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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2009 21:32:53 GMT
Jon, tufc01 and myself had a chat today about footballers statues. This was partly triggered by an article I saw in one of the papers during the week. If we were to have a statue of a Torquay United player or manager - be it at Plainmoor or elsewhere in the town - who would it be? We tossed a few names around and - on balance - I think we came out in favour of Don Mills over Robin Stubbs as the player and Frank O'Farrell as the most cherished figure. I wonder how much such a venture would cost? What would be the sources of funding? What pose should Frank take? Here's one for starters:  The kit bag would be included and - to me anyway - the pose and clothing nicely captures the then relatively new concept of the "track-suited manager" (resonant with Alf Ramsey's England). Here's a selction of a few statues I've seen up close: Tom Finney - at Deepdale outside the National Football museum. Based on the "splash" photograph taken during a Chelsea v PNE game in the mid 1950s:   Stanley Matthews outside Stoke City's ground (rather than the one of him in Hanley high street). If it's not known as the Three Ages of Stan it should be: the first figure is young Matthews receiving the ball; the second is a slightly older Stan beating his man; the third is the veteran (still playing at fifty) crossing the ball. Brilliant.   Lastly Bob Stokoe outside the Stadium of Light. I loved this one when I saw it last year:  Any others? Lors, lager in hand, next to King Billy on Brixham harbourside? |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Apr 5, 2009 18:18:46 GMT
Well Barton I know there are many great names we can all remember from the past and so many would deserve to have a statue made of them.
If I had to choose just one player, then it would be Steve Cooper(can't find a picture on the web)this man gave everything in each game I ever saw in play in, at the end when is ankles were knackered he still put himself about and played through the pain.
Unlike Sills who flicks his headers on, Cooper always got them out wide to a waiting winger, he never seemed to miss any or place then in the wrong place.
I remember after he gave up the game, I delivered milk to the flat where he was living at that time, I did know he lived there until he opened the door. I just felt afterward that it was a shame players like him never got the rewards that players get these days. Just one look at some of the cars our players turn up in, will tell you players in the days of Steve Cooper, got paid very little.
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merse
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Post by merse on Apr 5, 2009 18:46:01 GMT
 Coops was a great friend of mine when I worked at Plainmoor and I often used to bring him back from his Black Country home on Sunday evenings following games up North as I used to take advantage of the fixture list myself to weekend nearby to his Oldswinford home and in fact ended up living there for a short period immediately before settling in London. Les Lawrence came from neighbouring Rowley Regis and also used to take the offer of a lift at times. Coops was just a simple straight forward lad who was as honest as the day was long and he too had a tale or two to tell of playing for Brian Clough (at Brighton) He would run through brick walls for you, although he was no mug having played for England at Schools level. I used to fear for him because he had terrible trouble with migraines and some of you may recall how he used to hold his hands over his ears at times whilst shutting his eyes to overcome the pain.................my worries about his brain were compounded the day he opted to sign a new contract BEFORE the details were filled in ~ such was the trusting and endearing nature of a lovely, lovely guy who would no more dream of short changing anyone so he saw no issue of the possibility of being short changed himself (which he wasn't in this instance I hasten to add) and I was also told a tale that when a certain chairman agreed to sign the other "Steve Cooper" who played for Tranmere Rovers and Plymouth Argyle; he was distraught when he discovered it wasn't "our" Coops he had agreed to employ!  I remember when my first wife (by then my ex wife) rang to inform me that Steve and his wife Lynn had divorced and how sorry I was to hear that because the usual reaction from me was "they got out of that one then" They certainly don't make 'em like Coops any more that's for sure, but my choice of "statue" would have to be for Frank O'Farrell, Don Mills and Robin Stubbs to be commemorated in busts in the Reception Area of Plainmoor as I fear the local scrotes around Plainmoor would only end up defacing anything outside the ground and that would be heartbreaking; although I HAVE seen alternatives to that at Northampton RFC and Erzgebirg Aue whereby they have memorials/statues within the ground, and very nice they look too!
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merse
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Post by merse on Apr 5, 2009 19:01:46 GMT
I've just remembered a brilliant story about Coops................. He'd filled out a questionnaire for me for a programme feature about individual players likes and dislikes that we were running that season and under "Favourite pre-match meal" wrote "beans on toast and loads of Daddies Brown Sauce" The programmes duly arrived at the ground from the printers and Frank O'Farrell went absolutely mental over it saying it was unprofessional and that I should have edited it out (I see his point by the way) so when I tipped Coops off that the detritus had hit the fan his response was that he had better go out and score the winner then, and THAT was so typical of the guy..............eager to please but honest to the point of self detriment.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2009 19:36:53 GMT
We talked recently about how - at many clubs - some of the biggest heroes and most-respected players have emerged during relatively unremarkable times. I guess that was true of Steve Cooper at Torquay United. So for Dave - and a fair few others - this comes from the Herald Express's centenary supplement:  |
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merse
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Post by merse on Apr 5, 2009 19:50:30 GMT
Great pics Bartie, and that's a young Steve Foster (before he favoured that head band) playing for Brighton & Hove Albion in the middle picture!
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Apr 5, 2009 19:57:45 GMT
Many thanks for putting up the picture of Steve Cooper Barton, but can you help me with a name of a well known player from the past?
About eight or nine years ago I helped out a friend who was the manager of Devon Direct Services,they provide caretakers and cleaners for schools etc.The lady in charge of all the cleaning staff(around 40) at South Devon Tec when it was in Torquay needed to have a holiday.She was very feared by her staff I believe and I agreed to go and run the operation for a week or two while she was off.
There was one very old man on her staff, who may have been 70 years old, not to sure how old he really was and I believe he lived near the college.He was once a well know TUFC player and I got to have many great talks with him, only I can't remember his name. I have been trying for weeks to come up with his name but now admit defeat, so can you come up with his name?
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Post by ricardo on Apr 5, 2009 20:01:33 GMT
Great to see my favourite United player featured on here. Perhaps because he led the line during the early years of my regular attendance at games but Cooper has always held a special place in my love of TUFC. I wouldn't necessarily include him in my 'best' XI but what passion and commitment.
He was landlord of the Maltsters Arms in Clyst St Mary for many years and turned out for the pub team on occasions but I think the pub has closed now and don't know Steve's whereabouts. I wonder if he ever attends Plainmoor? It would be great to see him do the half-time draw like another of my favourites did recently - Mark Loram.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2009 20:26:23 GMT
Dave, if he played a Football League game for us he should be here: www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/torquay/torquay.htmI think Jon has posted this link before and I'd really recommend it as a list of all our post-war league players from 1946 to 2007. There's also a select few who only played in cup games who aren't on this list. The centenary history contains a list of these "cup-only" players up to 1999. This includes the likes of Doug Allder (ex Millwall), Steve Perks (the long-time Shrewsbury keeper), Steve Kidd, Scott Kaasikmae and an Iranian called Hashemi. |
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on Apr 5, 2009 20:32:32 GMT
Many thanks for putting up the picture of Steve Cooper Barton, but can you help me with a name of a well known player from the past? About eight or nine years ago I helped out a friend who was the manager of Devon Direct Services,they provide caretakers and cleaners for schools etc.The lady in charge of all the cleaning staff(around 40) at South Devon Tec when it was in Torquay needed to have a holiday.She was very feared by her staff I believe and I agreed to go and run the operation for a week or two while she was off. There was one very old man on her staff, who may have been 70 years old, not to sure how old he really was and I believe he lived near the college.He was once a well know TUFC player and I got to have many great talks with him, only I can't remember his name. I have been trying for weeks to come up with his name but now admit defeat, so can you come up with his name? Are you talking about Rhona? If so the only player that did a bit of work there was the late but great Tommy Northcott. |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Apr 5, 2009 20:37:42 GMT
Yes that was the lady's name Phil, she was a strong person with her staff, when i stepped in half the bloody staff took the opportunity to go off sick, they would not have dared to if she was there ;D yes and many thanks that is the very man I talked to, it was sad to see him cleaning toilets, such a great player.
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merse
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Post by merse on Apr 6, 2009 2:47:36 GMT
There's also a select few who only played in cup games who aren't on this list. The centenary history contains a list of these "cup-only" players up to 1999. This includes the likes of Doug Allder (ex Millwall), Steve Perks (the long-time Shrewsbury keeper), Steve Kidd, Scott Kaasikmae and an Iranian called Hashemi. : a veteran by the time he came to Plainmoor, but had been a classy winger in a very good Millwall side. Perks: I think he was in purely on an emergency cover situation. Kidd, and Kaasikmae: Two more of the "Boys From The Black Country" story at Torquay United.................Frank O'Farrell during his consultancy period at Plainmoor had a productive line of "tip offs" from someone up there and thus we saw the likes of the aforementioned Steve Cooper and Les Lawrence arrive, Dave Butler, and Steve Kidd ~ a couple of strikers who had been with Wolves as youths.................not forgetting also, Steve Whitton who had been a youngster at Birmingham City. Scott Kaasikmae (his father was Finnish) was one of the early "John James" supply line as far as I can recall. Hashemi was another "O'Farrell" connection in that he had been a police officer under the old Shah's regime when the country was known by it's historical name of Persia (Frank had been national team manager there) and he took up the offer of a spell at Plainmoor. |
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Post by capitalgull on Apr 6, 2009 8:31:28 GMT
Amazing to find out that Amir Hashemi (one of the one game wonders from the early 90s) eventually settled down in Holland and has been a manager there in the amateur leagues for the last 12 years. Currently with RKSV Margriet, who I am also led to believe started the career of one Ruud van Nistelrooy.
And, with my rudimentary Dutch, I think they have just been promoted. They are based in the town of Oss, who also boast one of the teams I used to take on in the Football Manager games - Top Oss. Always thought with my background in horse racing that that was a funny name!!
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Apr 6, 2009 12:15:59 GMT
Dave Butler, and Steve Kidd ~ a couple of strikers who had been with Wolves as youths.................not forgetting also, Steve Whitton who had been a youngster at Birmingham City. Steve Kidd was actually a centre back and I think he was already living locally before signing for us – the Centenary History has him down as being born in Harlow. Somebody once told me that young Steve had very strong religious beliefs when he was at the club to the point that he found any swearing or blaspheming very offensive – which was a bit of a problem in a football club dressing room. I think that the culture gap might have been a key factor in his not making the grade as a pro. I wonder if you are confusing him with Steve Cookson – a striker from Wolverhampton of similar vintage. I’m pretty sure that Cookson was related to Dean Edwards – either a cousin or a nephew. I can’t quite think who Steve Whitton was either. I can remember a Craig Whiston who was a big centre half from Birmingham in the same intake as Lee Sharpe. |
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Post by capitalgull on Apr 6, 2009 12:42:54 GMT
Steve Whitton played for Birmingham, although his start came at Coventry...don't think he ever played for us and went on to have a really successful career with Ipswich and Colchester, who he also managed.
Can't say I recall Craig Whiston but I remember Peter Whiston who was a very good defender for us for a couple of years and also played for Exeter and Plymouth. And that could be another thread...which Jon, Merse and Mr Downs would no doubt fill!
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