game where Stanley Mathews came on as sub for the opposition ?

Matthews definitely played. I can remember him getting applauded whenever he got the ball. Whether he played the whole game or came on as sub I wouldn't know. I think Tom Finney played as well but I could be wrong. Jimmy Greaves certainly turned out - he was quoted in the programme for the next home game saying how much he'd enjoyed it - and Jimmy Armfield. I don't know if anyone has the programme and might be able to enlighten us although as I recall the teams for these games were always subject to copious late changes. Jimmy Hagan himself was down to play against United for the All-Stars but flatly refused to do so when he arrived, insisting on playing for us rather than against us.

Matthews himself retired a couple of months later at the age of 50 and Hagan turned out in the warm-up game at his testimonial for a team of former internationals. Jock Dodds played as well. I remember watching highlights on Grandstand the following Saturday with Ferenc Puskas taking a starring role.

It doesn't half make me feel old when I recall some of these players I saw back then. In my mind's eye, Joe Shaw's testimonial was played in black and white.

 

[Dnblade]

Matthews definitely played. I can remember him getting applauded whenever he got the ball. Whether he played the whole game or came on as sub I wouldn't know. I think Tom Finney played as well but I could be wrong. Jimmy Greaves certainly turned out - he was quoted in the programme for the next home game saying how much he'd enjoyed it - and Jimmy Armfield. I don't know if anyone has the programme and might be able to enlighten us although as I recall the teams for these games were always subject to copious late changes. Jimmy Hagan himself was down to play against United for the All-Stars but flatly refused to do so when he arrived, insisting on playing for us rather than against us.

Matthews himself retired a couple of months later at the age of 50 and Hagan turned out in the warm-up game at his testimonial for a team of former internationals. Jock Dodds played as well. I remember watching highlights on Grandstand the following Saturday with Ferenc Puskas taking a starring role.

It doesn't half make me feel old when I recall some of these players I saw back then. In my mind's eye, Joe Shaw's testimonial was played in black and white.

Brian Clough played in that game aswell..just under 30k turned out.
My Dad used to mention Jimmy Hagan,although never said if he was better than TC...if he was he must have been some player,as for me TC is the best I've seen in the Red and White.
I like this paragraph from Jimmy's wiki profile...especially the last sentence.....

After the war, Hagan initially refused to re-sign for United, missing the first four games of the 1946-47 season. Having got a job as a trainee chartered surveyor he only rejoined the team on a part-time basis. He continued to play for United until 1958, as captain between 1946 and 1949, despite United accepting what would have been a British record transfer fee of £32,500 from Wednesday in February 1951. Hagan rejected the transfer and Wednesday were relegated to the Second Division.

 

[Dnblade]

Found this that lists the players who took part in Jimmy's testimonial...I suppose Jimmy was meant to be the eleventh player,but decided to play for United...great line up though.

http://footysphere.com/post/356632286/jimmy-hagan-sheffield-united