Just how good was King Alick?

[Sammy Chung was King]

I wish i had seen him play. Some people can play the game so well it goes beyond just football. Diego Maradona, Ryan Giggs, Gascoigne, Cantona, Zidane all players who had this ability.
Did anybody ever chat with him about the injury? was he bitter about it?. Or was he relieved in a way because it would almost certainly have led to his death at Munich?.
How good was his lad i remember seeing he had a time as a junior with Rovers?. A lot of players from that era there just isn't much coverage is there?. Even the massive players like Puskas there will be plenty of games but nowhere near half of the games he played.

What was his style did he glide over the pitch? or was he a busy bustling type?. How quick was he i did hear he had the strength of a bloke at fifteen.
John Ryan seems to idolise him when you read the many times he has mentioned him. I would love to think somebody somwhere has unseen footage of him playing.
That's something i meant to ask ages ago. Am i remembering right that at some time a lot of our historical items facts etc went missing?. I seem to remember somebody mentioning it.

[ScillyRover]

http://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/flash/00000000/00031000/00031408.mp4.m3u8

[BobG]

The first match he played when he came back in the mid 60's was a reserve game down at BV. I wasn't there - but my Dad was. I can't remember the exact figures, but the attendance that day was several thousand. The usual attendance for a reserve match was a couple of hundred.

If he had played today he'd be at Barcelona.

And no. He wasn't bitter. He was very relaxed actually about what happened. His lad was a far better player than I ever was - but that didn't make him into a good player!

How many other players from 60 years ago, Sammy, who never played a full international match, who never played in the first division, are still talked about the length and breadth of this country? The evidence is all here - in this thread. I got accosted by a bloke in Swansea. Someone got accosted somewhere in Spain. People haven't forgotten Alick. He was going to be the very, very best. It's not a joke when people say Bobby Charlton would never have got into United's team. He wouldn't. He was the reserve for Alick. Alick, btw, hit the ball as hard as Bobby did too. And Bobby was famous for really smacking the thing. You can look him up on youtube. There's film of him doing it. Alick was as good. Only he could do it with both feet.

BobG

[drfchound]

Charlton could do it with both feet too.

[Donnywolf]

The first match he played when he came back in the mid 60's was a reserve game down at BV. I wasn't there - but my Dad was. I can't remember the exact figures, but the attendance that day was several thousand. The usual attendance for a reserve match was a couple of hundred.

If he had played today he'd be at Barcelona.

And no. He wasn't bitter. He was very relaxed actually about what happened. His lad was a far better player than I ever was - but that didn't make him into a good player!

How many other players from 60 years ago, Sammy, who never played a full international match, who never played in the first division, are still talked about the length and breadth of this country? The evidence is all here - in this thread. I got accosted by a bloke in Swansea. Someone got accosted somewhere in Spain. People haven't forgotten Alick. He was going to be the very, very best. It's not a joke when people say Bobby Charlton would never have got into United's team. He wouldn't. He was the reserve for Alick. Alick, btw, hit the ball as hard as Bobby did too. And Bobby was famous for really smacking the thing. You can look him up on youtube. There's film of him doing it. Alick was as good. Only he could do it with both feet.

BobG

I was there and I think it was v Crewe (though Crewe may well have been the first League opponents)

There were hundreds outside the Players entrance before the game hoping for a glimpse or Autograph. Suddenly the door opened and out stepped King Alick. Nobody moved because I don't think they recognised him. Then I got in and got an autograph and the rest mobbed him having realised he was there

Big big attendance that day

[ravenrover]

My Father in Law used to talk about AJ the 1st time round. He always talked about how hard he could shoot, referring to a time when AJ let fly it was just outside the post and hit the advertising behind the goal with such a crash and rebounded before the keeper had started his dive. Memories eh?
I only saw the 2nd coming of AJ and all I can say is what a player!