I’ve just been reading a book by former Leeds Utd striker Ian Baird, who in the mid to late 80s was my footballing hero – along with his teammate, John Sheridan.
He didn’t hit the heights of the top league for any great length of time, and never with Leeds, so he isn’t exactly a household name.
The book is called ‘Bairdy’s Gonna Get You’, which I remember was the title of a chant the Leeds fans used to sing in his honour. He was a no nonsense kind of player, but scored loads, and I mean loads, of goals.
I liked him as you always got the sense that he was playing the game like it was his last – he’d literally run himself in to the ground every match. His energy levels, particularly for that era of the game when it was still a few pints, fish ‘n chips after the match (and I’m talking the players, not fans), was fairly remarkable.
Aside from the obvious, George Best, Kenny Dalglish etc, who was your inconspicuous footballing hero?
I apologise for not answering your question directly, but I would like to say (and, as an English Everton fan it really hurts to say this), that the greatest footballer I have ever seen in the flesh was Kenny Dalglish.
Unsung footballer? Not sure if you could really call him an unsung hero, but I have always thought that Eddie Gray was a fabulous footballer.
Agree on Dalglish. Remember as a kid seeing him play for Leeds one crazy night in 1988 for John Charles’ testimonial and remember thinking how lucky I’d been to witness him play in the flesh. Michel Platini also played for Leeds that night, as Juventus’ gesture to Charles.
Same here. (English Everton fan & Dalglish). I’ve seen Best, Charlton, Law, Ronaldo, Rooney, Worthington, Bowles, Bell, Gray, Kendall, Labone, Beckenbauer, Moore. Never seen Cruyff, Maradonna, Pele, Eusabio, Messi mind.
I loved watching Duncan McKenzie most of all and he’s not sung about often, even if he was a fanny footballer.
You could also nominate almost anyone from Cloughie’s teams. They were superb with hardly a stand-out player.
Yes, as Harry Pearson once wrote, “John McGovern ended up with more medals than an octogenarian Soviet general”
We all agree Duncan McKenzie is MAGIC
Gordon Wallace, In 1967 (or whatever)….. he scored a zillion goals for Raith Rovers in 32 or so games and single handedly kept the Rovers in the Scottish First Division. He got the Scottish Player Of The Year award that year, and he is still the only guy to win that award and never got an international cap. There we go.
Mickey Stockwell! Possibly not blessed with Messi like skills and ability but what a player!
If you’re from Suffolk you’d understand.
Played every position in the team, including goalkeeper.
Legend.
Didn’t David Webb of Chelsea play at least one game in every position including goalkeeper?
The legend of Robin Friday was often spoke of in hushed tones at Reading FC, particularly his goal against Tranmere which referee Clive Thomas declared as “the best goal I’ve ever seen”.
Tales of sitting in the pub in full kit 5 minutes before kick-off, travelling by train to and from his home in Hayes and never buying a ticket, his transfer to Cardiff for a laughably low price, flicking the V at Lutons goalkeeper on his debut, ending up on the cover a Super Furry Animals single, to his untimely death at the age of 38.
The subject of the book “The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw” (co-authored by Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan).
The book is definitely worth a read – I have a fear that the imminent film may not be as good.
I never saw Robin Friday play, but a latter day folk hero (if not quite as flamboyant) was Trevor Senior – scored a hat-full of goals in the lower leagues, helped enormously by Manager Ian Branfoot’s game plan of “kick it to Trev whenever you have the ball”.
After 123 goals in 4 seasons, he transferred to Watford. Unlike Reading previous high scoring Number 9 (Kerry Dixon), Senior never truly cut it at a higher level, and after another transfer to Middlesbrough, he was back at Elm Park within 18 months.
He stayed for another 4 years , leaving at the end of the 1992, ending his last game for the club as a stand-in Goalkeeper.
Very good Guardian podcast on Robin Friday if you can seek it out. Haunting story. Impossibly 70s. Like the Panorama documentary about Milwall’s hooligan fringe. Or Bronco Bullfrog. Or Handbags And Gladrags.
One of the best I’ve ever seen was Ecuador striker Alex Aguinaga. A big name in South America, and in Mexico where he played club football for most of his career, but probably not well known in Europe, unfortunately.
Ecuador didn’t qualify for the World Cup until Aguinaga was mostly past his prime, unfortunately. But if you followed Copa América in the 90s you would have seen him play sensational football.
To me he looked like Fred Astaire if Fred Astaire could play football. Quick, intelligent, moving beautifully with or without the ball.
It’s a shame that Ecuador didn’t make it to the World Cup when Aguinaga was at his best.
Steve Perryman.
Or John Pratt. Or Graham Roberts. Or Terry Naylor.
Actually, I’ve just blogged about mine. And we’re spookily linked too…. Kind of.
http://todayoutof10.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/43-tooth-fairy.html
Ray Parlour. Played the game with a smile on his face, made the absolute most of his talents and busted a gut every time. Absolutely loved him, and from what I’ve heard through friends he’s a top man in person as well.
More recently, Carl Jenkinson. Signed from Charlton for a song, played a fair few games at right back for us, now doing well on loan at West Ham. Comes from a big Gooner family, wears his heart on his sleeve and celebrated his first goal (and so far only) goal for the club pretty much the way I would have done in his shoes.
Sadly, Carl’s granddad, a season ticket holder of many years standing, passed before he made his debut. There’s a stone outside the Emirates Stadium bearing the legend “Granddad, Hope You’re Proud. Carl Jenkinson”.
You can see it here: https://chapmansgoal.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/dreams-becoming-reality-corporal-jenkinsons-rapid-rise/
Wasn’t it Parlour who, upon being placed in the mentalist’s chair, asked Eileen Drewery for a “short back and sides”? That gets him extra points from me…
Look-a-like Klaxon
Tommy Tynan. A lower division goal factory who was a hero at Home Park in the eighties.
Ernie Winchester.
All together now (sung to The Guinness Theme) –
“After work we all agree, Ernie should have scored three”.
Never a more wholehearted player, ever. Pretty useless but he belonged to us. Back in those days all we asked from our centre-forward was effort.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-ernie-winchester-footballer-with-aberdeen-hearts-and-arbroath-1-2926195
Alan Devonshire, who played for West Ham late in the seventies. My old man, emboldened by a few restorative Sunday lunchtime gin and tonics, would sit down in front of the Big Match and delight in the vision and intelligence on display. Small impressionable son was quick to agree.
Devonshire should have had a lot more England caps. He should have the 8 that he got, and all 17 that Graham Rix got as well.
Alan Devonshire would’ve certainly won more caps were it not for long term injuries, and the amount of competition for a midfield spot (Brooking, McDermoot, Hoddle, Robson, Wilkins, Sammy Lee).
Gordon Cowans was another fine player who could well have had more caps with less competition around,
Good lord, Bairdy… Remember him with great fondness, singing that very chant bouncing up and down on the Kop. He loved playing for Leeds, scored the first goal in our 6th round win against QPR and we could do with someone like him today. Not the best, but played with his heart.
If I had to choose another, although inconspicuous is not the right way to describe him, it would be Paul Madeley. He had an extraordinary playing career, always played in whatever position he was asked to play in and had an amazingly consistent level of performance. He was never a show off player, but my, what elegance, poise and hardness he had. If he was playing now, he would be celebrated, but he was always happy to take a backseat role, happy to play for his hometown club. He is a bit of a hero of mine, though sadly he is suffering from the effects of serious heart problems and Parkinsons. I met him at a function about 7 years ago, went up to him and he had little to say being supported by Norman Hunter. It was a great sadness such a great player looking so reduced, physically and mentally.
This is a bit jumpers for goalposts, but I had three when I used to watch Southend United as a kid.
Roy Hollis was a big gangly centre forward who averaged a goal every two games throughout his career. He’s still Southend’s highest goal scorer, but the crowd used to take the piss out of him, because he looked like he was going to fall over at any moment, and a lot of his goals seemed to happen by accident.
Sammy McCrory was an inside forward who was awarded just the one cap for Northern Ireland. This automatically gained him hero status.
Errol Crossan was a speedy right-winger who was very good at crossan’, geddit? He was Canadian, therefore exotic, and had played for Man City, therefore equally exotic. Most Southend players seemed to arrive via Colchester or Gillingham.
Gary Bannister. QPR legend
Signed to replace the ‘unreplaceable’ Clive Allen in the summer of 1984.
Whilst nowhere near as technically good as Allen, he scored a shedload of goals in a QPR side that was a fixture in the top half of the top flight, had a brilliant partnership with the mercurial John Byrne AND scored not one, but two hat tricks against the villainous Chelsea.
Also had one leg an inch and a half longer than the other and played in special boots!
I was taken to the Rs by relatives as a nipper specifically to watch Bannister play. Think it was the Chelsea heroics that sealed the deal for them.
In later years, my unsung QPR hero was Richard Langley. Classy, classy player, always seemed to have forever on the ball. Probably didn’t end up with the career he might have had, for one reason or another, but I’ll always have a soft spot for Langers.
Alan Pouton, York City’s Newcatle born midfielder from the late 1990s.
He only spent about three years at the club. He had a tendency to go for mazy dribbling runs though several defenders once or twice a game, only to usually blast the shot wide. But when he was on target…
Anyway, after a final season in which he only scored the once he ended up moving to Grimsby and then Gillingham, before retiring at a young age due to injury. I’ve no idea what he’s up to now.
Neil Redfearn.
Barnsley have had technically more gifted players in the past 38 years that I have been watching them, but nobody as inspirational and he’d certainly be the first player I would go and fetch in my time machine to get us out of the mess we’re currently in. Heck, he’s 50 now, but I bet he could still do a better job than most of the chumps that are currently helping us break longstanding club records for consecutive defeats. Our last 8 league games reads like the start of a Welsh village – LLLLLLLL.
Either Redfearn or the Godlike genius that is Ronnie Glavin, now in his 60’s, recently had heart surgery, he’d still run rings round the shower of shite we’re watching at the moment.
Micky Barrett. 18 Goals in 129 appearances as a gifted left winger for Bristol Rovers. Had cancer not claimed him at 24 he would have gone on to much greater things.
Also David Williams (Bristol Rovers and Norwich). On his day as good a passer of the ball as Glen Hoddle.
David Williams was a magnificent player for Norwich, and a coach/assistant manager of Dave Stringer’s superb “carpet football” side of the late 80’s and early 90’s. He didn’t play 2nd tier football until he came to Norwich at the age of 30 but he went on to be utterly superb in the old first division when City were promoted at the end of his first season, and then went on to play for Wales. I think he’d been a maths teacher in his 20’s ! I reckon he’s got a really interesting autobiography in him…
Gordon Hill. Millwall to Man Utd and England but was never quite Steve Coppell. In fact any 70’s “winger” would count, left wing was 11, right wing was 7. It’s what todays game misses, a touchline hugging, dribbling, crossing, quick as fuck winger……..
Exactly. I’ll nominate QPR’s Dave Thomas. I think he picked up the odd cap, but far too few. ‘Touchline hugging, dribbling, crossing, etc as Dave says, but he did it with his socks rolled down. Around the same time I also rated Willie Carr – everyone of a certain age will remember this:
I havent seen that goal in years. fabulous & utterly unique.
Am I right in thinking that the FA introduced a rule change banning that type of free kick?
I believe so, Les.
There’s footage of Gordon Hill scoring a fantastic goal on (the wonderful) 101 Great Goals (which also has the brilliant Ernie Hunt goal @badartdog has posted). What’s more the whole thing is on youtube:
It’s from about 1976 so is probably 1/3 to 1/2 way through (they’re chronological).
Gordon Hill was Alex Higgins to Stevie Coppell’s Steve Davis.
Clive Walker – in his Woking years. The absolute class player in a very decent Woking side. His ability on the ball never in doubt and there where games where he would spend the last 5 minutes by the opposition corner flag daring the other team to try and get the ball off him. He also seemed to give a level of confidence to his team mates that sadly dissolved when he went to Cheltenham for a longer contract and a pay rise. Cheltenham promptly got promoted to whatever division 4 was called then.
Remember those repeats of ‘The Big Match’ on Sky from a few years ago.
Bizarrely, they only did two random seasons, 1978-79 and 1982-83.
The player who stood hand and shoulders above all the others was Dalglish.
It was almost as if he was playing a different sport.
Garth Crooks looked a great player too.
My own two favourites live were Dave Thomas at QPR and Laurie Cunningham at Orient.
Wow, never expected to see a blog started on here about Ian Baird!!
He joined Boro at a time when I was just starting to really get into watching them and as said above was a true heart on the sleeve typical British centre forward. Scored two for us in a famous final game 4-1 victory over Newcastle that kept us up and stopped Newcastle from getting promoted. He will always be fondly remembered for that in Boro.
However my own inconspicuous footballing hero was probably the player brought in to replace Baird, Paul Wilkinson. Very similar type of player and he struck up a great partnership with another former Leeds player John Hendrie (another Boro great). I would always be Wilko in the playground and in my naive hero worship would often question why he never got a call up for England!! I still remember to this day where I was when a friends Dad told me he was “a spud who couldn’t trap a bag of cement”. I felt crushed. In hindsight he was probably right but Wilkinson still did a great job for the Boro.
At the same time that I was running around the playground pretending to be Wilkinson one of my mates’ heroes was a bald 39 year old electrical engineer called Kevin Pearson who played up front for Great Ayton!! It’s fair to say Paul Wilkinson and Kevin Pearson formed a formidable forward line
Charlie Cooke never seemed to get the recognition he deserved …
Not the best I’ve seen but I loved watching Tony Sheridan at Shelbourne….
Laurie Cumningham.
I’ve been “lucky” enough to watch football since 1974. He was the most naturally gifted footballer I have had the pleasure to watch in the flesh. Unfortunately being black at the wrong time and playing for my unfashionable West Brom, I’d argue he didn’t get the England caps he deserved. A sublime footballer, a very nice guy, and taken from us at a tragically young age.
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, I can certainly recommend the documentary “The Laurie Cunningham Story”, which can be seen on YouTube.
Part 1 of 4 is here:
… and then it’s easy enough to search for the other three parts.
Good stuff. I like the bit where Peter Reid admires Cunningham’s taste in tailored suits.
Oh and ups for Gordon Hill also, great player and scored some spectacular goals. I love the Higgins & Davies comparison!
Mine is probably Luis Suarez, a Uruguayan lad we had at Liverpool a few years ago. He wasn’t the most gifted player in the world, but what he lacked in skill, he made up for with his sheer determination to play the game in the right way.
I always thought Gary Owen was under-rated, both at Man City and even more when he was at West Brom.
At Man City spoilt for choice. Kinky far too well-known and obvious, as was the Goat. Both cult heroes which is a bit different. I would have to go for the one and only Richard Dunne. Yes he’s the Prem record holder for both own goals and red cards, but he was a fantastic defender who always played his heart out and was just superb in the air. Garry Cook (pillock, now thankfully gone) was emblematic of the worst excesses of the early years of the current City regime by saying:
“China and India are gagging for football content to watch and we’re going to tell them that City is their content. We need a superstar to get through that door. Richard Dunne doesn’t roll off the tongue in Beijing.”
Yeah but Dunny (witness his warm reaction whenever playing for Villa v city recently) will always roll of the tongue in the actual crowd.