Before Your Time XI

[Staff]

My old man always talks about lawrie cunnigham, said he was incredible for us in a pretty shit side over a very short time. Can anybody confirm this, because my old man is a pretty drunken fool and often over exaggerates 🙄

[HighPeakFox]

1 hour ago, Staff said:

My old man always talks about lawrie cunnigham, said he was incredible for us in a pretty shit side over a very short time. Can anybody confirm this, because my old man is a pretty drunken fool and often over exaggerates 🙄

He's right.

[kushiro]

Great thread.

 

The team that most fascinates me is the one that won promotion in 1924/25 under Peter Hodge, our first really great team, with a forward line of Hugh Adcock, Johnny Duncan, Arthur Chandler, George Carr and Harry Wadsworth.  It was a thrilling four way promotion battle (for just two places, of course) between Man U, Derby, Chelsea and Leicester. If you have a chance, go through that season week by week, looking at our results and those of our rivals, and see how we gradually reined them in, while still finding the energy to reach the FA Cup quarter finals (the best resource is 11v11.com)

 

Our three promotion rivals were knocked out in the 3rd round of the Cup, and must have been hoping Leicester would be drained after their cup exploits, especially when we needed a replay in both the 4th and 5th rounds (v Newcastle and Hull). On both occasions we faced a replay at Filbert Street on Thursday followed by a League game just two days later - and on both occasions we won the replay then scored SIX in the League game (v Sheffield Wednesday then Barnsley). There must have been an extraordinary energy in that team,  and it must have been an incredibly exciting time to be a Leicester fan.  

 

There is a personal dimension to this too. The first member of my family to move to Leicester was my grandfather Tom in 1924. Apparently he walked to Leicester from Liverpool, trying to find work. He was lodging at Woodland Road, off Humberstone Road. He died before I was born but I have some precious letters of his, one of which refers to 'the Fosse'. We were probably still referred to that way for many years after we changed our name to 'City', in the same way that fans used old names for competitions years or even decades after the name changed (Football League instead of Premier League, European Cup rather than Champions League). 

 

Our first game in Division One after that promotion in 1925 was at home to Liverpool. I often imagine Tom going to see this game against his home town club. How did he get there? Did he get two trams, along Humberstone Rd, then out Filbert Street, or to save money, did he walk  - through the Highfields, across Viccy Park past the new War Memorial, then past the cemetery and cutting through near the old cattle market? The last time I was in Leicester I actually made that walk - a kind of vicarious sentimental journey. It was a pretty powerful experience - in this age of saturation TV coverage, the best experiences can sometimes be those that are purely the work of the imagination (which is the whole point of this thread, right?)

 

Those glory years, 1924-1929, really need some kind of commemoration when the 100th anniversary comes round, not too far in the future. I'd love to see some kind of week by week retelling of the story, and if I had online access to the Mercury and Evening Mail archives I might even try it myself.

 

 

[Stoopid]

9 hours ago, kushiro said:

Great thread.

 

The team that most fascinates me is the one that won promotion in 1924/25 under Peter Hodge, our first really great team, with a forward line of Hugh Adcock, Johnny Duncan, Arthur Chandler, George Carr and Harry Wadsworth.  It was a thrilling four way promotion battle (for just two places, of course) between Man U, Derby, Chelsea and Leicester. If you have a chance, go through that season week by week, looking at our results and those of our rivals, and see how we gradually reined them in, while still finding the energy to reach the FA Cup quarter finals (the best resource is 11v11.com)

 

Our three promotion rivals were knocked out in the 3rd round of the Cup, and must have been hoping Leicester would be drained after their cup exploits, especially when we needed a replay in both the 4th and 5th rounds (v Newcastle and Hull). On both occasions we faced a replay at Filbert Street on Thursday followed by a League game just two days later - and on both occasions we won the replay then scored SIX in the League game (v Sheffield Wednesday then Barnsley). There must have been an extraordinary energy in that team,  and it must have been an incredibly exciting time to be a Leicester fan.  

 

There is a personal dimension to this too. The first member of my family to move to Leicester was my grandfather Tom in 1924. Apparently he walked to Leicester from Liverpool, trying to find work. He was lodging at Woodland Road, off Humberstone Road. He died before I was born but I have some precious letters of his, one of which refers to 'the Fosse'. We were probably still referred to that way for many years after we changed our name to 'City', in the same way that fans used old names for competitions years or even decades after the name changed (Football League instead of Premier League, European Cup rather than Champions League). 

 

Our first game in Division One after that promotion in 1925 was at home to Liverpool. I often imagine Tom going to see this game against his home town club. How did he get there? Did he get two trams, along Humberstone Rd, then out Filbert Street, or to save money, did he walk  - through the Highfields, across Viccy Park past the new War Memorial, then past the cemetery and cutting through near the old cattle market? The last time I was in Leicester I actually made that walk - a kind of vicarious sentimental journey. It was a pretty powerful experience - in this age of saturation TV coverage, the best experiences can sometimes be those that are purely the work of the imagination (which is the whole point of this thread, right?)

 

Those glory years, 1924-1929, really need some kind of commemoration when the 100th anniversary comes round, not too far in the future. I'd love to see some kind of week by week retelling of the story, and if I had online access to the Mercury and Evening Mail archives I might even try it myself.

 

 

Beautifully written and evocative post. 

Growing up in Highfields, the Vicky Park/War Memorial journey was one me and the old feller made countless times in the early 60s. Like your Grandad, he was a regular between the wars, and on the journey would entertain me with stories about Sep Smith, Channy, Johnny Duncan etc. In fact, we often used to stop at the Turks Head (opp. the Nick), Johnny Duncan's boozer,  where I'd sip my Vimto, getting excited about the forthcoming match, playing with the disreputable-looking dog that lived there. Sometimes we'd go to the Aldermans on New Bridge Street. My old man grew up in the streets round there and seemed to know everyone. 

After the match we'd go to my aunt's sweet-shop on Western Rd for a tea of mussels and a read of the Buff. 

Loved Filbert Street - it seemed to grow out of those terraced streets, and reflected the tough, urban crowd it attracted. No beauty for sure, but the very heart of the city. 

Be interested to see anything you come up with in respect of commemoration of that time. 

 

[Foxaholic ME]

On 27/03/2021 at 10:40, Stoopid said:

Beautifully written and evocative post. 

Growing up in Highfields, the Vicky Park/War Memorial journey was one me and the old feller made countless times in the early 60s. Like your Grandad, he was a regular between the wars, and on the journey would entertain me with stories about Sep Smith, Channy, Johnny Duncan etc. In fact, we often used to stop at the Turks Head (opp. the Nick), Johnny Duncan's boozer,  where I'd sip my Vimto, getting excited about the forthcoming match, playing with the disreputable-looking dog that lived there. Sometimes we'd go to the Aldermans on New Bridge Street. My old man grew up in the streets round there and seemed to know everyone. 

After the match we'd go to my aunt's sweet-shop on Western Rd for a tea of mussels and a read of the Buff. 

Loved Filbert Street - it seemed to grow out of those terraced streets, and reflected the tough, urban crowd it attracted. No beauty for sure, but the very heart of the city. 

Be interested to see anything you come up with in respect of commemoration of that time. 

 

These times seem to get completely overlooked when people talk about best players and managers 

[Foxaholic ME]

On 25/03/2021 at 15:42, SuperMike said:

Would've loved to have seen Derek Dougan in a City shirt. Did see him play for Wolves - class act!  He seemed to score plenty of goals for Leicester, as did Jackie Sinclair - a player I never got to see. How great would it be to have a goalscorer like Arthur Rowley? His stats are out of this world at a time when you needed to be tough just to survive league football. 

On the Lenny Glover argument - there is no argument - he was so good he should definately be in your team!! Fabulous player!

Agree  about Glover someone on here said he only had one good game in three  which is ridiculous he was always great to watch .Our wingers  have usually been great to watch Lynex Hogg  Glover Sinclair Weller Barnes looks  as if he might follow in their footsteps