Wednesday's quiz question

[Darren]

Monty made his first team debut in October 2000 and thus has completed over 10 years as a first team player. The last player to have over 10 years as a first team player was Simon Tracey (debut March 89, last appearance April 02), but, before Monty, who was the last outfield player to clock up 10 years as a first team player?*

* This means 10+ years between the first and last first team appearance in the league, FA Cup or League Cup, not 10+ years on United's books.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Alan Woodward?

 

[Darren]

Alan Woodward?

Got it in one - Oct 64-Sept 78.

It's fairly astonishing that we have only had two players with over 10 years service in 33 years. In the previous 33 years from the end of the war (and of the top of my head), Woodward, Hodgkinson, Badger, Joe Shaw, Graham Shaw, Roy Ridge, Coldwell, Furniss, Latham, Hagan, and Brook all clocked up over 10 years.

 

[Revolution]

Tony Kenworthy missed it by about 2 months by my reckoning.

 

[Darren]

Tony Kenworthy missed it by about 2 months by my reckoning.

2 and a bit by mine

First appearnce 3 April 1976
Last (I think) 25 January 1986

 

[Revolution]

Roy Ridge

Were his first and last appearances 10 years apart? I know he only played 11 league games, and 9 of them were in the same year...

 

[JJ Sefton]

When you think back to the days of reserve teams players could be with you for years and hardly play a first team game. My dad said there was a guy called Bob Widdowson, a goalkeeper, who was like that.

 

[Darren]

Roy Ridge

Were his first and last appearances 10 years apart? I know he only played 11 league games, and 9 of them were in the same year...

I think so, my hazy memory is that is first game was in around 1952 and his last in 1964.

This site
http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=ps...gc.r_pw.&fp=6d304ae12c5b3bc1&biw=1024&bih=571

Has him playing between 53 and 61, but I am pretty certain his last game was in a League Cup game in 1964.




---------- Post added at 11:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 AM ----------

When you think back to the days of reserve teams players could be with you for years and hardly play a first team game. My dad said there was a guy called Bob Widdowson, a goalkeeper, who was like that.

Widdowson was with us from 1959 to 1968 and started off as third choice keeper behind Hodgkinson and Des Thompson. Thompson moved on in 1962 when Widdowson became second choice. Widdowson had played his first game at Blackpool in April 1962 and I believe managed only around 10 games until summer 68 when he moved on to York.

 

[snb69]

What about Brian Deane? First game v Reading in 1988. Last games (as a sub) in Dec 2005

 

[Darren]

What about Brian Deane? First game v Reading in 1988. Last games (as a sub) in Dec 2005

Three spells

Aug 88- May 93 = 4 years 9 months
Aug 97-Jan 98 = 5 months
Jan-April 06 = 4 months

Total 5 years 6 months

 

[Russ]

Dane just missed it too (debut at Blackpool in 1988, injured in 1997.)

 

[Darren]

Dane just missed it too (debut at Blackpool in 1988, injured in 1997.)

Yep - Oct 88 - Nov 97 = 9 years 1 month

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Yep - Oct 88 - Nov 97 = 9 years 1 month

Paul Garner was 9 years too wasn't he?

 

[snb69]

Three spells

Aug 88- May 93 = 4 years 9 months
Aug 97-Jan 98 = 5 months
Jan-April 06 = 4 months

Total 5 years 6 months

Still more than 10 years between first and last games

(and I know see you meant 10 years of being at Utd)

 

[Robbie]

What about Brian Deane? First game v Reading in 1988. Last games (as a sub) in Dec 2005

If we're doing it like that, Rob Kozluk

 

[bricktop]

Where would Monty stack up in terms of an appearance list since the war?

 

[Silent Blade]

Thompson moved on in 1962 when Widdowson became second choice.

we re-signed Thompson in an emergency signing from Buxton in the 1963-64 season because Hodgkinson had got injured and Widdowson broke his arm during training a few days before he was due to replace Hodgy for a 1st team match

 

[Darren]

Paul Garner was 9 years too wasn't he?

Nov 75-May 84 - so 8 years 6 months

---------- Post added at 01:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 PM ----------

If we're doing it like that, Rob Kozluk

Kozluk's first speall was faitly lengthy - Mar 99-April 07 = 8 years 1 month. So if we do re-sign him next season, his 2 spells could (legitimately!) beat the 10 year barrier

 

[Revolution]

Where would Monty stack up in terms of an appearance list since the war?

Off the top of my head, the following post war players have appeared in more league games for us than Monty:

Joe Shaw
Alan Hogkinson
Alan Woodward
Graham Shaw
Len Badger
Eddie Colquhoun
Cec Coldwell
Jimmy Hagan (some pre war games)
Jack Pickering (mainly pre war)
Jack Smith (some pre war games)
Simon Tracey

Tracey is the only other player to reach 300 league games since the 1970's.

On a similar theme, 13 players have scored 100 league goals for United, but only one (Keith Edwards) has managed this since the 1970's, and he left 25 years ago.

 

[Darren]

Roy Ridge

Were his first and last appearances 10 years apart? I know he only played 11 league games, and 9 of them were in the same year...

Checked last night and you were right - his last appeance was in Jan 61, though we hung onto him until 64 when we shipped him off to Rochdale.

 

[blade too long]

Remember Bob (black) Widow son , the spider well , won the central League title , could never oust Alan Hodgkinson 576 league appearances over 17 years

 

[Revolution]

Checked last night and you were right - his last appeance was in Jan 61, though we hung onto him until 64 when we shipped him off to Rochdale.

where, I seem to recall, he made 84 out of 92 possible league appearances over the next 2 years before disappearing from league football. Feast or famine...

 

[Fiery Blade]

There was several players from that era that would have made it with other sides but stayed and played with the Reserves:
Widdowson, Ridge, Dennis Finnegan, Shields, Hartle, to name but a few
In those days you could virtually name the first team every week:
Hodgkinson, Coldwell, G Shaw, Richardson, J Shaw, Summers, Allchurch, Hodgson, Pace,Russell, Simpson That was around 1961 just before the new era of
Badger, Bernard Shaw,Jones, Birchenall,Mallender, Woodward etc

 

[Darren]

There was several players from that era that would have made it with other sides but stayed and played with the Reserves:
Widdowson, Ridge, Dennis Finnegan, Shields, Hartle, to name but a few
In those days you could virtually name the first team every week:
Hodgkinson, Coldwell, G Shaw, Richardson, J Shaw, Summers, Allchurch, Hodgson, Pace,Russell, Simpson That was around 1961 just before the new era of
Badger, Bernard Shaw,Jones, Birchenall,Mallender, Woodward etc

On a similar point, I believe Liverpool won the league in 1964 using only 14 players, a feat matched by Villa in 1981.

 

[blade too long]

Its amazing that when we started watching football in the early sixties , there were no subs , but rarely did players miss games , even though the tackles were somewhat agricultural compared to today
If you got clobbered by a Tommy Smith or Billy Bremner youd been hit , but players rode tackles like this all the time
Thes days players seem to be out for 6 months after going over a bit on an ankle

Youd see players in the bars friday nights and I remember being in a chip shop in 64 at shiregreen on a derby day and Layne one of the owls forwards was getting a bag of chips as he walked to the ground, no aston martins in sight

 

[Fiery Blade]

Its amazing that when we started watching football in the early sixties , there were no subs , but rarely did players miss games , even though the tackles were somewhat agricultural compared to today
If you got clobbered by a Tommy Smith or Billy Bremner youd been hit , but players rode tackles like this all the time
Thes days players seem to be out for 6 months after going over a bit on an ankle

Youd see players in the bars friday nights and I remember being in a chip shop in 64 at shiregreen on a derby day and Layne one of the owls forwards was getting a bag of chips as he walked to the ground, no aston martins in sight!

Perhaps, thats one of the things thats wrong with football today!
Those guys earn't a good living - not a great one but they gave commitment, endeavour and honesty!!!

 

[Kenilworth]

It's cos we have been shit for such a long period of time/