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Who is the greater Southend legend?


  • Total voters
    30
  • Poll closed .

Yorkshire Blue

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Our sixth tie sees 1950s record scorer Roy Hollis take on 1960s/1970s midfielder Andy Smillie.

Post your stories and arguments now.
 
Our sixth tie sees 1950s record scorer Roy Hollis take on 1960s/1970s midfielder Andy Smillie.

Post your stories and arguments now.

Always thought of Smillie as more of a forward, albeit a small one! Don't think he played in the 70s.
 
Always thought of Smillie as more of a forward, albeit a small one! Don't think he played in the 70s.

Same here, Smillie left Roots Hall for Gillingham in Oct 1968, according to the SUFC Database. He scored 29 goals in 180 games, so those that bemoan the strike rate of some of our more recent strikers would do well to look at history. I liked Andy Smillie always worked hard for the team, I think his son Neil played for Palace in the 80's or 90's.

I never saw Roy Hollis, and would like to hear more about him from those who did, I only know from what I've read, but with his goal scoring record he'll get my vote.
 
Never saw RH, but Andy Smillie was a midfield player and was captain for awhile..I would not say one of the stars of the team at that time though as of course it was Billy Bests era. I think he still owns or runs one of the cafes under the arches in Westcliff..Funny enough I saw him last Saturday morning in Iceland picking up some bits.

Roy Hollis for me though for being our all time top scorer.

*From the Shrimpers Trust web site*

Great Yarmouth born Roy Hollis is Southend's highest ever goal scorer with 135 goals in 260 League and Cup appearances. Needless to say, Blues fans were not that impressed calling him "Gormless" Hollis as many of his goals went in off any part of the lanky striker's body but his foot or head. He surpassed Jimmy Shankly's record of 100 League goals after only 176 appearances.
 
Always thought of Smillie as more of a forward, albeit a small one! Don't think he played in the 70s.

Yeah,but IIRC he even played a few games as sweeper when Sammy Mac. was injured.He's still to be seen at Smiley's on the Westcliff Riveria where he makes a mean toasted bacon sandwich.
Never saw Hollis play but I always rated Andy.For a little fella he was incredibly brave.
 
Yeah,but IIRC he even played a few games as sweeper when Sammy Mac. was injured.He's still to be seen at Smiley's on the Westcliff Riveria where he makes a mean toasted bacon sandwich.
Never saw Hollis play but I always rated Andy.For a little fella he was incredibly brave.

Indeed he did. One of them was at Workington! Don't think he excelled there and Beesley took over the makeshift role after a couple of matches.

But you may as well give it to him for the bacon sarnies, especially given the tenuous nature of some of these comparisons!
 
allez spindlelegs! Roy Hollis could be likened to a white 1950's version of Francis Laurent. Completely gangly, hence his nickname. However, in the traditional No. 9, centre forward role, he was rather more effective than the former,being our top scorer of all time.........122 goals between 1953 and 1960. That, roughly, makes an average of just under 18 goals a season, during seven years!
 
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Roy is the boy-apparently he didn't give a hoot what part of the body it went in off- as long as it went in and the rcord shows he did the business.
Andy Smillie was a fantastic signing for me.
I think (although I stand to be corrected) that I also remember him playing Sweeper (next to big Eddie May) and my memories are very positive of this move.Literally capable of turning on a sixpence,shaking off a challenger and pinging a pass out of defence to turn the tables to attack,
However Roy gets my vote for longevity if nothing else.
 
Great Yarmouth born Roy Hollis is Southend's highest ever goal scorer with 135 goals in 260 League and Cup appearances. Needless to say, Blues fans were not that impressed calling him "Gormless" Hollis as many of his goals went in off any part of the lanky striker's body but his foot or head. He surpassed Jimmy Shankly's record of 100 League goals after only 176 appearances.

I saw Roy play in about 150 of those games. As for "Blues fans were not that impressed calling him "Gormless" Hollis" unless it was a few dissenters in the East Stand, I totally disagree with that statement. I regularly moved around the ground in those days and I don't remember too many fans on the South Bank, North Bank or West Stand being unimpressed with Roy. How could they be? He scored 135 goals in only seven seasons, who comes anywhere near that? As for many of Roy's goals going in off any part of his body, that's a gross exaggeration. He headed an awful lot of his goals, because he had the gift of being able to "hang" in the air.

No surprise then that Roy Hollis gets my vote. Sorry Andy, even though I've had quite a few breakfasts in your place @ the Arches on the seafront.
 
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Andy Smillie gets my vote , in fact I used to appear alongside him ,every Saturday ..... unfortunately it was in H.W.Stones Sports Shop Basildon circa 1981 doing a Saturday job - he was the Manager
 
Yeah,but IIRC he even played a few games as sweeper when Sammy Mac. was injured.He's still to be seen at Smiley's on the Westcliff Riveria where he makes a mean toasted bacon sandwich.
Never saw Hollis play but I always rated Andy.For a little fella he was incredibly brave.

He was indeed.

At centre forward he was battered by any number of 6 foot plus centre backs who were only there to clog but he always got back up and came back for more - superb.

In midfield he was a very perceptive passer of the ball.

One game at centre forward in August / September 1967 against Swansea when we won 1-0 and Jackie Ferguson had his only decent game stands out...... and the cheese omelette and chips is also particularly fine....................
 
He was indeed.

At centre forward he was battered by any number of 6 foot plus centre backs who were only there to clog but he always got back up and came back for more - superb.

In midfield he was a very perceptive passer of the ball.

One game at centre forward in August / September 1967 against Swansea when we won 1-0 and Jackie Ferguson had his only decent game stands out...... and the cheese omelette and chips is also particularly fine....................

I certainly remember that Swansea game as probably the finest I've ever seen at Roots Hall.
 
That Swansea game was incredible! The football by boh sides wa fantastic. It was a Friday night and on the previous Monday we had beaten luton 3-0 (Luton were eventually champions.) Could be the best week of Southend history. The next Wednesday we got beat 2-1 by Darlington in the League Cup to show what a mercurial side we were then.
Andy Smillie played sweper most of the 1966-67 season, playing at the back with the number 7 shirt on. But when Ernie Shpherd took over as manager with about 6 games left he immediately moved Smillie to centre forward.
The next season Smillie played centre forward but was crocked in a friendly with Shoebury Garison with 8 matches left. We embarked on a disasterous run of matches when promotion had seemed inevitable. After losing to Lincoln and Doncaster, drawing with Chesterfield, losing to Doncaster again to Bradford City, Smillie returned against medical advice to play with pain killers against Notts Country. We battered the goal, hit the post and then lost in the final two minutes when a Notts player charged down a Graham Birks centre and set up a break away goal. For playing and putting his career at some risk I will be voting for Andy Smillie.
Does anyone else remeber all this? I am writing late at night from memory!!
 
That Swansea game was incredible! The football by boh sides wa fantastic. It was a Friday night and on the previous Monday we had beaten luton 3-0 (Luton were eventually champions.) Could be the best week of Southend history. The next Wednesday we got beat 2-1 by Darlington in the League Cup to show what a mercurial side we were then.
Andy Smillie played sweper most of the 1966-67 season, playing at the back with the number 7 shirt on. But when Ernie Shpherd took over as manager with about 6 games left he immediately moved Smillie to centre forward.
The next season Smillie played centre forward but was crocked in a friendly with Shoebury Garison with 8 matches left. We embarked on a disasterous run of matches when promotion had seemed inevitable. After losing to Lincoln and Doncaster, drawing with Chesterfield, losing to Doncaster again to Bradford City, Smillie returned against medical advice to play with pain killers against Notts Country. We battered the goal, hit the post and then lost in the final two minutes when a Notts player charged down a Graham Birks centre and set up a break away goal. For playing and putting his career at some risk I will be voting for Andy Smillie.
Does anyone else remeber all this? I am writing late at night from memory!!

Your memory's in fantastic nick,Sir.Wish I could say the same for myself.:Worthy:
 
Yeah,but IIRC he even played a few games as sweeper when Sammy Mac. was injured.He's still to be seen at Smiley's on the Westcliff Riveria where he makes a mean toasted bacon sandwich.
Never saw Hollis play but I always rated Andy.For a little fella he was incredibly brave.

Strangely I agree with you Phil
 
That Swansea game was incredible! The football by boh sides wa fantastic. It was a Friday night and on the previous Monday we had beaten luton 3-0 (Luton were eventually champions.) Could be the best week of Southend history. The next Wednesday we got beat 2-1 by Darlington in the League Cup to show what a mercurial side we were then.
Andy Smillie played sweper most of the 1966-67 season, playing at the back with the number 7 shirt on. But when Ernie Shpherd took over as manager with about 6 games left he immediately moved Smillie to centre forward.
The next season Smillie played centre forward but was crocked in a friendly with Shoebury Garison with 8 matches left. We embarked on a disasterous run of matches when promotion had seemed inevitable. After losing to Lincoln and Doncaster, drawing with Chesterfield, losing to Doncaster again to Bradford City, Smillie returned against medical advice to play with pain killers against Notts Country. We battered the goal, hit the post and then lost in the final two minutes when a Notts player charged down a Graham Birks centre and set up a break away goal. For playing and putting his career at some risk I will be voting for Andy Smillie.
Does anyone else remeber all this? I am writing late at night from memory!!

Certainly do - that Notts County game was one of the most one sided I've ever seen when the dominant team lost.

Strangely another one was at Notts County in the January after Peter Taylor took over when we must have forced about 25 corners and still lost.
 
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