Subbuteo & Other Nostalgia

My lasting memory of Subbuteo is scoring an unintentional worldy one match -- the kind of goal you wouldn't score again in a century of trying -- and having it called back due to a foul! Quite right, too. As I recall -- but it was 35+ years ago -- my player was still in my half, and quite probably the ball wasn't in the scoring area either! Who knows what I was trying to do...but it was a great goal.

Otherwise, my game could best be described by Fordy's favourite term for all things City!

RCB

 

I think an Avenue supporting practitioner of black magic placed a curse on that Subbuteo set.

'No Bradford City team shall prosper whilst it remains in darkness'.

[Or something similar that sounds like a rejected plot device from a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings film, it's quite obviously really not my area of expertise.]

A kid who's lived there previously had a play with it when City made it to the Prem before putting it back up there and there might have been a loose slate directly above it when Parky was in charge, letting in a slither of light. But, for the most part it's been in darkness for decades.

Now it's out in the open again, never to return, I fully expect the club to be challenging for a Champions League place within a decade.

 

What a fantastic shop Carters was. Toys, Airfix kits, football kit, fishing tackle, maggots?, air rifles and pellets...everything a kid could want!

 

Yes the Mitchell's owned it but it was called "The Robot Store" back in the day, now an Eastern European market.

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/tahistory/featuresnostalgiaonthisday/4477722.tuesday-july-7-2009/

 

I collect subbuteo and I restore - mostly old heavyweights ( which came in early 60’s just after the flats). As several others have said and looking at the pictures - your collection - esp BPA - but also one or two other teams such as Bristol Rovers - are highly collectible and sought after. Please would you let us know if you put it on ebay ? Best of luck

 

That's the place!

 

Really trying hard not to point it out

 

I do these for charity. Just a bit of fun

 

Obviously not trying hard enough .

 

I'm amazed the mods haven't moved this to general football talk

 

Ahh good old design skills from back in the day. That looks like a pair of severed arms. The ref looks to be challenging for every header. Reminds me of the stuff that was written on the sides of the vans starring in "The Italian Job". All very twee and innocent. I particularly like those generic flags, apart from the Union Jack (which doesn't even have a place in club or international football)

 

Nice that. Keep at it!

 

When I was a student I spent the summer of 1982 at the "Holiday Home for Hassled Heads'" in Acomb, York, with my brother Dave and our hippy mates - Niall 'Kellogs' Kennedy, Mark Brown and Bill Marlow. I used to busk near to the cathedral to get money to buy ‘interesting substances’.
At the Holiday Home we would get stoned senseless and play endless games of Howzat. The point was to take it really seriously. Dave had a proper cricket scorebook and we would do it all completely by the book - marking off each ball/run scored, changing bowlers after each over, clapping fifties, centuries, fifty partnerships etc. If there was a run out we would throw the numbered roller twice to determine which fielder had caught it. We had various other innovations to make it as much like the real game as possible. It was completely addictive - so much so that the others who weren't playing would be commentating and clapping sixes, fifties etc.

 

The rule was that you could have anyone in your team as long as they weren't a real cricketer. My usual opening partnership was Irene Handl and the Ayatollah Khomeini, followed by Minnie Caldwell and, my big-hitting no 4, Sir Les Patterson (Australian Cultural Attaché). My (actual) Uncle Bill bowled military medium and batted in the middle order. My spinners were Jones the Post (from Ivor the Engine) and Leon Trotsky. My tearaway quick bowler was Nogbad the Bad (from Noggin the Nog). I can't remember who my other seam bowler or my wicket keeper were.
I know that Dave had Charlton Heston and Mrs Frog (aka Kiki, from Hector's House) as batters and Champion the Wonderhorse as his demon fast bowler.
I'm sure Frank Zappa featured somewhere. Probably on Mark Brown's team.
Of course, these weren't set in stone. Players were always liable to be dropped or rested if they underperformed too often.

 

I recently found these two sheets of a Holiday Home 'Owzat match. Wish I knew what happened to the full scorebook.