Sammy Thomas

Why Blue?

It was a Sunday and a beautiful hot summer’s day, my bed had been pushed out onto the balcony of Booth Hall Children’s Hospital overlooking Charlestown Road. It was June 1939 and as a seven-year-old, I was waiting impatiently for the appearance of my mother and father at visiting time. I was recovering from lobar pneumonia and had made a marvellous recovery so I was told later. The visitors were coming into the ward and in the next bed to me was a young boy who had been brought into the hospital the day before! An elderly gentleman with a lady were sat round his bed. I was getting anxious as it was 10 minutes or so into visiting time and my parents had still not arrived! The elderly gentleman came across to my bed and started talking to me. He asked me if I was interested in football, I told him that I didn’t support any team in particular. He told me his name was Billy, that he had been a professional footballer and had played for both Manchester City and Manchester United. As my parents were arriving he was showing me a gold medal on his watch chain and said that it was a cup final medal he had won with Manchester City. He visited again the following Sunday and gave me a tin of boiled sweets. The man was the great Billy Meredith – I never saw him again, but I never forgot that kindness, and Manchester City was my team from that day forward.

Due to the second world war in September 1939, evacuation and the blitz, it was 1942 before I had the chance to visit Maine Road. In those days the league was divided into North and South divisions as the league was suspended. Mind you, we were treated to a wonderful feast of football in those days as one Saturday I would be cheering City and the next week I would be booing United. Wartime teams were allowed guest players, due to soccer players in the forces being stationed in various parts of the country. Players from the pre-war era were appearing at Maine Road in abundance and as nine-year-old I was in awe watching some of the footballing greats. The likes of “boy” Basting and Alec James from Arsenal, Tom Finney, Raich Carter, Len Shackleton, Tommy Lawton, Wilf Mannion and many more. The first game I watched was City vs. Stoke with the great Stanley Matthews playing for Stoke and giving Bert Sproston, City’s left back, the runaround.

We did not have a great team in those days, but we did have the country’s top goalkeeper, Big Frank Swift. Frank was the father of the modern-day goalkeeper and with his massive hands could throw the heavy leather ball to the half way line. As England’s goalkeeper of that era he gave some wonderful displays in the art of keeping goal. City as I say were not a great team and were really in the Second Division when league football was resumed. Many people will not have heard of some of the players of that period. I remember well Frank Swift, Bert Sproston and Sam Barkas who were City’s back three for a number of years, Walsh, McDowall and Jackie Bray were City’s half back line of the time and Maurice Dunkerly, Georgie Smith, Alec Herd, Peter Doherty, Ernie Toseland were popular players of that period. They were to me, my team and the epitome of weekend pleasure for me and my pal Jackie Leggat. It was at that time somewhat as it is today between the rival Manchester teams, Man Utd under Matt Busby (a City player during his playing days) were the top dogs and it was not until 1947 that we saw the signs of having a good team again with the signing of my dear old friend Roy (Nobby) Clarke. A return to the First Division was forthcoming that year and was I proud!

I saw many wonderful games of soccer at the home of my beloved team. I saw England beat Wales by a cricket score and was present at the replay of the first FA Cup semi-final after the war between Birmingham and Derby County when there were over 90,000 in the ground and people were climbing the walls to get in. Me being one of them having wagged it from school as the match was on a Wednesday afternoon.

In 1969, City opened its supporters social club adjacent to the ground and as a professional comedian it gave me great pleasure to be the first comedian to appear at the club, which was under the management of Roy Clarke. City have over the many years I have supported them, given me immeasurable pleasure, considerable sadness and great joyous moments, have cost me a lot of money in side bets, but through thick and thin they have been and always will be my team. In fact, I must be the only member of the coloured race with blue eyes. I look forward to the Blues being back where they belong in the Premier League. “Why Blue”, I ask you!

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #522 on