Leicester City In 100 Players: Jon Sammels

[davieG]

https://www.lcfc.com/news/2738854/leicester-city-in-100-players-jon-sammels

 

Club Historian John Hutchinson reviews the careers of 100 of the most outstanding players to represent Leicester Fosse and Leicester City in the Club’s 138-year history. The series continues with Jon Sammels, a key figure in Jimmy Bloomfield’s sides in the 1970s.
Ipswich-born Sammels was an elegant and creative midfield player who possessed a strong and accurate shot.

In July 1971, Jimmy Bloomfield, the new manager of Second Division champions City, signed him from Arsenal for £100,000. He was the first of Bloomfield’s three big-money signings that season. The others, who joined in September, were Keith Weller from Chelsea and Alan Birchenall from Crystal Palace.  

Sammels had made 270 appearances for Arsenal and scored 52 goals. He had also won seven England youth caps and nine England Under-23s caps. He joined the Gunners as an apprentice in 1961, made his first-team debut in 1963 and became established in the side in 1965/66.

He was a League Cup finalist in 1968 and 1969 and an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup winner in 1970. The following season, he was in the Arsenal side which won the league and FA Cup double but, sidelined with a bad ankle injury, he struggled to regain his place in the side and missed the 1971 FA Cup final.

After handing in a transfer request, he opted to join Leicester rather than Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town. Over the next six and a half seasons, he made 271 league and cup appearances for the Foxes and was hugely influential both as a player and as a captain.

 

On his City debut, he was in the side which defeated Liverpool to win the Charity Shield (now called the FA Community Shield).

Like his manager, Bloomfield, who had also played for Arsenal (after starting his career at Brentford) Sammels was a great believer in playing attractive football. His creative influence played a major role in establishing City as one of the most entertaining sides in England.

Such was Jon’s influence on the side that Bloomfield, for whom Sammels had great respect, even tried to play him in a Franz Beckenbauer sweeper role, in a short-lived tactical plan named after Sammels called the ‘S’ plan.

Following Bloomfield’s departure in May 1977, City’s new manager was their ex-star player Frank McLintock, who had also been the double-winning captain of Arsenal in Sammels’ time at Highbury.

The side that McLintock inherited was ageing and struggling and in January 1978, Jon joined Vancouver Whitecaps for two years, helping them to win the NASL title in 1979.

Later, he became player-coach at Nuneaton Borough and Trowbridge Town before establishing a driving school in Countesthorpe. He now lives in retirement, but his elegant play is fondly remembered by many.

[Guest itude]

I heard a reference to him in that film "Fever Pitch" it wasn't exactly complimentary .Great film though

[Foxdiamond]

9 minutes ago, itude said:

I heard a reference to him in that film "Fever Pitch" it wasn't exactly complimentary .Great film though

I think it alluded to the fact fans would get on his back and not recognise his qualities. I once saw Jon score a screamer against Man U at Highbury for Arsenal. He scored a few like that for us as well.

[Fazzer 7]

Ah yes, Jon Sammels, The Birch, Keith Weller and Frank Wortho the dream team. 

[cropstonfox]

Hugh John's on star soccer mentioned him every game with highlights.

"This could be the 50th goal for Sammels"

But it invariably ended up in the double decker.

 

 

[smudger63]

1 minute ago, cropstonfox said:

Hugh John's on star soccer mentioned him every game with highlights.

"This could be the 50th goal for Sammels"

But it invariably ended up in the double decker.

 

 

Scored a good goal against Burnley, that was on star soccer if I remember rightly.  He was an alright player, a bit like the Birch really, they were both decent footballers, but not the very top level, that were going to help us push for the top.  

[String fellow]

21 hours ago, smudger63 said:

Scored a good goal against Burnley, that was on star soccer if I remember rightly.  He was an alright player, a bit like the Birch really, they were both decent footballers, but not the very top level, that were going to help us push for the top.  

That was 2nd November, 1974. Think I was at Filbert Street that day. It wasn't  a great season for us, finishing 18th in the old Div.1. Perhaps the outstanding result that season was a 3-0 win at Spurs, with goals from the MIGHTY STRING, Wortho and Sammels himself. Sammels also scored in our narrow 3-2 win at Leatherhead in the FA Cup. Bizarrely, we played Arsenal 7 times that season!

[Twitcher]

On 14/08/2022 at 20:13, Fazzer 7 said:

Ah yes, Jon Sammels, The Birch, Keith Weller and Frank Wortho the dream team. 

Not forgetting Wallington, Whitworth, Rofe, Kember, Garland et. al. Happy days!

[Foxdiamond]

20 hours ago, String fellow said:

That was 2nd November, 1974. Think I was at Filbert Street that day. It wasn't  a great season for us, finishing 18th in the old Div.1. Perhaps the outstanding result that season was a 3-0 win at Spurs, with goals from the MIGHTY STRING, Wortho and Sammels himself. Sammels also scored in our narrow 3-2 win at Leatherhead in the FA Cup. Bizarrely, we played Arsenal 7 times that season!

Was at the Kop end when that goal flew in from distance hard and low for a 1-0 win

[Smudge]

I had moved to the US in 1987 and returned for a family visit that took us to a pub somewhere in SW Leicestershire maybe Broughton Asley, but I can't be sure.

Anyway, I stood up to go to the gents and en-route I see Jon on the way back. I said something like 'Jon Sammels! What are you doing these days.' He told me that he owned a driving school business and we chatted on about the Bloomfield years. The thing was, he had no edge and seemed genuinely pleased to meet me. After which he invited me to meet his table of friends and family. Certainly the most affable professional footballer I have ever met next to John Burridge (Villa goalkeeper at the time) who was a neighbour of mine.

Edited 17 August 2022 by Smudge

[enmac]

On 14/08/2022 at 21:02, smudger63 said:

Scored a good goal against Burnley, that was on star soccer if I remember rightly.  He was an alright player, a bit like the Birch really, they were both decent footballers, but not the very top level, that were going to help us push for the top.  

Sammels was way better than Birchenall. Very underrated by many  City fans. Just a class player. 

[dynamark]

Back in the 80 s my firm were insulating houses in Woodbridge Suffolk and the elderly lady asked where I was from .I replied Leicester and she said did I know her son Jon Sammels.

[enmac]

All Arsenal goals but worth a watch. 

 

[enmac]

 

[Foxdiamond]

11 hours ago, enmac said:

 

I was at this match age 13 with my older brother (London boys) We were  in the North Bank and even from there Sammels shot went like a rocket.

[Spudulike]

On 14/08/2022 at 20:56, cropstonfox said:

Hugh John's on star soccer mentioned him every game with highlights.

"This could be the 50th goal for Sammels"

But it invariably ended up in the double decker.

 

 

His shooting was mostly high, wide and not very handsome which made the odd occasion when it found the net both memorable and surprising! Certainly not accurate most of the time and became a bit of a running joke. 

[Foxdiamond]

2 hours ago, Spudulike said:

His shooting was mostly high, wide and not very handsome which made the odd occasion when it found the net both memorable and surprising! Certainly not accurate most of the time and became a bit of a running joke. 

I think his 50th goal was in a 1-0 win over Burnley at Filbert Street in November 74. Great low hard shot at the double decker end.

[Spudulike]

Sammels, Sammels, I'd walk a million miles for one of your smiles, Jon Sammels. 

 

The days when we'd have a song for every player and go through them during the warm up until the player waved back to us. 

[kushiro]

49 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Sammels, Sammels, I'd walk a million miles for one of your smiles, Jon Sammels. 

 

The days when we'd have a song for every player and go through them during the warm up until the player waved back to us. 

Which others can you remember?

 

Frank Worthington had that one to the tune of 'Son Of My Father', right? 

 

Did Weller have the standard 'There's only one ...' chant?

 

It was before my time - these are just ones I've heard on old videos. Do tell us anymore you can recall.

 

How about Birch? The name fits the same tune as Frank's. Was that it?

 

[Spudulike]

15 hours ago, kushiro said:

Which others can you remember?

 

Frank Worthington had that one to the tune of 'Son Of My Father', right? 

 

Did Weller have the standard 'There's only one ...' chant?

 

It was before my time - these are just ones I've heard on old videos. Do tell us anymore you can recall.

 

How about Birch? The name fits the same tune as Frank's. Was that it?

 

Not sure about Son of my father but more Glitter Band,' ello 'ello Frankie Wortho, Frankie Wortho. 

 

Weller was clap, clap, clapclapclap, clapclapclapclap, Weller!! Liverpool later adapted it for Dalglish. 

 

We also had Shilton, Shilton number 1, Shilton, number 1. Or after a good save it became England's, England's number 1, Englands number 1. 

 

And, we've got Lenny, Lenny, Lenny Glover on the wing, on the wing. 

 

Jo, Jo, Jo Walters following that FA Cup run in '74.

 

Others were a generic 'name of player' clap clap clap. It would be sung over and over until the player acknowledged us. Any that didnt, and it didn't often happen, were booed and whistled. 

 

There were others that have long slipped my memory. 

[kushiro]

8 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Not sure about Son of my father but more Glitter Band,' ello 'ello Frankie Wortho, Frankie Wortho. 

 

Weller was clap, clap, clapclapclap, clapclapclapclap, Weller!! Liverpool later adapted it for Dalglish. 

 

We also had Shilton, Shilton number 1, Shilton, number 1. Or after a good save it became England's, England's number 1, Englands number 1. 

 

And, we've got Lenny, Lenny, Lenny Glover on the wing, on the wing. 

 

Jo, Jo, Jo Walters following that FA Cup run in '74.

 

Others were a generic 'name of player' clap clap clap. It would be sung over and over until the player acknowledged us. Any that didnt, and it didn't often happen, were booed and whistled. 

 

There were others that have long slipped my memory. 

 

Cheers. Love it.

 

What was the Joe Waters tune?

 

Liverpool fans I think had that Weller chant with St.John back in the 60s. 

[Spudulike]

19 minutes ago, kushiro said:

 

Cheers. Love it.

 

What was the Joe Waters tune?

 

Liverpool fans I think had that Weller chant with St.John back in the 60s. 

Not sure that it had a tune as such. Just a chant that might have basis in a song at sometime. 

 

The same songs were sung by most clubs with adaptions to suit. No shame in copycat singing in those times. For example, fans of most clubs did the scarves in the air you'll never walk alone. That said, I don't recall any other fans doing WYS but they probably did. 

[kushiro]

6 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Not sure that it had a tune as such. Just a chant that might have basis in a song at sometime. 

 

The same songs were sung by most clubs with adaptions to suit. No shame in copycat singing in those times. For example, fans of most clubs did the scarves in the air you'll never walk alone. That said, I don't recall any other fans doing WYS but they probably did. 

 

I've heard Villa and Walsall fans sing WYS on old 70s videos. Not sure if they did the hand waving too.

[gerblod]

On 16/08/2022 at 14:11, Twitcher said:

Not forgetting Wallington, Whitworth, Rofe, Kember, Garland et. al. Happy days!

You've forgotten Lenny Glover. For me, as important in that era as Keith Weller and Wortho. Imo, as good as Mike Summerbee.

City suffered, as ever, for not being a 'fashionable' side.

Joe Mercer, who took over temporarily as England manager, was prepared to select Leicester players. That didn't last.

 

[Supergray22]

On 16/08/2022 at 14:11, Twitcher said:

Not forgetting Wallington, Whitworth, Rofe, Kember, Garland et. al. Happy days!

The first Leicester team I knew and supported as a kid. Fond memories of that team.