The last time Football was abandonded

[Old Master]

A look back at when Blackpool were leading the old First Division when English football was abandoned for the outbreak of the Second World War.

Fans of runaway leaders Liverpool are currently concerned about the prospect of the Premier League season being declared null and void.
By Matt Scrafton Saturday, 14th March 2020, 4:36 pm Updated Saturday, 14th March 2020, 4:44 pm

Loss of revenue from Blackpool's cancelled game against Sunderland over coronavirus pandemic will be 'significant'
But this isn’t the first time a domestic football season has been forced to have been suspended.
The 1939/40 campaign was halted just three games in before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Jock Dodds was Blackpool's top scorer during the 1939/40 season Copyright: jpimedia
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Believe it or not, Blackpool were the side leading the old First Division with a 100 per cent record at the time.
All divisions in the English football pyramid played their final fixtures of the season on Saturday, September 2, the day after Germany invaded Poland.
These were to be the last fixtures before the abandonment of games after Britain declared war on Germany on Sunday, September 3.
Large gatherings of crowds were suspended with the implementation of the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939.

The Seasiders led the way in the First Division table with six points, at a time when it remained two points for a win.
Blackpool beat Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Bloomfield Road and overcame Huddersfield Town 1-0 away from home in their opening three games.
Pool were ahead of Sheffield United in second, Arsenal in third, Liverpool in fourth and reiging champions Everton in fifth.
Their Lancashire rivals Preston North End sat 19th in the 22-side table.

After the First Division was abandoned, Blackpool did go on to compete in the North-West Regional League, finishing third.
Jock Dodds was the club’s top scorer for the second consecutive season with 38 goals in all competitions.
These do not count in official statistics, however.
Dodds moved to Blackpool from Sheffield United in March 1939 for a fee of £10,000, citing family reasons for his request to leave the Yorkshire club.

At the time it was the second highest transfer fee, to the record fee of £14,000 paid to Wolverhampton Wanderers by Arsenal for Bryn Jones.

Dodds agreed terms of £6 a week plus a £2 bonus for every first-team appearance.

On his move to Blackpool, Dodds said: “It was a lovely sunny day and after the sooty streets of Sheffield I remember thinking it was like coming to paradise.”
He made his Blackpool debut on March 11, 1939, in a defeat at Charlton Athletic, scoring Pool’s only goal.

He went on to score four in a home win over Middlesbrough and quickly became a favourite.
The Second World War intervened, and the Football League programme was abandoned.
Dodds joined the Royal Air Force, and was stationed in Blackpool as a PT instructor.
The Scot continued to play for Blackpool, with most of his goals in the war years coming in regional competitions.

Dodds, who passed away in 2007, was inducted into Blackpool’s Hall of Fame in 2006 when it was opened by the late, great Jimmy Armfield.


Wages for Footballers have certainly improved a lot since 1939, that's for certain. OM

[Mal Venus]

Three games in is a lot different to the current situation.

Cricket wouldn't call a result if a team had only faced three overs. They might if they'd face 2/3 of their allotment.

[theorakle]

thanks for that bit of blackpool history OM very interesting. now a little orackle history,my best mate ron and I had a pint with ernie taylor in the foxhall pub. it was surreal having a jar with the man who had lived our dreams,played for Manchester utd that is. he also played for blackpool too. I know you know om this is just for the benefit of those that don't. cheers.

[God is an Englishman]

thanks for that bit of blackpool history OM very interesting. now a little orackle history,my best mate ron and I had a pint with ernie taylor in the foxhall pub. it was surreal having a jar with the man who had lived our dreams,played for Manchester utd that is. he also played for blackpool too. I know you know om this is just for the benefit of those that don't. cheers.

I had a beer with someone once as well.

[God is an Englishman]

On his move to Blackpool, Dodds said: “It was a lovely sunny day and after the sooty streets of Sheffield I remember thinking it was like coming to paradise.”



Wages for Footballers have certainly improved a lot since 1939, that's for certain. OM

Not just wages that have changed, sheffield would now be paradise compared to blackpool.

[Old Master]

On his move to Blackpool, Dodds said: “It was a lovely sunny day and after the sooty streets of Sheffield I remember thinking it was like coming to paradise.”



Wages for Footballers have certainly improved a lot since 1939, that's for certain. OM

Not just wages that have changed, sheffield would now be paradise compared to blackpool.

Unfortunately, that is probably true.

[theorakle]

don't let him get under your skin OM. blackpool was always a magic place for me too. when my sister and I were little kids our hols were in blackpool. as a teenager I was there most Saturdays. not just when man utd were at bloomfield road. pablos for fish and chips and then on to the pleasure beach where I felt like a fox in a hen house. later I had my honeymoon in blackpool and we stayed at the Manchester hotel. we danced in the tower ballroom and met reg Dixon. blackpool will forever be a fabulous place for me. cheers.

[God is an Englishman]

don't let him get under your skin OM. blackpool was always a magic place for me too. when my sister and I were little kids our hols were in blackpool. as a teenager I was there most Saturdays. not just when man utd were at bloomfield road. pablos for fish and chips and then on to the pleasure beach where I felt like a fox in a hen house. later I had my honeymoon in blackpool and we stayed at the Manchester hotel. we danced in the tower ballroom and met reg Dixon. blackpool will forever be a fabulous place for me. cheers.

When was the last time you were there?

One of the unemployment, drugs and homeless capitals of England. Always in the top 10 of places to live in the country, often top.

[theorakle]

don't let him get under your skin OM. blackpool was always a magic place for me too. when my sister and I were little kids our hols were in blackpool. as a teenager I was there most Saturdays. not just when man utd were at bloomfield road. pablos for fish and chips and then on to the pleasure beach where I felt like a fox in a hen house. later I had my honeymoon in blackpool and we stayed at the Manchester hotel. we danced in the tower ballroom and met reg Dixon. blackpool will forever be a fabulous place for me. cheers.

When was the last time you were there?

One of the unemployment, drugs and homeless capitals of England. Always in the top 10 of places to live in the country, often top.

about 60 years ago. thanks for the heads up GIAE. if what you say is true all I can say its a bloody shame. the world has changed,not all for the better unfortunately. bit like our game as well. what do you reckon OM.

[Old Master]

don't let him get under your skin OM. blackpool was always a magic place for me too. when my sister and I were little kids our hols were in blackpool. as a teenager I was there most Saturdays. not just when man utd were at bloomfield road. pablos for fish and chips and then on to the pleasure beach where I felt like a fox in a hen house. later I had my honeymoon in blackpool and we stayed at the Manchester hotel. we danced in the tower ballroom and met reg Dixon. blackpool will forever be a fabulous place for me. cheers.

When was the last time you were there?

One of the unemployment, drugs and homeless capitals of England. Always in the top 10 of places to live in the country, often top.

about 60 years ago. thanks for the heads up GIAE. if what you say is true all I can say its a bloody shame. the world has changed,not all for the better unfortunately. bit like our game as well. what do you reckon OM.

Oracle, I last was in Blackpool when I got on the train to London to board the plane to Australia in 1974, it was starting to decline then and at least I was lucky enough to live there through some of the good times.
Not long after I arrived in Oz a Football supporter was stabbed at a Blackpool Home match and that was the first real sign that the town was going to the dogs - there were a few incidents of crowd trouble before I left but nothing anywhere near as bad as it became.
Unemployment, which had always been a winter problem rose into a year round problem when the Thatcher government pushed thousands of druggies & other criminals up north to clear out the slums of London, which led to less tourists, high crime levels, etc.
My Dad had to put steel doors and window shutters on our old home after being robbed three times as my Mum was home each time, at least that stopped them but they then tried to burn the place down and other damage until the police finally caught them, they had terrorised the area for three years and they went to prison for a very long time.

[God is an Englishman]

It's all thatcher's fault.