John Lalley Hails The FA Cup Winners

A wind of change was sweeping through Britain in 1960. The prim austerity of the 1950s was slowly but inexorably being engulfed by the outset of the ‘swinging sixties’ and 1960 was the year that Penguin Books were prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act after their publication of the D H Lawrence classic ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover.’ Representing the Crown, Mervyn Griffith Jones QC asked the jury with a magnificent exposition of pomposity: "Is this the kind of book you would wish your wife or servants to read?"

Lalley On Barney's League Cup Triumph

When John Barnwell became Wolves’ manager in 1978, he joined a club facing a relegation battle. Immediately, though, he turned fortune on its head, kept them in the top division and gave us an unlikely FA Cup semi-final appearance against Arsenal, a club he had served with distinction as a player.

Where Opportunity Refused To Knock

American Dream Of Kid Wolves Discarded

In the list of players Wolverhampton Wanderers have allowed to get away over the years - and there have been a few, like Alan Ball, Bob Wilson and Charlie Nicholas - the name of Dave Clements figures high. The Ulsterman was an apprentice at Molineux in Stan Cullis' final season there and made it as far as Wolves' reserve team.

Strange Ways Of Strong-Minded Keeper

Check-list of questions at the ready, I decided to test his reactions in the opening minutes. Is it correct you were a fanatical trainer? Did you provide your own kit? Was Lev Yashin your hero? Did you live in a pub during your early Wolves career? Would you sometimes wear Army boots for training? Did you keep a joke-book?

Woodfield A Wanderer In Both Senses

Some of the large gaps in Dave Woodfield's post-Molineux life have at last been filled in - and confirmation received as to his current whereabouts. But it sounds as though anyone hoping and expecting to see him rushing back to these shores when he turns 65 in October should brace themselves for disappointment.

No Regrets For Neil in NZ

His Home Counties tones are now littered with a trace of Kiwi and he has an unmistakable Southern Hemisphere tan. This week, what's more, he plays for the second time in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

I've No Regrets - Danny

He walked in 20 minutes late, which was no surprise. I had been warned that there was British Summer Time, Greenwich Mean Time and Hegan Time. "Sorry, Dave, I've had the plumbers round. Can I get you a drink?"

The Football Life And Times Of Les Wilson

For what he did in taking a small football country to the World Cup finals, there's a bit of Jack Charlton or even Mick McCarthy. For the way he later used his coaching talents when adopting a measured and highly respected overview, he is seen as a sort of Stateside Trevor Brooking. And when offered the job as CONCACAF deputy secretary in 1999, he did what Roy Keane would no doubt love to do again and told the federation's outspoken president Jack Warner to sling his hook.

Mark Burke: Coach In Waiting

He talks a great game and, in the coming years, Mark Burke is confident of showing he can also coax one out of players. For now, he divides his time between working in England in land property and seeing his girlfriend and seven-year-old son in Holland. The long-term plan, though, is to move into coaching – a door he firmly believes will open.