Bedford Jezzard...help!

[TonyGilroy]

Two word answer.

MAXIMUM WAGE

Didn't matter where they went - they couldn't earn any more than their home town clubs were paying.

[CorkedHat]

Thinking back to those days and the loyalty shown to their clubs by very good players. You only have to think of Geoff Bradford and John Atyeo, both one club men. Of course our own JH plus Arthur Stevens, Beddy Jezzard. Who remembers Alec Jeffrey, played for Doncaster, did'nt want to leave, unfortunately had a very promising career cut short due to injury. My point is why did they have much more loyalty back then compared to today?

I think the main reason is that in those days players didn't have agents who on the whole put their own greed first before their client's best interest - not you Mr Hutchinson (you were a notable exception)  but we know plenty of agents who are just charlatans.
And you are quite right Mr Finn - these days players like Zamora could afford a chauffeur.
When I was a trainee in an ad agency in London I worked in despatch. One day this bloke delivered a parcel which I had to sign for. My boss said, "You' know who that was don't you?"
I said I had no idea to which my boss replied, "And you reckon you support Fulham - that was Bob Thomas who used to play for you."
It never occurred to me that footballers were human, let alone having to work like the rest of us.

[CorkedHat]

Two word answer.

MAXIMUM WAGE

Didn't matter where they went - they couldn't earn any more than their home town clubs were paying.

There is some truth in that Mr G, but you and I know that under the counter payments went on unabated. On top of that if they didn't ask for a transfer then they received a signing on fee
As a fifteen year old I was invited by a club to join their apprenticeship scheme. They offered me money to buy a suit (we can't have our players looking like scruffs can we) and of course we'll pay your travelling expenses for matches and for training - now where do you live so that we can calculate mileage. I told them Battersea ( about five miles away) to which the club secretary said, "Right, Winchelsea now that must be 100 miles at least."

[CorkedHat]

An we should make it clear that Sir Johnny remained loyal even after the maximum wage had been abolished. He could have gone to Italy or to Spurs for megabucks but chose to be loyal to Fulham.

[TonyGilroy]

He did of course but the end of the maximum wage coincided with his car crash and he wasn't the same afterwards.

In his autobiography George Cohen said that Everton wanted him, and he wanted to go, but Trinder said no and that was the end of it.

As for under the counter payments, they could be paid by small clubs as well as big. Tommy Lawton famously signed for Notts County in the 3rd division when he was an England player.

Bottom line is that players were chattels and stayed or went according to the choice of their clubs. If you could persuade a club to pay you illegally you might do that but if your club wouldn't sell you you couldn't leave.

[ron]

I think a prime example of that was our left winger Charlie Mitten, whose considerable talents were limited by archaic contractual obligations.
..but at least we had four seasons out of him....a sublime left winger.....the "Bogota Bandit"

Read his biography, it's a real eye opener.

[FulhamRob]

Thanks for all your help everyone, much appreciated.