German tour 1967

HE 4/8/67

Really enjoying this thread Jon, Yeovil at Plainmoor doesn't quite have the same ring.....

I see that Tony Boyce "joined the United party over the weekend from Italy where he is on holiday".

Did he take the family with him or leave the boys eating pizza with their mum?

I'll end this series of scans with Pivot's first report from back home in Torquay as we prepare to continue the international theme of our pre-season by taking on the pride of Wales and the pride of Cornwall.

I had thought that we were ahead of our times in fine-tuning our athletes on a pre-season training camp, but I now find that the players piled on weight by scoffing as much German grub as they could lay their hands on.

Mind you, it seemed to work as we got off to a flier - unbeaten in our first fourteen league and cup games. Maybe Alan Knill should sack the nutritionist / sports scientist or whatever it is and force-feed the players on bratwurst and Black Forest gateau.

HE 8/8/67

Just to polish off this thread, it's worth looking at the level the clubs we played operated at.

It's amazing to think that West Germany did not have a national league until 1963 when the Budesliga was formed.

Prior to that, there were five regional oberliga which carried on after 1963 renamed regionalliga as the new "second tier".

For 1967/68, there were 18 teams in the Bundesliga and 85 teams spread across the five regionaliga. So I suppose that sort of covers second to fourth division in English money.

The three teams TUFC were scheduled to play were all in the Western section of the regionalliga in 1966/67.

However, Preussen Munster cancelled on us late in the day, so we fitted in two lower level sides in Dorsten and Lippstadt as late replacements.

Bonner SC were actually relegated to an amateur league at the end of 1966/67, but they were to win that in 1967/68 to bounce straight back.

Bayer Leverkusen won their section of the regionalliga in 1967/68 but failed to win promotion to the Bundesliga through the play-offs. They have done pretty well for themselves since though!

One thing that caught my eye was the reference to Leverkusen centre-half Leo Wilden as a West German international. I'm a bit sceptical about such journalistic claims - I'd rate Gordon Hines about as reliable as Bill Luscombe - and thought Leo might have as many caps as Henri Camanzindi and Harold Tabernacle added together.

I shouldn't be so cynical. Leo racked up fifteen caps between 1960 and 1964. He even played against Sheffield Wednesday in Europe.

www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/wildenleo/1964/

So, Germany 1967 done.

I'm thinking of a little series on TUFC friendlies abroad. Who can tell me where and when United's next friendly on foreign soil would be?

I'm thinking of a little series on TUFC friendlies abroad. Who can tell me where and when United's next friendly on foreign soil would be?


Me sir, Me sir, if you discount the end of season May 1981 trip to play St. Agnes on the Scilly Isles then it has to be a jump forward to July 25th 1993 when the recently appointed Don O Riordan took a squad over to Dublin to play Cherry Orchard on the Sunday followed by a game against Bray Wanderers on the Monday. Over to you Jon......

Well I pitched that one outside the off stump hoping for a tickle and gullone nicks it to first slip and walks.

Getting the Cornish question out of the way first - St Agnes is on the mainland isn't it? - I am, with apologies to Mebyon Kernow, counting Cornwall as part of England for this. So I can't accept St Agnes 6/5/81 or Home Park 15/8/67 or Penzance 27/7/68.

I was expecting there would be a call for Ireland 93, but we actually visited foreign territory in August 1973.

www.torquayfans.boards.net/thread/10791/llanidloes-18-8-73