FTAO Sheff Latic and Others Re: Andy Ritchie

[oafcprozac]

Ok i'm bored, weather's crap. This should brighten up many a day….

 

Here's Andy Ritchie's first spell at Latics described in my usual minute detail for those of you too young to remember...

 

 

I was 10 years old when we signed Andy Ritchie in July 1987; he arrived around the same time as Glenn Keeley. Both players' transfer fees were decided by a tribunal we had offered £10,000 for 'Stitch', Leeds wanted £100,000 - we got him for £55,000. Big Joe needed a striker after falling out with Ron Futcher the previous February, meaning his loan swap deal that saw him move to Bradford City and Ian 'Stick' Ormondroyd move to BP for the rest of the season, had become permanent that summer. Thankfully Ormondroyd was sent back to Valley Parade after a meager return of just one goal.

 

Tbh I didn't really know much about Ritchie at the time, I knew he had scored the winner for Leeds when they won at BP the previous Christmas and Dad said he had been a thorn in our side over the years but the general consensus was he was a bit of a crock that had never really fulfilled the potential he had shown as a kid at Old Trafford. Anyhow my hero at the time was Tommy Wright, I was more pissed off that Mike Cecere was initially was given Tommy Wright's number 9 shirt, with Tommy moving to 10. (Tony Henry wore the 8 shirt Stitch would make famous in years to come) Stitch started his Latics career in the unfamiliar Number 11 shirt.

 

1987-88 Stitch's First Year

 

The club was suffering from the heartache of the previous Spring's play-off disappointment, ironically Ritchie had been part of the Leeds team that had staged that dramatic late reply and plunged Latics fans into the depths of despair, never out of the top three all season yet like so often a Latics team had snatched disappointment from elation. Andy Ritchie made his debut at West Brom in a goalless draw, then the hangover continued with a 2-0 defeat to Bradford on the Boundary Park plastic, before newly relegated Man City (Remember when they were :censored:?) rolled into town and left with a point from 1-1 draw. Another defeat, 1-0 at Ayresome Park followed and our new striker had failed to score and was part of a team that had scored just one goal in four games and had one measly point. The natives were getting restless; and although young Cecere had shown potential, him and Ritchie so far had failed to hit it off.

 

Finally on Easter Monday, Stitch opened his account with a brace in a 3-2 win at home to Huddersfield Town, however instead of being a platform it was the beginning of more inconsistent displays from the team and a spell on the sidelines for Ritchie. A consolation penalty in a drubbing at Filbert Street was followed by a goal at Brunton Park in the Littlewoods Cup but soon after Ritchie would pick up one of the many muscle strains that would blight his time at Boundary Park.

 

By the time he returned fully fit (and he would not miss another game that season) he had a new strike partner, the team had struggled without Ritchie even more so than they had with him. Thankfully Royle had decided that in order to use Ritchie's intelligence he needed someone to do the donkeywork for him, a bruiser, a battler - someone to get stuck in. The striker he had identified was George Reilly of WBA, Reilly had travelled to Boundary Park and was all set to sign, when he had a last-minute change of heart. Royle instead turned his attentions to Frank Bunn of Hull City - snapping up his man for £90,000. The deal being countered by Tony Henry's switch to Stoke the week after. Ritchie and Bunn were paired together at Dean Court on a foggy, cold day in December 1987, Tommy Wright was on his favoured left-wing and immediately this looked a different team to the one that had failed to score a league goal in the whole of November. Of course it was not only Bunn's signing and the return of Ritchie that made the difference, the midfield had been spiced up by the signing of John Kelly and a turbo heeled left-back by the name of Earl Barrett had signed from Manchester City all helping to freshen a team up that was clearly struggling and even more so since the departure of star goalkeeper Andy Goram to Hibs the previous September.

 

Anyhow, Bournemouth! Within minutes of the kick off Tommy Wright had scored and although Bournemouth hit back with two quick goals Latics looked a threat all afternoon and after linking with Ritchie, Bunn's physical strength saw him fouled and Tony Henry dispatched his penultimate goal or Oldham Athletic.

 

Bunn and Ritchie quickly formed an excellent partnership, supported by Palmer and Wright out-wide. Suddenly the goals began to flow and Ritchie ended the season with 21 goals in all competitions. A team that couldn't score for toffee in the first three months of the season - now due to the methodical thinking of its' manager could now not stop scoring. Ritchie with his new partner was a revelation, headers, volleys a plenty but it was his link up play, his urgency to get it wide that was so pleasing to watch. After flirting with the relegation places in the Autumn, the team recovered to finish 10th, just a place behind Man City.

 

88/89 Influential

 

The season started in nightmare fashion for Andy Ritchie, in a freak pre-season training accident a ball struck him and fractured his wrist, meaning his first appearance would not be until late September - as a substitute at home to Hull. Initially the team had not missed the great man's presence, in those first seven games they had plundered 15 goals, however like the season before the defence was a concern with 9 conceded. Ritchie's first start was in the embarrassing 2-0 defeat at Feethams which saw Latics go down to Darlington in the Littlewoods Cup first leg to a team winless and bottom of the entire football league. Ritchie bagged his first goal of the season by putting Latics in front on the way to a 4-0 second leg win.

 

The team suffered from a horrendous injury list this year; hopes were high for a play-off push at least given the expansive cavalier style the team played, however defensively the team were poor. Ritchie's season was hampered by niggling injuries and his strike partner Frank Bunn would pick up the knee injury that would contribute to his premature retirement two years later. Bunn would miss nearly four months of the season. However, unlike the previous season Ritchie had found his niche at Ice Station Zebra, with Wright supplying the bullets and often paired with Roger Palmer the two hit it off. Despite his many niggles, Ritchie was again top-scorer with 16 goals in all competitions, the highlight his equaliser at Goodison Park, earning the club a plum replay in the 3rd Round of the Littlewoods Cup.

 

89/90 Finally Realises his potential on the national stage

 

Of course everyone knows the pinch me season story, but in fact we started the season poorly. During the second half of the previous season the club had sold Mike Flynn, Mike Cecere and Tony Philliskirk with Andy Holden and Jon Hallworth coming in. That summer Peter Skipper and John Kelly were allowed to leave and Tommy Wright who had wanted to leave was sold to Leicester. Royle moved to immediately resolve the gaps in his team's supply line by signing Neil Adams permanently from Everton and Rick Holden from Watford. With no win in the first four games people were reaching for the panic button. Again Ritchie had started slowly, but we need not to have been worried. Holden had started well with a couple of goals including a stunner at Newcastle before the team finally bagged their first-win by despatching Plymouth 3-2 at home. Ritchie opening his account thanks to the Plymouth defender passing to him on the edge of the box under no pressure at all. Stitch gleefully smashing past Rhys Wilmot to seal the win. Ritchie went on to notch 15 goals in his next 20 league and cup games.

 

His finest moment in a Latics shirt came on the 29th November 1989. Latics had beaten Leeds home and away in the 2nd round of the Littlewoods Cup, before Scarborough were demolished and Frank Bunn wrote his name into League Cup legend. That same night Alan Smith had scored the only goal at Highbury to dispatch Liverpool meaning that Latics were drawn against the Champions of England. After a tentative opening Arsenal began to up the tempo and but for Alan Smith falling over his own feet would have seen the team behind. Still, the team had battlers who manfully and stood up to a physical Arsenal side man for man. As the game entered first-half injury time Andy Barlow floated over a cross and Ritchie chested down and smashed a volley of real venom it summed up Ritchie's ability to a tee. Appropriately Ritchie's header from a move he started rounded off an unforgettable night under the lights at Boundary Park the Champions were beaten 3-1. Ritchie was rightly the star of the show; he had proved to himself that he could still do it at the highest level.

 

The games came thick and fast and so did the goals, despite not missing a game until New Year's Day, the packed programme began to take its toll on Latics' talisman. The old niggles began to return and although the goals continued to flow he managed only 6 more League goals from December 1. However, he scored 28 in all competitions in an unforgettable year. Highlights were obviously the brace v Arsenal, but a wonderful volley with his back to goal at home to Sunderland, a rocket v Leeds in the League Cup, the strike which upstaged Frank Bunn v Scarborough and of course his late, late equaliser v Southampton when all was surely lost. One of my favourite Ritchie goal's that year was his late equaliser v Manchester United at Maine Road, and although we lost AET, it was good to see him bagging against the club that cast his raw talent aside in favour of the big money Frank Stapleton.

 

90/91 Champions but time begins to catch up

 

The Championship season of 1990/91 saw a changing of the guard at Boundary Park, Frank Bunn had hardly played during the 2nd half of the Pinch Me Season and in fact would never play again after May 1990 sadly. Joe Royle had seen the potential in Ian Marshall, a pacy if somewhat clunky centre-half. However, when pushed forward he created carnage in his wake, pacy, gangly with a flowing perm, defenders did not fancy his physical style at all. Marshall and Ritchie had been paired together to good effect the previous year and would plunder 32 league goals between them to shoot Latics to Championship glory. However, despite Ritchie scoring 15 goals including yet more stunners v Brighton, Wolves, another stunner away at Brighton, a cheeky back heel embarrassing a future England goalkeeper v Watford and an absolute cracker at Plymouth - the injury lay offs were becoming far more frequent. It was clear Stitch's body was creaking. The brain was still there, as was his ability and 15 goals speaks volumes but his body at 31 was beginning to give up on him.

 

91/92 Bit-part

 

Royle had snapped up veteran target man Graeme Sharp in the Summer of 1991. Alongside Marshall's raw rampaging and Ritchie's guile he wanted pure top-flight nouse and hold-up play. Ritchie was in and out of the side, often sub or out wide in those early top-flight days then on the treatment table for three significant chunks of that debut season in the top-flight. Even though his season was reduced to that of cameos the great man still provided a couple of real highlights. In a rare start he continued his love affair with the League Cup by scoring four times - his first Latics hat-trick v Torquay in a thumping 7-1 first-leg win. Then after another spell on the sidelines he was restored to the starting line-up against old foes Notts County, we were quickly a goal down before Ritchie bagged two in a minute including one where he led the defence and keeper a merry dance before slotting home from the angle.

 

92/93 Injury-Hit

 

During the summer of 1992 Ritchie had to admit defeat, the frequency of the muscle injuries had to be investigated. Of course playing on the Plastic Carpet for four years had not helped him and others had speculated whether this had been the cause of many other players' injuries not least Frank Bunn's terrible problems. However, it was discovered that the problem lay in his back. The issue was linked to putting stress on his leg muscles thus causing the many strains and spasms he had encoutered. It was decided that an operation to release the tension may well help alleviate the problem but it was not without risk and would see Ritchie out for almost a year with no guarantee of a return. Graeme Sharp would have the same operation a year later. By now Ritchie was becoming a forgotten figure, Graeme Sharp had top-scored the season before with Ian Olney the big money signing this year.

 

However, Ritchie was not to be out done. He finally returned in late January, and his return could not have come at a better time. In the first half of the season goals had been aplenty but a bombshell had been dropped in early January with Sharp being ruled out with his back problem for the rest of the season. That left young Olney leading the line on his own and quickly saw the team go a month without a goal. Ritchie helped the team to their first win in 5 at home to Chelsea and only win in 9, he looked understandably rusty but the goals were not coming. Royle dropped him to the bench before finally he bagged his first goal in a year - what would prove to be the winner at Ayresome Park live on Sky in a vital 3-2 win. The team were battling against relegation and Ritchie's place become further under threat when Darren Beckford arrived from Norwich. Still, Ritchie was increasingly involved and scored vital goals in the run in at home to Sheffield United and rolled back the years with a cracking header in that never to be forgotten Great Escape match v Southampton.

 

93/94 Struggling

 

Probably Ritchie's most disappointing season was Latics last year in the top-flight. He was seemingly free from injury - although the niggles did return and hamper any continuity, but the goals had deserted the great man - to be fair they had deserted the whole squad. With not one goal coming from central midfield all season. He did manage an early season penalty v Coventry and an absolute stunner v Barnsley in the FA Cup, but the general consensus was that at 34, the man who had scored so many fabulous goals over the years was in the twilight of his career. 



 

94/95 Indian Summer

 

An ageing Ritchie had started the season on the bench, Royle had a stable of strikers - although Darren Beckford and Ian Olney would not play a single game between them and Graeme Sharp would all but retire by early January, Sean McCarthy and new signing Nicky Banger would initially lead the line. Ritchie climbed off the bench to change the early season home clash with Burnley, 0-0 at HT with Burnely down to 10 men and Kevin Russell in goal (a midfielder) Latics had struggled to break them down - Ritchie quickly gave Latics the lead and a McCarthy brace saw a 3-0 win.

 

That was to be Ritchie's last league goal until late Autumn. His fortunes changed when Joe Royle left for Everton, although Ritchie had applied to succeed Royle, Sharp was favoured. The crowd were unhappy that a Latics Legend had been overlooked. Sharp moved to appease the dissenters by restoring Ritchie to then starting line-up. Whether it was frustration at his lack of opportunities or his lack of success in applying for the manager's job - Ritchie clicked and began plundering goals aplenty. He rolled back the years at the age of 34. He still missed the odd game through injury and was dropped to the bench a few times but he managed his best goal return since the 15 he scored in 90/91 - scoring 13 in all competitions including hat-tricks in successive home games v Port Vale and Wolves. There was a consensus that actually the old man may be worth a new deal, however Graeme Sharp decided that perhaps Stitch looking over his shoulder was a sacking waiting to happen and released Ritchie to Scarborough in the Summer of 1995. Many were outraged, however it probably was the right time to move on after a decent Indian Summer of a season allowing Latics fans to remember Ritchie as the quality goalscorer he was.

 

I am not going to cover his return or his managerial tenure. When he came back in February 1997 he was 37 years old, and every bit an old man in playing terms, there simply to appease the fans in dark, dark days. I prefer to remember him in his pomp between 1987-1991.

 

There is no doubt that had Ritchie stayed fit he would have led our line in the first division alongside Marshall, however he was missing more and more games with hamstring, thigh and groin pulls that had blighted his time at the club. I am in no doubt that if he had played up to 50 more games for the club he would have smashed Roger Palmer's goalscoring record. It was a travesty that Steve Bull went to Italia '90 ahead of Ritchie, at the very least he should have been given a chance in the 'B' Squad v the Czechs that saw Gazza cement his place.

 

Andy Ritchie is rightly a Latics legend, I don't often remember him being booked, he put himself about and wasn't afraid to get stuck in there. He was a tremendous header of the ball from anywhere in the area, had a demon shot on him and was quite simply the finest volleyer of a football I have ever seen and that includes Mark Hughes, he was capable of deft brilliance, could trap a ball instantly and would always look to bring others into play. Most important of all he played with a smile on his face and had the respect of his manager, his team-mates, the opposition and the adoring Latics fans. In my 26 years watching Latics, the team from December 1987 to May 1993 saw football played at Boundary Park that defies belief in this sterile tippy-tappy modern era and Stitch was the Taslisman in that side and even though I’ve had my own favourites aside from Andrew Timothy Ritchie, he was quite simply the greatest…..

 

 

Actually, perhaps I simply should have let the great man's actions speak for themselves….

 

Edited July 30, 2012 by oafcprozac

[Keepingthe Faith]

What a terrific piece of work. Brought memories flooding back. Thanks!

[pcassist]

What a terrific piece of work. Brought memories flooding back. Thanks!

+2

[slystallone]

+2

 

Wow.

If you're at a loose end Prozac with nothing to do, I've an absolute tonne of invoices to plough through after lunch......an extra pair of hands wouldn't go amiss If you're free??? ;-)

[oafcprozac]

Good luck with the invoices, I'll enjoy my remaining 5 weeks off.

 

Had plans earlier but the weather kiboshed them so Going for a swim later, still it gave me a chance to knock out this article.

 

 

National Footy Museum Tomorrow and Latics v City

 

Flicks and IWM North on Wednesday

 

MOSI of Thursday

 

Maybe bowling on Friday

 

Latics on Saturday

 

Pontins for 5 days from Monday

 

 

I think that's the next two weeks covered…..

Edited July 30, 2012 by oafcprozac

[sunshine185]

Wonderful post, brought back so many fantastic memories. Still get goosepimples thinking about his goal just before HT v arsenal in the cup.

[andy_b_100]

Just looking at that clip made me realise, if the stats for those games were brought into todays standard, we would see there was definaletly more than one excellent crosser of the ball in that team. Holden, Barlow, Irwin all with pinpoint accuracy... amazing to watch and also great to read.

Edited July 30, 2012 by andy_b_100

[EASTLEY]

Great Great post, still get goosebumps from the mention of some of the games there....Southampton away, Arsenal, Southampton at home and countless others. I know this is a post about Stitch but need to comment on Ricky Holden's overhead kick at Newcastle, still one of the best goals ever seen in a latics shirt? Wayne who?

[slystallone]

Just looking at that clip made me realise, if the stats for those games were brought into todays standard, we would see there was definaletly more than one excellent crosser of the ball in that team. Holden, Barlow, Irwin all with pinpoint accuracy... amazing to watch and also great to read.

 

Basically, that side was an absolute joy, and packed full of very, very good players. I thank my lucky stars I was able to see them in the flesh and be there during the pinch me years....I have so much respect for fans who follow us who didn't get to see us play when we were basically quite good.

 

We wont I dont think see the the like again at BP (we live in hope though obviously!!)

[Keepingthe Faith]

Basically, that side was an absolute joy, and packed full of very, very good players. I thank my lucky stars I was able to see them in the flesh and be there during the pinch me years....I have so much respect for fans who follow us who didn't get to see us play when we were basically quite good.

 

We wont I dont think see the the like again at BP (we live in hope though obviously!!)

 

My eldest son, who was 7 yrs old when I first started taking him to games at the start of the 'pinch me' season. Poor bugger, thought it would always be like it was for the next few seasons!

 

BTW. You should think about writing a book, I for one would by a copy if it was to the same standard as your above post.

[oafcprozac]

It's something i've toyed with and have a lot of material it's simply finding the time. I have thought of approaching the club to write regular features in the porogramme. I know they provide an admirable publication, one I buy every week, I just think I could probably come up with something along the lines of what John Gilder and Jim Kirton used to write in the late 80s.