Stretford Ender

I doubt it. Woodward is hated. He's already trying to rehabilitate hos reputation. Jamie Jackson (who else) has already started the process in today's Guardian. Whilst I have no doubt that the Glazers were the prime movers, Woodward was hip-deep in it and had the ESL been successful, he would have been at the front of the queue for a pat on the head. He's a snake all right. Now we're hoping the Glazers decide to sell but knowing them, they will be re-thinking the ESL plan and will come back. Remember the 'Big Picture' proposal from a few months ago? They backed off that only to return with ESL. These people want franchise football and so, I suspect, do other owners. I had to laugh at Burnley's smackdown of the ESL plans. Their CEO was installed at Turf Moore after a leveraged buyout that put another solvent club deep in the red.

Woodward needs to go and the Glazers with him. They are a cancer on the game. They have put nothing in, and taken out a lot. Scum like that have no place in football.

Well done lads. I hope the whole things collapses. I just hope another team doesn't step in to fill the gap. I can't imaging the cabal organizing this wouldn't have an alternate or two in case someone backed out.

A study in concentration.

I recognize Albert Scanlon who played on the left wing for us before and after Munich but you'll have to name the Chelsea player.

Can't place your number 9. I know ours but I can't for the life of me put a name to the face.

I think that was always going to be the case with an inexperienced manager. The pressure to succeed is so great now that at the first whiff of the possibility of missing out on the CL sends the board into fits. There were always bound to be bumps in the road for Frank. I don't know who, if anyone at Chelsea he could turn to for advice and help. At least Ole can call Fergie if he needs to, but Frank was out there on his own (and I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong). He'll learn from this and hopefully will be back in management before long.

Barney Ronay in the Guardian has penned a piece with the provocative title ' Does Frank Lampard genuinely deserve to be fired right now?' Ronay thinks football is full of 'heritage appointments and punts on status. 'This' he thinks, 'is how the game works.' It's pretty painful stuff and written, I suspect, to get peoples' backs up. There's a definite air of condescension about it, especially the odd connection he makes between the 'Golden Generation' and people wanting Lampard sacked. I found it dull reading made up of wishful thinking and speculation. Make of it what you will but from a personal point of view, I like Frank Lampard and hope he does well. https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/jan/22/does-frank-lampard-genuinely-deserve-to-be-fired-right-now

I remember the 1964-65 season and the run-in. For a long while it was a three-horse race with United. Chelsea, and Leeds. Chelsea dropped off right at the end with a handful of games to go. I was watching an old video of our home game with Liverpool and at the end, as the players walked off, the commentator said now we'll have to wait and see what Leeds and Chelsea have done. I think the Doc always held as much affection for his Chelsea players as he did for his United players.

There are some great comments under the Guardian obituary from old Chelsea and United fans. I met him a few times in the old Bull's Head in Hale Barns where he would go to drink. Players like Lou Macari, Martin Buchan, and Jim Holton would come in and a few City players like Dave Watson, Joe Corrigan, and Mike Summerbee, and they were always happy to have a laugh and a joke with the fans. Even then he would say that he would have won the league with Chelsea if they'd kept Jimmy Greaves, and I've heard other Chelsea fans say something similar. A mate of mine tells a great story of being pursued along the platform at Euston by Arsenal fans and Tommy Doc and Lou Macari dragging him on board the train as it left. He spent the journey back to Piccadilly in the team compartment in 1st class.

I shed a tear when I heard the news. RIP Tommy Doc. Thanks for the brilliant memories.

Shall I take it down?

The last game of the ill-fated 1957-58 season. A makeshift United side went to Stamford Bridge and lost 1-2. David Cliss scores Chelsea's first. Les Allen got the second and Ernie Taylor, drafted in at the age of 33 from Blackpool, scored for us. Was Les Allen Clive Allen's dad?

Removed.

That was half the fun of going to a match. Sitting in a rickety old stand or standing on a crumbling terrace open to the elements. Bradford opened a lot of people's eyes to just how dangerous such places had become. Even Wembley was looking pretty shabby back in the 1970s and 80s.

This match will probably put Arteta out of his misery. Play Giroud up top to administer the coup de grace.

Only saw him once when he came to our place with Barca in 1984 and, to be honest, he did not have the best of games.

Same game as above. For United, there's Macari, Sidebottom, Holton, and George Graham, for Chelsea, Osgood, Droy, and Tommy Baldwin.

1972-73 season, I think. Willie Morgan and Mike Brolly. What happened to him?

Nobby getting to grips with John Hollins or is that the other way around?

1971-72 season I think. 1-0 to Chelsea.

So it is. I know we were linked with him at one stage. And that is Paddy Crerand behind Alex Stepney. I think this was Tony Dunne's testimonial game in 1973. It was pretty shameful how the club handled his departure. Here's a quote from Dunne from the Irish Herald: 'Denis Law, was allowed to hold his benefit game first, a glamour fixture (and a money-spinning one) against Ajax while Dunne had to persuade Manchester City to provide the opposition for his own testimonial. Dunne claims the game yielded £8,000 but United billed him £1,500 for rent of Old Trafford and policing costs. "The way the club handled the two testimonials was hurtful to me," he said.' United have always had a bad reputation for things like that. Some of our "sainted" gaffers have had a very dark side to their natures.

The Barca game (2nd leg) was the highlight of that season. Juve were a different proposition.

I've never seen this photo before. Is that Tony Book on the right in a United kit? I seem to remember one testimonial against City when players swapped sides and this may be one of those games.

That's Ian Hutchinson wearing the number 10, right? If so, has to be the 1968-69 season. Dunne may have played right back for that game.