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Played For Both: A look at Stanley Matthews

RIP Stan
By Tangerine Time Machine March 19 2008
In this week's they played for both we're taking a look at just one player. The reason? We feel that Stanley Matthews deserves a page of his own. So in this joint Tangerine Time Machine/They Played for both article. We take an in depth look at "The Wizzard of the Dribble".


1915 saw Hanley welcome the newly born "magician" Stanley Matthews. Matthews father was a well known local boxer called Jack Matthews and Stanley was the third of four boys.

Having attended St Lukes School, near his home he signed as a professional with Stoke City in 1932. Debuting as an international two years later, he scored as England beat Wales 4-0. He soon netted his first international hat-trick against Czechoslovakia three years later.

He was proving ever popular and his football at both league and international level, was winning praise and with that admirers. In 1938 he asked for a transfer release leading to scenes of chaos in Stoke. 3000 fans attended a protest meeting with 1000 more on the march outside. This led to Stanley Matthews staying with Stoke City.

But then the war came along and ruined football, war time football was a very strange thing. A player could be a guest for numerous teams during the war an there is evidence to suggest that Stanley played for Blackpool, Crewe, Man United, Wrexham, Arsenal, Greenock Morton, Stenhousemuir and Rangers.

Strange really, he wasn't actually a journey man just ended up at numerous clubs during the war, because that was the nature of the beast.

When football resumed, Matthews fell out with Stoke and subsequently moved to Blackpool. He was 32 year's old and some deemed him past but he went on to prove them all wrong and he went on to achieve his greatest success at Blackpool FC.

A year after his £15,000 move to the Seaside, Matthews won the inaugural Football Writers' Association Football of the Year Award. However that same year he missed out on an FA Cup winner medal after Blackpool were defeated in the final. Man United scoring four goals compared to Blackpool's two. Strangley Blackpool played in white and Black, whilst United played in Blue and White. So both teams more or less, played in the rivals modern day colours!

1951 was a chance to win the medal again however yet again Blackpool lost in the final. This time Newcastle beat Blackpool 2-0 to win the cup. Newcastle Legend Jackie Milburn scoring the goals.

It was third time lucky for Stanley Matthews, 1953 saw Blackpool beat Bolton Wanderers in the final. The score was 4-3 to Blackpool, Stan Mortenson getting a hat-trick and Bill Perry scoring the winner. But it was Matthews who stole the show, his super dribbling helped put Blackpool back in the game he also assisted in the goals and the game is now dubbed "The Matthews Final" in honour of the player's performance.

He was so loved by fans for his wonderful skills and a day after his 42nd birthday Blackpool played Charlton Athletic away from home in front of 30,000 fans. As Stan emerged from the tunnel the fans broke into a chant of "happy birthday to you". This was one of the biggest acts of appreciation ever seen for a player. Especially as this was 300 miles away from home, with a few hundred seasiders in attendance. But the song was heard and was even bellowed by the home fans. Unheard of into day's day and age but a true show of appreciation for the player.

Jimmy Armfield would later go on to write in his Auto-Biography that "Matthews was truley the peoples champion". In return to that show of appreciation, Stanley pulled out his party pieces and helped demolish Charlton 4-0 and yet he was still applauded of the pitch.

People would come from far and wide to see Stanley, Blackpool could travel to a team with an average poor attendance, yet when Stanley was in town it would be a full house. People just loved to see him play and he really was the original superstar of football although he remained humble.

He rejoined his home town in 1961 and helped them to promotion to division one. Picking up a division two championship medal on his way. The same year he won Footballer of the year for a second time. But Stokes gain was Blackpool's loss, there fall from grace started with his departure.

Jimmy Armfield later re-called "Blackpool was never quite the same place after he rejoined Stoke". But as Stan would admit and Jimmy wrote "Stan was a man of the Poteries" and yes he played more games for Blackpool then Stoke, but he made his name with Stoke and it's great to see that they've honoured him witha  fabulous statue.

Stan became the first footballer to be knighted and the first man to win the European Footballer of the year. He's a terrific player who's many accolades but even if he had a million, it still wouldn't be a true testament to one of the top ten greatest players of all time.

Stan was very disciplined and very straight edge. He never drank or smoked and whilst people have described his as a loner. The truth is he was just determined to be the best, he would train his own way and do extra training, he played his own game and this resulted in him becoming the best. Joe Smith would later employ a tactic which was "if in doubt give it to Stan". You wouldn't see that in modern football but then you don't see many Stanley Matthews calibre players these days.

In Jimmy Armfield's autobiography Jimmy recalls a story the great man told him about his first away game. Stoke were playing in London and a few older players had told Stan and room mate Fred Steele that it was time to bed. However Stan and his mate couldn't sleep and half an hour later there was a knock at the door. "Stan went to see who was there and in marched the rest of the team bearing bottles of beer"

They took a jerry from under a bed, filled it with booze later producing cups before they gulpt it down. After this incident "Stan vowed never to get involved in anything like that" again and he never.

His body was his temple and he deprived himself of some of lifes good things to become a better player and his fitness was boosted by it and he went on to play until he was nearly 50.

Matthews died in January 2000, aged 85. His loss to football and to all those who knew him was a great one. But his legacy lives on and just out of respect to him, 100,000 people turned up to see the players "final passing". A great tribute to a great player.

 

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