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Charlton Emergency Keeper??

memory man

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History repeating itself. With Argyle chasing promotion and due at the Valley on 07 April 1962, the Valiants' first choice goalkeeper Willie Duff injures a knee. The reserve Frank Reed was already injured after on his way to training his motor bike collided with a car. In those days there was a transfer deadline which was normally the final Thursday in March. Thereafter, no player signed after that deadline could play in a game that affected relegation or promotion. This had both for Argyle were THIRD in Division 2 (behind Liverpool and Leyton Orient) and Charlton were third from bottom. Charlton were refused permission to sign a goalkeeper and had to decide between a 16 year old or an outfield player. With Argyle being the form team in the entire Division things could not have looked better! But this is Argyle I am talking about!!
 

Andy S

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memory man":1czv8xae said:
History repeating itself. With Argyle chasing promotion and due at the Valley on 07 April 1962, the Valiants' first choice goalkeeper Willie Duff injures a knee. The reserve Frank Reed was already injured after on his way to training his motor bike collided with a car. In those days there was a transfer deadline which was normally the final Thursday in March. Thereafter, no player signed after that deadline could play in a game that affected relegation or promotion. This had both for Argyle were THIRD in Division 2 (behind Liverpool and Leyton Orient) and Charlton were third from bottom. Charlton were refused permission to sign a goalkeeper and had to decide between a 16 year old or an outfield player. With Argyle being the form team in the entire Division things could not have looked better! But this is Argyle I am talking about!!

1962!

For me, that was the year that we definitely THREW the last 6 games of the season.

We were nailed on for promotion to the First Division with Liverpool and of our last 7 games of the season, 6 were against the bottom 6 teams in the league and a final game against Liverpool.

We started off by throwing the game against Charlton.

Then Bury and Brighton (bottom team).

Then was the farce that was Swansea! We drew 0 - 0 at home and then the following DAY, had to go to Swansea where we lost 5 - 0.

We missed out on promotion by 8 points (only 2 for a win in those days), those 5 games against the bottom teams, cost us 10 points!

I blame the Williams family who were the Boardroom hierarchy at that time.

It was always said that the team were told to throw the games because the Board "couldn't afford" to be promoted. No GBP100,000,000 for getting promoted in those days!

I could remember some of the above but thanks to http://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/gosdb-season.asp?years=1961-1962 for all the excellent detail.
 

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I am very close to all of the surviving players from that era and had a strong friendship with many of those who have now gone on to the great dressing room in the sky. I spoke to them all during the research for a book (that I will eventually publish!!) about that era. I established a trusting relationship with them all and we had an understanding that they could tell me things "off the record" that I would never publish. Like you Andy_S I had suspicions about that end of season collapse. After talking to the men involved I no longer have any doubts in their integrity. John Newman the captain was disappointed that I even asked. Jim McAnearney and Wilf Carter, 18 months and 250 miles apart, gave me exactly the same explanation. JIm McAnearney in particular was the sincerest of men. He was very open with me about all sorts of things, especially his time at Rotherham as manager. But he asked me to keep some of it between us and I have. But be assured, had the "didn't want promotion" theory been true then Jim would have told me. I have studied the home and away match reports for each of those last six games and for the Charlton one in particular Argyle were by far the best side according to every journalist at the game. The same at Brighton. I have studied at great length the end of season summaries from Pilgrim (Herald) and Spectator (Independent) and they formed a similar opinion to John Newman, Jim McAnearney, Wilf Carter, Dave Maclaren and Peter Anderson. Ellis Stuttard's explanation to the reporters is quite telling too. All will be explained in due course!! And for the record Stafford Williams did not join the Board until 1964. I think Brian joined a few years later. The Board at that time was RJR Blindell (Chairman), PW Skinnard, Col RV Hunt, Dr DA James and Jimmy Hall. Mr Skinnard, a solicitor, assured me that Ron Blindell and the Board were desperate for promotion and Blindell had offered Ellis Stuttard funds to improve the side before the March deadline. However, both men agreed that the way the side was playing there was no need!
 

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memory man":kmr05io4 said:
I am very close to all of the surviving players from that era and had a strong friendship with many of those who have now gone on to the great dressing room in the sky. I spoke to them all during the research for a book (that I will eventually publish!!) about that era. I established a trusting relationship with them all and we had an understanding that they could tell me things "off the record" that I would never publish. Like you Andy_S I had suspicions about that end of season collapse. After talking to the men involved I no longer have any doubts in their integrity. John Newman the captain was disappointed that I even asked. Jim McAnearney and Wilf Carter, 18 months and 250 miles apart, gave me exactly the same explanation. JIm McAnearney in particular was the sincerest of men. He was very open with me about all sorts of things, especially his time at Rotherham as manager. But he asked me to keep some of it between us and I have. But be assured, had the "didn't want promotion" theory been true then Jim would have told me. I have studied the home and away match reports for each of those last six games and for the Charlton one in particular Argyle were by far the best side according to every journalist at the game. The same at Brighton. I have studied at great length the end of season summaries from Pilgrim (Herald) and Spectator (Independent) and they formed a similar opinion to John Newman, Jim McAnearney, Wilf Carter, Dave Maclaren and Peter Anderson. Ellis Stuttard's explanation to the reporters is quite telling too. All will be explained in due course!! And for the record Stafford Williams did not join the Board until 1964. I think Brian joined a few years later. The Board at that time was RJR Blindell (Chairman), PW Skinnard, Col RV Hunt, Dr DA James and Jimmy Hall. Mr Skinnard, a solicitor, assured me that Ron Blindell and the Board were desperate for promotion and Blindell had offered Ellis Stuttard funds to improve the side before the March deadline. However, both men agreed that the way the side was playing there was no need!

My apologies to the Williams family in that case...I thought that they were earlier in the decade.

"All will be explained in due course"??? "Ellis Stuttards explanation is quite telling"???
When are you publishing the book? :)

Am I doubting the integrity of the players? Well something was seriously wrong in those games. Right through the season, these games would have been a breeze but for some reason, best known only to those on the pitch at that time, we blew it!

There was definitely something very much amiss with that run-in though and it really does stink to high heaven!
 

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Why would any board not want promotion? Virtually all income at that time was through the gate and Argyle would have held their own at that time and travelling in the First Division would have been hardly different than in the Second. Okay, the maximum wage had gone but not every player demanded Johnny Haynes’ wages.

Surely the old saying of “that’s football” is appropriate enough.
 
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If they take an emergency keeper what's the chances of Kelle Roos turning up between the sticks and pulling off a blinder?
 
Andy_S":29czk9tr said:
Am I doubting the integrity of the players? Well something was seriously wrong in those games. Right through the season, these games would have been a breeze but for some reason, best known only to those on the pitch at that time, we blew it!

There was definitely something very much amiss with that run-in though and it really does stink to high heaven!

Sounds similar to the first 4 months of this season!
 

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edengreen":20d0g6dc said:
Can't we lend them Te Leoke !!

Te Loeke is a good keeper - he had a terrible back problem, exacerbated by the 14 hour trip to Peterborough on the first day of the season, and he played through immense pain at Bristol City.

Sadly he probably won't be with us next season but he is a true professional and a decent guy.