Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2009 9:03:36 GMT
When I first became aware of football it was as if Mr Webber was Torquay United and had been at Plainmoor for ever. Indeed, he’d served longer than the Queen begging the question: has any other Torquay United manager seen off more monarchs?
For the uninitiated, Eric Webber was manager for fourteen years. That’s equivalent to the period from Don O’Riordan’s appointment to our relegation to the Conference. Put it another way: O’Riordan, May, Hodges, Saunders, Lee, McFarland, Rosenoir, Cornforth, Atkins and whoever was in charge of Lee, Kubik or Curle.
Such longevity demands our attention but I wonder how much of it was down to ability as opposed to the times in which he managed. It’s certainly true managers stayed in post for longer in those days. Boards and fans were generally less demanding and media attention was virtually absent outside of local newspapers and the occasional regionalised coverage of the nationals. The spotlight was dimmer and the emphasis on a safe pair of hands that much greater.
Having said that, I believe Eric Webber is a major figure in our history and deserves to be remembered for both his achievements and for his length of service. He appears to have been just right for the club he managed all those years.
I’ve always suspected the Torquay United of that era possesed a degree of ambition without making too many demands on its employees or followers. History shows that nothing of real note happened between 1927 and the promotion flurry of 1949/50 save for keeping the show going. However, I’d still like to think Webber’s appointment in 1951 was an attempt to up the ante. Certainly, picking through the Centenary History, it does appear John McNeil raised the bar in the late 1940s. Thereafter there was the bold recruitment of Alex Massie which didn’t come off but - now that George Gillin and Ron Blindell were on the board - you have to assume they meant business. Eric Webber was their next man. Aged 31, having spent his career at Southampton, Webber was to be a player-manager.
This is where I’d love to start posing questions. For instance, how was Webber’s arrival greeted? How did supporters then react to those seasons of solid achievement when we finished 11th in 51/52, 12th in 52/53 and 13th in 53/54? Was there a sense that foundations were being laid or was it all rather uninspiring? Looking at the names in the side, I’d like to think supporters appreciated we were building for something.
To be able to obtain answers to these questions I guess we’d need to pick the brains of supporters now aged sixty-five and over. In that sense we’re probably more likely to gain insights into the second half of the Webber era but, nonetheless, those early days fascinate me as the club moved towards the big cup matches against Huddersfield, Leeds and Birmingham and the famous promotion challenge of 1956/57. I’m in no way qualified to speak of those days but, whenever I look at the records, the names of the early-to-mid 1950s send a shiver down my spine: the young Northcott, Lewis, Mills, Collins, Webber himself, Shaw, Norman and the rest.
What of the second half of Webber’s time from 1958 to 1965? That must be clearer to one or two people on this site. We’ve already touched on the 1960 promotion team which, to my surprise, was regarded by some as being superior to that of 1956/57. Did this make 1960 the high water mark of Eric Webber's days?
Another angle. It’s been noted previously how football was changing rapidly in those days. Compare Webber's fourteen years at the helm - 1951-65 – to similar chunks of the club’s history and, perhaps more vitally, to the game in general: 1923-37; 1937-51; 1965-79; 1979-93; 1993-2007. Was the Webber period one of the times of greatest change? Is change something he managed well? If the answer is "yes" that's surely further testimony to his achievements at the club.
Or was Eric Webber becoming an anachronism by the time he left Plainmoor? Were the Spurs games his swansong as everything gradually and gently subsided? Mind you, it couldn't have been too desperate as United finished 6th, 6th and 11th in his final three seasons. Alternatively, rather than a reflection on Webber himself, was it simply time for a fresh approach? Remember there was a new chairman in Tony Boyce - much younger than Webber - and, just along the coast, an up and coming boss called Frank...
For the uninitiated, Eric Webber was manager for fourteen years. That’s equivalent to the period from Don O’Riordan’s appointment to our relegation to the Conference. Put it another way: O’Riordan, May, Hodges, Saunders, Lee, McFarland, Rosenoir, Cornforth, Atkins and whoever was in charge of Lee, Kubik or Curle.
Such longevity demands our attention but I wonder how much of it was down to ability as opposed to the times in which he managed. It’s certainly true managers stayed in post for longer in those days. Boards and fans were generally less demanding and media attention was virtually absent outside of local newspapers and the occasional regionalised coverage of the nationals. The spotlight was dimmer and the emphasis on a safe pair of hands that much greater.
Having said that, I believe Eric Webber is a major figure in our history and deserves to be remembered for both his achievements and for his length of service. He appears to have been just right for the club he managed all those years.
I’ve always suspected the Torquay United of that era possesed a degree of ambition without making too many demands on its employees or followers. History shows that nothing of real note happened between 1927 and the promotion flurry of 1949/50 save for keeping the show going. However, I’d still like to think Webber’s appointment in 1951 was an attempt to up the ante. Certainly, picking through the Centenary History, it does appear John McNeil raised the bar in the late 1940s. Thereafter there was the bold recruitment of Alex Massie which didn’t come off but - now that George Gillin and Ron Blindell were on the board - you have to assume they meant business. Eric Webber was their next man. Aged 31, having spent his career at Southampton, Webber was to be a player-manager.
This is where I’d love to start posing questions. For instance, how was Webber’s arrival greeted? How did supporters then react to those seasons of solid achievement when we finished 11th in 51/52, 12th in 52/53 and 13th in 53/54? Was there a sense that foundations were being laid or was it all rather uninspiring? Looking at the names in the side, I’d like to think supporters appreciated we were building for something.
To be able to obtain answers to these questions I guess we’d need to pick the brains of supporters now aged sixty-five and over. In that sense we’re probably more likely to gain insights into the second half of the Webber era but, nonetheless, those early days fascinate me as the club moved towards the big cup matches against Huddersfield, Leeds and Birmingham and the famous promotion challenge of 1956/57. I’m in no way qualified to speak of those days but, whenever I look at the records, the names of the early-to-mid 1950s send a shiver down my spine: the young Northcott, Lewis, Mills, Collins, Webber himself, Shaw, Norman and the rest.
What of the second half of Webber’s time from 1958 to 1965? That must be clearer to one or two people on this site. We’ve already touched on the 1960 promotion team which, to my surprise, was regarded by some as being superior to that of 1956/57. Did this make 1960 the high water mark of Eric Webber's days?
Another angle. It’s been noted previously how football was changing rapidly in those days. Compare Webber's fourteen years at the helm - 1951-65 – to similar chunks of the club’s history and, perhaps more vitally, to the game in general: 1923-37; 1937-51; 1965-79; 1979-93; 1993-2007. Was the Webber period one of the times of greatest change? Is change something he managed well? If the answer is "yes" that's surely further testimony to his achievements at the club.
Or was Eric Webber becoming an anachronism by the time he left Plainmoor? Were the Spurs games his swansong as everything gradually and gently subsided? Mind you, it couldn't have been too desperate as United finished 6th, 6th and 11th in his final three seasons. Alternatively, rather than a reflection on Webber himself, was it simply time for a fresh approach? Remember there was a new chairman in Tony Boyce - much younger than Webber - and, just along the coast, an up and coming boss called Frank...
