Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for 10 years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
Promoted by Bob Piper of 115 Barclay Rd, B67 5JZ on behalf of the Labour Party, care of 39 Victoria Street London, SW1H 0HA . Hosted (printed) by Swaithe Internet Solutions who are not responsible for any of the contents of these posts.
Please note however, that The Labour Party is not responsible for the content of this website or individual posts as, unless specifically stated, I am writing solely in a personal and individual capacity.
Promoted by Bob Piper of 115 Barclay Rd, B67 5JZ on behalf of the Labour Party, care of 39 Victoria Street London, SW1H 0HA . Hosted (printed) by Swaithe Internet Solutions who are not responsible for any of the contents of these posts.
Please note however, that The Labour Party is not responsible for the content of this website or individual posts as, unless specifically stated, I am writing solely in a personal and individual capacity.
As one of the 96,924 people in Wembley Stadium (it wasn't a full house) on 30th July 1966, I remember Alan Ball and his team mates with some affection. It somehow seems perverse that the little fellah with a heart like a lion should have died of a heart attack at the age of only 61. He wasn't the best football manager in the world, as Manchester City fans will probably testify, but as a player he was right up there. The Everton half-back line (as we used to call them, before 'midfielders' were born) of Harvey, Ball and Kendall was one of the best English trios in my lifetime. My overriding memory of him though, will always be of the wee ginger boy in the red shirt who ran his heart out for his country on that summer's day 41 years ago.
Fred Eyre, a onetime bit part player (with Tranmere, I think) around the time Bally was at Everton used to tell an amusing tale of when his car broke down in the Mersey Tunnel. Alan Ball and his father, Alan Ball Snr. pulled over and offered to tow Fred's car to the nearest garage. As Fred told it he turned them down because he didn't want to be known for the rest of his career as being the man who had been dragged out of the Mersey Tunnel by the Balls!
Agree that he failed as a manager for a few clubs but as a Saints fan, in my opinion, he was our best manager of the last 20 years since Lawrie Mac (and he was a key player even well into his 30's under Lawrie as well). The passion and charisma he displayed were top notch and he had a great relationship with the fans. He took over Saints at the bottom of the league, kept us up and got us to 10th the season after and got the best out of the genius that was Le Tissier (28 goals in the 94/95 season, most of them stunners as well). He should never have left us for Man City but our useless board did nothing to stop him from going.
As an Evertonian, I was really saddened by the news. I met him briefly when I was 9, at the top of Blackpool Tower as he was filming a sequence for "This is your life", I think it was about Lawrie Mac, but I may be wrong.
I always remember the Everton groundsman being asked what was the wierdest thing you have ever had to do ? And his reply was that he had to paint one of the youth team's boots with white emulsion paint before a match as Alan Ball had run out of his trademark white boots, and they were the only pair they could find that would fit him.
April 26, 2007 12:42 PM | permalink
Agree that he failed as a manager for a few clubs but as a Saints fan, in my opinion, he was our best manager of the last 20 years since Lawrie Mac (and he was a key player even well into his 30's under Lawrie as well). The passion and charisma he displayed were top notch and he had a great relationship with the fans. He took over Saints at the bottom of the league, kept us up and got us to 10th the season after and got the best out of the genius that was Le Tissier (28 goals in the 94/95 season, most of them stunners as well). He should never have left us for Man City but our useless board did nothing to stop him from going.