Charlie George

[Jam The Man]

I generally consider my Albion knowledge history to be pretty good.. but as per todays Argus story below, I had no idea that the legendary Charlie George was with us on trial. This surely makes him the Kanchelskis of the time?

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/albion/11497658.The_coaching_master_at_Forest_mocked_at_Albion/

 

[Driver8]

Do you think he is getting confused with Frank Stapleton?

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I wondered about this too. It couldn't have been Stapleton because he came much later - certainly not contemporary with the appalling Micky Thomas.

 

[Jam The Man]

Stapleton was 1994.. that was an odd couple of games with him playing up front with Nogan

 

[jharris]

The imaginary Charlie George, with the imaginary ball ??

 

[BigGully]

Yep Charlie George was with us for a short while, probably 1982/3'sh.

I think it was in Gordon Smith's autobiography about Brian Eastick and a warm up regime including a game without a ball, passing shooting etc. you can imagine the cynical old pro's and how that game went

 

[nipponseagull]

yeah me too. I just read that and thougt "Huh?! CG was at Brighton ?!! I was 14 then so thought I knew everything and everyone at the Albion at that time !

 

[BensGrandad]

When playing for Arsenal he lived in a block of flats opposite The Brecknock pub in Camden just up the road from Holloway prison.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

This is a load of bunkum. Charlie George was nowhere near Brighton. Terrific player. Saw him get a hattrick for Derby v Real Madrid. He was unstoppable that night. The winning goal in the 71 Cup Final for Arsenal. Thunderous shot past Clemence and the ' flat on the back ' celebration. Local boy who started on the North Bank at Highbury as a fan and became a folk hero on the pitch. The style and panache and flowing locks. Just so exciting to watch.
Glorious memories of a talented player.

 

[Box of Frogs]

There was a time when we regularly had old Pro's coming to Brighton for one last pay day. I recall the likes of Martin Chivers, Mick Ferguson, Sammy Nelson, Frank Worthington playing for us.

I guess the modern day equivalent would be players like Ashley Cole, Paul Scholes, etc

Of course, in those days players weren't paid as much as they are now so they had to stretch out their career for as long as they could before retiring from football and going to run a pub or train racehorses.

 

[Tubby Mondays]

I remember him being linked after leaving Southampton, but didn't know he actually trained.

 

[backson]

No, didn't know that either.

I've a vague memory that he cut his finger off with his lawnmower though *scuttles off to internet to look it up*

 

[The Maharajah of Sydney]

No, didn't know that either.

I've a vague memory that he cut his finger off with his lawnmower though *scuttles off to internet to look it up*

Remember one of our keepers cutting their fingers with a hedge trimmer. Was either Mosely, Steele or Digweed.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Frank Stapleton was, in his short stint, unquestionably one of the worst players I've ever seen in an Albion shirt, and that's out of a pretty large pool of contenders.

 

[house your seagull]

Frank Stapleton was, in his short stint, unquestionably one of the worst players I've ever seen in an Albion shirt, and that's out of a pretty large pool of contenders.

OT but I read the other day that Frank Stapleton was the first player to be represented by super-agent Paul Stretford

 

[Seagull kimchi]

There was a time when we regularly had old Pro's coming to Brighton for one last pay day. I recall the likes of Martin Chivers, Mick Ferguson, Sammy Nelson, Frank Worthington playing for us.

I guess the modern day equivalent would be players like Ashley Cole, Paul Scholes, etc

Of course, in those days players weren't paid as much as they are now so they had to stretch out their career for as long as they could before retiring from football and going to run a pub or train racehorses.

True true. Denis Mortimer, Curbs and Gerry Armstrong all rode out their careers with us. Wouldn't happen these days. Imagine Ashley Young playing for Div2/3 Brighton in his 35th year like Clive Walker? Or John Terry dropping down the leagues like Doug Rougvie?

 

[atfc village]

Frank Stapleton was, in his short stint, unquestionably one of the worst players I've ever seen in an Albion shirt, and that's out of a pretty large pool of contenders.

Big Frank played 1 game for us in 1992 at Wrexham when we were bottom of The Football League and about to go pop.How he played for Brighton a few Years later amazes me .

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

This is a load of bunkum. Charlie George was nowhere near Brighton. Terrific player. Saw him get a hattrick for Derby v Real Madrid. He was unstoppable that night. The winning goal in the 71 Cup Final for Arsenal. Thunderous shot past Clemence and the ' flat on the back ' celebration. Local boy who started on the North Bank at Highbury as a fan and became a folk hero on the pitch. The style and panache and flowing locks. Just so exciting to watch.
Glorious memories of a talented player.

No it's not. I vividly remember him being with us 1981-ish, I also recall Foster and Robinson being disappointed when he didn't sign. I think the sticking point was terms etc

 

[AZ Gull]

This is a load of bunkum. Charlie George was nowhere near Brighton. Terrific player. Saw him get a hattrick for Derby v Real Madrid. He was unstoppable that night. The winning goal in the 71 Cup Final for Arsenal. Thunderous shot past Clemence and the ' flat on the back ' celebration. Local boy who started on the North Bank at Highbury as a fan and became a folk hero on the pitch. The style and panache and flowing locks. Just so exciting to watch.
Glorious memories of a talented player.

From [MENTION=12839]Goldstone Rapper[/MENTION]'s excellent blog, Dec 11 2013, in an article from Shoot after Mike Bailey had been sacked:-

The season was only a few weeks old when two key international players, Steve Foster and Michael Robinson, asked for transfers. Then Nell McNab said the chairman’s involvement extended too far. McNab alleged that he picked the team.

The fuss died down, and Foster and Robinson later said they were willing to stay. McNab, who is also on a lengthy contract, turned down a move sending him to Newcastle on loan, and has since joined Leeds United on a temporary transfer.

While the basis of Foster’s gripe was money he considered a rise was due after getting into England’s World Cup squad, Robinson’s quarrel, besides being financial, raised other questions.

He accused the club of lacking ambition, and this was triggered when Bamber refused to back Bailey up in giving Charlie George a month’s trial.

And from an ESPN article about Charlie George:-

After playing for the Minnesota Kicks in the North American Soccer League, where he made 18 appearances and scored nine goals in the 1978 season, he then had spells with Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Brighton, while he also spent a season playing for Bulova in Hong Kong in the early 1980s.

Alongside Gordon Smith's personal recollections in his book, I think we can conclude that Charlie George was very much at the Albion for a short while (albeit on trial, and not on loan, as Smith suggests).

 

[gjh1971]

Big Frank played 1 game for us in 1992 at Wrexham when we were bottom of The Football League and about to go pop.How he played for Brighton a few Years later amazes me .

Was away to Cardiff actually. I was there to witness the sorry tale. We had Stewart Kerr in goal as well