Ivan Ponting's obituaries

[Shalalalafenoughty]

I've mentioned these elsewhere on the site a couple of times recently.

They appear in The Independent and an excellent book has even been compiled from them.

Apologies if they've previously featured on here but in case they haven't these are a couple of my favourites:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joe-shaw-sheffield-united-stalwart-762155.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/o...-the-1966-england-football-squad-1816601.html

 

[Silent Blade]

I've mentioned these elsewhere on the site a couple of times recently.

They appear in The Independent and an excellent book has even been compiled from them.

Apologies if they've previously featured on here but in case they haven't these are a couple of my favourites:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joe-shaw-sheffield-united-stalwart-762155.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/o...-the-1966-england-football-squad-1816601.html

Keith Kettleborough's daughter went to the same school as me and although I have not seen her for some years now (not seen her since just before Keith's death), she is a friend of mine. I have met Keith and his wife quite a few times. Keith often would have a pint at the Clifton pub before playing cricket. I played cricket at Herringthorpe in the 1980s

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

As if on cue, today's paper carries this obituary from Mr Ponting:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/o...nning-arsenal-teams-of-the-1950s-9670159.html

Clearly, if you want to make the "selling club" allegation against United, this provides further ammunition but I suspect £12500 in 1948 represented a pretty huge fee. Does anybody have details of other fees paid for other players at the time so that

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

...so that we can put it in some sort of context?

 

[Silent Blade]

As if on cue, today's paper carries this obituary from Mr Ponting:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/o...nning-arsenal-teams-of-the-1950s-9670159.html

Clearly, if you want to make the "selling club" allegation against United, this provides further ammunition but I suspect £12500 in 1948 represented a pretty huge fee. Does anybody have details of other fees paid for other players at the time so that

we also sold Eddie Shimwell and Walter Rickett to Blackpool not long after the war. Both played in 1948 FA Cup Final and Shimwell also played in the Stanley Matthews (should have been Mortensen) Final in 1953. Also we sold another popular player in Albert Nightingale to Huddersfield

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

I've had a look on Wikipedia and in the same month that we sold Forbes to Arsenal the transfer fee record was broken when Tommy Lawton went to Notts County for £20k. It had stood at £15500, the fee paid by Derby for Billy Steel the previous September. So, the fee for Forbes was clearly a very substantial one at the time.

But you can just hear the directors can't you: "It's great business for someone who only cost us £105. We can't turn it down. We'll tell the fans it'll be used to buy new players plus free binoculars for anyone watching from the cricket pavilion."