Mel Charles 14/5/35 – 24/9/16.

9 Responses to Mel Charles 14/5/35 – 24/9/16.

1. Russell says:

   September 25, 2016 at 7:27 pm

   Wow what a goal, RIP Mel Charles .
2. chris whitehouse says:

   September 25, 2016 at 7:28 pm

   Hi Bob.
   love reading your column, my dad first took me down to watch Cardiff play arsenal in either 1960 or 61 and Mel was playing for the arsenal i think we lost 0- 3 but have never forgot watching a great player
   chris
3. Dai Woosnam says:

   September 25, 2016 at 11:48 pm

   Isn’t the human brain the weirdest thing?
   I could have SWORN he’d beat even more men than that!
   But hey, it was still a truly great goal.
   And if I want, I don’t have to believe the real thing in the clip, if I don’t want to.
   When I go to my grave, I’ll still have him leaving as many defenders in his wake as Maradona !!
   DW.
4. Dai Woosnam says:

   September 26, 2016 at 8:04 am

   I forgot to say something Paul.
   Far be it for me to question any statement you make about historical football events, but I think you will find that it indeed is the 23 year old Mel stuck like glue there to Pele.

   The others in the pic are Stuart Williams foreground, and Derrick Sullivan in the distance.

   The fact that he is stretching every sinew, has led to his facial expression getting distorted slightly.
   DW.
5. Dai Woosnam says:

   September 26, 2016 at 8:16 am

   Oh dear…forget the typo on Williams.
   I meant to say something else. I wanted to comment on the comparison with the brothers Charlton.
   Yes, Mel was Jackie, in the sense that there was not a player in these islands at the time who would not play second fiddle to King John. But that is where it ended.

   Jackie and Bobby were both vastly different players: one an old-fashioned stopper, the other an attacking forward of immense flair.
   The thing about Mel and John however, was that they were actually very similar players: at home at centre forward, centre half, or wing-half.
   It was just that Mel did not have the consistency of his brother, plus was more injury prone. And although the gifts they shared were in the same areas of the game, John had them in overflowing measure, whereas his younger brother represented the Human Race against a footballing god of a brother !!
   DW.
6. The other Bob Wilson says:

   September 26, 2016 at 10:43 am

   I can understand why you’d think that was what I meant Dai, but I was saying that Mel certainly wasn’t far away from Pele in the picture.
7. Dai Woosna says:

   September 26, 2016 at 1:54 pm

   OMG.
   I am ROTFL …at my own stupidity.
   Thanks for your patience Paul with your very own remedial class member !

   Oh, and incidentally, I think I should have used “contorted” for distorted.
8. Geoff Lewis says:

   September 26, 2016 at 1:58 pm

   Hi Paul,
   What a great player and that goal against his old club Swansea was sublime, his control with his head and foot, was something else. Did he not score 4 goals once, playing for Wales against Northern Ireland?
   I did mention in earlier post, when I lived in Sketty, Swansea, some years ago that I knew of him and it was so sad, that he fallen on hard times. RIP
   Geoff
9. Lindsay Davies says:

   September 26, 2016 at 2:38 pm

   R.I.P. indeed. Very sad news. He once, at Ninian Park, signed my autograph book (which is more than I can say for Johnny Haynes and George Cohen, on the day that Jeff Hall died; bitter? Moi?). He was very gentle (a family trait?) and gracious. It was because of the Brothers Charles and Allchurch, Cliff Jones, Jack Kelsey, and my particular favourite, Terry Medwin, that I’ve never managed to hate the Swans. The Bluebirds to beat them? Yes, please. But, hate? Nah.

   Lindsay

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