Colin Grainger

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Tynemouth Blade said:
mol.im

England's singing winger: Colin Grainger shared stage with the Beatles

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY SIMON HART: The 86-year-old Grainger may step gingerly across the bungalow carpet but he was once the fastest winger in the old First Division.
mol.im mol.im
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Thanks for posting that. 3 memories it brings back.
1. Grainger was a bit of glamour in the Blades team in the mid-50s, ahead of the trend.
2. He was the beginning of my learning curve about United selling their best players. In part-exchange, we got Sammy Kemp, who was a disappointment (to put it mildly). Fortunately he was soon followed by the signing of Ronnie Simpson, who produced some great moments.
3. I was ill (genuinely, I think) and off school on the afternoon of the Brasil match, and watched it on tv, which was a rare treat. I felt so proud that one of ours was playing and scoring for England. Something of that feeling has stayed with me, even though it has been for players who have moved on (Kyle Walker, Harry, Jags). And I think that match was the first time I saw Duncan Edwards. It did not take long to realise that here was a kid (not that much older than me, but a man already) who was something else.
 
Silent Blade said:
Grainger's agent , Joe Collins (father of Joan and Jackie) was a Blade and attended matches at the Lane before he and his wife moved to London. I remember reading an article in the Star about his recollections of going to the 1925 FA Cup final.
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Must mean that Joannie was brought up a Blade.
 
Silent Blade said:
Grainger's agent , Joe Collins (father of Joan and Jackie) was a Blade and attended matches at the Lane before he and his wife moved to London. I remember reading an article in the Star about his recollections of going to the 1925 FA Cup final.
Click to expand...

Joe Collins was Jewish and his original last name was Hart. So he was born Joe Hart.

Mercifully, he did not become a goalkeeper.
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
Thanks for posting that. 3 memories it brings back.
1. Grainger was a bit of glamour in the Blades team in the mid-50s, ahead of the trend.
2. He was the beginning of my learning curve about United selling their best players. In part-exchange, we got Sammy Kemp, who was a disappointment (to put it mildly). Fortunately he was soon followed by the signing of Ronnie Simpson, who produced some great moments.
3. I was ill (genuinely, I think) and off school on the afternoon of the Brasil match, and watched it on tv, which was a rare treat. I felt so proud that one of ours was playing and scoring for England. Something of that feeling has stayed with me, even though it has been for players who have moved on (Kyle Walker, Harry, Jags). And I think that match was the first time I saw Duncan Edwards. It did not take long to realise that here was a kid (not that much older than me, but a man already) who was something else.
Click to expand...


TV right back then, now that was posh!!

Football on it too - wow!

Jealous. I was at school ( Manor Lane)

We did see The Queens Coronation at school though. No tv at our home until about 1958 .
 
Woodwardfan said:
TV right back then, now that was posh!!

Football on it too - wow!

Jealous. I was at school ( Manor Lane)

We did see The Queens Coronation at school though. No tv at our home until about 1958 .
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We got tv in 1956. We had watched cup finals from 1953 at a neighbours, and 1956 was the first one at home. We then saw the European Cup semifinal ManU v Real Madrid in spring 1957 on ITV at the neighbours, and soon after got ITV by means of a HeathRobinson indoor aerial, on a pile of encyclopaedias on a stool on a table in the front window. For a while I believed all European Cup matches were played in fog! Eventually we got an aerial on the roof.
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
We got tv in 1956. We had watched cup finals from 1953 at a neighbours, and 1956 was the first one at home. We then saw the European Cup semifinal ManU v Real Madrid in spring 1957 on ITV at the neighbours, and soon after got ITV by means of a HeathRobinson indoor aerial, on a pile of encyclopaedias on a stool on a table in the front window. For a while I believed all European Cup matches were played in fog! Eventually we got an aerial on the roof.
Click to expand...


Fantastic, pleased for you Blade. We had a bathroom and I realised I was privileged from birth!!!

Can't quite remember whether the tele came before the house telephone.
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
Thanks for posting that. 3 memories it brings back.
1. Grainger was a bit of glamour in the Blades team in the mid-50s, ahead of the trend.
2. He was the beginning of my learning curve about United selling their best players. In part-exchange, we got Sammy Kemp, who was a disappointment (to put it mildly). Fortunately he was soon followed by the signing of Ronnie Simpson, who produced some great moments.
3. I was ill (genuinely, I think) and off school on the afternoon of the Brasil match, and watched it on tv, which was a rare treat. I felt so proud that one of ours was playing and scoring for England. Something of that feeling has stayed with me, even though it has been for players who have moved on (Kyle Walker, Harry, Jags). And I think that match was the first time I saw Duncan Edwards. It did not take long to realise that here was a kid (not that much older than me, but a man already) who was something else.
Click to expand...

I too had an illness on the day of the Brazil match and watched it on TV . It was a bit of a mysterious one which started just before I went to bed the night before , had become quite debilitating by the time I was due to go to school but cleared up rapidly after the game was over .
:)
I loved watching Grainger and he is in my all time best Blades XI .
 
Woodwardfan said:
Fantastic, pleased for you Blade. We had a bathroom and I realised I was privileged from birth!!!

Can't quite remember whether the tele came before the house telephone.
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TV came before the phone for us. You couldn't watch football and cricket on your phone in those days.
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
I too had an illness on the day of the Brazil match and watched it on TV . It was a bit of a mysterious one which started just before I went to bed the night before , had become quite debilitating by the time I was due to go to school but cleared up rapidly after the game was over .
:)
I loved watching Grainger and he is in my all time best Blades XI .
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That was a bad bug going around. Glad , like me, you decided to look after yourself. And that's a good call for Grainger as the best left-winger in our lifetime.
 



Off the top of my head: Grainger, Simpson, Hawksworrh, Punton, Whitehouse, Salmons, Reece, Hodges, Curran (aah!), Beagrie, Hartle, Stevens,

Love a left winger! Ok, the odd wing back included.

Edit: add Lee Morris, Janie Murphy.
 
Last edited:
PeterNdlovu081 said:
I'm related to Colin.

Big footballing family.

Colin Grainger
Edwin Holliday (cousin)
Jack Grainger (brother)
Dennis Grainger (cousin)
Jack Grainger (cousin)
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I remember Jack Grainger played for the Millers I think he was Colin’s brother
 
Woodwardfan said:
Off the top of my head: Grainger, Simpson, Hawksworrh, Punton, Whitehouse, Salmons, Reece, Hodges, Curran (aah!), Beagrie, Hartle, Stevens,

Love a left winger! Ok, the odd wing back included.

Edit: add Lee Morris, Janie Murphy.
Click to expand...
Presumably Janie Murphy plays for the women's team...
 
He was way before my time but as a child I had a history of English football on VHS and on it was extended highlights of an England game from 1956 in which he scored two of our goals. Played for United at the time, presumably did all his career but I never looked it up.

He looked a proper player.
 
Patrick Suffaux said:
He was way before my time but as a child I had a history of English football on VHS and on it was extended highlights of an England game from 1956 in which he scored two of our goals. Played for United at the time, presumably did all his career but I never looked it up.

He looked a proper player.
Click to expand...
Looking at the photograph of him scoring VAR would have been all over that with their lines. Probably taken 10 minutes with black and white film. How would they have managed without the coloured lines.
 
[QUOTE="Woodwardfan, post: 2308598, member: 876
Off the top of my head: Grainger, Simpson, Hawksworrh, Punton, Whitehouse, Salmons, Reece, Hodges, Curran (aah!), Beagrie, Hartle, Stevens,did
was
Love a left winger! Ok, the odd wing back included.
w
Edit: add Lee Morris, Janie Murphy.
[/QUOTE]
Your Hawksworth should be before your Grainger;). Derek could trap a bit but Colin was like s**t off a shovel, if you follow me, that's what full backs did to Colin. Derek Hawksworth was a good footballer who in his early days seemed to suffer the scapegoat syndrome, His home appearances were games of two sides. On the cricket side his game was good. When kicking towards the kop the standard dropped, consensus, where we stood, was the crowed put him off. Could be some truth in it who knows? Eventually (Manuel) he played centre forward & left wing according to need, his goal tally being respectable if memory serves.
 
Played for the Blades, played for England, sang on the same stage as the Beatles, not a bad life's work!

I think that means there are now only 3 players alive who played for England whilst at United; Jones, TC and Deano. Unless I've missed anyone?
 



RIP. A great player. Unique in that he scored 2 goals on his England debut against Brazil in a 4-2 win.
 
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