Just seen a interview with Eric Winstanley on youtube.. excellent, In this day-n-age where yoof is king and experience is just ..old fashioned thinking.. Its great to listen to someone who knows what he's talking about, Speaking from knowledge, rather than the sound bite, spin and b0ll0cks of todays over the top media coverage... Excellent interview.. bravo to all concerned...
Just watched it myself. Could listen to football men like him for hours. Before my time as a player, but still the best coach we've had in my time watching Barnsley. Whether it was first team, reserves, or juniors, he produced some fine teams and fine players. I know a handful of lads who were juniors, YTS, intermediate players in the 80s and 90s, they all say they'd have run through brick walls for him.
It was a pleasure to interview Eric, my first Oakwell hero when I started watching the Reds in 1969. A really genuine, unassuming guy with a wealth of football knowledge.
Lovely to see him looking and talking so well. Very interesting listen. Pity he couldn’t go on the pitch recently with the other legends. Any idea why not?
Really great watch that. What a bloke. Heard many an ex-player say good things about him as a coach and as a person.
Met Eric in the Crown Inn at Barnburgh about 4 years ago...we went in for Sunday lunch with my lad on crutches following an ACL rebuild...Eric asked him what he'd done and explained he'd had the same injury and rolled his trouser leg up to show us the scars...took plenty of time to chat with a young lad he'd never met before....top bloke!!!
Is that lucky Alf from the fast show, in the second part of the interview, or Blanco from porridge. Great to watch that, all from my era.
Thank for posting such a wonderful video. Great player. Great hero. Great coach. Great club legend. Great man. He is one of the reasons I fell in love with my hometown club. A love that's as strong today as it's ever been. God bless you, Eric.
He used to think I was a tw@t not my old man, although bizarrely he did think that he stabbed John Hendrie in the back, which is about as far from the truth as you can get.
He's diabetic, and had a mini crash on the way round which left him a little bit dizzy and light headed. He was gutted to miss out especially as all his grandkids were in the Ponty as usual waiting for him to come out. These things happen, but he's back fighting fit which is the most important thing.
Although I would concede that Ronnie Glavin and Craig Hignett were better footballers and Neil Redfern achieved more, Eric would still be first name on my best XI of all time. Anyone who saw his hat trick against Watford from centre half would say the same, a real Roy of the Rovers for Barnsley. I'm 62 now and he is still my hero!
Great to hear tez and I have to say having watched the video he looks very well , needs to grow his muzzy back tho' , sithi.
I saw it. A struggling Reds side in the Third Division up against the league leaders. A home defeat was the only logical result but Big Eric turned that match on its head with a superb hat trick. They just don’t make centre halves like him anymore.