413: John Buchanan and Billy Ronson, Cardiff City, Panini’s Football 80

This week we are taking on a request post from Mark of Football Art Online fame. If you haven’t already familiarised yourself with his excellent range of prints, posters and clothing then maybe it’s time you did. Apparently it’s Christmas soon. Mark first put one of today’s subjects forward ages ago and it’s about time we repay him for all of the likes and reposts he has afforded us over the years. Hope this does the trick mate!

Either to avoid sticker collections running into the thousands or to cut down on printing costs the dual player sticker has always been one of Panini’s great gifts to the football collectible world. In some cases there are legitimate reasons for the pairings. Alexi Lalas and Marcelo Balboa made perfect sense alongside each other as they had been as the heart of the US National Men’s Soccer Team’s defence and, quite possibly, the twin guitarists in a Bay Area thrash metal band. In other cases the link has seemed to be more tenuous like New Zealand’s Brian Turner and Wynton Rufer who both had vague connections to England and that’s about it. In today’s case there is some commonality as both players could be considered as goalscoring midfielders although it took something of a change of scene for the goals to start coming for one of them. Both men, however, played their part in some famous South Wales derbies.

John Buchanan’s spell at Cardiff City was sandwiched between two spells with Northampton Town who first brought the Scot south of the border from Ross County in 1970. He made over a century of appearances for the Cobblers and found the net 24 times before heading to Wales in October 1974. Although the Bluebirds were relegated in his first season they bounced straight back up from the Third Division in the 1975/76 campaign with Buchanan’s eye for goal becoming increasingly important to Cardiff’s fortunes. This being the 1970s the Scotsman was also expected to turn his hand to the dirty work at times to break up play and he has stated in interview that one of his most treasured pieces of memorabilia is the programme featuring him nicking the ball from the great George Best during the latter’s spell at Fulham.

The two sides of Buchanan’s game established him as a club legend during his time at Ninian Park and two moments perhaps best embody what he brought to South Wales during his seven years with Cardiff. His 54 goals from midfield alone would be impressive but one particular strike, a long-range screamer to rescue a draw against Swansea City, was voted as the greatest goal in South Wales derby history. He also became one of a handful of footballers to be arrested during a game when he attempted to remonstrate with a referee following the dismissal of two of his teammates. This alone sounds quite innocuous but the fact that Buchanan was in the stands serving a suspension and attempted to jump the advert boards to say his piece demonstrated his commitment to the club.

Billy Ronson’s time in South Wales was considerably briefer but his two seasons, following a record £130,000 transfer from Blackpool, saw him amass ninety appearances before departing for Wrexham. Ronson only found the net four times at Cardiff but won the enduring love of the Ninian Park faithful with a winning goal against Swansea in 1980. He only spent one season at the Racecourse Ground as the future Hollywood darlings suffered relegation alongside their compatriots Cardiff. Ronson was once again on the move to Barnsley where over a century of appearances culminated in a falling out with manager Allan Clarke and saw him shipped off to Birmingham City on loan before a short spell with first club Blackpool. Earlier in his career Ronson had spent time on loan at the North American Soccer League’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers rubbing shoulders with the likes of the aforementioned George Best and taking on Trevor Francis, Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto. In 1986 he made the move stateside permanent and entered into the intriguing world of professional indoor football.

The Major Indoor Soccer League had started back in 1978 and managed to draw in around 8,000 fans per game on average throughout its fourteen seasons. The league featured some truly questionably named sides such as potential children’s cereal Cleveland Crunch, the zoological experiment gone wrong Buffalo Stallions and nineteenth century epidemic Philadelphia Fever. Ronson signed with the Baltimore Blast and contributed a staggering 112 goals in 280 games across six years. Such form earned him a return outside with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the short lived American Professional Soccer League before Ronson headed back indoors with the likes of Detroit Rockers, Baltimore Bays, Pittsburgh Stingers, Washington Warthogs (not a typo) and Baltimore Spirit. Ronson also embarked upon his coaching career with Goucher College (not to be mistaken with Kirk van Houten’s alma mater) and the Baltimore Bay, Spirit and reformed Blast who also inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2009.

Two Cardiff City midfielders who spent a mere two seasons together at Ninian Park both had a big impact on the game in very different ways. John Buchanan’s grit and goals meant that he lived long in the hearts and minds of the Bluebirds’ faithful and is always a welcome guest in Cardiff when he heads down from his butcher’s business in Scotland. Billy Ronson may have made less of an impression on this side of the Atlantic but played his part in the slow but successful conversion of our cousins across the pond to the superior form of football. Sadly Ronson passed away in 2015 following long term health issues and was remembered fondly both in South Wales and Baltimore. Never underestimate the power of a goal against your neighbours.