Everyone has their favourite chippy – and indeed their favourite footballers. No Ian Crook link intended.
My old boy was a typical man of his era in that as much as he “loved” my mother there were (many) times he couldn’t wait to escape from her.
Very early one sunny morning he said “come on boy”, bundled me and the Boxer dog into the Austin 1100 and made the 20-mile journey to sunny Sarfend on Sea. It was when The Beatles were in their infancy; around 1965. No seat belts, he had his Police warrant card and didn’t worry about consuming a few pints of what he fancied. He wasn’t daft, but didn’t need to be too careful. No breathalyser then.
There was a trip on the green and cream electric train, a failed attempt at beach fishing, watching Dad losing his temper on the slot machines (and my helping to make it worse for him by winning a few coins on the penny falls while he couldn’t work out the “corrected” rifling on the pellet guns and remonstrating with the stallholder), some time with a football on the beach, an ice cream and then….. what was probably the most wonderful fish and chip meal of my life.
Southend boasted a department store called Keddies, a kind of 1960s take on Jarrolds I guess. There was my Dad, me and the bloody dog (you could take dogs into most eating places then) sat in this posh dining room with white tablecloths. Breaded plaice, a few chips and peas for me. As a youngster I hated the skin on the fish, so Stormy the dog filled it’s unbooted paws. I’ve rarely been so happy in my life as that day. Eight-year-olds are easily pleased when they’re made to feel grown up. Even today I reckon.
But this nostalgic recollection made me think. Could that wonderful day ever be so successfully re-experienced?
And hereby the link from plaice to place (I know, that was truly awful).
I once went to a reserve match (they did exist historically, honestly) where Marc Libbra scored the perfect hat-trick (left foot, right foot, header). I remember an old Division One game with Lee Power taking a ball on his shoulder, cutting in and blasting it home.
Recalling Ade Akinbyi and dear old Jamie Cureton as potentially the next best thing as a striker partnership is something I might not be alone in looking back on.
Robert Eagle, Victor Segura (please don’t laugh, he wasn’t that bad), Dani Ayala, John O’Neill who was Wimbledoned out of the game. Forever.
Chris Sutton, Craig Bellamy, Ashley Ward and Jon Newsome who were fire-sold at their peak.
Tom Adeyemi, Korey Smith, David Smith. Henrik Mortensen.
Cameron McGeehan, Jed Steer, Ben Wyatt.
Neale Fenn, Paul Dalglish.
There are many other NCFC players in this category I have long forgotten but the ones I have mentioned had one thing in common.
They had that mayfly-like ability to light the old place up and burn brightly while they were here, which was often not long enough.
Just as I well know that 50 years on I’d never enjoy a repeat of that meal with Dad and the dog as much as I did then, I’m equally sure I would feel exactly the same about the players I mentioned. They all brought joy in their day, but… oh well, sometimes I just don’t know.
Please let us know if you can recall players of a similar ilk that appealed to you in a like fashion.
And although MFW doesn’t do advertising (yet) and nobody will ever equal my hour at Keddies, my favourite chippies are the Grosvenor in the City, Plattens in Wells and Mary Jane’s in Cromer. *Many other fish bars are very definitely available – and they’re all just fine if you’re starving and they let you do your own salt ‘n’ vinegar.
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In the spirit of a “dead weekend” I’ll pose an MFW question for all readers: how many Welsh internationals have been capped while playing for Norwich City? And can you name them? (It’s not as easy as I thought and I’m still not convinced I can answer the question 100 per cent correctly myself, tbh).
Good stuff, Martin.
In the ‘burned brightly’ category, perhaps Kevin Reeves, Peter Mendham (clearly a potential England player), Sammy ‘it could have been you’ Clingan, Kei Kamara?
Could name a few who never flickered into life at all….
Mendy’s a good one. Maybe he would indeed have played for England had he been with “a different type of club”.
Kei Kamara epitomises my theme. Maybe not the greatest thing ever seen in yellow and green, but what warmth and joy he brought to Norwich for a brief time as a lovely human being, let alone as a footballer.
Jimmy Bone, superstar
Welsh internationals?
Well Mel Lucas and Ron Davies are the earliest I remember though whether both played for them whilst at city I’m not so sure – I’m not certain Lucas did but RD must surely have done so. Ollie Burton also rings a bell, Again not sure if he was capped whilst at Carrow Rd.
David Jones I think had his career ended in a Wales game, Ian Davies, Mark Bowen, Dave Williams, David Phillips and Malcolm Allen must be in the mix. Bellamy obviously, and din’t Jeremy Goss get a few caps eventually?
Then there was Chris Llewellyn who was once valued at £1m, but only in the earliest versions of Football Manager.
Owen Tudor Jones always seemed to be injured, so doubt if he was capped whilst with us.
Marley Watkins will presumably join the list soon.
That’s about a dozen names to start with; Im sure there are many more, and I have a feeling I’ll have missed some pretty obvious ones.
Yes, Gossy did get a few caps – he Bowen and Phillips were often in the squad at the same time.
I thought Mark Walton was capped and he was, but just a single u-21s.
I completely gave up on it going back pre-war – impossible!
The only obvious miss from yourself would be Iwan.
A very colourful reminisce and we all have great ones.
my father was a seaman and sailed from Gt Yarmouth to Holland and Belgium on a steam ship called the Mallard I got many trip up the Yare and Wensum as a kid bringing cargo from Rottterdam and Antwerp during summer hols then catching a steam train back to Gt Yarmouth.
My first trip to Rotterdam was October 61 sea sick all the way there 3 days of site seeing taken by the Seamans Mission padre first taste of real chocolate milk, then sick all the way back weather was bad for a first trip especially October in the north sea.
My reserve teams games didn’t reach double figures living in Yarmouth and being the only one that liked playing and watching but I do remember seeing a young Steve Grapes
Ha! My old man was a PLA copper at the West India Dock so I got to go on board several vessels with him – everything was so much more relaxed then. I can’t recall an unofficial trip to sea on any of them,but my innocent young ears heard the words “cigarettes” and “spirits” quite a bit.
Dad was on good terms with one of the senior managers from a well-known Scandinavian shipping line, so we had a few short cruises when working class families like us generally didn’t!
I can’t remember anything about Steve Grapes except the name.
According to the big G he played 41 times for city then went to Cardiff.
Graham Paddon
Martin Peters
Mick Channon
Darren Huckerby
Not many players like them nowadays
Ted MacDougall
Welsh Internationals:-
Trevor Hockey
Andrew Crofts
Steve Morrison
Ted McDougall – what an excellent choice! Phil Boyer also for me.
I’d completely forgotten that Steve Morrison played for Wales. When I said I didn’t know all the answers myself, I meant it:-)
Neale Fenn only played 7 times for us & scored 1 goal yet he remains one of my favourite players as I have a clear memory of him turning round a game for us away at Sheffield United to help us avoid relegation. Similarly (but probably not your theme) Brian McGovern holds special memories.
Another player who briefly caused a stir (even though it was unjustified) is of course Ulf Ottosson!
Players who have lit the place up for me would be; Disco Dale Gordon, Crook, Fleck,Huckerby and Holt, with special mention to, for Bowen, Malky and Culverhouse, defenders who really shone too. Josh and Maddison look ready to give us some stella moments now and in the future.
I can’t think of any other Welsh internationals you guys have missed, but I’m sure theres at least one more that we’ll all kick ourselves for missing.
As for Chippies, the best of several I’ve tried in Norwich has to be the chip shop on Stafford st. Much better than the style over substance of the Grosvenor. But better still is the Chip inn long stratton, the best Haddock, Skate or Cod I’ve had in any Plaice.
Bah!
All terrific choices. I kind of meant the ones who weren’t around long enough to be staples or achieve any degree of longevity but I cannot disagree with any of your picks.
A very fair point about the Grosvenor, and Lucy’s on the market always suffices if “one” is in a rush and doesn’t require fish.
I actually prefer a “chicken chips & peas with special gravy” from the Kam Lee on Drayton Road’s “LidL” roundabout, Decant it from its tinfoil container, load it with quality soya sauce and away you go. I normally manage to pick one up after a night match just before they close.
Good wishes to our collective cunning plan…
I hope some