Was he Welsh? I think Garrincha"the little bird" played against them in the 1958 WC Finals and mystery man would have played against the English in the home nations.
That Gangsta knows his leeks. I think the only winning medal he won was with the Albion, and who out of the three wingers was the most difficult to play against?
Didn't Hopkins appear a couple of years ago at Withdean, as one of the ex players that they used to interview at h/t?
I remember it only because, at half time during one game, the guy who was sitting beside me appeared on the pitch and was the ex player who was interviewed. I didn't have a clue who he was until a friend, sitting on my other side said " Bloody hell that's Mel Hopkins" and proceeded to tell me who he was and how good he was and what a great full back who'd played against Brazil, England etc. He'd joined us from Arsenal(?) I seem to remember him telling me.
Very embarrasing because I'd spent the first half complaining (alright moaning!) about what a terrible game Mayo was having. Needless to say I shut up during the second half as Hopkins took his place beside me at kick off.
I think Mel Hopkins might take exception to the Arsenal connection as he came from Spurs and he still goes to most of their games as an ex-player guest.
He lost his nose in a clash with Saint (Ian St.John) whilst playing for Wales at Hampden Park, and therefore missed the Spurs double-winning medals in 1960-1 (I hope this is the right season).
And who was the winger that was hardest to play against (a long standing football argument), was it Stanley Matthews or Tom Finney? The answer from a good source was Tom Finney who could go cut inside or go around the outside, and was quicker at collecting the ball, and Stanley Matthews was easier to play against because it was possible to get to the pass/ball before he did and therefore problem over.
Garrincha was the trickiest of the wingers. But the winger than caused Mel most problems was Alan Finney (who?) of Sheffield Wednesday because of his sheer speed.
I think Mel Hopkins might take exception to the Arsenal connection as he came from Spurs and he still goes to most of their games as an ex-player guest.
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Hargreaves own the land at the cement works and they have done medium scale developments all over Sussex, and they have something bigger planned, a mixed development for the cement works site, but it is not expected to go ahead, because West Sussex County Council object to it (as well as the South Downs Conservation Board: but they object to everything and anything).
However, the Hargreaves scheme is not really thought through properly so it isn't any good because of poor transport connections.
However, at Pende where the transport connections are really good, a firm called Wheelwright is making a right shambles of the site, thanks to Adur District Council. The planning consultant is the same for the both land owners.
So what it boils down to is that the capital, the ambition, the know-how, the land, is all there available at Pende if the Falmer Planning Application falls through. All that actually remains would be the political will and dealing with the lawyers and any other greedy bastards.
My personal opinion is not only is the Pende site better than Falmer, but it is actually better than any conceivable site for a multiple stadium complex in the whole of Britain, as well being four times the size of the land that Arsenal plan to build on.
Click on the text above. Between Shoreham Airport and Lancing next to, north of the railway line. The name Pende is not included on the maps, next to the Withy Patch on the A27, but that is not marked on the map either.
When I asked Mel about things like what is the best stadium he had played in the Bernabau (Real Madrid) or the biggest ) that huge 200,000 stadium - it was full - in Brazil) or the best now the Cardiff Millennium (he still has a Welsh accent), but he still seemed most enthusiastic about boy's clubs and the modern equivalent of sport's clubs.
PS: he seemed to think it was a bad idea that boys should be in front of computers all day.
Mel also trained me to play footy for Shoreham boys - the Greens as they were known
Perseus in relation to 'Pende' or 'the piece of pland between Shoreham Airport and Lancing' as it should be known, how come you failed to respond to my question about the proposed golf course on the site... Or didn't you know about that.
Also - was that you on Harty's phone in the other night ?
No, I wasn't on Harty's phone in. I didn't listen to it either.
The golf course is just a ruse to dump spoil and avoid the tax so they can make millions of pounds. What they do is dump huge amounts of dirt and builder's rubble and then grass it over and call it a golf course. It is nothing of the sort. It is just a pile of shit.
As far as the landowners are concerned, they make their dosh out of charging money for builders to deposit their waste and they could not care tuppence about what is build there. Except it has to be "recreational" for the tax exemption. If a pretend golf course qualifies as recreational, I am sure a genuine sports stadium would qualify as well.
Part of the land is actually allocated for football pitches. Probably big enough to put the stadium in, although I have not looked this up and the Planning Officer did not know when I asked him. It is on the good bit of land near the railway line though.