Spy in the Camp | Football Has ALWAYS Been THIS Way

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

If you're listening to This Joy of Football on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, follow us, put in a review, shove in a comment, and hit the notification bell.

SPEAKER_2 (0:09)

Make sure you put your laces through that bell and follow The Joy of Football.

SPEAKER_3 (0:13)

Before the season even kicks off, soccer fans are already making predictions. Who wins the league? Who qualifies for Europe? And who's lifting the trophy at season's end? On Kalshi, America's number one prediction market platform, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there's no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position. For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code CUP26 to get $10 when you trade 10 K-A-L-S-H-I, Kalshi, trade the beautiful game. 18 plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices, values and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, see kalshi.com/regulatory.

Neil Barnett (0:52)

This is a story of how much football has changed and how much it hasn't changed at all. What do you think?

SPEAKER_1 (1:04)

The Joy of Football.

Neil Barnett (1:08)

Hi, The Joy of Football Supporters Club. Welcome to another Spy in the Camp with a little story that maybe we don't want to put anywhere else. And welcome especially to Dimitre Krouchev, Nick Parmenter, Hillary Abbott, Henry I know we've met, Daniel Butigan, Tommy Mck, Katie Watson and Nathan A. And the story this week is about how much football has changed and how it hasn't changed at all. Manchester City. Back in the day, Martin, I met a guy that you will have known of, Seamus O'Connell.

I met Seamus at the end of the last century. I met him. I organized meeting him. He was living in Spain. He'd retired in Spain. Seamus was an amateur footballer who won the league, the professional league. He won four amateur cups, three of them with the famous Bishop Auckland. I forgot who the fourth one was with.

And he played occasionally for professional clubs. His family had a cattle market up in Carlisle. So he used to work up there until the Monday when the market was held. And then he'd go to, on the Wednesday probably, go to his football club, his professional football club, when he was playing for professionals as an amateur, turn out on the train, turn out on the Saturday, and go back up to Carlisle straight after the game. He did this in 1955 for quite, for from actually the end of 54 into 55 with Chelsea, the first time Chelsea won the league. The only time Chelsea won the league before Roman Abramovic arrived. So that's how I knew of him. He also had a spell when Manchester United, where he was turning out for them. He was, I met him in his golf club in Spain, where he played, he didn't learn it. But the cattle market had made him a wealthy man.

I got to know him and he came over to England, and I spent quite a lot of time with him when he came over. He was late 70s, early 80s by now. He told me a story that resonates when you hear about Manchester City and their issues with the financial regulations of the game.

He was an inside forward as it was then, second striker, and he was doing very well for Manchester United.

He played one day at Old Trafford, went back, showered, and went out of the stadium to get a taxi to go back to Piccadilly Station. And get a train up to Carmel. And when he went out, Matt Busby, manager, was there. And Matt said, I've got a taxi. I'll take you to the station. Come on. So he got in the back of the taxi. And as they drove to the station, Matt Busby said, you really ought to think about turning professional. You're that good. And he went, no, it's not in my ambitions. And Busby said to him, I would give you a signing on fee if you joined. And he pulled out of his coat an envelope. And then it was cash. And it was 300 pounds. This would have been in the 1950s. And the laws of the game or the regulations of the game then were that the maximum signing on fee could be was 100 pounds. So this was three times the maximum that it was in cash.

And he turned it down. That's what he told me. He may have taken it and not signed professional. I don't know. But he was offered three times against the regulations by Manchester United. The wonderful club up north in the late 1950s.