Collecting autographs

Part 1

In the late 60's and early 70's I and some others used to collect football autographs and the best places to get these were at hotels, trains, and training grounds.

1. Whilst at the Hallam Towers hotel getting autographs of Swindon Town players, the manager Danny Williams asked the two of us if we would like to go to their match at Rotherham (his ex club). We said yes and we travelled with the Swindon party on their coach to Millmoor, and on the coach was the league cup they had won that season when they beat Arsenal at Wembley. The Rotherham match ended 1-1 and Swindon were promoted that season to the second division (now Championship). Yes, we did hold up the cup. This was season 68/69.

Early 70's

2. One Friday night Liverpool were staying at the 'Hallam' before their Saturday game in Sheffield. About 8ish I was the proudest person in the world because I was sat on a low wall directly outside the hotel with the great Bill Shankly, Liverpool's manager. I was so honoured as he signed pictures for me (still have six left), and as we chatted he mentioned his club were (or had been) interested in a Sheffield United player. The names Currie and Woodward flashed through my mind but Mr Shankly went on to say "The laddie Flynn", he meant John Flynn. We shook hands and he wished me well, and was gone.

3. I had read in Friday's Star that Sheffield United had special plans to put two men on Jeff Astle West Brom's star striker for the Saturday game at Bramall Lane. I didn't see Astle when the team bus arrived at the hotel on Friday and asked one of the players where he (Astle) was. I was disappointed when the player said Astle was injured and had stayed in the Midlands. I'd had some pictures to be signed. On the following morning I phoned Sheffield United loads of times to tell them about Astle but nobody answered the phone. United lost that game!

Collecting Autographs

Part 2

4. I once asked the Portsmouth manager Ron Tindall if I could have a lift on the team coach to their match at Bramall Lane. He agreed but on condition I had a haircut the following week, I agreed and I did.

5. When Leeds United came to town they also stayed at the Hallam Towers Hotel. On this occasion three of us were waiting with loads of pictures and annuals to be signed. We always had to play cat and mouse with the hotel porters whose job entailed preventing us from disturbing the guests. We managed to get some stuff signed when the players came out for their after breakfast walk. When players come back from their breakfast walk they usually stay in the hotel until it’s time to leave for the match about 1.40. Until that time I (we) would usually go to the back of the hotel and go in through the back door then take the lift to the 8th or 9th floor, to the T.V. room. In the TV room we’d watch ‘On The Ball’ then later return to the front of the hotel, to catch the players setting off to the ground.

On this occasion we got to the TV room and all the Leeds players were already there watching the box. We got out folders and annuals out and all the players willingly granted our wishes, although Paul Reaney was his usual miserable self, he signed only a few. That’s the fun of collecting autographs, there’s no guarantee someone will sign. Then Mr Don Revie and his sidekicks arrived, Les Cocker, Maurice Lindley and Syd Owen. I thought we would get slung out but Mr Revie smiled and signed our pictures, then told us to sit down and as long as we were quiet we could stay. Upshot was, us three sat in on a Leeds United team talk! Players there that day included, Bremner, Charlton, Giles, Lorimer, Cooper etc.

In the 1950's I used to go down to Brammal Lane after school to watch yorkshire play cricket & collect autographs behind the pavilion after the game. Johnny Wardle was known for reluctance in giving autographs . His last match for Yorkshire after being sacked was at Bramall lane ( 17 Jun 1958 I think) & as usual I went behind the pavilion after the match & was waiting to try to get his autograph when a Daily Expres photographer wanted a photo of him giving a lad his autograph. To my amazement I was chosen & so got his autograph & a photo to go with it!

Good stuff.

Collecting Autographs 3.

I decided to put Collecting Autographs on History and Expats instead of The Sheffield Football section because it’s my intention to later include cricketers and musicians. Whatever I write will be fact but it may be sketchy in some parts, so I will have to improvise because I can’t remember every single detail, especially dates. Anybody questioning the veracity of my stuff can take a running Lyn Davies Special.

It was during 1968 when I started collecting autographs. A lad at school mentioned in conversation that he’d been collecting for about six months. He went on to say he had used an autograph book at first but went on to football mags and annuals. The magazines included Soccer Star (my fave of all time), Football Monthly, then later came Goal and Jimmy Hill’s Football Weekly followed by Shoot. The annuals were Charles Buchan and the ever popular Topical Times which unfortunately came out some weeks after the season had started. I say unfortunately because there would be pics in the book to be signed, and the player(s) may have already played in the area during those few weeks when the book wasn’t available.

I started by going to the two Sheffield football grounds on match days, and then went to watch United train at the Ball Inn near Arbourthorne? Olive Grove. This was easy to reach from where I lived at Gleadless Townend by buses 30/ 51. This happened during school holidays or occasionally ‘wagging’ it.

It wasn’t long before I decided to get really into ‘Graphing’ as a serious hobby and soon discarded my school exercise book (for autographs) and started to get the magazines ‘one way or another’. Lol. BTW, the first four football people to impress me with their friendliness were Alan Hodgkinson, John Harris, Don Megson and Vic Mobley. 2 Utd, 2 Wed. Had to be careful there, didn’t I? Lol.

Anyroad, the idea was to keep the annuals intact but the magazine pics were cut out and filed at home (in my case I used a suitcase under me bed). We’d study the fixtures for the coming weekend, then during the week get the appropriate pictures together and fix them into flat folders with detachable thin spines which we acquired from Andrews Stationers on Holly Street near’t City Hall. To mark the pages in the annuals we’d use wool as markers to find the right pages. This was done because if a footballer suddenly arrived on the scene he wouldn’t wait forever for you to find the page, it had to been done quickly.

I will explain a little further every time I post about how we travelled around the North and Midlands by train without ever paying. I’ll also tell you how we never paid to get into a football match, and other tricks we got up to, including the big pile of railway platform tickets we each had.

I will also tell you about the time when I took both mt airline (B.E.A. and B.O.A.C.) shoulder bags with me one Saturday in the winter of 69. The bags were rammed full with annuals and folders in preparation for the autographs of 7 teams on that day, in this order:- Notts Forest, Leicester, Millwall, Derby, West Brom, Orient and Newcastle.

Instances will also be covered about rewards I received from football people for running errands. Also how Brian Clough made me feel like a very important lad one Saturday. Plus, plus, plus.

6. Tommy Docherty.

One rainy week morning in the late 60’s two mates and I were at Millmoor, Rotherham United’s ground. Some of the players had already gone in but we did manage to collar a few others who willingly signed for us. It seemed like everybody had gone in which meant we would have to wait a couple of hours or so. This didn’t bother us because we had had lots of experience of long waiting in all weathers on many occasions. A car pulled up in the car park then stepped out Mr Tommy Docherty, ‘The Doc’, manager of R.U.F.C. Mr Docherty seemed surprised that the three young lads had pictures of him and they wanted them to be signed. After signing the pictures it was then the turn of the boys to be surprised when Mr Docherty invited them in to watch the training session which was to be held in the gymnasium.

At the gym we were shown through a door and told to go up the spiral (?) staircase where there was a small room with only a big wooden step construction in it. We sat down and through a large Perspex glass window watched the players limbering up. The ‘Doc’ had been out of sight for a while but re-appeared wearing a gold t-shirt, gold shorts, white trainers, a wristwatch and a whistle hanging from a cord that dangled from his neck. The training then started in earnest.

After 10 minutes or so we became bored watching the players dancing about and decided to study and compare the autographs we had already gleaned. We were looking at neatness or if anyone had scrawled or signed upside down etc, when suddenly there was an almighty bang as if a bomb had gone off. I didn’t know whether to have a sh-t, shave or haircut and I eventually managed to push my heart back down me throat. We soon recovered then looked through the Perspex glass window to see Mr Docherty pointing a finger up at us whilst bent backwards laughing his head off, as were the Rotherham players. We still didn’t know where the bang had come from but soon found out when the ‘Doc’ kicked a ball at the window. It made the big bang again but this time we were prepared.

I will relate another story of Mr Docherty’s kind side at a later date when I get to the subject of Manchester United, if anybody’s interested.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=sets

More to hand.

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More to hand.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67091376@N07/

hiya i was 10/11 yo when i had my first autograph book and as my uncle worked at brammall lane i had some great autographs, united players at the time hagan,brook,burgin,shaw,and others, also the cricket teams,but my favourites were the touring westindians,weekes,walcott,worrall,valantine,and the others, and some cartoons by the sheffield star cartoonist.

i got an autograph of a swimmer at glossop rd baths can anyone tell me her name she had just recently swam the english chanell,

Collecting Autographs 4.

Pens: Take plenty with you, six will suffice. The see through Bic biros are the best because you can see if the ink is due to run out. Before leaving home you must test your biro’s for writeability. Firstly find an old Woman’s Own magazine or a newspaper like the Daily Sketch then you can start to test.

(A) Try pressing on hard but write slowly.

(B) Try pressing on hard but write fastly.

© Try pressing on gently but write slowly.

(D) Try pressing on gently but write fastly.

You also must be careful not to take pens that leave flaky lines. If you use one of those you will regret it later when you look back in years to come when you see the fading autograph, and you’ll wish you’d used a good pen instead. Never use blue, green or red ink because your autograph will fade. Always use black ink, I did and look how successful I was. You must also use the thickest Bic ballpoint because the thinner points can easily tear the paper if you receive an autograph from somebody who presseson, and writes fastly or slowly. The reason for six pens is if you take lots of pics with you you may encounter a group of players whiling the time away, in other words they’re bored. That is the time to dish out a pile of photo’s to each player along with a pen. Beware! Never go with flashy Parker type pens because these can quite easily disappear into the top pocket of a footballer’s blazer.

When you meet a player:

Never ever address them by Christian name, always address them as Sir or Mr. (whatever he’s called). This will make them feel important, and they will assume you to be a well bred person. Whilst you are addressing him withdraw from your record bag, attaché case, rucksack or Tesco carrier bag your folder, annual or scrapbook and politely ask him to sign. At the same time as this action you must offer him your black inked Bic biro with the thick ballpoint. This will put him on the spot forcing him to sign for you. Battle won! Remember to always look them in the eye(s) without being stary or cocky. Just look neutral with a slight smile and always be polite and be careful not to w-nk, and avoid giving fleeting looks at all costs.

If the player is sat down then avoid standing too close because he will think you are hovering and will see it as an act of aggression. In such a situation your chances of an autograph will be zero. If the player is standing then you will be on equal footing, just follow the instructions above.

If the player is on the move (walking) then you have 3 possibilities;

(1) Approach from behind and speak to him. Chances are he will ignore you. Result=no autograph.

(2) Approach from the side, right or left of him. If he has good hearing he will hear you and he will decide whether to acknowledge you or not, 50-50. However he may have tunnel vision. Result=no autograph.

(3) Full on face to face then speak to him. The player then has the option to stop still. If he chooses to do this you must have your pics of him ready for him to sign.

Always turn the book around to face him or you will receive an upside down autograph. It all depends on the player as to what will happen. If it’s Kevin Doyle he will stop and promptly sign. If it’s Ronaldo he will either run around or jump over you and escape. If it’s Ashley Young he will fall on the floor and try to nutmeg you by trying to crawl through your legs. Always in such situations keep your lower limbs closed. If it’s Joey Barton then you are a very brave boy indeed. If you know you are going to be meeting up with Mr. Barton my only piece of advice would be for you to turn up wearing a suit of armour. Suits of armour can be hired from a shop two doors up from the Golden Egg café on Fargate. Alternatively you can get them from Cockaynes on Snig Hill at the side entrance where the Birdcage café is situated. If you don’t get kitted out at these two shops then you will have to ask your mum to search through the Star Ad’s. Good luck.

7. Calvin Palmer.

Sunderland were playing in Sheffield and stayed at Hallam Towers in the late 60’s. I had as usual bought the Soccer Star mag on Thursday and the main picture on the front was Calvin Palmer. I cut the picture out and put it to the other Sunderland stuff I was planning to get signed. For reasons I can’t remember I didn’t go to the hotel on the Friday evening when the team arrived, but went Saturday morning instead.

On arrival I didn’t have to wait long for some of the players to come out for their after brekkie stroll, and one of a group of three was Calvin Palmer. Palmer was never the easiest player to get signed but this time he seemed to be quite willing. I gave him my pen to write with then opened my folder and his eyes almost popped out of his head. He said something like…”What’s this, I’ve not seen this before?” I told him it was from this week’s Soccer Star. He gave me my pen back without saying anything but told me he would when he came back. He then marched apace down the driveway to the Fulwood Road exit/entrance leaving his two team mates and myself in his midst.

Palmer eventually came back and true to his word he signed all my pictures for me, but first had to put down on the low wall the pile of Soccer Stars he had bought at Broomhill shops.

He should have been named Calvain Palmer. Ugh.

P.S. Ref:- signed pictures – unfortunately the majority of my Blades pics are at someones house. Also the pics you have seen are just a portion of what I have. Me mum threw loads away years ago. Cow!

I got a poster from 2005 monaco Grand Prix wi 10 formular one drivers signatures on it

I got a poster from 2005 monaco Grand Prix wi 10 formular one drivers signatures on it

I Have Tommy Trinders autograph.

Lol I entered thinking the thread full of anecdotes related to current singers or actors/actresses !! . Catching title