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Football's Golden Years: Think the pitch at Blackpool is in poor shape? You should take a look at these mudbaths...
By NICK METCALFE
PUBLISHED: 05:23 EST, 20 March 2013 | UPDATED: 10:48 EST, 20 March 2013
PREVIOUS GOLDEN YEARS
Part One: Famous FA Cup replays
Part Two: Fans over the decades
Part Three: Memorable managers
Part Four: The boys from Brazil
Part Five: The magic of Madrid
Part Six: Famous cup upsets
Part Seven: Bobby Moore special
Part Eight: Famous British grounds
Part Nine: Stars and their cars
As we arrive at the tenth of our Golden Years features, we've consistently seen quite how much the game has changed over time.
That is the theme again this week, as we take a look at the state of some pitches in decades gone by,
With Blackpool coming under fire from some quarters for the state of their pitch at Bloomfield Road, we thought it would be timely to look through the archives and recall some of the awful surfaces on which players used to struggle.
If these pictures bring back any memories for you, please feel free to share them at the bottom of this article
Be sure to join us again next Wednesday, when we'll bring you more memorable images from the game's past.
Cutting up rough: Blackpool's pitch at Bloomfield Road has been beset with problems this season and this FA Cup game against Fulham in January was just one example
It's almost impossible to imagine a pitch in this kind of state for a top-flight match today - here is a rather wonderful picture of two Preston players leaving the surface at half-time during a match against Charlton at The Valley in 1937. The hosts won the game 3-1, on their way to finishing second in Division One that season
This would have been an awful pitch for any match, but was certainly not suitable for this 1970 FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Watford at White Hart Lane. The Blues were far too good on the day, winning 5-1, with Peter Houseman scoring twice. They went on to beat Leeds in a famous FA Cup final replay at Old Trafford, courtesy of a winner from David Webb
Just look at the state of the Parkhead pitch in this 1970 picture - here Celtic legend Billy McNeill and Rangers favourite Ronnie McKinnon troop off after a Scottish Cup quarter-final. Celtic won the game 3-1 but Aberdeen later beat the Bhoys 3-1 in the final at Hampden
Here is a picture of Jimmy Greaves being tackled by Manchester City's Mike Doyle at a muddy Maine Road in 1970. Greaves, one of the finest strikers in English football history, was making his West Ham debut, having joined from London rivals Tottenham, and he scored two goals in a comprehensive 5-1 win for the Hammers
It's probably fair to describe the Stamford Bridge pitch here as waterlogged. This picture is from a Division One match in 1957 between Chelsea and Bolton, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Here, Chelsea winger Peter Brabrook smashes the ball straight at Bolton's Ralph Gubbins
The ball is stuck in the mud in this picture of a game between Arsenal and Manchester United in October, 1960. Arsenal goalkeeper Jack Kelsey looks helplessly on, as John Snedden manages to clear away before Nobby Stiles can force the ball home for United. The Gunners won the match 2-1
This superb picture illustrates perfectly how muddy the pitch is at Dorking's Meadowbank ground in 1992 for an FA Cup first round match against Plymouth. Argyle won an exciting tie 3-2 against the non-League outfit and made it to the third round, where they were beaten 3-1 at Ipswich
The centre circle doesn't look at its best here at Luton's Kenilworth Road ground for the 1984 women's European Championship final second leg between England and Sweden. England won the game 1-0, making the score 1-1 on aggregate, with Sweden winning a penalty shootout. It's not like England to lose on penalties, is it?
Enlarge
The pitch at Wembley was in one of its worst ever states for the 1969 League Cup final between Swindon and Arsenal. The terrible playing conditions were blamed on the fact that the Horse of the Year Show took place at the stadium only a week earlier. In the final, third division Swindon caused one of the great upsets, winning 3-1. Here, Peter Noble and Roger Smart celebrate one of Swindon's goals, with Arsenal's Bobby Gould the picture of frustration in the background
I bet this lot were looking forward to their bath - here Sheffield Wednesday's Alan Warboys (left), Burnley's Ralph Coates (centre) and Wednesday goalkeeper Peter Springett (right) are seen after a Division One match between Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday in 1969
There must have been something about 1970 - Chelsea and Watford battled through their FA Cup semi-final on an awful White Hart Lane pitch, and the surface at Hillsborough wasn't much better for the other semi-final between Leeds and Manchester United. Here, Pat Crerand clears the ball, watched by team-mates Tony Dunne and Carlo Sartori, while Terry Cooper tries to make an impression for Leeds. Both this game and the replay at Villa Park finished 0-0. In the second replay at Bolton's Burnden Park, Leeds legend Billy Bremner scored the only goal to send the Yorkshire club into the final
It's now 22 years since football was played at Plough Lane in Wimbledon - the ground certainly has its place in football history. The pitch looks in a decidedly poor state for this match between the Dons and Aston Villa in 1989. Here, Gordon Cowans (left) neatly avoids Lawrie Sanchez's sliding tackle. Wimbledon won the match 1-0 and they actually finished five places above Villa in Division One that season in 12th
Arguably, the most notorious of all Britain's muddy pitches was at Derby's Baseball Ground - it doesn't look brilliant in this 1972 picture of Scotland winger Archie Gemmill playing for Derby against Arsenal, a Division One game that the hosts won 2-0
This burst must have taken a fair bit of effort as Nottingham Forest defender Viv Anderson races past Bristol City's Terry Cooper at the City Ground in 1980. The popular Anderson, who was the first black player to represent England, was with Forest for a decade before joining Arsenal, and later Manchester United
Here is another picture from The Valley, this time from 1951 - Billy Kiernan forces the ball home in a Division One game against Stoke in 1951. Charlton struggled for large part of the 1950-51 season, eventually finishing 17th. Stoke didn't fare much better, finishing 13th in the table
The Horse of the Year show was blamed for the state of the pitch in a Wembley cup final again in 1970, and the surface for the FA Cup showpiece between Leeds and Chelsea was in an awful state. The pigeons at the bottom of the picture didn't seem too concerned, mind you. The game finished in a 2-2 draw, with the pitch deemed so poor that the replay took place at Old Trafford
I like the clarity in this picture - here Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson fails to stop Liverpool's John Toshack scoring in a 2-0 win for the hosts at Anfield in January 1971. The Gunners had the last laugh that season however, beating Liverpool in the FA Cup final to secure an historic Double on a much better pitch at Wembley
Players jump for the ball in during an FA Cup tie between Arsenal and Preston at Highbury in 1922. The game finished in a 1-1 draw, with Preston winning the replay 2-1 and going all the way to the final, where they were beaten by Huddersfield
A muddy Billy Bremner at the Baseball Ground in April 1971, a day in which his Leeds team were beaten 2-0 by Derby. Leeds eventually finished runners-up to Arsenal by just a point that season
Frank Lampard Snr playing for West Ham in an FA Cup quarter-final at Arsenal in 1975. The Hammers won the game 2-0, with both goals coming from Alan Taylor, on their way to winning the competition
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2O8NB3i64
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PUBLISHED: 05:23 EST, 20 March 2013 | UPDATED: 10:48 EST, 20 March 2013
PREVIOUS GOLDEN YEARS
Part One: Famous FA Cup replays
Part Two: Fans over the decades
Part Three: Memorable managers
Part Four: The boys from Brazil
Part Five: The magic of Madrid
Part Six: Famous cup upsets
Part Seven: Bobby Moore special
Part Eight: Famous British grounds
Part Nine: Stars and their cars
As we arrive at the tenth of our Golden Years features, we've consistently seen quite how much the game has changed over time.
That is the theme again this week, as we take a look at the state of some pitches in decades gone by,
With Blackpool coming under fire from some quarters for the state of their pitch at Bloomfield Road, we thought it would be timely to look through the archives and recall some of the awful surfaces on which players used to struggle.
If these pictures bring back any memories for you, please feel free to share them at the bottom of this article
Be sure to join us again next Wednesday, when we'll bring you more memorable images from the game's past.
Cutting up rough: Blackpool's pitch at Bloomfield Road has been beset with problems this season and this FA Cup game against Fulham in January was just one exampleIt's almost impossible to imagine a pitch in this kind of state for a top-flight match today - here is a rather wonderful picture of two Preston players leaving the surface at half-time during a match against Charlton at The Valley in 1937. The hosts won the game 3-1, on their way to finishing second in Division One that seasonThis would have been an awful pitch for any match, but was certainly not suitable for this 1970 FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Watford at White Hart Lane. The Blues were far too good on the day, winning 5-1, with Peter Houseman scoring twice. They went on to beat Leeds in a famous FA Cup final replay at Old Trafford, courtesy of a winner from David WebbJust look at the state of the Parkhead pitch in this 1970 picture - here Celtic legend Billy McNeill and Rangers favourite Ronnie McKinnon troop off after a Scottish Cup quarter-final. Celtic won the game 3-1 but Aberdeen later beat the Bhoys 3-1 in the final at HampdenHere is a picture of Jimmy Greaves being tackled by Manchester City's Mike Doyle at a muddy Maine Road in 1970. Greaves, one of the finest strikers in English football history, was making his West Ham debut, having joined from London rivals Tottenham, and he scored two goals in a comprehensive 5-1 win for the HammersIt's probably fair to describe the Stamford Bridge pitch here as waterlogged. This picture is from a Division One match in 1957 between Chelsea and Bolton, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Here, Chelsea winger Peter Brabrook smashes the ball straight at Bolton's Ralph Gubbins The ball is stuck in the mud in this picture of a game between Arsenal and Manchester United in October, 1960. Arsenal goalkeeper Jack Kelsey looks helplessly on, as John Snedden manages to clear away before Nobby Stiles can force the ball home for United. The Gunners won the match 2-1This superb picture illustrates perfectly how muddy the pitch is at Dorking's Meadowbank ground in 1992 for an FA Cup first round match against Plymouth. Argyle won an exciting tie 3-2 against the non-League outfit and made it to the third round, where they were beaten 3-1 at IpswichThe centre circle doesn't look at its best here at Luton's Kenilworth Road ground for the 1984 women's European Championship final second leg between England and Sweden. England won the game 1-0, making the score 1-1 on aggregate, with Sweden winning a penalty shootout. It's not like England to lose on penalties, is it?Enlarge
The pitch at Wembley was in one of its worst ever states for the 1969 League Cup final between Swindon and Arsenal. The terrible playing conditions were blamed on the fact that the Horse of the Year Show took place at the stadium only a week earlier. In the final, third division Swindon caused one of the great upsets, winning 3-1. Here, Peter Noble and Roger Smart celebrate one of Swindon's goals, with Arsenal's Bobby Gould the picture of frustration in the backgroundI bet this lot were looking forward to their bath - here Sheffield Wednesday's Alan Warboys (left), Burnley's Ralph Coates (centre) and Wednesday goalkeeper Peter Springett (right) are seen after a Division One match between Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday in 1969There must have been something about 1970 - Chelsea and Watford battled through their FA Cup semi-final on an awful White Hart Lane pitch, and the surface at Hillsborough wasn't much better for the other semi-final between Leeds and Manchester United. Here, Pat Crerand clears the ball, watched by team-mates Tony Dunne and Carlo Sartori, while Terry Cooper tries to make an impression for Leeds. Both this game and the replay at Villa Park finished 0-0. In the second replay at Bolton's Burnden Park, Leeds legend Billy Bremner scored the only goal to send the Yorkshire club into the finalIt's now 22 years since football was played at Plough Lane in Wimbledon - the ground certainly has its place in football history. The pitch looks in a decidedly poor state for this match between the Dons and Aston Villa in 1989. Here, Gordon Cowans (left) neatly avoids Lawrie Sanchez's sliding tackle. Wimbledon won the match 1-0 and they actually finished five places above Villa in Division One that season in 12thArguably, the most notorious of all Britain's muddy pitches was at Derby's Baseball Ground - it doesn't look brilliant in this 1972 picture of Scotland winger Archie Gemmill playing for Derby against Arsenal, a Division One game that the hosts won 2-0This burst must have taken a fair bit of effort as Nottingham Forest defender Viv Anderson races past Bristol City's Terry Cooper at the City Ground in 1980. The popular Anderson, who was the first black player to represent England, was with Forest for a decade before joining Arsenal, and later Manchester UnitedHere is another picture from The Valley, this time from 1951 - Billy Kiernan forces the ball home in a Division One game against Stoke in 1951. Charlton struggled for large part of the 1950-51 season, eventually finishing 17th. Stoke didn't fare much better, finishing 13th in the tableThe Horse of the Year show was blamed for the state of the pitch in a Wembley cup final again in 1970, and the surface for the FA Cup showpiece between Leeds and Chelsea was in an awful state. The pigeons at the bottom of the picture didn't seem too concerned, mind you. The game finished in a 2-2 draw, with the pitch deemed so poor that the replay took place at Old TraffordI like the clarity in this picture - here Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson fails to stop Liverpool's John Toshack scoring in a 2-0 win for the hosts at Anfield in January 1971. The Gunners had the last laugh that season however, beating Liverpool in the FA Cup final to secure an historic Double on a much better pitch at WembleyPlayers jump for the ball in during an FA Cup tie between Arsenal and Preston at Highbury in 1922. The game finished in a 1-1 draw, with Preston winning the replay 2-1 and going all the way to the final, where they were beaten by HuddersfieldA muddy Billy Bremner at the Baseball Ground in April 1971, a day in which his Leeds team were beaten 2-0 by Derby. Leeds eventually finished runners-up to Arsenal by just a point that seasonFrank Lampard Snr playing for West Ham in an FA Cup quarter-final at Arsenal in 1975. The Hammers won the game 2-0, with both goals coming from Alan Taylor, on their way to winning the competitionRead more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2O8NB3i64
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