Phil Sumbler
When John Toshack arrived in Swansea from Liverpool in the relative early months of 1978 few would have envisaged the impact he would have had on the football club, the city and even football in general but now football fans everywhere will have the chance to relive those memories once again with “Tosh – the movie” set to be released in the next few months.
Within 48 hours of going on pre-sale it is already number 1 on the Amazon selling charts and capturing the interest of football fans everywhere which tells the impact itself of what Toshack achieved in this City more than 40 years ago.ย The fact that everyone remembers the time with such fondness after the passing of a massive chunk of time tells you all you need to know and why the capturing of this is not just essential for us of a certain age but to tell a story that can be preserved for generations to come.
Toshack was already a legend when he came to Swansea and his honours – two league titles, the European Cup, the UEFA Cup on two occasions, the FA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup – spoke for themselves.ย His partnership with Kevin Keegan was so effective that the two were described as telepathic.ย ย So it raised more than a few eyebrows in football circles when he swapped all of that to take charge of a club languishing at the wrong end of the football league not too long past them having to apply for re-election.
But from the moment more than 15000 crammed into the Vetch to watch his first game in charge the scene was set for one of the most remarkable rises ever likely to be seen in football.ย ย Three promotions in four seasons took the Swans into the top flight and even into the last six-eight weeks of that first season there were dreams of winning the league very much alive before ending with a top six finish.ย These were halycon times and the legend of Toshack was set forever.
And it was not just in South Wales that the legend was set, Toshack managed Real Madrid three times, Real Sociedad three times, Wales twice, Macedonia Deportivo, Besiktas and a host of other clubs in a career that took him well beyond his native Wales.ย ย Toshack is a footballing icon around the world and his Swansea story has now been captured in film by Peter Jones, a ‘Tosh-ite’ by his own admission and a diehard Swansea City fan from the area.
The writing on Amazon tells you all you need to know – “This is the definitive portrait of John Toshack. Welsh, Liverpool and Swansea legend, and one of football’s most inspirational figures. Relive the unbelievable story of a man who, after leaving European champions Liverpool in 1978, took on struggling Swansea City and guided them on a miraculous journey from fourth, to first division, in just four years. Discover how this passionate player and manager galvanised a side, and a city, ultimately leading him to a hugely successful managerial career across Europe and latterly with the Welsh national team.”
I have been fortunate enough to meet John Toshack on occasions in the past and he has a presence about him that is difficult to describe but certainly one you cannot ignore.ย For many of us (of that certain age again) he is the reason we attached an affiliation to our football club and that affiliation has never diminished from those early days.
The DVD is expected to be released early June with a movie premiere before that and you can pre-order your copy via Amazon at this link.ย Whether a Swansea fan or not this is a footballing story that will capture your imagination and full credit to all who have made it happen.
As the DVD header says – Player.ย Manager.ย LEGEND.
