Legia Sky Blue

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Thank you to all of the City fans who sent in their memories of meeting Hutch. Unfortunately, I couldn’t put all of them in the book as there wasn’t room, however, a big thank you to every who contributed.
Those who appear in the book are; Dave Mander, Stephen Quinn, Greg Kenny, Roger Gurney, Ian Collins, Philip Gardner, Mark Ryder, David Ward, Bernard Bourke and Mark Eardley. Thank you to them in particular.

Obviously a big weekend for Tommy as he is down for the Blackpool game from Friday onwards. I will put the details on here again before the weekend as to where you can come and meet him and have a chat.

If you can’t make any of those events but want to get a signed copy use the link below.

Hutch' order form

Do you know if he will be introduced to the crowd? If so please, please, everyone give him the reception he deserves. I know the majority won't ever have seen him play, but for the benefit of youngsters of today he was like O'Hare and Gyokeres rolled into one. I subsequently saw Wallace, Regis, Speedie, Ndlovu, Dublin, Keane etc but Hutch was the best.
 

1966_and_all-that

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Oct 26, 2022
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Hutch was one of my favourites when I was a young lad going down to Bloomfield Rd. He actually started rather nervously but I recall the game in which he gained his confidence. It was a night match at home to Blackburn Rovers and Hutch was up against Keith Newton, the England right back. Hutch took him to the cleaners every time he received the ball.

He's in our Hall of Fame and every fan at Blackpool holds him in the highest regard.
 

NortonSkyBlue

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Mar 10, 2014
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Hutch was one of my favourites when I was a young lad going down to Bloomfield Rd. He actually started rather nervously but I recall the game in which he gained his confidence. It was a night match at home to Blackburn Rovers and Hutch was up against Keith Newton, the England right back. Hutch took him to the cleaners every time he received the ball.

He's in our Hall of Fame and every fan at Blackpool holds him in the highest regard.
Blackpool was the home of Matthews, Mortensen, Ball, Armfield, Pickering and Green and you know that Hutchison was in good company. That period after the war until 1970 Blackpool had some great players and times when we were a lower league club. My dad said that when Matthews was playing it was the event of the year to play Blackpool anywhere.
I am sure those of us that saw Hutch in Tangerine or Sky Blue will give him the welcome he deserves and I hope he goes back up to Scotland knowing that he has not been forgotten.
 

1966_and_all-that

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Oct 26, 2022
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Blackpool was the home of Matthews, Mortensen, Ball, Armfield, Pickering and Green and you know that Hutchison was in good company. That period after the war until 1970 Blackpool had some great players and times when we were a lower league club. My dad said that when Matthews was playing it was the event of the year to play Blackpool anywhere.
I am sure those of us that saw Hutch in Tangerine or Sky Blue will give him the welcome he deserves and I hope he goes back up to Scotland knowing that he has not been forgotten.
My first season lasted only one match: a 1-0 defeat to Sheff Utd. We were relegated that season (1966/67) after being in the top flight for 30 years (less the 7 seasons of WW2). Of course, it was also the season that Coventry were promoted to the top flight for the first time.
 
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Alex1987

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Jan 14, 2014
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That is actually the book wot I wrote (to quote Morecambe and Wise).

The book will sell for £25 from bookshops, Amazon etc. but Tommy and I will sell it cheaper than that and cheaper than the price quoted at Smiths, plus it will be a signed copy.

Tommy will be the guest at the Blackpool game at the end of October and will be in the lounges before the game and the casino afterwards.
We hope to do a book signing session in Waterstones and then the club shop on the morning of the game.

I hope to put details of how to order the book on here over the weekend.

Can I still pre-order one of these personalised?

Thanks
 

Johhny Blue

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Hutch was one of my favourites when I was a young lad going down to Bloomfield Rd. He actually started rather nervously but I recall the game in which he gained his confidence. It was a night match at home to Blackburn Rovers and Hutch was up against Keith Newton, the England right back. Hutch took him to the cleaners every time he received the ball.

He's in our Hall of Fame and every fan at Blackpool holds him in the highest regard.
An honourable mention to John Craven?
 
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Irish Sky Blue

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Do you know if he will be introduced to the crowd? If so please, please, everyone give him the reception he deserves. I know the majority won't ever have seen him play, but for the benefit of youngsters of today he was like O'Hare and Gyokeres rolled into one. I subsequently saw Wallace, Regis, Speedie, Ndlovu, Dublin, Keane etc but Hutch was the best.
I don’t know if that will happen. It would be nice if it did. I will certainly suggest it as deserves all of the accolades he gets. Certainly the best Sky Blue in my opinion.
 

Irish Sky Blue

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Hutch was one of my favourites when I was a young lad going down to Bloomfield Rd. He actually started rather nervously but I recall the game in which he gained his confidence. It was a night match at home to Blackburn Rovers and Hutch was up against Keith Newton, the England right back. Hutch took him to the cleaners every time he received the ball.

He's in our Hall of Fame and every fan at Blackpool holds him in the highest regard.
He mentions the game against Keith Newton in the book. He says that some days he just felt invincible, he knew he was going to have a great game and that nothing or no one would stop him. That day he ran Keith ragged. A scout from Everton (Tommy Casey, later Tommy’s coach at City) was watching Newton that day as a prospective new right back. Instead he went back to Everton manager Harry Catterick raving about Hutch. Unfortunately got Tommy but fortunately for us, Everton were only in the market for a right back not a left winger. Despite the mauling given to him that day by Hutch, Newton was the one who ended up on Merseyside.
 

Irish Sky Blue

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Loved John Craven. Another of my favourites.
Craven captained Blackpool to their success in winning the Anglo Italian Trophy against Bologna, a win they achieved against the odds. It was the fiftieth anniversary of that win last year but I think the event is being celebrated this year, possibly delayed because of COVID?
Sadly John passed away a few years ago. He was a good pal of Tommy’s and a wholehearted player. I enjoyed watching him play for us.
 
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Irish Sky Blue

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Just putting these details on here again before the weekend. The Q and A at the Jag Club has a few tickets left but is virtually a sell out.


Hutch and Barry Powell (a big pal from his Coventry days) will be taking part in a Q and A session at the Jag Club, 7.30 Oct 28. Tickets are £15 and can be bought from the Jag Club, Pops Barbers Shop Wallace Road Radford, or by calling Dave on
07595 249718. Books will be priced at £20

There will be a signing session at Waterstones in the precinct 9.15 to 10am on Saturday 29 Oct. (day of the Blackpool game). (Books will be £25 as they are from Waterstones).

The club shop at the CBS will be the venue for a signing session from 11am to 11.45, before the Blackpool game, Saturday Oct 29. Books will be £20.

Tommy will be in the corporate lounges before and after the game as a guest of the former player’s association and will again be available to sign books.

After the match he will be in the casino and again will be signing books priced £20.

On Monday 31 October Tommy will be playing walking football alongside the Sky Blues in the Community walking football group at the Sphinx Club. He will be signing books after the session from 11.45am.

If you can’t make any of the above but would like a signed copy of the book, please order one using the link below. All books that have been ordered will be sent out early next week as Tommy will be signing them over the weekend.Thanks to everyone who has bought a book so far.

Hutch' order form
 

slowpoke

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Blackpool was the home of Matthews, Mortensen, Ball, Armfield, Pickering and Green and you know that Hutchison was in good company. That period after the war until 1970 Blackpool had some great players and times when we were a lower league club. My dad said that when Matthews was playing it was the event of the year to play Blackpool anywhere.
I am sure those of us that saw Hutch in Tangerine or Sky Blue will give him the welcome he deserves and I hope he goes back up to Scotland knowing that he has not been forgotten.
I think games v Stanley Matthews clubs Stoke & Blackpool attracted a number of record crowds at the time, my dad went to Main Road before the war to watch City v Stoke and there was over 80000 there he must have been some player even in his 40/50s at Stoke there were massive gates wherever he went.

You mentioned Tony Green he was Tommys teammate and what a player he was his career cut short by injury, we were linked with him at the time.
 

Irish Sky Blue

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I think games v Stanley Matthews clubs Stoke & Blackpool attracted a number of record crowds at the time, my dad went to Main Road before the war to watch City v Stoke and there was over 80000 there he must have been some player even in his 40/50s at Stoke there were massive gates wherever he went.

You mentioned Tony Green he was Tommys teammate and what a player he was his career cut short by injury, we were linked with him at the time.
Tony Green, according to Hutch, was the best player he ever played with. Second only to George Best in the list of those he had played both alongside and against. (He was on the pitch with some world class players during the 70s).
 
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1966_and_all-that

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I think games v Stanley Matthews clubs Stoke & Blackpool attracted a number of record crowds at the time, my dad went to Main Road before the war to watch City v Stoke and there was over 80000 there he must have been some player even in his 40/50s at Stoke there were massive gates wherever he went.

You mentioned Tony Green he was Tommys teammate and what a player he was his career cut short by injury, we were linked with him at the time.
I think I'm right that for 10 years (late 40s to late 50s) Blackpool had the biggest away gates in the first division because of Matthews.
As for Tony Green - my favourite ever Blackpool player. He was like quicksilver. He was badly injured for most of our promotion season (1969/70) but when he played his return from Injury match for the reserves, some 10k turned up to watch.
 

Hertsccfc

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Will there be signed copies in the CBS shop tomorrow after the signing? I can't get there in time for the signing session.
 

Gleneagles65

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I think games v Stanley Matthews clubs Stoke & Blackpool attracted a number of record crowds at the time, my dad went to Main Road before the war to watch City v Stoke and there was over 80000 there he must have been some player even in his 40/50s at Stoke there were massive gates wherever he went.

You mentioned Tony Green he was Tommys teammate and what a player he was his career cut short by injury, we were linked with him at the time.
Over 84,000, was a cup match in 1934.
 

slowpoke

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Over 84,000, was a cup match in 1934.
Bloody Hell my old fella was only about 5’ 6” how he saw anything god knows, he went to the first Wembley final in 1923 too just a 12 year old, he was born Burnley way but I think a neighbour was a Bolton fan so probably be supported Bolton being from that neck of the woods. He had the unused ticket for years but lost it in his many moves dodging army call-up. Imagine what that would be worth now.
 
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slowpoke

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I think I'm right that for 10 years (late 40s to late 50s) Blackpool had the biggest away gates in the first division because of Matthews.
As for Tony Green - my favourite ever Blackpool player. He was like quicksilver. He was badly injured for most of our promotion season (1969/70) but when he played his return from Injury match for the reserves, some 10k turned up to watch.
I remember us playing Blackpool around 1969 time at home in the FA Cup we won 3-1 but struggled to do so. Did Hutchison and Green play in that game ?
 

1966_and_all-that

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I remember us playing Blackpool around 1969 time at home in the FA Cup we won 3-1 but struggled to do so. Did Hutchison and Green play in that game ?
I can't remember, although I would have been at the match. I think we were leading but you hit us with three quick goals towards the end of the match.
 

slowpoke

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I remember Blackpool being all over us but somehow we managed to win, if I remember correct Blackpool had a big following come down for the game, I’d say well over five thousand.
 

gruffskyblue

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It was a great honour to be asked to write a song for Tommy, to go alongside his autobiography. I’ve been crazy busy recently but managed to pen something yesterday. Kevin Shannon shared some great stories about him. It’s a shame, being in my mid-forties I never got to see him skipping down the wing. I did, however, see him at Micky Gynns testimonial. That was a treat!

Here is the song:

 
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1966_and_all-that

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Thank you to all of the City fans who sent in their memories of meeting Hutch. Unfortunately, I couldn’t put all of them in the book as there wasn’t room, however, a big thank you to every who contributed.
Those who appear in the book are; Dave Mander, Stephen Quinn, Greg Kenny, Roger Gurney, Ian Collins, Philip Gardner, Mark Ryder, David Ward, Bernard Bourke and Mark Eardley. Thank you to them in particular.

Obviously a big weekend for Tommy as he is down for the Blackpool game from Friday onwards. I will put the details on here again before the weekend as to where you can come and meet him and have a chat.

If you can’t make any of those events but want to get a signed copy use the link below.

Hutch' order form
We're you in Waterstones at lunchtime? I was in with wife and dog and had my photo taken with Hutch. I was in a heritage (1953) Blackpool shirt.
 
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