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A quick one for anyone interested in the olden days; the seminal 1963 behind-the-scenes documentary about Albion, The Saturday Men, is now available to watch for free in its entirety on the BFI website. For anyone who hasn't seen it, it really is a fantastic watch, whether you were around at the time or not.
http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-the-...-men-1963/
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"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley
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I love this and have never been able to find it anywhere Thanks chap
Bonum vinum laetificat cor hominis.
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20-07-2015, 23:13
(This post was last modified: 20-07-2015, 23:14 by silverbaggie.)
Didn't know that the Tank had to take his teeth out before a game.
Poor old Clive Clarke was looking totally p***ed off.
Can you imagine todays footballers agreeing to train in those conditions..
According to the Tony Matthews book that game against West Ham finished 2-2
But, on the plus side it was still 'the working man's game' and you didn't have to have pots of money to be successful.
Some days I'm top dog, most days I'm just the lamp post.
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20-07-2015, 23:15
(This post was last modified: 20-07-2015, 23:19 by Ska'dForLife-WBA.)
No worries. I hope they keep it available permanently, because it's such a great snapshot of the past. The Black Country landscape, all the things which have changed in football, and a few things which haven't! (Also had ter loff at the line "Tipton boasts little in the way of entertainment." Obviously the days of shopping-trolley-bobsledding were still to come  )
(20-07-2015, 23:13)silverbaggie Wrote: Can you imagine todays footballers agreeing to train in those conditions..
If I recall correctly, it was only twelve months or so until many of the blokes featured in the film actually did refuse to train in those conditions, and promptly held the infamous "tracksuit rebellion". In that wide shot outside the training ground, you can even see the bonk where Jimmy Hagan went and tipped his car into the cut!
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley
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Thanks so much, Ska'd. I seemed to remember seeing an excerpt of this at the time but thought I'd imagined it in more recent times. A brilliant piece of social history and what about the difference in football clubs and footballers' lives! Wonderful to see it in it's entirety and looking back in time.
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Nice one Ska'd, I had not seen it so thanks for that.
Great to see Alec Jackson who I had met on numerous occasions, as he worked next to my uncle on the track at Longbridge when he finished playing. How times have changed
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Yeah, I grew up just down the road from Alec Jackson, used to see him in our local quite a lot before they pulled it down. Good bloke, plenty of tales to tell!
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley
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21-07-2015, 23:29
(This post was last modified: 21-07-2015, 23:31 by silverbaggie.)
(20-07-2015, 23:15)Ska Wrote: No worries. I hope they keep it available permanently, because it's such a great snapshot of the past. The Black Country landscape, all the things which have changed in football, and a few things which haven't! (Also had ter loff at the line "Tipton boasts little in the way of entertainment." Obviously the days of shopping-trolley-bobsledding were still to come )
(20-07-2015, 23:13)silverbaggie Wrote: Can you imagine todays footballers agreeing to train in those conditions..
If I recall correctly, it was only twelve months or so until many of the blokes featured in the film actually did refuse to train in those conditions, and promptly held the infamous "tracksuit rebellion". In that wide shot outside the training ground, you can even see the bonk where Jimmy Hagan went and tipped his car into the cut!
Quite right Sa'd.
It was in December 1963 that ten players asked for a transfer because they didn't like the Manager Jimmy Hagan.
Alec Jackson who was already on the transfer list then joined the other ten players on strike.
The strike lasted 10 days and then the players walked out again and were joined by another ten players because they weren't allowed to wear track suits to train in the freezing cold weather.
Some days I'm top dog, most days I'm just the lamp post.
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Brilliant Ska'd..... the only trouble is, I can remember watching all these players!
How things have changed. Halftime Bovril served from a wooden shed; smelly gents WC's and certainly no hot water, soap and electric hand dryers.
I wonder how the players of those days would fair against today's modern players? I suspect today's team would be far fitter, more skillful and win the game easily.
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22-07-2015, 20:03
(This post was last modified: 22-07-2015, 20:03 by Salopbaggie.)
(22-07-2015, 19:57)TheBaggieMan Wrote: Brilliant Ska'd..... the only trouble is, I can remember watching all these players!
How things have changed. Halftime Bovril served from a wooden shed; smelly gents WC's and certainly no hot water, soap and electric hand dryers.
I wonder how the players of those days would fair against today's modern players? I suspect today's team would be far fitter, more skillful and win the game easily. I agree a modern team would probably win, but it would be interesting to see how a modern team would get on, on a freezing cold, wet night with the old style ball and old style tackles. With only 3 substitute there would probably only be a handful of players on the pitch by the end of the game. 
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