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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 14, 2004 9:31:55 GMT
On 5Live they have just played the radio commentary of Easthams goal at wembley and they had a little chat saying good things about about Waddo.
Not always healthy to dwell on the past too much but its pleasing to have good things in our history.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 14, 2004 9:36:41 GMT
Something that always puzzled me was whether Waddo ever got offers to manage the big clubs of the day. We lost a few of our best players but, looking back, it seems amazing that we managed to hang on to him for 17 years.
Top Bloke - still can't work out why one of the stands isn't named after him or at least has his picture picked out in different coloured seats - a la Preston.
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 14, 2004 9:40:20 GMT
I seem to remember a story that after he left us Leeds wanted him but for some reason he never took the job.
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 14, 2004 9:47:22 GMT
I've rarely been so appalled as I was when I saw Waddo, clearly experiencing discomfort hobbling to a home game. Couldn't someone at the club have arranged a car for him?
Horrendous way to treat a hero.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 14, 2004 9:55:21 GMT
Its strange - you'd think with us being a poor club in a poor city, the boards over the years would have fostered a family atmosphere amongst players, fans and ex employees. For much of the past 50 years that hasn't been so. I do think things have changed somewhat for the better in recent years - possibly to do with Conroy and Banks having the positions they have. Certainly there seems to be a good number of ex-players still attending matches. As for ex-managers so many have left in difficult circumstances that it is understandable that they won't be welcomed back into the family with open arms. Quitters and Little walking out, GT being shown the door 4 days after promotion, Macari suing the club etc etc.  |
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 14, 2004 9:59:50 GMT
Yes. Mind you its not just Stoke. Liverpools treatment of Shankly was patchy to say the least.
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Post by Hooky on Feb 15, 2004 11:07:22 GMT
It was on the Adrian Chiles (sp) sports/news show on a saturday morning, which is always worth a listen to. every week he does a Top 10 sport subject , yesterday it was sporting swan songs, and No. 8 was Goerge Estham, I was lucky, I'd just switched it on when I heard it . I punched the air when we scored, being 28 I've never heard the commentry from it, and the interview with him was also interesting, adrian chiles was very complimentry about Tony Waddington. They have a listen again section online, where you can here interviews they have done. If a load email him he might put it up on the web. www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/presenters/chiles_biog.shtml |
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Post by Davef on Feb 15, 2004 13:25:14 GMT
Nothing wrong with remembering your history fondly in my book.
Beating Chelsea was the highpoint of our history and while there are people still alive who were part of that day then it should be remembered.
Do you think Manchester United fans will stop remembering winning the treble, will Liverpool fans stop remembering their four European Cup wins, or will Ipswich fans stop remembering the FA Cup and UEFA Cup wins and will Southampton fans stop remembering winning the Cup in 1976? Of course they won't.
The only people who seem to have a problem with this kind of thing are those whose clubs have won fuck all and are never likely to win fuck all.
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Post by jaykaye on Feb 15, 2004 13:42:50 GMT
Waddo is a legend and always will be to all true Stokies everywhere
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Post by manchestermalc on Feb 15, 2004 16:47:53 GMT
Something that always puzzled me was whether Waddo ever got offers to manage the big clubs of the day. John - We WERE one of the big clubs of the day, that's the tragedy of now regarding Crewe or the Vale as our rivals, rather than Man Yoo or Arsenal. I still remember that year when had 5 great games aganist Man U in three comptetitions, and the pain of the Arse knocking us out in two successive FA Cup semi-final replays. We'll never get back to that kind of parity, but nothinh wrong with remembering. Memories of Waddo - I sometimes stood in the Boothen paddock behind the bench. Waddo of course used to prefer to be up in the stand and have a phone line to the bench. I remember once when we were 0-3 down to Coventry, I think, at home. The phone was constantly ringing. Eventually, when it rang once too often, Frankie Mountford just picked it up and dropped it in his trainer's bucket of water. Classic. On another occasion it rang, and Mountford or whoever was seen to shout an instructioin to Harry Burrows. We didn't hear what it was, but the whole paddock heard Harry's reply - "What the f***ing hell does he think I'm trying to do" !! Great Days ! |
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Post by JR on Feb 15, 2004 17:02:14 GMT
On a similar vein Joe, every Sunday he used to drink in The Brunswick in crewe. My Dad used to go to the Irish club in town the same day, without fail you would be guaranteed to see him staggering home up Nantwich Rd, often sitting on a wall for a breather when we picked my Dad up.
Was a real shame to see him like that. Used to get in a terrible state. if I remember he lived on Manor Way in Crewe which was just near to us at the time.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 15, 2004 17:34:14 GMT
Malcolm, you forget I was around in those days as well! Perhaps I should not have used the words "big clubs" but the words "richer clubs" instead.
Even though for a few seasons in the late sixties and early seventies, we looked as likely to lift the top prizes as anyone - we never seemd to have the money to spend that the Arsenals, Evertons, Tottenhams and both Manchester clubs did. It was clubs with that sort of money to spend who I thought might have tried to prize Waddo away from Stoke. Not that they would have succeeded if they had tried but they never seemed to try despite the fact that he must have been ranked in the top six managers in the country for a good few years.
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Post by AlliG on Feb 15, 2004 21:51:06 GMT
;DBut in those days, the "rich" clubs rarely changed their managers, even Man City were fairly restrained!  Bill Shankly, Don Revie, Bill Nicholson, Ron Greenwood, Harry Catterick and Matt Busby, amongst others, were fixtures at their clubs for long periods of Waddos reign. Fortunately, by the time most of those jobs became available, Stoke were in their "Chelski" phase! ;D ;D |
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 15, 2004 22:02:34 GMT
True Alli, although I seem to recall Leeds getting trhough a few managers over those years - some things never change! ;D
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Post by AlliG on Feb 15, 2004 22:14:57 GMT
Agreed, but Leeds only started changing managers regularly from 1974 on and the way Cloughie was treated, the Leeds job probably looked as much a poison chalice as it currently does.
The amazing thing is that some managers achieve very little, get sacked and time after time walk into another job straight away, yet Waddo took 18 months to get fixed up at Crewe!
It was always a surprise that a decent 1st or 2nd Division club didn't make him manager after he had resigned in 1977.
Maybe he was disillusioned or didn't want to apply for jobs? At 52 he should still have had plenty to offer.
Maybe it is one of the things that have changed for the better nowadays, because a manager of that calibre and age would now be snapped up.
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 16, 2004 0:34:25 GMT
Maybe it is one of the things that have changed for the better nowadays, because a manager of that calibre and age would now be snapped up.
But one thing thats changed for the worst is that the same managers don't get time to do their job properly because of unrealistic demands/expectations of immediate success.
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 16, 2004 4:59:05 GMT
the way Cloughie was treated, the Leeds job probably looked as much a poison chalice as it currently does.
Clough was daft for taking the job in the first place though. He'd made a living by telling the media how Leeds were cheats and that they should be chucked out of the league. Revie had created a crucial feeling of family and unity at Elland Road and Leeds players were hardened professionals so they would never accept him. The perceived needle between Clough and their father figure Don Revie wouldn't have helped matters.
Clough talking the Leeds job is the equivalent of Hoddle taking the Soton job. Only much more so.
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Post by AlliG on Feb 16, 2004 8:30:20 GMT
Can't see anything wrong with Cloughies view of Don Revie's Leeds. ;D ;D
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 16, 2004 8:39:36 GMT
True Ali. I didn't always agree with Cloughie (who did) but his view of Leeds in those days was spot on. They turned some great players into thugs who thought they were licenced to kill like James Bond. Giles, for example - sublime player who, during his Leeds career, seemed to forget much of what made him great and resorted to thuggery and cheating.  I remember once hearing Revie comparing Leeds with their all white strip to Real Madrid. That was an insult to the Real Team of those days. Beating the likes of ManU and Arsenal in big games was always nice but, for me, nothing compared to putting one over on Leeds. ;D At this year's Preston game I met John Charles at a book signing in the footie museum. Now there was a great Leeds player of an earlier generation - hard but fair. He must have winced at some of the stuff that came along after he retired. |
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 16, 2004 9:54:24 GMT
Leeds actually had some fine players but the only thing they are remembered for is the nasty side they had. Serves them right too.
As well as Revie leaving, the bullying side of their game is one reason they fell from the top notch of football Sides saw the way they kick and snarl and were intimidated by them and made sure it wouldn't happen to them.
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Post by manchestermalc on Feb 16, 2004 22:44:14 GMT
John - I was browsing Alan A'Court's autobiography in a bookshop today in which there are a couple of Waddo stories. On the phone theme - A.A says that in one game Waddo rang the bench and insisted on speaking direct to George Eastham, who was playing and George had to trot off the pitch to take the call !
He also tells the story of an away game that was postponed because of the weather, the pools panel gave it as a Stoke win, and Waddo took the team out for a drink to celebrate the first away win for months !
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 16, 2004 23:03:49 GMT
I like the second story. That rings true - he liked any exuse for a drink! ;D
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 17, 2004 0:22:52 GMT
Ha ha!! ;D Thats quite Cloughieish!
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