Dave Watson...sad news

I am old enough to have encountered the really old leather cased balls with laces and rubber inflatable bladder, imagine heading something that, if you caught the laces and they had not been tied down correctly would split your head open.
Correct...but balls with laces had disappeared as official match balls years before Dave's league years. I'm guessing but I'd say laces were history in match balls by the mid 60s or maybe early 60s.
Mind you, match balls were still leather in the 70s, though coated to prevent watet-logging.
 


Sad to hear. I remember getting his autograph as a bairn. He seemed like the Hulk to me as he was so big and muscular. Was devastated when he went to Man.City, but Jeff Clarke turned out to be almost as good but not quite Dave Watson if you know what I mean.
 
Correct...but balls with laces had disappeared as official match balls years before Dave's league years. I'm guessing but I'd say laces were history in match balls by the mid 60s or maybe early 60s.
Mind you, match balls were still leather in the 70s, though coated to prevent watet-logging.

Good to see you back. How are you doing fella?

I first went to Roker Park early 60's and I'm pretty sure brown 'caseys' were still the order of the day.

Wasn't the 1970 World Cup the first major tournament to use the new fangled white and black panelled ball?
 
Sad to hear. I remember getting his autograph as a bairn. He seemed like the Hulk to me as he was so big and muscular. Was devastated when he went to Man.City, but Jeff Clarke turned out to be almost as good but not quite Dave Watson if you know what I mean.
certainly do mate
blessed with some great centre halves
Hurley, Watson and Clarke
Very sad news this
 
He was a converted centre forward but I don't remember that far back in his career.
He started as a centre-half and then played centre forward for Rotherham. Alan Brown signed him as a No9 to replace Joe Baker in 1970 and he stayed up front until Brown was sacked in 72. Watson was first moved back to centre half by Billy Elliott, if I remember correctly, during his spell as caretaker boss before Bob Stokoe was appointed to succeed Brown in November. This also coincided with the decision to revert to black shorts after some 12 years or so of a home strip with white shorts.
Stokoe then signed John Hughes (Billy's big brother) to replace Watson up front...only for Hughes to get a bad injury in his first game. Sunderland immediately called in the insurance money on John Hughes and bought Vic Halom and the rest, as they say, is history.
Good to see you back. How are you doing fella?

I first went to Roker Park early 60's and I'm pretty sure brown 'caseys' were still the order of the day.

Wasn't the 1970 World Cup the first major tournament to use the new fangled white and black panelled ball?
Fine mate, thanks. Check out the 1966 FA Cup and World Cup Final videos...no laces in sight. But I think you are right about the black and white panel ball in Mexico. By the way, the 73 FA Cup Final ball was the same sort of design - but a rather bright orange!
 
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Awful news, got his autograph as a bairn. We moved to a house very close to his and got it as he walked his dog past our house, remember being very excited to live so close to a player but he moved to City a few weeks later......

I never saw him play but me dad said he was second only to Hurley.
 
Absolutely awful news, he was before my time but I've heard all about him from family members and it's obvious what a class player he was. I know people are saying it's just the old balls that would cause it, and they certainly were much heavier, but I'm glad they seem to be researching all heading, and the move in Scotland to take heading out of kids football might be sensible until all risks are known.
 
He started as a centre-half and then played centre forward for Rotherham. Alan Brown signed him as a No9 to replace Joe Baker in 1970 and he stayed up front until Brown was sacked in 72. Watson was first moved back to centre half by Billy Elliott, if I remember correctly, during his spell as caretaker boss before Bob Stokoe was appointed to succeed Brown in November. This also coincided with the decision to revert to black shorts after some 12 years or so of a home strip with white shorts.
Stokoe then signed John Hughes (Billy's big brother) to replace Watson up front...only for Hughes to get a bad injury in his first game. Sunderland immediately called in the insurance money on John Hughes and bought Vic Halom and the rest, as they say, is history.

Fine mate, thanks. Check out the 1966 FA Cup and World Cup Final videos...no laces in sight. But I think you are right about the black and white panel ball in Mexico. By the way, the 73 FA Cup Final ball was the same sort of design - but a rather bright orange!

Yes, of course.

Just found this. Looks like the 1970 WC did have the classic black and white panelled ball.

 
I was lucky to see him right throughout his time at Sunderland. He was an astonishing player and seemed to have the ability to hang in the air after making those prodigious leaps. He very intelligent centre half. And if you were on the half way line waiting to head a wet casey back up field after the opposition goalie had punted it down towards you it was like being sand bagged.
 
Correct...but balls with laces had disappeared as official match balls years before Dave's league years. I'm guessing but I'd say laces were history in match balls by the mid 60s or maybe early 60s.
Mind you, match balls were still leather in the 70s, though coated to prevent watet-logging.

The coating never lasted the whole match though - you could see the balls getting mottled as the match wore on. It's only really the last 20 years or so that the balls have been completely waterproof.
 
Before my time sadly but based on the photo BBC sport are using I assume he was as hard as nails?

BBC News - Dave Watson: Ex-England skipper may have same disease as Jeff Astle had
 

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