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Post by blip the thrOttle on Jan 24, 2024 14:30:29 GMT
He speaks very well. Seems educated, and articulate. Hope he comes on, on Saturday at some point, so we can see him Good luck to the lad From Wiki - Brought up in West London, O'Neill was in the academy at Brentford from the age of seven until thirteen when they made the decision to disband their academy. O'Neill attended the City of London School where he received 11 A* GCSE grades and two A* A-Level grades. |
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Post by dennisrofe on Jan 24, 2024 18:49:46 GMT
If he can ''cross a ball like Phil White'' then just needs to find another goal scoring centre forward akin to ''Tommy Johnston'' to get on the end of the crosses, that would be something to behold ! If I recall didn't Tommy Johnston play a couple of games with a plaster cast on his arm? If true they would be having kittens in today's H&S climate. He had a withered arm, a legacy of an injury received while he was a miner, and always played with this arm bandaged. |
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Post by dennisrofe on Jan 24, 2024 19:01:15 GMT
I thought it was a bandage because of a mining incident.Scored a few with it I am told. You are quite correct, according to Wikipedia, his arm was bandaged. He played before I first started watching the Os but I was told by someone who saw him play quite a few games that some of Tommy's goals scored after the ball appeared to come off of his damaged arm ?
''He had a withered arm, a legacy of an injury received while he was a miner, and always played with this arm bandaged'' en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Johnston
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Post by osoldest on Jan 25, 2024 0:30:27 GMT
Tommy Johnston was in my opinion the greatest ever orient player. Younger supporters have no idea just how heavy those old leather footballs were when they absorbed mud and water and they had protruding laces. Well Tommy Johnston could head one of those balls harder than some could kick them. His heading ability was unbelievable, he could glance headers or power them. Most pundits state that the greatest header of a football was Tommy Lawton with Johnston second. He was renowned for his diving headers and I must confess that a few were punched in. As crazy as it seems I always expected Tommy to score two or three goals every game , but when you consider that before leaving for top flight Blackburn he scored 36 goals before Christmas you can see why. He scored 11 more that season and the likelihood is that if he had stayed at the orient he would have broken Dixie deens all time record. Tommy ended up scoring over 250 goals.,
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Post by Thor on Jan 25, 2024 9:01:23 GMT
Tommy Johnston was in my opinion the greatest ever orient player. Younger supporters have no idea just how heavy those old leather footballs were when they absorbed mud and water and they had protruding laces. Well Tommy Johnston could head one of those balls harder than some could kick them. His heading ability was unbelievable, he could glance headers or power them. Most pundits state that the greatest header of a football was Tommy Lawton with Johnston second. He was renowned for his diving headers and I must confess that a few were punched in. As crazy as it seems I always expected Tommy to score two or three goals every game , but when you consider that before leaving for top flight Blackburn he scored 36 goals before Christmas you can see why. He scored 11 more that season and the likelihood is that if he had stayed at the orient he would have broken Dixie deens all time record. Tommy ended up scoring over 250 goals., If I had a time machine, he is the one player I'd go back to watch play. Despite him being our top goalscorer of all time it's comments like this that creates this picture of what Tommy was like as a player. It helps build a history of stuff I've never known or seen. |
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Post by dennisrofe on Jan 25, 2024 9:33:03 GMT
Tommy Johnston was in my opinion the greatest ever orient player. Younger supporters have no idea just how heavy those old leather footballs were when they absorbed mud and water and they had protruding laces. Well Tommy Johnston could head one of those balls harder than some could kick them. His heading ability was unbelievable, he could glance headers or power them. Most pundits state that the greatest header of a football was Tommy Lawton with Johnston second. He was renowned for his diving headers and I must confess that a few were punched in. As crazy as it seems I always expected Tommy to score two or three goals every game , but when you consider that before leaving for top flight Blackburn he scored 36 goals before Christmas you can see why. He scored 11 more that season and the likelihood is that if he had stayed at the orient he would have broken Dixie deens all time record. Tommy ended up scoring over 250 goals., I never saw Tommy play live in a match, he was finished playing for the Os by the time my dad started to take me to watch them. My first ever match was Leyton Orient v Burnley, 06 February 1962. It was an FA cup 4th round replay and Os were so unlucky to lose 1-0 and I have still got that match programme ! My dad saw Tommy play in the 1950s and he said he was a magnificent centre forward and a brilliant header of the ball !
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Post by redintheface on Jan 25, 2024 11:50:07 GMT
Tommy Johnston was in my opinion the greatest ever orient player. Younger supporters have no idea just how heavy those old leather footballs were when they absorbed mud and water and they had protruding laces. Well Tommy Johnston could head one of those balls harder than some could kick them. His heading ability was unbelievable, he could glance headers or power them. Most pundits state that the greatest header of a football was Tommy Lawton with Johnston second. He was renowned for his diving headers and I must confess that a few were punched in. As crazy as it seems I always expected Tommy to score two or three goals every game , but when you consider that before leaving for top flight Blackburn he scored 36 goals before Christmas you can see why. He scored 11 more that season and the likelihood is that if he had stayed at the orient he would have broken Dixie deens all time record. Tommy ended up scoring over 250 goals., I never saw Tommy play live in a match, he was finished playing for the Os by the time my dad started to take me to watch them. My first ever match was Leyton Orient v Burnley, 06 February 1962. It was an FA cup 4th round replay and Os were so unlucky to lose 1-0 and I have still got that match programme ! My dad saw Tommy play in the 1950s and he said he was a magnificent centre forward and a brilliant header of the ball !
Never saw TJ myself either . Just beat you on the first O’s game though . August 1961 vs Southampton. Just like you - a home defeat!😆👍 |
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Post by osoldest on Jan 25, 2024 12:19:11 GMT
What I didn’t add was that Tommy was also very good with the ball at his feet , he could beat people and create chances for himself and others.
He wasn’t a goal poacher and he led the line spraying passes to the wingmen. From our goal kicks,no body played them short in those days, he would leap and head the ball out to a winger.
Tommy’s goal scoring feats were even more remarkable when you take into account he didn’t pay professionaly until he was 22
I am truly privileged to have seen Tommy from the very start of his spell for Orient , but it didn’t start like that.
Orient were top of Div 3 south and Newport were bottom when we played them in an early mid week game. No floodlights then.
I bunked off from school and raced to the ground and asked what was the score as the game had already started , when I was told we were losing I thought they were joking but I was told the big blond guy had scored, and he repeated the act glancing the ball one side of the keeper while running past him on the other side.
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Post by redintheface on Jan 25, 2024 12:45:23 GMT
What I didn’t add was that Tommy was also very good with the ball at his feet , he could beat people and create chances for himself and others. He wasn’t a goal poacher and he led the line spraying passes to the wingmen. From our goal kicks,no body played them short in those days, he would leap and head the ball out to a winger. Tommy’s goal scoring feats were even more remarkable when you take into account he didn’t pay professionaly until he was 22 I am truly privileged to have seen Tommy from the very start of his spell for Orient , but it didn’t start like that. Orient were top of Div 3 south and Newport were bottom when we played them in an early mid week game. No floodlights then. I bunked off from school and raced to the ground and asked what was the score as the game had already started , when I was told we were losing I thought they were joking but I was told the big blond guy had scored, and he repeated the act glancing the ball one side of the keeper while running past him on the other side. Was it true that TJ was “ recommended “ by Stan Aldous , who when asked by Alec Stock said Johnston was the most difficult opponent he had faced and that Stock should fetch him in? |
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Post by redshank on Jan 25, 2024 13:57:14 GMT
I saw Tommy sent off once for kicking a player on the shin.the opposition may have been dear old Scunny.I also saw him with Phil White and another O's player whom I can't remember,may have been Tommy Hartburn on the platform and eastbound train at Woodford station.Tommy as was usual was puffing away on a cigarette.Sitting opposite three players on a tube train of the team I support.Good days.
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Post by osoldest on Jan 25, 2024 18:13:13 GMT
Tommy did indeed like a cigarette. As for getting sent off I clearly recall the game where he was sent off against Doncaster . Doncaster had a beast of a centre half one of the first black players, Charlie Williams . He was fouling Johnston all game and Tommy finally had enough retaliated and got sent off.
Charlie Williams later became a top comedian and was the compare at the london palladium.
I met him at that time and told him that he was my public enemy number one because of what occurred with Tommy Johnston. He replied “aye lad but he didn’t score did he “
He must have shrunk as he aged because he looked nothing like the beast I recalled.
yes, Stan Aldous said he had enough of Johnston running him ragged and urged zussman to sign him.
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Post by dennisrofe on Jan 26, 2024 9:20:10 GMT
What I didn’t add was that Tommy was also very good with the ball at his feet , he could beat people and create chances for himself and others. He wasn’t a goal poacher and he led the line spraying passes to the wingmen. From our goal kicks,no body played them short in those days, he would leap and head the ball out to a winger. Tommy’s goal scoring feats were even more remarkable when you take into account he didn’t pay professionaly until he was 22 I am truly privileged to have seen Tommy from the very start of his spell for Orient , but it didn’t start like that. Orient were top of Div 3 south and Newport were bottom when we played them in an early mid week game. No floodlights then. I bunked off from school and raced to the ground and asked what was the score as the game had already started , when I was told we were losing I thought they were joking but I was told the big blond guy had scored, and he repeated the act glancing the ball one side of the keeper while running past him on the other side. Do you know as to why Orient let Tommy go to Gillingham 1961 ? I ask that as looking up his records on Wikipedia, he came back to the Os 1959–1961 Leyton Orient and still managed to score 51 goals in 93 games, so even in his second spell at the Os, still a very heavy goal scorer ! |
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Post by dennisrofe on Jan 26, 2024 9:33:23 GMT
I never saw Tommy play live in a match, he was finished playing for the Os by the time my dad started to take me to watch them. My first ever match was Leyton Orient v Burnley, 06 February 1962. It was an FA cup 4th round replay and Os were so unlucky to lose 1-0 and I have still got that match programme ! My dad saw Tommy play in the 1950s and he said he was a magnificent centre forward and a brilliant header of the ball !
Never saw TJ myself either . Just beat you on the first O’s game though . August 1961 vs Southampton. Just like you - a home defeat!😆👍 Looking up Os first 4 games for seasons 1961-62 ''Sat 19th Aug League Newcastle United 0-0 Leyton Orient Mon 21st Aug League Leyton Orient 1-3 Southampton -Sat 26th Aug League Leyton Orient 2-0 Middlesbrough -Wed 30th Aug League Southampton 1-2 Leyton Orient'' So we lost 2nd game at home to Southampton by 3 goals to one but in the 4th game beat them away by 2 goals to 1 !! I wonder if winger Terry Paine played for Southampton in either of those games ?
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Post by redshank on Jan 26, 2024 11:49:19 GMT
Must have,he seemed to play forever.I believe he played to a venerable age for a footballer.The great Stanley Mathews played into his 50s.
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Post by FargO on Jan 26, 2024 12:02:24 GMT
Must have,he seemed to play forever.I believe he played to a venerable age for a footballer.The great Stanley Mathews played into his 50s. There's hope for Prats for another ten years then ☺ |
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Post by billk53 on Jan 26, 2024 13:56:23 GMT
Never saw TJ myself either . Just beat you on the first O’s game though . August 1961 vs Southampton. Just like you - a home defeat!😆👍 Looking up Os first 4 games for seasons 1961-62 ''Sat 19th Aug League Newcastle United 0-0 Leyton Orient Mon 21st Aug League Leyton Orient 1-3 Southampton -Sat 26th Aug League Leyton Orient 2-0 Middlesbrough -Wed 30th Aug League Southampton 1-2 Leyton Orient'' So we lost 2nd game at home to Southampton by 3 goals to one but in the 4th game beat them away by 2 goals to 1 !! I wonder if winger Terry Paine played for Southampton in either of those games ?
He did, in both! |
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Post by redshank on Jan 26, 2024 14:30:05 GMT
Must have,he seemed to play forever.I believe he played to a venerable age for a footballer.The great Stanley Mathews played into his 50s. There's hope for Prats for another ten years then ☺ I would like that as I have posted on another thread. |
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Post by redshank on Jan 26, 2024 14:33:37 GMT
Must have,he seemed to play forever.I believe he played to a venerable age for a footballer.The great Stanley Mathews played into his 50s. There's hope for Prats for another ten years then ☺ Suits me as Tizer would have said in the late sixties when I sent him back to the office for backsassing me on a job in Ilford in 1967.Those really were the days. |
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Post by osoldest on Jan 26, 2024 22:42:09 GMT
Tommy Johnston was past his best when he went to gillingham and as I understand it he was told that he would be a reserve and was offered what was a pay cut .
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Post by confucius on Jan 27, 2024 6:10:37 GMT
Tommy Johnston was in my opinion the greatest ever orient player. Younger supporters have no idea just how heavy those old leather footballs were when they absorbed mud and water and they had protruding laces. Well Tommy Johnston could head one of those balls harder than some could kick them. His heading ability was unbelievable, he could glance headers or power them. Most pundits state that the greatest header of a football was Tommy Lawton with Johnston second. He was renowned for his diving headers and I must confess that a few were punched in. As crazy as it seems I always expected Tommy to score two or three goals every game , but when you consider that before leaving for top flight Blackburn he scored 36 goals before Christmas you can see why. He scored 11 more that season and the likelihood is that if he had stayed at the orient he would have broken Dixie deens all time record. Tommy ended up scoring over 250 goals., I never saw Tommy play live in a match, he was finished playing for the Os by the time my dad started to take me to watch them. My first ever match was Leyton Orient v Burnley, 06 February 1962. It was an FA cup 4th round replay and Os were so unlucky to lose 1-0 and I have still got that match programme ! My dad saw Tommy play in the 1950s and he said he was a magnificent centre forward and a brilliant header of the ball !
Confucius say: ‘There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth.’ |
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