221: Neil Webb, Nottingham Forest, Panini’s Football 87 Sticker Album

More from Rich Allinson and this time we’re looking at a man who won several major trophies, represented his country and worked as a postman. But who cares about all that because he played four games for Grimsby? Over to Rich.

Check Ceefax: Grimsby Town sign ex-England midfielder Neil Webb.

“Dad... why have Grimsby signed Neil Webb? Isn’t he a bit fat and old?”

“I’m not sure but he is a bloody good player, we’re lucky to have him. He could be just what we need.”

Now my father has been wrong about footballers in the past (he still maintains that Clive Mendonca should have received England honours) but I was willing to take his word on Neil Webb. After all, the Mariners had just signed a man who had played for Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough, Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson and at a World Cup under Sir Bobby Robson. Yet here he was at Blundell Park being managed by relative novice, ex-teammate and chief chicken flinger Brian Laws.

Webb’s time in Cleethorpes was a short one, playing four games and scoring one goal before he departed for Aldershot. It is unfair to judge him even remotely for his spell in North East Lincolnshire. He was signed on a short-term contract for a chance to prove his fitness and was thrust into a team who, despite looking decent on paper, weren’t up to much on grass and would eventually go on to get relegated that season. Time then to have a look back at Webb’s career in more depth.

He started life at Reading as a teenager making his debut at 16 and becoming the club’s youngest ever scorer. Kind of like a forbearer for James Milner’s Leeds days. He then moved on to Portsmouth for £87,500 where he helped them win the old Third Division title before joining Nottingham Forest and linking up with the green jumpered Brian Clough.

Towards the end of the 1984/85 season Webb approached Pompey manager Alan Ball asking for a pay rise as, despite being an integral part of the promotion winning side, he was one of the lowest paid players at the club. The chairman said no (good decision...) and so Webb was on the look out for a new club. Not that he had to look very far. Having scored 56 goals in 195 games and being capped at u21 level for England he was hot property. Aston Villa were the first club that came calling but it was when Clough stepped in that Webb’s mind was made up. Not that he seemed to have had much say in the matter. In an interview with the Nottingham Post from April 2020 Webb tells the story in detail (well worth a read) but to précis: Clough turned up in his squash kit, refused to let Webb leave until he had signed the contract and that was pretty much that. Other than the fact he received a thinly veiled threat from a Portsmouth hooligan firm on his departure. His time at Forest was a successful one, scoring 47 times in 146 games, winning the League Cup, getting on the scoresheet in the final in the process, and becoming an England regular. Side note: he made his ‘international’ debut for a Football League XI against a Rest of the World XI which really sounds like the kind of game that is ordinarily reserved for Olly Murs and Gordon Ramsey.

Four years later Webb was on the move to Manchester United for £1.5m and despite things initially starting well, he snapped his achilles tendon whilst on England duty after only a handful of games with the Red Devils. He did return to the side in time for the 1990 FA Cup final where, in the replay, he played an exceptional pass through to Lee Martin to smash home and kick start Alex Ferguson’s dominance of English football. Whilst at Old Trafford Webb also went on to win the League Cup, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup. He also notched up an appearance for England in the third/fourth playoff in Italia ‘90.

Webb subsequently moved back to Nottingham Forest before his career started to wind down prior to him calling it a day in 1997. Post retirement Neil Webb seems like a man that just got on with it. He got a job as a postman which The Sun deemed to be deserving of front page news. Not quite sure why “Man Gets Job” is newsworthy to be honest. At the end of the day footballers in the 1980s and 90s weren’t earning millions and I’m sure Webb had bills to pay. It is The Sun though I guess. He didn’t lose touch with football completely though and worked as a pundit with TalkSport as well as Canadian TV. My favourite story of post retirement Webb though is that he could often be seen at Reading home games selling programmes. There is just something about this that cheers me up.

Neil Webb then. Good career, good bloke, played for Grimsby Town. And really, what more can you want out of life?