Another famous birthday today, Steve Earle is 70 years young today..!

[LBNo11]

...yes you read that right, Stephen John Earle is 70 today, and I now feel ancient, but still privileged to have seen him play. The Feltham born player wore the whites shirt 327 times, scoring 108 times, usually fed by our exceptional wingers Jimmy Conway (No 7) and Les Barrett (forgot his number!). Sadly he was sold so that the club could erect the Riverside stand. Many happy returns Stevie...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeNpXPXXtTY

[filham]

Happy Birthday young Steve and thank you for helping to make so many of my Cottage visits so enjoyable.

Conway, Earl and Barrat, one of our best strike forces, simply loaded with both pace and skill.

[St Eve]

Steve was a good player and was fed well by our #7 and #11. I think we sold him to Leicester

[Jem]

I shall raise a glass and fondly remember his 5 goal haul at Halifax. Who rembers the chant "E for B and Stevie Earle"?

[Holders]

Selling him to Leicester was a waste as he didn't get chance to make his mark as soon after they bought Lineker. The match at Halifax - presumably that was the 8-0 win.

[steve magnets]

As a money raising scheme ffc offered fans the chance of a photograph with Conway or Earle, I chose Steve, my mum still has it in her kitchen all these years later , taken from the putney end , in his full kit, must be over 45 years ago. Ouch! Happy birthday Steve, and really thanks for the memories (and proving not only did I have hair, but also it wasn't always grey )

[gerrys]

Happy birthday Steve......my girlfriend (at the time) really fancied you so she always came with me to watch Fulham. Not so much my wife who has seen only one game (but it was worth it,  4 nil vs QPR)

[e4b]

I think i just about remember that one Jem

[bog]

Happy Birthday Steve. Always liked him. A very elegant player. With my long gone and much missed father I went to the Northampton away game in '66 which we had to win and we did 4-2 and Steve  scored a hat-trick. Always recalled how he said he missed out on the '75 final after being sold the year before to Leicester! Indeed I think he was playing for them when Alan Mullery scored the Goal of the Season. What a front four that was, Conway, Clarke, Earle and Barrett.
Same age as me.... 

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[bog]

Just looked at the video and the b&w photo of Steve with Graham Leggat in shot is of the 4th goal at that Northampton game, he had run the length of the pitch and scored. Great day out that was.  049:gif :clap_hands: :yay:

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[St Eve]

Selling him to Leicester was a waste as he didn't get chance to make his mark as soon after they bought Lineker. The match at Halifax - presumably that was the 8-0 win.

Away as well

[jarv]

What did he do after football? I recall the halifax 8-0 because I MISSED it. Had to work or something so could not make it.

Does he ever attend Fulham games?

[GrahamG]

I really liked him but he got a lot of stick for not being a particularly physical player. In the days of muddy pitches he would normally end the match with his shirt still in pristine condition. He certainly knew where the goal was.

[Holders]

I really liked him but he got a lot of stick for not being a particularly physical player. In the days of muddy pitches he would normally end the match with his shirt still in pristine condition. He certainly knew where the goal was.

That's true.

My recollection of him was of balls played through for him by Barrett or Conway, he chased them for a bit then gave up as it seemed he was just about to catch them and let them run over the goal-line. Not a get-stuck-in type of player and always seemed to care more for his hair-do than heading the ball.

He did score goals though.

[b+w geezer]

Accurate memories above, including how and why he attracted some stick, except for the notion that he "didn't get a chance to make his mark" at Leicester. He played 99 times for them, aged 29-33, immediately prior to Lineker, so a good airing for him (and 20 goals).

He deserved that chance and probably should have taken it a bit earlier, as the style of the top division suited him more and he had the technique for it. He began there of course and was hot stuff during the Great Escape that commenced with his goal against table-topping Liverpool and climaxed with that wonderful Northampton match. After successive relegations, not particularly down to him, he,  Barrett and Conway tore up the third tier and soon helped us escape it,  But during year after year in the division we are now in, he gradually stagnated and eventually divided opinion rather like Gary Brazil did later. As a pro-Earle type I wasn't unhappy to see him escape to pastures new and do quite well for himself in a swansong back at the top.

[Jem]

I really liked him but he got a lot of stick for not being a particularly physical player. In the days of muddy pitches he would normally end the match with his shirt still in pristine condition. He certainly knew where the goal was.

I remember him kicking a player in an off the ball situation which did seem out of character for him.

[Funky Fulham Dave]

Happy Birthday Stevie boy.

An excellent player whose skill and intelligence would have been tailor made for the Premier League, had he not been 70! If you see what I mean.

Anyway happy birthday Steve.
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[Burt]

What did he do after football? I recall the halifax 8-0 because I MISSED it. Had to work or something so could not make it.

Does he ever attend Fulham games?

He moved to the US... Played for, and then managed, Tulsa Roughnecks. Not sure what happened after. Perhaps he put his feet up for a well-deserved rest  :dft011:

[Woodlawn]

When he first started at Fulham he wore the No 7 and was a right winger ,took a lot of stick from the crowd, here and at Leicester. I remember a version of "Earle's a winger" that was not complimentary.