Former Player Remembers: Jeff Blockley
As a 15-year-old, Jeff was in the Leicester Boys side which shared the English Schools FA Trophy with Swansea Boys in 1965.
Peter Shilton was in the same team, together with future Showaddywaddy drummer Romeo Challenger.
The programme for the game described Jeff, who went to New Parks School, as: ‘The tallest member of the side who has been a dominating figure in the run to the final.’
Jeff recalled: “I was in the schools side from a young age. We grew up together (Blockley and Shilton) and followed our dreams. We were successful in that Under-15s side. At the time I was training down at Leicester City, which I had done from the age of 13. There was a group of us training there who were all members of the Blaby Boys Club.
“At that time there were a lot of people coming down from Scotland and I felt local lads weren’t getting a good shot at it. This all meant that I had my doubts and so I signed for Arsenal on schoolboy forms. I used to go to Arsenal in the school holidays, and whenever else I could, and train with their schoolboys. However, when I left school, Arsenal decided not to sign me so I had to start looking for a new club. I had trials with Notting Forest and Coventry and Coventry offered me an apprenticeship.”
Jeff built up a reputation as an uncompromising but stylish centre-half. Between 1968 and 1972, he played over 150 games and was selected for the England Under-23s side.
“When I was at school Leicester City centre-half Ian King was my hero,” Jeff continued. “In those days you modelled yourselves on players like this. My mentor at Coventry was club captain and centre-half George Curtis (who was nearing the end of a very lengthy career).
“It was a different game in those days. I got my break and I made my debut when I was 19 down at West Ham in March 1969. We struggled in that first season after promotion but we had a good youth set up. They started to bring the kids through and we all started to gel. The following season we finished sixth and got into Europe. I was captain when I was 20.
“At this time I was captain of the England Under-23s side. Alf Ramsey was the manager and you couldn’t get any bigger than that. He was an icon. I was fortunate to be around at that time and playing against Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and all the top players. One minute I was watching the World Cup Final as a 16 year-old and all of a sudden I was playing against these people! At the time you just thought that’s the way it is. You just got on with it. When Coventry got into Europe we played Bayern Munich, who had World Cup players like Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller in their side.”
In October 1972, Jeff was transferred to Arsenal for £200,000, at a time when the British transfer record fee was the £220,000 that Arsenal had paid for Alan Ball 10 months earlier.
He made his Arsenal debut at Sheffield United and four days later made his England bow, playing alongside Bobby Moore. His old Leicester schoolboy team-mate Shilton was in goal.
At the end of his first season at Arsenal, the Gunners finished as league runners-up to Liverpool.
“Manager Noel Cantwell left Coventry and Arsenal came in for me," Jeff remembered. “Gordon Milne and Joe Mercer wanted to rebuild at Coventry. Arsenal had put a bid in and I went down there. Because I had been there as a schoolboy, it was like going full circle.
“I made my debut for Arsenal on the Saturday and the following Tuesday or Wednesday I made my England debut against Yugoslavia in a 1-1 draw. It was a great time. I was down there at Highbury for about two-and-a-half years. I had one or two injuries and in the end, it didn’t go as well as I wanted it to.”
In January 1975, Jeff returned to his home town when he signed for Bloomfield’s Leicester for a fee of £100,000.
Jeff explained how the move to Filbert Street came about: “At the time, Arsenal seemed to be playing Leicester quite a lot of times in cups and in the league. Being a Leicester lad, I knew quite a few of the players. At a sportswriters’ dinner, I got chatting to Birch (now Leicester City's Club Ambassador, Alan Birchenall) and the lads and they were saying: ‘How do you fancy coming up to Leicester?’ I said I would love to. It was my home team and at the time they had some really good players. But it was down to manager Bloomfield. Leicester made an offer and I came to Filbert Street.”
When Jeff arrived, Leicester were struggling near the foot of the table. The season was rescued by the arrival of Jeff and Chelsea’s Chris Garland, who signed shortly afterwards.
Jeff added: “Stevie Kember came the following season. Chris scored eight goals in 10 games and I organised the lads at the back. When I signed, Jimmy said he wanted me to organise people and he made me the captain the following season. We escaped relegation in the season I came to Filbert Street and the following year we had a good season, finishing seventh. When I first came, Crossy (Graham Cross) and myself were the main two central defenders. The following season, Graham had a few issues with Jimmy about playing cricket for Leicestershire. He went off and so it was me and Woolly (Alan Woollett) and other different people. Things went well. We had good players. There was Mark Wallington in goal, with Stevie Whitworth and Denis Rofe in defence. In midfield we had Jonny Sammels and Birch. We had Keith [Weller] up front and Frank Worthington. I knew Frank from England Under-23s tours. It was a good time. Jimmy was a good manager without being too dogmatic. He would expect the players to think for themselves.”
After six seasons, all in the top division, Bloomfield lost his job at Filbert Street in May 1977 despite the Club finishing 11th in the table.
Jeff continued: “It was after we had played West Brom at Filbert Street. We got taken apart. We lost 5-0. I was injured at the time. There was pressure to remove Jimmy. It was a shock to all of us when Jimmy got the sack.”
The following season was Jeff’s last at Filbert Street. His old Arsenal team-mate and former City star Frank McLintock was appointed for the 1977/78 season, which ended with the Club being relegated.
Jeff remembered: “When Frank came, I had just had a cartilage operation and I was recovering from that. I probably only played about 10 games that season. I had got myself fit after my knee operation but I wasn’t in the side. Frank bought a few people in. This is how football is. I like Frank. He got people in who didn’t really help him in his transition from player to manager. It was not a good time that season.”
In June 1978, Jeff moved to Meadow Lane and played nearly 60 games for Notts County in the old Second Division before going to Enderby Town in 1980.
“In those days when you were 30 that was probably it," he said. “Nowadays as a defender you would probably get away with it for another four years.
“At Notts County, Brian Kilcline was coming through the ranks. They wanted to go a certain way and you have to respect that. It’s different now. Players are in a squad and you don’t have to play every week. In our day you wanted to play and you needed to play. You would have a rest now and again but not very often.”
Summing up his career, Jeff concluded by adding: “All my memories are from Highfield Road, Highbury and Filbert Street, but especially from Leicester. We had some great times at Filbert Street.”