Marvellous

by Neil Baldwin

  I will be entitled to drive a herd of sheep through the city centre, and I’m planning to do that to raise money for charity.

  MALCOLM

  The city council chose the annual Sentinel Sports Awards dinner for the City of Stoke and surrounding areas to make the award. The Sentinel is the local paper, and several local sporting awards are presented.

  After taking the long and antiquated oath of allegiance which new Freemen are required to make, it was not clear that an oral response was expected but Neil stepped forward and said: ‘I’d like to respond on behalf of myself and Gordon.’ I don’t know whether he consulted Gordon Banks first, but Gordon didn’t object. After saying thank you, and how honoured he was, Neil randomly cracked a joke about the Chinese telephone system which rather passed over the heads of those present. But nobody minded. Everyone there shared Neil’s pride and recognised the contribution which he and Marvellous has made to promoting the City of Stoke-on-Trent.

  Lou commented in a media interview that he hoped Neil ‘doesn’t think that the Freedom of Stoke-on-Trent means that he can go and purchase anything in any shop without paying for it.’

  On the same day that the city council decided to make Neil a Freeman of the City, the Neil Baldwin Football Club were playing a game at Rocester FC. Neil rang me to say that he was taking a squad of sixteen to the match. I asked him what he was doing with the remaining 108. ‘Resting them,’ was the reply.

  Zara and I turned up to the game at Rocester to see a television crew in attendance. When I asked Neil who they were, in that kind of matter-of-fact way he has of taking these things in his stride, he just said. ‘Oh, that’s Norwegian television.’ I didn’t even bother to ask how it had come about. You just come to expect these things with Neil.

  Radio 5 Live were also there and recorded an interview with myself and Neil for a piece the following morning about him being given the Freeman of the City of Stoke.

  About five minutes before the end of the game, the floodlights failed, with Rocester beating NBFC by eight goals to two. It was fairly obvious that the match would not be resumed.

  We waited in the darkness outside the clubhouse, when suddenly there was a cheer which came from the direction of the pitch. We couldn’t see anything. The PA announcer then said, ‘And the third goal from NBFC, scored by the man himself, Mr Neil Baldwin.’

  It transpired that Neil had insisted on going onto the pitch to take a penalty which he had scored – perhaps not entirely surprisingly as it was being taken in total darkness, which doesn’t help even the best of keepers. But it will, no doubt, go down in his records as yet another goal he has scored for his team.

  NEIL

  I was not too worried about the score because we hadn’t played too many games that season. But at least I scored. I always do. It was a marvellous night because it was the same day that I had been given the Freeman of the City of Stoke-on-Trent.

  MALCOLM

  In December, as National Chair of the Football Supporters’ Federation, I attended a press conference in the National Football Museum in Manchester given by Clive Efford, MP, the Shadow Minister of Sport, who was outlining Labour’s policy on football in advance of the general election. Television crews and journalists were covering the event.

  At the end of the press conference, Clive beckoned me into a corner to have a quiet word. I was expecting him to say something about the policy, perhaps that they needed a little help on the detail and would we be willing to do that? Far from it. What Clive actually said was: ‘Would there be any chance of the Parliamentary football team having a game against the Neil Baldwin Football Club?’

  Of course, I said, I’m sure that Neil would be absolutely delighted. I mentioned it to Neil. Naively (how long have I known him?) I didn’t expect him to start the ball rolling. But a few days later I got a phone call from Neil.

  ‘What was the name of that MP who wanted a football match against NBFC?’

  ‘Clive Efford.’

  ‘Because I’ve rang the House of Commons and got through to that woman who knew nothing about it.’

  ‘What woman?’

  ‘Harriet Harman.’

  Neil had rung the House of Commons and asked to be put through to the Labour party spokesperson on sport. Instead of being put through to the Shadow Minister of Sport he had been put through to Clive Efford’s boss, the Shadow Secretary of State, Harriet Harman. If most of the rest of us were to ring the Commons in these circumstances we would probably get to speak to a member of the MP’s office staff, but Neil had been put straight through to Harriet, who didn’t know anything about the football match.

  A few weeks later I saw Clive again at the National Arboretum, where there was an unveiling of a memorial for the footballers who had fought in the First World War. He told me that Harriet had buttonholed him on the floor at the House of Commons saying: have you sorted out that football match, because I’ve got this chap who has been on the phone to me wanting something done about it.

  Neil doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet.

  NEIL

  It will be marvellous when NBFC play the Parliamentary team. I hope that Boris Johnson plays, because if he does, I shall get one of the players to kick him.

  MALCOLM

  Neil’s old friend Terry Conroy, along with businessmen Mike Finnigan and David Brownsword, met at the end of December 2014. David said:

  An idea was put to Neil up for an event called ‘An Audience with Neil Baldwin’ to celebrate his life to date and to let others have the first hand experience of what a wonderful man he is. A very important by-product of the proposed event was to raise money for good causes. Neil, with a big smile, was totally hooked and excited.

  Seven weeks later the event, with just fifty guests, was held at Roundhouse Restaurant in Hayfield, situated in the delightful Peak District. Terry and I joined Neil for a Q and A. David summed it up:

  It was crowned by Neil doing a wonderful duet with the talented singer/songwriter Beatie Wolfe. Neil was singing along, or trying to (without rehearsing the lyrics), to Beatie’s charity single ‘Wish’. £7000 was made for the nominated good causes. (You can listen to that at www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkQA-tgU2N4.)

  There are now plans to repeat the event elsewhere, possibly as far afield as Glasgow and Kent. David and his friends have also set up a website about Neil: www.marvellousneilbaldwin. com

  NEIL

  It was a great day, and I’m so pleased we raised so much money for charity. Beatie was really pleased to have the chance to do a duet with me. Not too many artists get that chance. Phil Dowd, the Premier League referee, was there and I told him the penalty he gave to Wayne Rooney a few days before was wrong. But he’s a great referee really, even though I think he’s a Vale fan. I fixed up a couple of games for NBFC. It will be marvellous if we can do more shows in other places to raise money for charity.

  MALCOLM

  Despite all this activity, Neil retains his regular presence at Keele. Lucy O’Dwyer, the 2015 President of the Athletic Union, described her daily requests from Neil:

  Every morning I walk past Neil, he will be sat downstairs in the Students’ Union and will ask either for a pen or cappuccino. Then, in the afternoon, he will ask for an Oxo cube (always beef ) stirred into hot water which, I presume, is his mid-afternoon snack.

  He will then go and sit in the Sports Centre proclaiming me to be a ‘funny girl’ (although, I’d argue the Oxo cube in hot water is funnier) with a tendency to get very passionate when discussing politics – ‘It’s Cameron’s fault we’re in this mess!’

  [Describing last year’s Sports Centre Christmas party] He presented us all with a pair of black socks that looked suspiciously like they’d all come from the same multi-pack. I don’t think Neil agrees with Secret Santa…

  NEIL

  Lucy is a very good friend of mine. She looks after me and I look after her. I’ve known all the athletic union presidents in the last fifty years, and she’s one of the best. />
  MALCOLM

  Alex Clifford, who graduated in 2014 recalled:

  The first time I met Neil was during a night out in the Students’ Union building. It was close to 1 a.m. and I had popped down to the Kiln for some cheesy chips and gravy. I then heard a strange squawk in my direction, and I turned to see an older man walking towards me. ‘Hey you, would you mind getting me some chips?’ he asked. I said ‘absolutely’, got into the queue and sat with Neil as we munched on our chips. And thus I was introduced to the wonder that is Neil Baldwin.

  In my time since, I’ve provided Neil with lifts from the SU building to the Sports Centre, helped him set up stalls at Freshers’ Fair for his football club, and (attempted) to provide him with the whereabouts of Joe Turner, president at the time that I was VP of welfare in 2013, another ‘very good friend’ of Neil’s.

  I’ll always remember Neil as Santa during the early Winterfest (Winter ball) parties during my time, and his famous line from Marvellous about helping a girl, to prevent her from committing suicide.

  Neil was always around campus, attending all the events he could manage. He always liked to come to the Union Awards night to see Societies and Clubs be rewarded for doing well over the year, and even managed to turn up on the door and get entry when the Head of Student Support couldn’t! Maybe one day he’ll be asked to stand up and make a speech about the many clubs and societies he’s seen progress over the years.

  Declan Carey, a third year student says:

  After attending a training session, Neil texted me about a match at Oxford coming up. He tried to tempt me with the prospect of an Apple Sourz shot if I received Man of the Match – what a hero! After this, Neil never forgot me and he continues to say hello to this day, chatting with me every time he sees me.

  I did some research and read Francis Beckett’s piece in The Guardian and began to understand that there was more to Neil than I had anticipated. The man who never forgot to say hello, and who had been at Keele forever, actually had a fascinating past which I ashamedly had known nothing about despite knowing him for a year.

  Prior to the showing of Marvellous, Keele alumni officer John Easom generously invited me to attend a meal with Neil and Malcolm Clarke in the Sneyd Arms. I felt I was being too quiet, so often tried to add my own experience into the conversation, but I felt like I was sitting at a table of Keele giants who had more stories than I could contemplate.

  That night I just listened. Neil and Malcolm told me all about the filming process and some of the key moments which would be shown in the film. I asked Neil how he felt about Toby Jones portraying him in the film. ‘He was brilliant,’ he said. ‘But what a scruff he looked!’

  I still see Neil all over campus and he still says hello and stops for a chat. It’s almost like the film and fame never happened and he is just a normal bloke sitting around campus. That is until he reminds me of his aim to get an MBE and it all becomes real.

  For Neil, nothing’s changed except that, as he puts it, he’s got famous. He still makes new friends in exactly the same way as he used to do, and he treats everyone the same way. Brad, a new friend himself, sees that clearly:

  When I look back on the things I’ve done since meeting Neil, it really makes me smile. I’m from a working-class family, raised by a single parent and I never had much growing up, but that didn’t matter to Neil, you could have all the money in the world and he wouldn’t care. To Neil, people are people and that’s all that matters. In his eyes, I’m no different to Gary Lineker or any of his sporting idols, because it doesn’t matter how you are viewed in the public eye, whether you’re a TV presenter or work at Keele, people are people. I’ve had some amazing experiences with Neil, I’ll cherish the memories for life and hopefully we will have many more together. We are like Stoke’s version of Ant and Dec (apart from our guts and good looks). So thank you Neil.

  NEIL

  In March 2015 the Neil Baldwin Football Club was invited to play an evening away game under floodlights against Gresley FC, a Derbyshire club who play in the Evo-Stik League. This took my football club to a new level. There was a £5 admission charge and the official attendance was eighty-one. There was a glossy match programme, which included an article about the film, listed the Neil Baldwin FC team and showed it including former Stoke City star Danny Higginbotham. There was a big article about Danny, and another about my friend Uriah Rennie, who I got to referee the match again.

  Unfortunately, Danny couldn’t play. But I will select him for a future game. And it was great that my old friend Macca, former Stoke City goal-scoring star Mike Sheron, made his debut as a substitute for my team.

  Both teams lined up to be formally presented to me before the kick-off and I had an interview on the pitch with the PA announcer. Everyone wants to talk to me.

  MALCOLM

  It also included a new experience for me. I had been a director of the Neil Baldwin Football Club for over forty years, but during that time, the board had never met! I had often asked Neil about this and he had repeatedly promised to arrange a meeting. But now the Chairman of Gresley Rovers had invited the directors of the Neil Baldwin Football Club into the boardroom and to sit in the directors’ area. So after four decades of waiting, I fulfilled my first official function as a director of NBFC. I thought it would never happen. Dreams are made of this.

  NEIL

  It’s been difficult to find a time for a board meeting, but the club is being run well by me as the manager, coach and kit manager. Malcolm knows that, but he just wanted to go into a boardroom and I’m pleased that I’ve given him the chance to do that.

  MALCOLM

  The game itself did not start very well for NBFC who were 3–0 down within about half an hour, one of the goals being scored by former Stoke City player, ‘Freezer’ Goodfellow.

  NEIL

  Myself (as manager), Phil (as my coach), and Brad (who I’ve appointed as assistant coach), were in the dugout, so that’s a pretty good team. We were all listed in the programme. It was a poor start so we had to tell the team a few home-truths at half-time.

  MALCOLM

  Things went better in the second half, perhaps because NBFC were playing downhill on Gresley’s famous slope. Uriah gave a free kick to NBFC about twenty-five yards from goal. Up stepped Mike Sheron to curl a beautifully taken free kick around the wall and into the top corner of the net. Talk about rolling back the years!

  NEIL

  That was a great goal by Macca. I would have been proud to score that one.

  MALCOLM

  Throughout the game, the crowd could hear the constant encouragement of Phil, the NBFC coach, followed a few second later by the same instruction being given in a rather deeper voice from the back of the dugout.

  Phil: ‘Go on, tuck in there, don’t give him room…’

  Neil: ‘Tuck in there, don’t give him room.’

  Phil: ‘Get down there on the overlap…’

  Neil: ‘Get down there on the overlap.’

  The game ended with a 3–1 defeat for NBFC. Or did it? After the final whistle Neil came onto the pitch to take his customary ‘penalty’, although unlike the game at Rocester, on this occasion not in total darkness! He put it into the corner of the net with his trademark celebratory shake of the fist.

  NEIL

  That was a great penalty – right in the corner. Macca had a goal disallowed for offside, but it should have been allowed, which, together with my penalty meant that the score will go down as a three-all draw.

  MALCOLM

  I chatted to a few members of the crowd. Two guys had told me that they had seen the film on television, had seen the match advertised locally, and felt that they just had to come down and see the real Neil Baldwin Football Club, even though they were not regular attendees at Gresley FC. Another lady told me that the film had changed her life, in that she now has a completely different attitude towards problems and issues in her own life.

  Similarly, a fellow Stoke City supporter, who I di
dn’t previously know, told me that watching the film had made him re-evaluate the way he looked at and dealt with problems of his own and put them into perspective. The line ‘I wanted to be happy, so I decided to be,’ has struck a particular chord with a lot of people.

  In fact, one of the most extraordinary consequences of the broadcasting of Marvellous has been the number of ordinary people who, like those two, have said that watching the film has changed their lives, and a number of them have contacted Neil, usually through Stoke City FC or Keele University.

  Some have contacted Neil simply to come and visit him. Michelle Wren, from Liverpool said:

  When I watched Marvellous it changed my life. I made my family and friends watch it and it changed their lives too. Neil is an example of how to live life. He inspired me so much I rang up Keele University to see if the Neil Baldwin Football Club was still running and if it would be possible to come and meet him. They said yes, so I brought my parents, who also loved the film, and we went to Keele to meet Neil.

  I was worried that it was strange to just go and meet this man who had inspired me so much, but then I thought, ‘What would Neil Baldwin do?’ If Neil Baldwin watched the film and liked the character he would just go and meet them, so I did and it was lovely. So now I like to think, ‘He’s a very good friend of mine.’ And when I am thinking of whether or not to do something I simply say to myself, ‘What would Neil Baldwin do?’ There might be ‘only one Neil Baldwin’ but I think the world would be better if there were a few more.