Think of Mel Charles and it is pretty much a racing certainty that one of the first things that will pop into your head is the fact that he was John Charles’ younger brother. It’s alright, Mel knows it, does not mind it and indeed used it as a motivator throughout his career to try and show people, “Yes, he’s bloody good but I’m not half bad either“. Like his older sibling, Mel was a versatile player, comfortable in central defence, attack and at right half which gave him what is now called, a half-decent career. If you wonder how good he was, FIFA picked him for their team of the 1958 World Cup. As the record goes, Now That’s What I Call Quite Good.

The thing is that throughout the book, even when talking about the times that he fell out of love with football, Charles cannot quite believe that he had the career that he did. Starting out at Leeds United, at the same time as brother John, he succumbed to homesickness and returned to Swansea for a job outside of the game. The local team, Swansea Town (now City) signed him up and Charles set about making the grade as a professional.

This is a tale of bygone days. The high jinks of today are not a lot different from those that Charles and his team-mates got up to back in the 1950s and a decade later. The crucial difference is that the media turned a blind eye to it, as Charles says they wanted to keep in with the players. Even so, it did not stop Charles getting hauled over the coals by George Swindin during his Arsenal days for having a pint. Back then, and probably now, the club expected players to abstain. THe intervening decades probably made up for that…

When Charles signed for Arsenal in 1959, it was for a record fee between two clubs. For a short while, he joined brother John as the most expensive British players following the latters move from Leeds to Juventus. Typically, it was the elder sibling who shaded the values. His move from The Vetch Field to Highbury was by no means straightforward, a bidding war with Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and a late move by Newcastle all in the mix. Arsenal won though, offering the most. At the time Charles was happy with the move to London and still holds a deep affection for the club.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and he now views the move with more than a tinge of regret. Injury wreaked havoc with his stay at the club and mixed in with the rise of Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham team of the time, give him a sense of what might have been had he gone a further seven miles North in the capital. That Tottenham signed Dave MacKay having failed to sign Charles is probably little comfort to him.

Even so, Charles had an excellent scoring record for Arsenal, netting 28 times in 64 games. He left in February 1962 for Cardiff City where he linked up with brother John for the only time in club football. Despite this, Cardiff were relegated and Mel’s career entered into a descent. Ironically, leaving the professional game for a short spell once his Cardiff career ended reignited his love for football and he briefly returned to the Football League with Port Vale before once more dropping into the non-league game.

This is an enjoyable yarn. Charles rarely has a bad word for anyone, recognising his own character has its flaws which contributed to personal differences. One thing shines through is his pride in his own achievements and those of his more famous sibling, even if the latter did deprive him of the opportunity to wear his white suit to Sophia Loren’s party when John was in Turin. It is an honest account of the life a footballer in post-war Britain, the lengths that the military would go to in order to accomodate National Service. You sense the peak of his career was Sweden 1958 but to an outsider, he achieved much more than that. And yes, Mel, it ain’t bad for a boy from Cwmbrwla.

Click to purchase In the Shadow of a Giant

Finally, my thoughts go to John Hartson. There is little one can say other than to wish him all the best in his fight against such a dreadful disease. Actually there is one thing to say: please make a donation or perhaps here.

’til Tomorrow.

In The Shadow Of A Giant – Mel Charles

<p>Think of Mel Charles and it is pretty much a racing certainty that one of the first things that will pop into your head is the fact that he was John Charles’ younger brother. It’s alright, Mel knows it, does not mind it and indeed used it as a motivator throughout his career to try and show people, “<em>Yes, he’s bloody good but I’m not half bad either</em>”. Like his older sibling, Mel was a versatile player, comfortable in central defence, attack and at right half which gave him what is now called, a half-decent career. If you wonder how good he was, FIFA picked him for their team of the 1958 World Cup. As the record goes, <em>Now That’s What I Call Quite Good</em>.</p>

<p>The thing is that throughout the book, even when talking about the times that he fell out of love with football, Charles cannot quite believe that he had the career that he did. Starting out at Leeds United, at the same time as brother John, he succumbed to homesickness and returned to Swansea for a job outside of the game. The local team, Swansea Town (now City) signed him up and Charles set about making the grade as a professional.</p>

<p>This is a tale of bygone days. The high jinks of today are not a lot different from those that Charles and his team-mates got up to back in the 1950s and a decade later. The crucial difference is that the media turned a blind eye to it, as Charles says they wanted to keep in with the players. Even so, it did not stop Charles getting hauled over the coals by George Swindin during his Arsenal days for having a pint. Back then, and probably now, the club expected players to abstain. THe intervening decades probably made up for that…</p>

<p>When Charles signed for Arsenal in 1959, it was for a record fee between two clubs. For a short while, he joined brother John as the most expensive British players following the latters move from Leeds to Juventus. Typically, it was the elder sibling who shaded the values. His move from The Vetch Field to Highbury was by no means straightforward, a bidding war with Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and a late move by Newcastle all in the mix. Arsenal won though, offering the most. At the time Charles was happy with the move to London and still holds a deep affection for the club.</p>

<p>Hindsight is a wonderful thing and he now views the move with more than a tinge of regret. Injury wreaked havoc with his stay at the club and mixed in with the rise of Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham team of the time, give him a sense of what might have been had he gone a further seven miles North in the capital. That Tottenham signed Dave MacKay having failed to sign Charles is probably little comfort to him.</p>

<p>Even so, Charles had an excellent scoring record for Arsenal, netting 28 times in 64 games. He left in February 1962 for Cardiff City where he linked up with brother John for the only time in club football. Despite this, Cardiff were relegated and Mel’s career entered into a descent. Ironically, leaving the professional game for a short spell once his Cardiff career ended reignited his love for football and he briefly returned to the Football League with Port Vale before once more dropping into the non-league game.</p>

<p>This is an enjoyable yarn. Charles rarely has a bad word for anyone, recognising his own character has its flaws which contributed to personal differences. One thing shines through is his pride in his own achievements and those of his more famous sibling, even if the latter did deprive him of the opportunity to wear his white suit to Sophia Loren’s party when John was in Turin. It is an honest account of the life a footballer in post-war Britain, the lengths that the military would go to in order to accomodate National Service. You sense the peak of his career was Sweden 1958 but to an outsider, he achieved much more than that. And yes, Mel, it ain’t bad for a boy from Cwmbrwla.</p>

<p><a href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1844547760?ie=UTF8&tag=dadsjuk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1844547760″>In the Shadow of a Giant</a><img src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=dadsjuk-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1844547760″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” /></p>