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Drugs, Mafia, Pigeons and Sunderland!

Discussion in 'Sunderland' started by The Relic, Aug 3, 2015.

  1. The Relic

    The Relic Well-Known Member

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    We’ve nothing much else to talk about right now, except endless and probably worthless, transfer speculation. So I’ll offer something a bit different - well, at least it’s factual. Take it or ignore it according to your taste, eh?

    This is the story of a player who occupied the right-back position in Sunderland’s famous ‘Bank of England’ team for eight long years, and yet is hardly ever mentioned today. He was the quiet man of that side, the complete opposite to exuberant stars like Shackleton, Daniel, and Chisholm, yet well liked by all of them for sharing their independent spirit and, like Shack, he appreciated the privilege of being a professional footballer. His story stretches from the drug barons’ clubs in Colombia all the way to the quiet back-yard pigeon lofts of County Durham and Northumberland. This was Jack Hedley.

    Jack was born in Willington Quay, Wallsend in 1923. For a short while after the war, he played for North Shields, but was snapped up by Everton in 1947. In May, 1948, Colombian clubs formed the DiMayor, the first professional league in that country. Nicknamed Eldorado, it is now usually listed as one of the top ten most corrupt leagues of all time, with numerous tales of drugs and the Mafia interwoven. DiMayor was not affiliated to the Colombian FA and its clubs were, therefore regarded as outlaws by FIFA. Some of the clubs sought stars from outside the country, including Alfredo di Stefano of Argentina who quickly signed for Millionaros of Bogota. Millionaros and another Bogota club, Independiente Santa Fe, began scouting in Britain where there was a lot of discontent among players over the existing maximum wage of £8 per week.

    The Colombian’s agent in Britain seems to have been Ephraim (Jock) Dodds. Between 1946 and 1949, Dodds had been a prolific scorer for Everton (37 goals in 58 league and cup appearances - very much in line with their previous two centre-forwards, Dixie Dean and Tommy Lawton). But something happened around 1949. Dodds lost his place to reserve, Harry Catterick, and began recruiting for Millionaros. Which of those caused which, I don’t know.

    Dodds was successful in signing Stoke and England centre half, Neil Franklin, and Manchester United’s 1948 FA Cup winning winger (and later Newcastle manager) Charlie Mitten. Next to fly out - from Prestwick on June 9th., 1950 - were Swansea Town and Wales right-half, Roy Paul (who later captained Manchester City to their 1956 FA Cup win) and Everton’s Jack Hedley, with offers of £3,500 signing-on fee each. Other prominent players like George Aitken (East Fife and Scotland left-half) Trevor Ford (prolific Aston Villa and Wales striker) and Alf Sherwood (left-back and captain of both Cardiff City and Wales) are known to have been approached with offers of similar signing-on fees plus £25 per week wages - incredible money at a time when a good house in England cost less than £1,500! But whilst Franklin had done very well financially out there, and Mitten later claimed that he’d received more in one season there than he had in the previous fifteen years in the English first division,something had gone badly wrong with the Colombian economy. When Hedley and Paul arrived in Bogota, the promised signing on fees had vanished, and they were only offered £25 per week wages each. Both of them refused to sign and flew back to England via New York and Paris ten days later (19th). Aitken, Sherwood, Ford and other British players quickly changed their minds about going at all. I don’t know what happened at Everton, but immediately upon landing at London Airport from Paris, Hedley told the press he wanted to leave there, so I assume there had been problems before he left.

    Is it coincidence that three of these players known to be disgruntled with the maximum wage rules in Britain all ended up at one club? Soon after returning from Colombia, Jack Hedley signed for Sunderland, a club with a long history of laxity when it came to maximum wages, having already been the subject of at least two national scandals (with another whopper coming up in 1957) and known for an amazing array of ways to get round it. That same summer (1950) Trevor Ford also signed for the club for a record transfer fee of £30,000. By November 1951, George Aitken was to join them there. According to Ford’s autobiography, I Lead the Attack (1957) illegal payments were being received by Sunderland players, including Ford himself. Today, it’s generally acknowledged that most league clubs were paying ‘under the counter’, but for three players of this calibre all to have gravitated to one club suggests that Sunderland was vastly more experienced and sophisticated at it than others.

    Jack Hedley is remembered by old timers, both at Everton and at Sunderland, as a quiet, unfussy, but very capable and reliable full back who never looked out of place even in a side sporting international stars like Shackleton, Broadis, Ford, Aitken or Daniel. He toured with at least one England representative side but, because he was known as a renegade who once had shown a willingness to rebel against FIFA authority for cash, would never be capped. Jack stayed with Sunderland until 1959, making 269 appearances. After that, he made eleven appearances for Gateshead, but broke a leg in training and retired, aged 36.

    Retirement from football wasn’t the end of Jack’s sporting successes however. He took up pigeon racing in partnership with Jimmy Lindsay, and, during the 1970s, won several prestigeous competitions, including the coveted Up North Combine.

    Sadly, Jack Hedley was diagnosed as having Parkinson’s Disease, and died in 1985. A quiet man, yes - but we’ve yet to find a better one, I think.
     
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  2. Commachio

    Commachio Rambo 2021

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    Love all these owld story like...

    Which singular SAFC would you pick out as being the all time all round best?
     
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  3. Nostalgic

    Nostalgic Well-Known Member

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    Memory lane there Relic and a lovely article summing up how footballers were treated by football as such. International players with summer jobs such as window cleaner (Bobby Mitchell), Jackie Milburn (milk round owner and bus driver) are two that I know for sure. When the season finished there was no such thing as coaching camps unless Butlin's sent for you.
     
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  4. Commachio

    Commachio Rambo 2021

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    Ha Relic, just looking at the fixtures from that 50/51 season...Derby away, yep got beat, but sounds some game, score 6-5......6 ****ing five..wow.

    I also notice that we played the magss twice in 3 days in the league. Over 65k for a cup game against Norwich.
     
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  5. Billy Death

    Billy Death Well-Known Member

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    Great story that Relic. <ok>
     
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  6. ROBOJOHN

    ROBOJOHN Active Member

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    Very interesting, top post mate, had no idea so many went/were going over
     
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  7. sussexmackem

    sussexmackem Member

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    What a great post,I remember that side well,add to the mix in the 50's Charlie Fleming,Don (White Rhino)Kitchenbrand,Colin Grainger Jack Mapson and others.I remember going to Johnny Bollands debut as Keeper against Arsenal,my Dad's reply when I was enthusing about Bollands was-he wont last as long as Jack Kelsey the Arsenal.If memory serves me well I don't think Bollands was at the club for long.
    Although I've been a member for 3 years I haven't posted much because of family problems which are now behind us.
     
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  8. Brian Storm

    Brian Storm Well-Known Member

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    Great stuff Relic. Ever though of speaking to ALS about a book of Sunderland Historic Short stories? A time will come(touchwood and hope gentleman like you still have many a decade with us) when these stories will disappear for ever, as you acknowledge yourself. You could leave a legacy in the preservation of Sunderland AFC history.

    You penning a collection of these stories already?
     
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  9. Blunham Mackem

    Blunham Mackem Well-Known Member
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    Cracking post @The Relic !!

    Great idea from @Funky Dick too!!

    If you're not already doing that? Why not?
     
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  10. The Relic

    The Relic Well-Known Member

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    Sorry mate, that's mission impossible. I mean, the 1890s side won four championships in six years - they must have been pretty good to do that, but none of us ever saw them. I remember around 1970 reading an article by somebody at the Echo who interviewed one of the 1913 side He noted "He still spoke in awe of Buchan". Even to title winning players and cup finalists, Charlie Buchan was at a higher level. My old man supported Sunderland from the 1920s, and reckoned Raich Carter was their best all round player (though he acknowledged Shackleton was the cleverest ball player he'd ever seen). Sir Alex Ferguson always said Jim Baxter was the greatest player he ever played with. Hurley? - Who knows? He never played a lot at the top level, so he's a bit of a guess. Eric Gates? - He could split any defence open with a single pass. Don Hutchison? John Mensah? We could go on and on. And times have changed. Greats from one era might not live with earlier/later generations. Pass, mate.
     
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  11. The Relic

    The Relic Well-Known Member

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    There were definitely more than I mentioned. There was another Stoke player went out with Franklin. I think his name might have been Mountford, but can't remember owt about him. And there was definitely a Hearts player in the mix though I can't remember his name. And, of course, there must have been offers made that I don't know about. It was quite a worrying time for British clubs.
     
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    Last edited: Aug 3, 2015
  12. The Relic

    The Relic Well-Known Member

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    It always boggles my mind that Shackleton earned more in summer playing cricket for Wearmouth CC and minor counties for Durham than he did from Sunderland and England for football !!! Mad.
     
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  13. The Relic

    The Relic Well-Known Member

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    Well, first things first - I'm glad your family matters are behind you. Ha, your dad was certainly right about Kelsey - I don't think he ever left Arsenal. Considered Wales' greatest ever goalie. He died in South Africa about 10 years ago. I don't know if you remember this, but Oldham Athletic nearly went to the wall in the early 1950s. They survived with a loan from SAFC of around £15,000 - £20,000. By 1955, we had a good goalie in Willie Fraser, but absolutely nothing in reserve. If Willie got injured, we were knackered. At a League Chairman's Committee meeting our Chairman (Ditchburn) mentioned it in passing to the Oldham Chairman. The Oldham feller said they had a good young lad we might like to look at. We had a look, took him for about £7,000, on the understanding that if we retained him, we'd pay another 7 or 8 grand. Johnny Bollands, it was, and he stayed up to about 1960. No money changed hands, of course, but Oldham were now debt free, and we had a very good reserve goalie. Eventually, he got the first team place, and will forever be famous for one save. Bobby Johnstone of Hibernian and later, Man. C. only missed one penalty in the whole of his life - and Johnny Bollands saved it!
     
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  14. The Relic

    The Relic Well-Known Member

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    Never even thought about it. I'm not so sure I know enough. There's one other thing - everything I do on here is from memory. Not606 is a nice bit of fun to me. It's not a profession and it's not an ego trip. The only things I ever research is if I need a particular date, as in the exact date of Hedley's flight out to Colombia. If somebody can correct something I said well that's better for those who are reading it. I'm fine with that. A book would involve a lot of checking, and it's never even crossed my mind. To be honest, I didn't even know ALS published books. But thanks for asking. :emoticon-0148-yes:
     
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  15. Brian Storm

    Brian Storm Well-Known Member

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    No decent book can be written without research so if it's not for you fair play. You've got some cracking stories though fella.

    Aye it's called ALS Publications, they do a few books as well as selling from other sources. This was their last one http://www.alsshop.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=572
     
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  16. Blunham Mackem

    Blunham Mackem Well-Known Member
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    Awesome!! You're like our very own living, walking, talking, safcipedia!!

    You need to get all that knowledge downloaded from that brain of yours before you slip this mortal coil and we lose it forever (oops, not that I'm suggesting thats imminent like, <laugh><doh>)
     
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  17. The Relic

    The Relic Well-Known Member

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    I'm not going mate. Doesn't appeal to me one bit. <laugh>
     
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  18. Blunham Mackem

    Blunham Mackem Well-Known Member
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    No, I've decided its not for me either! <laugh>
     
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  19. Nostalgic

    Nostalgic Well-Known Member

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    Another anecdote on Bollands who was not the biggest of goalies. On a Wednesday night fixture, before floodlights, he made save after save against Bolton Wanderers and had the then England centre forward Nat Lofthouse holding his head in disbelief. That was in the first half alone but the memorable thing was that at half time the main stand stood up as one and gave him a standing ovation whilst the all the other players clapped him off. First and only time I have seen anything like it.
     
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  20. MackemsRule

    MackemsRule Well-Known Member

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    Nice read Relic. <ok>

    By coincidence I posted an old pic from the Bank of England days in the "some old photos" thread.

    I now know that my old man wasn't bullshitting me when he told me we used to "lend" other clubs money back then too. :)
     
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