Billy Russell RIP

[VM198]

Billy Russell seemed to thrive in Cup football, and many of my best memories of him are from the great days we had in the Cup in the late 50s/early 60s. I hope the following conveys some sense of his contribution.
He came to prominence in the Amateur Cup Final in 1957, playing and scoring in his first Cup appearance for Bishop Auckland. The Amateur Cup Final regularly got crowds of around 100,000:
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And here is his goal:
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His Cup goals for Utd came thick and fast, up and down the country in all sorts of conditions, beginning with the giant-killing at Spurs:View attachment 147697
January 1958, both goals v Palace on a Siberian Saturday at the Lane:View attachment 147699
Then against the mighty Arsenal in the fog in February:
View attachment 147700
And in the sunshine v Norwich:
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January 1961, a great giant-killing at Everton, thanks to a subtle touch from Russell, which he followed in as it trickled into the empty net:
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2 goals v Lincoln in the following round:
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And March 1961, many people’s favourite away match, a hat-trick at Newcastle in Round 6, in the first 18 minutes:
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Thanks for the great memories. RIP

HBT, what colour were Utd's shirts in the 1961 Jan 28th FAC 4thR V Lincoln City game, recon I won't there, playing misen.
Thanks, in advance.

 

[Silent Blade]

HBT, what colour were Utd's shirts in the 1961 Jan 28th FAC 4thR V Lincoln City game, recon I won't there, playing misen.
Thanks, in advance.

Red, we borrowed the shirts from Barnsley

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

HBT, what colour were Utd's shirts in the 1961 Jan 28th FAC 4thR V Lincoln City game, recon I won't there, playing misen.
Thanks, in advance.

Just to add to Silent Blade ’s answer, as I am sure you remember, it was often the case that both teams played in change shirts in Cup matches when there was a colour clash. Don’t remember whether the home team got first choice.

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

Don't know if this has been mentioned or if I'm right here, but I seem to think Billy was a schoolteacher and wouldn't turn professional.

Is that right Silent Blade?

 

[Longtimesupporter]

I think it fair to say that those of us who remain from the 18,000 or so Blades who were at Newcastle for the 1961 FA cup victory to witness his first half hat trick will always consider it to be one of their most memorable experiences following our club .

An outstanding performance by all concerned , none more so than that of Billy Russell and all played out in an atmosphere which has never been surpassed in my lifetime .

RIP Billy , a much underrated player who always gave of his best .

I was there and followed them through to the three semi finals. Robbed at Leeds.

 

[VM198]

Red, we borrowed the shirts from Barnsley

Ta SB, just like 1956 Feb 18 V Sunderland, only United wore Barnsley's change shirts, blue and red soxs.
Sunderland wore Newcastle's black and white stripes.

LtoR Blades players, Iley, Burgin, Hoyland T and Bobby Howitt

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Ta SB, just like 1956 Feb 18 V Sunderland, only United wore Barnsley's change shirts, blue and red soxs.
Sunderland wore Newcastle's black and white stripes.View attachment 147741

LtoR Blades players, Iley, Burgin, Hoyland T and Bobby Howitt

Wonder what fans’ reaction would be now to wearing rivals’ shirts? Imagine United in Round 6, wearing blue-and-white stripes…

 

[VM198]

Wonder what fans’ reaction would be now to wearing rivals’ shirts? Imagine United in Round 6, wearing blue-and-white stripes…

Come on that'll never happen, now about blue and white stripes..............................

 

[Hartley Hare]

RIP Billy.

Some great posts here, from our club historians and senior members.

Sincere condolences to family and friends.

HH

 

[Silent Blade]

Only 3 left from the 1960-61 promotion season

Shiels, Hoyland and Summers

 

[Corazon]

Only 3 left from the 1960-61 promotion season

Shiels, Hoyland and Summers

View attachment 147770

That's the first team that I can really remember, standing right at the front, up against the white railings on John Street.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

A couple of further thoughts provoked by the sad news of Billy Russell’s death.
1. He was signed for United by Joe Mercer, who had a relatively short spell as manager in the mid-1950s. I was very young then, and have always assumed that his spell at the Lane was unsuccessful: we were relegated in 1956, his first season, he bought Malcolm Barrass to replace Joe Shaw, I stood next to a guy chanting ‘Mercer out’ throughout the 7-2 home defeat to Rotherham, and he couldn’t wait to leave United to go to Villa. But in fact he had put together the team that many of us remember well from the late 50s and early 60s. With the signing of Gerry Summers, he completed the famous ‘back 6’, and he signed the entire front 5 - Lewis, Russell, Pace, Hodgson and Simpson, with Hamilton to spare. The signings of Pace (unable to get a regular game at Villa) and Billy Russell (an amateur footballer studying languages at Loughborough) were pure genius. Between them, they scored 248 goals for United.
2. In the history of football, Billy Russell was the kind of player who provided a link between the origins of football as a game played for pleasure, and the modern professional sport. He was one of the last players to come up through the amateur game rather than through the juniors of a professional club. He was signed as an amateur, and played his first matches for United as an amateur. He then became a part-time professional, but worked away from football as a modern languages teacher. He will have done little training with the team, missed midweek friendly matches and overseas tours, but always ‘put in a shift’ for the team. He seemed to retain something of the ethos of the amateur: he was enthusiastic, fair, never argued, and I assume he never had his name taken (= yellow card). He was a model sportsman. To combine professional football and a career must have been very demanding, and has now disappeared (rather like the idea of playing county cricket and professional football, like Ted Hemsley). The passing of Billy Russell is of itself a cause of sadness; and it is also a reminder of the passing of an era.

 

[VM198]

A couple of further thoughts provoked by the sad news of Billy Russell’s death.
1. He was signed for United by Joe Mercer, who had a relatively short spell as manager in the mid-1950s. I was very young then, and have always assumed that his spell at the Lane was unsuccessful: we were relegated in 1956, his first season, he bought Malcolm Barrass to replace Joe Shaw, I stood next to a guy chanting ‘Mercer out’ throughout the 7-2 home defeat to Rotherham, and he couldn’t wait to leave United to go to Villa. But in fact he had put together the team that many of us remember well from the late 50s and early 60s. With the signing of Gerry Summers, he completed the famous ‘back 6’, and he signed the entire front 5 - Lewis, Russell, Pace, Hodgson and Simpson, with Hamilton to spare. The signings of Pace (unable to get a regular game at Villa) and Billy Russell (an amateur footballer studying languages at Loughborough) were pure genius. Between them, they scored 248 goals for United.
2. In the history of football, Billy Russell was the kind of player who provided a link between the origins of football as a game played for pleasure, and the modern professional sport. He was one of the last players to come up through the amateur game rather than through the juniors of a professional club. He was signed as an amateur, and played his first matches for United as an amateur. He then became a part-time professional, but worked away from football as a modern languages teacher. He will have done little training with the team, missed midweek friendly matches and overseas tours, but always ‘put in a shift’ for the team. He seemed to retain something of the ethos of the amateur: he was enthusiastic, fair, never argued, and I assume he never had his name taken (= yellow card). He was a model sportsman. To combine professional football and a career must have been very demanding, and has now disappeared (rather like the idea of playing county cricket and professional football, like Ted Hemsley). The passing of Billy Russell is of itself a cause of sadness; and it is also a reminder of the passing of an era.

Accurate and sympathetic assessment of Billy Russell and the thinking around amateur sport in mid late 1950's, well put.
Joe Mercer and his managership of The Blades. Like the chap next to you that Christmas match, where we stood, most were against him.
Also his time coincided with the retirement of Jimmy Hagan, of who 'Wednesdayites' would go to the Lane to watch play, so to me 13yrs. old and many adults, even, he wasn't at all popular.
Looking at it today, and knowing how well Mercer did after United, makes me wonder where United would/could have finished under his continued stewardship.
Another missed chance for the club I believe, and bloody hell there have been plenty of those in my years of following The Blades.
N'ere mind, eh! UTB.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Accurate and sympathetic assessment of Billy Russell and the thinking around amateur sport in mid late 1950's, well put.
Joe Mercer and his managership of The Blades. Like the chap next to you that Christmas match, where we stood, most were against him.
Also his time coincided with the retirement of Jimmy Hagan, of who 'Wednesdayites' would go to the Lane to watch play, so to me 13yrs. old and many adults, even, he wasn't at all popular.
Looking at it today, and knowing how well Mercer did after United, makes me wonder where United would/could have finished under his continued stewardship.
Another missed chance for the club I believe, and bloody hell there have been plenty of those in my years of following The Blades.
N'ere mind, eh! UTB.

The point about Hagan hadn’t occurred to me. Nearest to a replacement wasn’t until Currie. We haven’t yet found Currie’s replacement? Not easy for a manager to arrive as a legend departs.

 

[BushBlade]

The point about Hagan hadn’t occurred to me. Nearest to a replacement wasn’t until Currie. We haven’t yet found Currie’s replacement? Not easy for a manager to arrive as a legend departs.

A completely different type of player to Currie but perhaps the one who had the biggest impact since those days was Deano. He made us tick and made the rest of the team look better, we didn’t appreciate how much until he’d gone.