BANKS, SHANKS AND THE DOC

 

30th December 2009

PORTSMOUTH v ARSENAL at Fratton Park: Crowd 20,000+

Referee-Alan Wiley

Neither side fielded an Englishman in their starting XIs.

There were 7 Frenchmen, and players from Iceland, Ghana, Cameroon, Russia, Bosnia, Belgium, South Africa, Israel, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. There were a few subs from England.

Arsenal won 1-4. Kaboul. Nasri, Ramsey and Song scored for the Gunners; Belhadj for Pompey. 

The 30th of December, this year, was Gordon Banks' birthday, he was 83. He was another member of the 1966 World Cup winning team and also well known for his save against Pele and Brazil in 1970.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvqwhDUhkPA

December 31st 1932 was the debut of Bill Shankly OBE, who as a 19 year old coalminer, played his first match for Carlisle at Brunton Park against Rochdale in the Third Division North- a 2-2 draw. Between this date 1932 and 1933 he made his way in the north west and was soon signed on by Preston North End, staying there until 1949, playing nearly 300 games (scoring 13 goals). His career was interrupted by "war duty". He played 5 times for Scotland.

Alexander Chapman Ferguson was born on this day in 1941, at his grandmother's house in Govan, the shipbuilding district of Glasgow.

and today (31st) Tommy Docherty died, aged 92.

 

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