Blackpool v Villa the season that we got relegated from the 2nd Division

[gregavfc69/70]

69/70 was a desperately disappointing and depressing season. Right from the first game, nothing went our way.
I remember two evening games when the team did play well:- 4-1 vs Huddersfield Town and 3-0 vs Bolton, both at home.
Although there was a 0-3 shocker at Watford, we really only got tanked away  in just two matches at Cardiff 0-4 and 0-5 at
Sheff. Utd.
When you look at the pre - season team photo, in those awful all claret shirts, surely the most glaring omission was the lack of one or even two quality strikers, this is what condemned us ultimately. Rudge and Martin were game triers but they were small and slight physically, not up to the hurly, burly of second division football.
I think the Doc blundered by not giving Dave Simmonds many more starts. And remarkably, he left out Brian Godfrey from 5 out of the first 6 games, when he had been our best player during the previous two  seasons. Unbelievably, he only featured in 25 out of 42 league games - what a difference he could have made in the matches where he was left out.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I think the Doc blundered by not giving Dave Simmonds many more starts. And remarkably, he left out Brian Godfrey from 5 out of the first 6 games, when he had been our best player during the previous two  seasons. Unbelievably, he only featured in 25 out of 42 league games - what a difference he could have made in the matches where he was left out.

Dave Simmonds regular omission was a strange one, he had a remarkably good scoring ratio in the few games he played for us. His most memorable goal being in the 1-0 against Blues in the last home game the previous season.Yet he hardly got a look in during 69/70 with a team that was desperately short of goals. I agree about Brian Godfrey too, a leader on the pitch and exactly the sort of player you needed as it dawned we were in for a relegation scrap. The Doc was going to persevere with his new signings such as Rioch, Hamilton, McMahon (all of whom ultimately came good but not enough in 69/70 as the table showed) and in those days it was 11 and a sub each week.
It's only conjecture but maybe Simmons was seen as associated with the likes of Ferguson/Edwards/Hole, all of who fell out with Docherty as dressing room rifts and arguments broke out.

Those who recall Simmonds will probably remember he featured and scored in Colchesters cup shock against Dirty Leeds a couple of years later. On a sad note he died in 2007 aged 58 after battling cancer.   
   

[Rudy65]

Who went down with us that year ?  - was it Preston ?

The good old Shoot League Ladders,

Back in those days Sunday mornings used to mean a Bacon sandwich in bed with the back pages of the sunday papers and of course up-dating the league ladders.

yeah ,when i was about 9 years old ,,, i learned the name of every teams ground in all 4 divisions with the aid of shoot league ladders
as when you pulled the team out to move it to a new league position it had on it the teams ground name

Used to have my own subbueteo leagues and used those as my league tables. Some how Villa used to win everything! Happy days

[conman]

Who went down with us that year ?  - was it Preston ?

The good old Shoot League Ladders,

Back in those days Sunday mornings used to mean a Bacon sandwich in bed with the back pages of the sunday papers and of course up-dating the league ladders.

yeah ,when i was about 9 years old ,,, i learned the name of every teams ground in all 4 divisions with the aid of shoot league ladders
as when you pulled the team out to move it to a new league position it had on it the teams ground name

Used to have my own subbueteo leagues and used those as my league tables. Some how Villa used to win everything! Happy days

yeah we had a subbuteo league round our end in the late 60s/early 70s
and would play in each others houses ,,,home matches in your own house and away matches in the oppositions house

[Godfrey Brian]

Who went down with us that year ?  - was it Preston ?

The good old Shoot League Ladders,

Back in those days Sunday mornings used to mean a Bacon sandwich in bed with the back pages of the sunday papers and of course up-dating the league ladders.

yeah ,when i was about 9 years old ,,, i learned the name of every teams ground in all 4 divisions with the aid of shoot league ladders
as when you pulled the team out to move it to a new league position it had on it the teams ground name

My Shoot league ladders would proudly display mid October's positions for
 the remainer of the season because that's when I'd get bored of updating it! I do give it credit for subconsciously teaching me the colours of every league team though and football definitely taught me the geography of England, Wales and Scotland.

[Rudy65]

Who went down with us that year ?  - was it Preston ?

The good old Shoot League Ladders,

Back in those days Sunday mornings used to mean a Bacon sandwich in bed with the back pages of the sunday papers and of course up-dating the league ladders.

yeah ,when i was about 9 years old ,,, i learned the name of every teams ground in all 4 divisions with the aid of shoot league ladders
as when you pulled the team out to move it to a new league position it had on it the teams ground name

Used to have my own subbueteo leagues and used those as my league tables. Some how Villa used to win everything! Happy days

yeah we had a subbuteo league round our end in the late 60s/early 70s
and would play in each others houses ,,,home matches in your own house and away matches in the oppositions house

We took it step further by making up our own team, players and then having transfers between the clubs. I think we had £100k each and 8 of us in the league. My team was Blackfield Albion with top goalscorer Mick Bates. Playing at home was an advantage as you were used to your own surface, be it a table or different types of carpet.

[conman]

Who went down with us that year ?  - was it Preston ?

The good old Shoot League Ladders,

Back in those days Sunday mornings used to mean a Bacon sandwich in bed with the back pages of the sunday papers and of course up-dating the league ladders.

yeah ,when i was about 9 years old ,,, i learned the name of every teams ground in all 4 divisions with the aid of shoot league ladders
as when you pulled the team out to move it to a new league position it had on it the teams ground name

Used to have my own subbueteo leagues and used those as my league tables. Some how Villa used to win everything! Happy days

yeah we had a subbuteo league round our end in the late 60s/early 70s
and would play in each others houses ,,,home matches in your own house and away matches in the oppositions house

We took it step further by making up our own team, players and then having transfers between the clubs. I think we had £100k each and 8 of us in the league. My team was Blackfield Albion with top goalscorer Mick Bates. Playing at home was an advantage as you were used to your own surface, be it a table or different types of carpet.

and at home you could decide weather or wether  to iron the pitch or not to get an advantage

[castlefields_villan]

Who went down with us that year ?  - was it Preston ?

The good old Shoot League Ladders,

Back in those days Sunday mornings used to mean a Bacon sandwich in bed with the back pages of the sunday papers and of course up-dating the league ladders.

yeah ,when i was about 9 years old ,,, i learned the name of every teams ground in all 4 divisions with the aid of shoot league ladders
as when you pulled the team out to move it to a new league position it had on it the teams ground name

Used to have my own subbueteo leagues and used those as my league tables. Some how Villa used to win everything! Happy days

yeah we had a subbuteo league round our end in the late 60s/early 70s
and would play in each others houses ,,,home matches in your own house and away matches in the oppositions house

We took it step further by making up our own team, players and then having transfers between the clubs. I think we had £100k each and 8 of us in the league. My team was Blackfield Albion with top goalscorer Mick Bates. Playing at home was an advantage as you were used to your own surface, be it a table or different types of carpet.

Yes you certainly knew how your own carpet would play !! - I used to love playing subbuteo in my mum and dad's front room as opposed to my bedroom as the carpet in there played a lot more naturally !!! - anybody in here suffer from "subbuteo knee" ?

[gregavfc69/70]

Re:- the league ladders - the 2 red arrows are pointing at Orient and Bradford, is that who we'll be playing in 2 years time ?

[conman]

Re:- the league ladders - the 2 red arrows are pointing at Orient and Bradford, is that who we'll be playing in 2 years time ?

i think its an omen
we are going to get drawn against either orient or bradford away in tonights FA cup draw

[gregavfc69/70]

And if we lose - we can concentrate on the League !!!!

[gregavfc69/70]

Was it during this season when BR started running ''football specials'' at quite cheap fares?
The carriages were usually cold, draughty, smelly and dirty. Where were the first few ''special trains'' heading to; did many Villans
travel on them; how much were the fares and was there trouble on arrival?

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Was it during this season when BR started running ''football specials'' at quite cheap fares?
The carriages were usually cold, draughty, smelly and dirty. Where were the first few ''special trains'' heading to; did many Villans
travel on them; how much were the fares and was there trouble on arrival?

First football special I went on was with my brother to Derby in 67/68. I was 10 at the time. The journey back took 3-4 hours as the train seemed to stop at every station as the carriages were being smashed up at the other end of the train. I can remember  looking out the window at Burton as the police were getting on and a couple of tables came smashing through the window and landed on the platform.

[conman]

Was it during this season when BR started running ''football specials'' at quite cheap fares?
The carriages were usually cold, draughty, smelly and dirty. Where were the first few ''special trains'' heading to; did many Villans
travel on them; how much were the fares and was there trouble on arrival?

First football special I went on was with my brother to Derby in 67/68. I was 10 at the time. The journey back took 3-4 hours as the train seemed to stop at every station as the carriages were being smashed up at the other end of the train. I can remember  looking out the window at Burton as the police were getting on and a couple of tables came smashing through the window and landed on the platform.

Was it during this season when BR started running ''football specials'' at quite cheap fares?
The carriages were usually cold, draughty, smelly and dirty. Where were the first few ''special trains'' heading to; did many Villans
travel on them; how much were the fares and was there trouble on arrival?

First football special I went on was with my brother to Derby in 67/68. I was 10 at the time. The journey back took 3-4 hours as the train seemed to stop at every station as the carriages were being smashed up at the other end of the train. I can remember  looking out the window at Burton as the police were getting on and a couple of tables came smashing through the window and landed on the platform.

I remember pulling the window down and leaning out as the train approached the platform at Nottingham station
and got a right wack round the head from a copper
and i remember my first away match with mates from school ,,,,,,brighton away 1973 age 13
and someone pulled the chain on the way back

[Steve R]

I don't know when football specials started. There were ads in the programme for away travel for as long as I remember - probably back into the fifties - but that may well have been for coaches. My first away trip was on a train 'special' in 1962. The 'child' return fare to Manchester was 6/8d or 33p. The whole day cost me less than 10 shillings.