14 hours ago, Backbiter said:

He came across a very nice, gentle guy, but he was ruthless in the way he got rid of the players he didn't want, and his assistant Iain McNeill was hugely successful in finding real talent at a bargain price in the lower divisions and in Scotland. (Not sure who thought big Doug would be a great addition).

Big Doug actually cost us £55,000 more than Wee Pat did a year earlier!

Remember reading that a certain Alex Ferguson was angry at Big Doug for moving to us. Accusing him of ‘only moving for more money’ and ‘being disloyal to Aberdeen FC.’

Fast forward to the autumn of 1986 and the very same Alex Ferguson accepts the managers job at Manchester Utd…

 

Just seeing the name Timmy Elms reminds me of the piss taking Tim Flowers used to get. Timmy Timmy ooh Timmy  for the whole half when he was defending the Shed goal he laughed at first but began to hate it you could see it on his face. Also at Orient Mervyn Day for the whole half Mervyn, Mervyn, Merv alright Merv you could almost see the steam coming out of his ears 😂

1 hour ago, erskblue said:

Big Doug actually cost us £55,000 more than Wee Pat did a year earlier!

Remember reading that a certain Alex Ferguson was angry at Big Doug for moving to us. Accusing him of ‘only moving for more money’ and ‘being disloyal to Aberdeen FC.’

Fast forward to the autumn of 1986 and the very same Alex Ferguson accepts the managers job at Manchester Utd…

 

We were in Ibiza summer 84- met some Aberdeen fans who were upset that Doug was leaving. One went on to say he was very skilful for his size 😂

1 hour ago, Fruit Bat said:

We were in Ibiza summer 84- met some Aberdeen fans who were upset that Doug was leaving. One went on to say he was very skilful for his size 😂

He was and remains something of a ‘cult figure’ for Aberdeen supporters of that era.

’Very skilful’ and big Doug, words that rarely to together in the same sentence!

 £50 a ticket not cheap.

 

‘Chelsea fans get their hands on the FA Cup.’ That’s the picture caption.   The League Magazine on Twitter.

1 hour ago, erskblue said:

‘Chelsea fans get their hands on the FA Cup.’ That’s the picture caption.   The League Magazine on Twitter.

I posted that a couple of months ago.

Chelsea taken out of the Preston end 1981 not a great picture but the 77 one is I love any picture of the Shed it's where we all started.

 

 

 I'm posting this here rather then the best football images so more people see it and maybe know why there is so few of them and seems like a copper for every fan. They must have been on a ban and this lot turned up independently cause if not that's a piss poor turnout.

 

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, bluehaze said:

I posted that a couple of months ago.

Didn’t realise. Simply didn’t remember seeing it. My usual apologies!

Edited April 22, 20233 yr by erskblue

4 hours ago, bluehaze said:

 I'm posting this here rather then the best football images so more people see it and maybe know why there is so few of them and seems like a copper for every fan. They must have been on a ban and this lot turned up independently cause if not that's a piss poor turnout.

 

 

 

 

 

Poor turnout for a ban. Won’t sell many t-shirts!!

Apologies if this picture has already been posted. Can’t remember.    The League Magazine on Twitter.

My Chelsea 

10th October 1981

Saturday, 10th October 1981

Chelsea 2 Wrexham 0

Fillery 59, Lee 73

Undoubtedly posted before and no doubt by myself. My late dads favourite player.
On what would have been my late dads 84th birthday. 

 

Can’t remember seeing this article posted before? The usual apologies if it has been.

17 hours ago, bluehaze said:

Chelsea taken out of the Preston end 1981 not a great picture but the 77 one is I love any picture of the Shed it's where we all started.

 

 

Went to Swansea in 82- similar scenario with Chelsea being escorted down the touchline- the highlights were televised and it shows a little herd being ushered back to the right end.

3 minutes ago, Fruit Bat said:

Went to Swansea in 82- similar scenario with Chelsea being escorted down the touchline- the highlights were televised and it shows a little herd being ushered back to the right end.

I remember it well lost 3-0 I think. Used to happen all the time before the firm decided to sit always used to love it seeing them doing a 10 men the opposition seats.

12 hours ago, Richard P said:

Poor turnout for a ban. Won’t sell many t-shirts!!

Mine was grey with blue lettering- can’t remember then in any other colours?

Pompey and Millwall were hammer and tong for years. Quite a while after that pic at The New Den there was an away travel ban between those two- that Westwood geyser with the bell, in some book mentions “ Well I go to all the games” Cut a long story he got sussed out by the natives.

FA Cup 95- turned up there without a ticket- met an ex pro boxer Millwall face from my manor outside by chance who happened to have a spare- don’t think he realised I was Chelsea- had to contain my emotions that afternoon.

DP doing this a lot these days reason for edit getting bloody old !😆

Edited April 23, 20233 yr by bluehaze

The famous 1982 win over then European champions Liverpool in full. One of the best atmospheres I've ever experienced at the Bridge. The Shed was absolutely rammed.

 

1 hour ago, Backbiter said:

The famous 1982 win over then European champions Liverpool in full. One of the best atmospheres I've ever experienced at the Bridge. The Shed was absolutely rammed.

 

Same Here. What a day that was.

Barry Bridges: 'Caring for children with disabilities beats playing for England'

• Published 22 April 2023.

 

Image caption, 

Barry Bridges in the garden of his home in Norfolk with his dog, Roger

By Matt Precey

BBC Look East

 

Former footballer Barry Bridges scored for England and played as a forward for teams including Chelsea, Birmingham City and QPR. However, although he is proud of his achievements on the pitch, it is not the part of his life which has delivered the most satisfaction. 

"I don't underestimate what I've done as a footballer," says Mr Bridges, who lives in Norfolk.

"But this is just as important," he says, describing his post-retirement role providing respite care to parents of children with disabilities.

"It's the greatest thing I've ever done."

I know first hand just what it means to be on the receiving end of the kind of respite offered by Barry and his wife Megan - because, for a five year period, they cared for our son William, who has epilepsy, autism and severe learning difficulties.

How did a former professional footballer end up providing such support to parents?

'At Chelsea, the maximum wage was £20 a week'

 

Image caption, 

Barry and his wife Megan look after disabled children at their home to give families a break.

Pay for the top footballers of Barry's generation was modest.

"We didn't get any money," he says. 

"When I first played for Chelsea there was a maximum wage,

“It was £20 per week.”Barry tells us.

The paucity of pay meant players nearly always needed to start a new career rather than retire to a life of luxury.

Barry's best friend Bobby Tambling, for example, went into the building trade. 

Another friend, the former England manager Terry Venables co-wrote a string of novels before going into football management. 

Now aged 82, Barry took on a milk round after leaving football. He later went into business as a news agent.

"Can you imagine Harry Kane retiring from football and delivering milk at 04:00 the morning?" he asks.

 

'It is quite intense'

 

IMAGE SOURCE, PRECEY FAMILY Image caption, 

Barry and Megan provided respite care for the author's son, William

Barry and Megan first became involved in caring about 20 years ago.

At the time, one of their daughters, who worked at a special school, started caring for children with disabilities.

Barry and Megan helped out here and there but eventually decided they wanted to take on the responsibilities themselves.

The couple went on a fostering course and went through intensive screening process before they were able to care for children at their home.

"You do a lot of training," says Megan. "You go through a process of being approved as a foster carer so it is quite intense and you have to go in front of panels to be approved."

Most of the children the Bridges care for come for short breaks, usually to give their parents a rest.

 

Image caption, 

Barry Bridges earned four full England caps and made 176 appearances for Chelsea between 1958 and 1966.

Sometimes the couple will care for young people who have a difficult home life. 

Some of these children will stay with the couple at weekends for a number of years, depending on the package agreed with Norfolk County Council.

What does a typical day with the Bridges look like?

"It would it be activities at the table doing drawing and puzzles and different things." says Megan. 

"Then lunch and normally in the afternoon we would take them out bowling or to the cinema or take them out for a drive. Then it is back home for dinner, bath and bed." 

This respite provides parents with a break, enabling them to snatch a few days of normalcy without having to attend to a child whose complex needs will often require constant vigilance and interventions.

Deep connections are formed between the Bridges, the children they care for and the families receiving respite. 

"We've had a young man who is now 20 years old," says Megan. "We've had him since he was four and we've got another young girl who we had since she was four and she's now sixteen.

"So, yes, we do develop long term relationships and they continue after the care package ends sometimes. 

"They become part of your life."

 

Giving parents a break

According to the Disabled Children's Partnership respite - also known as short breaks - provides a way for parents of children with disabilities to get a rest from their caring responsibilities. 

Local authorities are legally required to provide this service. 

Research by the charity Contact in 2017 showed almost a quarter (24%) of parents of children with disabilities provided more than 100 hours of caring every week. 

More than half (56%) were provided more than 35 hours.

Parents were also more likely than other carers to report a poor quality of life "with restricted social and life choices".

A spokesman for the DCP said: "Many families find it difficult or impossible to access the support they need and the majority of local authorities have cut their spending on short breaks."

 

'One lad, he's football crazy'

 

IMAGE SOURCE, BARRY BRIDGES Image caption, 

A picture in Barry's hallway shows him (second left) at an England training session with Sir Alf Ramsey, Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles

And yes, if asked Barry will kick a football around with a child in his care.

"I've got one lad, he's football crazy," he says.

This young man plays for a side connected to Norwich City's Community Sports Foundation, an organisation Barry praises highly for the way it supports players with disabilities.

A lot of the major clubs have similar set-ups he says, adding: "You have a lot of professional clubs who get blamed for big money and things like that but people don't realise how much Norwich City and all the clubs do for these kids."

During our conversation, Barry produces a wadge of worn pages containing thousands of signatures from Chelsea supporters.

This, it turns out, was a petition demanding Barry stay at the club when manager Tommy Docherty wanted to sell him

He is a man who knows the ecstasy of scoring at the top flight and the adulation of fans.

 

IMAGE SOURCE, PRESS ASSOCIATION Image caption, 

Barry Bridges (left) in his prime as a Chelsea player during a match against against Huddersfield in 1964

But caring, he says, is the best thing he has ever done.

"I do appreciate my career. But what we've done together with these kids is unbelievable.

"I've always said to Megan that if I hadn't been a footballer, if I had a life again and I knew I couldn't be a footballer, I'd have gone full time into this respite thing dealing with these kids because I love it."

Given the freedom of his home town.

 

2 hours ago, bluehaze said:

Given the freedom of his home town.

 

Great picture with his lovely wife Franca

Back when we could score goals.