"........To many people, Len Glover was, and remains, a legend. Once described as the greatest uncapped winger in the world, he played against and alongside some of that world’s greatest players. His thoughts and interactions with those players are enough on their own to supply his story with interest."
So 'our' Len, no wonder you tell good stories on CL.
And I remember 'you' playing for Charlton at The Valley...... ;o)
Lenny Glover was my favourite player as a kid. I met him a few times in my local shop and he seemed like a nice bloke as well.
It was great watching him bombing down the line and putting in the kind of cross that is sadly missing at the Valley these days - and you seemed to be so close to the touchline in those days.
I was amazed to find out in recent years - when he got in police trouble - that he was a right ducker and diver - in fact a bit of a Del Boy as I understand it and always up to `dodgy' deals of some kind or other!
Even so that still doesn't detract from those great memories I have of him in a Charlton shirt. He will always be a Charlton legend as far as I'm concerned!
I saw Len play against us - I think in a 5-0 thrashing by Leicester at Easter 1970. I never saw him play for us though. He was sold in late 1967 and my first game was V QPR in Feb 1968
My Dad, Grandad and Uncles spoke of him in reverential terms. He was held up as another example of Charlton as a selling club. First Bonds, then Bailey then Kenning then Glover - these were all players who had been sold to line the pockets of the Glicksten family - or so the story went.
The season we sold Len was a transitional one with Firmani having taken over from Stokoe. I suspect it was the old story that they needed to sell Len to "strengthen" the squad. The following season we finished 3rd (the top two going up) but then it was back to mediocrity and two seasons and another manager later we were relegated to the third tier.
Selling club - yes. All the fault of the money grabbing Glicksten family - well not so sure about that. What is clear thoough is that from relegation in 1957 to further relegation in 1971, the club went into a nose dive of pretty epic proportions and in doing so the fans were deprived of much of the careers of some seriously good players of which by popular consent, Len Glover was possibly the best and certainly the most exciting.
First of all, wasn't the Leicester 5-0 thrashing the catalyst for Charlton legend Eddie Firmani to be sacked as manager?
Reserve left back and Ireland international Theodore Cornelius Foley took over.
The main reason we sold Len Glover - was that he more or less demanded to go. And so when in November 1967 Leicester put in a then phenominal £80,000 bid, Len was out of the door and signing ....... he'd been angling for a move since that summer, playing out of his skin mind you and letting nobody down, determined to play in Division One.
For a local lad, it was his big chance and wild horses weren't going to stop him. He'd come through the ranks, given good service and nobody really begrudged him his move.
Mike Gliksten did spend a big wedge of the mony, first on Gordon Bolland from Norwich for £20,000, very soon after. Later, the day before Bing's first match home to QPR, another £20,000 was spent on Ray Treacy, the young Irish reserve centre forward from then First Division West Brom and a couple of weeks later, a speedy young winger from Man City reserves, Paul Hince, for £7,000.
Hince made a lightning start, prompting a runaway 4-1 away win at relegation threatened Plymouth Argyle, then the next week along with 2-goal Keith Peacock on the other wing, scoring again and helping Charlton put 4 past Huddersfield Town.
Whatever happened to Paul Hince? Towards the end of the season, he'd lost his early form and place in the team.
He was last heard of being a hack sports journalist on the Manchester evening paper.
The first signing Gordon Bolland, was a tall rangy attacking midfielder with a cultured left foot and a decent long range shot. In time honoured tradition, he scored his first Charlton goal against his old club - Xmas 1967 and we were losing
3-0 at home to Norwich. Mike kenning had a field day that day, scoring 2 pile drivers and running his full back ragged.
But after Bolland had equalised in the 86th minute, he missed an absolute sitter of Luke Varney like proportions in the last minute that would no doubt have been the winner and secured the most unlikely of 4-3 victories.
Bolland somehow didn't really fit in at Charlton though and it was no surprise when he was flogged to Millwall for just £10,000 early the next season - where he became a Lions legend.
The third of these 'Glover money' players, Ray Treacy, carved his own niche becoming a firm fans favourite, and that rarest of things in those days, the current full international playing for Charlton. We flogged him for £80,000 after our 1972 relegation. I'd tell you more - but my GF has just phoned asking where the hell am I ........?????
*meekly goes to visit said woman* )
Oggy, you're a mine of uselessful information.:o) I was 8 years old at the time.
You are right about Firmani with his experimental defence against Leicester and the sack coming straight after. I can still see the faces of my Uncle John and my Grandad who took me to the game when the fifth Leicester goal went in!
Actually I just about remember Bolland when he played for us but certainly remember the Lions getting a great deal from him afterwards and wondering whether it was the same player.
Hince did sink without trace but Treacy rose to hero status along side the great Matt Tees and then afterwards as well.
The failure to get promoted in 1969 was a pivotal moment. We had a decent team with the likes of Wright, Curtis, Kinsey, Went, Reeves, Campbell, Moore, Gregory, Peacock, Tees and Treacy. Wright, Tees, Campbell and Moore departed pretty quickly, Kinsey retired soon after, Went got a knee injury, Gregory got less and less effective and and that was it, - dive, dive, dive!!
Of course with Theo at the helm, he was bound to change things and he did bring in the likes of Killer, Flash and Paddy although he didn't get them playing - that was left to one Andy Nelson in 1974/5.
He was a genuine winger who could deliver a first time cross unlike the shower we have had on the wings this year.
He had a touch of class and was able to take a defender on and get to the by-line and actually cross first time with his left foot, non of this beat the man 2, or 3 times then have to pull the ball back on the other foot before thinking about making a cross. With the ball coming back from the line it was a dream for any striker and a problem for defenders because they were facing their own goal to defend the cross. He also knew where the back of the net was when the chance came along.
The season we sold him to Leicester City he came back in the fixture against us near the end of the season and took us apart, my memory is a little clouded to the final score but I am pretty sure he scored 2 and think it was something like 0 - 5, needless to say it was one of the many seasons we nearly went down. Having your best players come back and rub salt in to the wound is not fun. Whilst he was still at Leicester in the top division there was a complete team of ex Charlton players in the top flight. That says it all! Feck did the supporters suffer.
Sorry Oggy your post wasn't there when I wrote and posted mine, you must have beat me to the punch. See you had the score 0 - 5 at least it confims what I thought.
I always thought Len Glover was a good player; my father never rated him though. I find it hard to compare players from so long ago with the current crop.
[cite]Posted By: StrikerFirmani[/cite]Uuurrhh, actually it must have been there well before, I just couldn't have read it all.
No worries Firmani....... not many people can stay awake long enough to read through my posts.........
*shrugs shoulders and kicks next door's 'orrible cat*
C'mon own up ......who read it all the way through?
There's a wealth of information about Ray Treacy, Gordon Bolland & Paul Hince. Who?
[cite]Posted By: ShootersHillGuru[/cite]I saw the great Lenny Glover play too. As I remember he had quite a strange running style. Good player though.
Hunched shoulders is probably what you mean re his running style.. he was quick though. I can't remember anyone catching him up but a few drinks and rose tinted spectacles of years ago may be playing a part...
As I've said before and I don't think it is an exaggeration the pace of Rommedahl, the trickery of Thomas or Sam and the ability to cross.
When I first said it I said the crossing ability of Hughes. That guy got some stick but he could cross and he could pass. His problem was that he was a big wuss elsewhere!
Edit:
re running style and did I really say that about Hughsie the corner taker?:-)
Comments
So 'our' Len, no wonder you tell good stories on CL.
And I remember 'you' playing for Charlton at The Valley...... ;o)
If so I feel old all of a sudden!
Thai Malaysia addick must have seen him I'm sure...
It was great watching him bombing down the line and putting in the kind of cross that is sadly missing at the Valley these days - and you seemed to be so close to the touchline in those days.
I was amazed to find out in recent years - when he got in police trouble - that he was a right ducker and diver - in fact a bit of a Del Boy as I understand it and always up to `dodgy' deals of some kind or other!
Even so that still doesn't detract from those great memories I have of him in a Charlton shirt. He will always be a Charlton legend as far as I'm concerned!
And Lancashire Lad on here would have seen him play. too.
Maybe Bing & Badger.
Striker Firmani....?
Thanks very much!
I can well remember your namesake as well - right character was `Aitch'
As you might guess I was also a big fan of Stuart Leary!
Link
My Dad, Grandad and Uncles spoke of him in reverential terms. He was held up as another example of Charlton as a selling club. First Bonds, then Bailey then Kenning then Glover - these were all players who had been sold to line the pockets of the Glicksten family - or so the story went.
The season we sold Len was a transitional one with Firmani having taken over from Stokoe. I suspect it was the old story that they needed to sell Len to "strengthen" the squad. The following season we finished 3rd (the top two going up) but then it was back to mediocrity and two seasons and another manager later we were relegated to the third tier.
Selling club - yes. All the fault of the money grabbing Glicksten family - well not so sure about that. What is clear thoough is that from relegation in 1957 to further relegation in 1971, the club went into a nose dive of pretty epic proportions and in doing so the fans were deprived of much of the careers of some seriously good players of which by popular consent, Len Glover was possibly the best and certainly the most exciting.
First of all, wasn't the Leicester 5-0 thrashing the catalyst for Charlton legend Eddie Firmani to be sacked as manager?
Reserve left back and Ireland international Theodore Cornelius Foley took over.
The main reason we sold Len Glover - was that he more or less demanded to go. And so when in November 1967 Leicester put in a then phenominal £80,000 bid, Len was out of the door and signing ....... he'd been angling for a move since that summer, playing out of his skin mind you and letting nobody down, determined to play in Division One.
For a local lad, it was his big chance and wild horses weren't going to stop him. He'd come through the ranks, given good service and nobody really begrudged him his move.
Mike Gliksten did spend a big wedge of the mony, first on Gordon Bolland from Norwich for £20,000, very soon after. Later, the day before Bing's first match home to QPR, another £20,000 was spent on Ray Treacy, the young Irish reserve centre forward from then First Division West Brom and a couple of weeks later, a speedy young winger from Man City reserves, Paul Hince, for £7,000.
Hince made a lightning start, prompting a runaway 4-1 away win at relegation threatened Plymouth Argyle, then the next week along with 2-goal Keith Peacock on the other wing, scoring again and helping Charlton put 4 past Huddersfield Town.
Whatever happened to Paul Hince? Towards the end of the season, he'd lost his early form and place in the team.
He was last heard of being a hack sports journalist on the Manchester evening paper.
The first signing Gordon Bolland, was a tall rangy attacking midfielder with a cultured left foot and a decent long range shot. In time honoured tradition, he scored his first Charlton goal against his old club - Xmas 1967 and we were losing
3-0 at home to Norwich. Mike kenning had a field day that day, scoring 2 pile drivers and running his full back ragged.
But after Bolland had equalised in the 86th minute, he missed an absolute sitter of Luke Varney like proportions in the last minute that would no doubt have been the winner and secured the most unlikely of 4-3 victories.
Bolland somehow didn't really fit in at Charlton though and it was no surprise when he was flogged to Millwall for just £10,000 early the next season - where he became a Lions legend.
The third of these 'Glover money' players, Ray Treacy, carved his own niche becoming a firm fans favourite, and that rarest of things in those days, the current full international playing for Charlton. We flogged him for £80,000 after our 1972 relegation. I'd tell you more - but my GF has just phoned asking where the hell am I ........?????
*meekly goes to visit said woman*
You are right about Firmani with his experimental defence against Leicester and the sack coming straight after. I can still see the faces of my Uncle John and my Grandad who took me to the game when the fifth Leicester goal went in!
Actually I just about remember Bolland when he played for us but certainly remember the Lions getting a great deal from him afterwards and wondering whether it was the same player.
Hince did sink without trace but Treacy rose to hero status along side the great Matt Tees and then afterwards as well.
The failure to get promoted in 1969 was a pivotal moment. We had a decent team with the likes of Wright, Curtis, Kinsey, Went, Reeves, Campbell, Moore, Gregory, Peacock, Tees and Treacy. Wright, Tees, Campbell and Moore departed pretty quickly, Kinsey retired soon after, Went got a knee injury, Gregory got less and less effective and and that was it, - dive, dive, dive!!
Of course with Theo at the helm, he was bound to change things and he did bring in the likes of Killer, Flash and Paddy although he didn't get them playing - that was left to one Andy Nelson in 1974/5.
He had a touch of class and was able to take a defender on and get to the by-line and actually cross first time with his left foot, non of this beat the man 2, or 3 times then have to pull the ball back on the other foot before thinking about making a cross. With the ball coming back from the line it was a dream for any striker and a problem for defenders because they were facing their own goal to defend the cross. He also knew where the back of the net was when the chance came along.
The season we sold him to Leicester City he came back in the fixture against us near the end of the season and took us apart, my memory is a little clouded to the final score but I am pretty sure he scored 2 and think it was something like 0 - 5, needless to say it was one of the many seasons we nearly went down. Having your best players come back and rub salt in to the wound is not fun. Whilst he was still at Leicester in the top division there was a complete team of ex Charlton players in the top flight. That says it all! Feck did the supporters suffer.
No worries Firmani....... not many people can stay awake long enough to read through my posts.........
*shrugs shoulders and kicks next door's 'orrible cat*
C'mon own up ......who read it all the way through?
There's a wealth of information about Ray Treacy, Gordon Bolland & Paul Hince. Who?
Duh! Forgot the smiley ...... ;o)
Hunched shoulders is probably what you mean re his running style.. he was quick though. I can't remember anyone catching him up but a few drinks and rose tinted spectacles of years ago may be playing a part...
As I've said before and I don't think it is an exaggeration the pace of Rommedahl, the trickery of Thomas or Sam and the ability to cross.
When I first said it I said the crossing ability of Hughes. That guy got some stick but he could cross and he could pass. His problem was that he was a big wuss elsewhere!
Edit:
re running style and did I really say that about Hughsie the corner taker?:-)