Royce Franklin takes a nostalgic look back at how football has changed in the 67 years since he watched his first live match.
Today, we frequently hear managers moaning about playing too many games in too short a period. Yet, when the top teams are without a game they can fly off to distant lands. I find it difficult to reconcile the two views, but clearly extra finance plays a significant part.
How would managers feel if they had had to tolerate games on consecutive days as teams had to in the days when I first watched football in 1947? A game on Christmas Day would be followed by the reverse fixture on Boxing Day. An Easter Monday game mirrored the fixture played on Good Friday. In between there was the Easter Saturday game. That was three games in four days. In some rare instances, the players would be part-time.
All this prompts me to look at other parts of the game which have changed in the last 60 plus years. In 1947, there were no floodlights – games in the winter months kicked off as early as 2.15 pm and it was February before the normal 3 pm re-appeared. Most Saturday games started at the same time. In the light evening months some teams kicked off at 3.15pm. There were only five minutes for an interval, but that was extended to about 10 on professional teams’ grounds because of the long walk to the dressing rooms.
By 4.40 pm most games had finished, but getting the results from around the country was not an easy task. No teletext, no television to speak of (only one channel at that time) and no Sports Report on the radio until January, 1948.
Not all grounds had a public address system and the best way of getting your team’s score for away matches might be going to the reserve game at home. These were played simultaneously with the first team. There would be ready access to the telephone from the away ground where the first team were. Without a public address system, the score would come round on a board carried around the ground.
All divisions had 22 teams with 42 games played in the league per season. Promotion and relegation between divisions was limited to two teams. The bottom team from the Third Divisions North and South had to apply for re-election. Failure to get re-elected was virtually non-existent. The first team to lose its league status by this method after the Second World War was New Brighton at the end of the 1950/51 season. They were succeeded by Workington. The next team was Gateshead nine years later when Peterborough replaced them.
No Sunday football. The first game to be played on a Sunday was in the FA Cup between Cambridge United and Oldham Athletic on 6th January, 1974. This was a third-round tie which Oldham eventually won at the third attempt at the City Ground, Nottingham. The Home Secretary had granted dispensation from the Sunday Observance Act, 1780. He allowed the game to be played on a Sunday because there was a need to conserve electricity during the miners’ strike and, although there were no floodlights, electricity was needed for grounds and it was considered the demand on electricity generally would be less on a Sunday. Two weeks later 12 games were played on a Sunday. Gates improved for Sunday games and remember no shops were open on the Sabbath.
Referees always wore black. Excluding the goalkeeper, players’ numbers were two to 11. Each one indicating the position of the player. Goalkeepers usually wore green. There were no substitutes and, if an injured player were able to hobble along, he would play on the wing, simply trying to make himself a nuisance. There was no such thing as underground heating. Grounds were heavy during the winter months and towards the end of a game the ball was extremely heavy. Players played in boots as opposed to the multi-coloured ‘slippers’ they now wear.
There was not the simulated diving we see far too often today. From my recollection teams were better behaved and teams could go a whole season without having a player sent off. Yellow and red cards did not exits.
All-seater stadia were unheard of. Terraces in some instances were nothing more than cinders or some other improvised hard standing. Programmes were just that, not magazines as they are today. They were probably priced 2d (1p in today’s money). Admission to the ground would vary but could be as little as two shillings for an adult (10p). From my experience police were rarely seen at games and stewards in high visibility jackets had yet to be ‘invented’. St John Ambulance was present at games but, if someone fainted, spectators in the vicinity would wave handkerchiefs to attract the attention of the first aider.
Fans were not segregated territorially and it was usually a pleasant experience to talk to an opponent’s supporter about the merits of their team during a game. Teams came out separately, the volume of the greeting was a good indicator of support from both sets of fans.
Lastly, any football follower can be asked: was Stanley Matthews better than George Best etc? As I watch games today, particularly at ground level, the speed of the game is the most significant difference and, because of that alone, comparison between players from different eras becomes meaningless.
You must be logged in to post a comment.