(no subject)
I glanced at my profile and noticed it's two years to the day since I updated my "current reading". I did not finish Joshua Ferris' Then We Came To The End. It was a decent read; I just felt like a fresh beginning. I'm now nearing the end of The Way It Was, the autobiography of Sir Stanley Matthews.
For those not in the know, Matthews was a footballer in the 1930s, 1940s, '50s and '60s. When put into the context that the majority of players have a ten- to fifteen-year career, you see the anomaly that he was. He played for two Football League teams: his hometown club, Stoke City, and my team, Blackpool. We won the FA Cup in 1953, for the only time in our 123-year history, while he was a member of the team.
He set a number of records during his 33-year playing career. He was the first recipient, in 1956, of the European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) award. That same year he became the oldest player, at 41, to score for the English national team. The following year he became the oldest player ever to represent England, 23 years after making his debut.
He also held the distinction of never being cautioned or sent off in any of his 700+ Football League appearances.
Matthews played his final competitive game - a friendly in Brazil - in 1985 at the age of 70.
He died in 2000, the year his autobiography was issued, after falling ill while on holiday. He was 85.
Yes, the game was different back then, but his application to his work will stand the test of time.
For those not in the know, Matthews was a footballer in the 1930s, 1940s, '50s and '60s. When put into the context that the majority of players have a ten- to fifteen-year career, you see the anomaly that he was. He played for two Football League teams: his hometown club, Stoke City, and my team, Blackpool. We won the FA Cup in 1953, for the only time in our 123-year history, while he was a member of the team.
He set a number of records during his 33-year playing career. He was the first recipient, in 1956, of the European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) award. That same year he became the oldest player, at 41, to score for the English national team. The following year he became the oldest player ever to represent England, 23 years after making his debut.
He also held the distinction of never being cautioned or sent off in any of his 700+ Football League appearances.
Matthews played his final competitive game - a friendly in Brazil - in 1985 at the age of 70.
He died in 2000, the year his autobiography was issued, after falling ill while on holiday. He was 85.
Yes, the game was different back then, but his application to his work will stand the test of time.