Tony Waiters RIP

We’ve had some players over the years it’s easy for their names to pass into the forgotten past. A super goalie. RIP.
 
Tony & Ray Charnley were also painters & decorators in the summer, like most players then, had to have summer jobs.
I played in mates back garden with them having a kick about during a break, decorating his house.
Notice sky sports news doesn't mention Blackpool (250 appearances) just says former Burnley (40 appearances) & England
RIP Tony, great keeper!
 
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As a boy watching BFC, Tony was my hero.I kept in touch with him, via email, arround his birthday just to let him know how Blackpool were doing.RIP Tony.
 
Pool had two great keepers at the same time in that era. Both were outstanding. The other was Gordon West, who went to Everton for mega-bucks, at the time. Both of them played for England.
 
One of the great Blackpool goalkeepers, who had the perfect physique for a goalkeeper. For a few years in the early 1960s Blackpool FC had both Tony Waiters and Gordon West both of whom played for England. Waiters was very unlucky not to make 1966 World Cup squad, he was in the squad of 40 but lost out to Ron Springett and Peter Bonetti who were selected as the back up goalkeepers to Gordon Banks. Waiters was a former lifeguard at Southport I think, he could have been on Baywatch.
 
RIP Tony. He was the first ‘goalie’ I saw in a Pool team, great keeper. If I remember correctly in a game at Fulham mid 60’s Tony walloped the ball out of his hands and the wind caught it and it ended up leaving the ground and landing in the River Thames! It was quite an amusing newsworthy story at the time. Bless him.
 
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First Blackpool keeper I ever saw. He only got 5 England caps as behind Gordon Banks in National pecking order.
RIP Tony
 
One of the caps he got was against Brazil in the Maracana. England lost 5-1, and he had no chance with any of them. He said later that every shot in goal that came in from Pele was spinning like a top.
 
I can't remember what year it was but I was taken to a pre-season friendly Blackpool A V Blackpool B, Waiters in one goal, West in the other, what riches we had.
 
Saw Tony play many times ,great keeper ,think he was also a lifeguard in summer ,cant remember if Gordon West played in goal before or after him ,R.I.P Tony.
 
It took me a very long time to get over Tony Waiters’ premature retirement at the end of the 1966/67 season immediately after Blackpool were relegated from the top Division. Waiters was only 30 when he retired and was very fit and still performing at the peak of his ability. If he had stayed at Blackpool he would have been a major asset in our attempt to get promotion back to Div 1.
 
They were both on the books at the same time but Gordon West left to join Everton in 1962 and Tony stayed at Blackpool until 1967.
I always thought of him as a big man but I was a young boy back then. I bet he's quite small by modern day standards.
He's the first keeper I really remember.
RIP Tony and thanks for the memories. 👍
 
Same as a few on here, the first keeper I ever saw when I first watched the Pool as a youngster.

The funny thing was because I had no one to compare him to, I just assumed all keepers were that good, Tony was just magnificent and a huge commanding presence in goal for the team, it was only later on that I realised not all goalies are that good and although I was young I can't ever recall us having a better once since.

RIP Tony, thanks for the memories.
 
The first goalie I saw too. We’ve had some great keepers over the years, but for me he was the best. Really sad news. RIP Tony.
 
Tony Waiters was definitely my favourite, he would always sign his autograph for you a genuinely nice guy.
RIP Tony a Blackpool legend.
 
The first goalie I saw was George Farm but Waiters and West followed,oh that we had such quality these days.

I recall that he fell out with the Blackpool board and went on strike near the end of his time here was that when Cartmell was chairman or did he make a mess of our club subsequently.

He did retire far too soon,30 no age for a goalie, and I think I recall him coaching in Canada after that for a while, maybe even their national team.

Great goalie(as we used to call them.) RIP Tony thanks for the precious memories.
 
With Tony and Gordon West, Pool were in very good hands in the early to mid sixties. When West departed for Everton TW made the position his very own. Was a character with presence and looked great on those old bubble gum footie cards at the time.

Had a good managerial career over in North America and was the Vancouver Whitecaps manager when they won their only ever NASL title. With Alan Ball and Roger Kenyon helping him do that. I think John Craven was at the Whitecaps too.

Will always be a legend at BFC
 
Sad news, my boyhood hero.
Great keeper, a gentle giant.
Many great memories, Liverpool away early sixties Tony saved a penalty (one of many over the years) and we went on to win.
Remember hearing England team announced on radio 63/64:
“Waiters Blackpool” “Armfield Blackpool” ............,a great era!
Tony went on to manage Vancouver Whitecaps and Canadian National Team, with great success.
RIP Tony, never to be forgotten.
 
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