[Archived] Memories of Ronnie Clayton

[A cup of beans]

Hi everyone.

I have a friend who's planning to publish an article about the great Ronnie Clayton.

I was wondering if those who saw him play could add anything of interest and nostalgia ?

Many thanks.

[47er]

Hi everyone.

I have a friend who's planning to publish an article about the great Ronnie Clayton.

I was wondering if those who saw him play could add anything of interest and nostalgia ?

Many thanks.

I remember him delivering newspapers early in the morning when he was captain of England because the paper boy hadn't turned up. Even as a child I felt the injustice of that.

People who are critical of the abolition of the maximum wage should remember how badly players were treated back then.

[A cup of beans]

Thanks 47er. Will pass that on. Shows the measure of the man and its sad that most modern day players have lost perspective etc.

[Kelbo]

Yes, Ronnie opened a card shop in the Arndale Centre Nelson, 'Clayton Cards' once went in wearing a Rovers shirt and he knocked me 20% off, lovely gesture and he was happy telling me that Douglas was the best player he had ever played with and Dougan had the greatest talent but didnt know how to use it.

Very down to earth, years later on a ground tour at Ewood we met again and he was sad that tackling was being kicked out of the game, yet it was fine to almost wrestle someone for the ball with hands and arms all over the place!! He was the first person to point out the slope at Ewood, never noticed it untill he showed me, thats why we always try to play towards Blackburn End second half to use the slope!1

[Mercer]

Remember Clayton leading out Rovers at Ewood, no pre match warm-ups, when he would sprint towards the centre spot in isolation as the rest 'trudged on' - always thought quite strange.

In latter years, a familiar figure around Wilpshire and always seemed to bump into him when I was in the area. Spent some time encouraging the young lads round there and always had a word for everyone. Nice guy.

[Daniel Louis Grabko (Dan)]

Just a young pup, I met Ronnie Clayton only once. He gave me a one-on-one ground tour during the '97-'98 season. To be honest I wasn't read up on him at the time, being an ignorant American teenager - Garner was the oldest Rovers legend I had ever seen play in anger - and when I told my gracious host, David Pugh, about my tour, he showed me his collection of Rovers history books and reference material, and I read about him. I wished I'd known his playing history beforehand.

He was a very nice man, engaging a young guy in conversation - we talked about football, mostly, and he graciously (and jokingly I am sure) said it was too bad I wasn't there for a trial, said I looked a footballer - ha! I'll always remember that.

The more I found out about him through the years, and continue to find out about, the more I appreciate having had the opportunity to meet him.

[Al]

I watched Ronnie throughout his career. He just oozed class and was seen in attack scoring goals but also there to help the centre half (they only played one in those days) when necessary. He was a big friend of the great Duncan Edwards and the pair of them carried Billy Wright in the England team in the latter years of his career.

Ronnie also had a brother Ken who also played for Rovers as a wing half. Ronnie as no.4 and Ken no.6.

[darrenrover]

Heard a story from Ron that in 1957 he, Duggie and Duncan Edwards were selected to play for England at Wembley against France.

They met at Piccadilly Station on the morning of the match and caught the train to London together. From Euston they got a cab to Wembley. Before the game they had to submit their travel expenses to the manager.

After the match, Walter Winterbottom pulled Ron to one side and asked if the three of them had travelled together and who had paid for the cab from the station. Ron replied they had and that he had paid the fair.

'i thought so' said Winterbottom ' I'll be docking Half a Crown (12.5p) from Douglas and Edwards because they claimed it as well'.

Hard to imagine how times have changed!

The other poignancy regarding the match was that it was to be Duncan Edwards last for England.

[knobblybottom]

I watched him play loads of times but the only unusual thing I can recall is that once someone kicked the ball from close to the goal at the Blackburn End and it hit Ronnie, who was slightly further upfield, on the back of the head. He was out for the count for a minute or two.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Ronnie was Rovers captain when I first started following the Rovers in the early 1960's. As someone else mentioned earlier he used to come sprinting out of the tunnel with rest of the team just jogging along behind him ! He was what was known then as a right sided wing half, usually no 4 but he also played a few times on the left hand side at no 6. In style he was a classy, energetic player who drove the team on from midfield, his partnership with Bryan Douglas was almost telepathic at times. He was a stocky player, I'd say about 5 ft 9 or 10 inches tall but solid in build. He had pretty decent pace, two good feet and he could get up for headers better than most players his size. His passing, both long and short was accurate. He also had a decent long throw. His tackling was a strong point of his game, hard but fair and usually successful. He wasn't a showy, flashy player but he epitomised what the Rovers stood for in those days.

He was unlucky to be dropped as England captain, he wasn't the only one suffering from a loss of form at the time but he carried the can. He was even more unlucky not to regain his place later on. When Rovers had that great little team in 1962,63,64 Ronnie was playing better than any other English no 4 at that time but the selectors weren't prepared to admit their mistake and bring him back into the side. Several players were chosen at that time that weren't fit to lace his boots.

As time went by he dropped into the centre of the back four and played out the rest of his career as a defender. He played well in a strange position but sometimes his lack of height told against him.

I met Ronnie twice , once at Keith Newton's funeral where he represented the club, and once when I did the tour of the ground and he was the guide. There was me and my son and just two other people on the tour and we had a great two hours with Ronnie. He came across as a gentleman, polite, sincere and with no ego at all. What a change from current day players. Ronnie and Bryan, the two greatest Rovers of the modern era, we'll never see their like again.

[Lhrover]

Didnt see him play, but I was once on work experience at Ewood.

He came in one day and I got speaking to him. Anyway at the end of the conversation he shook my hand and left. I was honored to have shook the hand of a former England Captain.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

A true gentleman, again never watched him in action, but did the tour with him and did corporate in his lounge. Spoke passionately about the club and a throw back to a gentler age, cried when I heard of his passing.

[A cup of beans]

Some wonderful tales and tributes.

[Claytons Left Boot]

With my first game at the back end of 1966 I, unfortunately, never saw Ronnie's best days. As an eight year old at that time, I can't remember too much about his style of play, well you can't at that age. I do, though, recall the way he ran out pre game as others have mentioned. I went to his testimonial in December 1970 and still have the programme. One of my all time favourite Rovers photographs is a diving Ronnie scoring at a packed Ewood in a FA Cup game against Liverpool circa 1958. That week Rovers played Liverpool twice, the cup game and a league game. There were 40k on for the league encounter and 52k for the cup game. That's 92k through the Ewood turnstiles in five days!

There's a great in depth piece on Ronnie on the Cotton Town website.

Ronnie and his wife were friends of our family for years. I remember my dad telling me that on a camping trip to the Lake District in the late 60s we climbed some mountain or other and needless to say Ronnie was first to the top and with ease. A real gentleman on and off the field who was proud to captain both Blackburn Rovers and England.

[jim mk2]

I met Ronnie a couple of times and has been mentioned he was a proper gentleman both on and off the football field, like Bobby Moore a type of footballer that does not exist anymore. Towards the end of his playing days I often used to see at his home In Wilpshire, sitting in his Mini on the driveway for hours on end - what was he thinking about, Rovers in decline or end the impending end of his career ? Lovely man.

[bazza]

I must have told this tale before to you all.

My father, a red hot Rover, told me the story of watching a game at Ewood Park, maybe a reserve match or maybe a game for trialists, around 1950ish. Ronnie was on trial and playing wing half in front of David Gray.

Gray was constantly shouting instructions to him and telling him where to go and what to do.

My dad (who maybe knew David Gray; I don't know) shouted "David, leave the lad alone and let him play his own game."

Someone moved over to my dad and said, "Thanks for that. That's my son on trial" It was Mr Clayton, Ron's father.

Also, when Ron led the team out as captain, didn't he carry the ball, kick it and then sprint across the field? Or is my memory playing tricks on me?

[LeftWinger]

I met him a couple of times when I was a kid and he was doing the tours of Ewood. My mum was so impressed with him, she sent him a letter to say thanks for a great day out and sent a picture of us on the tour. He sent us a Christmas card back and a signed photo. Absolute gentleman.

Went on the tour a few years later and he managed to lock one of the tour party in a room. People were trying to tell him he'd locked someone in a room, but he kept insisting it was just a cleaner or someone and proceded with the tour, before realising what he'd done about 5 minutes later.