**Official** English Football Season 2024/25

[wpdavid]

I'm guessing the dinking culture was something Hilaire was not so comfortable with?

He was new to it, but he adapted pretty quickly. He speaks very fondly of his time at Portsmouth. Something along the lines of Palace taught him how to play football but Portsmouth taught him how to be a man. Or something like that, I'm probably not doing it justice. He very much likes the city and the people, as well as the football team. I think he moved back there when his football career ended. Apparently one of the local builders offered him some work for a while but, when he asked Hilaire what skills he could offer, 'Keeping a ball up 300 times' wasn't especially useful.

I don't know what Hilaire is doing nowadays. I hope he's OK. Perhaps he's doing hospitality at Portsmouth FC. His autobiography includes a section written by Billy Gilbert, also an ex-Palace player of course. It's quite a sad read actually, when he finishes by saying that both of them could have done so much more in their careers if they'd knuckled down properly. That's not something you want to be spending your retirement thinking about. And it isn't great to realise that your career highlights as a footballer all took place before your 20th birthday.

The book's decent read. I picked up lots of material about the youth set up at Palace in the 1970s, which is the main reason I bought a copy. But if you take it on holiday, you'll finish it in a day and a half.

 

[Molehill]

He was new to it, but he adapted pretty quickly. He speaks very fondly of his time at Portsmouth. Something along the lines of Palace taught him how to play football but Portsmouth taught him how to be a man. Or something like that, I'm probably not doing it justice. He very much likes the city and the people, as well as the football team. I think he moved back there when his football career ended. Apparently one of the local builders offered him some work for a while but, when he asked Hilaire what skills he could offer, 'Keeping a ball up 300 times' wasn't especially useful.

I don't know what Hilaire is doing nowadays. I hope he's OK. Perhaps he's doing hospitality at Portsmouth FC. His autobiography includes a section written by Billy Gilbert, also an ex-Palace player of course. It's quite a sad read actually, when he finishes by saying that both of them could have done so much more in their careers if they'd knuckled down properly. That's not something you want to be spending your retirement thinking about. And it isn't great to realise that your career highlights as a footballer all took place before your 20th birthday.

The book's decent read. I picked up lots of material about the youth set up at Palace in the 1970s, which is the main reason I bought a copy. But if you take it on holiday, you'll finish it in a day and a half.

He was definitely doing matchday hospitality for a while, not sure what else. Billy Gilbert was another Fratton hero, his centre back pairing with Blake is still referenced as the pedestal to which all others should aspire to (and we had Sol Campbell and Sylvin Distin in the Prem!!).

I read Tony Adams autobiography once, there's drinking cultures and then there's Arsenal in the 90s (until Wenger rocked up).

 

[duffer]

I read Tony Adams autobiography once, there's drinking cultures and then there's Arsenal in the 90s (until Wenger rocked up).

Players having all nighters and turning up to training on no sleep and drunk af I heard. Or is it worse than that?

 

[Molehill]

Players having all nighters and turning up to training on no sleep and drunk af I heard. Or is it worse than that?

Pretty much that. But Adams was an alcoholic who didn't suffer hangovers. His only issue was that he'd wake up every morning having wet the bed. So he was able to hide it from the club very easily. But he'd finish training at lunchtime, then head straight to a pub and drink about 10 pints of Guinness and a load of vodka. There were others who joined him (Merson, Parlour etc) but none were as bad as him on a daily basis. It's astonishing that he was able to have the career he did. But Wenger clocked it very quickly and was the first to try and sort him out.

 

[Chin Music]

I have heard that many clubs had drinking issues from the 60s onwards. I know about my lot having been on the tiles before getting beat 4-0 at Blackpool in the early 70s in an FA cup game

 

[Molehill]

I have heard that many clubs had drinking issues from the 60s onwards. I know about my lot having been on the tiles before getting beat 4-0 at Blackpool in the early 70s in an FA cup game

Portsmouth had a player in the 70's called Dave Kemp, for whom the Lily The Pink song (drink a drink) was amended in his honour. It's still sung today!!

 

[wpdavid]

I have heard that many clubs had drinking issues from the 60s onwards. I know about my lot having been on the tiles before getting beat 4-0 at Blackpool in the early 70s in an FA cup game

Yeah, Bobby Moore famously liked a drink or two. 'Win or lose, always on the booze' was the quote from the time. There was even a TV advert in the 1960s pushing your local pubs, with Moore and Peters both involved.

The Blackpool match in January 1971 was a very big deal at the time. There were only four players involved: Moore, Jimmy Greaves, Brian Dear and Clyde Best. Apparently the icey conditions meant they thought the match would be called off, so they decided to enjoy the local night-life. But it wasn't called off, West Ham lost 4-0 and a local reporter picked up on the players' night-before-the match activities. iirc that ended Greaves' career at West Ham. Possibly Dear as well, but they were both past it by then. Best was let off relatively lightly on the basis that he was led astray by the older players. I think Moore was suspended for a game or two.

 

[Chin Music]

Yeah, Bobby Moore famously liked a drink or two. 'Win or lose, always on the booze' was the quote from the time. There was even a TV advert in the 1960s pushing your local pubs, with Moore and Peters both involved.

The Blackpool match in January 1971 was a very big deal at the time. There were only four players involved: Moore, Jimmy Greaves, Brian Dear and Clyde Best. Apparently the icey conditions meant they thought the match would be called off, so they decided to enjoy the local night-life. But it wasn't called off, West Ham lost 4-0 and a local reporter picked up on the players' night-before-the match activities. iirc that ended Greaves' career at West Ham. Possibly Dear as well, butthey were both past it by then. Best was let off relatively lightly on the basis that he was led astray by the older players. I think Moore was suspended for a game or two.

Yeah I know about Moore and Greaves. It is a few years before my time but it was a fairly notorious story of the time.

 

[wpdavid]

Portsmouth had a player in the 70's called Dave Kemp, for whom the Lily The Pink song (drink a drink) was amended in his honour. It's still sung today!!

I remember him. He played for Palace in our 3rd division days.
Wiki suggests that he was more successful for you than he had been for us.

 

[Furball]

Pretty much that. But Adams was an alcoholic who didn't suffer hangovers. His only issue was that he'd wake up every morning having wet the bed. So he was able to hide it from the club very easily. But he'd finish training at lunchtime, then head straight to a pub and drink about 10 pints of Guinness and a load of vodka. There were others who joined him (Merson, Parlour etc) but none were as bad as him on a daily basis. It's astonishing that he was able to have the career he did. But Wenger clocked it very quickly and was the first to try and sort him out.

Adams would tape binbags to himself under his top to help sweat out the booze in a morning training session.

 

[sledger]

Players having all nighters and turning up to training on no sleep and drunk af I heard. Or is it worse than that?

A lot of the players used to wear black bin bags/sacks under their clothing to try and sweat the booze out apparently.

Edit: Ha, beaten to it by Furball.

 

[wpdavid]

One of the great things about Wenger was that he managed to change their habits instead of kicking them out.

 

[sledger]

One of the great things about Wenger was that he managed to change their habits instead of kicking them out.

Probably prolonged all of their careers by 4-5 years as well.

 

[govinda indian fan]

@co Liverpool fans Read on twitter that real Madrid are offering arda guler for McAlister. As good as arda is dont want us to sell macca

 

[Skipper Pup]

@co Liverpool fans Read on twitter that real Madrid are offering arda guler for McAlister. As good as arda is dont want us to sell macca

Guler is a great prospect but I wouldn't swap Macca for anyone.

Swiss army knife. He's our most important midfielder and it's not close

 

[govinda indian fan]

Guler is a great prospect but I wouldn't swap Macca for anyone.

Swiss army knife. He's our most important midfielder and it's not close

I was saying same thing mate. Can't afford to lose macca after losing TAA

 

[andruid]

Will we be seeing this tonight

 

[govinda indian fan]

Will we be seeing this tonight

Today braca vs Dortmund and villa vs psg

 

[govinda indian fan]

I still wonder why slot doesn't give chiesa enough minutes. He sure needs to improve bench strength and god forbid but if mo or vvd are injured and ruled out during sep- dec period
We might be unprepared to face big 5 and top teams in cl

 

[GIMH]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1911691864169652562

Amen.