A Derby plaque to one of the Windrush generation: Thomas Montague Douce

 

Tom Mann Close, Coventry

 Mann is quite possibly Britain's most famous trade unionist and was key to the victory by the London Dockers in 1889 that paved the way for unskilled workers to join trade unions. It was great to come across his street in Foleshill, Coventry close to the canal and around half a mile from the Ricoh Arena. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mann#Early_years

Coventry City 0 Sunderland 0

For the first time in a long while the Sunderland side were not backed by a sold out away end with 300 unsold tickets from a 3,000 allocation. Ticket prices of £37 with kids tickets costing £25 plus a train strike kept down the numbers who made the 400 mile round trip to watch a game that failed to thrill.  

Coming very soon - Haaland: Manchester City's striking Viking

 

Erling Braut Haaland's first season in English football saw him tear up the record books.

Manchester City's striking Viking eclipsed modern goalscoring legends like Alan Shearer, Andy Cole and Mohamed Salah as Pep Guardiola's Sky Blues ensured their place amongst the game's greatest-ever teams by winning a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup Treble.

Haaland found the back of the net an astonishing 52 times, becoming the first top-flight player to rack up a half-century of goals in over 90 years.

His incredible contribution also secured him the Premier League's prized Golden Boot as well as the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year Award - at the age of just 22.

The Leeds-born No 9 had his pick of Europe's top clubs when he was deciding on his future during an injury-hit final season with Borussia Dortmund in 2021-22.

He rejected offers from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to come 'home.' Haaland's father, Alfie, joined Manchester City in the same summer his youngest son was born.

Haaland's decision to sign for a team that had won four of the previous five Premier League titles under Guardiola was not based on sentiment.

This book details why the 6ft 5ins Norwegian felt moving to Manchester to help City become European champions for the first time in their history made perfect sense for a player who has mapped out his career with the same precision he demonstrates in front of goal.

It also documents a debut season which saw Haaland set new standards in Premier League excellence as City were confirmed as football's most dominant force, both at home and abroad.

Mark Metcalf and Simon Mullock

Halifax Heritage is just one long list of murderous atrocities

 

Halifax and its infamous Piece Hall, built by murderous bastards, is just one of many pieces of heritage so revered by the middle classes that pack out all the major parties across the West Yorkshire town. Meanwhile, here is a lovely little grave in Wainstalls that contains the remains of orphans brought from Liverpool to work for nothing in the 19th century and who died very early deaths.  There'll be no special occasions for those poor sods. 

It is my intention to produce a short film on this soon.

Sunderland 1 Crewe 1 With Crewe winning 5-3 on penaltties

 Historic 

The end of an era as for the first time in over a century Sunderland AFC failed to issue a programme 

for a competitive match. This follows a few years back the failure to publish a team photograph for the first time since the early 1880s. The once famous Wearside club also has a ground in urgent need to upgrading and requires a damn good clean. 

On the field the side has started 2023-24 poorly. Crewe took their penalties well and just about deserved their draw in the 90 minutes. 

Crewe seal victory with their fifth successful penalty 

                                                        The crowd was just 10,000+ 

Celebration of the life of Kevin Stannard, Monday 14 August

 Celebration of the life of Kevin Stannard, Monday 14 August

 

The Celebration of the life of former Trades Council secretary Kevin Stannard will take place on

Monday 14 August 

 

Noon 

 

at Natural Endings

Rise Lane

Todmorden

OL14 7AA

Natural Endings are based in the former Todmorden Sorting Office building.

 

No flowers please, but donations in Kevin's memory are invited to the Foodbank at the Old Library Community Hub for Cornholme and Portsmouth - account number: 20338192, Sort code: 608301. 

 

Please would people wear bright colours to the celebration and bring a story about Kevin - he had fingers in so many pies and it would be lovely for everyone to hear them.

 

There will be a buffet at the Golden Lion after the celebration.

Kevin's partner Jane has asked people to let us know at info@calderdaletuc.org.uk if you will be attending on Monday 14 August. 

Kevin Stannard, RIP

We are sorry to announce that Calderdale Trades Council secretary, Kevin Stannard died last weekend. 

    Kevin became Secretary in 2021, having previousy been chair. He was an ardent socialist, dedicated trade unionist and he will be sorely missed. 

    Calderdale Trades Council officers paid tribute to their friend and colleague...

    "Kevin gave a lot of himself to others and to ‘the movement’, and this is something to be honoured. I’ll remember his cheerful, sometimes cheeky, demeanour, as well as his critical political eye, and of course his picket line solidarity." Daniel Whittall, chair.

    "A man full of principle and political intelligence" Nigel Smith, vice-chair.

We send our sympathy and solidarity to his partner, Jane, his family and friends. 

­

HOW THE LADS KICKED OFF The origins of Sunderland AFC

 

HOW THE LADS KICKED OFF

The origins of Sunderland AFC

Mark Metcalf

Many of today’s famous football clubs were set up by churches, cricket clubs and works’ teams. Sunderland AFC, however, is unique as it was set up in 1880 by a trade union.

Within a decade, it was playing in the Football League and won the league title three times in the first five seasons in which it competed. Only six clubs have won more top flight titles than Sunderland, whose record of six is equal to Chelsea’s.

Football as an organised club sport in Sunderland began in 1873. This, however, was rugby (union) football which was widely reported on by local papers over the subsequent years. Although the Football Association had been formed in 1863, the battle for supremacy among those who preferred to play the game with their feet over those who preferred the handling game was to rage on till after WWI. In 1879, The Times reported that the North was ‘rugby.’

That might have remained the case except for the genius that was Sunderland-born Charles Alcock who, seven years earlier had created the FA Cup competition. That was national and it gave teams of working-class footballers the opportunity to take on and beat teams packed with the elite of society. Local communities were inspired to turn out in large numbers at important games and football fervour began. Regional FA knock out competitions were inaugurated. One was the Northumberland and Durham FA, formed in 1879, Challenge Cup in 1888-81.

It was this that inspired the formation of a football club in Sunderland. On Saturday 25 September 1880, a special meeting was, as reported two days later in the Sunderland Echo, held by “the Sunderland and District Teachers’ Association for the purpose of hearing Mr TE Heller, secretary of the National Union of Elementary Teachers, and a member of the London School Board on union and educational matters.”

It can be clearly seen that they Sunderland and District Teachers’ Association was part of the growing trade union movement and its descendant union be today’s National Education Union (NEU).  

At the end of the meeting, it was agreed to form a football club and this was announced in the Sunderland Echo on the following Monday. Other regional papers later reported that a football club had been formed.

The club held its first training sessions for teachers only at Hendon two weekends later on Saturday 9 October but the attendance was poor and it was agreed to seek players from Sunderland in general and the name of the club was changed to Sunderland Association Football Club on 16 October 1880. Less than two months after the club began, they played their first game on 13 November 1880 and lost 1-0 to Ferryhill at Hendon.

SAFC were to go on and reach the semi-final of the 1880-1 Northumberland and Durham FA Challenge Cup and were beaten 5-0 by Newcastle Rangers at St James’ Park on Saturday 12 February 1881.

 

Mark Metcalf, from a Durham mining family, is a member of the Football Writers’ Association and his many works include the authorised biography of Charlie Hurley, Stan Anderson’s autobiography and Sunderland: Almost the Double; Sunderland AFC 1912-13 and Total Football: Sunderland 1935-37.