JH's views in 1966 (1 Viewer)

[Calista]

On the Brian Hill thread I posted a couple of scanned team line-ups from the 1960’s. I’ve just been reading JH’s page from one of them (attached). It’s an amazing insight into that period. Fascinating stuff about the effect of the 1966 World Cup which had taken place a few months before.

He’s trying to explain the disappointing crowd of 14,800 for the first-round League Cup game the week earlier, and how all clubs are “feeling the pinch”. It seems that winning the World Cup had a negative impact on league attendances, which is hard to imagine. Mind you, we’d just had 36,400 against Birmingham and the RESERVE matches were getting over 5,000 as you can see.

JH mentions the new “4-3-3 and similar systems” – it was the very beginning of the modern era I think. JH says we were still playing the “old fashioned 5-3-2” – I think that is stating it in reverse, with a five man forward line and the 2 being the full backs.

JH could never stop coming up with ideas – suggesting a facelift for the football league with “four up and four down not once a season, but twice”. Sorry Jim, you’ve lost me there - promotion and relegation twice a season?! What a guy.

Are you the handsome guy in the dinner jacket Rupert

 

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[vow]

Good stuff that.
The fella in the dinner jacket with a cigarette in his hand, very un-pc, I love it.

 

[wingy]

Yeh brilliant
I agree with vow about the un-pc!

 

[Oz Howie]

No the 5-3-2 formation was 5 defenders with an emphasis on overlapping fullbacks.

 

[rupert_bear]

The guy in the dinner jacket is certainly handsome enough to be me

 

[rupert_bear]

Remember that period well, we had finished third the season before just missing out on promotion and we hadn't started that well. The next league cup-tie we lost at home to Brighton who were a league lower, new signing Ian Gibson had a bust up with JH we were struggling it wasn't until the Cardiff home game things got going and we remained unbeaten in the league for the rest of the season.

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

No the 5-3-2 formation was 5 defenders with an emphasis on overlapping fullbacks.

You are kidding right? The old system was 2 FB's Right Half, Centre Half, Left Half...Outside Right, Inside Right, Centre Forward, Inside Left, Outside Left.

 

[Wheelfass]

You are kidding right? The old system was 2 FB's Right Half, Centre Half, Left Half...Outside Right, Inside Right, Centre Forward, Inside Left, Outside Left.

With Bob Wesson in goal or occasionally Bob Meason the reserve keeper to deputise for him.
Happy days.
ps; I've still got a big box full of those old programmes.

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

With Bob Wesson in goal or occasionally Bob Meason the reserve keeper to deputise for him.
Happy days.
ps; I've still got a big box full of those old programmes.

Without doubt in my mind, Bob was second only to Bill Glazier in goal for any Coventry team I've seen.

 

[rupert_bear]

It was Dave Meason, Hill bought him to replace fan favourite Arthur Lightening who he had flogged off to Middlesbrough. Meason got off to a poor start think we lost at home 4-3 to Southend on his debut with him at fault for a number of their goals and fans never took to him Wesson came in and did well but Hill signed Bill Glazier a bit later, a master stroke.

 

[Wheelfass]

It was Dave Meason, Hill bought him to replace fan favourite Arthur Lightening who he had flogged off to Middlesbrough. Meason got off to a poor start think we lost at home 4-3 to Southend on his debut with him at fault for a number of their goals and fans never took to him Wesson came in and did well but Hill signed Bill Glazier a bit later, a master stroke.

Yes R_B you are of course right and I stand corrected. For some strange reason I always recall my Dad saying that Dave Meason had massive hands......strange how some things stick in your mind.

 

[Wheelfass]

I recall the signing of Bill Glazier. I always thought it a bit ironic that he was signed from Crystal Palace who at that time had the nickname of the "Glaziers" (after the massive glass building that caught fire). I think we signed him for something like £35,000 which at that time was either a UK or even a world record fee for a goalie.

 

[colin101]

It was Dave Meason, Hill bought him to replace fan favourite Arthur Lightening who he had flogged off to Middlesbrough. Meason got off to a poor start think we lost at home 4-3 to Southend on his debut with him at fault for a number of their goals and fans never took to him Wesson came in and did well but Hill signed Bill Glazier a bit later, a master stroke.

Dave Meeson must have had issues with playing against Southend, remember watching on a Friday night at Highfield Road when he was in goal and we got spanked 5-2 by Southend

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

I recall the signing of Bill Glazier. I always thought it a bit ironic that he was signed from Crystal Palace who at that time had the nickname of the "Glaziers" (after the massive glass building that caught fire). I think we signed him for something like £35,000 which at that time was either a UK or even a world record fee for a goalie.

It was indeed a World Record Wheelfass.

 

[rupert_bear]

Dave Meeson must have had issues with playing against Southend, remember watching on a Friday night at Highfield Road when he was in goal and we got spanked 5-2 by Southend

Yes Southend were a bit of a bogey side in those days I think that 5-2 drubbing was when we were top of division 3 and flying and Southend more or less bottom from that match we went on a losing spree just about getting promotion by the skin of our teeth.

 

[colin101]

Yes Southend were a bit of a bogey side in those days I think that 5-2 drubbing was when we were top of division 3 and flying and Southend more or less bottom from that match we went on a losing spree just about getting promotion by the skin of our teeth.

And crowds of 25,000 plus at 7.30pm on Friday nights for every match. Days to dream of :arghh:, get the bus from Keresley End, walk up to Highfield Road and if really lucky find a piece of corrugated fencing to squeeze through to watch the match

 

[Wheelfass]

Yes Southend were a bit of a bogey side in those days I think that 5-2 drubbing was when we were top of division 3 and flying and Southend more or less bottom from that match we went on a losing spree just about getting promotion by the skin of our teeth.

Yes, a last game of the season 1-nil victory over Colchester that gave us the title of Champions.
I stood on a foot stool next to my Dad on the first row of the old Crows Nest. One of my Dads friends said that if we won the game and became Champions he would give me the newly made and painted Sky Blue rattle that he had made for the occasion. True to his word, after the final whistle was blown he handed me the rattle. I still have it to this very day.

 

[rupert_bear]

It was indeed a World Record Wheelfass.

It was and fans forget just after signing Glazier Hill paid £35000 for left back Allan Harris from Chelsea which was also massive fee. Good player Harris only stopped a couple of years and Hill flogged him back to Chelsea for £45k very astute in the transfer market was our James

 

[colin101]

Yes, a last game of the season 1-nil victory over Colchester that gave us the title of Champions.
I stood on a foot stool next to my Dad on the first row of the old Crows Nest. One of my Dads friends said that if we won the game and became Champions he would give me the newly made and painted Sky Blue rattle that he had made for the occasion. True to his word, after the final whistle was blown he handed me the rattle. I still have it to this very day.

And I had a kazoo to go with my rattle, could make an awful noise with these 2 mighty weapons

 

[Wheelfass]

Here it is.

 

[wingy]

The guy in the dinner jacket is certainly handsome enough to be me

Off topic
Confession never had a dinner jacket
Did have a velvet, no dickie bow though.
On topic.
League start date Aug 20 th, 8 games in the first 23 days.
Smaller squads, inferior fitness diet regimes.
How would they fair in todays div3?
If they were up to speed on all of that.
I did see them occasionally at that point, moreso a couple of years later but still very much junior.

 

[wingy]

It was and fans forget just after signing Glazier Hill paid £35000 for left back Allan Harris from Chelsea which was also massive fee. Good player Harris only stopped a couple of years and Hill flogged him back to Chelsea for £45k very astute in the transfer market was our James

Thanks to Derek Robbins also!

 

[Wheelfass]

And I had a kazoo to go with my rattle, could make an awful noise with these 2 mighty weapons

Many a true word etc etc.
In about 1996 I took the measurements of my old rattle and jigged up to make some replicas in my workshop. I approached the club and they invited me in for a meeting. They ordered 12 painted and 12 plain. On delivering the order the manager of the Sky Blue Shop told me that Bryan Richardson had, on seeing a sample and whirling around his head, said that it could be used as a dangerous weapon and that he wouldn't allow them into the ground. I took them away and sold most of them at my local.

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

View attachment 5876 Here it is.

I remember mine too. All painted Sky Blue with players names all over it.. Memories

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

Off topic
Confession never had a dinner jacket
Did have a velvet, no dickie bow though.
On topic.
League start date Aug 20 th, 8 games in the first 23 days.
Smaller squads, inferior fitness diet regimes.
How would they fair in todays div3?
If they were up to speed on all of that.
I did see them occasionally at that point, moreso a couple of years later but still very much junior.

I honestly believe that the team from the 60's-70's would smash the team of today.

 

[wingy]

Teas and pies in your seat from the vendors.

 

[Wheelfass]

This is one of the 1996 replicas.

 

[rupert_bear]

On topic.

How would they fair in todays div3?
If they were up to speed on all of that.[/QUOTE]
They would slaughter our present team and cakewalk this division imo Apart from anything else that team had skill lots of it, the pace and skill of Humphries and Rees alone would rip open up defences, remember both were regular internationals and add George Hudson into the mix bloody hell. I don't care what era pu talk about there's no substitute for pace and ability.

I dispair over present day managers I really do especially at city we have little pace, little width and wonder why we struggle to score

 

[Wheelfass]

Maybe the game has just got too technical for its own good. It was a lot simpler then and no feigning injuries, just a real game of football.

 

[rupert_bear]

I think where the game has changed is there is a lot more focus on possession number of times we see the ball passed around defence and midfield getting nowhere really, then more often than not the ball ends up back at the goalie who has to welly it hard and long and we lose the possession we have been trying to keep

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

Teas and pies in your seat from the vendors.

Remember the guy with a big Urn on his back with a pipe that filled your cup and the heat from the Urn kept your pies warm MMMMmmmm.

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

Maybe the game has just got to technical for its own good. It was a lot simpler then and no feigning injuries, just a real game of football.

Load of pansies nowadays, Curtis, Farmer, Sillett, would have ripped most of these lot apart...................... Legally!

 

[Old Warwickshire lad]

Sorry sky blue kid, you got me laughing my head off thinking of todays players being tackled by the likes of Curtis,Setters, Hill, Sillet, Bruck etc. I would pay anything to watch that.

 

[Wheelfass]

Sorry sky blue kid, you got me laughing my head off thinking of todays players being tackled by the likes of Curtis,Setters, Hill, Sillet, Bruck etc. I would pay anything to watch that.

"Dougan's a B####rd" used to spend most of the games v Wolves running away from Curtis

 

[lifeskyblue]

"Dougan's a B####rd" used to spend most of the games v Wolves running away from Curtis

To be fair...quite a lot of forwards disappeared into curtis' pocket


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