ARTHUR RECORD HOLDER

This is a repeat Blog due to circumstances.....under my control!!!  Hope you don't mind reading about our "coloured footballers" especially Arthur who was a pioneer.

November 29th 1978 saw the first "start" by an English black player when Viv Anderson was picked to play against Czechoslovakia at Wembley in a 1-0 win. An attacking full back, he created the opening for Tony Currie, who passed to Steve Coppell who score the only goal.

Playing for Nottingham Forest in the last 1970s, he was part of a very successful club side that took Europe by storm. Born in Nottingham in 1956, he won 20 caps between the late 70s and 1980. In 1995 he was put in the English Footballers' Hall of Fame.

Arthur Wharton in 1886, an historic goalkeeper, was the earliest recorded black professional player to play football, beginning his career in 1885 at Darlington, joined the great Preston North End team and ending at Stockport County in 1902. He arrived in England in 1882 to train as a Methodist missionary but turns to athletics instead. He also cycled and played cricket for local teams. 

He became a landlord of the Albert Tavern in Rotherham, another club he turned out for, went to Sheffield United briefly but did play in the First division against Leicester Fosse, thus being the first mixed race player to play at that level. At this stage he was understudy to William Fatty Faulke, who was the main choice. His statue stands at St George's Park, the HQ of the FA.

Whilst Walter Tull, who played for Clapton FC, was the first English black footballer to win a football medal when his team won the FA Amateur Cup in1908-9. He then signed for Sours and Northampton Town (1909-11) for whom he played 111 times. As an outfield player he was regarded as the "catch of the season" at Clapton. He was killed in action in France in 1918.

Andrew Watson, a Guyanan, in 1881 represented the Scottish amateur team Parkgrove to start with, then Queen's Park and also played for Scotland three times. His other teams included the Swifts ( London side), the Corinthians and Bootle. Inheriting a substantial legacy from his father's plantation and slave business, Andrew was educated at boarding schools, studied briefly at Glasgow University and married early. He won cups with Queen's Park and captained Scotland until 1882 when he moved to London. Watson was rich enough to travel back and forth to Scotland where he played in the game to be staged at the "second" Hampden Park ( see previous blog). His last home was in Liverpool where he worked as a maritime engineer and turned out for the local Bootle FC.

A GIFT TO THE WORLD.

If England gave the World football, it took a long time for the FA to test out their teaching on the students of World foootball, by providing an example on foreign ground. It was not until 1908 that England toured eastern Europe, playing the Austrians (twice), Hungary and Bohemia. This was a June tour and England came away having taught the Europeans a few lessons with four wins and 28 goals for, 2 against.

Through the "19 teens" and into the 1920s, foreign football matches were few and far between, with Hungary, Austria and Belgium occasional opponents. France and Luxembourg soon appeared on the tour list, Spain was included in 1929 and Germany in 1930. Italy was played in 1933 along with Switzerland, Czechoslovakia the next year, Holland in 1935 and finally the Hungarians were allowed into Highbury on December 2nd 1936, the first time a foreign team visited. England won 6-2.

England went to Oslo to play Norway in 1937 and then took on the Rest Of Europe in 1938, again at Highbury. The next venue for a foreign side was Wembley (at last) and Norway had the privilege.

War got in the way, but before it started England played Yugoslavia and Romania on a tour in 1939.

Post war, the France came to Wembley in May 1945, there was a Victory International against Belgium in January 1946 and gradually our allies came to play more often to celebrate peace.

By the time the 1950s came round, England were still mainly successful in international matches including from the Home Internationals and then the 1950 World Cup failure hit home.

England were no longer the rulers of the World and by November 25th 1953, the Aranycsapat, the Hungarian "Golden team" came to town and thumped us 3-6.

The Magyars were Olympic champions (we never entered the tournament) and they had just drawn with Sweden 2-2, ten days before and apparently did not look dangerous.

Sweden were managed by George Raynor, who offered the FA tactical tips which the English officials refused to take on board. The Hungarians meanwhile trained at Lake Bulaton and used a machine that simulated fog, to prepare for the unusual weather conditions in London.

The English on watching the warm up prior to the match noticed that Hungarians "were not even wearing proper footwear" (they were wearing new lightweight boots) and the English regarded Ferenc Puskas as a "little fat chap". Little did they know that he would tear them apart, including one drag back and goal that sent captain Billy Wright (no 4) sliding "off the pitch" as he tried to tackle the Galloping Magyar. Geoffrey Green reported that Wright was "like a fire engine, heading to the wrong fire".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wdW5p3jd2Y

Note that the Hungarians did not stay in their "allotted" positions and their deep lying centre forward (no 9) Hidegkuti caused all sorts of problems.

The press reported "The new conception of football" and "Like Agincourt reversed".
In May 1954, England went to Budapest on tour, had learned nothing, didn't tweak their tactics and lost 1-7!

SHORTEST ENGLAND CAP

Not an event on this date, BUT in research I found this little gem from October 22nd 1928....Poor old Jim Barrett had the shortest international career of any player starting a match for England. He started playing against Ireland (as it was known then) in a Home International Championship match at Goodison Park (note the Geographic "closeness" of the two nations hence the choice of stadium) and after 8 minutes he was carried off injured in his DEBUT and was never picked again! see below. 

James (Jim) Barrett was born in West Ham on 19th January 1907. A talented centre-half he played for England Schoolboys. Barrett was also a member of the West Ham Boys team that played Liverpool Boys in the 1921 English Shield Final at Upton Park. Syd King, the manager of West Ham Utd, signed the 16 year old Barrett in 1923. Despite his obvious talent he had to wait two years before he replaced the injured George Kay in the first-team. When Kay, the captain, returned to duty, Barrett played in a variety of different positions for the club. Barrett played in all 42 league games in the 1925-26 season. The 20 year old played in five different positions that year and managed to score five goals in three games at centre-forward. This included a hat-trick against Leeds Utd on on 30th January 1926. Barrett was also ever present in the team that finished 6th place in the 1926-27 season. Club top scorer that year was Vic Watson. However, West Ham struggled in the First Division in the 1927-28 season. 

Barrett's form remained good and he won his first cap for England against Ireland (as it was known then) on 22nd October, 1928. Also in the England team that day was Dixie Dean and Joe Hulme and Tommy Cooper (NO!! not him...just like that). Barrett was carried off injured after only 8 minutes!!! He was never selected again and so it is the shortest recorded international career in history. West Ham Utd finished in 7th place in the 1929-30 season. England won 2-1 with goals from Hulme and Dean. Vic Watson scored an amazing 50 league and cup games in only 44 games.

Barrett played in 40 out of a possible 42 league games that year. The following season, West Ham finished in a disappointing 18th place. Barrett (below) scored 53 goals in his 467 appearances for The Hammers. He retired from playing in 1938 but continued at the club as a coach.  Jim Barrett suffered from ill-health in his later years and he died aged only 63 on 25th November, 1970.

SAINTS AND GHOULIES

ON THIS DATE, 24th November, in 1874, Charles Miller was born. If you are regular reader, you will have heard of Charles before. In downtown, Sao Paulo, there is a square called "Praca Charles Miller", named after the Englishman who brought soccer to Brazil. Born to a wealthy Anglo-Brazilian family, his father left Glasgow to work in ther South American coffee industry, although Charles was packed off to boarding school in Southampton, where he "lived" through his teenage years and played at football. A decent sportsman, he was soon asked to trial with St Mary's FC, who later became Southampton FC. Nicknamed "Nipper", He played for various local clubs, and also drew the attention of the Corinthians who, when due to play a match against a Hampshire XI, he was asked to make up the numbers for the Corinthians. St Mary's hoped to keep Miller but he went back to Brazil. Taking a couple of footballs and an FA "rule book", he offered the "cricket" obsessed ex-patriots (presumably because the climate was suitable for the summer game? Soon, had gathered enough interest from the locals to stage a football match played under Miller's new " Association rules". He soon formed a football "division" in the Sao Paulo Athletic Club which was first set up in 1888 to play cricket! In April 1895, the first official match of football was played between the local Railway men and the men of the Gas companies. The railway men won 4-2.

In December 1901, Charles, below, helped to form "La Liga Paulista de Football" along with four other "clubs". In the first three seasons SPAC, unsurprisingly, won the title, but word spread and within two years, the clubs, Botafogo and Fluminese were founded. Charles interest in playing had faded but he still refereed the National Championship decider up to 1949. His legacy remains as well as a "square" in the city and a "move" in the game called CHALEIRA, a show boating back heeled cross.

Today  ALSO, (24th November) in 2001, Southampton FC had moved from their historic ground, The Dell, to the brand new facility, St Mary's. Originally, it was not a good move as they lost the first four matches and drew one. Apparently some cheeky Portsmouth supporters buried one of their Pompey shirts under the North End stand and cast a curse. This caused the losing streak, apparently.

Fear not, for the Pagan Princess, Ceridwen "Dragonoak" Connelly, a local Celtic witch, was hired in to exorcise (not exercise) the stadium, which had been built on land once known as an Anglo-Saxon village, Hamwick. Clearly there were ghoulies about.

It all went well for The Saints, as Ms Connelly worked her magic successfully and the Saints took on The Addicks (from the ancient valley of Charlton) and in front of over 31,000 witnesses won points off their opponents, in a 1-0 win. Phew..mind you that doesn't explain the plight that Southampton is in at the moment!!

On Friday 24th November 2017 it became known that the once magical footballer, 37 year old Michael Owen, who used to ghost through defences, was going to be a jockey, certainly a trainer of horses and probably a breeder (not personally of course). Michael lost a stone in weight to ride a thoroughbred race horse (looking at Michael this morning on the TV as he did his pundit's job, it appears that he has put it and some more back on). Michael rode Calder Prince to second place in the Prince's Countryside Fund Race at Ascot. Michael's reaction to this was that he likened the experience to playing against Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals....he came second in that too.

ALI DIA-ONE SHORT DAY ONLY-RIO-LONGER

On this day in 1996, Ali Dia proved to be the worst player to grace the Premier League, when he made his debut in the top flight for Southampton. The story is that Dia's agent, called Graeme Souness, pretending to be the great George Weah. He recommended Dia to Souness, saying they were cousins. Souness, never one to let a bargin pass by, snapped up Ali, bringing him on replace Matt Le Tissier in a league game with Leeds United. After 20 min utes it was clear to everybody that the lad was out of his depth and the embarrassed Scot had to haul Dia off the pitch. 

AND David O'Leary of Leeds Utd (at the time) took a gamble on this day in 2000, when he spent £18m on Rio Ferdinand, signing him from West Ham. This was, at the time, a record for an English defender and of course Rio was no embarrassment and he was sold, around two years later, to Man U for nearly £30m.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-A0kErdBwI WORTH WATCHING THIS

BIG SCORES

	Date	Home		Away	Goalscorers
11	29 September 2007	Portsmouth	7–4	Reading	Benjani 6', 37', 70', Hreiðarsson 55', Kranjčar 75', Ingimarsson 81' (o.g.), Muntari 90+2' (pen.) Hunt 45', Kitson 48', Long 79', Campbell 90+4' (o.g.)
10	29 December 2007	Tottenham Hotspur	6–4	Reading	Berbatov 7', 63', 73', 83', Malbranque 76', Defoe 79' Cissé 16', Ingimarsson 53', Kitson 69', 74'
	22 November 2009	Tottenham Hotspur	9–1	Wigan Athletic	Crouch 9', Defoe 51', 54', 58', 69', 87', Lennon 64', Bentley 88', Kranjčar 90' Scharner 57'
	28 August 2011	Manchester United	8–2	Arsenal	Welbeck 22', Young 28', 90+1', Rooney 41', 64', 82' (pen.), Nani 67', Park 70' Walcott 45+3', Van Persie 74'
	29 December 2012	Arsenal	7–3	Newcastle United	Walcott 20', 73', 90+2', Oxlade-Chamberlain 50', Podolski 64', Giroud 84', 87' Ba 43', 69', Marveaux 59'
	19 May 2013	West Bromwich Albion	5–5	Manchester Utd	Morrison 40', Lukaku 50', 81', 86', Mulumbu 81' Kagawa 6', Olsson 9' (o.g.), Büttner 30', Van Persie 53', Hernández 63'
9	9 April 1994	Norwich City	4–5	Southampton	Robins 37', Goss 49', Sutton 56', 64' Ullathorne 44' (o.g.), Le Tissier 58', 63' (pen.), 73', Monkou 90'
	4 March 1995	Manchester United	9–0	Ipswich Town	Keane 15', Cole 19', 37', 53', 65', 87', Hughes 55', 59', Ince 72' –
	26 October 1996	Southampton	6–3	Man Utd	Berkovic 6', 63', Le Tissier 34', Østenstad 45', 85', P.Neville 90' (o.g.) Beckham 41', May 56', Scholes 89'
	26 August 1997	Blackburn Rovers	7–2	Sheffield Wednesday	Gallacher 2', 7', Hyde 10' (o.g.), Wilcox 20', Sutton 24', 74', Bohinen 53' Carbone 8', 47'
	6 February 1999	Nottingham Forest	1–8	Man Utd	Rogers 6' Yorke 2', 67', Cole 7', 50', Solskjær 80', 88', 90', 90+1'
	12 February 2000	West Ham United	5–4	Bradford City	Sinclair 35', Moncur 43', Di Canio 65' (pen.), Cole 70', Lampard 83' Windass 30', Beagrie 44' (pen.), Lawrence 47', 51'
	11 March 2000	Tottenham Hotspur	7–2	Southampton	Richards 28' (o.g.), Anderton 39', Armstrong 41', 64', Iversen 45', 78', 90' Tessem 26', El Khalej 33'
	13 November 2004	Tottenham Hotspur	4–5	Arsenal	Naybet 37', Defoe 61', King 74', Kanouté 88' Henry 45', Lauren 55' (pen.), Vieira 60', Ljungberg 69', Pires 81'
	11 May 2008	Middlesbrough	8–1	Manchester City	Downing 16' (pen.), 58' Alves 37', 60', 90', Johnson 70', Rochemback 80', Aliadière 85' Elano 87'
	16 January 2010	Chelsea	7–2	Sunderland	Anelka 8', 65', Malouda 17', A.Cole 22', Lampard 34', 90', Ballack 52' Zenden 56', Bent 90'
	14 December 2013	Manchester City	6–3	Arsenal	Agüero 14', Negredo 39', Fernandinho 50', 88', D.Silva 66', Touré 90' (pen.) Walcott 31', 63', Mertesacker 90'
	22 March 2014	Cardiff City	3–6	Liverpool	Mutch 9', 88', Campbell 25' Suárez 16', 60', 90', Škrtel 41', 54', Sturridge 75'
	30 August 2014	Everton	3–6	Chelsea	Mirallas 45', Naismith 69', Eto'o 76' Costa 1', 90', Ivanović 3', Coleman 67' (o.g.), Matić 74', Ramires 77'
	23 January 2016	Norwich City	4–5	Liverpool	Mbokani 29', Naismith 41', Hoolahan 54' (pen.), Bassong 90+2' Firmino 18', 63', Henderson 55', Milner 75', Lallana 90+5'
	26 November 2016	Swansea City	5–4	Crystal Palace	Sigurðsson 36', Fer 66', 68', Llorente 90+1', 90+3' Zaha 19', Tomkins 75', Cork 82' (o.g.), C.Benteke 84'
	4 February 2017	Everton	6–3	Bournemouth	Lukaku 1', 29', 83', 84', McCarthy 24', Barkley 90+4' King 59', 70', Arter 90'
	14 October 2017	Manchester City	7–2	Stoke City	Gabriel Jesus 17', 55', Sterling 19', D.Silva 27', Fernandinho 60', Sané 62', B.Silva 79' Diouf 44', Walker 47' (o.g.)
	13 May 2018	Tottenham Hotspur	5–4	Leicester City	Kane 7', 76', Lamela 49', 60', Fuchs 53' (o.g.) Vardy 4', 73', Mahrez 16', Iheanacho 47'
	25 October 2019	Southampton	0–9	Leicester City	– Chilwell 10', Tielemans 17', Pérez 19', 39', 57', Vardy 45', 58', 90+4' (pen.), Maddison 85'
	4 October 2020	Aston Villa	7–2	Liverpool	Watkins 4', 22', 39', McGinn 35', Barkley 55', Grealish 66', 75' Salah 33', 60'
	2 February 2021	Manchester United	9–0	Southampton	Wan-Bissaka 18', Rashford 25', Bednarek 34' (o.g.), Cavani 39', Martial 69', 90', McTominay 71', Fernandes 88' (pen.), James 90+3'
	26 December 2021	Manchester City	6–3	Leicester City	De Bruyne 5', Mahrez 14' (pen.), Gündoğan 21', Sterling 25' (pen.), 85', Laporte 69' Maddison 55', Lookman 59', Iheanacho 65'
	27 August 2022	Liverpool	9–0	Bournemouth	Díaz 3', 85', Elliott 6', Alexander-Arnold 28', Firmino 31', 62', Van Dijk 45', Mepham 46' (o.g.), Carvalho 80'
	2 October 2022	Manchester City	6–3	Man Utd	Foden 8', 44', 73', Haaland 34', 37', 64' Antony 56', Martial 84', 90+1' (pen.)