Football in the old days

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Well if you live to be 100 you might live to see the financial collapse of the Premier League, along with the introduction of salary caps/transfer fee caps.

I do think it's going to take something like that to level the playing field once again - perhaps Sky pulling out, and no-one else being rich enough to step in; or the UK leaving the European Union and then imposing limits on foreign players.

[Damo70]

Asa Hartford is mentioned in 'players living round the corner'. He lived in my aunts road in Lichfield at one point. Noel Cantwell lived next door to my mum and dad's friends who we used to visit in Coventry. John Deehan lived with his parents a few minutes away from me and my parents. I remember being impressed with his TR7. I can remember watching that Leicester v Shrewsbury cup tie with the different keepers in 1982 on MOTD or Star Soccer. Around that time I also remember Star Soccer making a big fuss of the Stoke keeper Peter Fox being sent off in the early days of the professional foul rule. And an Everton v Liverpool game around the same time that was shown live and Glen Keeley on loan from Blackburn got sent off early for a professional foul. I think it ended 0-5 and was the only time he pulled on an Everton shirt.

I sat next to John Deehan at church when I was young. He had a Motty style sheepskin coat IIRC.
Graham Lovett's parents lived next door to my cousins in Garrett's Green.

Seems like a different world and it beacuse it was nearly 4 decades ago

I went to the same junior/infant and comprehensive schools as John Deehan but he was long gone by the time I followed in his footsteps. Graham Lovett's brother Terry had a sports shop in Acocks Green and my old man rented a side building from him with a view to opening an electrical shop but ended up just using it to store stuff until my mum put her foot down and cancelled the agreement.

[TopDeck113]

When I had a paper round I delivered the Daily Express to John Wile's house.  He never once gave me a Christmas tip.   I'd like to think the captain of a Premier League side in 2015 might be a bit more generous, but then again you'd never get the paper through the security gates of their mansion. 

[Rudy65]

When I had a paper round I delivered the Daily Express to John Wile's house.  He never once gave me a Christmas tip.   I'd like to think the captain of a Premier League side in 2015 might be a bit more generous, but then again you'd never get the paper through the security gates of their mansion.

Most of em cant read!

[eric woolban woolban]

Although I can't moan too much as I'm a big watcher of Sky games, but Saturday afternoon at 3pm is the fixture you want to see your team play in.

Used to be great listening to the results being read by James Alexander-Gordon on the way back from the match.

[Rudy65]

Tony Butler, his prayer mat and the horn when a goal was scored. If I wasnt at VP I would be playing subutteo on the dining room floor whilst listening to Tony on a Saturday afternoon.

[Ian.]

I enjoyed that article, thanks for posting Dave.

There's a lot of good from the old days I miss, maybe more bad though not missed. Violence being the main worry. Saying that was only a spell in the 70's and 80's. My old man used to take my mom to Molineux regular in the late 50's. She told me she used to have to wear her high heels so she could see, but then she would sink in the mud! They used to get 40-50k as well.
I loved the Old Holte End, I could never see anything being the midget that I am, but the atmosphere was amazing. I'd lose my dad or my uncle depending who took me.

We used to have Wolves players on our estate when I lived in Wolverhampton, growing up between 1978-83 before I moved to Devon. Me and my brother used to ask to wash there cars on the drive.

The biggest shame of all is the lack of competition if your not in the elite band of rich clubs, this is the World over now. If Man City do not win the league, or Man Utd they will just throw another 100-200 million at it.

[Damo70]

When I had a paper round I delivered the Daily Express to John Wile's house.  He never once gave me a Christmas tip.   I'd like to think the captain of a Premier League side in 2015 might be a bit more generous, but then again you'd never get the paper through the security gates of their mansion.

Most of em cant read!

Wasn't it the Daily Express who sponsored the old six a sides competition? Sportsnight used to dedicate a programme to it. If I remember right it was played at Wembley Arena just before Christmas. Then it became the Attari Soccer Sixes and moved to the NEC and was played after Christmas.

[Holte L2]

Its the lack of competitiveness I really miss.

In the 70's a good manager with a keen eye for a player could bulld a squad from nothing and win the league. Derby, Forest etc. Teams did dominate, like leeds but they didnt win everything. There was a wide mix of teams winning the trophies.

I also think that football was more entertaining but maybe my memory just concentrates on the great teams we had in the 70's and early 80's

Football also seemed more exciting because there was less to see and beey little on TV. Going to a game was a real treat

Pretty much this.

On the pitch the quality of football, the skill, technique and athleticism of the players is many many times higher.  You're guaranteed to see at least one incredible world class goal every week in the Premier League.

The facilities are much better, the threat of getting your head kicked in is pretty much gone.

However, the thing I miss is the (nearly always misguided) belief at the start of every season that this could be Villa's year.  I already know that Chelsea, Man City or Man Utd will win it, with perhaps Arsenal or Liverpool having a go at it.

I was 9 when Villa won the League; and I don't think I'll live long enough to see Villa win it again.

I was -2 if it makes you feel any better.

I was -3

[Pat McMahon]

When I had a paper round I delivered the Daily Express to John Wile's house.  He never once gave me a Christmas tip.   I'd like to think the captain of a Premier League side in 2015 might be a bit more generous, but then again you'd never get the paper through the security gates of their mansion.

Most of em cant read!

Wasn't it the Daily Express who sponsored the old six a sides competition? Sportsnight used to dedicate a programme to it. If I remember right it was played at Wembley Arena just before Christmas. Then it became the Attari Soccer Sixes and moved to the NEC and was played after Christmas.

I am pretty certain of the Daily Express and Sportsnight thing Damo. I even had the Subbuteo 6 a side game. Attari means absolutely nothing to me.

[the-farmer]

The best thing about Vinnie Jones tackle on Steve McMahon was the way Macca picked himself up & got on with it.
What I hate about today's game is seeing players faking injury, man the f*ck up.
I think that's why us middle aged fans like rugby.

[cdbearsfan]

Its the lack of competitiveness I really miss.

In the 70's a good manager with a keen eye for a player could bulld a squad from nothing and win the league. Derby, Forest etc. Teams did dominate, like leeds but they didnt win everything. There was a wide mix of teams winning the trophies.

I also think that football was more entertaining but maybe my memory just concentrates on the great teams we had in the 70's and early 80's

Football also seemed more exciting because there was less to see and beey little on TV. Going to a game was a real treat

Pretty much this.

On the pitch the quality of football, the skill, technique and athleticism of the players is many many times higher.  You're guaranteed to see at least one incredible world class goal every week in the Premier League.

The facilities are much better, the threat of getting your head kicked in is pretty much gone.

However, the thing I miss is the (nearly always misguided) belief at the start of every season that this could be Villa's year.  I already know that Chelsea, Man City or Man Utd will win it, with perhaps Arsenal or Liverpool having a go at it.

I was 9 when Villa won the League; and I don't think I'll live long enough to see Villa win it again.

I was -2 if it makes you feel any better.

1980 I get born
1981 Villa win league
1982 Villa win European Cup
Winter 1983 Villa win European Super Cup
Autumn 1983 Adam gets born, Villa stop winning things.

Not that I blame you...

[Damo70]

I'm not sure anything could match the excitement of the Christmas we got a VHS video recorder and a Teletext TV. I can clearly remember the first time I followed a Villa away game on Teletext. It was at my uncle's and we lost 3-0 at Newcastle in one of Graham Turner's last games. The first March transfer deadline day of having Teletext was also memorable.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

What I marvel at is that I still love Football, and most of all our club. Perhaps what might help is that when I first started going we were crap (early 60s) then got worse, but I still went as often as I could because of who we were and the game, despite knowing we'd no chance of winning anything.

The good years were, of course, brilliant. But somehow tinged with unreality as I'd grown up supporting a bunch of wonderful losers. Even so, I now had new expectations, up to the end of the O'Neill years.

Now I seem to be back where I started. I love the club, the game but have little expectation of any success. The difference now is that I'm thst much more knowing and therefore that much more numb.

Where are you now Ron Saunders? And yes, where the heck is my youth?

[Hopadop]

I think the shitter we get, the more I care about the club. It's like I think it needs me more then?

Conversely a new bazillionaire owner, massive success and global renown, and I'd probably stop bothering.