The Interview 2!

 As promised here another three questions answered by the Ballymena Boy, Norman Clarke!

Question 4: What do you think has changed in the game since your playing days?

Well of course there have been a lot of changes - many of them for the good of the game. Better playing surfaces, better equipment, e.g. balls that don't retain water and lighter boots and income from sponsorship and advertising, unheard of in my day. For me, a student of the old school, the biggest change is in the style of play. The team formations e.g. 4,4,2, or 4,3,3 or 3,5,2 etc, are prevalent in football today. The eleven positions that I grew up with are no more, play is condensed in tight areas, 80% of the space available is uninhabited. All players run and chases about and the managers and coaches have certificates to show how much they know, but the game by and large as a spectacle, leaves me cold. It takes 5 minutes to take a free-kick and at corners there's 16 or 18 players in the box, all jostling each other, more like rugby than football.

I have been going to games in the south of England for the past 30 years or more and in the past ten years I've noticed that its usually takes about 20 minutes plus before you have the first direct shot on goal. One of the few players I still keep in touch with is John O'Hare, who played for Sunderland, Derby County and Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough. John, scored 5 goals for Scotland, despite only being capped 13 times, a prolific striker of yesteryear. John does hospitality work at Nottingham Forest home games and the other week he told me he has timed the first shot on goal and its between 30-35 minutes and they call it entertainment. I personally think the spectators who watch football, are the victims of fraud.

Some qualifications to question 4 are needed: I know I've been a bit over the top in several of my comments, for instance I haven't acknowledged that the game is much faster, especially on the break, that greater thought goes into training and tactics and the players cover much more ground than ever before. The evolution of the human species, means people are running faster in all sports, better food and diet than in the past fifty years have contributed to this. You don't see many bandy-legged wingers or inside-forwards (midfielders), these days, if at all. Players tend to be athletes, instead of mere football players. The chances are that old style teams couldn't compete with modern teams, but I honestly believe that old style football, played in the formation 2,3,5 was generally much more entertaining to spectators. Of course the younger generation who grew up with today's style of play, wouldn't understand the eleven positions of old. So I don't want to be too hard on today's football or players, but because I have seen so many games since 1950, I definitely wouldn't pay today's prices to watch a game in England. It's different when I'm back home in Ballymena, I'll always gladly pay the admission price to watch the Sky Blues!

Question 5: Who was the best player you played with or against in your time at Ballymena?

I'm been asked this question many times and to be truthful no-one stands out in my memory, but let's look back at my career for Ballymena. Between 1958 and 1962 Ballymena had player-managers who had successful full time careers in England. The late great, Alex McCrea, played in England for Charlton and Middleborough playing 168 games and scoring 55 goals, while Geoff Twentyman played 200 odd games for Carlisle and 186 games for Liverpool, scoring 18 goals. So although they were at the twilight of their careers they were probably the best players I had played with at Ballymena. We had many great players at Ballymena in my time, Eric Trevorrow, Eddie Russell, Arthur Stewart, Smudger Smith and Hubert Barr. But they were part-time players and their records show that they never achieved anything like McCrae's or Twentyman's records.

Who was the best player I played against in the Irish league, I'd have to say the first player that comes to mind was Jackie Milburn, who was player-manager of Linfield when I started playing for Ballymena in 1958. Like McCrea and Twentyman, he was in the twilight of his career and he still possessed a tremendous shot and having played for England I reckon he was the best, although Bertie Peacock, the ex-Glasgow Celtic Captain, is certainly up there in my opinion. Linfield and Glenavon had strong Irish league sides, but that's what they were, Irish league sides. I played against them both many times and while they had many useful players, John Parke, Tommy Dickson, Bobby Braithwaite and Ray Gough for Linfield and Jimmy Jones, Sammy Wilson, Stuarty Campbell and Jackie Hughes for Glenavon. They weren't players that I could honestly say they had that something extra, there were just good solid Irish league players. When I came back in 1966, the one player that did impress me was Terry Conroy of Glentoran.


Question 6: Who was the best player you played with or against in your whole career?

I suppose the best players I played with at Sunderland were, Goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery, Stan Anderson (2 England caps), Charlie Hurley (40 Republic of Ireland caps), George Herd (5 Scotland caps) and Harry Hooper (numerous England under -23 caps). I can't say that one was markedly better than the other, but as Charlie Hurley has been voted Sunderland's best player of the 20th century, I would probably have to favour him. Now for playing against, I've made a list but as before I find it hard to rate one above another. Playing for the Irish league against the Scottish league in 1960, the opposition included, Alex Young, Hearts (then Everton), George Herd, Clyde (then Sunderland), Andy Penman, Dundee & Rangers. Against the Scottish league in 1961, Eric Caldow, Pat Crerand, Billy McNeil, all Celtic, Alex Scott of Rangers and of course the legendary Slim Jim Baxter, Rangers. Under -23 against Wales included Mike England, Terry Hennessey, Alan Durban, Ronnie Rees, Coventry and Graham Moore, Chelsea & Man Utd. Playing for Sunderland, opposition players included, Alan Peacock, Middleboro, who went on to Leeds and won 3 caps for England, Jimmy Dickinson, Portsmouth who won 48 caps for England, Mike Bailey of Charlton, 2 England caps, Keith Peacock, the first ever sub in the football league and John Howie a south African born Scottish International fullback.

Two months after I was transferred to Sunderland, I played in a benefit match at Roker Park, for a Scottish International centre-half, Frank Brennan, who won two cup medals with Newcastle United in 1951-52. The two teams were an ex-Newcastle team and an All Stars team, I was drafted in at the last minute to play for the All Stars. The All Stars team included John Crossan from Stroke city, who was at that time playing for Standard Liege, Jack Charlton, Don Revie and Tommy Lawton. The ex-Newcastle team included Dick Keith & Alfie McMichael, both ex-Linfield, Bob Stokoe, Ivor Alchurch, Jackie Milburn, Jim Shackleton and Bobby Mitchell. A few months later I played in a 'save Ashington' benefit game at Gateshead (Ashington is a town in Northumberland, that fell on hard times), which I played for the all Stars team again which included Geoff Strong, Jimmy Adamson and George Eastham. So pick the bones out of that, I certainly couldn't, I was just lucky to have appeared briefly in such illustrious company.

Next week we will have Norman's answer to question 7, which deserves a page of its own, I think!