BT Sport Documentary - The Team of the 80s

[super al]

Hi all

As some of you may recall, with the kind assistance from many staff, players and supporters, I directed and produced both our Centenary and subsequent History DVD’s for the club back in 2005 & 2011 respectively – projects I am immensely proud to have been involved with.

Back in 2008 I approached the club with an idea to create a film celebrating our golden generation of youth team players from the 1970’s which were nurtured firstly by Malcolm Allison and his team of coaches and then by Terry Venables, who ultimately gave us a team capable of challenging (albeit briefly) at the very top of the Football league.

Sadly, the club couldn’t move forward with the project at the time but over ten years later and with kind support from Steve Parish I approached BT Sport with the idea. Given their brilliant work on creating a raft of quality sporting documentaries I felt the channel would be best placed to support the project and I’m delighted to say they have decided to commission my idea.

This BT Sport Documentary, entitled The Team of the 80s, is now in production and I will be hoping to speak with as many of the main protagonists as possible to dig deep into an era that defined our great club. The story begins with Malcolm Allison’s arrival in 1973 and continues throughout the 1970’s with relegations, cup runs, promotions, a table topping moment and of course the spectacular fall from those dizzying heights. Plus - everything in between!

This is where the good ship BBS can help.

I would love to hear any stories you may have from that era that could help crystallise what was an incredible period for the club. Also, if you have any personal photographs or cine film that can help illustrate the club and or area at that time I would love to be able to include some of that work in the film and would of course keep any items shared/loaned to the production completely safe.

Any and all thoughts welcome.

Cheers
Al Ryan

[ForzaPalace]

Can’t wait for this. Great work.

[Malarkey]

[stevek]

Just a bit too early for me to be of any help, but this sounds great. Good luck with it.

[stumpy feelers]

This sounds brilliant, look forward to seeing it! Good luck with it all.

[Smoz]

Looking forward to this, I started going to Selhurst towards the end of 1978/79 season as an eleven year old so this really sounds appealing to me. Good luck with the project.

[eltron]

Brilliant idea.
Would be interesting to see where it brings us up to - as the peak of "The Team of the 80s was September 1979!

Should we start a thread for each of the players for a "where are they now"? - or do u know where each player is?
I know Jerry Murphy is an enigma that no one seems to know where he is.
Plus there is an undercurrent of players who were part of the Youth cup winning team who never made it, Steve Carter, David Fry etc - a bit like those player in "Class of 92" like Ben somebody-or-other..

[Hector]

My first season at 7 years old was 1978 and was a season ticket holder for the 78/79 season but generally its a little earlier for memories but remember the subsequent falling apart of that team.

[kabbott]

Originally Posted by eltron

Brilliant idea.
Would be interesting to see where it brings us up to - as the peak of "The Team of the 80s was September 1979!

Should we start a thread for each of the players for a "where are they now"? - or do u know where each player is?
I know Jerry Murphy is an enigma that no one seems to know where he is.
Plus there is an undercurrent of players who were part of the Youth cup winning team who never made it, Steve Carter, David Fry etc - a bit like those player in "Class of 92" like Ben somebody-or-other..

Pedant alert ... Actually it was Les Carter.
But there was a Stephen Leahy who was a prolific goalscorer in the youth team and reserve team.
And there was Steve Brennan (RIP) who captained Palace in both Youth Cup finals IIRC!

[917L]

Fantastic stuff. Would be wonderful to see that period represented properly. Cup wins and Sunderland and Leeds, Wrexham, Burnley, and beating Br*ghton to the title, Jimbos wondergoal to take us top etc

Great memories

[El Aguila]

This was where I came in - I started being taken to Selhurst Park, after epic nagging of my Dad who was never a football fan, bless him, just before big Mal was brought in, when I was eight in 1973, and invested all my football dreams in that period. It was a huge thing for kids my age to watch the Youth Cup runs and the team that was promoted through Div II with kids like Sansom, Hilaire and Gilbert - and all the rest - who were only four or five years older than us, the idea of a way of playing that they showed us. And it was a terrible shock when it all fell apart. Most of my memories are hazy impressions from childhood - I would have thought a key person to talk to in all this must be Hy Money.

There is some great archive footage about, I'm sure - it was also a hilarious time.... I think I remember Sally James wearing Palace kit on Tiswas, maybe when we played the semi final of the Cup - and there was Captain Sensible and the Damned in Palace scarves, Roger de Courcey and Nookie and all that stuff.

[Celestial Empire]

Given the way that that embryo team was taken apart, it will be interesting to see if the film is a "publish and be damned" true account, or will contain a plethora of 'air-brushing'.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by super al

I will be hoping to speak with as many of the main protagonists as possible to dig deep into an era that defined our great club

Looking forward to this, congratulations for your initiative.

It has to include Terry Venables. And some of the star young players that gave the team the label 'The Team of Eighties'. EG. Gilbert, Nicholas, Sansom, Hilaire, Murphy. John Cartright, coach of the FA Youth Cup winning side.

[N Herts Eagle]

The one oft forgotten as he never played for the first team is Chris Sparkes the last I knew he was a Cabbie but that was a number of years ago.

[Archiebald Leitch]

Burridge, Hinshelwood, Cannon, Gilbert, Sansom, Hilaire, Kember, Nicholas, Murphy, Swindlehurst, Walsh. Sub: Fenwick.

11 from the Youth team.

[Maidstoned Eagle]

Great days. Fab kit, amazing football and players and Palace going top against Ipswich on my birthday.

[kabbott]

Originally Posted by Maidstoned Eagle

Great days. Fab kit, amazing football and players and Palace going top against Ipswich on my birthday.

Oh yes, and that Jim Cannon goal! Dave Swindlehurst scored another good goal too which was immortalised on the front page of the Palace programme for many a game!

[orp pisshead1]

Originally Posted by Maidstoned Eagle

Great days. Fab kit, amazing football and players and Palace going top against Ipswich on my birthday.

4-1 and Jimbo scoring at the holmsdale end iircc. That said think it was white horse lane end now!. Great day
Trying to picture Jimbo’s goal and now think holmesdale end

[kabbott]

Originally Posted by orp pisshead1

4-1 and Jimbo scoring at the holmsdale end iircc. That said think it was white horse lane end now!. Great day
Trying to picture Jimbo’s goal and now think holmesdale end

I would have said Whitehorse. I'm pretty sure Ipswich had a corner at the Holmesdale end. Brutal counter-attack and I have an image of seeing Jimbo's back pegging it away down the middle to get on to the end of the cross.
I may be wrong though. Memory playing up, old age setting in ...

[Coastal Palace]

Originally Posted by kabbott

I would have said Whitehorse. I'm pretty sure Ipswich had a corner at the Holmesdale end. Brutal counter-attack and I have an image of seeing Jimbo's back pegging it away down the middle to get on to the end of the cross.
I may be wrong though. Memory playing up, old age setting in ...

One of the best goals scored at Selhurst iirc. And for one glorious week we were top of the hill.

Funnily enough, I dug the centenary dvd out the other night and watched both discs again for the umpteenth time.
Really looking forward to this 'team of the 80's' one. Might skip the part where it all goes horribly wrong though. It was bad enough living through it.