When footballers were men

[blade1889]

Despite them being way before my time it always amuses me to read what old players used to get up to.

This article describes our team of 'lunatics and headbangers' who knocked Man Utd out of the FA Cup nearly 23 years ago. A team who had a full-on brawl and dared each other to eat as many profiteroles as possible the morning before a game.

One of my favourite stories, also from the Dave Bassett era was with Vinnie Jones. After a bad loosing streak Bassett had given the team (may have been at Wimbledon) a motivation talk, at the end he finished with 'we need to rise from the ashes...', Jones shouted '...like a falcon' giving a fist pump at the same time. Everyone looked confused, pointed out to Jones he meant 'phoenix'. To which he replied completely seriously and dryly 'well I knew it began with an F'.

Any similar stories?

 

[Zeus]

Real footballers neck pints and eat greasy chip butties. We don't mess about passing it around in our own half, get it f**king out to t'big lad up top and get them big tackles in, that's what we like at t'Lane!

 

[blade1889]

You've not watched us recently have you?

 

[KevinMcallister]

 

[Christian Slater]

 

[Jockney]

I do like the revisionism about 70s football culture that paints it like Hemingway adapting Beowulf. It was an era of flares, David Cassidy and Space Hoppers. The sort of opportunism and bravado that characterised that era are not exactly the best examples of earthy working-class masculine values...

 

[Westbars_Spireite]

More players should smoke fags at half time.

 

[blade1889]

I do like the revisionism about 70s football culture that paints it like Hemingway adapting Beowulf. It was an era of flares, David Cassidy and Space Hoppers. The sort of opportunism and bravado that characterised that era are not exactly the best examples of earthy working-class masculine values...

It may not be a great place to go back too, can still enjoy the stories and laugh about the harmless antics of the footballers (obviously excluding the fan hooliganism). And tbh I'd rather that than some of the shitty diving and injury feigning sides do now which spoils the sport to me.

 

[Indian Dan]

More players should smoke fags at half time.

We had one in our real good side of 69/70, Arthur Horsfield, who came out before kick off smoking a fag - although some reckon it was an inhaler.

Capstan Full Strength I reckon

 

[Bartonyellow]

All I can say is read the book about robin Friday. The best player never to play in the top flight. Was an old fashioned, screw loose, get drunk and sleep with lots of women kind of forward

 

[markpvfc]

One of our former players from the 90's Peter Swan, wrote a book about his time as a player which was a good read. Including how they'd all gone out on the piss the night before our Autoglass trophy final against Stockport.

 

[KeithH]

Saw our manager drag jimmy Mac out of Crews social club bar with a pint in both hands half an hour before kickoff!!

 

[Aber gas]

All I can say is read the book about robin Friday. The best player never to play in the top flight. Was an old fashioned, screw loose, get drunk and sleep with lots of women kind of forward

Super furry animals wrote a song about him

 

[Camborne Gills]

Of course there is the Harry Enfield sketch with 1930s Arsenal playing 1990s Liverpool

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

Not many on here will remember or have even heard of these two players, Phil Annable and David Vaughan who played at the back for us in our non-league days. Both hard as nails and uncompromising. In over 50 years of watching football David Vaughan is the hardest footballer I have ever seen, he came to us from Mossley with the nickname of "the assassin". He became club captain and definitely led by example.

 

[Andrewboom]

Not that long ago 99/00
We had a hard as nails midfielder caller Mark Saunders. He was out of non league so had a few bad habits like smoking.

Guy Butter his team mate tells this story:
We once had a game at Brentford, and the pitch wasn’t the best. Saundo (Mark Saunders) always enjoyed a crafty fag, so he lit up then stubbed it out on the centre spot. He later scored, ran back to the half way line, picked up his cigarette butt and played the next five minutes with it hanging out of his mouth.

Mark later broke his leg in a game against PNE which basically finished his career. Still found time to stick his middle finger up a the Rainham end as he was stretched off.

 

[Stagat]

One of my favourite stories, also from the Dave Bassett era was with Vinnie Jones. After a bad loosing streak Bassett had given the team (may have been at Wimbledon) a motivation talk, at the end he finished with 'we need to rise from the ashes...', Jones shouted '...like a falcon' giving a fist pump at the same time. Everyone looked confused, pointed out to Jones he meant 'phoenix'. To which he replied completely seriously and dryly 'well I knew it began with an F'.

Any similar stories?

Is this one similar enough mate?

 

[blade1889]

Dave Bassett definitely said it was Vinnie Jones and he was managing him at the time....someones been nicking jokes!