Roger Cross

[zekibekir]

Your urgent help is needed!.
I am trying to obtain some pictures and video footage of Roger Cross when he played for the Bees in the seventies. I understand that he had quite a successful career with Brentford leading to two spell with the club. My plan is to present this to him for his 60th birthday which he celebrates this year!
[email protected]

 

[toeneebee]

What a player, cool as a cucumber and the sweetest finisher you could wish to see. Carn't believe he is approaching 60 where has all those years gone.

 

[wanderer paul]

video footage of Roger Cross will probably be hard to come by unless someone has any 'Big Match' footgae tucked away somewhere.

Some pics are in the 100 years and Postively Brentford Books.

Roger Cross was my 'idol' as an 8 year old !!!

 

[zekibekir]

Unfortunately I have never seen him play but have heard the stories! Luckily he is still plying his trade as chief scout for West Ham.

 

[Simon W]

Roger Cross was my first Bees hero too :love2:

I cried when he was sold to Millwall

Happy 60th Birthday Roger ... where does the time go ???

 

[Sultan]

Was he not on the 'Bees on the Box' video?

 

[Sultan]

Just started going when he had finished with the Bees. I've been told he used to play as if he was carrying a handbag. Is he at West Ham or Tottenham these days?

 

[zekibekir]

He is at back a west ham but did spend some time a spurs as assistant manager with Gerry Francis.

 

[Banana]

Roger Cross was in the first games that I went to see. 60 years old!!!!!

 

[sonofabee]

Stylish with great left peg, just lacked the pace to play at the top. He and Alan Ball if I recall were the first wearers of white boots.

 

[bees66]

It always was a dream of mine that Roger came back to manage us, Roger was my 1st Bees Hero... gutted when he left

 

[macsalisbee]

Roger did well in the long throw competition on tv if I remember. Anyone who saw him will never forget his studied 'puffing out the cheeks (on his face!)' moments which seemed to appear on most of his photos.
Cracking player though and his powerful shots after the stop/start free kick routine was something to see

 

[Paul USA]

Remember him scoring at the Ealing Road end with a full blooded volley from a corner.

Went in off the underside of the crossbar - Lucky no one got in the way - It would have killed them.

Zekibekir - Maybe you could you ask him if he would like to attend a BFC game around his 60th birthday - I have no doubt a nice presentation to him on the pitch at half time would see the fans show their appreciation - I would be happy to sponsor the cost of the event.

 

[62-63]

Roger Cross-a class player with a hammer of a left foot.

 

[Ascot Bee]

Zekibekir - Maybe you could you ask him if he would like to attend a BFC game around his 60th birthday - I have no doubt a nice presentation to him on the pitch at half time would see the fans show their appreciation - I would be happy to sponsor the cost of the event.

That would be fantastic - great plan Paul

 

[ninebelowzero]

great player

 

[blunstone]

yes a great left foot --- a bit of a star!

i wonder if the still has his carefully blown-dry fine head of hair.(i haven't!)

 

[TW3Bee]

One of my first Brentford hero's as well.

Sent the tone for future Brentford activity in the transfer market when he waas sold to Millwall.

 

[bees52 bomber]

CLASS player great shots from anywhere outside the box, throw ins where a joy to watch ,not as far as hutchinson,s but who cares, 60 soon have a good one

 

[NW USA Bee]

One of the best goals I have seen

Home versus Notts County, relgation season not sure what year. Edge of the box into the opposite top corner of the net, a screamer!

 

[RoyalOakBee]

Tony Heath where are you?
"OH Roger how did you miss that" said in an Old Etonian accent.
My Dad still tells that story to this day as if it were yesterday, at the mere mention of the great man's name.
Hit the cross bar from half way line, by the dug outs (old ones) in one game I watched. Not sure if the bar then fell or if that is my Dad using a bit of poetic licence and mixing up two separate incidents.
Great player, one of my heroes and I also wished he had come back as a Manager, but then I wanted Stewart Houston to come back as well so what do I know!!! lol

 

[bees66]

Stewart Houston to come back as well so what do I know!!! lol

he should have been sent off for Sheffield Utd.. for that dirty foul at GP

 

[smudger8]

Scorer of the first Bees goals I ever saw at home to Lincoln City in March 76 !!!

Hero !!!

 

[Wise old Bee]

60! Bloody hell! White boots, long throws, kick like a mule in his left foot. Didn't score many with his head for a big geezer. Once missed a game when he got injured breaking up a fight his dog got into. One of my favourite Bees players.

 

[Simon W]

Would be great if PG got him down to Griffin Park one day .... he would get a great welcome I am sure

 

[Alan D]

One of the all time Brentford greats. I actually spoke to him when he was working with John Doc. at Millwall. Both had a lot of affection for the Bees.

 

[westbaybee]

Gave him a lift to Ealing Broadway in my little Ford Anglia about 1983...can't remember why he would have been at GP, was there a race night or something he would have been at? Anyway, my first ever crush on a player (when he was playing), then swopped my crush to Len Bond.....

 

[DavidgRushden]

Always remember sitting in Block D at the highest row up, and a great friend of my father's and I (Les King - sadly no longer with us)was sitting in the row in front of me.Someone "passed" the ball across the field which was meant for Roger Cross, but as it had the speed of a rocket, and although he ran lile mad to get it, the ball went out of play.Les shouted out,I believe jokingly, "Try Cross,try" to which to the amusement of everyone, he shouted back "I am bloody well trying". A great player who scored some memorable goals. I bet he can still play a bit as well, even at 60 years of age.

 

[North London Bee]

One of my first real Brentford heroes.

What a left foot and those white boots and that long throw and that swagger.

Brightened up some very bleak times at the club.

 

[Gosport Bee]

While coming back on the train from the FA cup5th rd match at Hull in 70/71(i think) my friend & i (we were about 13or14) went to the buffet car only to find all the Bees players there. After chatting to them for a while Roger Cross asked us if we would ask a pretty girl if she would like a drink, which she accepted. We later found out that the girl was Bryan King (The Millwall goalkeeper) fiancee & he was meeting her at King's Cross.

 

[West Wilts Bee]

Nice to read these comments on Roger Cross, I think we signed him from west ham. he had a good relationship with bees fans. I did not realise he was hero worshipped by so many. have to say I was one of them. I also remember that stunnimg goal against Nott county. I'm sure we got relegated that season. I am surprised that no one has mentioned his hold up play, the way he used to bring the ball down from his chest and his layoffs. Class act was Roger.

 

[Brain-dead Bee]

For my sins, I saw him play for Fulham as well as us (in days when QPR were our real rivals)

Good player, and first exponent of the long throw I remember playing for us.

I think he also got us a libel payment from the Sun: when we sold him, one of their journos wrote an article condemning our board as a bunch of money-grabbing misers, and we sued them... and got promoted that season

 

[TW3Bee]

The first I was p!ssed off at us selling a player, and for a small fee as well.

 

[Brain-dead Bee]

The first I was p!ssed off at us selling a player, and for a small fee as well.

Yes, but £10,000 (I think that was the fee) then (1971 or 72) is probably worth over £100k now, and there are probably only 1 or 2 of the current squad who'd bring in that much

 

[Davee]

We paid West Ham 12k for him, i think he was sold for about 30.

 

[Simon W]

The first I was p!ssed off at us selling a player, and for a small fee as well.

I remember hearing the news on Radio 2 Soccer Special that we had sold him to Millwall. I remember crying in bed that night :blush ... I was about 8 at the time

 

[Wise old Bee]

I think he also got us a libel payment from the Sun: when we sold him, one of their journos wrote an article condemning our board as a bunch of money-grabbing misers, and we sued them... and got promoted that season

That was libel?

 

[WisBee]

........................IIRC, he was one of those players at BFC who always promised so much more than they delivered.............(John?) Richardson from about that same era was another...................

 

[macsalisbee]

........................IIRC, he was one of those players at BFC who always promised so much more than they delivered.............(John?) Richardson from about that same era was another...................

Did'nt Richardson break his leg? career ending stuff in those days

 

[vcmazz]

While coming back on the train from the FA cup5th rd match at Hull in 70/71(i think) my friend & i (we were about 13or14) went to the buffet car only to find all the Bees players there. After chatting to them for a while Roger Cross asked us if we would ask a pretty girl if she would like a drink, which she accepted. We later found out that the girl was Bryan King (The Millwall goalkeeper).

So easy to get caught out like that isn't it? Same thing happened to me in Thailand :yes:.