Tommy Hutchison

[mrmagic]

I have recently had a book published with former Swansea player, Tommy Hutchison, ‘Hutch Hard Work and Belief’.
Tommy will be the guest of the club at the match against Coventry on April 7 (Good Friday). We will be selling copies of the book in the club shop before the game and in the lounges before and after the match.
Tommy joined Swansea at the age of 37. He stayed for five years, played nearly 200 games for the club and was there in a momentous and tumultuous time. Five chapters of the book are devoted to his time at the club.Anyone who remembers Doug Sharpe’s chairmanship will find the stories enlightening!
Tommy really enjoyed his time in South Wales. He played on for another three years after leaving Swansea, at Merthyr and then worked for several more years as a football development officer for the PFA up and down the valleys. His daughter still lives in Swansea.
Tommy is a down to earth and humble chap. I didn’t know him before writing the book book but I was really pleased to find out he was such a good bloke. When he is in Swansea, please come over and say hello and have a picture with him whether buying a book or not. He really enjoys chatting to fans.
I have to say I have been very impressed with the reception we have been given by Swansea. They couldn’t have been more helpful and generous. Coventry, Blackpool and Alloa have all been lovely too. This is in contrast to Man City who invited us to a game but wouldn’t let us sell books either inside or outside of the ground. We didn’t attend in the end.
I was hoping to set up a forum in or close to Swansea on the Thursday night before the game. This would be a Q and A session with Tommy, probably in a social club. We have done a few of these in Coventry, a couple for Man City fans ( in contrast to their club, they have been great) and are doing one in Blackpool too. The ones we have done have all been great events.
Are there any local supporters organisations or even the Swansea City Trust who would be interested in hosting or helping to set up such an evening? If anyone can put me in touch with such a group I will be grateful.
For anyone who would like to buy a signed copy of the book or who won’t be around when Tommy is in Swansea, you can have a book delivered to your door by using the link below.


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTPqznh9sruVw/viewform

Apologies if I bump this thread with updates nearer the events.

 

[stevethejack]

A good place for the Q & A would be the Riverside Lounge at the stadium, or if they are unable to open it on a Thursday night, the Landore Social Club is a 5 minute walk away, they have a number of function rooms of varying sizes (& cheap drinks!!).

 

[STID2017]

Suggest the Landore Social Club as a venue?
Maybe Phil could organise or put the author in touch with someone who would?
Maybe Jack Jones ?

 

[Ringwood Jack]

Can he bring a coach and physio? we may have a role for him

 

[TerryPHELAN]

Something i personally would be interested in attending. I first started watching the Swans when Hutch was nearing the end of his career.
At times he’s still be the best player on this pitch.
I remember one particular match, Reading on New Years Day 1989. Hutch ran their full back Paul Franklin ragged that day; he ended up getting sent off for an off the ball incident on Tommy.
Be good to see him back in Swansea.

 

[leighton]

If in Swansea over Easter I’d love to attend.

I think it’s great that there is a market for ‘books by old players’ who usually (with the help of their ghost) tell a good story. Tommy (with John Bond at Man City, I think, and worth a book himself) would have more than a few.

 

[Dewi1jack]

Loved watching Tommy H.
even though he had slowed down by the time he was here, he had a repertoire of moves that would turn most opposition players inside out.
Funny watching them lunge to where he was a few seconds before.
Talked to him a few times around the city and Gower. Real gent and always made the time for a chat.
Good luck

 

[Ringwood Jack]

I always remember one goal we scored at Leyton Orient when TH picked the ball up in our half and beat 3 players down the right wing and a perfect cross for Sean McCarthey to score with his head. He never looked quick but was full of skill and delivery

 

[mrmagic]

Suggest the Landore Social Club as a venue?
Maybe Phil could organise or put the author in touch with someone who would?
Maybe Jack Jones ?

Thank you for this. Could you let me know who Phil or Jack Jones are and where I could contact them please?

 

[mrmagic]

Thanks for the great comments about Tommy. I have copied them and passed them on to him. He is a really humble chap and I think it does him good to be reminded sometimes of the positive impact he had on those who came to see him play or who met up with him away from football.
He said to me a few weeks ago that sometimes he thinks back to the things he did and he has to pinch himself to understand that it was him who actually achieved these things.

 

[Red Roughy]

my dad would love this book

 

[jack_lord]

As part of the Mumbles/Newton crowd I remember being explicitly told to never mention the FA Cup final goal and I had a drink with him in the Newton Inn. What an amazing down to earth fellow and told me a few stories and how he brought on players like Coleman but he was really stitched up by Doug Sharp but that may well be in the book.
Brilliant footballer, a quiet stern man but quite a character. Loved seeing him turn players inside out when he was 40

 

[mrmagic]

my dad would love this book

Thank you again for the great memories of Tommy playing for Swansea. I have passed these on to him.
Tommy spent five years with the Swans another three at Merthyr and then remained living in South Wales until he retired from his work as a football development officer a few years ago. His time in the area is obviously a huge part of the book. Below is an extract from when he first signed for Swansea.

‘My introduction to my new team-mates came during a pre-season tournament in Malaysia with Kuala Lumpur as our base. How the club were able to afford such an exotic location for a pre-season visit was something that I pondered when the financial chickens came home to roost later in the season. At the time, it was just another exciting place that playing football had enabled me to visit.
After one of the games, John Bond gave Colin Pascoe such a roasting that he was in tears. Some of the Welsh boys felt that they were singled out for criticism more than the English boys. I told Pascoe this wasn’t the case and that Bond just wanted players to act on advice and improve. I told him, ‘Pasc, the time tae start worrying is when he doesnae speak tae you as that means he’s givin’ up on you.’ Bond would become genuinely frustrated by players who couldn’t or wouldn’t act on his advice.
The boss hadn’t pleased the Swansea fans at the end of the previous season when he released local boy Dean Saunders, who had scored a few goals for the Swans, for the very reason that he would not act on the things he was being asked to do (mainly to delay his runs in behind defenders as he was frequently and unnecessarily caught offside). Saunders, like Dixon from Burnley, went on to have a fantastic top-flight career.
It wasn’t looking too good for John when the chairman sided with the fans and criticised the decision to let Saunders go. Bond also didn’t inspire much confidence as to what his players could achieve when he declared that it was the worst squad of players that he had ever seen! He didn’t tell me that when I was signing on!
Once the season started, the mood of the fans did not improve. We lost the first four league games. By early November we had won only four times, but by then there were bigger fish to fry than league position. We were facing a battle for the very survival of the club. The first hint that I had of the looming situation was in October when HMRC called for a winding-up order against the club due to unpaid taxes. We muddled along until Christmas when the real hammer blow fell. A High Court judge ruled Swansea City insolvent and effectively wound the club up.’

If you would like a signed copy of the book delivered to your door, use the link below to bring up the appropriate form.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTPqznh9sruVw/viewform

 

[mrmagic]

Just bumping this thread as Tommy will be at the game against Coventry on Good Friday. The club have been great, inviting Tommy as their guest for this game and allowing us to sell his book. Man City could learn a thing or two about how to treat ex-players from the Swans. A special thank you to Sophie Clarke from the club for sorting things out for us.
Tommy will be in the club shop from 12:30 signing copies of his book. Even if you don’t want a book please feel free to come and say hello and have your picture taken. Tommy will then be in the lounges before and after the game again will be signing copies of the book but is there for a chat and a picture too.
If you can’t make it to the shop or the lounges on Friday but would still like a signed copy of the book, please fill in the form below and have a signed copy delivered to your door.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTPqznh9sruVw/viewform

 

[mrmagic]

Just bumping this thread as Tommy will be at the game against Coventry on Good Friday. The club have been great, inviting Tommy as their guest for this game and allowing us to sell his book. Man City could learn a thing or two about how to treat ex-players from the Swans. A special thank you to Sophie Clarke from the club for sorting things out for us.
Tommy will be in the club shop from 12:30 signing copies of his book. Even if you don’t want a book please feel free to come and say hello and have your picture taken. Tommy will then be in the lounges before and after the game again will be signing copies of the book but is there for a chat and a picture too.
If you can’t make it to the shop or the lounges on Friday but would still like a signed copy of the book, please fill in the form below and have a signed copy delivered to your door.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfard87yfsj-_jL4Kd3YV7M2glykk0m8s5LtTPqznh9sruVw/viewform