Who was the manager when you went to your first match?

Just looking through my Maidstone Utd programmes from 1988-90 and could of sworn that was my first Blackpool game was in the 80’s as I supported both teams then. However it was King BILLY AYRE’s second week in charge when I saw my first game though in late 1990 and pleased now (not at the time though!) Maidstone folded in 1992 so I could become a true fan of the mighty!
 
I remember being taken on my dad's crossbar to Bloomfield Road (someone please explain that to the younger generations) sometime in the mid 50s so it must have been Joe Smith; though the first manager whose name I knew was Ron Suart. I have vague (and possibly false) memories that it could have been Portsmouth on Christmas Eve 1955, Blackpool were second in Division 1 going into that game with a game in hand. though the Busby Babes ran away with the title at the end of the season. I also remember innocently chanting "Kelly Missed a Penalty" on the way home, much to everyone's extreme annoyance no doubt. I may well have got the game wrong; if so I'm sure somebody somewhere knows all the penalties that one or other of the Kelly's missed! (ps 62,000 were at Old Trafford for the match against Blackpool that season compared with 22,000 for Utd v Chelsea - shows who the big hitters were in those days).
 
norfolkpool said:
I remember being taken on my dad's crossbar to Bloomfield Road (someone please explain that to the younger generations) sometime in the mid 50s so it must have been Joe Smith; though the first manager whose name I knew was Ron Suart. I have vague (and possibly false) memories that it could have been Portsmouth on Christmas Eve 1955, Blackpool were second in Division 1 going into that game with a game in hand. though the Busby Babes ran away with the title at the end of the season. I also remember innocently chanting "Kelly Missed a Penalty" on the way home, much to everyone's extreme annoyance no doubt. I may well have got the game wrong; if so I'm sure somebody somewhere knows all the penalties that one or other of the Kelly's missed! (ps 62,000 were at Old Trafford for the match against Blackpool that season compared with 22,000 for Utd v Chelsea - shows who the big hitters were in those days
Click to expand...
For the young’uns - a crossbar is the horizontal member of a goal. It was a post-war tradition for fathers to tie their sons to a cross bar for the journey to their inaugural football match. The father and another family member would carry the crossbar with the son suspended from it, bound by the wrists and ankles. Unfortunately, the practice died out with the transition from wooden to metal goals.
 
B_HenrySt said:
Ron Suart. There, I've shown my age.

The unusual situation in those days was that (pretty much) nobody ever got sacked. Growing up, I could name all the Lancashire teams managers for years; Andy Beattie - PKE. Harry Potts - Burnley, Jack Marshall - t'Rovers, Bill Ridding - Bolton to name but a few. Times have changed that's for sure.
Click to expand...
Ron Suart for me as well !
 
What this particular thread makes very clear is this.........

We've got some right old buggers who post on here ;)

You lot are always moaning you cant use computers and digital technology !! Bloody liars.
 
Steve MCmahon here, against Kidderminster harriers sat on the edge of the advertising barriers with all the kids in the scratching sheds
 
As noted above, mine was Morty but it was at the back end of the 1966/67 season. We lost to Sheffield Utd 0-1. I was six and I'd pestered to go but really, I was too young. I didn't concentrate on the match and all I was interested in were a kit-kat and a warm Vimto. Wind forward four and a half months - I was now seven and I was ready. I barely missed a home match of the 67/68 season.
 
Not sure, but I think it'll either be second Stokoe or Ternent.

Help me out someone, first ever game was the 1-1 draw with Graham Taylor's Watford who went through Div 3 like a dose of salts.
 
AngelBFC said:
What this particular thread makes very clear is this.........

We've got some right old buggers who post on here ;)

You lot are always moaning you cant use computers and digital technology !! Bloody liars.
Click to expand...
I started this post expecting a huge range of ages and eras represented. But,blimey, you are surprisingly right. They are mostly my vintage; the cast of Cocoon! 👴😁
 
Harry Potts. For a couple of games at the end of the 75/6 season. As per the user name, and the graffiti on the Scratching Shed wall, he went that summer, replaced by Alan Brown .
 
AngelBFC said:
What this particular thread makes very clear is this.........

We've got some right old buggers who post on here ;)

You lot are always moaning you cant use computers and digital technology !! Bloody liars.
Click to expand...
Excuse me Angel - who do you think started off this whole computer thing? Some of us mature gentlemen were the programming vanguard back in 1973........mind you I might have gone a bit downhill since. 💀
 
Les Shannon for me.
Like many managers since he was great to get Pool promoted but didn't manage to make progress in the higher league (in his case the top division) and the Pool were well on the way to relegation when he left.
 
Stokoe first time round, in the days of no responsibility other than saving up for the bus fare and entrance money. Scrattin Shed, rammed in like penguins in a creche in the freezing cold, happy days
 
Difficult one but most likely Joe Smith but if not then definitely Ron Suart.
Would have been taken by my Dad…..
….I must also be one of the few on here who can actually remember seeing Preston playing in the top division as my Dad took me a couple of times to Deepdale when we played there around the late fifties.
…..and they haven’t been there for over 60 years and never will( 🤞🤞🤞)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top