Ipswich Town: Tony Garnett on Jackie Milburn's time as boss

Alf Ramsey accepted the post of England manager after Burnley’s Jimmy Adamson had turned the job down. The appointment of Jackie Milburn as his replacement was a surprise.

The two men had no rapport. Londoners and Geordies don’t mix. ‘Wor Jackie’ was already a legend as a striker on Tyneside. His managerial experience was limited to being player-manager at Linfield and then Yiewsley.

It was a strange appointment. He was too nice a person to be a football manager. He was a sound judge of attacking players but had a blind spot over defenders. Ipswich often used to enjoy more of the ball than their opponents but still lose by four goals or more.

Alf Ramsey left Town to become England boss - that went pretty well!

He signed too many from Scotland thus causing friction in the dressing room with Ramsey’s ageing established players who realised their days were numbered.

After night matches the players used to meet at the Coach and Horses in Upper Brook Street to wind down over a couple of pints after closing time.

Ramsey’s players were discrete. Milburn’s newcomers, more used to the lively bars of Glasgow, were more likely to attract the unwanted attention of the law.

I felt it sensible to stop joining the lads for a late drink. Our own EADT sports and social club was open until 1am.

Milburn made a couple of strange signings from Raith Rovers who had been relegated from the Scottish First Division after conceding 118 goals in 34 matches. Jim Thorburn, the goalkeeper, was the first to arrive in May 1963.

Milburn explained that Thorburn was an excellent goalkeeper. It was the defenders in front of him who had let him down. On July 5 Ipswich announced the signing of Jack Bolton, the Raith Rovers centre-half.

Jackie Milburn was a legend on Tyneside

That September Ipswich had four points from their first seven matches and had just lost 6-0 at Bolton in midweek. They faced a visit to fellow strugglers Birmingham City at St Andrews on the Saturday.

The Town party stayed at the Midland Hotel near the railway station. After dinner, with the players already in their rooms, I sat at a circular table in the main lounge drinking coffee and brandy with Town chairman John Cobbold, trainer Jimmy Forsyth and Milburn.

Quite unexpectedly John said: "Jimmy, just go and check that all the players are in their rooms." Jackie protested that they had been in their room a good half hour and there was no need to check.

John insisted. Although he never said so at the time, he had seen a couple of the lads slip out of the hotel.

Sure enough Jimmy returned with the news that John Colrain and Billy Baxter were missing. Jackie could not believe it. He was almost in tears.

Billy Baxter was one of the players who slipped out of Town's hotel before a game - to listen to music, as it turned out! (Image: Archant)

During the next couple of hours there was the discussion as to what should be done.

Should the two be sent home in disgrace to underline the importance of team discipline?

Should they be allowed to play in the vital 'four pointer' bearing in mind that Baxter was Town’s best defender?

I explained to Jackie that if the two were sent home as an example that it would inevitably make newspaper headlines. 

If he let them play against Birmingham I could forget that the incident ever happened. I was aware that I was a guest of the club who made my travelling arrangements, booked the hotels and then invoiced EADT. It was a dilemma Milburn did not deserve.

In those days there was no local radio. I covered Ipswich Town’s matches for both our morning and evening papers.

So long as I was not beaten to a story by a national newspaper there was no problem.

Fleet Street was not interested in a struggling club in East Anglia after the departure of Ramsey.

The pair returned after midnight. Asked where they had been, they said: “Listening to gramophone records with Bertie Auld.”

For more than 50 years, not knowing the true story, I felt that this excuse might be far from the truth. I was wrong.

John Cobbold, centre, had spotted a couple of Town's players making their escape from the hotel

Auld, then a Birmingham City player on the injured list, was at Celtic at the same time as Colrain. They were close friends. Bertie collected both of them from the hotel and took them back to his house to meet his wife. They listened to music.

I spoke to Bertie more than 50 years later. He remembered that night. Colrain was a massive Frank Sinatra fan and a good singer himself.

They might have had a sociable drink but there was nothing outrageous. "I drove them back to the hotel. I don’t think it was long after midnight,” he recalled. Milburn let both of them play. Ipswich lost 1-0.

Colrain, very much the leader of the Scottish pack at Portman Road in Milburn’s time, used to enjoy his rum and coke.

Auld assured me that it was certainly not a drinking session that evening. Colrain was nicknamed 'Hoss' by Town fans but was 'Danny Ocean' to his Celtic friends.

He later managed Glentoran when they lost a European Cup tie against Benfica (Eusebio included) on the away goals rule. It was 1-1 in Ireland and 0-0 in Lisbon. Sadly he died at the age of 47.

Roy Bailey was in goal when Town lost 10-1 at Fulham (Image: Archant)

On Boxing Day 1963 Ipswich crashed 10-1 at Fulham (Roy Bailey was in goal). Had the match kick-off 15 minutes later the match might have been abandoned because the fog came off the Thames and enveloped the ground.

I was with the team in the coach being driven down the Embankment in a real pea-souper.

Two days later Ipswich beat Fulham 3-2 at Portman Road which shows how difficult it can be to win on fixed odds football.

Nine goals were conceded at Stoke that season, seven at home to Manchester United and six at Bolton, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Jackie often delayed putting his team sheet on the dressing room notice board until after the players had gone home. He discussed team selection over lunch with a friend at the ten-pin bowling alley.

It was Jackie’s decision to leave Ipswich. John Cobbold wanted him to stay. It was at that time that Ipswich Town held a dramatic annual meeting in the Town Hall.

They were at the foot of the Second Division, had star man Bill Baxter injured and the Supporters Club were pushing for their man, Ken Brightwell, to be elected to the Board.

There was no problem about Murray Sangster, Harold Smith, Willie Kerr and Patrick Cobbold joining the Board. There was strong opposition to Brightwell.

The Evening Star backed Brightwell’s bid with a front page story headed: “Tulip Rally driver bids for Board.” 

Ipswich always hand-picked their directors. They pointed out that Brightwell did not hold enough shares.

Then it was announced from the floor that Willie Kerr did not have enough shares either.

There was uproar. John Cobbold called an adjournment. When the directors reassembled he defused the situation. He invited Ken Brightwell to join the Board.

We called him Mr X.  He would often tip us off with inside stories.