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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 10:35 5 Apr 2023
Just to confirm Tommy will be the guest at the Liberty Stadium this Friday for the game against Coventry. You can meet up with him, have a chat and a photo and buy a signed copy of his book if you wish. He will be in the club shop from 12:30. -1.15 and then in the club lounges before and after the game.
Not surprisingly, as Tommy spent the last 25 years of his working life there, the book has a large section covering his time in South Wales, particularly in Swansea. Below is an extract from the Swansea part of the book. Here, Tommy is telling the story of what happened when the club was declared bankrupt and was very close to liquidation.
The players met in the Vetch Field dressing room to hear the news and were devastated. As far as we knew, we were now out of a job. John Bond was removed as manager and the stadium was closed and padlocked. Our game against Walsall the following day was postponed. It seemed as if Swansea City was dead. However, it was not quite the case. There was still the flicker of a pulse in the almost-moribund body of the club, giving a small glimmer of hope.
The fans immediately rallied around with fundraising schemes. Two groups of local businessmen, one led by current chairman Sharpe, set about putting rescue packages together. On Christmas Eve 1985, the club was granted a three-week stay of execution to see if it could be saved. Jeffrey Paine was installed as general manager of the club operating under the supervision of the official receiver.
I was asked to look after the playing side. I would be assisted by my fellow senior pro, goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer, and Ron Walton, who had coached and scouted for John Bond. I was finally to become a manager, albeit a temporary one in the most unusual and difficult of circumstances, six months after missing out on the Burnley job.
One thing that I made clear to Jeffrey Paine was that I would be continuing as a player, something he had no problem with. Any issues to do with the playing side of the club was completely down to me. He would have enough to do in trying to keep the club afloat. My remit was to find a way of fielding 11 “players to make sure we fulfilled our fixtures and simply do our best. Winning or drawing would be a bonus. Two days after being appointed, I took charge of my first game, a 1-0 defeat in the South Wales derby with Cardiff. Four games in, I had my first win in the rearranged game with Walsall. Of the first five games we played with me and Rimmer in charge, we won two, lost two and drew one; a reasonable start. I
Excerpt From
Hutch, Hard Work and Belief
Tommy Hutchison and Kevin Shannon
https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=0
This material may be protected by copyright.
If anyone would like a signed copy of the book delivered to their door then please use the form connected to the link below. Any orders received by Thursday night are guaranteed.(We may sell out the books we have at the game on Friday)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTP [Post edited 5 Apr 2023 10:37]
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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 15:11 4 Apr 2023
Tommy spent five very eventful seasons with the Swans during which;
- he became the oldest ever Swansea player
- managed the club on three separate occasions
-lead the club through their darkest hour when liquidation was the likeliest outcome
-was a member of the teams relegated from the old division three and then promoted from the old division 4
- became the oldest debutant in European football playing for the Swans in the Cup Winners Cup
-was a ‘victim’ of the Swansea version of Deadly Doug as he swung the managerial axe
Tommy played for three more years at Merthyr after leaving Swansea. He retired from football at the age of 46. He continued to live in South Wales working with disadvantaged children in his role as a PFA football development officer.There must be thousands of, what are now middle aged people, up and down the valleys, who attended his courses when children. Many of their stories are recorded in the book.
By the time he retired from this role, he had lived longer in South Wales than he had in Scotland! His daughter still lives in Swansea (which is handy for this game!)
The book covers in detail his time in South Wales with seven chapters devoted to this period of Tommy’s life. It will be of interest to all Swansea fans who have in the history of the club.
Tommy will be in the club shop from 12:30 to 1:15 on Friday before the game. Come over to say hello and have a picture taken with the great man. You can buy a signed copy of the book too. Swansea fans in the hospitality lounges can have a listen to some of Tommy’s Swansea tales before and after the game. Please come over and say hello.
If you can’t come and see him on Friday, you can have a signed copy of the book delivered to your door by using the form below. I can only guarantee delivery of the book if ordered up until Thursday night as I don’t know how many, if any, books we will have left after the game on Friday.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTP [Post edited 5 Apr 2023 10:37]
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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 20:11 3 Apr 2023
Hi.The book is out. If you look a couple of posts above you will see a link that takes you to a form. If you fill it in , I can send you a signed copy. |
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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 11:37 3 Apr 2023
Just bumping this into thread again. In contrast to Manchester City, Swansea have Ben very kind and generous in having Tommy as their special guest for the game against Coventry on Friday. A special thanks to Sophie Clarke at the club who has been great in setting up this event.
Tommy will be in the club shop from 12:30 on Friday. Come and say hello, have a chat and your picture taken with him. He really enjoys talking to fans. If you would like a signed copy of the book that is great but if not just come and say hello.
Tommy will then be in the lounges before and after the game. He tells a great story and is well worth listening to. Apologies if I bump this thread a few times in the week.
If you would like a signed copy of the book but can’t get to the shop or the lounges on Friday then have a signed copy delivered to your door by filling out the form below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTP [Post edited 3 Apr 2023 11:39]
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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 19:34 13 Feb 2023
Thank you again for the great memories of Tommy playing for Swansea. I have passed these on to him.
Tommy spent five years with the Swans another three at Merthyr and then remained living in South Wales until he retired from his work as a football development officer a few years ago. His time in the area is obviously a huge part of the book. Below is an extract from when he first signed for Swansea.
‘My introduction to my new team-mates came during a pre-season tournament in Malaysia with Kuala Lumpur as our base. How the club were able to afford such an exotic location for a pre-season visit was something that I pondered when the financial chickens came home to roost later in the season. At the time, it was just another exciting place that playing football had enabled me to visit.
After one of the games, John Bond gave Colin Pascoe such a roasting that he was in tears. Some of the Welsh boys felt that they were singled out for criticism more than the English boys. I told Pascoe this wasn’t the case and that Bond just wanted players to act on advice and improve. I told him, ‘Pasc, the time tae start worrying is when he doesnae speak tae you as that means he’s givin’ up on you.’ Bond would become genuinely frustrated by players who couldn’t or wouldn’t act on his advice.
The boss hadn’t pleased the Swansea fans at the end of the previous season when he released local boy Dean Saunders, who had scored a few goals for the Swans, for the very reason that he would not act on the things he was being asked to do (mainly to delay his runs in behind defenders as he was frequently and unnecessarily caught offside). Saunders, like Dixon from Burnley, went on to have a fantastic top-flight career.
It wasn’t looking too good for John when the chairman sided with the fans and criticised the decision to let Saunders go. Bond also didn’t inspire much confidence as to what his players could achieve when he declared that it was the worst squad of players that he had ever seen! He didn’t tell me that when I was signing on!
Once the season started, the mood of the fans did not improve. We lost the first four league games. By early November we had won only four times, but by then there were bigger fish to fry than league position. We were facing a battle for the very survival of the club. The first hint that I had of the looming situation was in October when HMRC called for a winding-up order against the club due to unpaid taxes. We muddled along until Christmas when the real hammer blow fell. A High Court judge ruled Swansea City insolvent and effectively wound the club up.’
If you would like a signed copy of the book delivered to your door, use the link below to bring up the appropriate form.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTP |
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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 14:40 12 Feb 2023
Thanks for all of the comments and memories of Tommy. I have copied them and sent them over to him. He often says that no one will remember him. Nice to prove him wrong but give him a boost at the same time! |
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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 22:15 11 Feb 2023
I’ve met David. Still a very nice chap. All Tommy’s children have done well for themselves.7 |
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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 21:06 11 Feb 2023
I have recently had the book mentioned above published. It is called ‘Hutch Hard Work and Belief’.
Tommy will be the guest of the club at the match against Coventry on April 7 (Good Friday). We will be selling copies of the book in the club shop before the game and in the lounges before and after the match.
Tommy joined Swansea at the age of 37. He stayed for five years, played nearly 200 games for the club and was there in a momentous and turbulent time. Five chapters of the book are devoted to his time at the club. Anyone who remembers Doug Sharpe’s chairmanship will find the stories enlightening!
Tommy really enjoyed his time in South Wales. He played on for another three years after leaving Swansea, at Merthyr and then worked for several more years as a football development officer for the PFA up and down the valleys. His daughter still lives in Swansea.
Tommy is a down to earth and humble chap. I didn’t know him before writing the book book but I was really pleased to find out he was such a good bloke. When he is in Swansea, please come over and say hello and have a picture with him whether buying a book or not. He really enjoys chatting to fans.
I have to say I have been very impressed with the reception we have been given by Swansea. They couldn’t have been more helpful and generous. Coventry, Blackpool and Alloa have all been lovely too. This is in contrast to Man City who invited us to a game but wouldn’t let us sell books either inside or outside of the ground. We didn’t attend in the end.
I was hoping to set up a forum in or close to Swansea on the Thursday night before the game. This would be a Q and A session with Tommy, probably in a social club. We have done a few of these in Coventry, a couple for Man City fans ( in contrast to their club, they have been great) and are doing one in Blackpool too. The ones we have done have all been great events. When details of Tommy’s programme for the couple of days he is in town are clear, I will post them on here.
For anyone who would like to buy a signed copy of the book or who won’t be around when Tommy is in Swansea, you can have a book delivered to your door by using the link below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTP
Thanks [Post edited 3 Apr 2023 11:38]
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Reply | Tommy Hutchison
at 23:29 4 Jan 2022
Thanks very much for the reply. I will mention it to Tommy and see if he remembers the incident. He has spoken to me about the Panethaniakos game and it was one of the highlights of his Swansea days. |
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Thread | Tommy Hutchison
at 14:39 3 Jan 2022
Hi, a Coventry fan here. I am writing a book about former Swan,Tommy Hutchison. I spent a week at the end of September recording his story with him in Fife. His career was so long and he has so many great stories that we had another week and a half on Zoom calls to cover his whole career!
I was a teenager in the 70s when he was at my club and I have never seen a player like him who could generate excitement in the crowd everytime he recieved the ball.He was fantastic to watch. I never thought that 50 odd years later I would have got to know him. He is a funny, down to earth bloke who has no airs and graces.
I hope the book will be out sometime this year. He had a lot to say about his Swansea years as, to say the least it was a turbulent time for your club, particularly with characters like Doug Sharpe around.
I am putting similar messages to this on the fans forums of all of Tommy's old clubs. I am hoping to have a section at the back of the book where fans of Alloa, Blackpool, Coventry, Seattle Sounders, Man City, Bulgaria (difficult as they don't exist any more), Burnley, Swansea, Merthyr and Scotland can give any of their memories of meeting Tommy or of games he played in. He certainly enjoyed his time in South Wales and he continued to live there until his retirement as a Football in the Community officer for Bristol City and he moved back to Fife. I've had some great comments from Blackpool and Coventry fans so far and I am sure many Swansea fans will good memories of him.
You can either put your comments on this thread or you can email me at;
mrmagicfootball@outlook.com
Thanks in advance for any contributions.Apologies if I bump this thread occasionally to give everyone who knew Hutch a chance to contribute.
This post has been edited by an administrator |
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