Brian London's 007 Club, Greaves, Moore and the 'Blackpool Incident' ...

Vince McLean

Vince McLean

Well-known member
Guess many on here will know about this, and if this is news to you - then it's a great read. Was anybody on the Forum at that game? Packed with all the ingredients of 1960s hedonism and football characters before lifestyle management kicked in. Pity about Greavsie - but he bounced back. Tony Green led pool's victory. But we finished bottom that year. Love to hear any comments and other stories from that era.
Every time I went to the 007 Club, Brian was on the door and used the same friendly menacing greeting .... 'Evening Lads'.

www.byfarthegreatestteam.com

When Bobby got Hammered in Blackpool

It is hard to credit now but in the 1960’s and the early 1970’s Blackpool was almost the British equivalent of Las Vegas with its swinging nightlife and range of exotic attractions that catered for almost every need. Most football teams, from London and the South, enjoyed playing against...
www.byfarthegreatestteam.com www.byfarthegreatestteam.com
 
Vince McLean said:
Guess many on here will know about this, and if this is news to you - then it's a great read. Was anybody on the Forum at that game? Packed with all the ingredients of 1960s hedonism and football characters before lifestyle management kicked in. Pity about Greavsie - but he bounced back. Tony Green led pool's victory. But we finished bottom that year. Love to hear any comments and other stories from that era.
Every time I went to the 007 Club, Brian was on the door and used the same friendly menacing greeting .... 'Evening Lads'.

www.byfarthegreatestteam.com

When Bobby got Hammered in Blackpool

It is hard to credit now but in the 1960’s and the early 1970’s Blackpool was almost the British equivalent of Las Vegas with its swinging nightlife and range of exotic attractions that catered for almost every need. Most football teams, from London and the South, enjoyed playing against...
www.byfarthegreatestteam.com www.byfarthegreatestteam.com
Click to expand...
I went to the game. It was freezing cold.
 
Vince McLean said:
Guess many on here will know about this, and if this is news to you - then it's a great read. Was anybody on the Forum at that game? Packed with all the ingredients of 1960s hedonism and football characters before lifestyle management kicked in. Pity about Greavsie - but he bounced back. Tony Green led pool's victory. But we finished bottom that year. Love to hear any comments and other stories from that era.
Every time I went to the 007 Club, Brian was on the door and used the same friendly menacing greeting .... 'Evening Lads'.

www.byfarthegreatestteam.com

When Bobby got Hammered in Blackpool

It is hard to credit now but in the 1960’s and the early 1970’s Blackpool was almost the British equivalent of Las Vegas with its swinging nightlife and range of exotic attractions that catered for almost every need. Most football teams, from London and the South, enjoyed playing against...
www.byfarthegreatestteam.com www.byfarthegreatestteam.com
Click to expand...
I bet there was never any trouble when Brian was present - he was loveable but very scary guy & tough as old boots!
 
Was on the Kop for that ,Great game,for us anyway.
I used to frequent the 007 in the 60s/70s.With a group of lads
watched a Heavyweight title fight in Brian's back room.
Brian was asked about his fight with Clay/Ali,he said he thought
he might be able to catch him with a good punch.He said that. after the first
round ' I knew I had no ** chance' Lovely man.
 
Went to the game but missed the night do unfortunately.
One of Tony Green's best games for 'Pool.
 
Vince McLean said:
Guess many on here will know about this, and if this is news to you - then it's a great read. Was anybody on the Forum at that game? Packed with all the ingredients of 1960s hedonism and football characters before lifestyle management kicked in. Pity about Greavsie - but he bounced back. Tony Green led pool's victory. But we finished bottom that year. Love to hear any comments and other stories from that era.
Every time I went to the 007 Club, Brian was on the door and used the same friendly menacing greeting .... 'Evening Lads'.

www.byfarthegreatestteam.com

When Bobby got Hammered in Blackpool

It is hard to credit now but in the 1960’s and the early 1970’s Blackpool was almost the British equivalent of Las Vegas with its swinging nightlife and range of exotic attractions that catered for almost every need. Most football teams, from London and the South, enjoyed playing against...
www.byfarthegreatestteam.com www.byfarthegreatestteam.com
Click to expand...
Yes, I was at that game.
 
I'm sure this was on the front page of the Daily Mirror monday morning with Moore and Greaves pictured drinks in hand with female companions. A cold and foggy day but certainley lit it up by Tony Green . I went to the next round game at Hull via a cricket club special train, the old Hull ground had its own station behind the stand we sat in which made is easy to get back to the mainline station where the locals were waiting to greet us
 
I was there , there is a very good programme called “Greavesy” on ITV hub , which covers this story & match . Tony Green was unplayable 🍊
 
Went to Hull on same train run by South Shore cricket club ,as you say Boothferry park had its own railway station ,cant remember the score though .
 
Vince McLean said:
Guess many on here will know about this, and if this is news to you - then it's a great read. Was anybody on the Forum at that game? Packed with all the ingredients of 1960s hedonism and football characters before lifestyle management kicked in. Pity about Greavsie - but he bounced back. Tony Green led pool's victory. But we finished bottom that year. Love to hear any comments and other stories from that era.
Every time I went to the 007 Club, Brian was on the door and used the same friendly menacing greeting .... 'Evening Lads'.

www.byfarthegreatestteam.com

When Bobby got Hammered in Blackpool

It is hard to credit now but in the 1960’s and the early 1970’s Blackpool was almost the British equivalent of Las Vegas with its swinging nightlife and range of exotic attractions that catered for almost every need. Most football teams, from London and the South, enjoyed playing against...
www.byfarthegreatestteam.com www.byfarthegreatestteam.com
Click to expand...
Sat next to his daughter in registration for a year at Monty. Always looked menacing, was probably cock of the year 😬
 
I’ve been a Pool fan for more than 65 years and was at that game. I temember it was cold and icy and can vividly recall Tony making Bobby Moore look like he was frozen to the pitch! Certain games bring back great memories and this was definitely one of them.
I used to frequent Brian’s 007 when it was on Tower Street and to gain entrance you had to climb a steep staircase. Brian would be stood at the top. I remember one time on a stag do, he wasn’t for letting us in and I got into an argument with him and offered him out! I definitely had him worried though……………………he thought he’d killed me! 😅
 
Some great stuff here - presumably the 007 is no longer in existance. Didn't know it moved location - where was it originally and where did it move to?
 
It was originally on Tower Street, at the back of Bank Hey Street and moved to Topping Street.
 
I was at the game, sat on the wall behind the goal in the south. Remember Greavsie falling on his arse in the warm up as the pitch was slippy. He had a joke about it. My dad went to Hull on the special train. I was left at home ☹️
 
There was an ex-Pool player from that era who confessed it was a big mistake to come to the club due to the distractions.
Birds,Booze and betting shortened his career and marriage.
It was a headline news story in one of the Sunday tabloids.
 
I was a brewery rep who supplied beer to the 007. Used to meet Brian regularly, always found him humble and genuine.
 
I was working and living in Liverpool at the time and my old dad phoned the night before to say he thought the match would be off due to the icy conditions, but as I was coming over anyway because it was mum's birthday I drove to Blackpool and went to the game.
As for Hull well my memories of the so called "statiion" is somewhat vague as I recall it only being a wooden platform of sorts, a bit grim to say the least.
 
I was in the 007 on that Friday night and saw West Ham’s Jimmy Greaves & Bobby Moore in the VIP area with ClydeBest and Brian Dear I seem to remember. When I left the 007 about 1am it was freezing cold, took me 10 minutes to scrape the ice off the windows of my car. It had been sub zero both day and night all week and I was 100% sure the FA Cup game against West Ham the next day would be off especially as there was no under soil heating at BR. Couldn’t believe it when the game was played, I was on the Kop, Tony Green was irrepressible that day, defenders found it impossible to turn and kept slipping and falling over. I also went to the 4th round game at Hull on the South Shore cricket club football special train when Blackpool lost 2-0.
 
Remember as lads playing on the park when we used to be one team v another (as you did in those days ... jumpers for goal posts) and Clyde Best was a popular pick if you were West Ham. Poor guy must've had some horrific abuse as one of the early black players. He was a big unit, and a very good player - think he went on to coach the Bermuda national team.
 
Brian London was usually on the door when I went to the 007 from when it first opened. Glasgow fortnight was always a challenge. As a member I didn’t have to queue and could walk straight in but there were always groups of lads challenging London to a fight when he refused them entry. Brian London often took up the challenge and would deck as many 6 of them with a single punch, it was great entertainment. Brian London was also the bouncer and in charge of security, if anything was going on, the DJ would turn down the music and put on the lights and next you heard was the “ thump, thump “ of Brian’s feet running up the stairs. The DJ would point out the troublemakers, Brian made a beeline for them, there was no niceties or conversation, he would grab them two at a time around their necks, lift them off the ground and then throw them down the stairs and then he would run down the stairs after them to see if they wanted more, very few did. Never saw any police at the 007 Club. Brian took it as personal insult if people misbehaved in his Club, I always felt very safe in there,
 
I was one of the young kids who ran on to the pitch at the final whistle to pat TG on the back and say “well done”. He was exhausted, I recall.
 
I seem to remember West Ham fans coming onto the Kop 10mins into the game. The special train they were on was late getting here.
 
I too was at that game pity we couldn't keep it going after that game, but that was part of the problem with that team maybe they weren't professional enough looking back ,had some great players but couldn't get any momentum or consistency.
 
I was at the Wet Spam game and it was indeed Tony Green at his finest.
I was also a patron of the 007 Club.
 
I remember being in the South stand with my dad as I was 11 & the whisper was going around that the West Ham players had been on a late night out, I probably had the implications of this explained by my dad. I also remember Tony Green with his socks down waltzing towards the Kop end & it was a bit murky.
 
The original 007 club now under the foundations of the Hounds Hill centre we used to park off victoria street and squeeze through a broken fence to access tower street. I first went in 1973 25p on the door signed in by a member the ground floor was the cabaret for the oldies up stairs to the burger bar and the disco room very hot and sweaty god knows how it passed the fire regs
 
Sooty59 said:
I remember being in the South stand with my dad as I was 11 & the whisper was going around that the West Ham players had been on a late night out, I probably had the implications of this explained by my dad. I also remember Tony Green with his socks down waltzing towards the Kop end & it was a bit murky.
Click to expand...
Yes, I was on the South too. There was a freezing mist on the ground and when Tony Green shimmied through the West Ham defence to score his first I could barely make him out.
 
Once saw Jimmy Greaves at a Sportsmans Dinner at the Winter Gardens. On the 007 incident he said they were under the impression that the game would be off due to frost. He said it was unfair he got blame for instigating it and blamed it on Clyde Best. I too went on the special from South Shore Cricket Club against Hull. We were poor that day.
 
Greavsie was by his own admission addicted to alcohol from the 1960’s till he turned it all around in later life and became teetotal. The urge for a drink was probably too hard for him to resist even though it was the night before a game.Clyde Best said later he was on orange juice that night but it was still unprofessional for the players involved to break the curfew.
 
I was there, singing with the kop choir. Seem to remember the fog and it being difficult to see the south goal at times. Was also there for the spectacular loss against Chelsea as I never missed a home match. Happy days.
 
Thornton_Pool said:
The original 007 club now under the foundations of the Hounds Hill centre we used to park off victoria street and squeeze through a broken fence to access tower street. I first went in 1973 25p on the door signed in by a member the ground floor was the cabaret for the oldies up stairs to the burger bar and the disco room very hot and sweaty god knows how it passed the fire regs
Click to expand...
The original 007 was on Water Street , we always ended up there on a Friday night with the lads , after visiting quite a few pubs!!
 
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