Assessing those who won, or in this case did not, the ‘Footballer of the Year‘ award through the 1960s is rather like discovering which fine actors were surprisingly overlooked by the Oscars during the same decade.
Most could be forgiven the assumption that great performances by the likes of Albert Finney, Ian McKellen and particularly Peter O’Toole were recognised by the Academy. Yet the judges, like their football-writer counterparts, often appear out of step in recognising not only achievement, but acclaim from the public – hence the absence of 60s football luminaries such as Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law, Alan Ball and Roger Hunt from the list of ‘Footballer of the Year‘ winners between 1960 and 1969.
In some cases judgement looks sound enough when electing a winner (the electorate made up of UK football writers), although other choices – from a long way in the future it has to be said – appear strange to say the least; the award at times bestowed upon a recipient more ‘Mr. Pleasant‘ than ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash‘ (with all due respect to Charlton brother Jack, who to football scribes of the day was no doubt a worthy winner).
Balancing some who won against others not chosen suggests in this respect the ‘Swinging 60s‘ was more about consistency than artistry. Even so, given their weekly brilliance for much of the period, how Greaves, Law, Ball, Hunt, Brian Labone, Peter Osgood, Ian St. John, Alex Young and Martin Peters did not add the trophy to their honours remains a mystery.
So with that in mind, back we go to the ‘Footballer of the Year‘ circa 1960s – honouring the winner, while respectfully nominating alternatives:
1960: BILL SLATER: (Wolverhampton Wanderers): FA Cup winning captain, Wolves missing out on the ‘double’ on goal average, no obvious alternative to this immaculate wing-half – although 88 year-old Sambrook snr offered Wolves’ stately inside-forward Peter Broadbent as another option, on the basis: ‘I’d have made Peter Broadbent Footballer of the Year every season.’
1961: DANNY BLANCHFLOWER (Tottenham Hotspur): Another selection that brooks no argument – the profusely talented Irishman, winning for the second time in three seasons, leading Spurs to the first league and cup ‘double’ of the century. The only other possible candidate was powerhouse half-back partner Dave Mackay – but like many a 60s concept-album this theme would return at the end.
1962: JIMMY ADAMSON (Burnley): Ever-present captain of their title-winning side two years before, this redoubtable midfield player hit a personal peak as the Clarets did the unfortunate league and FA Cup runners-up double. In contrast to most winners of this honour, Adamson never won a full international cap, although his renown as a football technician was reflected when taken to the 1962 World Cup as assistant to England manager Walter Winterbottom, who recommended him as his successor.
When Adamson declined, the FA turned to some bloke called Ramsey – whose surprise 1962 league title-winners Ipswich Town could have produced an alternative ‘Footballer of the Year‘ in the form of free-scoring centre-forward Ray Crawford.
1963: STANLEY MATTHEWS (Stoke City): Few would have begrudged the great man his second success in this field, Matthews the first winner in 1947. Fifteen years later at the age of 47 a series of captivating displays from the hometown veteran helped Stoke regain their top-flight status. The competition Matthews overcame to win was the toughest he faced all season – Greaves (Spurs), 37 goals, European Cup Winners Cup winner; Law (Manchester United) 29 goals, FA Cup winner; Alex Young (Everton), 23 goals, League title winner.
1964: BOBBY MOORE (West Ham United): At the peak of his club form, skipper of the FA Cup winners and becoming England captain on a permanent basis made Moore (the youngest winner so far), in every sense, the outstanding candidate. That said, one wonders how another 35 goals from Greaves went unrecognised – the 33 scored by Hunt for title-winners Liverpool also making him worthy of consideration. There was also the matter of Law not finding favour at home, but winning ‘European Footballer of the Year‘.
1965: BOBBY COLLINS (Leeds United): Diminutive only in physical stature, Scottish international Collins was captain and midfield linchpin as Leeds made a remarkable return to the top division, losing a title race with Manchester United on goal average, the FA Cup Final to Liverpool in extra-time. His combative, consistent displays clearly endeared him to the voters, despite the on-going claims of joint first division top scorer Greaves – and those of Old Trafford duo Law (28 goals) and Belfast-born teenager George Best, whose arrival on the scene came like a thunderbolt.
1966: BOBBY CHARLTON (Manchester United): On first glance it seems obvious – in that year it had to be one of those lads. But the award was made prior to the golden summer and at the end of a season when Charlton – whose outstanding form must have put him in the running every year – ended the domestic campaign without a trophy. Other ’66 immortals, Hunt (32 goals/title-winner) and Ray Wilson (Everton FA Cup winner) were sure to have been in with a shout, along with respective Merseyside team-mates St. John and Labone.
1967: JACK CHARLTON (Leeds United): One of the more curious selections given the ‘forceful’ nature of his game and growing antipathy from the London-based football press toward some of the dark arts Leeds had begun to adopt. Still, in the eyes of many he must have been doing something right – but whether it was more than say Law (League title winner/25 goals), Greaves (31 goals/FA Cup winner) or QPR wildcard Rodney Marsh (League Cup winner/30 goals) comes down to preference between force or finesse.
1968: GEORGE BEST (Manchester United): At this point, given the interchanging Manchester United/Leeds United winners, you begin to wonder if those voting ever saw matches involving other clubs. But in truth, Best could have won the award in any of the past four seasons, the most gifted British player of his generation finally recognised for his talents – netting 28 times in the league, before ending the season with a typically audacious goal as United won the European Cup.
While Best was the stand-out candidate, the short-list was none to shabby – Jeff Astle scoring in every round (including the final) as West Bromwich Albion won the FA Cup, while midfielder Colin Bell hit a constant level of excellence in a Manchester City side who pipped neighbours United to the league title.
1969: TONY BOOK (Manchester City)/DAVE MACKAY (Derby County) – shared: In a decade which produced its share of strange choices with regard to ‘Footballer of the Year‘ that the final instalment should produce the only occasion of ‘dual’ winners is the ultimate twist and somehow bizarrely appropriate.
After Book captained City to their league title triumph in 1968 he then lifted the FA Cup, Mackay now plying his trade at Derby who under Brian Clough had just been promoted to Division One.
Neither would have been considered a potential winner when the season began, through which Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles were the fulcrum of a title-winning Leeds team, Ball was in the form of his life for Everton, likewise Bell at Maine Road – while topping the goal-scoring charts never did Greaves any good when votes came to be cast, but he did it anyway.
Lest we forget, at the Oscars of 1969 Cliff Robertson beat O’Toole to win the Academy Award – it really was that kind of year.
Surely through the 70s the Football Writers Association would be more lateral in their thinking………….
To be continued:
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.