In the third part of his look at City in the 90s, Martin MacBlain looks back to a game in Nottingham, then one that followed at Carrow Road, and asks ‘what if…’
I wonder what the age demographic is of readers on this site? Sometimes you can glean insights from other writers or from comments written, but I’m sure that for every comment written there are 50 other ‘lurkers’. So, this article will either appeal to the sense of nostalgia of those of a certain vintage – or for the more modern reader they’ll wonder how we ever managed without the internet!
Ceefax – Pg301. Teletext 141.
You were either one or the other. Sure, you might check both, but you undoubtedly had a preference. For me, it was Ceefax. Pg301. The sports page. The original internet. Nine times out of ten there’d be nothing Norwich City related. But when there was… boy was it exciting.
Ceefax was how I learned we’d signed such luminaries as ‘super’ Matt Jackson and Ulf Ottosson. For those who unfamiliar with the workings of television-related news pages, each article would have a number next to them and you punch said number into your TV remote and hey presto you had your news article.
So when I saw the headline ‘Everton defender heads to Carrow Road’ – boom! I was all over that article before you could say ‘’the return of Mike Walker’’.
The other highlight of Ceefax and Teletext was on matchday when the lives scores used to flash up. Each page would be filtered by division and then each fixture would be listed alphabetically usually taking up two or three pages. One would have to wait patiently for the pages to scroll round to see if there had been a goal. And it was through this that I tended to follow the fortunes of Norwich City ‘live’.
Occasionally Norwich were selected for live coverage on BBC Radio Five Live, but that was a rarity and sometimes only the first half. Some memorable (well, for me) games that I ‘followed’ on Ceefax – Bolton 1 Norwich 0 (Lee 67) League Cup Q/F, Luton Town 1 Norwich City 3 (Newsome 2 Adams 1) our first game under O’Neill and Norwich City 2 Newcastle United 1. ‘That’ Andy Marshall game.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Newcastle game, let me take you back. I believe, to this day, that this game was the moment the club was set on a downward trajectory that arguably still hasn’t ever been fully reversed. Were it not for this game could we have been an ‘Everton’ or a Tottenham? Possibly? Potentially? Probably not, given their respective fan-bases, but there was a chance… let me explain.
Nottingham Forest away. December 1994. Evening kick off and ‘watching’ the game on Ceefax. I checked BBC 5 Live and realised the game was actually live – great! But almost to the minute that I start listening, I begin to realise that there has been a serious injury. This is bad. But who is it? Broken legs? Player carried off on stretcher…
But for whom? Who is ‘Andy Marshall’ – the player who is warming up. Then the sickening realisation that the injured player is Bryan Gunn. A key position and not one that is easy to replace.
The match continues and the ball goes out for a corner. Lars Bohinen goes to take it – the ball sails in and quite spectacularly sails over Marshall’s head and straight into the goal. Oh dear. A 1-0 loss but it’s okay. We are seventh in the league and sailing.
So onto Carrow Road and Andy Marshall’s home debut. By this time enough media coverage had made its way to the South West for me to realise that we had a special young goalkeeper on our books. An England youth international and highly rated, perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad after all. Newcastle rolled into town, Andy Cole and Paul Kitson up front and a flying Ruel Fox on the wing (who also scored – but didn’t celebrate) a penalty.
Back to Ceefax, back to being glued to that rotating page.
Now, when you’re following a match on Ceefax you literally have no understanding of how the game is playing out. You look at the score and it’s either win, lose or draw. It’s not until afterwards and a quick grab of the Sunday newspapers that you can glean how the match went.
And, as it turned out, we got battered. Andy Marshall had a blinder and we were lucky to sneak two goals from Neil Adams (yes him) and Ashley Ward, both inside 11 minutes. To the actual on-looker we did not need a goalkeeper with this young lad in the sticks. What a shot-stopper!
But, as it would later painfully transpire, not a presence and certainly not one to command a back line or dressing room of experienced players.
At the time none of us realised it. How could you? But that was the last time the club was ever anywhere near its peak. Imagine a bell curve. Let’s say, arguably, 1992/93 is the very top. Europe drops ever so slightly (due to league position) and up to the Newcastle game we are still sitting pretty high (7th in the Premier League in fact).
The squad, although ageing slightly, is still filled with Premiership quality players. Newsome, summer signing and new Captain. Ashley Ward, possibly signed too late, but nevertheless firing in goal after goal. Yet what the club failed, perhaps criminally, to do, was adequately replace Bryan Gunn. The Simon Tracey experiment perhaps scaring them? The Andy Marshall heroics perhaps averting them from looking too closely?
But if we had signed an experienced presence in the shape of a new goalkeeper, we could and should have maintained our Premier League status in the season before which the riches of the TV money began to explode into life.
As it transpired, we won one more game that season. One. Out of twenty. From 7th to 20th and straight into the Endsleigh Division One.
I don’t want to delve too deeply into the Chase era, that can be saved for another time, and I am of the Chase Out persuasion, but we will never know how he would have handled the additional riches, but perhaps, just perhaps he wouldn’t have felt the need to auction off our best players.
Could Jon Newsome have captained for the remainder of the decade? Would Ashley Ward have topped the Premier League goal scoring charts? And even more tantalisingly, would Darren Eadie have done a ‘Ryan Giggs’ and seen out his career with us?
All ‘ifs buts and maybes’, but if I’d known, whilst watching that Newcastle game on Ceefax, what it led to, perhaps, just perhaps I wouldn’t have cheered so hard.
Hi Martin
I well remember that match. Unusually I was in the River End that day and right behind the goal.
You don’t see many Neil Adams headers!
The second half was like the Alamo with wave after wave of Newcastle attacks and the whole ground knew that we were seriously lucky to escape with any points, let alone all three.
As you so rightly say, we didn’t realise it at the time but the games against Forest and Newcastle were the beginning of a devastating downward spiral.
Marshall couldn’t place kick to save his life and some of us called him Dracula because he was equally scared of crosses.
His eventual departure down the A140 was one of the most acrimonious incidents in Norwich City history.
I remember Ceefax – and Teletext!
In the 1960s the London Evening News (and also the Standard) used to produce a Saturday evening results special around 6pm or sometimes slightly later.
During the 1980s and 1990s getting the Pink ‘Un after away matches was ridiculously easy for me – I’d wander down the road to Blofield United FC and enjoy a pint until the papers were dropped off at the Clubhouse.
A great piece of nostalgia.
Cheers, Martin. Glad you enjoyed it.
What a game to be attending! And I love the description of the Alamo. If only we had know what Andy ‘flapper’ Marshall would really be like…
I was In attendance at his final game – Sheff Weds at from memory – where we got the Barry Butler trophy, then moved down the A140! Judas! Haha.
I used to get my copy of the PinkUn from the 5ways petrol station, during my Uni day’s. Couldn’t wait to get it. Sometimes combined with the odd pint at the pub next door as well!
Yeah that pub was called the Fiveways, not illogically.
I chose not to use the word Judas in my reply out of respect to my Patterdale terrier. His grandsire was called just that. His sire was called Zeus – I think breeder Hugh Crossley had a creative streak in naming his dogs, The mother’s name was Mivvi. Sounds like Pukki?
When Hugh, me, Mrs P and Matthew his gamekeeper sat on the steps of Somerleyton Hall and they discovered our pick from the litter was to be called Geezer they fell about laughing – in a nice way.
His brother was called Rupert and two of his sisters were Flavia and Giulia. Jeez knows what the third one was named by its new owner. Probably Aphrodite.
Working class origins always emerge:-)
I have no actual recollection of Marshall getting the Barry Butler but I do remember his immortalisation in that filthiest but most enjoyable of songs: There is a Circus in the Town.
More recollections please:-)
Hi Martin
Great memories and Gunn’s injury really end his football career he did try a couple of come backs but never reached the same level again.
Chase as you say is for another day but he played football monopoly with city thinking he could carry on selling players and not getting relegated or was it an early version of Fantasy football.
Can’t remember the quote but Marshall said something in an interview about being cities new No1 after a game.
As for Ceefax and Teletext you can still see a similar thing on BBC just called Text and it still shows the sport p303 for headlines and after games a complete write up, I must be sad still reading it.
Off subject Bruce now Head coach of Newcastle who do we feel worried for not sure but so pleased he never got the City Job.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Hi Alex, glad you enjoyed! I feel sorry for Newcastle and Bruce! Poisoned chalice for anyone with Ashley in charge.
I’ll check out the new Ceefax – thanks for the tip!
I found it on the BBC via Sky then hit the text button.
Ashley is the Businessman and will only spend what he see’s is the best price but has also made himself an easy target for managers is they aren’t doing well it’s not their coaching that is at fault it is them not being given money to buy players.
Surely instead of moaning about what you haven’t got in public do it in the boardroom, also Rafa didn’t want to go to China my rear end he has doubled his money and that is the name of the game earn what you can when you can.
Excellent and evocative piece. The time you describe was about the same time as I was buying my first house and getting married. Money for trips to Norwich games was not readily available so Ceefax became vital. The three pages per division you describe gradually became 6 or 7 pages as the goals went in and allocated on screen. I remember it being particularly useful for midweek games-the radio and Grandstand’s teleprinter were Saturday afternoon’s contact tools.
I had forgotten about how Marshall came to be in the first team; the mention of him gets my blood pressure up as I remember him leaving to go to a ‘massive club.’ I don’t know what happened to them….
I find it hard to think anything good about Chase. The hiring of police horses to use against the club’s own fans was unforgivable.
Spot on with the horses comment Don.
They were on secondment from the Met, absolutely massive and not exactly person friendly. That wasn’t their role of course and tbh I never heard of anybody being injured beyond bumps and bruises.
More by luck than judgement I would suggest.
Certainly then Norfolk Constabulary did not have a mounted branch and probably still don’t to this day – I dunno for sure.
The operations (thankfully only a couple) must have cost a bl00dy shedload of dosh. Goes to show how some self-made rich fella (nothing against that from my side of the bed) was concerned for his personal safety.
Hopefully Martin MacBlain will compose something sensible concerning the demise of the Lord of Halvergate Hall at some point soonish.
I dare not do it because both MFW and myself would be sued out of existence – for telling the truth.
Great point about Chase, Don. I think I’d find it hard to point out his positives as most of his tenure was before my time supporting the club. I rode the crest of Europe but was repeatedly dismayed by his policy of selling players, many of whom didn’t really want to leave.
He could’ve kept Mike Walker if he’d offered a better contract and he could have kept O’Neill by signing Windass, so for that I can’t ever forgive him.
If Mick Dennis is reading – Robert Chase for your next ‘Tales from the City’ book would be some chapter…
I vaguely remember a game at home to Sunderland where they pounded us. We had one chance. Rob Earnshaw scored, and we won 1-0. In the pub after the game we all felt we’d witnessed a very clear “smash and grab”, but welcomed the three points.
Not a Chase fan at all, but didn’t we buy all the land behind the South Stand under his “stewardship”
When times were really hard, we flogged this off to some housing developer and used the rest for the new (…………well newish.) Jarrold (or whatever it’s called this season) stand.
OK so we sold off anyone who was even just a half decent player, but isn’t that what self funding clubs do….