Pele on Banks who died 2 years ago today

Rest in peace my friend. Yes, you were a goalkeeper with magic. But you were also so much more. You were a fine human being

Brilliant goalkeeper, absolutely brilliant, but Southgate wouldn't pick him because he was very poor in terms of distributing the ball. But what he did was what a goalkeeper should do, he kept the ball out of the net.

Best in the world at the time for me and that save from Pele was special.


And an article from two years ago today

https://www.uptheclarets.com/gordon-ban ... f-my-youth

Saw him at a sportsmans dinner once and he said that someone once asked him what was going through his mind when he was holding the World Cup aloft in 1966. His answer said a lot about the man.

Claret Till I Die wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:30 pm

Saw him at a sportsmans dinner once and he said that someone once asked him what was going through his mind when he was holding the World Cup aloft in 1966. His answer said a lot about the man.

I saw him and Alan Ball at the same Sportsmans Dinner obviously a good few years ago now. He wasn't the best of speakers while Ball just lifted the place with his sheer passion.

I remember a home game when the late Eric Probert belted one past him at the BHE in 1971 in a 1-1 draw v Stoke.
Think the great George Eastham was playing and I'm sure that was our youngest ever side.

Where does the time go?

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:32 pm

I saw him and Alan Ball at the same Sportsmans Dinner obviously a good few years ago now. He wasn't the best of speakers while Ball just lifted the place with his sheer passion.

I think it was because he (Banks) was a quite shy and unassuming man.

ElectroClaret wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:36 pm

I remember a home game when the late Eric Probert belted one past him at the BHE in 1971 in a 1-1 draw v Stoke.
Think the great George Eastham was playing and I'm sure that was our youngest ever side.

Where does the time go?

Don't get me started on where the time goes.

As for Probert scoring against Stoke, it was 1960/70 and George Eastham is definitely on the team sheet on the back of the programme. It was Alan West's debut too.



https://www.uptheclarets.com/programmes ... son-196970

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:32 pm

I saw him and Alan Ball at the same Sportsmans Dinner obviously a good few years ago now. He wasn't the best of speakers while Ball just lifted the place with his sheer passion.

Will be 20+ years ago now, but our whole table sat & listened to his stories in awe. Spoke to him after and found him to be a gentleman who remembered goals he conceded in the 60s as though he was putting commentary to the games...

Bin Ont Turf wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:38 pm

I think it was because he (Banks) was a quite shy and unassuming man.

Nice bloke to talk to but you are probably right, very unassuming and not an after dinner speaker really.

Claret Till I Die wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:41 pm

Will be 20+ years ago now, but our whole table sat & listened to his stories in awe. Spoke to him after and found him to be a gentleman who remembered goals he conceded in the 60s as though he was putting commentary to the games...

They do have stories to tell and Banks was really good to listen to. I bet it was around 20 years since I saw him. It was in the James Hargreaves and probably around 2001. I went with the Footy Mad management.

I was once at a dinner when Bob Paisley was speaking. He wasn't the best communicator in the world, he stammered too but one thing for sure, when Bob Paisley spoke you listened given what he'd achieved in the game. And he told some wonderful Shankly stories as well to be fair.

Thomas and Ralph in the same team (drooling).

What happened to Wilf Wrigley?
I can track all the careers of the other players there, but WW seems to have gone off the radar.

Bin Ont Turf wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:45 pm

Thomas and Ralph in the same team (drooling).

Ralph - I was at uni and I had no lectures one morning so decided on a lie in. My flat mate came in with a brew for me and just said: "You've sold Ralph Coates to Spurs." I was 19 at the time and it was inevitable after relegation but I don't think a sale has ever upset me as much. I met him a few times too and what a nice bloke. When we were looking at writing a book on the 2009/10 season I was somewhat envious of Richard Oldroyd who got the opportunity to visit him for an interview. We finally published it just before his death and it is the only Richard Oldroyd article that was transferred onto this site.

And yes, I still drool when I think of Ralph.

Richard's interview
https://www.uptheclarets.com/programmes ... son-196970

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:40 pm

Don't get me started on where the time goes.

As for Probert scoring against Stoke, it was 1960/70 and George Eastham is definitely on the team sheet on the back of the programme. It was Alan West's debut too.



https://www.uptheclarets.com/programmes ... son-196970

That is a young side. Stoke's forward line looked pretty healthy,too. Was it our youngest ever team? I recall going to Leeds around Sep/Oct. 1982, we lost 3-1 but that was also a very young team. Leeds had Frank.Worthington in their line-up.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:49 pm

Ralph - I was at uni and I had no lectures one morning so decided on a lie in. My flat mate came in with a brew for me and just said: "You've sold Ralph Coates to Spurs." I was 19 at the time and it was inevitable after relegation but I don't think a sale has ever upset me as much. I met him a few times too and what a nice bloke. When we were looking at writing a book on the 2009/10 season I was somewhat envious of Richard Oldroyd who got the opportunity to visit him for an interview. We finally published it just before his death and it is the only Richard Oldroyd article that was transferred onto this site.

And yes, I still drool when I think of Ralph.

Richard's interview
https://www.uptheclarets.com/programmes ... son-196970

Wrong link Tony I think.

ElectroClaret wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:48 pm

What happened to Wilf Wrigley?
I can track all the careers of the other players there, but WW seems to have gone off the radar.

Went on to make chewing gum.

Bin Ont Turf wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:53 pm

Wrong link Tony I think.

That was the one I put up for the programme

Here's the Ralph interview with Richard

https://www.uptheclarets.com/an-intervi ... lph-coates

I remember seeing Alex Elder scoring with pile driver from about 30yds past Banks in a home game v Leicester.
Gordon was a class goalkeeper even after loosing his sight on one eye following an accident

ElectroClaret wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:48 pm

What happened to Wilf Wrigley?
I can track all the careers of the other players there, but WW seems to have gone off the radar.

I think he decided to leave football soon after the above season. I seem to remember something about him going to study at University?

Moved to Canada for a while and was involved in the Humber Bridge build as an Architect. Don’t think he played much at all after his time at Burnley.

Was a very keen high mileage cyclist last time I saw him but recently had a heart scare, so suspect that’s no longer the case.

Woodleyclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 13, 2021 2:26 am

I remember seeing Alex Elder scoring with pile driver from about 30yds past Banks in a home game v Leicester.
Gordon was a class goalkeeper even after loosing his sight on one eye following an accident

He didn't play top level football again after the crash. He said that he couldn't follow the flight of the ball. He went to the States and played in the fledgling soccer league for a while.
He was the best keeper I ever saw and as an ex keeper I can be quite critical!

Sure the Stoke game was an Easter fixture and both teams formed a guard of honour for Ralph and Banks as they had been named in the initial World Cup squad.

Heaton Moor BFC wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:21 pm

Sure the Stoke game was an Easter fixture and both teams formed a guard of honour for Ralph and Banks as they had been named in the initial World Cup squad.

It was that game.