I'm currently reading the excellent Red or Dead by David Peace, which is a fictional account of Bill Shankly's time as Liverpool manager. In the book it mentions an international fixture from 1948, a game in which England defeated the World Cup holders and Olympic champions Italy 4-0 in Turin. The English forward line of Matthews, Finney, Mortensen, Lawton and Mannion by all accounts tore them apart, leading to the Italian team to start fighting amongst themselves before the game had even finished. This was all the more remarkable as 7 of the team played for the great Torino team many rate as one of the best of all time, all of whom would die a year later in the Superga air disaster.

I'd obviously heard of Finney, Matthews and Mortensen, and had a slight remembrance that Wilf Mannion had something to do with Boro. I asked my old man about him, and he told me how Mannion was seen as one of the greatest players of his age. Small, but strong and quick and deadly in front of goal. He also told me how he'd met Wilf Mannion once when he and George Hardwick presented my dad's team United Services with the Durham Minor Cup in 1978 at their awards evening. Afterwards, Mannion had to leave sharply because he was off to work as a cabin boy down Seal Sands. Unbelievable. Stories like that make you realise just how much football has changed, a complete different era.

My old man is stood the left of Wilf Mannion in the picture, just out of interest.

Very interesting read Kolley but which one is Mannion on the picture

Little bloke, third from the right as you're looking at the picture.

Tommy Lawton and Wilf Mannion were always mentioned to me as great players by my grandad when i was a kid, along with who he said was the best hes ever seen, Len Shackleton.

Darlo fans must be really fucked off with Pools. They haven't beaten us for donkeys, the last time we played them we won 3-0 at their place, we had loads of seasons in the third tier playing 'big' clubs regularly, had some good cup runs, got on the telly loads, and even when we fell from grace other teams conspired to keep us up.

Now we've turned another corner, while they have to clear the dogshit off theirs.

Wilf Mannion never played for Darlo..

No idea what's going on Sussex, my posts rubbing it into your lot keep going on the wrong threads.

Mannion never did play for Darlo, but I'm sure if he was still alive he'd stroll into the current team.

I reckon he could still get on the bench/milk bottle crates.