JUST once since their golden decade of the 1950s have Wolverhampton Wanderers threatened to join the elite clubs of English football and that brief renaissance came in the early 1970s when they were under the management of Bill McGarry.
Frequently portrayed as dour and a strict disciplinarian, McGarry nevertheless led his team to two top ten finishes in the old first division, to the final of the Uefa Cup in 1972 and, most notably, to victory over Manchester City in the League Cup final of 1974.
The famous old club, relegated to League One last term, has won just one significant honour since, the 1980 League Cup, when George Berry helped them defeat reigning European champions Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the final.
Now a major player at the Professional Footballers’ Association Manchester HQ, where he is commercial director, Berry made his debut for Wolverhampton against Chelsea at 18.
“Football was another world then,” said Berry.
“Bill McGarry, what a scary man, you didn’t need him to be angry.
“He was like a cross between a warrior and a ferocious ogre.
“Before every game he’d say, ‘Come on now, blood on studs.’
“When he picked me the first time he pointed at the team sheet, ‘Number six lad. Well done, son.’
‘Believe me, that was immense praise from him.
“Bill would bring his little terrier dog called Lucky in to Molineux every day.
“Lucky would sit in Bill’s office growling at anybody who came in.”
As an apprentice at Molineux, where his take home pay was £7a week, one of Berry’s jobs was to clean Derek Dougan’s boots.
Dougan, a sometimes controversial figure, would later use his position as chairman of the PFA to further players’ rights long before the rewards of the Premier League.
“There was a marvellous camaraderie, and Dave Wagstaffe said to me before my debut, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll look after you out there,” said Berry.
“Waggy would sit in the shower room smoking a cigarette before the game.
“Some lads would openly smoke on the team bus and that’s unheard of now.
“And occasionally we would have a tot of whisky before kick-off – we called it team spirit.”
He added: “Frank Munro talked me through my debut. He played his game and mine as well. I got man of the match. It was a surreal experience.”
Berry, often recognised as much for his wild afro haircut as his accomplished defending with Wolves and Stoke City, blows out his cheeks when we talk about the modern game.
He was voted Stoke City’s all-time cult hero by BBC Football Focus viewers.
“It’s a shame I’m not still playing or I could have got Gillette to sponsor my haircut,” he joked.
“Before we went on our summer holidays at Wolves the apprentices would have to paint all the fences and crush barriers, and if you didn’t knock on the first team door you’d get a slap around the ear.
“I didn’t agree with the painting, but I sometimes wonder where the young kids of today find that character building and appreciation for what they have because everything is done for them.
“The whole environment surrounding football has changed hasn’t it?
“Then, we’d all go out on a Wednesday night at Wolves and Stoke, have a few beers and that was it.
“Today’s players can’t do that can they?
“With the emergence of social networks, their every move is scrutinized, talked about and photographed.
“The modern player has to be strong to cope with the pressure.”
After retiring, the former Wales international remained in the Potteries, a place he clearly loves, completing a business degree and becoming the PFA’s senior commercial executive.
“I’ve seen Ricardo Fuller and Peter Crouch go in to schools in Stoke-on-Trent and you see the look on the children’s faces, and you know they’ve impacted on their lives because for them they are idols."
“If they say don’t smoke or be tolerant to a person with a different coloured skin, they have far more impact on a young person than a politician would.
“Inspirational is an over-used word, but it is exactly appropriate to describe that effect.”
Berry, born in Germany and who captained Stoke City, has challenging views on racism.
Stressing he is expressing a personal view, he agrees that massive strides have been made to eradicate the worst aspects of racism, but there remains work to be done.
“The abuse was wicked then, and I knew I had to turn all that negativity into positivity if I was going to survive,” said Berry.
“It was madness at times. I remember me and Bob Hazell being confronted by fans as we got off the coach somewhere, these guys throwing sickening racist abuse at us.
“It was horrible to hear but they wouldn’t bother me if I was playing badly.
“If I could get them to call me such and such I knew I was doing my job.
“I wasn’t upset by the few racists.
“I was upset if we lost 3-1.
“They are still out there, so it needs to be a positive message of reinforcement all the time and the PFA continues to do that.
“But if we take our eye off the ball, then the racists will take full advantage.”
Berry speaks with great pride about the achievements of the players’ trade union and their leader, Gordon Taylor OBE.
“People who think football is all about money forget the PFA was fighting battles for players long before the big money came along,” said Berry.
“And after 100 years we are still fighting them today.
“Indeed, what Gordon Taylor has done over the last 30 years has been remarkable.
“Maybe some people take him for granted, but believe me you should never underestimate him because he is a fantastic politician and a very fair and measured man.
“He has embraced the history of the PFA, building on those strong foundations, making us a modern, strong union.
“I’ve been in meetings with Gordon Taylor with some of the most powerful men in football, and watching him in action is an education for any football administrator.
“Hopefully Gordon Taylor will continue to lead the PFA for many years to come.”
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