1982 | Vital Football

1982

Interesting. A bit of nostalgia seeing the old railway arch by the training pitch, South Park Stand (tho' minus the terrace in front) and open Sincil Bank side

Interestingly I was having a conversation with someone recently about one of the topics raised by Gilbert Blades. He was talking about players going part time at that level ie tier 3, and there was a general view, I think, that Divisions 3 and 4 (in old money, but tiers 3 and 4 as they are now) could well go part time, like the Conference (ie tier 5). Ironically, not only have tiers 3 and 4 remained full time, but tier 5 is now essentially full time, and there are an increasing number of clubs at tier 6 going full time.

Digressing a little, that has led to a discussion at clubs like Stafford Rangers, who were once one of the "big" non league sides (in that 87/8 season in the Conference, they finished sixth, ie arguably fifth best non league team in the country since we were the only full time club), but are now playing at tier 7, and fans debate what the club's realistic ambitions and aspirations can be - most, I think, would settle for Conf North (tier 6).

Meanwhile, we have been in touch and go situations since that video was made: administration (luckily before points deductions), relegation twice to the Conference, and even dodgy times while in our last stint there. We have been lucky that an investor has come into the club and given us a chance. Luckily the Lincoln(shire) public has bought into the current regime, and the expectations now would be if we were top of League 1 (tier 3) now, SB would be bulging even more at the seems .... if that is, in fact, possible
 
Never seen that film before. Some great footage of Sincil Bank with Murphs Mercedes parked up outside. Thommo Peaky Cockerill and Carr showing that there were major issues bubbling under the surface. Blades refusing Colin Murphy the funds to bolster the squad was another major issue. Odds on promotion to a sorry 6th and the eventual disintegration of that fantastic squad. Was it the Plymouth game that had the pitch protests?
 
£2 a game? No wonder attendances were falling. Who the hell can afford that?

Great piece of nostalgia though, with some excellent players there. David Carr had a lot to say, I wonder if that's why he was given a free?!?! And, oh Gilbert Blades, City's saviour to the rescue.... hardly. Didn't he used to defend all the crooks in court, for his day job?
 
Thanks for posting , never seen this before - found it fascinating. Didn't realise quite how open the player revolt was , judging by what Carr and Cockerill were saying. Gilbert Blades did not come across in a good light at all there - very dismissive.

P.s. great bit of wing wizadry from Shipley
 
Fascinating piece of footage. It does show how clubs are probably more media savvy nowadays as I doubt this kind of player access would be allowed today without it being 'proof read' in advance.

I don't recall seeing this before and was wondering if it was some regional broadcasting not in the YTV area. TV Eye was made by Thames but they did syndicate stuff out. Anyone remember it being on the TV at the time
 
I'm probably alone in this but I was always sympathetic to Blades's plight. The club was losing money, the board at the time weren't rich enough individually to make up the shortfall*. Reg Brealey would have been (at the time) but he'd upped and left for Sheffield United by then (I think).

Despite being top of the 3rd Division gates were poor so what could they possibly do? Something had to give. In the end both the players/staff and Directors used each other and it let to some very unsavoury incidents. But then again, a number of fans always believe that someone else should be funding their entertainment.

And that side would have been broken up anyway. We were a small club performing well with players who were better than the division we were in as Felgate, Thompson, Peake, Shipley, Turner, Cockerill, Hobson, Cunningham etc all proved later.

Bigger clubs would always have taken them. It still happens to clubs like Southampton with income of over £100,000,000 a year.

At the start of that documentary (fantastic to see , my thanks to domski10) the entire 92 team league owed "only" £40m.

"When the overspend happened under John Reames just a few years later we all know where that almost led.
 
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sedgleyimp said:
TV Eye was made by Thames but they did syndicate stuff out.
Click to expand...

Yes.

Thames held the weekday franchise for the London area but a significant amount of their programming was synidicated across the ITV network, these included the Sweeney, World at War, The Bill, Minder, Danger UXB, the early Mr. Bean and Men Behaving Badly and the later Morcombe and Wise etc, etc.

TV Eye/This week was Thames' flag ship current affairs programme and a direct competitor to Granada's World in Action and the BBC's Panorama, it would almost certainly have been networked.
 
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Brendan Bradley said:
I'm probably alone in this but I was always sympathetic to Blades's plight. The club was losing money, the board at the time weren't rich enough individually to make up the shortfall*. Reg Brealey would have been (at the time) but he'd upped and left for Sheffield United by then (I think).

Despite being top of the 3rd Division gates were poor so what could they possibly do? Something had to give. In the end both the players/staff and Directors used each other and it let to some very unsavoury incidents. But then again, a number of fans always believe that someone else should be funding their entertainment.

And that side would have been broken up anyway. We were a small club performing well with players who were better than the division we were in as Felgate, Thompson, Peake, Shipley, Turner, Cockerill, Hobson, Cunningham etc all proved later.

Bigger clubs would always have taken them. It still happens to clubs like Southampton with income of over £100,000,000 a year.

At the start of that documentary (fantastic to see , my thanks to domski10) the entire 92 team league owed "only" £40m.

"When the overspend happened under John Reames just a few years later we all know where that almost led.
Click to expand...

Well I was one of those who WASN'T remotely sympathetic to Blades.
Guess it was a feeling of betrayal at the time.
But u may be right in what u say but truth didn't matter so much back then, just the pure emotions of those of us on the terrace.

It all seems a different lifetime away now.
 
buckielugger said:
Well I was one of those who WASN'T remotely sympathetic to Blades.
Guess it was a feeling of betrayal at the time.
But u may be right in what u say but truth didn't matter so much back then, just the pure emotions of those of us on the terrace.

It all seems a different lifetime away now.
Click to expand...


Agree on all accounts.
 
The Electric Banana said:
TV Eye/This week was Thames' flag ship current affairs programme and a direct competitor to Granada's World in Action and the BBC's Panorama, it would almost certainly have been networked
Click to expand...

Cheers for that. It was probably not marketed or advertised in a way that peaked my then early teen interest.
 
I certainly remember this being shown and watched it eagerly, but time has a habit of both distorting and explaining history. Who really knows what the true financial position was then? Blades had his own agenda, but the gates against West Ham and Huddersfield certainly suggested that a little bit of extra investment might have paid handsome dividends. The Second Division was on the horizon but was allowed to evade us. That still rankles with me, especially given the generally dreadful times we have endured since.

It would be interesting to get Thommo's take on it now, from the perspective of almost 40 years.
 
Speculate to accumulate?
The potential was clearly there and I believe the next chairman Houlston? Let Murphy bring in some of the players he wanted in the summer of 83 but Peake, Bell and Carr had already and the decline soon followed.
 
Still no money outside the big clubs and even some of the those struggle. We are OK but how long it will last is anyone's guess.
 
My memory as a child was Blades was a baddy. Murph was not been given money to buy players as our squad had injuries. Not sure Blades' house should have been vandalised but feelings ran high.
On reflection this was the best Lincoln side in my lifetime but faltered after Christmas and subsequently the dream was over as they moved on and some ended up in the top league directly or later in the their careers. The programme is a lifetime ago however the themes still exist. New threats of break away leagues and increasing moves to watching football on a screen/not at the match emerge. Old ones of agents fees and failure to redistribute monies to grass routes and lower leagues. What is funny is seeing Cockerill, Peake, Thommo and Carr dissenting on TV however Thommo obviously was management material back then with his attempt at diplomacy!? Despite the perm.
 
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