When refs always wore a black kit (how the game has changed)

[cheshiregreen]

A thread for the summer to look back at the changes in the game over the decades.

A few obvious ones to start:

- teams wore shirt numbers 1 to 11 every game. Subs were number 12.

- there were Cup replays

- teams almost totally consisted of British born players

- only a few supporters sat at games, vast majority stood

- TV didn't dictate kick off times

- The FA Cup Final was the last game of the domestic season.

 

[Flagman]

Goalkeepers played in GREEN shirts

 

[Barrie Davis]

Players smoking as they ran on to the pitch, no names on shirts, shinpads the size of dustbin lids, a bloke walking around the pitch selling hot tea to the crowd.

Trivia Point - Before the 1930s, players used to be identified by individual styling, such a bright red socks or a nifty patterned cap. There were a number of numbering experiments but these were not popular. Shirt numbers were first used in a Cup Final in 1933. The players were numbered from 1 to 22 - Everton had 1-11, Man City had 12-22. Dixie Dean got number 9 which, from then, was considered to be the number issued to the Centre Forward. The original numbering system was based on the 2-3-5 playing system and the variety of different systems in use saw the beginning of the end of the traditional system leading to squad numbers. I remember the confusion at Home Park in the mid-60s when Malcolm Allison was quite cavalier in his numbering stating that shirt numbers were, in his opinion, only a method of identifying players rather than their position.

 

[Sherford Green]

Players wore black boots and teams only wore their away kits if there was a colour clash.

 

[Barrie Davis]

Goalkeepers played in GREEN shirts

Unless they came to Home Park. I remember a match at HP against Ipswich in the late 1960s where the keeper played in a white shirt. I believe that he turned up with a green shirt and Argyle had changed, that season, to a green home kit from a white one the season before.

 

[Greendawe]

And broadly the same 11 appeared every week in the same set ups and positions and had to play the full 90 minutes. No rotation, resting, or substitutes!

 

[Steamer]

Come January when there was more mud on the pitch than grass.
When you could walk around the ground (cept for away end) and stand in the Lyndi for first half and the Mayflower for the second half.
When you could chase a Bristol Rover's fan down the road and no-one cared
When you peed into a green slimed wall called a toilet ..

They were the days ...

 

[cheshiregreen]

Half time scores were displayed on the fence in front of the terracing at Home Park.

Teams didn’t walk out onto the pitch together.

Fans wearing replica shirts didn't really happen until (not sure) late 70s was it?

 

[Gary S]

Half time scores were displayed on the fence in front of the terracing at Home Park.

Teams didn’t walk out onto the pitch together.

Fans wearing replica shirts didn't really happen until (not sure) late 70s was it?

Liked it that way ! Boo the away team and cheer the home team.

 

[Gary S]

All the games kicked off at the same time, except Torquay.

 

[Bernie Bernbaum]

Only live games on TV we're the FA Cup final and England v Scotland. And FA Cup semis were at neutral club grounds

 

[Welwyn Pilgrim]

Players didn’t wear tights and gloves

 

[Keith Hennessey]

Come January when there was more mud on the pitch than grass.
When you could walk around the ground (cept for away end) and stand in the Lyndi for first half and the Mayflower for the second half.
When you could chase a Bristol Rover's fan down the road and no-one cared
When you peed into a green slimed wall called a toilet ..

They were the days ...

I’m sure we were able to walk from the Demport to The Barn Park end in about the early 60s ??

 

[macleanie]

No such thing as money grabbing 3rd shirts, limited edition shirts, blackout shirts or variants of match fit/authentic vs fan jerseys (Nike/Adidas carp).

Just a simple...home, away and goalkeeper kit.

 

[memory man]

I’m sure we were able to walk from the Demport to The Barn Park end in about the early 60s ??

You are correct. We used to change to the end Argyle were attacking. You could transit through what is now the Lyndhurst but the other side was blocked off because it cost more to stand in what became the Mayflower Terrace.