Jim's column 18.4.2020

Two football personalities from the 1960s, Ron Wylie and Peter Bonetti, sadly passed away this week after long illnesses and both deserve a mention here.

Ron Wylie, City's assistant manager to Gordon Milne in the 1970s, is better known for his playing exploits in Birmingham with both Villa and the Blues, but he was a major influence in arguably the Sky Blues' most attractive side in their 34 years in the top flight.

Born in Glasgow in 1933, Ron moved south to join Notts County in 1949 after being spotted playing for Clydesdale Juniors where he won Scottish schoolboy caps. Initially an inside forward but later switched to wing-half, he made his debut in County's Second Division side in 1951 and played almost 250 games for the club before an £8,000 move to Villa in 1958. County were on the way to a second successive relegation when he left and Villa were also on their way down to Division Two that season. Ron's cultured play mixed with a strong determination was vital in Villa's promotion the following season and they defeated two First Division sides on the way to an FA Cup semi final under Joe Mercer. In 1961 he was a member of the Villa team that won the newly inaugurated League Cup and won a runners-up medal in the same competition two years later. He was a regular in Villa's team until 1965 when he dropped down a division with a move across the city to Blues. Many thought his best days were behind him but he captained Birmingham for four seasons and reached two further Cup semi finals before hanging his boots up at the age of 37.

He returned to Villa Park as a coach before Gordon Milne invited him to join him at Highfield Road as first team coach in 1975. In his six seasons with Gordon, the club, regular relegation battlers before then, were only once in danger of going down – in the infamous Bristol game in 1977 – and the pair produced a stunning response to the knockers the following season. Adopting a brave 4-2-4 formation the team scored 75 goals with the Wallace/Ferguson partnership causing havoc in the process. Ron was instrumental in bringing through some outstanding homegrown players such as Garry Thompson, Danny Thomas, Steve Whitton and Mark Hateley as the club's financial situation precluded big money signings. In his final season at City the young team reached the League Cup semi final, losing to West Ham over two legs.

                                                                 Ron Wylie                                 

After leaving City following Dave Sexton's arrival, Ron coached in Cyprus and Hong Kong before landing the manager's job at West Brom in 1982. He inherited Cyrille Regis and soon returned to Highfield Road to sign Garry Thompson from the cash-strapped Sky Blues. A year later, with Albion in danger of relegation, Ron was sacked but was only out of work for a short time before re-joining Villa as reserve team coach. In 1987 he left Villa Park again and continued scouting for various clubs but was tempted back to Villa again 1990 to work as Football in the Community officer.

Former City striker David Cross who played under Ron told me a funny story, 'We played a charity game with the Tiswas lads once. Ron was under the impression that it was a serious game (every game was serious to him) and had never seen Tiswas on television and just didn’t get the humour on the day. The final straw for him was The Phantom Flan Flinger throwing a pie at one of the players as he was about to score. Ron walked off the pitch !' David also said: 'Ron was old school. He drove us hard and settled for nothing less than 100% and demanded the best. He suffered no fools but always had a twinkle in his eye when you got the inevitable bollocking.'

Garry Thompson tweeted: 'Ron bullied me (in nicest way possible) to be better, to improve daily, I owe him, he coached me from 17 then took me to Albion, and was assistant manager when I signed for Villa. To say I owe him massively is an understatement, loved the old feller.'

City fan Ian Greaves who followed the Sky Blues home and away in the 1970s and 80s contacted me to say: 'I have fond memories of Ron when he was assistant manager in the 1970s. He was always very aware of the time and effort the regular fans put in and on many occasions he rewarded us with complimentary tickets at away games. I encountered him when visiting a relative in Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield a few years ago. He was already showing signs of dementia then but we still managed to have a good chat about his days at City. Like many sufferers he seemed to have a better long term than short term memory.'

Growing up in the 1960s we had little football on the television and relied on magazines like Charles Buchan's Football Monthly and Soccer Star to discover football stars. Bonetti always struck me as one of the modern breed of goalkeepers, as did City's Bill Glazier. More agile than the older breed with peaked baseball-type caps instead of the traditional cloth cap and Peter had a continental style kit. He was also a member of two fine Chelsea sides – 1965 team that went close to winning the treble and might have won the league but for manager Tommy Docherty's over-the top reaction to a late night drinking session, and the 1970 FA Cup winning side, full of skill but hard enough to counter the nefarious Leeds United. He was unfairly blamed for England's loss to West Germany in the 1970 World Cup quarter-final and never added to his six England caps but in an era without the likes of Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton he would have won more caps as would Bill Glazier.

Peter played against the Sky Blues on numerous occasions but one game sticks in my memory. A wet night in September 1968 with the rain lashing down turning the Highfield Road pitch into a paddy field. Osgood gave Chelsea an early lead when Maurice Setters' backpass stuck in the mud but for the rest of the game City bombarded Bonetti's goal. 'The Cat' as he was known, pulled off save after save to keep his sheet clean and earn the Londoners a 1-0 victory. Derek Henderson in the Coventry Telegraph, whilst acknowledging Bonetti as 'the best 'keeper in the UK at the moment', described the game as 'the greatest travesty of footballing justice I have witnessed in 20 years of sports journalism'.

RIP Ron and Peter.

JIM'S COLUMN 13.8.2011

At Gigg Lane, Bury on Tuesday night the now annual League Cup disaster took place. Despite Andy Thorn putting out a strong side (on paper, if not on the pitch), the Sky Blues once again succumbed to an embarrassing Cup defeat in Lancashire. Lower league sides must rub their hands with glee when being drawn out of the hat with Coventry City and Bury emulated Morecambe and Hartlepool as the third successive team to send City out of the competition at the first hurdle. Just when the club and the fans could do with a lift, financially and spiritually, that a little Cup run would give, the team failed to perform. We won't have the annual depressing trip to Preston this season (where City have never won a league game) but the Lancashire hoodoo continues and the trips to Blackpool and Burnley are looking like ones to avoid.

A small crowd of 2,997 watched Tuesday night’s game, probably less than were rioting and looting in nearby Salford, but it wasn’t the lowest crowd to watch City in the the competition. In 1992 there was a crowd of 2,633 at Scarborough to see the Sky Blues throw away a two goal first leg lead and lose 3-0, and the previous year there was 2,288 at Spotland, Rochdale, as City lost 0-1 but went through by virtue of a 4-0 win in the first leg.

I thought I tempted providence by mentioning the Sky Blues' excellent opening day record last week. Not only did the team lose their first league game of the season for the first time since 2000 but as Paul O'Connor pointed out, they lost at home and had a midfield player sent off. In 2000 City lost 1-3 to Middlesbrough and had David Thompson sent off on his debut. It was the start of a depressing campaign that ended in relegation.

City fielded three debutants against Leicester on Saturday, less than normal on the opening day, and two of them were homegrown players. It has to be hoped that many of the latest flood of talent from the Academy will ‘make the grade’ and end a long period during which few home grown players have come through to be first team regulars. The next few years are going to be tough financially for Coventry City and the development of their own youngsters who, it is hoped will have more affinity with the club than high priced transfer signings, will save the club substantial sums of money. In the all-time numbering system Joe Murphy became player number 851, Cyrus Christie 852 and Gael Bigirimana 853.

The poor start to the season has not surprised many supporters and the fans seem to be turning again on the owners, SISU. With no replacement for Marlon King signed, the squad looks lightweight up front and as I said last week a lack of goals could be a problem. Communication from the Ricoh boardroom has again become patchy and there is a lack of clarity about SISU’s intentions and no updates on the cashflow which we were told in April would only last ‘through the summer’. Despite cost-cutting the losses must be continuing to rack up and it is hard to visualise SISU continuing the fund the club with the current business model. I see very little difference in their approach to the one taken by the previous regime which ended with Geoffrey Robinson taking a bath for £20 million when SISU took over. The club seem to be almost back where they were then in the autumn of 2007. There is no simple or quick answer to the situation and for things to change SISU would have to walk away and take a loss of £30 million or more. Gary Hoffman and his investors would presumably ride in with their alleged £30 million but would that change anything other than the faces at the top? Unless the stadium is purchased or the club won promotion the cycle would continue and 3-4 years down the road those new investors would be retreating nursing substantial losses. The board have made some interesting noises about the new Financial Fair Play regulations coming in next year and indicating that they are taking a more prudent approach to the club’s finances. nwith these new rules in mind. fortunately fans don’t want to hear this sort of talk and look at the lack of new players and poor results. However if this is the strategy then the board must get their story across with more vigour.

It was great to see that former manager Gordon Milne was at the Leicester game last week and trying to stay impartial having managed both clubs. His former assistant Ron Wylie was also a guest of the Former Players Association but unfortunately had a fall at Gordon’s home later in the day. He has been in hospital in Birmingham this week and I am sure all City fans wish him well in his recovery. Ron had a reputation as a tough talking, no-nonsense disciplinarian but when you speak to his former players they have nothing but respect and admiration for the strict Scot.

If Sky Blue fans want to be cheered up they should go along to Hawksmill Club in Hawksmill Lane, Allesley tomorrow afternoon to wallow in some 1987 nostalgia. Almost 25 years after winning the FA Cup a team comprising many of the ‘87 heroes take on a Lloyd McGrath XI to raise money for charity. Oggy, Trevor Peake, Micky Gynn and Brian Borrows are definites and more are expected. Kick-off is at 2pm and entrance is £3 with children and OAPs allowed in for £1.