George Best....How Many Times Did He Play At The Turf?

ElectroClaret · Post by **ElectroClaret** » Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:14 pm

Probably one for another older poster.

I think i saw him at least once, probably in the game where Frank Casper
smacked Francis Burns in the mouth and got sent off.
I think it might be three or four times, but did he play here for Fulham.

Cheers.

Buxtonclaret · Post by **Buxtonclaret** » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:23 pm

Not sure exactly how many times, but it's a lot more than four for Manure.
I must have seen him on the Turf at least half a dozen times.
Last for Man U was the 0-0 draw in the early)mid 70s..
It was his 'Comeback' for them, of sorts after he'd been a bad lad again.

claretblue · Post by **claretblue** » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:25 pm

Les Latchem would know!

Buxtonclaret · Post by **Buxtonclaret** » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:27 pm

claretblue wrote:Les Latchem would know!

I'll bet!

minnieclaret · Post by **minnieclaret** » Tue Apr 25, 2017 11:30 pm

Buxtonclaret wrote:Not sure exactly how many times, but it's a lot more than four for Manure.
I must have seen him on the Turf at least half a dozen times.
Last for Man U was the 0-0 draw in the early)mid 70s..
It was his 'Comeback' for them, of sorts after he'd been a bad lad again.

he was carrying some timber that day. Barely left the centre circle and was still superb.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Tue Apr 25, 2017 11:42 pm

i think he made his debut against us, not sure if it was home or away though.

dermotdermot · Post by **dermotdermot** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:08 am

Fulham v Burnley mid seventies. Fulham won. He was pretty good. Controlled the midfield. Bobby Moore was in the side as well.

Claretmatt4 · Post by **Claretmatt4** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:22 am

Wile E Coyote wrote:i think he made his debut against us, not sure if it was home or away though.

I thought he made his debut the game before us but scored his first league goal against us in a thrashing?

Could be wrong. I would have been about - 15 at the time

ashtonlongsider · Post by **ashtonlongsider** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:23 am

Wile E Coyote wrote:i think he made his debut against us, not sure if it was home or away though.

Besty made his debut against WBA. Think his first league goal was against us.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:28 am

For Manchester United:

Played 10 times at the Turf. 8 League games and 2 League Cup between October 1963 and October 1973.

In the League:
Burnley 3 wins,
4 draws
United 1 win

League Cup:
1 draw
United 1 win

Not sure about Fulham?

fatboy47 · Post by **fatboy47** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:08 am

I probably saw them all bar the first...never recall him having a anything other than fairly average games....if that.

ThinLizzy · Post by **ThinLizzy** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:21 am

fatboy47 wrote:I probably saw them all bar the first...never recall him having a anything other than fairly average games....if that.

Funny you say that. My Dad said the same. Before my time but he didn't recollect him having a memorable game at Turf Moor.

MK-Claret · Post by **MK-Claret** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:56 am

I definitely saw him play for United in the 70's possibly 1974 and for Fulham late 70's?

One of my all time hero's not in a Burnley shirt. The best natural footballer of his generation that's for sure.

Buxtonclaret · Post by **Buxtonclaret** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:17 am

Nice little piece about his debut here.
As Ash and Matt say above, scored his first ever league goal against us.

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/se ... team-debut" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

claret wizard · Post by **claret wizard** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:18 am

Willie Irvine has some great stories about playing with him for Northern Ireland and how good a player he was.

Ptangyangkipperbang · Post by **Ptangyangkipperbang** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:32 am

I am almost certain he never played for Fulham against us along with Rodney Marsh both were waiting for clearance to play for the club.But one thing I'm certain about we beat them 3_1 that night

Herts Clarets · Post by **Herts Clarets** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:41 am

Remember my Dad taking me to Bolton v Fulham and Best Marsh and Moore were all playing. I was too young to take in who these players were, but my abiding memory is locking us out of my Dad's Daytona Yellow MK 3 Cortina. I pressed the door button and lifted the handle as i closed the door only to find the keys still in the ignition. He spoke to a copper and when we returned after the game the keys were returned to us. I believe you could open them with any other Ford key or a bit of jiggery pokery with a coat hanger did the trick.

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:47 am

December 1963 was his second game for Utd. We'd beaten them 6-1 a couple of days earlier at Turf Moor and they returned the favour with a 5-1 victory at Old Trafford.Him on one wing and Willie Anderson on the other ran us ragged. lAs mentioned, he made his debut for them the previous September v. WBA. He scored against us in a 1-1 draw at the Turf in 1969 and last appeared there in a 0-0 draw in Sep/Oct 1973. Somewhat more rotund than he was 10 years earlier but still only 27. Don't recall him playing for Fulham against us. They were a second division side at the time and we were still in the first division..

bob-the-scutter · Post by **bob-the-scutter** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 10:59 am

Silkyskills1 wrote:December 1963 was his second game for Utd. We'd beaten them 6-1 a couple of days earlier at Turf Moor and they returned the favour with a 5-1 victory at Old Trafford.Him on one wing and Willie Anderson on the other ran us ragged. lAs mentioned, he made his debut for them the previous September v. WBA. He scored against us in a 1-1 draw at the Turf in 1969 and last appeared there in a 0-0 draw in Sep/Oct 1973. Somewhat more rotund than he was 10 years earlier but still only 27. Don't recall him playing for Fulham against us. They were a second division side at the time and we were still in the first division..

Spot on old boy, I was there as well!

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:04 am

He played on the Turf for Manchester United in league games in every season from 1964/65 to 1970/71 and also in 1973/74. He also played in two League Cup games in 1969/70 & 1971/72. That's a total of 10 games.

From memory, I'm sure he played against us for Fulham at Craven Cottage but can't recall him playing for them on the Turf.

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:36 am

Didn't Geoff Nulty score our equaliser in the 1-1 draw in 1969 playing at centre forward?

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:39 am

Silkyskills1 wrote:Didn't Geoff Nulty score our equaliser in the 1-1 draw in 1969 playing at centre forward?

He did - that was the game featured in the Team of the 70s video the club released around 2004. The footage only showed Best's goal though.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:44 am

I'm sure I saw him play at Craven Cottage against us for Fulham, and he was certainly listed in the programme for the games in 1976/77 and 1977/78

: progs7677 fulham away back.jpg (48.13 KiB) Viewed 4130 times

: progs7778 fulham away back.jpg (52.74 KiB) Viewed 4130 times

CnBtruntru · Post by **CnBtruntru** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:19 pm

Seen him once not a clue what year though, was only a kid.

Foulthrow · Post by **Foulthrow** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 6:53 pm

Ernie Howe? Eddie's dad?

Cirrus_Minor · Post by **Cirrus_Minor** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:24 pm

Les Latcham did mark him well in a lot of those games but it's not true that he never influenced games at Turf moor. I remember one game, I think it was a league cup game, when Best dribbled through the Burnley defence and back heeled the ball to Bobby Charton. I was stood behind Peter Mellor in the Bee Hole end as Charlton smashed it into the roof of the net, Mellor seemed to dive about 10 seconds later.

minnieclaret · Post by **minnieclaret** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:34 pm

He scored from an incredibly tight angle after just beating Harry Thomson to the ball out wide.
late 60s, I think Dobo got a winner for us but somebody will remember better.

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:41 pm

I once played in the same team as George Best.
True!

But not necessarily at the same time

We both played for Dunstable Town with me playing for them at the beginning of my footballing career

in the late 60's and George Best playing for them near the end of his in 1975

TheFamilyCat · Post by **TheFamilyCat** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:12 pm

Les Latcham was our insurance man, like many other's no doubt.

Was quite exciting having a former Burnley player round the house every couple of weeks as a youngster. Dead nice bloke.

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:19 pm

minnieclaret wrote:He scored from an incredibly tight angle after just beating Harry Thomson to the ball out wide.
late 60s, I think Dobo got a winner for us but somebody will remember better.

The only game I recall Dobo getting the winner against Man Utd. was the game when Frank Casper was sent off for clouting Francis Burns and we came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1.

minnieclaret · Post by **minnieclaret** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:41 pm

Silkyskills1 wrote:The only game I recall Dobo getting the winner against Man Utd. was the game when Frank Casper was sent off for clouting Francis Burns and we came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1.

Well if Frank played it's late 60s. So that's probably the one, Silky

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 10:27 pm

Foulthrow wrote:Ernie Howe? Eddie's dad?

Doubt it - Eddie Howe's dad's surname was Lovell. He took the name Howe when his mum re-married although his brother Steve, also a Bournemouth player, continued to use Lovell.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 10:30 pm

Silkyskills1 wrote:The only game I recall Dobo getting the winner against Man Utd. was the game when Frank Casper was sent off for clouting Francis Burns and we came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1.

Best scored United's goal in that game - Brian O'Neil & Martin Dobson got ours.

dermotdermot · Post by **dermotdermot** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 10:31 pm

ClaretTony wrote:I'm sure I saw him play at Craven Cottage against us for Fulham, and he was certainly listed in the programme for the games in 1976/77 and 1977/78

progs7677 fulham away back.jpg

progs7778 fulham away back.jpg

You certainly did. I remember it well, as I pointed out in post 7. I don't remember Rodney Marsh playing though but then it was a long time ago.

ElectroClaret · Post by **ElectroClaret** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:04 pm

I think the Casper/Burns set-to game which ended 2-1 to us was 1968, Feb or March.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:08 pm

ElectroClaret wrote:I think the Casper/Burns set-to game which ended 2-1 to us was 1968, Feb or March.

Good memory - was 17th Feb 1968

edlass · Post by **edlass** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 7:17 am

wow. I noticed on the Fulham programmes that our team sheet only changed by one player in the next season

I feel like I am programmed to be upset if there aren't at least 6 new names every summer. but I was brought up during modern football I suppose.

Colburn_Claret · Post by **Colburn_Claret** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 7:29 am

ClaretTony wrote:I'm sure I saw him play at Craven Cottage against us for Fulham, and he was certainly listed in the programme for the games in 1976/77 and 1977/78

progs7677 fulham away back.jpg

progs7778 fulham away back.jpg

Gerry Peyton of the rugby boots fame.
Wasn't Gerry infamous debut at Loftus Rd, when we got stuffed and none of the goals were his fault.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 8:18 am

Colburn_Claret wrote:Gerry Peyton of the rugby boots fame.
Wasn't Gerry infamous debut at Loftus Rd, when we got stuffed and none of the goals were his fault.

Gerry Peyton's debut was a 0-0 home draw against Liverpool in 1975 and he'd gone to Fulham by the following season. The 7-0 defeat at QPR was Billy O'Rourke's debut.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 8:23 am

edlass wrote:wow. I noticed on the Fulham programmes that our team sheet only changed by one player in the next season

I feel like I am programmed to be upset if there aren't at least 6 new names every summer. but I was brought up during modern football I suppose.

That's how it was and go back to the 1960s and the changes were even less. We signed Alex Elder in January 1959 and the next first team player signed from another club was Frank Casper in summer 1967. Between Elder's and Casper's first games there were 28 other players made first team debuts for us but all of them had come through the junior teams to reach the first team.

turfytopper · Post by **turfytopper** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 8:41 am

Only reminisced on Sunday about standing at the bottom of the Longside as a youngster and seeing Best, law and Charlton enter the field of play at the Cricket Field end. That memory is still clear but remember nothing more of the game - I guess around 70-71?

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 9:29 am

Utd. beat us 2-0 at Turf Moor early on in the season in 1970 and Denis Law scored both goals. We were relegated at the end of that season so most likely it was that game.

beddie · Post by **beddie** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 11:26 am

Would I be correct in thinking I saw George Best and Willy Morgan both playing for United at the Turf.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Thu Apr 27, 2017 11:31 am

Willie Morgan played for Man U in five of the ten games on the Turf when George Best played - so every chance you did.