Bobby Charlton's last home league match

[Cerberus Blade]

Bobby Charlton has always been my number one footballing hero. He was the first player I wanted to be.

He wasn’t for me although in later years I have come to copy his hairstyle.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I too was there that day (April 23rd, 1973) Fuck me, it's getting like the Sex Pistols at the Mucky Duck! I was sat in the north (Now Sir Alex Ferguson ) stand where it curved round to the yet-to-be-built Warwick Road end. The crowd was an (at the time) massive 55,035* and Wendy were at home to Carlisle in the third tier that day. 0-0. Crowd around 8k. Masseeve! According to this, Tommy Docherty was Man. U's manager at the time. Bobby C. still had one more League game to come - away at Chelsea on 28th April. Before the game the BBC cameras for Match of the Day captured the Chelsea chairman handing Charlton a commemorative cigarette case (!). The Chelsea match ended in a 1-0 defeat. His final goal came a month earlier, on 31 March, in a 2-0 win at Southampton, also in the First Division.

Around 1992 or 3, I was doing an exhibition (street furniture, as you ask) at Old Trafford in the Stretford End. During a lull in proceedings, I blagged a trip into one of the exec. boxes. The vertiginous North Stand was being constructed and it towered over the other three sides. I asked a MUFC flunky if the plan was to raise the other three sides to the same level. He looked at me 'gone 'art' and said 'Don't be daft. That would make it around 75 thou capacity!'

“Street furniture” eh?

We should have a chat about the Viatron lantern sometime mate?

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

So was I Silent. They had just built the new stand opposite the Stratford end. When we scored the second some of their fans off the Stratford end came around threatening us United fans.

I remember that well. They were chanting " Where are the Sheffield fans, Where are the Sheffield fans ..." There's me, keeping my head down when the daft cunt next to me shouts out " we're dahn 'ere!!"

Thanks,pal.

 

[snootyfenooty]

It's also because these days they're finely tuned athletes playing very high intensity and at pace whereas in the 70s they were mainly fat pissheads who just ran around a bit.

Name me a sport in the 70's where the opposite was true. Anyway, that's a bit of a disservice, you still needed to be at the peak of what was defined as fitness in those days otherwise you would have been flat out on your back on some of those mudheaps.

 

[BushBlade]

Name me a sport in the 70's where the opposite was true. Anyway, that's a bit of a disservice, you still needed to be at the peak of what was defined as fitness in those days otherwise you would have been flat out on your back on some of those mudheaps.

Athletics? Yes, they were still pretty fit but Keegan became European Footballer of the Year mainly because he trained like an athlete and outran everyone else.

The most dramatic change is in Rugby Union, after they went pro.

I guess there weren't many injury prone players around in those days because one bad one, like an ACL, usually finished your career.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I count myself as lucky to have seen the great man "live" at bdtbl" a few times but the most memorable was when supporters from both teams used to share the terraces. In those days it was a pleasure to share good humoured banter, especially when they became regular visitors and football fans just with different allegiances

Our United were winning and we were "ribbing" a Man U fan about how our team which were assembled for not , much more than tuppence were better than their team of stars, especially with Bobby Charlton on the left wing being "in the pocket" of Cecil Coldwell who was virtually unknown outside the Sheffield boundaries. The lovely gentleman from Manchester took it all in, puffing gently on his pipe with a good humoured smile.

The second half was a different matter altogether. Mat Busby tinkered with his formation and Man U finished the game, winning with an inspiring Bobby Carlton-super class performance. Our football friend didn't go overboard gloating, just smiled saying that was why Man U were happy to pay for quality players when they could play as well as they did. We were delighted to see our friend again much later in FA cup final crowd on TV.

Such friendships became a casualty of soccer violence & subsequet segregation

I can really relate to this post.

I also think it’s a pity that fans have to be segregated as they are today because I can remember having good banter on the terraces too.

Things changed in the late 1960’s/early1970’s and there were a lot of social influences that shaped that. I think society changed in the period from mid 1960’s onward and the “hooligan element” reared it’s ugly head.

It is still possible to have good banter with opposing fans though. Had some good exchanges at various away games up and down the country over recent years watching the Blades.

I remember going to Watford in the FA Cup some years ago when they thrashed us (was it by 4 or 5 goals?). Met with some Watford fans afterwards in a pub near Kings Langley and they took us on a pub crawl to some great places and were very decent folk. Stood with the Plymouth fans at Home Park back in the 4th division days and we chatted to each other about our teams and the players to watch out for etc. They were good sports. A few years ago went to Wolves and got chatting with a group of Wolves fans in that excellent pub, The Great Central, near the railway station. Bought each other beer and chatted before the game about our clubs - then they walked with us to the ground - shook hands and then gave each other the V sign as we went off to different ends of the stadium.

 

[JohnStreet]

I'm too young to remember his playing days, so I've never quite understood the adulation for him.

However this thread is making me like him, especially when he was in that petrol station!!

 

[bladesadviser]

I too was there that day (April 23rd, 1973) Fuck me, it's getting like the Sex Pistols at the Mucky Duck! I was sat in the north (Now Sir Alex Ferguson ) stand where it curved round to the yet-to-be-built Warwick Road end. The crowd was an (at the time) massive 55,035* and Wendy were at home to Carlisle in the third tier that day. 0-0. Crowd around 8k. Masseeve! According to this, Tommy Docherty was Man. U's manager at the time. Bobby C. still had one more League game to come - away at Chelsea on 28th April. Before the game the BBC cameras for Match of the Day captured the Chelsea chairman handing Charlton a commemorative cigarette case (!). The Chelsea match ended in a 1-0 defeat. His final goal came a month earlier, on 31 March, in a 2-0 win at Southampton, also in the First Division.

Around 1992 or 3, I was doing an exhibition (street furniture, as you ask) at Old Trafford in the Stretford End. During a lull in proceedings, I blagged a trip into one of the exec. boxes. The vertiginous North Stand was being constructed and it towered over the other three sides. I asked a MUFC flunky if the plan was to raise the other three sides to the same level. He looked at me 'gone 'art' and said 'Don't be daft. That would make it around 75 thou capacity!'

Its funny how bizarre stuff sticks in your brain, i have always remembered that the Chelsea chairman (Mears??) gave a top sportsman a cigarette case as a gift.

 

[BushBlade]

I'm too young to remember his playing days, so I've never quite understood the adulation for him.

However this thread is making me like him, especially when he was in that petrol station!!

Likewise but my dad really rated him. You have to remember he was one of three world class players who won the World Cup for England, not just a Man U legend. And he seemed to be a decent bloke. I suppose the equivalent would be Harry Kane winning the World Cup next year. He's not a Blade and I'm too old for adulation but I'd still want to shake his hand and he'd be on my favourite player list.

 

[grafikhaus]

“Street furniture” eh?

We should have a chat about the Viatron lantern sometime mate?

Strangely, when I got into street furniture, I found it a fascinating subject. Did you know the 'cannon bollard' was old cannons from obsolete navy ships with a cannon ball welded into the top? And don't talk about the 'letter box study group'. (I'm serious...)

 

[BushBlade]

Strangely, when I got into street furniture, I found it a fascinating subject. Did you know the 'cannon bollard' was old cannons from obsolete navy ships with a cannon ball welded into the top? And don't talk about the 'letter box study group'. (I'm serious...)

Were you selling street furniture or was it some kind of hobby? I used to occasionally be involved in hard landscaping and I do confess to finding the street furniture catalogues strangely interesting.

 

[grafikhaus]

Were you selling street furniture or was it some kind of hobby? I used to occasionally be involved in hard landscaping and I do confess to finding the street furniture catalogues strangely interesting.

Pervert. Nah, I did it full time, firstly for Streetscene (run by an absolute nutter called David Thorpe) and then Cast Iron Services at Ashbourne. Know what you mean about 'strangely interesting'. When I told people about what I did, everybody would tell me about benches, litter bins etc. they'd seen. Must be the company I keep...

 

[snootyfenooty]

I too was there that day (April 23rd, 1973) Fuck me, it's getting like the Sex Pistols at the Mucky Duck!

I was leaning on the tree next to the grassy knoll when Kennedy was assassinated, how about you?

 

[grafikhaus]

I was leaning on the tree next to the grassy knoll when Kennedy was assassinated, how about you?

Nah. I was too busy making up stories about how man didn't land on the moon. Seriously, we were all talking last Sunday about 'great people you have walked past'. I used to travel a lot (which helps) and have walked past Colin Chapman (British GP, 1981), Bill Shankly (European Cup Final, 1977), Bill Nicholson (Blades at Spurs, early '70s) and Chris Wilder (Pre-season, John Street. He was on his way to the chippie on Shoreham Street). From 1976 to 1977, I worked on a farm in Norway and, next door, was a luxury farm which was rented out to slebs. £450 a week at the time which was unbelievable. Ayway, one time the posh bloke who had rented it got talking to the scruffy little oik in the overalls (me). It was Neil Armstrong.

 

[snootyfenooty]

Nah. I was too busy making up stories about how man didn't land on the moon. Seriously, we were all talking last Sunday about 'great people you have walked past'. I used to travel a lot (which helps) and have walked past Colin Chapman (British GP, 1981), Bill Shankly (European Cup Final, 1977), Bill Nicholson (Blades at Spurs, early '70s) and Chris Wilder (Pre-season, John Street. He was on his way to the chippie on Shoreham Street). From 1976 to 1977, I worked on a farm in Norway and, next door, was a luxury farm which was rented out to slebs. £450 a week at the time which was unbelievable. Ayway, one time the posh bloke who had rented it got talking to the scruffy little oik in the overalls (me). It was Neil Armstrong.

Prince Charles once walked straight into me coming out of a function in a bank. He looked just as fucking gormless in real life as he does on the telly.

 

[Silent Blade]

Just watched "Bobby Charlton at 80" and it showed a clipping of just before the kick off of his last home league match for Manchester United on Easter Monday 1973. It was against the Blades. We won 2-1 (Dearden and Eddy scored) and I was there!View attachment 31905

Our players from bottom to top; Not sure who was the unused sub (Maybe Mick Speight?), Bill Dearden, Len Badger, Geoff Salmons, Stewart Scullion, Steve Faulkner, Keith Eddy, Jim Bone, Ian McKenzie, Tom McAlister, Ted Hemsley and TC