Story showed gulf between players and fans

ANTON Rippon’s excellent article on Rams legend Bill Curry (“Bustling Bill became a real crowd favourite with the Rams”, September 16) will really strike a chord with fans of my generation.

Not only did it acknowledge Bill’s significant contribution to the club but, for me, it also brought home how the game has changed, particularly the ever-widening gulf between players and fans.

In those days I lived only five minutes walk from the Baseball Ground and it was common knowledge that Bill, for a while at least, was living in digs in Cambridge Street, barely 100 yards from the ground.

I recall us knocking on the front door one evening and he obligingly came out to sign autographs. Would any of that be possible today?

Most Rams fans of that era will remember Bill scoring in a 2-0 victory at home against Liverpool in October 1961 in front of more than 27,000 – only to be later carried off after being bundled onto the Pop Side railings, courtesy of a heavy challenge from Liverpool’s Ron Yeats.

The crowd went berserk, chanting “off, off, off”. Today it would have been a straight red card (probably with yellows showered like confetti in the resulting kerfuffle) but it was the Rams, not Liverpool, who finished up with 10 men because there were no substitutes in those days. Unthinkable today.

The other goal came from Mick Hopkinson, an absolute corker. Lee Knowles,

Chaddesden