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Could one of you old codgers who remembers seeing the Beat in his pomp give some insight into what it was that made him such a special player?
For me having never had the pleasure of watching the truly great ITFC teams (other than some highlight reels), it can be hard to visualise exactly what was so impressive about certain individuals.
What made him stand out? Who would you liken his playing style to him from the modern day game?
titan of the game and second every point that's been made so far. Tragically brought back from injury several times when he wasn't fit (eg. first Barcelona game in 1977) which undoubtedly massively shortened his career, but still put an immense shift in. The one footballer i've seen who genuinely would have run into a brick wall (and probably through it) for the manager.
Injuries-it did not matter who was in the squad at the time because The Beat would have been better than any of them. His low (9) number of caps was nothing to do with someone being ahead of him but purely down to injuries and if he had had a relatively injury free career he would have topped 100 caps.
And our failure to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 World Cups didn't help.
I was lucky enough to start watching the town in 1974. So for the first 8 years or so Ipswich were one of the best teams in the country and then in Europe.
Kevin Beattie was just a phenomenon. He was lightning quick, he could jump higher than new Ronaldo, he had a harder shot than anyone in today's game, he was as brave as a Tony Adams or John Terry, he could tackle and also he would be able to play from the back like a Harry Maguire. He could also pass the ball like Steven Gerrard. He was a Frankenstein footballer. All the best skills of all the greats mixed into one. He really was that Good. Unfortunately he had a bit of 'Gazza' about him too. Daft as a brush. But also a lovely bloke.
He would be the world record holder transfer fee for a defender if he played now at his peak and would be playing for Barca or real Madrid. He should have played over a 100 times for England. But injuries stopped that. He was a footballing God.
Hopefully that helps youo envisage what he was like.
Injuries-it did not matter who was in the squad at the time because The Beat would have been better than any of them. His low (9) number of caps was nothing to do with someone being ahead of him but purely down to injuries and if he had had a relatively injury free career he would have topped 100 caps.
So every time he was fit, he was picked in the squad and played?
I don't know if it's on You Tube etc but for me he's summed up by the goal he scored against West Ham last game in 1975 after we'd been cheated out of a cup final - he simply powered up the middle of the park and lashed it in.
Yes, our best ever player. First name on the team sheet and remember we had other full internationals that could miss out... Burley,Mills,Osman, Butcher. Amazing when its usually only the goalscorers and playmakers that receive the plaudits.
He could jump higher, and seemed like Nijinsky to hover in the air to place the resulting header. He kicked harder and longer and his tackling was a moment of grace. A sweeping crunching moment, and then as he rose up the ball was still under control at his feet whilst the irate opponent was a mess of disbelief on the floor.
Nerves, he didn't have any; he just played football as though it was part of life's game.
I also saw that he was a human God, sometimes he made a mistake.
Firstly the Beat was built like next doors brick shlt house but had the grace of a ballerina. So he had the physicality to battle any forward but could dance his way up the pitch. Also if you watch clips of him heading a ball youll see he had an amazing ability to hang in the air, it was really strange. Ok we're only talking about a second but that extra second meant he caused loads of problems in the oppositions box.
He could also read the game, yes he had a bit of pace about him but he had that ability of reading / timing. Brave beyond, but too brave which often resulted in injury and unfortunately his lifestyle didn't help, but most footballers back then drink too much.
Very competitive. I was in the Magpie pub in Combs Ford one Thursday lunchtime the Beat came on with a couple of friends, started playing pool and he wouldn't stop playing until he had beaten both of the. Moved onto playing darts, again the same continued until he had beaten both of. Moved onto playing cards, but he beat both of them immediately ðŸ˜
People say he was better than Duncan Edwards but I didn't see enough of him to compare. What I would say is I thought Bobby Moore was the best ever, until I saw the Beat in his prime and the Beat was better than Moore.
Could you describe somebody who reminds you of him? I have been watching football since 1998.
The nearest for me would be Vincent Kompany. They were both athlete's as well as footballers and both suffered from injuries, but The Beat's injuries started so early in his career.
Plus brilliant in the air, the complete footballer in other words although I am not too sure about his goalkeeping capabilities -but he might well even have been good in goal.
He was such a brave player too. You never saw him shirk anything let alone a challenge. None of the shut your eyes and turn your head away when going up for a ball nonsense you see now.
Sadly, his capacity and willingness to go through a brick wall didn’t help him with getting back from injuries. The medical knowledge was Stone Age compared to now and I’m sure his career would have lasted much longer today. This is no criticism of how ITFC looked after players - it was just how it was at that time. Many players from those days have finished crippled or worse.
this might help, the words of the great man sir bob "i have never known such brutal cold. it was like playing in a deep freeze . the beat played in short sleeves, no vest ,no gloves or no tights. no other of the 21 players did this. we were playing in the middle of the polish winter against widzew lodz in the eufa cup. so with all tributes from all the other posters ,it shows what a true legend the man was . so yes us baby boomers have had all the luck
forensic experts say footers and spruces fingerprints were not found at the scene after the weekends rows
All the above plus his enthusiasm was infectious but the closest I have seen in the modern game was one of our own, for a brief period with the errors cut out, Titus Bramble was getting there
As I was reading through these posts, I remember one of Titus' early games, when he powered his way through the opposition and at the time I said "we've got another Kevin Beattie". Such a shame it never really worked out for Titus, although we did get decent money for him.
I was lucky enough to start watching the town in 1974. So for the first 8 years or so Ipswich were one of the best teams in the country and then in Europe.
Kevin Beattie was just a phenomenon. He was lightning quick, he could jump higher than new Ronaldo, he had a harder shot than anyone in today's game, he was as brave as a Tony Adams or John Terry, he could tackle and also he would be able to play from the back like a Harry Maguire. He could also pass the ball like Steven Gerrard. He was a Frankenstein footballer. All the best skills of all the greats mixed into one. He really was that Good. Unfortunately he had a bit of 'Gazza' about him too. Daft as a brush. But also a lovely bloke.
He would be the world record holder transfer fee for a defender if he played now at his peak and would be playing for Barca or real Madrid. He should have played over a 100 times for England. But injuries stopped that. He was a footballing God.
Hopefully that helps youo envisage what he was like.
I started going regularly in '76 and Beattie was immense. I used to love his surging runs from the centre of defence, where he just seemed to storm through the opposition. Unbelievable player.
I can't add much as I was only raised on the folklore by Snr and the elders of the Halesworth branch but I think van Dijk is the best shout and see someone has raised that already. If you read the hyperbole VvD attracts it's eerily close to what people said about the Beat.
Dave Dymond's profile of him is an excellent listen if you didn't catch it the first time around.
As I was reading through these posts, I remember one of Titus' early games, when he powered his way through the opposition and at the time I said "we've got another Kevin Beattie". Such a shame it never really worked out for Titus, although we did get decent money for him.
I also said on watching Titus Bramble's debut that we had found another Kevin Beattie-Titus did have most of the same qualities but....
I saw a great comment about him on the When Saturday Comes board after news of his death broke:
"He would have been 32 by the time of the 1986 World Cup. In an alternate universe, Beattie tackles Maradona as he starts the run for that second goal and Terry Fenwick watches it on television."
I saw a great comment about him on the When Saturday Comes board after news of his death broke:
"He would have been 32 by the time of the 1986 World Cup. In an alternate universe, Beattie tackles Maradona as he starts the run for that second goal and Terry Fenwick watches it on television."
Even a level above Terry Butcher and that’s saying something
Just to correct one or two contributors, he played in the 75 semi-final it was Allan Hunter who Bobby Gould took out and John Wark was brought in. And Emlyn Hughes played central defender and could not be dropped so that was why he was at left back. But he still managed to outrun the 'fastest full back in the world' and out jump the keeper to score the the best goal at Wembley against Scotland. He even started the move as well.
He was just phenomenal, the only player to compare is Duncan Edwards, no-one else.
Closest modern analogy is probably Teddy Bishop in terms of injury versus career opportunities. Beattie was a superb player whose career petered out due to injury and 'personal issues' he was great until he was 21 (today's hype about Downes puts that into perspective - Beattie was the best in his position in the top division at 18) . He was kept out of the England team by Colin Todd who was hardly an imposing legend and his very few England appearances were at left back instead of, ahem, Mick Mills. 1975 probably sums him up perfectly. Injured in the cup semi final (after being injured in earlier rounds) and absent from the crucial replay after Whymark had to replace him early in the first semi at Villa Park. Storming goal in the meaningless later home win against West Ham 4-1 which is one of the greatest goals you could wish to see.
Didn’t Beat play in the replay? I think it’s him trying to block their winning goal, and I’ve seen a pic of Graham Paddon apologetically shaking hands, as if he knows what went down that night. Beattie apparently ran into Kesgrave resident Alan Taylor in the Fushia later in the year I heard..
A few of my memories of the Beat. I recall playing an evening match under the floodlights against Derby at PR. We were awarded a free kick very near the corner of our own 18 yd box. All the outfield players go u int Derby's box, the Beat then hits a 70yd free kick right onto Trevor Whymark's bonce.
I recall seeing Beattie outpace "Supermac" like he was going backwards, and Malcolm MacDonald was supposed to be the quickest striker in the league.
The Beat was invited to take part in Superstars, where different sports people all compete in a variety of sporting contests. He was running away with the 100m until hits nuts fell out of his ridiculous shorts, and the farcical and hilarious sight of him trying to tuck them back in as he completed the race, I think he finished 3rd in the end.
Not what you're asking, but I used to go to Kevin Beattie's evening classes he ran for a few years as an 8/9/10 year old (so late 90s). He wasn't there half the time, presumably couldn't be farked, but whenever he was there he would always play in the games with us kids and so on. Even tho I was a child and didn't really understand how good of a player he had been, I still remember today how brilliant he was on the ball - somewhere I appreciated that he was doing something I'd not seen up close before. A lovely man too.
I'm 61. It is fair to say I saw all the Beattie home appearances and a few away. Two outstanding goals I remember - one in the FA cup tie at Goodison to get us back to 2-1 but with little time left - an absolutely towering header. Still don't know how he got so high and seemed to hang and then such power to head home. The other already mentioned in the 4-1 defeat of West Ham after they'd unfairly knocked us out of the cup. I swear West Ham players got out of the way - "truck coming through". We were in Churchmans and it went in like a rocket. I cannot think of anyone I can compare him to. Bramble rampaging forward would be a tenth of Beattie if that helps? Great player - had it all but let down by his injuries and to a degree his own mentality. Modern day footballers might get better looked after I suspect.
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