by Malcolm Pheby | Nov 27, 2019 | Football, Manchester
Not many professional footballers nowadays make their top-flight debut at the age of 31. In fact most players, apart from notable exceptions like Christiano Ronaldo, are planning their route into retirement at that age. But stepping down was the last thing on defender...
by Malcolm Pheby | Nov 6, 2019 | 1970s, Football, Manchester
It was a red-letter day for café owner Phil Cassetari when seven of the biggest names in football arrived at his restaurant for a reunion in November 1971. Six of them – Noel Cantwell, Dave Sexton, Malcolm Allison, John Bond, Frank O’Farrell and Malcolm Musgrove...
by Malcolm Pheby | Oct 30, 2019 | Manchester, Theatre, TV
Popular presenter Matthew Kelly and Shakespearean stalwart Sir Anthony Sher have a big reason to thank a Manchester institution celebrating its 55th birthday this year. So too does Educating Rita star Julie Walters, along with celebrated actors Richard Griffiths and...
by Malcolm Pheby | Oct 23, 2019 | Manchester, Sport
Three centuries of horse-racing in Manchester came to an abrupt end in November 1963 when Lester Piggott rode Fury Royal to victory in the Goodbye Consolation Plate. Cheers in the grandstand rang out for the final time before race officials began the sorry task of...
by Malcolm Pheby | Oct 9, 2019 | Celebrity, Manchester, Music
Forty five years ago this week, a budding solo singer from Openshaw, Manchester, was waiting to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show in America. On the same programme in 1964 were a fresh-faced young band from Liverpool who were taking the music world by storm. The singer...
by Malcolm Pheby | Oct 2, 2019 | Manchester, Sport
Normally when British boxing legend Henry Cooper came to Manchester it was to fight at Belle Vue. But in June 1972 it was different. Cooper arrived at Old Trafford to captain a team in the long-running BBC quiz show Question of Sport. It was in the middle of the First...
