| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend 07:52 - Feb 2 with 2226 views | kushiro |
This is my first post here. I've registered so I can write about Charlie Woods, who I've had the pleasure of talking to this week. Coming soon I'll post an interview with him, but here I want to introduce him by looking at three extraordinary episodes in his career - two from his time as a player, one from his time as a Youth coach.
1) August 29th - September 5th 1960
What a week.
Charlie is 19, and he's still to make his debut in professional football. Brought up in Whitehaven in Cumbria, he's been on Newcastle United's books for a year.
Now suddenly he gets his chance. United have a prestigious friendly at St.James' Park against Barcelona, and he's named on the bench. An early injury gives him his chance, and he'd only been on the field a few minutes when he tried a shot from 25 yards. It flew into the top corner to put United 3-0 up.
This was a legendary Barcelona team - the best team in Spain at the time. Yes, Real Madrid had won the European Cup Final in that famous 7-3 at Hampden, but they weren't La Liga champions. Barca had won the title two years in a row.
Stirred into action by that three goal Newcastle burst, the Catalans roared back and ended up 4-3 winners , with a hat-trick from Sandor Kocsis.
Charlie Woods kept his place in the team for the League game at Fulham two days later - his senior debut. He scored again but United lost 4-3. Then they won 2-0 at Forest before heading for West Brom on the Monday night - a week after the Barcelona game.
Albion had lost all five games that season, but that night it all came right, and they thrashed United 6-0. Their fifth goal came direct from a free-kick, scored by their right half, England international Bobby Robson.
That was the first time the paths of Robson and Woods crossed. Not the last, of course.
November 17th 1962
After that spectacular start, it didn't really work out for Charlie on Tyneside. Two years later, Third Division Bournemouth signed him. Or at least, they tried to.
On Thursday morning, after Newcastle agreed to sell him, he boarded a train and made the long journey south to London, from where he would head to the south coast.
But then Magpies boss Jim Harvey suddenly realised the club was facing an injury crisis. 'If only I hadn't sold Charlie Woods', he thought. Then he decided to act. Nothing had been signed yet, and he knew what time Charlie's train would be arriving at King's Cross.
This is what happened next, as reported in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle:
A porter at the Great Northern Hotel last night held up the transfer of Charlie Woods to Bournemouth. Manager Jim Harvey, already facing an injury crisis, realised that the referee of Saturday's Southampton v Newcastle game may not allow Alan Suddick to play because of a plaster-cast embracing the broken bones in his right hand.
Harvey rang the porter at the Great Nothern and asked him to stop Woods, who was due at King's Cross. The porter realised the train was already in and he could not get across to the station in time, so he rang the station master, who put out a broadcast on the loud speaker system.
******
The result of this was that Woods headed not to Bournemouth, but to Southampton, where he would join his United teammates.
Two days later, this report appeared in the Saturday morning press:
Charlie Woods will be in League action this afternoon. He will either be understudying Alan Suddick for Newcastle at The Dell, or he will have signed for Bournemouth so he can make his debut at Bristol Rovers. Referee G.W.Pullin will arrive at Southampton this morning, and his first duty will be to check whether Alan Suddick can play with a plaster cast. If he gets the OK, Woods will get in a car and make the dash to Bristol to turn out for the Cherries.
*****
Well, that cast did get the OK, Charlie did make that 100 mile dash to Bristol, he did make his debut, and nine minutes into the game he put Bournemouth ahead, setting them on the way to a 3-0 win.
February 7th 1973
It's fair to say that Charlie never really fulfilled his potential as a player. From Bournemouth he moved on to Crystal Palace, and then Bill McGarry signed him for Ipswich in 1966. He didn't feature much in the promotion season of 67/68, and shortly after that, new boss Bobby Robson sold him to Watford.
When Watford boss Ken Furphy left to take the Blackburn job, he didn't forget Charlie, and soon he appointed him Youth Coach at Ewood Park.
One day in the winter of 1973, Charlie was sitting in a hotel in Blackburn reading the paper when he saw that Ipswich were playing that evening at Bolton in the FA Youth Cup. He decided to head down the A666 and see the game.
In the Main Stand he bumped into Bobby Robson, who told him he was looking for a Youth Coach. 'I've got a job, Bobby', he said. 'At Blackburn'. But Bobby was not deterred. 'Look, the first team are playjng at Stoke on Saturday. Why don't you come and have a chat on Friday. We'll be staying at a hotel just off the M6'.
He went and had that chat. The Stoke game was called off in the end due to the icy weather, but that was of secondary importance. The key business of the weekend had already been concluded. Charlie agreed to move back to Portman Road, and a working relationship that would last on and off for 30 years was about to begin.
Stay tuned. More to come. |  |
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| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 08:06 - Feb 2 with 2110 views | GlasgowBlue |
Wonderful stuff. Keep ‘em coming. |  |
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| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 08:14 - Feb 2 with 2077 views | Bluefields |
Very tough but brilliant coach. Shameful the way he was treated by John Duncan. | | | |
| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 09:09 - Feb 2 with 1845 views | kushiro |
I'll be speaking to Charlie again soon. If there's something you'd like me to ask him, please post your question below. [Post edited 2 Feb 9:19]
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| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 09:10 - Feb 2 with 1842 views | BloomBlue |
I spoke with him a few times over the years (but not lately) lovely man.
Always felt he was unlucky with the Bobby Ferguson situation. Bobby was also a great guy, but never a manager, hence it all went wrong. |  | | |
| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 09:22 - Feb 2 with 1764 views | Battersea_Blue |
Excellent piece.
I’ve got to know Charlie well over the years. Lovely man, very good golfer and still knows so many people within the game.
Happy retirement Charlie, though doubt he’ll read this as technology not his thing. | | | |
| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 09:31 - Feb 2 with 1707 views | monty_radio |
| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 08:14 - Feb 2 by Bluefields |
Very tough but brilliant coach. Shameful the way he was treated by John Duncan. |
I do seem to recall that at least one, or possibly more, of his Town haul of 5 goals was a screamer though. | |
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| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 11:33 - Feb 2 with 1552 views | Radlett_blue |
Great piece. I knew little about Charlie Woods's playing career, although he did play in the first Town game I saw, a 0-1 defeat to Man U in the FA Cup in January 1970. Must have been one of his last games and I remember him looking pretty useful.
Only error is that the Newcastle manager was Joe Harvey, not Jim. |  |
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| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 11:40 - Feb 2 with 1516 views | Blue_badge |
I saw Charlie Woods play a good many times in the mid/late 60's . Quick, tricky with the ball at his feet is how I remember him - difficult to play against.
Always a fan's favourite and well remembered. |  | | |
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| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 12:02 - Feb 2 with 1456 views | FifeITFC |
Wasn't there something about him and John Duncan not getting on and JD feeling undermined or something? Sure I saw a quote which said something like "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"?
Someone like Woods doesn't stay at a club for as long as he did if he wasn't good and well respected etc. |  |
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| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 13:05 - Feb 2 with 1279 views | Geomorph |
interesting ta. didn't know he was a marra from up the west coast - always thought he was a geordie. They are a tough bunch it Whit-aven |  | | |
| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 13:09 - Feb 2 with 1262 views | PrideOfTheEast |
| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 09:10 - Feb 2 by BloomBlue |
I spoke with him a few times over the years (but not lately) lovely man.
Always felt he was unlucky with the Bobby Ferguson situation. Bobby was also a great guy, but never a manager, hence it all went wrong. |
He really is a lovely guy. I got to know him a bit during the Evans era and seldom do you meet somebody with his class. He remembered my name the second time I met him from the first, and was brilliant with people.
When I knew him, he often accompanied Lady Elsie to ITFC games in the North East. I was fortunate to go with both of them to a game at Boro away under Evans, where Steve Gibson and his daughter treated them like royalty.
He stopped coming to Ipswich games a few years ago. The club offered him a driver to get to home games, or at least from Peterborough station and back but he refused. Shame as he'd be enjoying it now. | | | |
| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 15:54 - Feb 2 with 1084 views | BLUEBEAT |
| Charlie Woods - Ipswich Legend on 09:09 - Feb 2 by kushiro |
I'll be speaking to Charlie again soon. If there's something you'd like me to ask him, please post your question below. [Post edited 2 Feb 9:19]
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The cheese question. Obviously. |  |
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