[Archived] Best of the 60's

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

This one's too easy. The early to mid 1960's team was the best team I ever saw play at Ewood. They could blow hot and cold. Sometimes pretty cold, but when they blew hot they were an unstoppable footballing machine. Funnily enough this eleven even played together in the same team once or twice. They played a 4-2-4 formation on the ball and a 4-4-2 formation off it.

Else

Bray

Woods

England

Newton

Ferguson

Clayton

Douglas

Harrison

Pickering

McEvoy

Subs

Blacklaw

McGrath

Hunter

Rogers

Byrom

Dobing

[Riverside67]

Frightens you to compare that with now.

A lot of those were local lads as well.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

You're probably right re John Bray and Billy Wilson. I did seriously consider him. Barry Hole was a very talented player who'd walk into our current side but he would never replace either Mick McGrath or Eamonn Rogers for me.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Billy did play in the old First Division at the beginning of his career but he was still a lad. I remember the first time I saw him play. A pal of mine was playing for Rochdale Reserves against Rovers " A" team at Spotland so I went along. Funnily enough my pal was playing directly against Billy. Billy was a bit porky as a young kid and got a bit of a chasing off my pal who was a seriously quick winger.

I said to my mate after, " That lad that was marking you was crap, he'll never make it ". About 18 months later he was making his debut for Rovers first team ! Show's what I know. The thing I remember apart from him being a bit porky was that he was wearing the same boots John Charles wore. The ones with the white heels. I never saw any other players wear those.

We had young guy playing in midfield called Roy Wilford that day, he was amazing. A real box to box player with tremendous ability on the ball. I thought " this kid can't fail, he's brilliant ". Next thing you know he's been released and I saw later he was playing non league football.

It's a funny game football.

I just checked up, Billy made his debut aged 18yrs 7months on February 13th 1965 in a 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea. Next game was Burnley at home and we lost that one 4-1. After that he was left out but played 6 more league games that season and 33 in the relegation season plus all the games in our good cup run that season. So he played roughly 50 games in Division 1.

He was a good little player, nippy for pace, neat on the ball and a really strong tackler with an aggressive streak. He could also play on either flank but he latterly favoured the left hand side. When he left us for Portsmouth I was really disappointed, I'd always thought that he could made the switch to a defensive midfield role. Funnily enough that was where he played most of his games for Pompey.

[Al]

I can't just remember to be honest when the change came in but I believe that in the 60s teams played with one centre half so Woods and England would not be in the same team unless England played as wing half. In that case Clayton would be right half and England or Mick McGrath at left half.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I'd say the era of two centre halves came in the early to mid 1960's. England were certainly playing that system when Jack Charlton and Bobby Moore were playing for England. When I first started watching Rovers Matt Woods was the centre half between two wing halves Ronnie Clayton and Mick McGrath. By time the relegation season came around in 1965-66 we were playing Mike England at centre half with George Sharples playing alongside him. We were slow to adopt the double centre back system, maybe that's why we struggled. I remember Chelsea coming to Ewood and playing that way a couple of years earlier.

Looking at my record books, towards the end of Matt Woods last season (1962-63 ) Both Ronnie Clayton and Mick McGrath had spells out of the team (presumably through injury) Mike England came in for both of them at wing half and played 14 of the last 15 games. I remember him playing like a World beater then, even out of position. Probably the best all round player we ever produced, he played Full-back, Centre Half, Mid Field and Centre Forward and looked a natural in everyone of those position. Only Paul Warhurst comes near that.

[den]

You two are talking about the W M formation (if you can imagine the W being above the M). Rovers certainly played that way when I started in '62.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

You two are talking about the W M formation (if you can imagine the W being above the M). Rovers certainly played that way when I started in '62.

Yeah, that team on your strap line would have played that formation. It was a pretty rigid way of playing. Say you played right half (4) you knew you'd be marking the opposing inside left (10), If you kept him quiet you'd done 75% of your job. You took every throw in on the right hand side wether you could throw the bloody ball or not ! When you got the ball you fed and supported your outside and inside right (7) and (8). That was it really, up and down that right channel.

I used to watch the opposition shooting in. I'd played right half a lot so I'd watch the opposing no 10, see what foot he favoured, what sort of control he had, did he head anything etc. You knew he'd be your direct opponent.

[den]

It wasn't long after, that one of the wing halves dropped back alongside the centre half, allowing the full backs to get forward. Prior to that, the full backs never went over the half way line. Ditto, that also meant that the wingers had to start tracking back when the oppositions full backs went forward. The game changed massively during that period. Soon we became wingless.

[Al]

I'd say the era of two centre halves came in the early to mid 1960's. England were certainly playing that system when Jack Charlton and Bobby Moore were playing for England. When I first started watching Rovers Matt Woods was the centre half between two wing halves Ronnie Clayton and Mick McGrath. By time the relegation season came around in 1965-66 we were playing Mike England at centre half with George Sharples playing alongside him. We were slow to adopt the double centre back system, maybe that's why we struggled. I remember Chelsea coming to Ewood and playing that way a couple of years earlier.

Looking at my record books, towards the end of Matt Woods last season (1962-63 ) Both Ronnie Clayton and Mick McGrath had spells out of the team (presumably through injury) Mike England came in for both of them at wing half and played 14 of the last 15 games. I remember him playing like a World beater then, even out of position. Probably the best all round player we ever produced, he played Full-back, Centre Half, Mid Field and Centre Forward and looked a natural in everyone of those position. Only Paul Warhurst comes near that.

You are right that in 66 England played 2 centre halves so I was wrong on that but as you say Matt Woods always played as a single centre half between two wing halves so I was not wrong on that score.

Mike England played as a centre half, was brilliant at wing half and I remember him terrorising the Burnley defence as a centre forward too. The Dingles hated him. Probably the most cultured all round player that Rovers ever produced.

[Leonard Venkhater]

You're probably right re John Bray and Billy Wilson. I did seriously consider him. Barry Hole was a very talented player who'd walk into our current side but he would never replace either Mick McGrath or Eamonn Rogers for me.

He was my first Rovers hero.

A couple of years back, my wife was listening to RTE. It was all about a reunion of all the ( still living)players who had ever turned out for the Republic. The only one they hadn't managed to trace was Eamonn Rogers. I had a bit of a pang at that!