Barry Kitchener - Millwall legend

[Seagull over Canaryland]

I don't have much love for Millwall but am sad to read that one of footballs characters big Barry Kitchener has passed away. 600+ games for the Lions. Club captain for some time too.

Prompts memories of a few encounters against the Albion back in the '70s, a very hard defender with a chest thumping, no prisoners taken attitude, the sort of old school player not seen in footie now. Rightly described on another site as having that 'run through a brick wall' rousing die for the cause style. He epitomised what the old Den was about, intimidating on and off the pitch.

However I do recall Peter Ward giving him the run around and Kitchener making one 'challenge' on a greasy Goldstone pitch that fortunately missed Wardy by a mile, if not he'd still be up in the air now.

I used to think of Kitchener (and Jim Cannon from that other club) as the sort of defenders that it was especially good to get a result over because they played a very hard game.

 

[rocker959]

Barry Kitchener Legend RIP . He and the late Harry Cripps formidable pair.
Both hard as nails.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Old school defender who nowadays would have to play rugby to take out that aggression.

 

[sod1]

Barry Kitchener Legend RIP . He and the late Harry Cripps formidable pair.
Both hard as nails.

this !

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Millwall v Brighton from 1972/73 with Barry Kitchener having some great efforts on goal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCji8iCl1Yw

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Kitchener wasn't alone in those days - there were plenty of old fashioned hard defenders - Cannon, Allardyce, Billy Bonds and a nasty lump that used to play for Southampton (can't remember his name).

Curiously though the Albion never really had a real hard man central defender in the late 70's (one or two since then of course). Rollings, Winstanley, and later on Suddaby could dish it out if necessary but were quite steady and never 'hard men'. Of course they benefitted from playing alongside Lawrenson who was so cultured and poles apart from the hard men. Lawro really was on another level.

Thinking back to how Allardyce used to play for Bolton it really is remarkable that he should end up as manager at West Ham. You couldn't make it up.

 

[Gwylan]

Kitchener wasn't alone in those days - there were plenty of old fashioned hard defenders - Cannon, Allardyce, Billy Bonds and a nasty lump that used to play for Southampton (can't remember his name).

Jim Steele? He was a tough player.

Sad about Kitchener though - don't see much of that sort of loyalty these days

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Thjat Millwall game shown above was my 1st visit to the real Den.

Kitchener was a formidable hulk of a man yet Wardy showed how to play him. No chance to out muscle the man but Wardy flicked it over his head and was able to take a detour around the aging Kithener to score. Didn't realise 'Arry Crips had also gone. Kitchener & Crips WERE Millwall back in those days.

From that clip above, Denis Burnett of Millwall was class and later had a season or 2 with Albion. And that Saints giant, could that be John McGrath, who also had a few games on loan with Albion?

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Nice if slightly tongue in cheek tribute to Kitchener's robust defending style in todays Sunday Times titled: 'RIP the gentle giant with a vicious karate chop'.

A couple of quotes from the article: 'the local paper called him a gentle giant - one of the more imaginative definitions of the word gentle I have come across. I once saw him nearly decapitate a Sunderland player...a fabulous karate chop to the back of the neck. It is probably true that he was marginally less homicidal than his equally excellent colleague Harry Cripps...but 'gentle' would not be the first adjective that springs to mind'.

Also: 'They are talking of having a minutes silence for Barry at the next Millwall home game.....against Hull City, my suggestion is that instead we should ceremonially maim Hull's centre forward in the first few minutes' - to which a Millwall supporting mate replied: 'Yes, it's what he would have wanted'.

 

[wolfie]

Barry Kitchener Legend RIP . He and the late Harry Cripps formidable pair.
Both hard as nails.

Harry Cripps !! Still remember his wonderful OG at the Goldstone in 1965 - past Alex Stepney.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

This thread reminds me, gotta find a copy of Eamon Dunphy's 'Only A Game?' book about his time as a Millwall player with Cripps, Kitchener and Gordon Hill...