Your Matchday Programme Thread

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HodgysBrokenThumb said:
March 28th, 1959, and the beginning of a run of games that would now be unthinkable: Scunthorpe away, Saturday; Brighton away (Easter Monday, March 30th); Brighton home (Easter Tuesday, March 31st). How about that for a schedule?
Scunthorpe was easy to get to - the home programme the previous Saturday had details of the train, which was due in Scunthorpe at 2.25 for the 3.15 kick-off. We were in the ground on time - I don't remember ever missing the kick-off, and the only occasion for concern was the 6th round Cup-tie at Newcastle, when the engine broke down, but they still got us there in time. One up for the nationalised railways!
I liked Scunthorpe. The programme spoke really well of United and the players, and the ground was small but noisy. There is a 'quaint' advert for a shop in the programme -'More than half Scunthorpe shops at Fishers. Does your missus shop there?' And Marty Wilde was performing at the local theatre. It was my kind of town. They even had a player who I had a soft spot for - Ronnie Waldock, who they signed from us, and was their leading scorer. If I say he was the kind of player that Pinchy would have hated, you will get a sense of his approach. And we always seemed to beat them, which helps.
When I looked at the programme (pics in next post), I was delighted to find something I had completely forgotten - my older brother chose this moment to become the Deadbat of his era, and started inserting a match report in the programmes. I reproduce it below, without his permission - if he comes on here, he can tell me off! I now recall a conversation he had with my mother, where she pointed out the he would never willingly write an essay for school, but would spend his time writing these reports:

'It was a sunny day and United played in white shirts before a crowd of 12,353. United took the lead after 3 minutes when Pace, intending the ball to go into the left-hand corner, miskicked the ball into the other corner after Jones had failed to hold a shot from Hoyland. After 33 mins, Hodgson crossed the ball on the ground and Shiels ran in to hit it between Jones and the post. After 56 mins, Pace ran into the penalty area and then seemed to get the ball lost between his legs. Two Scunthorpe defenders were slow to tackle Pace and the latter had time to recover and push the ball back to Hamilton who smashed it into the roof of the net.
Harburn scored for Scunthorpe by bundling the ball into the net after Graham Shaw had been messing about. Pace scored, but was ruled offside and one of his shots struck Jones' leg.
The defence was rarely troubled, but the forward line could have been better. Nibloe, making his second appearance, was poor, and Hodgson was little better. Summers left the field for 10 minutes in the first half because of a cut right eye.'

He has never been nominated for a Nobel Prize for Literature.
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You have put this on your wrong thread!
 
image.jpeg In an attempt to encourage younger folk to feel free to discuss recent programmes, and to get something positive from today's disaster, I attach a picture of the stats page from today's programme, which is quite splendid.image.jpeg
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
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My early years were mis-spent watching all manner of football, including may games I have totally forgotten. On these 2 programmes, there are 2 boys whose names will be familiar to just about all - Len Badger for Sheffield Boys, and Bob Wilson for Derbyshire. This was a route into professional football before academies were invented, and those 2 made good careers for themselves. Does anyone recognise any of the other names?
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Good football trivia - Bob Wilson’s middle name (R.P. Wilson) is Primrose.
 
I think, but I'm not sure, it's a mother's maiden name thing. Unless it's a Johnny Cash "Boy named Sue" thing ;)
 
Question: who from the United squad listed in the 2005 programme against Cardiff City are still playing professional football?
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Is this the worst-ever programme for a top-flight football match? In the middle of the awful winter of 1963, when for weeks hardly any football was played, United must have been caught unawares when this match was played, and some typist with a Roneo machine was no doubt given the task of producing this. Can't remember having to pay for it - there is no price on it. Or is someone going to tell me that it is so rare that I can sell it and be kept in whisky for the rest of my days?
PS to son: if you find this in the heap of programmes, don't crumple it without having checked any answers to this post first!

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In the absence of football for the foreseeable future, I thought that bumping this thread might give people an opportunity to dust down their old programmes or look at more recent ones, and find points of interest to share. I came across this one today, which contained a lot of (for me) fascinating details. In March 1961, after drawing 0-0 v Leicester in the Cup semi final at Elland Road on Saturday 18th, and again in the replay at Nottingham on the Thursday, United returned to Leeds on Saturday 25th as we pushed for promotion, and we won 2-1.
1. The programme had just 1 page on Leeds, urging supporters to support their new manager Don Revie. There were 6 pages about United - very unusual.
2. Revie had not been an instant success, and early experiments (Jack Charlton played centre-forward that day) were not altogether successful.
3. Colin Grainger, one of my favourites as a Utd player, played for Leeds that day. I had totally forgotten that.
4. Len Allchurch scored on his debut for us - his signing brought craft and goals, and was a big factor in promotion. He scored with a volley into the goal we were standing behind - that is still a clear memory.
5. We were behind Hodgy for the pre-match shoot-in, and as he often did, he got a young Leeds fan to join him in goal. That always won him appreciation, except from me - I never got asked. :(
6. We got a penalty in the first half, and as Graham Shaw was about to take it, Hodgy turned round and mouthed to us 'He'll miss it'. He couldn't bear to Watch, and Graham Shaw did miss. And then missed another penalty in the 2nd replay v Leicester on the following Monday.
7. For the first time, I felt uncomfortable at a match. A few minutes before kick-off, a group of Leeds youths came over aggressively, and for a few minutes it was worrying. They eventually moved away (older Leeds supporters helped get rid of them). A sign of things to come, I think.
08940DE6-8C12-4472-BB56-C230D7BE0AB4.jpegD7DE2CF8-512A-4418-B175-43DFF304F222.jpeg
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
In the absence of football for the foreseeable future, I thought that bumping this thread might give people an opportunity to dust down their old programmes or look at more recent ones, and find points of interest to share. I came across this one today, which contained a lot of (for me) fascinating details. In March 1961, after drawing 0-0 v Leicester in the Cup semi final at Elland Road on Saturday 18th, and again in the replay at Nottingham on the Thursday, United returned to Leeds on Saturday 25th as we pushed for promotion, and we won 2-1.
1. The programme had just 1 page on Leeds, urging supporters to support their new manager Don Revie. There were 6 pages about United - very unusual.
2. Revie had not been an instant success, and early experiments (Jack Charlton played centre-forward that day) were not altogether successful.
3. Colin Grainger, one of my favourites as a Utd player, played for Leeds that day. I had totally forgotten that.
4. Len Allchurch scored on his debut for us - his signing brought craft and goals, and was a big factor in promotion. He scored with a volley into the goal we were standing behind - that is still a clear memory.
5. We were behind Hodgy for the pre-match shoot-in, and as he often did, he got a young Leeds fan to join him in goal. That always won him appreciation, except from me - I never got asked. :(
6. We got a penalty in the first half, and as Graham Shaw was about to take it, Hodgy turned round and mouthed to us 'He'll miss it'. He couldn't bear to Watch, and Graham Shaw did miss. And then missed another penalty in the 2nd replay v Leicester on the following Monday.
7. For the first time, I felt uncomfortable at a match. A few minutes before kick-off, a group of Leeds youths came over aggressively, and for a few minutes it was worrying. They eventually moved away (older Leeds supporters helped get rid of them). A sign of things to come, I think.
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The day my parents got married at Ecclesfield Church.

Jack Charlton said of this match "The first year with Revie was an interesting one. The day after he took over, he moved me up to centre forward. I tried my best, but the No 9 shirt didn't feel right to me. I didn't know what to do, and nobody showed me. I remember Joe Shaw of Sheffield United laughing at me, I was making such a mess of it. After I protested Don switched me back to centre half."
 
Silent Blade said:
The day my parents got married at Ecclesfield Church.

Jack Charlton said of this match "The first year with Revie was an interesting one. The day after he took over, he moved me up to centre forward. I tried my best, but the No 9 shirt didn't feel right to me. I didn't know what to do, and nobody showed me. I remember Joe Shaw of Sheffield United laughing at me, I was making such a mess of it. After I protested Don switched me back to centre half."
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A rookie centre-forward would certainly not welcome taking on Joe Shaw! I think it was Revie who later got Charlton to come up for corners and stand at the near post, a tactic which proved successful.
I assume your parents got married in the morning, and were at Elland Road in time for kick-off...
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
A rookie centre-forward would certainly not welcome taking on Joe Shaw! I think it was Revie who later got Charlton to come up for corners and stand at the near post, a tactic which proved successful.
I assume your parents got married in the morning, and were at Elland Road in time for kick-off...
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My mum has no interest in football! The only match my dad went to around that time was the semi final replay at City ground
 
I would like to see some more posts based around programmes, as now is a good time to reminisce (the programme for the last match v Norwich now counts as an old programme!). In a spirit of positivity, I base this post around a match at Leicester, which is always good to recall. There are plenty of Utd links with Leicester in the programme (see the pic of David Kelly, who had changed a bit by the time he came to the Lane), but I would like to ask a couple of questions. Who is Pedro Loco? And is the lucky mascot, Jonathan Aldred, still a Blade? What a match to choose!
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HodgysBrokenThumb said:
I would like to see some more posts based around programmes, as now is a good time to reminisce (the programme for the last match v Norwich now counts as an old programme!). In a spirit of positivity, I base this post around a match at Leicester, which is always good to recall. There are plenty of Utd links with Leicester in the programme (see the pic of David Kelly, who had changed a bit by the time he came to the Lane), but I would like to ask a couple of questions. Who is Pedro Loco? And is the lucky mascot, Jonathan Aldred, still a Blade? What a match to choose!
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I always remember Leicester manager David Pleat saying in his programme notes "To our visitors Sheffield United, if you do go up today, enjoy it."
 
Cheets said:
I always remember Leicester manager David Pleat saying in his programme notes "To our visitors Sheffield United, if you do go up today, enjoy it."
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You have a good memory, to remember that after 30 years. The quote is 'To our visitors, best wishes if you are successful - enjoy the top League and savour it.' But do you know who Pedro Loco is?
I was surprised at how little there was about Utd in the programme.
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
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My early years were mis-spent watching all manner of football, including may games I have totally forgotten. On these 2 programmes, there are 2 boys whose names will be familiar to just about all - Len Badger for Sheffield Boys, and Bob Wilson for Derbyshire. This was a route into professional football before academies were invented, and those 2 made good careers for themselves. Does anyone recognise any of the other names?
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Would the C Rabjohn be the one who played for Rotherham and Doncaster ?
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
Is this the worst-ever programme for a top-flight football match? In the middle of the awful winter of 1963, when for weeks hardly any football was played, United must have been caught unawares when this match was played, and some typist with a Roneo machine was no doubt given the task of producing this. Can't remember having to pay for it - there is no price on it. Or is someone going to tell me that it is so rare that I can sell it and be kept in whisky for the rest of my days?
PS to son: if you find this in the heap of programmes, don't crumple it without having checked any answers to this post first!

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Unfortunately HBT it doesn’t have the value you’d like it to have but it is worth a single bottle of your favourite run of the mill tipple!
However if anyone has a copy of this single sheet hiding away then you are quids in
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Sadly mine and many others is just a photocopy as this single sheet for the 1946/7 FA Cup 4th round replay v Wolves is thought to have been handed out to the directors box only. The pitch was covered in ice and snow and United had used bales of straw to try and protect it which were stacked up around the perimeter. 42,000 saw us win 2-0. No United collector I know has this (I’ve never set eyes on it or seen it at auction in 25 years of collecting). It’s the only home league or cup programme post war I’m missing but I’m not the only one. It’s the “Holy Grail” of United programmes and if a copy ever surfaced you would be looking in excess of
...... £3000 :eek:
 
spongebobblade said:
Unfortunately HBT it doesn’t have the value you’d like it to have but it is worth a single bottle of your favourite run of the mill tipple!
However if anyone has a copy of this single sheet hiding away then you are quids in
View attachment 75385
Sadly mine and many others is just a photocopy as this single sheet for the 1946/7 FA Cup 4th round replay v Wolves is thought to have been handed out to the directors box only. The pitch was covered in ice and snow and United had used bales of straw to try and protect it which were stacked up around the perimeter. 42,000 saw us win 2-0. No United collector I know has this (I’ve never set eyes on it or seen it at auction in 25 years of collecting). It’s the only home league or cup programme post war I’m missing but I’m not the only one. It’s the “Holy Grail” of United programmes and if a copy ever surfaced you would be looking in excess of
...... £3000 :eek:
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spongebobblade said:
Unfortunately HBT it doesn’t have the value you’d like it to have but it is worth a single bottle of your favourite run of the mill tipple!
However if anyone has a copy of this single sheet hiding away then you are quids in
View attachment 75385
Sadly mine and many others is just a photocopy as this single sheet for the 1946/7 FA Cup 4th round replay v Wolves is thought to have been handed out to the directors box only. The pitch was covered in ice and snow and United had used bales of straw to try and protect it which were stacked up around the perimeter. 42,000 saw us win 2-0. No United collector I know has this (I’ve never set eyes on it or seen it at auction in 25 years of collecting). It’s the only home league or cup programme post war I’m missing but I’m not the only one. It’s the “Holy Grail” of United programmes and if a copy ever surfaced you would be looking in excess of
...... £3000 :eek:
Click to expand...
I am afraid I don't have that one. It would probably have conflicted me anyway. I plead the possible value of old programmes when Mrs HBT looks threateningly at them, but my main interest is (especially in the present moment) randomly looking at programmes from different eras for the amazing range of interest they have. If I had your collection, I am sure I would think differently though!
The random thought the Wolves programme provokes is that at the time my mother was carting me round inside her in all that snow and ice, which was so bad that 1947 was the only time Utd have ever played a home league match on my birthday (late May). I have often wondered if my dad was around for my birth or at the Lane that day; I suspect he was probably at work - times were hard!
 
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