Happy Birthday Howard!

[OhForAnotherShez]

3 hours ago, BRADDO said:

Indeed and Zico was simply brilliant at it wasn't he. Great player and a great side. That victory at Anfield. When no side ever won at Anfield. Ever! We were a bit good then

 

Well we did say 'We'll be back, we'll be back' didn't we?

[Utah Owl]

10 hours ago, Lord Snooty said:

 

As I was saying the Simon Coleman thread -which turned into a Francis thread - team spirit and carachter.... as important as ability in a team sport.

My lord your English Master at Eton is going to be livid when he sees this!

 

It's character not carachter! Not the first time you've done that either!

 

Take 100 lines sir!

 

I must learn that at all times and on all occasions I must check and re-check my spellings to ensure complete and total accuracy.

Edited November 14, 2017 by Utah Owl

[scilly owl]

20 hours ago, Rogerwyldesmullet said:

Statue would already be there if he hadn't nicked Weatherall Newsome and a lad called Cantona for the M621 Desperados. 

Not to mention Shutt, Palmer, Chapman, Sterland, and probably one or two that have slipped my mind.... he did kick us into shap very rapidly though... that unbeaten run at the start of his first season, marvellous.

[goldensmoke]

Belated happy birthday Howard. 

Now with enough passing of time your achievements can be truly put in to the correct context. 

I watched in awe as a boy as game by game your mighty, unbreakable machine fulfilled almost, almost my every football fantasy I could imagine. We took on the world and won between August 1983 and January 1985. In that piece of time I was utterly convinced we were on a journey that would see us become first division champions and probably FA Cup winners. I have never felt so involved, so intoxicated, so totally full of pride and wonder watching Wednesday. There was a pureness, a righteousness about it all that made those successes so deeply rewarding. Howard there weren’t many mountains left to climb to reach the ultimate peak. I don’t know looking back now who those elusive signings were that would have brought the title to Hillsborough. In truth, who could ever have beaten Everton and Liverpool over 42 games? 

I say January 1985 because the night Chelsea came to town the spell was finally broken. The BBC cameras caught your dejection as your dreams evaporated like mine into the dark night. The machine broke down as four second half goals flew in to the Kop goal. In all likelihood the winning of the League Cup went that night, but more than that the invincibility of those boys was taken away and that period of wonder effectively came to a close. What came after was still success for some time yet, but the certainty and conviction I had built my house on was replaced with mere hope, like all the other mortal teams fans.

In context? The last twenty years have given a powerful and deep lesson about what success is. Also time makes it easier to compare your wonderful era with another one that came from of course 1990-93. That team to me stopped us from regarding and remembering the HW era so much and rather stole the focus of the clubs modern history. The team of course did get past the quarter finals and we did manage to make those ‘dream signings’ that eluded us in the mid eighties. With hindsight now I just feel that the 83-85 team was so driven, so committed, just the romance of it, the homegrown boys, the misfits who found their place, the running, the dream....

Howard you and your team go down in my history as the finest incarnation of a Wednesday team I ever saw. 

Thanks for all of those wonderful days

 

Goldensmoke

[OhForAnotherShez]

5 hours ago, scilly owl said:

Not to mention Shutt, Palmer, Chapman, Sterland, and probably one or two that have slipped my mind.... he did kick us into shap very rapidly though... that unbeaten run at the start of his first season, marvellous.

Worthington, Varadi, JohnPearson, and coach Michael Hennigan can be added.

 

I think there were about 11-12 ex Owls there in total!

[thewookieisdown]

The highpoint was in Oct 86. We drew 1-1 at Spurs. The week before Spurs had won at Anfield and they scored early against us. After that we got well on top. Remains one of the finest performances I have ever seen from us.  I think it was David Lacey who on the following Monday mused that we could well win the league.

 

Two months later we were pathetic in a 3-0 loss at Wimbledon.  A few weeks further on and it was obvious we were in serious danger.

[scilly owl]

2 hours ago, OhForAnotherShez said:

Worthington, Varadi, JohnPearson, and coach Michael Hennigan can be added.

 

I think there were about 11-12 ex Owls there in total!

You're quite right, although I can't remember Worthington in a L**d's shirt, and I'm not going to conjure up that image in my mind as it would be too upsetting.

[OhForAnotherShez]

Glynn Snodin's another.

[Bramhall Owl]

On 11/13/2017 at 13:13, steveger said:

Mr Sheffield Wednesday himself, what a fantastic human being...

 

 

This shows the dignity and decency of the man. The club that we and he loves was in grave danger of dying (and that isn't an exaggeration because there is no realistic come back from Receivership) and he comes out to face the fans to explain the situation. There are a number of knuckle draggers (and I'm not saying that everyone at this confrontation fits that description) who shout him down and don't want to listen to him. Does he disappear (which I think most of us would have done in the same scenario)? No, he faces it out.....bearing in mind that he was in his late 60's when this happened. Also fair play to Nick Parker who also faced it out.

Thank you Howard for the first 3 seasons when, on the many good days, we steam rollered teams, think Wimbledon with finesse. Managers talk about wing backs and a high pressing game like its something new......look back 34 years and see it in its infancy.

On the going to Leeds bit, whilst it is easy to criticise him for going there, I felt that we were getting stale and was actually not sorry to see him leave. With hindsight, it might well have been due to a lack of investment that led to this and forced him to look for pastures new......not for the first time in our history. Harry Catterick anyone?

 

Happy birthday Howard....Wednesday through and through

Edited November 14, 2017 by Bramhall Owl

[Utah Owl]

50 minutes ago, Bramhall Owl said:

This shows the dignity and decency of the man. The club that we and he loves was in grave danger of dying (and that isn't an exaggeration because there is no realistic come back from Receivership) and he comes out to face the fans to explain the situation. There are a number of knuckle draggers (and I'm not saying that everyone at this confrontation fits that description) who shout him down and don't want to listen to him. Does he disappear (which I think most of us would have done in the same scenario)? No, he faces it out.....bearing in mind that he was in his late 60's when this happened. Also fair play to Nick Parker who also faced it out.

Thank you Howard for the first 3 seasons when, on the many good days, we steam rollered teams, think Wimbledon with finesse. Managers talk about wing backs and a high pressing game like its something new......look back 34 years and see it in its infancy.

On the going to Leeds bit, whilst it is easy to criticise him for going there, I felt that we were getting stale and was actually not sorry to see him leave. With hindsight, it might well have been due to a lack of investment that led to this and forced him to look for pastures new......not for the first time in our history. Harry Catterick anyone?

 

Happy birthday Howard....Wednesday through and through

It was very much a case of Harry Catterick mk2. Wilko wanted some serious backing from the board and didn't get it. Remember, however that McGee gad come in as chairman when we were in desperate financial straits in 1976 and he was afraid of racking up debt to gamble on success and so Wilko moved onto Leeds. Of course Wilko won the title and 10 years later we gambled, lost and have paid for it for the last 20 years, so in a strange way history proved both to be right

 

I don't blame Wilko for it, but conversely I don't blame McGee for it either. Both had valid reasons for acting the way they did, it was just fate, but oh what could have been!

[Bramhall Owl]

30 minutes ago, Utah Owl said:

It was very much a case of Harry Catterick mk2. Wilko wanted some serious backing from the board and didn't get it. Remember, however that McGee gad come in as chairman when we were in desperate financial straits in 1976 and he was afraid of racking up debt to gamble on success and so Wilko moved onto Leeds. Of course Wilko won the title and 10 years later we gambled, lost and have paid for it for the last 20 years, so in a strange way history proved both to be right

 

I don't blame Wilko for it, but conversely I don't blame McGee for it either. Both had valid reasons for acting the way they did, it was just fate, but oh what could have been!

Completely agree with this, particularly re McGee. He'd dragged up from the depths with the help of Big Jack and wasn't prepared to put us in a similar situation

[Prendo's boots]

15 hours ago, goldensmoke said:

Belated happy birthday Howard. 

Now with enough passing of time your achievements can be truly put in to the correct context. 

I watched in awe as a boy as game by game your mighty, unbreakable machine fulfilled almost, almost my every football fantasy I could imagine. We took on the world and won between August 1983 and January 1985. In that piece of time I was utterly convinced we were on a journey that would see us become first division champions and probably FA Cup winners. I have never felt so involved, so intoxicated, so totally full of pride and wonder watching Wednesday. There was a pureness, a righteousness about it all that made those successes so deeply rewarding. Howard there weren’t many mountains left to climb to reach the ultimate peak. I don’t know looking back now who those elusive signings were that would have brought the title to Hillsborough. In truth, who could ever have beaten Everton and Liverpool over 42 games? 

I say January 1985 because the night Chelsea came to town the spell was finally broken. The BBC cameras caught your dejection as your dreams evaporated like mine into the dark night. The machine broke down as four second half goals flew in to the Kop goal. In all likelihood the winning of the League Cup went that night, but more than that the invincibility of those boys was taken away and that period of wonder effectively came to a close. What came after was still success for some time yet, but the certainty and conviction I had built my house on was replaced with mere hope, like all the other mortal teams fans.

In context? The last twenty years have given a powerful and deep lesson about what success is. Also time makes it easier to compare your wonderful era with another one that came from of course 1990-93. That team to me stopped us from regarding and remembering the HW era so much and rather stole the focus of the clubs modern history. The team of course did get past the quarter finals and we did manage to make those ‘dream signings’ that eluded us in the mid eighties. With hindsight now I just feel that the 83-85 team was so driven, so committed, just the romance of it, the homegrown boys, the misfits who found their place, the running, the dream....

Howard you and your team go down in my history as the finest incarnation of a Wednesday team I ever saw. 

Thanks for all of those wonderful days

 

Goldensmoke

Brilliantly written squire and Happy (un) Birthday today Howard!!