Editor’s Note
This piece was originally published on April 8, 2008. For more on the Beatles and soccer, don’t miss “The Beatles FC” at Football and Music.
Every so often, on my perambulations around the footballing part of the internet, I come across a discussion of the Beatles and football: they were Scousers, in their sly way, after all. Were they Liverpool fans? Old Evertonians? Was the Walrus really Dave Hickson? Etc.
The story that usually emerges is that none of the Beatles (George Best included) was particularly devoted to football. There are anecdotes about Paul McCartney listening to FA Cup finals while drifting on his yacht in the Caribbean, but they all have a funny-hats, drinks-with-umbrellas, let’s-make-a-day-of-it sort of ambiance. The best evidence of this is that the stories vary depending on which former intimate friend of Pete Best is being interviewed: there’s the red-and-white scarf in Help!, but Paul’s second cousin was a legend at Goodison, man. “There are three teams in Liverpool, and I prefer the other one,” George Harrison once said. Still, it can’t hurt to sort through the evidence.
The most plausible scenario has Paul leaning toward Everton—there’s a lot of family history tilting in that direction, and he went to the ’68 Cup final—but taking up an interest in Liverpool right around the time that Liverpool happened to become good. It pains me to say it, or actually, it doesn’t pain me to say it, because the man wrote “Eleanor Rigby,” and all your strenuous “fan ethics” didn’t even write “Medicine Jar.” Anyway, Linda used to tell stories of the family sitting back and watching Liverpool eat European Cups fresh off the vine on TV. Paul always had a nose for success.
John, as a boy, probably leaned toward Liverpool. His dad was a fan; and he name-checks Matt Busby (tenuously a Liverpool man in the late ’30s) on “Dig It”; and he was apparently responsible for the wax Albert Stubbins on the cover of Sergeant Pepper. But no one believes that he cared very much.
Like Ray Davies of the Kinks, Ringo was an Arsenal fan in his youth, largely because his Londoner stepfather only took him to Arsenal matches. Ringo’s sons, however, now have season tickets at Anfield, so it’s really anyone’s guess. And the same with George, whose interest in football seems to have waned once he’d finished mining the terrain for his Classic Beatles Quip. Turn left at Greenland!
John Lennon Bonus Coverage: The Walls and Bridges Cover
Every discussion of the Beatles and football notes that the cover of John Lennon’s 1974 album Walls and Bridges shows a picture of a football match that Lennon painted at age 11. To the scholarly football fan it’s probably obvious what the painting depicts, but I’ve never seen it stated online, and the Lennon biographies say only that it’s a painting of “football” (okay, thanks). So I thought I’d jot this down, just so the facts were represented somewhere on…the internet.
Here’s the cover. What’s it all about?
Almost certainly: the 1952 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Newcastle, which Newcastle won 1-0.
The kits are not mysterious, and we can confirm them on Historical Football Kits:
l-r: Arsenal and Newcastle, 1952
The Arsenal kit in Lennon’s painting shows a white badge or crest on the chest that isn’t represented on the historical kit above, or in Arsenal’s 1951-52 squad photo:
But it is represented in photos of Arsenal in the Cup final, suggesting that it could have been added specially to mark the occasion:
In addition to the crest, the date of the painting comes in strongly for the Cup final theory. Lennon dated the painting June 1952, which was just a month after the match took place. The Cup final was the last match he could have seen—or seen a picture of—before he took out his watercolor kit.
Speaking of pictures, here’s one from the game that’s not too far removed from the action on Lennon’s painting.
More John Lennon Bonus Coverage: Revolution #9
The significance of the painting for the adult Lennon was probably that the Newcastle footballer with his back to us is wearing the #9 shirt, and Lennon had a thing for the number nine: “Revolution 9,” “The One After 909,” and “#9 Dream,” which was on Walls and Bridges, in fact. It’s probably just a coincidence that Newcastle’s #9 in 1952 was Jackie Milburn, “Wor Jackie,” one of Newcastle’s greatest players, who scored 177 goals for the club between 1943 and 1957. Still, it’s a neat coincidence, especially for a history-loving football fan who really likes Walls and Bridges. (I am that person. That’s me.) It’s Jackie Milburn who’s getting his header stopped in the photo above, incidentally.
Is it possible that the young John Lennon cared more about football than anyone has realized? He painted a picture of one of the great English footballers of his era in an FA Cup final that didn’t include Liverpool, and took care to get every detail of the kits right, down to Arsenal’s long collar points.
Also: why wasn’t the internet able to tell me that Jackie Milburn was on the cover of a John Lennon solo album? Isn’t that the whole point of the internet? Will you please go tell Wikipedia?
Read More: Arsenal, Beatles, Everton, FA Cup, Liverpool, Newcastle
by Brian Phillips · December 8, 2010
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Any reason to appreciate Walls and Bridges is a good one, but this is a great one (and unexpected). You made my day.
This feels like what Hornby might resemble if he weren’t so self-indulgent.
Why Em, whatever do you mean?
Gah!
I’m just going to be over here in my corner, watching Torres’s latest goal on YouTube …
There are some down the road in Manchester who insist Lennon was a United fan, partly due to his mentioning of Matt Busby. If McCartney had a nose for success, Lennon had a nose for something else, the same something that saw United the best supported club in England even when languishing in the old Second Division. It’s elementary, dear Watso – er, Brian…
As a Wikipedia editor who has done a lot on The Beatles and their families, I will put this information in, and link this page to it.
I thank you a lot for this, because I am currently having a dicussion with an editor who thinks The Beatles interest in football have no place in Wikipedia.
It is also worth mentioning (for the conspiracy theorists?) that Jackie Milburn died on the 9th of October – John Lennon’s birthday obviously!
Yes it is! That’s brilliant.
Brian,
Just came across this one ‘cuz you linked to it, and, not to be a boring pedant, but the original drummer for the Beatles was Pete Best, not George Best, although the slip is an understandably amazing Freudo-soccerian one.
And oh, I’ve just seen that you wrote “Pete Best” in the next sentence. I should be more patient. My bad.
George Best was one of the 2500 people who were known as the “fifth Beatle” at some point in the ’60s. It was a joke about his lack of commitment to soccer.
That’s what I get for being a pedant who has read exactly zero books about Beatlemania.
Ah, just found a link to this article. Here’s another good one about John’s painting – his first few years were spent living at 9 Newcastle Road.
Here it is…searching over…this picture is identical to the Walls and Bridges cover(apart from the goalie) the position of the Arsenal players legs is identical too. This is the one…..
http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/images/1952/action2.JPG
The picture of Toninho is correct. Do you know that the player that scored that goal for Newcastle was a Chilean player called Jorge Robledo? http://blogs.elmercurio.com/deportes/2009/12/13/el-dia-en-que-john-lennon-dibu.asp
Also, I think the mother of Lennon used to live in the number 9 Newcastle St….
Hi friends.
I’m Néstor Flores, a Chilean author and publicist. I’m sorry if my English is’t good that all. I’m trying to write better that I can.
I’m writing my third novel, and this is about the Ted Robledo’s life. He was a player of Newcastle in the beginning of the 50 decade. He disappear from a cruiser in December 6, 1970, in the middle of Oman Gulf. In the investigation, I make this amazing find. Four or five newspaper in Chile are writing about it, and would I like to inform to you now, and try that someone of you inform to Newcastle F.C. cause would I like to know what do you think about it.
I discovered and uncover that, when John Lennon had 11, he drew to George Robledo (Ted’s brother, who played in Newcastle too), just when George do the goal against Arsenal, in May 1952. This goal comes to mean the title to Newcastle. Then, Lennon keep this drawing for 22 years, and in 1974, John used it in the carpet of his album called “Walls and Bridges”.
I have a photograph of this moment, and is exactly like the John’s drawing carpet. And I would like to send it to you. But I can’t by this mail. ¿Could you give other mail address where send the two photograph? In my country, some journalist loves John Lennon, and also loves George Robledo, and in this week they write about this find, because I do this find in April, but I inform to the press just in December 6, 2009, cause this day commemorate 39 years of Ted Robledo disappearance.
I hope you send me one address mail to send more information an the photograph, and that this new were amazing in Newcastle too.
Thanks,
NESTOR FLORES
056-32-2284407
056-09-9-7275062
nestorfloresfica@yahoo.com
Some links when you can find this new:
Hello Gents,
I believe the drawing by John Lennon is composed of two photos. First is the goal scored by George Robledo, you can see the photo here: http://diario.elmercurio.cl/2009/12/13/deportes/_portada/noticias/df0c9a36-40e9-480e-a6aa-162f1d627d33.htm
and the photo of the golie stopping Jackie Milburn’s header. In the first photo you can even see the position of the legs, as drawn by J. Lennon, of Arsenal’s defender. Definitely, the drawing depicts Geroge Robledo’s goal beig scored. Great stuff. I think Mr. Flores is quite right.
Luciano
Colo Colo’s fan
@Luciano Diaz Do you have another link? That one isn’t working.
i love the slaughterhouse five-inspired self-reference. “that was i. that was me. that was the author of this book.”
Good stuff. Don’t forget McCartney’s kid brother Mike has always been a Red. Lennon was always a Red and you’re quite right about the reason for the Busby reference – another one of his Dad’s heroes. Ringo confirmed he’s a Red on a televised interview (on the Craig Ferguson Show in the US) a couple of years ago.
@andreasegde
Don’t just go and add it now – that’s what’s wrong with Wikipedia! Wait, double-check everything and reflect!
About Ringo in goal, Paul as the #10, and then a little ‘un and big ‘un combo with George as the #11 and John, of course, as the #9.
More football and the Beatles, as inspired by our v. own Run of Play.
http://chirb.it/Mfxese
To blasted on the speakers when shite defense is happening.
@dgm Bravo,dgm! That’s the first thing I thought when I read that!
Great article! Not sure if it makes a difference, but one piece of the puzzle that’s missing is that the original end of “Glass Onion” was a tape loop of the “It’s a Goal!” from the World Cup Final between Germany and England.
http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/glass-onion/
“The second version was recorded in Abbey Road, and contains a selection of sound effects assembled by Lennon. These include a telephone ring, smashing glass, an organ note and a loop of the BBC football commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme exclaiming “It’s a goal!” The effects were later replaced by the string arrangement which ends the song.”
Could mean nothing, but hey, there it is.
Someone should ask Klaus Voorman, come to think of it. I wonder if he dragged them to a Hamburger SV match when they were all hopped up on pep-pills?
@Brian Phillips – I think Luciano is right; it’s an amalgam of the two photos (see Hans’ link above). I love it: Lennon changes history and prevents Robledo from scoring on Arsenal!
Hello, the truth is that the player with the 9 is Jorge (George) Robledo, a Chilean-English player . Lennon used this picture for inspiration…
http://www.terra.cl/images/julio2009/F765513_lennon442.jpg
Cheers!
@Alvaro Robledo definitely scored the goal in that match, but I’m almost sure he wore #10. Here’s the squad page from the match program, showing Milburn as the #9 and Robledo as the #10:
Newcastle-Arsenal lineups
Unless I’m mistaken the picture you link to is of Jackie Milburn. Although it’s not hard to get Newcastle players from that era mixed up.
This reads like your typical LFC propaganda site:
McCartney admits to being a Blue (like his dad)
Can’t see it documented anywhere who Fred Lennon supported, but it is documented that his son John had virtually no contact with him growing up (so no trips to watching the football then).
David Moores, ex LFC chairman admitted years ago in a media interview that Lennon “if anything” was a Blue, and George really wasn’t bothered.
You can have Ringo, he’s an archetypal Red.
ps McCartney admitted Albert Stubbins ended up on the Sgt Pepper cover becuase they thought his name was comical. They were taking the michael out of an ex LFC player
Paul McCartney was asked on a mid or late 90’s Chris Evans chatshow (channel 4), whether he was red or blue, he said Red.
Is this note from The Beatles to LFC legit guys? – http://t.co/UU0DEmc7
I love the Beatles. I hate soccer.
@Brian Phillips not wasn’t it was about him being hyper trendy like the Beatles
Paul also said once that John wasn’t that interested in it, but if he had to have his say on it, he’d go blue.
George was an Evertonian. He didn’t really want to say it, obviously, we’re talking about a band from Liverpool, he would’ve split fans at the start.
Pete Best? I spoke to him, aye… another blue… die hard, this time.
Ringo? Nae, Arsenal through and through…
@Gianmaria Framarin Fuck you the fab 4 were all RED.
Dear Brian:
The photo of Newcastle is the goal of the chilean striker Jorge Robledo. Jackie Milburn in the picture is the N°9 (John lived in Newcastle #9 in Liverpool), pero he didn’t the goal. Robledo scored against Arsenal at the FA cup final in 1952 (sorry for my english). Best
Where is this painting now
Random football-in-Beatles observation: a stanza from “Deaf Ted, Danoota, (and me)” from Lennon’s book In His Own Write:
Thorg Billy grown and Burnley ten,
And Aston Villa three
We clobber ever gallup
Deaf Ted, Danoota, and me.