They played in a World Cup

There is a superb article in The Times today by George Caulkin which takes a England representative player from each world cup since 1950 and tells through interview what they are doing now. It is a really good read that features some well known names like Paul Ince and Francis Lee as well as some less well known ones like Ivor Broadis who is the oldest living England international at 94 and who looks just like Norman Wisdom.

The Times being by subscriptionI know people cannot easily access the whole article which is obviously very long anyway so here are just two of the pen pictures George Caulkin writes.

"It is winner stays on in the back room of Charltons Bar and Jack Charlton is winning. Memory is like the tide and he forgets sometimes whether he is playing the red or yellow balls, but nobody complains. He sinks the black, shakes his cue and crows in celebration: “Duh, duh, DUH!” pivoting towards the wall where a pint of Caffrey’s is sweating cold. “Whose is that?” he asks. Yours, Jack. It’s yours.

Friday, in Cambois, near Blyth. Pat, Jack’s wife, is having her hair done in Ashington and the man himself is tucked away in the boozer owned by John, his son, driven here by Helen and Bill Logan, family friends. On the walls, history: a signed photo of Paul Gascoigne, bawling in Turin, an inscription which reads, “To Jack, my other ‘dad’ ”; a collage and more signatures, the “Boys of ’66”.

In the corner, a laptop is on and a DVD is whirring, playing the World Cup final between England and West Germany. Those golden boys again. Perhaps it will shake something free in Jack, but he carries on potting. Finally, he drifts over, beckoned by those siren images. At 83, he is still gangly and upright, instantly familiar in flat cap. He is intent now, sipping from his glass, swaying slightly.

“There’s our Bob,” he says as his younger brother shimmers across the screen. When the Germans take the lead, there is a little tut, but he clenches his fist when the equaliser comes. He sees himself, tackling. “That was me hitting them,” he says. “My position was centre half.” A few minutes later: “I remember.”

There is a cough from behind and focus breaks. Jack turns. Nine people, ten, have gathered, watching this ageing World Cup winner watching the World Cup he won and for a moment it feels too poignant to bear. Helen steps over. “All right Jack?” she asks and Jack nods. A German Shepherd is snuffling at his feet. “Woof,” Jack says. “Woof, woof.”"


"Bryan Douglas was heading south. He had found out when he arrived at Ewood Park a few days before, a fellow player pumping his hand and saying, “Did you hear the 9 o’clock news? You’ve been picked for England.” Douglas caught the train from Preston, meeting up with Finney, “which was a big thing for me. I idolised him.” It was 1957.

They arrived in London and met Walter Winterbottom, the England manager. “He came up to us,” Douglas says. “ ‘Tom, your expenses please.’ He looked at our tickets. ‘Is that the first-class fare, Tom?’ And I remember Finney saying, ‘Walter, do you want us to stand in the corridor?’ ‘No, it’s all right Tom. As long as I can justify it with the accountants.’ ”

Douglas played every game in two World Cups, Sweden and then Chile, four years later. “It was massive,” he says. “You think, ‘Bloody hell, if my mates could see me now.’ Footballers still lived locally. I was born in Blackburn, my one and only team, a golf shot from the ground. I still live here. England was a big deal. Even going to airports was exciting.” The circumstances were cruel. “The November before Sweden, we played France; murdered them 4-0,” Douglas says. “Tommy Taylor scored a couple. He was my room-mate, just bought himself a new sports car and I remember him going on about it. Duncan Edwards played. Terrific player. Powerful. Happy memories.”

Less than three months later, Douglas saw the placards: “Manchester United Munich crash,” he says. “I dashed home to listen to the radio. The news came filtering through. Awful.” Edwards and Taylor were among 23 fatalities. It transcended football but, as Douglas says, “the World Cup was imminent. If it hadn’t happened . . . It’s all ifs, buts and maybes, but you never know, do you?”

He pauses. “Harry Gregg knocked my f***ing teeth out once,” Douglas says. “He said sorry. I said, ‘It’s a bit late now, isn’t it?’ ”

After Chile, Douglas was dropped by Sir Alf Ramsey, Winterbottom’s replacement, but in 1965, he “was invited to Lilleshall for an England get-together. I thought, ‘Bloody hell, I’ve got a chance.’ ” It evaporated in a friendly game for Blackburn when he was caught by a defender, “and my knee just went. Ligaments. It was the beginning of the end. I never recovered.

“I looked at 1966 and thought about what might have been, that I could have been there. I was very envious. I don’t have regrets now. I’ve had a fantastic life. I’ve been a lucky, lucky lad. I’ve played for my hometown team. They named a stand after me. I played for my country.”

Another pause. “The thing is,” Douglas says, “if I’d only known what was in front of me when I was 14 or 15, I’d have grabbed it with both hands.”"

I saw Ivor Broadis play many times for Carlisle in the late fifties.
At one time he was their player manager. He actually transferred him self to Newcastle

Ron,

Didn't your right winger play in the World Cup, at centre forward?

Best thing I've read on here for ages..

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing.

Quoted from cannylad68

Ron,

Didn't your right winger play in the World Cup, at centre forward?

You mean Johnny Scott? Yes he did but I don’t know if he was selected at CF or was moved there during a game.

Coincidentally, in the NI squad with Johnny in Sweden was Tom Casey who was later to be Town manager responsible for bringing through young players like Jim Lumby and Tony Ford..

Good read cheers

Did any Town player ever play in a World Cup - not while playing for Town (I assume that is a No) but before or after playing for us?

Quoted from LondonMariner43

Did any Town player ever play in a World Cup - not while playing for Town (I assume that is a No) but before or after playing for us?

Neil Webb

Quoted from LondonMariner43

Did any Town player ever play in a World Cup - not while playing for Town (I assume that is a No) but before or after playing for us?

[url]https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/meet-late-grimsby-town-great-609531[/url]

Mike Cullen went to Sweden in 1958 as well He was in the Scotland squad but sadly didn't play

Quoted from Ipswin

Mike Cullen went to Sweden in 1958 as well He was in the Scotland squad but sadly didn't play

He certainly played in an international but I don’t think he was in the WC squad Ipswin. He was competing for a place in midfield with people like Tommy Docherty, Bobby Collins, Jackie Mudie, Bobby Evans and the like. He was born at the wrong time.

Bryan Douglas was in the forward line of Douglas, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith,
Johnny Haynes and Bobby Charlton that scored 9 goals against  Scotland at Wembley
in April  1961.

I was there and remember the Scottish fans sitting on the terraces drowning their sorrows
from their hip flasks with half an hour still to play.

what about Hughie Gallagher i know he played for Scotland not sure about the WC though.

Dave Mulligan went on to play for New Zealand in the World Cup after his loan spell here.

I am certain that Johnny Scott was selected to play at centre forward, as it was then, which was surprising to GY fans.

Talk of GY greats, he WAS one of them.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

He certainly played in an international but I don’t think he was in the WC squad Ipswin. He was competing for a place in midfield with people like Tommy Docherty, Bobby Collins, Jackie Mudie, Bobby Evans and the like. He was born at the wrong time.

You're right of course (clever sodomist!) Incidentally Johnny Scott had no caps at the time the NI squad was announced. I don't know if they played 'warm up' games before the WC in those days if not his WC appearance was his debut. Incidentally NI only took 17 players to Sweden - amazing I bet they take more people than that just to clean the boots these days

thank you for posting, very moving.  Sad about Jack Charlton.

Quoted from Ipswin

You're right of course (clever sodomist!) Incidentally Johnny Scott had no caps at the time the NI squad was announced. I don't know if they played 'warm up' games before the WC in those days if not his WC appearance was his debut. Incidentally NI only took 17 players to Sweden - amazing I bet they take more people than that just to clean the boots these days

You remind me there about the sad story of Scotland’s first World Cup finals. None of the home countries competed in the 1930s so there was no chance for any Grimsby internationals like Pat Glover, Hughie  Gallagher, Jackie Bestall or George Tweedy to play World Cup football. For some reason after WW2 the Home Internationals were the qualifiers for the WC finals, the top two teams would qualify. So in 1950 England went and Scotland should have done too but the Scottish FA refused to send a team, on principle they said, because they were only runners up in the qualifiers!

In 1954 England went again and Scotland did send a squad but they only sent about a dozen players when they were allowed to send around 18 I think on cost grounds. What made it worse was that the SFA officials who went with them were allowed to take their wives along! The Scottish manager resigned before the last group game and they got whopped by Uruguay.