Tuesday 16 January 2018

Regis and Cunningham were Different Class

Anyone saddened by the death of Cyrille Regis at just 59 might like to read Different Class, the excellent biography of Laurie Cunningham, the man who provided the crosses for big Cyrille at West Brom. Dermot Kavanagh's book tells the story of Cunningham's rise to stardom at West Brom and Real Madrid in an era of horrible racism. Laurie was an Islington lad and rejected by Arsenal, partly because of his poor timekeeping and also because of the myth at the time that black players were temperamental. 

There was a fine event to accompany the launch of Different Class at the New Beacon Bookshop in Finsbury Park, where Kavanagh hosted an evening with several players who grew up in the local leagues with Cunningham. They described a time when north Tottenham was a no-go area for black people, where they risked beatings-up from both the National Front and the police. Playing anywhere east of Angel, "it was a fight to get in and out" and to go the Lacy Lady nightclub in Ilford (where Cunningham liked to dance) was "taking your life in your hands". 

Cunningham, Regis and Batson at West Brom, along with Clyde Best, Ade Coker and Clive Charles at West Ham, braved horrendous abuse and every player of today owes them a debt of gratitude.

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