Football's Fallen - David Longhurst

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Recently, I wrote a couple of pieces for a new website called Football's Fallen - a site dedicated to those footballers who sadly get taken away on the football field. Set-up by my former colleague at Total Football Magazine and fellow football fan, Laura Jones, I have written pieces on one of Scotland's brightest hopes, Phil O'Donnell and this one about the ex-York striker David Longhurst.

Perhaps not the most prolific of strikers but David Longhurst (pictured below) gave it his all and still potentially had the best years of his football career ahead of him. He represented all of his football clubs with great dignity. The Northampton-born attacker was only 25 when he died on the pitch playing for York City on 8 September 1990.

David Longhurst was taken far too soon, only 25 when he collapsed in 1990

Parallels can be drawn from the sudden collapse of Fabrice Muamba during the FA Cup quarter-final match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers in March 2012. Like Longhurst, Muamba was a young, hard-working footballer who wasn’t the most gifted but would be a vital cog of any team. In David’s case, that was for the numerous Football League clubs he represented.

In terms of strike rate for goals per game, Longhurst was far from the best. Just over 40 league goals in nearly 200 appearances, so around one goal every five matches. He had the ability and the desire to improve on his weaknesses on the football field though and it can’t be argued that he was taken far too young.

To continue reading this article, visit Football's Fallen

Categories: 1990, Career, David Longhurst, Fabrice Muamba, Football, Halifax Town, Heart Attack, Northampton, September, York City

Memories of Mandela

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Thursday night was a sad evening for the world as the news filtered through of the death of Nelson Mandela. The former president of South Africa had been ill for the majority of the year and it is fair to say that while we weren’t surprised of his passing, it still comes as a devastating shock when it was officially confirmed by current president Jacob Zuma a few days ago.

Nelson Mandela was an inspiration to all and a person I looked upto

His funeral next Sunday will be among the biggest of our time, up alongside the likes of Princess Diana and the Queen Mother. All of us would have heard of Mandela and those who delve into the historical archives will also be aware of his life and his extraordinary heart to forgive those who imprisoned him for so long throughout the 95 years he shared with us on our planet. Mandela (pictured) did so much in the world and was one of the 20^th century’s most influential figures. He didn’t just make South Africa a better place to live; he touched everyone with his appeal, charisma and determination for a more peaceful world. He made some powerful speeches (no Paris Hilton – not ‘I Have a Dream!) and made enormous sacrifices to help those who needed him most. No-one should ever forget the charity work that he conducted, even more so after he retired from office in 1999.

For me, I felt this death more than when other famous figures have passed away. When we grow up, we all have people that inspire us or heroes to look upto. I had two and Mandela was one of these. I looked upto him and had huge respect for what he did for his country and for others who needed the help and support.

I have two lasting memories of Mandela’s legacy – one of bringing a nation together and another of mixing sport and politics and providing some memorable pictures still widely remembered today.

After he was finally released from prison in February 1990, following over 25 years in jail and many of those in the harshest of conditions possible, Mandela aimed to unite South Africa and end the terrible Apartheid regime that had seen the country almost totally excluded from world matters. He became president of the ANC (African National Congress) and urged for the fighting to stop, the guns to be laid to rest and for a country to unite itself. There is no doubt in my view that without the presence of Mandela, South Africa would have slipped into civil war and if anyone remembers the conflicts in the 1990s in Bosnia, Kosovo and the constant battle between the Israelis and Palestinians, it would have been a nasty fight for supremacy. 

With Mandela as the driving force, South Africa was pulled back from the brink and in April 1994 came the first ever democratic elections in the country. I always remember the news bulletins of people queuing in their hundreds of thousands to vote. This was historic; one of the worlds most powerful stories of a dramatic final decade of the 20th century. It came at a time where the world was rapidly changing. Germany had been reunified, the USSR was dissolved and even for a while, the conflict in the Middle East had been halted by a peace agreement. I might have only been five at the time, but the impact of Mandela struck a chord with me. When I read his full story a few years later in my education, I fully appreciated his background. I knew the main facts but understanding it took more took time. Unsurprisingly Mandela was an overwhelming winner of the election and became president, serving one term in office. With him at the helm, the good times came back to the South African people and they had been missing for many years.

A year later, the Rainbow Nation hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. South Africa were ranked only 10^th in the world and had little hope of ending the domination of the world rugby powers at the time which were New Zealand and Australia. There were still problems as the minority of white people felt on his election that they were going to be excluded from this revolution. Not so in Mandela’s eyes. He saw everyone as equal and had regular dialogue with the Springboks players, particularly skipper Francois Pienaar as they made the final, beating the world champions Australia in the first match and the French in a semi-final that was more remembered for the shambolic weather conditions.

In the final, South Africa played the all-conquering All Blacks and the most feared player in international rugby at the time in Jonah Lomu. Lomu had battered Ireland, Wales and Scotland in the early rounds and then ran rings around England in the semi-finals, scoring four tries. Surely this was a complete mismatch in the showpiece event? However it was not just a sporting occasion but a political landmark.

Mandela believed his country could win and made an entrance onto the field wearing a Springboks rugby jumper before the game, rather than his best suit. Any other worldwide politician would have done the latter but Mandela was not an ordinary individual, he was a classy politician. He shook the hands of every South African player and the Ellis Park crowd responded. The chants of ‘Mandela, Mandela’ motivated the hosts. The game itself wasn’t a classic but the occasion overshadowed this. South Africa triumphed 15-12 in extra-time and afterwards, the players all bowed together in prayer to thank God for this incredible moment. It was left for Mandela, still in his Springboks rugby jumper to present Pienaar with the golden Webb Ellis trophy in one of sport’s most famous moments of the past 30 years. This was a time where sport and politics – often a dangerous combination, came together perfectly and it was because of Nelson Mandela. This story was so powerful; Hollywood turned it into a movie – ‘Invictus’ which was released in 2009.

In later years, his health did deteriorate but the tributes that flowed in after his death was confirmed, not just from famous faces in politics, showbiz and sport but also from people I know on my Twitter and Facebook news feeds showed how much Mandela was valued, respected and thought of by so many people worldwide.

Nelson Mandela - 18th July 1918 - 5th December 2013

While we are all sad that he is no longer with us, his spirit will remain and his legacy will be untouched forever. It is time to say goodbye and thank Nelson Mandela because he made the world a much better one to live on. For me, he is the most inspirational person that has lived in my lifetime. The world will move on and it must do but no-one should forget Nelson Mandela. He will always be remembered for his kindness, thoughtful and peaceful approach to his beloved South Africa and our planet.

Farewell Madiba and thank you.

Nelson Mandela – 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013, RIP.

Categories: 1990, 20th Century, Apartheid, Elections, Hollywood, Jacob Zuma, Madiba, Nelson Mandela, Rugby World Cup, South Africa

ITV - Better or worse for not having regional identity?

It might have made huge pre-tax profits recently, but back in January of this year, the largest commercial network for Freeview subscribers, ITV decided to have a change of rebrand.

The new ITV logo has received a mixed response

The logo (pictured) was given a makeover, as were the idents into our favourite shows.  There was also a relaunch of the news systems – both of regional outputs and the national picture.

It is around six weeks since the change and it is difficult to see ITV in the position it currently is.  Some of the idents make no sense whatsoever, and if you see your favourite ITV programme – whether that be The Chase, Dancing on Ice, This Morning or Coronation Street – the credits are now in black!  Not all programmes have to have this background, and I for one find it slightly off-putting.

A change was needed, as it had been six years since the last makeover but in my opinion, it is a change for the worst.

It all started to go wrong for ITV in 1991.  The 1990 Broadcasting Act is often overlooked by other key statues that have passed law, such as the Human Rights Act and the Data Protection Act – but it made the corporation into one main channel.

The ITV regions are largely no more, a real shame and a concept I wish we still had on today’s screens.

The aims of the act

The aims of the act were to reform British broadcasting.  It had just been a year after Sky Television had opened up the choice of viewer to the consumer.

Changes included the abolition of the IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority), the creation of a fifth British terrestrial television channel (Channel 5 in 1997), and the BBC being forced to have 25 per cent of their programming being produced by other companies rather than through their in-house production content.

It also saw the changes in the ITV regional franchises.  Previously, franchises ran for 10-20 years in each ITV region across the UK.  Changes were not frequently made, and when they were, it was on the basis of the quality of programme content.

The ITC made some controversial decisions

Margaret Thatcher, who was prime minister at the time, wanted these new franchises to go solely on the amount of the highest bidder in a 'blind auction.'  After some resistance from senior cabinet members, it was decided that the quality of programme threshold would be included in the ITC’s (Independent Television Commission's) final decision.

This confused many of the regions when it came to auctioning for the rights.  Some put in high bids, others much lower bids knowing they weren’t to be challenged, or felt the programming quality was going to be the ultimate final decision.

The license award

For example, Central Television put in a bid of just £2,000 to keep the popular Midlands region, whilst Scottish Television (knowing they were unopposed), put in a similar bid to guarantee themselves the license north of the border.

In October 1991, the ITC announced which ITV regions would have the commercial licenses to begin on 1 January 1993.

12 of the 16 ITV networks at the time, including Granada, Yorkshire, Anglia and LWT kept their licenses.  Some were challenged, others weren’t.  However, four networks weren’t so lucky.

The biggest loser was Thames Television, who serviced London on weekdays.  They were outbid by CPV-TV (led by Richard Branson) and Carlton Television.  As Carlton were the highest bidder, and Branson’s organisation were disqualified on quality grounds – Carlton got the license.

Thames had it since the late 1960s, and had been the brainchild of quality drama at the time such as The Bill and Minder.  Over 1,000 jobs went as a result of this decision.  Although Thames remained as an independent production company – the ITC’s decision to hand Carlton the license was a total disaster.  In my opinion, it spelt the death of ITV as a regional output.

Gone was the classic Thames jingle, and in came random faces from around London just saying ‘You are watching Carlton’ with some music that to be honest, a baby could do better with! 

800 people lost their jobs at TVS, who had been the holder of the South and South East license for 10 years.  Their bid of £59.8m was deemed too high, as the business plan was deemed not to be suitable.  The smaller Meridian network came in here.  However, it had greater success than TVS, and is probably the only change most agreed with.

That didn’t help the people employed at TVS.  The company was eventually sold to International Family Entertainment a year later.  An independent production company now owns the logo and the abbreviation. 

Like TVS, TSW lost its franchise due to poor business planning.  The South West franchise of Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall went to Westcountry Television, despite them bidding £9m less. 

It didn’t make much difference to the area.  Westcountry’s idents were more catchy and colourful, but the programming quality was limited at best.  As for TSW, they entered a reverse takeover and ultimately entered receivership.

The offices of TV-AM became rather empty after their demise

Breakfast television also got a major change.  TV-AM, who had served the network well in its 10-year existence despite a famous unions strike and early teething problems – lost the national breakfast franchise to Sunrise Television.

The Sunrise Television consortium bid £20m more and got the license on being the highest bidder, leaving TV-AM staff mortified.  The late presenter Mike Morris said he was ‘gutted,’ while owner Bruce Gyngell launched a vicious attack on Sunrise’s business plan.

He said: “I do not believe that Sunrise will have a profitable business plan.  In fact, I predict Sunrise will go bankrupt in 1994.  It is an extraordinary decision.”

Sunrise Television would eventually change its name to GMTV after a dispute with Sky over the use of the Sunrise name.

Whilst GMTV actually went on to do a decent job, many loyal TV-AM audience members were lost because of this decision, and frankly – commercial breakfast television hasn’t been the same since they disappeared from our screens.

Mergers start to emerge

The 1990 Broadcasting Act also relaxed the effect of mergers, and two major players started to come together and totally destroy the ITV regional network.  To Granada and Carlton, all I have to say is congratulations.

The writing was on the wall in 1994 when Carlton took over Central, having been a long-time investor.  Meanwhile Granada became the new owners of LWT.  With the two most popular regional networks bought out by two robotic machines, the domino pattern had been set.

Meridan bought Anglia in the same year, consequently moving the Anglia presentation to Southampton.  This was a strange move considering Anglia outputted areas such as Cambridge, Northampton, Norwich, Luton and Milton Keynes – none of them anywhere near Meridan headquarters. 

Two years later, Carlton killed off Westcountry Television by buying them out and increased their growing stake in Central.  In 1997, Granada’s response was to acquire the Yorkshire-Tyne Tees element.  Although we still had regional news bulletins and regional idents – ITV was swiftly becoming a one network system – and this was killing off its earlier unique identity. 

By 1999, only three ITV regions were now independent, with Granada and Carlton, together with Scottish and United News and Media (owners of Anglia, HTV and Meridan), owning the rest between them.  A new corporate look was identified and launched in 1999 and with it, we waved bye-bye to regional identity.

Three years later, all regions disappeared as ITV became a single network.  The 1990 Broadcasting Act had done its job, and lost channel number three it’s regional identity.

Settling down

Downton Abbey is arguably ITV's biggest hit nowadays

Nowadays, ITV is still home to many top programmes.  The worldwide success of Downton Abbey and emergence of Mr. Selfridge in recent weeks has won critical acclaim. 

The Only Way Is Essex is somehow winning over a large audience following from youngsters, whilst Coronation Street and Emmerdale still attract massive figures.

ITV is also the home for live terrestrial football, and do a solid if unspectacular job of giving the footy lover live FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and England internationals for free.

And there are other mainstay programmes still going strong such as This Morning, but others haven’t been so lucky.

The Bill faded and faced demise, classic entertainment like Catchphrase, Gladiators, You Bet, Blind Date and Stars in Their Eyes were ditched for much of the reality content we have on today.

News at Ten has been fluctuating in the on/off position for the past two decades.  The way ITV have fiddled around with its news content is baffling at best, considering the BBC has only made one main change (moving the late news to 10 o’clock from 9) in the past 30 years.

Athletics, Formula One and Boxing were eliminated, meaning ITV Sport should be renamed ITV Football (oh wait, they tried that and nearly left the Football League in financial ruin).

And other programmes went without a fight.  Home & Away was passed off to Channel Five without any consideration, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire got so predictable that it has sadly been forgotten about far too easily, and there is no place at all for other cracking shows in the mid-80s/90s like World of Sport, Through the Keyhole, Blockbusters, Crossroads, Peak Practice, Spitting Image, Bullseye, The Krypton Factor, Heartbeat and World in Action.

Is ITV in a stronger place than it was back in the 1990s?  That is open to debate.  I don’t think it is to be honest.  Advertising revenues are down and I reckon it has lost its unique identity.

Some of the changes in the 1990 Broadcasting Act were made for the better of British television, but the demise of the ITV regions is something that is missed.

I will finish with a reminder of some of those cracking regional idents from TV’s real heyday of the 1990s.

Categories: 1990, Broadcasting Act, Freeview, ITV, January, Margaret Thatcher, Midlands, The Chase, TV-AM