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My Best Town XI: Charlie Woods
Thursday, 16th Apr 2020 15:48

In the third part of a new series, Kieron Dyer catches up with legendary former Blues player, coach and scout Charlie Woods, who selects the best Town XI from his time coaching at Portman Road before Dyer runs the rule over the side.

Woods, now 79, joined the Blues in 1966 under Bill McGarry’s management and was a member of the team which won the Second Division in 1967/68.

After Bobby Robson took over as boss in 1969 Woods became Town's youth coach, then later took charge of the reserves before becoming Bobby Ferguson’s assistant during his time as manager.

Woods also coached at Portman Road under George Burley and advised and scouted for Jim Magilton, having worked alongside Robson in his England and Newcastle roles and had spells scouting for Tottenham.

Goalkeeper Paul Cooper - Cooper just edges it ahead of David Best. Cooper wasn’t the tallest but had unbelievable spring and his distribution was fantastic with both his hands and his feet.

Right-back George Burley - When everyone talks about the modern day full-back who plays basically like a winger, George was like that in the seventies and early eighties. All these modern-day footballers come from George Burley, he was an unbelievable athlete with fantastic distribution.

Left-back Mick Mills - Wasn’t the quickest but as a left-back who was right-footed he had it off to a tee. A fantastic reader of the game, always wanted the ball and was probably the best captain we’ve ever had in our history.

Centre-half Allan Hunter - It’s incredibly tough trying to pick my centre-halves but in the end I’ve gone for Allan Hunter and Kevin Beattie because they complemented one another so well. Hunter wasn’t the quickest but he was such a good reader of the game, he was never found out, he was never out of position. His IQ was on a different level.


Centre-half Kevin Beattie - Beattie is the best I’ve ever seen. Sometimes positionally he’d be in the wrong place but because he was so quick and so powerful he would get back. Beat could have been as fast as Linford Christie and won an Olympic gold if he’d put his mind to it.

Right midfield Frans Thijssen - Thijssen was the best dribbler that Ipswich Town have ever had. He was the one who could always unlock the door and create.

4-3-1-2

CooperBurleyMillsBeattieHunterWarkThijssenMuhrenGatesMarinerBrazil

Centre midfield John Wark - The number of goals Warky scored. When I tell people he was actually Ipswich’s defensive midfielder, no one can believe it. In today’s game he would be worth £150 million minimum.

Left midfield Arnold Muhren - Arnold had fantastic passing ability, probably the best I’ve seen. From any area of the pitch his passing ability was fantastic. So we had Thijssen, who was the dribbler, and Muhren, who was the passer.

Number 10 Eric Gates - Eric Gates was an unbelievable number 10, would always find pockets. Was another one who could unlock the door. If he had worked a bit harder I think he would have played loads more times for England.

Striker Paul Mariner - The complete centre forward, he had everything - aerial ability, power, could hold the ball up, could run channels, could score all types of goal.

Striker Alan Brazil - Brazil was fantastic with his runs off the ball. I first worked with Alan Brazil in the youth team and he scored 15 goals in four games for me!

Kieron’s View

When I’ve given my view on these teams, there are usually one or two players whose inclusion is debatable, but you look at this team and how strong it is, and there are also so many other players who could also have made it in.

This is a team without Terry Butcher, a team without Russell Osman, a team without Brian Talbot, David Johnson, you could go on, all the players that Charlie worked with from 1969 all the way until Jim’s era. He’s seen the cream of the cream and this is the cream of the cream.

One player Charlie nearly picked from later in his time at Town was Mauricio Taricco, but he had to go with Mick Mills because of his history at the club. I know he was a big fan of Taricco and he was the one who got him his move to Tottenham.

What a fantastic team. Everyone talks about how great our academy is from my time at the club and now you’re seeing Flynn Downes and Andre Dozzell and everyone coming through, but what is so great about Charlie’s team is that you’ve got George Burley, Beat, Warky, Gatesy and Alan Brazil all coming through the academy and costing the club nothing.

If you think about it, you look at it now, if Kyle Walker’s going for £60 or £70 million, you could easily say George Burley would going for £60 or £70 million.

Virgil van Dijk went for £90 million, Beattie could easily go for £90 million. Philippe Coutinho and Paul Pogba and all these players are going for over £100 million, Warky would be worth over £100 million easily.

Eric Gates, £70 or £80 million, Alan Brazil, something similar. You’re talking about half a billion in players coming through the club’s academy! Incredible. I think that XI would beat my best Ipswich XI, just I think, only just!


Photos: Reuters



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therein61 added 16:34 - Apr 16
Well done Charlie a formidable selection, those were the days.
9

floridaboy added 16:47 - Apr 16
What a coach Charlie Woods was. Remember going to watch the youth team on a Saturday morning on the practice pitch. Not many people so Charlies voice echoed everywhere.

And his language was to say the least - colourful!!!!!!!
3

RobITFC added 17:03 - Apr 16
Spot on Charlie , this is always my best 11 whenever asked.
8

midastouch added 17:46 - Apr 16
Hard to argue with that team!
3

Buryblue78 added 18:51 - Apr 16
Great choices Charlie
Can't argue with any of that
Those really were the days
Teams used to come to Portman Rd and expect to lose
And we'd always oblige
I'll always hope to see such teams in blue and white again
even if it looks a long way off at the moment
The academy is our route back plus a few additions so here's to hope over expectation
5

johndearjnr added 18:53 - Apr 16
Yep, as someone who first watched town, in ‘69 or thereabouts, I'd go with that team or something very similar. Great memories.
5

BlueandTruesince82 added 19:03 - Apr 16
What a team that is. I'd give our entire 1st 11 for one of Warkys legs
3

dirtydingusmagee added 19:50 - Apr 16
''Give it to Charlie, give it to Charlie .....................'' those were the days !
2

dirtydingusmagee added 19:51 - Apr 16
''Give it to Charlie, give it to Charlie .....................'' those were the days !
1

dirtydingusmagee added 19:53 - Apr 16
bloody good good team selection there , a force to be reckoned with indeed .
4

Guthrum added 20:03 - Apr 16
That is, indeed, a formidable team.
6

Cakeman added 20:13 - Apr 16
It was really nice having a few minutes reading about Charlie's selection bringing back memories of wonderful times we had back then.
Indeed a truly great team. Hard to believe what's happening to us now but the wonderful past can never be taken away!
2

floridablue added 20:22 - Apr 16
Loving these best ex players teams and this is without doubt my favourite so far!! I've watched Woods from his first days as a Town player and along side Bobby through the clubs glory years. I'll totally agree with Charlies choice but so hard to leave out the other greats, perhaps he could be asked to put together a 'Combination league' team
1

ArnieM added 20:27 - Apr 16
Now for me, this is with a single doubt our best side , ever!
4

Linkboy13 added 21:59 - Apr 16
I remember Charlie playing a leading role in a great win at West ham, think it was 3.1in 1968 but i could be wrong. In those days we had a magnificent youth policy producing international quality players, nowadays we struggle to produce players that can play in Div 1 .
1

bobble added 08:07 - Apr 17
probably replace Gates with skuse or duncan
-2

Pendejo added 11:23 - Apr 17
Erm trying to pick a hole here, let's see erm.

Nope that's my XI
4

BlueSwede added 11:29 - Apr 17
Wonderful to see Charlie Woods, he is a real legend. This is the team I would go for as well having followed Ipswich for the last 49 years from my side of the Northsea. No doubt about it - the best Town-team ever.

And the bench we would have with Richard Wright, Terry Butcher, Russel Osman, Matt Holland, Kieron Dyer, Trevor Whymark, Marcus Stewart, Clive Woods

The memories this bring back are magic.
3

Fatboy added 12:16 - Apr 17
It's a mark of just how good that team is that a number of great players from the seventies have been left out. The likes of David Johnson, Trevor Whymark, Brian Talbot to name but a few.
1

shaunmahony added 16:29 - Apr 17
My memory goes back far enough to have watched Charlie in 69/70. Great servant to the club.

100% agree with this team selection.

I was lucky enough to meet Sir Booby in Barcelona. When talking about his three teams he built in that incredible 13 year period, I said although the 3rd team was the best, the one I was most fond of was the first one when we burst into the top 4 in 72/73 to everyone's surprise - Whymark , Johnson and Hamilton knocking them in, Viljoen Woods and Talbot creating and Mills Hunter and Beattie at the back - wow - what players, what a team! They launched us on that incredible journey that lasted for 10 more years and I was one of those lucky enough to witness so many great moments and such fantastic football. Whymark's 4 against Lazio, Town 6 Man U 0, the list is endless.

Around mid 70's I think there was an England squad with 5 Ipswich players - someone can correct me but I think it was Johnson/Mills/Beattie/Woods and Whymark against Luxembourg- incredible!

I gave Sir Bobby a book about Suffolk with many photos to remind him of the wonderful county he shared with us in those years. Inside I wrote " As the years go by, what you achieved for ITFC will seem ever more miraculous" - true then, even truer now.

All the best and stay safe to all Town fans, especially us oldies looking back over their lives and having such wonderful memories to get nostalgic about.
4

shaunmahony added 16:34 - Apr 17
Sorry - terrible typo of Bobby - I deserve to be shot!
0

RAH4 added 18:25 - Apr 17
Indeed TWTD ! What a team .
0

Chris_Knights added 21:03 - Apr 17
Incredible team... incredible players ... incredible memories... my bench

Richard Wright
Mauricio Taricco
Terry Butcher
Matt Holland
Keirin Dyer
Trevor Whymark
David Johnson (1970's)

0

pulhamblue66 added 09:05 - Apr 19
Shaunmahony you're right about there being 5 ITFC players being in the same England squad. I also remembered it as being v Luxembourg but not all those names. A bit of research has revealed it to be Luxembourg v England 12/10/1977 and the Town players were: Beattie, Talbot, Mariner, Whymark (his only cap) and Clive Woods (an unused sub who sadly never got to play for England).
0

FromIpswichToPhoenix added 23:56 - Apr 21
Proud to say I saw everyone of these players back in the day.
0


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