Blackpool and Newcastle fans shared the genius of two outstanding footballers
Posted on September 16th, 2009 | 27 Comments |
Mention the names Tony Green and the late Alan Suddick, and it will evoke fond memories for all those fans who were able to watch them in their respective colours. Both players were blessed with a natural flair and a natural hunger for the game that few are fortunate to be born with. Of course, I’m not actually old enough to know their playing days first-hand, but my dad has long been singing the praises of these two men and I would challenge you to find an article or book written that looks upon these two as anything other than favourably.
Tony Green –
My dad said if he had to compare Tony Green it would be almost impossible but that if he could combine talents that I could relate to, then he was a mix of David McCreery’s tenacity, Rob Lee’s driving ability and Beardsley’s subtletly and brilliance. Which kind of paints a fairly vivid picture of the ideal footballer. And that’s essentially what my dad regarded him as.
Having begun his career at Albion Rovers, in his native Scotland, Green was transferred to Blackpool in 1966 for £13,000, where his ability shone like a beacon. Newcastle were able to prise him away from Bloomfield Road in a part-exchange deal worth Keith Dyson and £150,000 and he immediately made an impression on the St James’ crowds.
Fans of the era, consider him one of the most ‘complete’ footballers you could imagine and his appearance was worth the entry fee alone. A travesty then, that his career was cut brutally short by a cartilage injury in the peak of his playing days at 26. Joe Harvey was quoted as describing the untimely end to Green’s career as his saddest day in football. The fact that the man played less than a half century of games in black and white and yet is admired so widely is quite extraordinary.
Alan Suddick –
I had the privilege of meeting and getting to know Alan through amateur football, when he would come and watch his lads play in our team. He was a great bloke with a laidback approach to life and a lovely, dry sense of humour.
But he was also a tremendous footballer and, in fact, Bob Moncur was quoted in his autobiography as saying that Suddick had “as much natural ability as George Best” and suggested that he was one of the best English players never to have won a senior cap. It’s written that Suddick never fulfilled his potential because he was gifted with extravagant ability and a style which did not suit the brand of football being introduced at the time. Though he was a committed player, the emphasis was more on brawns than brains.
“Suddy” began his Newcastle career at the age of 17 (youngest-ever player at the time for the club) as Newcastle won promotion back to the First Division in ’64/65 as champions of the Second. Suddick almost fell out with Harvey over his desire to play more centrally at a time when United flirted with relegation in their struggle to get to grips with the top flight. However despite knuckling down and helping the club avoid the drop, Alan fell victim to wholesale changes the following season and was transferred to Blackpool for £63,000.
Suddick couldn’t have made a better start, finishing as the club’s top goalscorer in his first full season, and later played in every match as Blackpool won promotion to the First Division. Despite his big impact, Suddick suffered injury setbacks and was eventually sold to Stoke City but remained a crowd favourite with the Blackpool faithful. After spells in non-league and coaching, he retired in Blackpool, and was inducted into the club’s hall of fame when it was launched in 2006.
Sadly, it was revealed that Alan was suffering from cancer, and underwent several operations. He finally succumbed to the illness and died peacefully in his sleep in hospital on 16th March this year, at the age of 64, with members of his family present.
My dad found it difficult to make a suitable comparison to Alan with any modern day footballer, which I guess in itself is a pretty nice compliment.
In times when we’re undoubtedly relying on ‘bollocks’ rather than ‘brilliance’, it’s perhaps worth remembering that Blackpool and Newcastle were privileged to have seen the genius of Tony Green and Alan Suddick, who had quite a bit of both. I only wish I’d been there.
NUFCBlog Author: bowburnmag
bowburnmag has written 234 articles on this blog.
flaming nora………..o-o