DOB: 08.01.1949
Pos: Winger
Born: Liverpool, England
Other Notable Clubs: Liverpool, Swindon, Notts Forest, Mansfield (loan), Chicago Sting
TRFC career: 1974-81 255 apps 17 sub 47 goals
1974-75 Relegated to Div 4
1975-76 Promoted to Div 3
1978-70 Relegated to Div 4
SWA: Hi Steve. You are one of the most fondly remembered Tranmere players from back in the 1970’s, spending seven years at the club. Was training a lot different in your day?
Very much so. In pre-season, once a fortnight or so we’d go to Storeton woods. We used to gather round a big ditch, a group on each side, and there were two ropes hanging down. We had to run, grab the rope, then try and knock the other guy off.
SWA: Sounds technical! Current manager Les Parry is regarded as a top physio, in an era where almost any injury can be recovered from. How different where things when you were playing?
It was tough. We had a physio called Alec Mclelland. Whenever we’d go for an x-ray he’d say ‘whatever you do, don’t come back with your leg in plaster.’ One time I ended up playing for three weeks with a broken kneecap. I’d felt a crunch in a coming together on the field, and at half time felt it stiffen up and had to come off. Alec had a look at it and had me running the next day. Eventually I said to Moorsey, ‘I’m going to have to check this out.’ When I saw the x-ray, I had a massive crack in it. Barrie (Mitchell) once went for a medical, in France I think it was, and found out he had 31 fractures in his foot. Another time John James, and he was a strong fella, broke his leg, and Mclelland tried to push it back together. Poor bloke was in agony!
SWA: What were the funniest moments you can remember?
We used to do this thing in training, leapfrogging, where we’d all line up and leapfrog over each other one after another. This young lad Stevie Whittingham was in his first year as apprentice, and was doing it for the first time. Well Ronnie used to do this thing where as you leapfrog him he pushes up and throws you off. So Stevie gets to Ronnie and gets thrown up in the air. Anyway, later on, it’s Moorseys turn to do the leapfrog, and when he gets to Stevie he pushes up and does the same thing back to him, and Ronnie goes flying. Everyone’s falling about laughing, when Ronnie gets up, walks over and knocks poor young Stevie out. Couldn’t be getting had off like that by an apprentice!
SWA: Who was your favourite manager?
Kingy was the best manager for me. Dave McCay was good too. Kingy was a good bloke, he looked after me. I needed people to do the dirty work for me, win the ball back and let me play. Sometimes wingers can look lazy when they’re being well marked or not getting on the ball as it’s our job to stay wide. Kingy understood that.
SWA: What was your favourite Kingy-ism?
I remember he used to say ‘We’re like little squirrels. We get these little acorns, and we hide them away.’ I think he was talking about getting points on the board!
SWA: You still go to a lot of matches. How do the club treat ex-players?
It’s actually changed a lot depending on the manager. Ray (Mathias) was the one who started getting the ex-players back involved. He would give you a few drinks on the house if you were struggling for work, he looked after us. I rang up once under Aldo to get tickets for a game, and they told me there was no chance of a free ticket, I’d have to pay. I thought Ray was treated harshly by the club, we played some good football when he was in charge.
SWA: What has changed most about football since your day?
You know what, smoking was a big thing then. I used to smoke 25 ciggies a day, going an hour without one was hard. I used to light up at half time if I could! We just didn’t know about the dangers of smoking then. Players are a lot fitter now.
SWA: You scored 47 goals for Rovers. What was the best you ever scored?
Probably at Port Vale in ’79. First game of the season, and I’d just had a bereavement in the family. I remember beating a few players and hitting a left foot screamer. I only ever got one hattrick in my career, against Workington in 1975, the season we got promoted. Should have had a few more really but never mind!
SWA: You started your career at Liverpool, and while at Tranmere played alongside future internationals. Who were the best players you played with?
At Tranmere, Bobby was the best player I played with. Coppy (Steve Coppell) was terrific as well. He wasn’t a natural player in the sense that he used to always do the same thing- get up to the full back, throw a dummy in and get to the byline then whip a cross in. He had a great turn of pace.
Mark Palios was a dead clever fella. Wasn’t a clever player, but he was a great man marker. We used to say he was a great player til he got on the ball, though he did have an eye for goal too.
At Swindon, Don Rogers was a great player. He played down the left and I was on the right. And at Liverpool, Emelyn Hughes and Ray Clemence were a class above for me.
SWA: What have you been up to since leaving football?
I got into gardening, of all things. Weed killing and spraying, that sort of thing. I couldn’t have gone into coaching or managing, it wasn’t for me.
SWA: We spoke to Barrie Mitchell recently, and he mentioned that you both had spells in America. In fact, you were at Chicago Sting alongside former Rover Bobby Tynan in the mid 1970’s. What was that like?
It was great. I liked Chicago – better money, nice apartments, the lot. It was like being on an extended holiday. I was playing against the likes of Pele, Eusebio. They even took us to Miami for a week as a bit of a break. It was a different world over there. The home ground was astroturf too, which was an experience.
SWA: Thanks for talking to us Pep, it’s been a pleasure.
Hi,
I have just stumbled upon your article and chat with Steve Peplow and was engrossed and even amazed when he mentioned the incident with Ronnie Moore and me back in 1978. I was a new apprentice at the club under John King and had just started pre-season training, all pretty new to a 16 year old kid out of school, and Ronnie obviously thought he’d test me out, I wasn’t to know that he didn’t expect me to just take it without any retaliation but I suppose he got the last laugh as I ended up with a split lip!
Anyway, congratulations on a good read, I’m glad to hear that Pep and Barry Mitch seem to be well etc, great lads the pair of them.
Regards,
Steve Whittingham.
Thanks for your comment Steve, it certainly makes the whole story more real after hearing your side. We’ll pass on your regards to the guys and thanks again for getting in touch with SWA.