captain jack Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 (edited) Ian Cranson was an awful terrible centre back, May was Shlt also Didn't Cranson wear a headband? He was fat also Edited November 10, 2014 by captain jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gazzaswfc Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Think he wore it over his eyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Shutt is God Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I was quite young when Madden played for us. I remember thinking he looked really old as a kid. I think I thought he was about 48. Also remember him running down the wing in the cup final! He was no Steve McKenzie though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gazzaswfc Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Think he was was one of wilko's first signings we played a back 5 in them days sterland smith shirtliff/madden/Lyons worthington plenty of competition in them days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
York_Owl Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I don't think he was under rated - I think people have rose tinted specs sometimes. For me he reflected the 86-89 period when watching us hoof a ball around the pitch was like putting pins in your eyes. Decent pro but very average player.You don't mark a player like Ian Rush, at the peak of his career, completely out of a game if you're just an average player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ante's Bubbly Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 When I played pool for the Sportsman pub, just up from Wadsley Church, we had a 24hr pool marathon for charity and Lawrie Madden played the first game to set us off. I played him and although he was a wily player on the pitch, I beat him. It was summer and he told us about our new away shirt that looked a bit like a Brazil shirt, but with a blue collar. Him, Lee Chapman, Hesforth and a couple of others used to go in the Jockey and Top House occasionally and we got to hear some good stories. Madden had very piercing eyes though and I did consider throwing the game in case he nutted me one or gave me the Millwall walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ante's Bubbly Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Larry May always seemed to head the ball straight up in the air. Whenever a player came and did that for us my mate used to say, we've got another Larry May. Unfortunately he said it about Dielna who had all sorts of problems heading the ball a few weeks back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Farrell Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I remember his bandy legs, and the one season he was unplayable. Owned every forward in the division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulsar Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 You've seen the cockney walk? Well Lawrie Madden had the Bermondsey jog. Always liked him as a player due to his honest 100% attitude. I still have the programme of his testimonial somewhere. Forget who we played but we ripped em apart 3-0, was the pre-season after we got relegated and United had been promoted. Had a feeling a special season was around the corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogers Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Ian Cranson was an awful terrible centre back, May was Shlt also Didn't Cranson wear a headband? He was fat also[/quote Not sure about the fat part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miffed Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 16308-zoom.jpg Perhaps the most unsung hero we've ever had What do you remember about Lawrie Madden? Oh lawrie, with your invisible lawn mower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinowl Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Saw him play at Mansfield as a young lad and was head and shoulders above anything on the pitch. Little surprise when he moved on, Charlton I think. Read the game very well as I recall as not the quickest but good strong tackler. Excellent player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChapSmurf Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Although I was young when he played for us, I do recall us calling him "Iron Boot Madden" due to the fact he could hit a ball several miles (slight exaggeration possibly). Didn't he once hit a shot so hard that it broke the crossbar? I think it was at the Kop end of the ground. This might be one of those memories that gets distorted over time, so I may have got this wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punkskaphil Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 The morning my dad told me I should be a Wednesday fan, I went straight to school and told my best mate (a Charlton fan). He was collecting Football '87 stickers and he gave me his spare of Lawrie Madden, so that must've been the first Wednesday-related thing I'd ever seen. The first match I went to was away to Palace in early 1990. Madden got involved in some kind of off-the-ball wrestling match with Mark Bright (who'd just scored Palace's equaliser), and Bright got sent off. That's pretty much all I can remember of him, apart from a magazine article about Wednesday which showed Ron Atkinson meeting John Harkes and Tony Meola in the hope of signing both, and there being a photo of Madden wearing a mortar board gown because he'd just received his masters degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick De Lyons Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Wow.............Laurie Madden. I watched Laurie in his first few seasons at Wednesday. I can remember when we signed him and Wilkinson had brought him out of non league football or something like that. Looking back, i think Laurie had packed up football to concentrate on his education. Anyway, i remember saying to my mate " This player is out of non league, what is Wilkinson playing at !!!! " On the pitch, Laurie ran as if one leg was about a foot shorter than the other and looked about 45 years of age. However, it soon became clear why Wilkinson had placed so much faith in him. Not fancy at all, but Mr dependable. He was no nonsense and did a solid job at the back. Yes, he was very under-rated and was a good defender. Laurie didn't stand out on the pitch, but he was always there in the right places. A fans favourite for sure and no doubt because he looked and played a bit different. Consumate professional and well respected at Wednesday. There are a few other things i remember about Laurie other than what he did on the pitch. I can remember going to watch an England u21 game at Hillsborough. Mark Hateley scored a hat trick !! I was in the old south stand and was near the director's box. Laurie walked in wearing a sheepskin coast and it was tied with a piece of string !!! No joke, a piece of string. I thought, they can't be paying him much (I was about 14 at the time). The other one was after the the league cup final victory over Man Utd and it showed the Wednesday lads at a function and Nigel Pearson was about to speak. Anyway, the whole room were being rowdy, so Laurie stood up and said " Quite please, can we settle down " and the room fell silent. Laurie said it in a head master's voice and you sense the respect people had for him. At that point i understood that Laurie had been much more than a player to Wednesday and with the likes of Danny Wilson, Pearson etc, it was no wonder the club was starting to go places. All about characters !! Finally, the late substitution on the cup final day. That was big Ron for you and why it marked him out as a great man and a good manager. He didn't need to bring Laurie on, but he knew he wouldn't get another chance and so on he came with a only minutes left. It still brings a tear to my eye when i think about now. Laurie running onto the wembley pitch in his Wednesday shirt and no-one deserved it more than him. Then he goes and skins that player on the wing !! I'd never seen him do that before. Talk about saving the best till last !! What a lovely gesture from Ron to Laurie. I remember his wife at the end of the game saying as much and recognising Ron's kindness to Laurie that day. They don't make em like that anymore, both Big Ron and Laurie. Thanks for starting this thread, it has brought back some lovely memories. I salute you Mr Laurie Madden. Mr ordinary, who made a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesbarbeux Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Posts like that one (MDL) are what makes this forum worth reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest millhousesowl Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 16308-zoom.jpg Perhaps the most unsung hero we've ever had What do you remember about Lawrie Madden? Best ever free transfer signing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@owlstalk Posted November 11, 2014 Author Share Posted November 11, 2014 Wow.............Laurie Madden. I watched Laurie in his first few seasons at Wednesday. I can remember when we signed him and Wilkinson had brought him out of non league football or something like that. Looking back, i think Laurie had packed up football to concentrate on his education. Anyway, i remember saying to my mate " This player is out of non league, what is Wilkinson playing at !!!! " On the pitch, Laurie ran as if one leg was about a foot shorter than the other and looked about 45 years of age. However, it soon became clear why Wilkinson had placed so much faith in him. Not fancy at all, but Mr dependable. He was no nonsense and did a solid job at the back. Yes, he was very under-rated and was a good defender. Laurie didn't stand out on the pitch, but he was always there in the right places. A fans favourite for sure and no doubt because he looked and played a bit different. Consumate professional and well respected at Wednesday. There are a few other things i remember about Laurie other than what he did on the pitch. I can remember going to watch an England u21 game at Hillsborough. Mark Hateley scored a hat trick !! I was in the old south stand and was near the director's box. Laurie walked in wearing a sheepskin coast and it was tied with a piece of string !!! No joke, a piece of string. I thought, they can't be paying him much (I was about 14 at the time). The other one was after the the league cup final victory over Man Utd and it showed the Wednesday lads at a function and Nigel Pearson was about to speak. Anyway, the whole room were being rowdy, so Laurie stood up and said " Quite please, can we settle down " and the room fell silent. Laurie said it in a head master's voice and you sense the respect people had for him. At that point i understood that Laurie had been much more than a player to Wednesday and with the likes of Danny Wilson, Pearson etc, it was no wonder the club was starting to go places. All about characters !! Finally, the late substitution on the cup final day. That was big Ron for you and why it marked him out as a great man and a good manager. He didn't need to bring Laurie on, but he knew he wouldn't get another chance and so on he came with a only minutes left. It still brings a tear to my eye when i think about now. Laurie running onto the wembley pitch in his Wednesday shirt and no-one deserved it more than him. Then he goes and skins that player on the wing !! I'd never seen him do that before. Talk about saving the best till last !! What a lovely gesture from Ron to Laurie. I remember his wife at the end of the game saying as much and recognising Ron's kindness to Laurie that day. They don't make em like that anymore, both Big Ron and Laurie. Thanks for starting this thread, it has brought back some lovely memories. I salute you Mr Laurie Madden. Mr ordinary, who made a difference. What a great post - thank you Owlstalk Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Bach Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Funny you should mention that about the reception for Francis' birthday. It's what I remember too. The exact dialogue is (with pointed finger) "Can we have a bit of silence please...?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIPPS_S.W.F.C Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Ran with a hunched back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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