Ex player series Alan Whittle

Joey66 · May 30, 2016

Dario Terracotta said:
I believe Catterick likened him to the great Denis Law,unfortunately after his great early promise he seemed to fizzle out.

Yes I do believe The Catt thought Whittle would fill the Alan Ball role - I got his autograph when he was a reserve player in the 1968 cup final homecoming at the rocket lost the ruddy thing on the bus coming home, watched him in the 1969/70 championship run in where he scored in a record run of games - he certainly had a mass of potential!

kev · May 30, 2016

I'm pretty sure that anybody my age just can't help but burst into song when recalling that great team
(I was 15/16 and loving every minute of the Gladys Street)

Gordon West, Tommy Wright, Sandy Brown, Howard Kendall, Brian Labone, Colin Harvey, Jimmy Husband, Alan Ball
John Hurst, Johnny Morrissey,
Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick

Keith Newton replaced Sandy, others such as Tommy Jackson and Roger Kenyon also played a part, but it was Alan Whittle who kept the momentum going by coming in and scoring some crucial goals.
For that short period, he was my second favourite player (after Bally obviously)
Unfortunately it was a bit of a purple patch and he couldn't maintain it.

Alan Whittle · May 30, 2016

mascoq66700 said:
Peter Wall allegedly ended up leaving Liverpool for his involvement.

?? He ended up at Palace as well!

Eggs · May 30, 2016

magicjuan said:
I remember him scoring v WBA when we won the title, think the team itself was so good no one other than Ball got the 'superstar' adulation, though there were plenty to earn it

....it's a good point that, I suppose by that stage Ball was the only regular England international. Amazing when you think how cosmopolitan the game is now with teams made up of full internationals.

scratchnsurf · May 30, 2016

Was mates with his son at school. Got us free tickets from time to time. Spent a lot of time in the pub in Heswall.

stanleypark · May 31, 2016

When did he get his first run of games in the side?

Joey66 · May 31, 2016

Debut 1967 at home to Newcastle UNT won 1-0 he wore the no 10 shirt -played 6 games that season- only 4. In 1968 - 15 in the 1969,70 championship season scoring11 goals in the final run in!- 24 games in 1971 only 7 goals in 1970'71
In 1971 /72 18 games only 1 goal
All goals are league goals totals
Short career really after so much promise!

Eggs · May 31, 2016

Joey66 said:
Debut 1967 at home to Newcastle UNT won 1-0 he wore the no 10 shirt -played 6 games that season- only 4. In 1968 - 15 in the 1969,70 championship season scoring11 goals in the final run in!- 24 games in 1971 only 7 goals in 1970'71
In 1971 /72 18 games only 1 goal
All goals are league goals totals
Short career really after so much promise!

....the 11 goals in that title run-in was key in seeing us over the line. It's funny that some footballers have real purple patches in their playing careers were they can do no wrong, it appears Alan Whittle and the 1970 Championship team were in the right place at the right time.

Joey66 · May 31, 2016

Eggs said:
....the 11 goals in that title run-in was key in seeing us over the line. It's funny that some footballers have real purple patches in their playing careers were they can do no wrong, it appears Alan Whittle and the 1970 Championship team were in the right place at the right time.

Yes I seen a large percentage of those games Whittle was like the great Denis Law set a scoring record goal in every games in the run in do not forget a young Kenyon who stepped up to for capt Labby!
We had a depleted team yet The blond bombshell Whittle was amazing alongside Joe Royle at Anfield away I stood on the Kop as the pair of them put us 2-0 up - as a young kid I knew then with the cry of Champions champions ringing out from the Anfield road end amass with blue and white the title was ours we played the of the park that day!

Eggs · May 31, 2016

Joey66 said:
Yes I seen a large percentage of those games Whittle was like the great Denis Law set a scoring record goal in every games in the run in do not forget a young Kenyon who stepped up to for capt Labby!
We had a depleted team yet The blond bombshell Whittle was amazing alongside Joe Royle at Anfield away I stood on the Kop as the pair of them put us 2-0 up - as a young kid I knew then with the cry of Champions champions ringing out from the Anfield road end amass with blue and white the title was ours we played the of the park that day!

....I was in th Anfield Rd for that famous game, Joey, and mentioned Whittle's sublime goal some pages back. Much as Mike Treblecock had a fleeting but major impact on us winning the cup in 1966, Whittle's contribution to that 1970 campaign was vital.

peteblue · May 31, 2016

I always liked his back headers at the near post from corners......

Edinblue · May 31, 2016

Was a favourite of mine. and could never quite understand why he didn't do more after the 69-70 triumph. I'd forgoten he went to Palace and did well.

Scouseisblue · June 1, 2016

Won the league for us in 1970 when he came in for injured Husband, I think. He was a little magician who conjured up vital goals, don't know how many winners he managed but seemed to get the only goal in several games. He became my hero at the time, which was hard with Bally in the team and Jimmy H being such a favourite, and you always expected a goal with him in the team. It was a great side and we should have gone on to better things... a bit like now. He played through the next couple of seasons but we just weren't the same side and he wasn't as prolific but he was still good. I was disappointed when he left, apparently under a shadow as certain posts have alluded to, as I dreamt he would recapture the glories of that title run in again.

degsy · June 1, 2016

kev said:
I'm pretty sure that anybody my age just can't help but burst into song when recalling that great team
(I was 15/16 and loving every minute of the Gladys Street)

Gordon West, Tommy Wright, Sandy Brown, Howard Kendall, Brian Labone, Colin Harvey, Jimmy Husband, Alan Ball
John Hurst, Johnny Morrissey,
Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick, Harry Catterick

Keith Newton replaced Sandy, others such as Tommy Jackson and Roger Kenyon also played a part, but it was Alan Whittle who kept the momentum going by coming in and scoring some crucial goals.
For that short period, he was my second favourite player (after Bally obviously)
Unfortunately it was a bit of a purple patch and he couldn't maintain it.

pretty much this.

Got moved on by Catterick along with Johnson and A.N. Other, as a result of some minor, (no pun intended as all were over 16) scandal involving Holly Lodge school girls.

had a decent career at Palace for a while

Another in a long line of early peakers

royvernon39 · June 1, 2016

I remember Whittle scoring at Palace when he was key in winning us the League.

He had loadsa talent and should have been around a lot more. Did not know about any naughtiness and school girls
but knowing Catterick a little I bet there was hardly anything in the story.