Overview

The autobiography of Mel Nurse, ghost written by Pete Welsh. Mel Nurse served his home-town football club Swansea Town with distinction in two spells between 1955 and 1971, and also his country, alongside legends like the Charles brothers, Ivor Allchurch and Cliff Jones in a golden era for Welsh football.

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9781847711472

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Mel Nurse has packed into his seventy plus years a lifetime of fame, excitement, successes and disappointments, becoming a legend in Welsh football and the champion of Swansea Town, now Swansea City, Football Club. The name Mel Nurse rings a chord in the hearts of those of us born and bred in the 1930s and 1940s, alongside the Charles brothers, Ivor Allchurch and those other stalwarts of the Welsh Clubs and the Wales team of the 50s and 60s. With Pete Welsh, Mel Nurse has written this book in conversational style and the reader can imagine sitting down with Mel over a cup of tea and hearing all the history of his time at Swansea, Middlesborough, Swindon and back at Swansea. Interspersed with his football exploits for the clubs and Wales are memories of his time doing National Service, rushing back to Swansea for the birth of his daughter, horrific car accidents, and his relationships with other football giants like Brian Clough and John Toshack all related with frankness and honesty. As his football career was coming to an end, Mel returned to Swansea and for several years he helped out many valleys football clubs, especially Merthyr Tydfil, never stinting in his efforts to keep clubs going and encourage young players. The Vetch was Mel Nurses second home from his mid-teens when he became one of the ground staff and young players until, as a successful businessman, he became a Director of the club. Following controversial changes in management, Swansea City went through years when bankruptcy threatened and it took all Mel Nurses devotion to the club and business acumen to steer it through to its new life at the Liberty Stadium and its current established place high in the Coca-Cola Football League Championship. Beryl Thomas It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddior adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council

Author Information

Mel Nurse joined Swansea City, his hometown club, from school, at a time when he had already won Schoolboy caps for Wales. At over 6 ft 0 in tall, he quickly made it to Swansea's first team and into the national under-23 side. Shortly after the Munich air disaster, Manchester United offered a fee of GBP35,000 for him, but Swansea turned the offer down. Two years later, Middlesbrough came along, and their offer of GBP25,000, a club record fee, was accepted. Nurse wanted to remain in Wales, but the club made it clear he had no future there if he refused to move. After signing for Middlesbrough on a wage of GBP25 a week, he made his debut against Grimsby Town in a 4-3 victory. Within a week of joining, he was made captain. In 1965, Nurse became unsettled after the appointment of new manager Raich Carter and, with his wife homesick, Middlesbrough placed him on the transfer list. He moved back to the West Country, joining Swindon Town. Nurse played a dozen games for the Welsh national team. His playing days ended when he broke a leg playing for Merthyr Tydfil. He later joined the board of Swansea City, and ran a country club hotel in the city as part of a property empire. At the start of the 21st century, Swansea was in crisis, and was seeking a new owner. The difficult times saw 7 players sacked, and in November 2001, Nurse resigned from the board. The following day, he bought the club's GBP801,000 debt from former owners Ninth Floor plc. On 19 January 2002, Swansea was finally sold, after a bitter stand-off with a consortium headed by Nurse which was supported by the majority of the club's fans.

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