My favourite Claret should have been 86 today. What a player.

Just look at that goalscoring record !!!! Phenominal.

Never saw Ray give less than 100% in any game.....A top class striker and one of the best centre-forwards we've ever had.

More than a goal every other game for us, an incredible return against most strikers of today. Who were the strikers playing for England back then that were chosen in front of Pointer? I would guess one of them would have been Jimmy Greaves who was more or less untouchable for goals scored, who were the others of that era?

Good question. I was just about to ask the same thing.

Would have loved to have seen Ray's Burnley side with McIlroy, Adamson, Elder, Connelly, Blacklaw etc all in their pomp.

Ray is my all-time favourite footballer
- scored 2 goals in 3 international appearances (66% international scoring record...who has bettered that? ):

Jimmy Adamson and John Connelly of Burnley were selected in the 22 that went to World Cup finals in Chile

Angus, Miller + Pointer all missed out!

FIFA set a deadline of April 10 1962 for preliminary lists of forty players to be submitted. England's selectors produced theirs, two days early. Following England's defeat by Scotland at Hampden Park, the squad was whittled down to 22 names on April 15, with the following 18 excluded: Tony Macedo, Fulham; John Angus, Burnley; Shay Brennan (who later played for the Republic of Ireland), Manchester United; Ron Henry, Tottenham Hotspur; Mick McNeil, Middlesbrough; Tony Kay, Sheffield Wednesday; Tony Knapp, Southampton; Brian Miller, Burnley; Bobby Moore, West Ham United; Alan Mullery, Fulham; Jimmy Bloomfield, Birmingham City; Alan Finney, Sheffield Wednesday; Fred Hill, Bolton Wanderers; Jimmy Melia, Liverpool; Terry Paine, Southampton; Ray Pointer, Burnley; Bobby Smith, Tottenham Hotspur; and Peter Thompson, Preston North End

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 1:12 pm

Would have loved to have seen Ray's Burnley side with McIlroy, Adamson, Elder, Connelly, Blacklaw etc all in their pomp.

Trust me......you wouldn't have been disappointed.

Also my favourite,The Blond Bombshell,my Dad preferred John Connelly ( how many would spell that correctly),but I thought he was a bit soft.

Carwin261 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 1:18 pm

Also my favourite,The Blond Bombshell,my Dad preferred John Connelly ( how many would spell that correctly),but I thought he was a bit soft.

Maybe he didn't like getting battered.

Billy Balfour wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 1:25 pm

Maybe he didn't like getting battered.

This is no plaice for slurs like that

Red Fox Rocks Socks wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 1:31 pm

This is no plaice for slurs like that

Think he was only codding!

Herts Clarets wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 1:01 pm

More than a goal every other game for us, an incredible return against most strikers of today. Who were the strikers playing for England back then that were chosen in front of Pointer? I would guess one of them would have been Jimmy Greaves who was more or less untouchable for goals scored, who were the others of that era?

Gerry Hitchens was the great English hope for that tournament

Team for the opening match vs Hungary
Springett Armfield Wilson Moore Norman Flowers Douglas Greaves Hitchens Haynes & Charlton.

PS Hitchens was injured in that match vs Hungary and subsequently replaced by Alan Peacock of Middlesbrough .....no I can't remember him either!

Herts Clarets wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 1:01 pm

More than a goal every other game for us, an incredible return against most strikers of today. Who were the strikers playing for England back then that were chosen in front of Pointer? I would guess one of them would have been Jimmy Greaves who was more or less untouchable for goals scored, who were the others of that era?

Roger Hunt, Bobby Smith, Jimmy Greaves, Joe Baker, Gerry Hitchen.

Bobby Smith from Spurs , the darling of the Southern Biased FA was selected before Ray but nowhere near as good a player
Pointer was my favourite in those days
He not only scored goals but had many assists for Prolific Jimmy Robson and John Connolly.
Fabulous player and man as I have lots of autographs from him!!!

Petersa wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 2:04 pm

PS Hitchens was injured in that match vs Hungary and subsequently replaced by Alan Peacock of Middlesbrough .....no I can't remember him either!

Alan Peacock moved to Leeds and was part of Revie's promotion side.

Thanks Quicknick that explains a lot, anything connected with Don Revie is filed in my memory bank under "Forget ASAP"

What a great player he was,i was lucky enough and had the pleasure of seeing him play for most of his career for the Clarets in our greatest team ever..

Not forgetting the prolific (as he often said!) Brian Clough. He felt hard done by with just 2 caps. I guess that with most, if not all, of his career spent in the 2nd division may have contributed to his caps tally. No doubt he would have said different

Didn’t Clough get an career ending injury.

Carwin261 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 4:00 pm

Didn’t Clough get an career ending injury.

Yes, Boxing Day 1962. Playing for Sunderland. He collided with Bury keeper Chris Harker. Did his cruciate.
Tried to make a comeback but to no avail. Worked with the youngsters for a while. Alan Brown was his Manager at the time.

Herts claret asked who played for England when Ray Pointer was in his prime.

For the 1962 World Cup Winterbottom chose Gerry Hitchens of Inter Milan and Alan Peacock of Middlesbrough as centre forwards, both played in 2 games and Hitchens scored one goal. Englands only other goal scorer was Ron Flowers with 2.

In total Peacock scored 3 goals in 5 internationals and Hitchens 5 in 7. Hitchens was a very good player. But Alf Ramsey would not pick him because he was playing abroad. Peacock was not as effective as his club mate Brian Clough who only played twice and did not score. There was one night when Pointer and Clough were said to be in direct competition for the centre forward spot. Pointer played for the England under 23s while Clough scored 5 goals as the Football League beat League of Ireland 5 0. Pointer was selected, Clough was not a popular person ( I wonder why!).

Greaves and Roger Hunt were chosen as attacking inside forwards for the World Cup as was a big lump Derek Kevan , who did not travel to the World Cup even though he was in the World Cup squad, strange decisions were made in those days, Jimmy Adamson was included in the 22 man squad but only as assistant manager, although he had never been a manager. In time Ramsey replaced Kevan with another big lump Bobby Smith.

When you get to my age it’s amazing what you can remember from 60 years ago but can’t remember from yesterday!!

claretblue wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 1:14 pm

Ray is my all-time favourite footballer
- scored 2 goals in 3 international appearances (66% international scoring record...who has bettered that? ):

David Nugent

Malvern claret wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 4:24 pm

When you get to my age it’s amazing what you can remember from 60 years ago but can’t remember from yesterday!!

I was thinking the same when I wrote my bit Malvern though I did consult "The International Book of Football Chamions 1962" just to be sure of course

Tall Paul wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 4:33 pm

David Nugent

But what a goal!! All of 3” I believe.

Combining this a bit with the other Sports Pink thread, here is an article from the Pink in early 1973 the Saturday after Burnley had thumped a Portsmouth side featuring Ray 4-0.

Cajun wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 8:45 pm

Combining this a bit with the other Sports Pink thread, here is an article from the Pink in early 1973 the Saturday after Burnley had thumped a Portsmouth side featuring Ray 4-0.

Lovely piece. That goal at Leicester has been discussed on here previously. I wasn’t on but was led to believe that the wall behind the goal was so close it went in hit the wall and came out again. I’m struggling to make out Rays take on it although I think I see stanchion mentioned. Can you clarify for me, please.

Superb article, Cajun, particularly the part that describes Ray being applauded all the way to the centre circle by the Burnley fans who all remembered his wholehearted displays in a Claret shirt.

That summed up Ray to an absolute tee, he gave total commitment to every single game he played for us.

However, that Tuesday night game he played against us for Portsmouth must have given him nightmares. We played some scintillating stuff that night and from memory we were 4-0 in front in the first half hour. That '72/'73 promoted side and the following season was a special time for any Burnley fan.

Royboyclaret wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 10, 2022 9:26 pm

Superb article, Cajun, particularly the part that describes Ray being applauded all the way to the centre circle by the Burnley fans who all remembered his wholehearted displays in a Claret shirt.

That summed up Ray to an absolute tee, he gave total commitment to every single game he played for us.

However, that Tuesday night game he played against us for Portsmouth must have given him nightmares. We played some scintillating stuff that night and from memory we were 4-0 in front in the first half hour. That '72/'73 promoted side and the following season was a special time for any Burnley fan.

My favourite two seasons as a Burnely fan.

Seems a good enough thread to get this out again.

Bin Ont Turf wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 11, 2022 6:48 am

Seems a good enough thread to get this out again.


2vwe2r9.jpg

Wow......just wow......that's some action picture featuring our great Ray Pointer.

If that image brings this superb thread to a close, then it's a fitting way to do so.

Connelly scored the other goal…a Burnley double!

My reason for supporting The Clarets, 9 years old living in Surrey, kicking a ball around at the end of the road an older lad told me about this forward playing for a team called Burnley. I was hooked and now 71 years old and living in Rochdale

Good that posters still want to talk about Ray Pointer. It's important that our fans recognise just how good our players were from that era. The wonderful image supplied by Bin Ont Turf was from the England v Portugal game in October 1961, but by the end of September that season Burnley had played 11 league games from which Ray had scored an incredible 12 goals.

Eat your heart out Erling Haaland......and yes, I've had a couple of whiskies.

These are the threads that we desperately miss ClaretTony......his contribution would be invaluable.

https://youtu.be/VHe76gjlRw0

Burnley 2 Portugal 0

martin_p wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 11, 2022 10:25 pm

https://youtu.be/VHe76gjlRw0

Burnley 2 Portugal 0

Thanks martin!

Have we been blessed with some of the greatest ever strikers?......My Dad would say George Beel was the best centre-forward to ever pull on the Claret shirt and I would never argue with my Dad.......But just four seasons after Ray Pointer scored all those goals a certain Willie Irvine scored an amazing 9 goals in 6 games and 29 goals over a 42 game season.

Our greatest ever goalscorer......Willie Irvine.

The teams for the Portugal match Martin P has kindly shared above. I never realised it was a World Cup qualifier.

Unbelievable that a striker averaging a goal every other game for one of the best teams in the country wasn't a regular choice for England.

My earliest memory (vague thought it is) is of Uncle Ray taking my sister and I onto the Turf for a kick about. I think I was maybe 5 years old.

Lovely bloke.When I was a kid growing up in burnley , I lived on Romney avenue where .there was a little park bordered by Reynolds Street ; Romney avenue and Moorlands Road .It had two fairly big grassy areas which we treated as our Wembley Stadium .Ray and Jimmy Robson often used to join us for a kick around..they really did join in and shared their skills .They were usually on their way home from training and had got off the bus at the Rose and Crown on their way up to the house they lived in at the top of Reynolds Street .Very ordinary lovely guys .GREAT footballers both.

Tricky Trevor wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 11, 2022 11:37 pm

The teams for the Portugal match Martin P has kindly shared above. I never realised it was a World Cup qualifier.
0B464DC0-B890-4F42-A02F-05E253A55F07.jpeg

That team is awash with club legends and greats.

Weren't his sisters more famous?