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Toshack was probably Cardiff's greatest ever player and definitely since I have been watching Cardiff City. Together with Brian Clark both were a formidable combination. He had a reputation of not being that great with the ball at his feet but I played football with him once in a kick around on Lavernock beach and he did not seem that shabby then admitedly against mediocre opposition. Also I recall him giving Alan Hanson the run around with the ball at his feet in a Wales v Scotland international. However, his strength was definitely heading the ball and there was nobody better. Along with Kevin Keegan Toshack's ability also shone through at Liverpool.
Not just that, to some extent the plastic era hasn’t started, we were getting 25 thousand + crowds. These would have significantly risen in Division One in a nigh on sixty thousand capacity ground, witness the ECWC gates & the 50 thousand gates at the Arsenal & Leeds FA Cup ties. We could have really taken off, truly a massive opportunity squandered, all for £110,000😡😡😡Originally Posted by Wales-Bales
I saw Tosh make his debut for City and I was devastated when he left. However, I still believe that if we had signed Warboys straight away we would have clinched promotion.
👍
The Liverpool experience certainly helped with his management career.
Warboys had a better goals to games ratio during the 1970-71 season.
NottinghamBlue is right - it took us six weeks to sign Warboys after Toshack left and in that time we lost three consecutive away games against mid table/lower half teams.
I saw Toshack at Cardiff from 1968 until he left, he was lethal in the air but so was Brian Clark. They were a great pair of striker and bagged 35-40 League goals per season between them. However I do recall Tosh being not so clever with the ball at his feet.
Liverpool wouldn't have paid the fee they did unless he was a really good player. He did well for us and Liverpool and Swansea, and then had a managerial career which so far has lasted 40 years.
I was gutted when he left, and a said above, the delay in getting in Warboys probably cost us promotion, a promotion we didn't get for another 40+ years! After being so close to going up the following season 71/2 we really struggled, Bird and Harris had left and within the next year Eadie, Carver, Sutton, Warboys , Clark and Gibson had all been offloaded and replaced with inferior replacements generally (apart from Irwin and Dwyer).
Ah...remember his debut as sub aged 16.......and not too long afterwards was shopping in Cardiff and looked in the window to see the half time scores (City were away to Newcastle). HT winning 4-0!!! Toshack got 2 and a small young lad by the name of George Johnston got the other two......he was also a terrific player who sadly liked the drink and never fulfilled his potential.
Ah, Maurice Swan, one of my favourite City ‘keepers👍
It’s often forgotten that Toshack had quite a lot of ‘stick’ from City fans in his first couple of years in City’s first team. Slow and lethargic were words being used to describe him in those early days before Brian Clark arrived and his true talents began to emerge. While I would rate him highly amongst City centre -forwards of the last 50/60 years I would say that Jay Bothroyd ( on his day ) was a better all-round player.
Goal times for that City v Swansea game of 1983 were:
City: Gibbons 24, Vaughan 44, Lee 51
Swans: Stanley 43pen, Toshack 54.
Also that first full league start of Toshack’s was at Middlesbrough not Newcastle. Tosh scored twice in the first 11 minutes and we led 4-1 at half time before finally winning 4-3.
He was a good target man as football was very different then.
Players like Toshack and Duncan Ferguson we’re old fashioned centre forwards who were very effective but would find it very difficult in today’s Premier League.
How many top sides (including European leagues) rely on big forwards who get on the end of crosses ?
..someone should be teaching Ken on how to head a cross
You're right.
Thanks BT.
Not sure why, but I thought we went 2 0 down in that game.
Saw Tosh play for us many times at NP between October '68 and November '70. Great player, local Canton boy, and a City legend to all of us who saw him play for the Bluebirds
His dad was a nice guy (vague memories of him having a strong Scottish accent) and used to drink in the Landsowne with my uncle
george?
I could have written this EXACT reply! (except I think that I may have started going just a few games before you)
I also remember thinking (at 7 years old!) that it was really strange to sell your best player and the that he could be replaced so easily (didn’t Alan Warboys scores a hat trick on his debut?)
How wrong I was 😳
My memory of Warboys is that he was fantastic for a while but deteriorated rapidly possibly through injury unlike Toshack who was consistently good.
I can't remember to be honest, I was about 9 years old and met in my uncle's house on a couple of occasions. The thing that sticks in my mind was his Scottish accent lol
toshack hoo hoo
Don't miss out on the legendary ex-footballer and manager John Toshack coming to Cardiff next week to chat about his new autobiography, Toshack's Way: My Journey Through Football.
Hosted by Griffin Books, the champion ex-Cardiff City, Liverpool and Swansea City player will be in conversation with BBC Radio Wales' Ian Hunt at The Angel Hotel, Cardiff on the evening of 22nd November. This event is a must for all Welsh football fans - so book your ticket today to secure your place.
Tickets are £10 and can be booked online here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/568443
3 days time.
Is that you, John
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