Bit surprised not to find a thread already but he joined for (a then massive) £45k in the aftermath of Munich, scoring 50 goals for the club.
RIP
RIP
RIP Albert Quixall
- Thread starter mitchmouse
- Start date
An unsung hero imo. We should remember the group who helped rebuild the club after Munich more fondly.
Think Sir Bobby said that his passes were key to a lot of his goals. RIP Albert
Think Sir Bobby said that his passes were key to a lot of his goals. RIP Albert
RIP.
A good player who had a knack of setting up goals more than scoring himself.
A good player who had a knack of setting up goals more than scoring himself.
Wasn't he the Captain of Sheff Wed the game after the Munich Air Disaster? Not a player I've seen much footage of to be honest but definitely a bit of an unsung hero.
RIP
RIP
RIP
May he RIP
unfortunately it’ll not belong before all the players of that era are gone
unfortunately it’ll not belong before all the players of that era are gone
R.I.P.
RIP
Sad to see another of that generation go.
May he rest in peace.
May he rest in peace.
Condolences to the family and RIP.
RIP.
It was at the time a British Club record transfer fee. A real inside forward (today would be a 10 or an 8)
I was at the game ( think it was against Spurs, could be wrong!) at OT when Quixall made his debut, there is no doubt his arrival for a record fee from Sheffield Wednesday made fans feel we were beginning to emerge from the long dark shadow of Munich.
Thanks for everything ...RIP Albert
Rest easy Albert
RIP
A very astute buy by Sir Matt, was a driving force behind the rise of Utd., after Munich a silky inside forward whose passing ability was top notch. Born Sheffield 9.8.1933, played for Utd, from 1958 to 1964, 165 games and scored 50. FA Cup winner 1963. If you can watch that game do so he in my opinion was the driving force for that win. Loved watching you play, RIP
The Final was my first ever United game and to be honest I just fell in love with the Lawman that day and didn't have eyes for anyone else!
RIP.
Remember him well. The schemer!
Underrated is not a term I generally like or use since I feel that most things eventually reach the right level, but there is no doubt that Albert Quixall is something of a forgotten man at OT. Over the last decade I've scoured all corners of the internet, and most of the references to him in published literature, to find out more about him. For one thing, judging by fan postings, he is more fondly and regularly recalled by Sheffield Wednesday fans than our own fans. That begs the deeper question of why he seems to fallen through the cracks of OT..? There is no clear answer.
There is universal agreement that he was incredibly skilled with a football, and do things that would now be termed 'freestyle'. The flip side of this was that the pros termed him a 'cheat' who went missing in games (see for example Dunphy's Strange Kind of Glory). He was also a marquee signing who never fully established himself as a regular (hence 'only' 184 appearances and 56 goals in six seasons). The same seems true of his international career which was truncated after 5 senior appearances before he joined MU. When he left United he went into the scrap metal business while continuing to live in Stretford, but developed dementia quite young and so spent about two decades in care homes. This may well explain why he was less prominent than other former players, but many disappeared to private life like David Herd.
Some texts have mentioned that he was also unpopular with team mates due to unpleasant practical jokes... the detail of which I won't mention. He was unique in that he sought training from a ballet teacher to improve his coordination and movement; indeed, he married his ballet teacher from Sheffield.
Perhaps this should be a new thread where older fans can share memories / reflections, although there are probably not too many around who recall his MU career.
There is universal agreement that he was incredibly skilled with a football, and do things that would now be termed 'freestyle'. The flip side of this was that the pros termed him a 'cheat' who went missing in games (see for example Dunphy's Strange Kind of Glory). He was also a marquee signing who never fully established himself as a regular (hence 'only' 184 appearances and 56 goals in six seasons). The same seems true of his international career which was truncated after 5 senior appearances before he joined MU. When he left United he went into the scrap metal business while continuing to live in Stretford, but developed dementia quite young and so spent about two decades in care homes. This may well explain why he was less prominent than other former players, but many disappeared to private life like David Herd.
Some texts have mentioned that he was also unpopular with team mates due to unpleasant practical jokes... the detail of which I won't mention. He was unique in that he sought training from a ballet teacher to improve his coordination and movement; indeed, he married his ballet teacher from Sheffield.
Perhaps this should be a new thread where older fans can share memories / reflections, although there are probably not too many around who recall his MU career.
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Definitely one of his stand out moments, but moved on in December 1963...
He was in the team when I first went to OT. Saw him play many times. Remember that combed-back blond hairstyle. Never a hair out of place!
R.I.P great legacy x
Quixall arrived at United in a blaze of glory, think he broke the Transfer record at the time £48,000. Never really lived up to it. I was at what I think was his first game at OT against Spurs, and he was certainly different in style and approach; however he always seemed a bit of a loner and was never really fancied by many fans at the time as a true Busby Babe.
I'm in my mid 70's now so maybe the memory is going, but I cannot recall a particular game in which his performance was 'very good', let alone spectacular.
In my own memories I tend to think of him as the 'nearly man' or 'forgotten man of the time'. Probably that is unfair but I was only in my mid teens, so probably didn't know what I was watching.
I'm in my mid 70's now so maybe the memory is going, but I cannot recall a particular game in which his performance was 'very good', let alone spectacular.
In my own memories I tend to think of him as the 'nearly man' or 'forgotten man of the time'. Probably that is unfair but I was only in my mid teens, so probably didn't know what I was watching.
I was very young when he played. I have a vague memory of seeing him play while sitting on my granddad's shoulders at the fag end of 1963 before the freeze. I believe it was against Stoke and we won by 4 or 5. I remember him turning out for Altrincham in the late 60s but that's about it.
R.I.P
There are certainly references to him being booed by the fans, even at Wembley in the '63 cup final. It's always strange who the fans take against - David Herd, John Aston jr, and my dad who couldn't stand Ray 'Butch' Wilkins! I think your reflections sum up what a lot of fans seemed to thing - good, but didn't live up to his promise... I've also read he lost form due to injury and mental strain of the pressure at OT.
It's great that you managed to see him. BTW, the big freeze was the start of 1963 rather than the end. It started very soon after I was born. The two things are not connected as far as I am aware.
RIP
I'm sure you're right. I prefer to go by memory rather that look it up as it keeps the old grey matter sharp, though not in this case. I remember the canal froze solid and my granddad dragged me on a sledge from Broadheath all the way to the Axe and Cleaver in Dunham Massey. Anyway, I did look it up eventually and it was Stoke at home. Law get 4 and Herd 1 in a 5-2 win. Albert played outside-left.
RIP
I remember him as being quite a silky player and I seem to recall him coming out at half time and showing off his 'freestyle'. RIP Albert.
Many fond memories of the Axe and Cleaver! As a young baby I wasn't allowed out of the house until the end of the big freeze in March. It's probably why I hate being cooped up indoors for too long. Albert's last game was Boxing day 1963 before being sold to Oldham.
My brother, God rest his soul, had his wedding reception there after getting married at St. Marks. He was a lot older than me and by the time I was old enough to go to games, he was going with his pals. After he got married, not so much.
I looked Albert's last game up and it was a 1-6 defeat at Turf Moor. I vaguely remember the return just after Christmas when we returned the favour beating them 5-1. The most vivid memory I have of that season was beating Forest at home in the last match. Liverpool won their first title under Shankly and we finished 2nd. Hard to believe it was 59 years ago.
That's definitely true..."no accounting for taste" as my old man use to say.
Your dad wasn't on his own with 'Butch' Wilkins, think a lot of it was to do with his 'tutoring' under Dave Sexton, in many ways ahead of his time, he had Wilkins moving the ball sideways, backwards, anything to hold on to the ball, an early believer in 'the opposition can't score whilst you have the ball' never really fitted in then (or now) with the so called 'United style'. Where I use to stand (United road paddock) Wilkins was known as 'the crab'.
Like watching paint dry at times!
That's exactly right, Maticmaker. My dad couldn't stand sideways passing - 'move the bloody ball forward' he shouted, much to my embarrassment!
Is there much on the site about Sexton? As one of 'Doc's Army' I was never going to welcome his arrival, but I don't think for one minute I ever thought we would win the league under him.
Yes you are right, Sexton was admired within football for his 'knowledge' etc. but for me he was never a manager, more a coach. There have been one or two posts about Dave Sexton, that I have noticed on the Red Cafe but I think pretty much the view seems to be either he was 'ahead of his time', or he was the coach who played the most boring style we ever had?
'You pays your money you takes your choice'
I assume you are referring to Tommy Doc? Yes he had his own style and had his personal life not taken a twist in the way it did, who knows how far he could have got with United, after he had 'cleared house. The 'Doc' took us down to Div 2 but bounced straight back to Div 1 and into an FA cup final with Southampton; he certainly had a way with the younger players, although with the more established players he always seemed one step away from a full blown fallout, e.g. his arguments with Willie Morgan, in particular, are legend!
Tommy Doc was great at 'one liners', about Dave Sexton he is reported to have said "Dave's idea of excitement is eating an after 8 mint at 7.45" and another famous one was when one of his previous teams (not United) had lost 6-0 , his comment was 'we were lucky to get nil'.
Still miss that about Tommy!
If I get passed Newbie stage I may start some topics on historical themes. It so happens that I had my most intense and dedicated year as a fan during the year in the second division. Of course, I was hardly alone in that. United's attendances went up that year and so there's a whole cohort of fans from 60 (my age) upwards who recall that Doc's army period with great fondness. At least there are a couple of books about it now, not least Wayne Barton's '1974/5 - the players' stories' . It was a genuinely exciting time, and a bit nerve wracking sometimes given crowd trouble. It was an important time in my life as I made the transition to secondary school, and a strong bonding thing with my dad too. In fact it was one of the few things we agreed on!Yes you are right, Sexton was admired within football for his 'knowledge' etc. but for me he was never a manager, more a coach. There have been one or two posts about Dave Sexton, that I have noticed on the Red Cafe but I think pretty much the view seems to be either he was 'ahead of his time', or he was the coach who played the most boring style we ever had?
'You pays your money you takes your choice'
I assume you are referring to Tommy Doc? Yes he had his own style and had his personal life not taken a twist in the way it did, who knows how far he could have got with United, after he had 'cleared house. The 'Doc' took us down to Div 2 but bounced straight back to Div 1 and into an FA cup final with Southampton; he certainly had a way with the younger players, although with the more established players he always seemed one step away from a full blown fallout, e.g. his arguments with Willie Morgan, in particular, are legend!
Tommy Doc was great at 'one liners', about Dave Sexton he is reported to have said "Dave's idea of excitement is eating an after 8 mint at 7.45" and another famous one was when one of his previous teams (not United) had lost 6-0 , his comment was 'we were lucky to get nil'.
Still miss that about Tommy!
I would not have missed the Fergie years for the world, but there was a sense of community and optimism as a United fan during the Doc years that I have never experienced since. And that isn't uncritical nostalgia either; it seemed United were on the way back to dominance. Also, I have never been as upset over any result as I was when United got knocked out of the semi-finals of the 1974-5 League Cup, or the loss to Southampton in the 1976 FA Cup. In fact it still gives me an irrational buzz when we beat Southampton now!
The Doc was flawed, and probably took the team as far as he could, but the fact that is easily forgotten now is that United were on for the League and Cup double in 1975/6, only to fall short right at the end...
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Sorry about your brother, Moriarty.
I've read, but not sure where, that the 4-0 loss to Everton in the Charity Shield helped Matt make up his mind about a few players, hence he moved them on. Matt started to buy players he needed around that time such as Connolly and Stepney rather than totally relying on youth players. Mind you, Best was waiting in the wings and that might have influenced his thinking.
As a kid I often imagined that United bossed the 60s, but it was probably the most competitive decade ever: United, Liverpool and Everton all won two league titles, Tottenham and West Ham were genuine forces, and Leeds and City both emerged. United's run of 2, 1, 4, 1, 2 was very impressive, especially when the FA and European Cups are added...
It was also much closer in terms of points, and scores more unpredictable. Mind you, we've had some crazy scorelines these last few seasons...