It's strange but I look back fondly on Hartlepool's meagre existence during the mid 90s - financial turmoil, boadroom squabbles, management changes, substandard non contract / non league loan players and dwindling crowds. It seemed real. That was real football to me. It was real enough at many other football clubs too, non more so than (old) 2nd division Leyton Orient in 1994.
The debt ridden club was put up for sale, with the chairman jokingly stating that he'd expect a fiver for them. It was a press wet dream and a channel 4 camera crew were dispatched to Brisbane Road to film a fly on the wall documentary. Centred around the O's joint management team of John Sitton and future Pools boss Chris Turner, it was the sweary Sitton that stole the scenes (but not hearts) and became a cult hero.
Having played for Chelsea and Millwall during the 80s he had a reputation as an uncompromising hard man. This was something, and indeed the only thing, he put into his management technique, as tactics and guise were overlooked for fucking sweary fucking angry fucking teamfuckingtalks.
After a few halftime hairdryer tirades (that would make Alex Ferguson cry) come and go to no avail, his club are bottom of the league with injuries and suspension ruining his squad and his future in the balance, his key moment came at half time one nil down to Blackpool. And unusually calm Sitton starts off his team talk by giving fans favourite Terry Howard a fortnights notice. He sacks his best player. 45 minutes in.
And either fearing a backlash from the rest of the squad or a blind determination to show he's numero uno he utters the following line -
''You, you little cunt, when I tell you to do something, do it, and you, you big cunt, when I tell you to do something, you fucking well do it.
And if you come back at me, we'll have a right fucking sort out in here. And you can fucking pair up if you like. You can even get someone to fucking help if you like. And you can bring your fucking dinner. Cos by the time I'm through with you you'll fucking need it''.
His words don't have the desired effect and with new owners wishing to make 'wholesale' changes Sitton and Turner (and Howard bless him) duly lose their jobs. Sitton was banned from visiting Brisbane Road and Orient's training ground, and had over 60 Football League jobs applications rejected and briefly managed non league Leyton FC. He claimed he was 'deeply embarrassed' by the way he was portrayed in the documentary and said he missed the game 'that had turned its back on him'. He went on to drive a black cab.
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