http://www.canaries.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetails/0,,10355~1170858,00.html Terribly sad news. One of my very favourite players from our successful mid-70s team, I'll always remember the cultured left foot and fantastic shot. Nothing on the official site as yet. RIP mate.
I've only just seen this news and am shocked and extremely saddened. I was privileged to see Graham play when I first started supporting West Ham United, happy happy memories. RIP Graham.
So sad, Paddon was one of my all time favorite players, loved watching him when he was at Norwich and was so glad when we signed him. RIP Graham Paddon
He was one of my favourites of all time. Saw a fair amount of his games, lovely left foot. Scored a beauty V Frankfurt in the Euro semi's. RIP Graham.
A long but hopefully very worthwhile read C+P from another board. Football connoisseurs of the early-Seventies simply drooled over Graham Paddon and it was West Ham's good fortune to obtain his services during a period of turmoil midway through the 1973/4 season. Bold, blonde and bearded, Graham formed a formidable midfield link with Billy Bonds and Trevor Brooking that provided the creative backbone of our 1975 FA Cup winning team, which almost followed it up with European glory a year later. NEALE HARVEY travelled to deepest Norfolk and tracked down a true West Ham hero. With just one win and 9 points from 18 games the Hammers were firmly embedded in the smelly stuff when Graham Paddon arrived from Norwich City in December 1973. Relegation from the old First Division looked odds-on and goalkeeper Bobby Ferguson found himself dropped for remarking `there are too many gutless, spineless men in the team'. Morale was at rock bottom. Ted MacDougall, the much-vaunted former Manchester United striker, for whom manager Ron Greenwood had shelled out a record £170,000 ten months earlier, had proved a disaster at Upton Park and there was relief amongst anguished supporters when he was quickly dispatched to Norwich in a part-exchange deal that saw Graham make the opposite journey. The move was inspired. It takes more than one man to make a football team, but the history books show that the arrival of Graham - who possessed one of the sweetest left feet in the business - coincided with an immediate upturn in our fortunes as another successful chapter in the club's history began to unfold. "We were in the mire in a major way," said Graham, 52, who now lives near Great Yarmouth. "We hadn't won at home that season but we played Manchester City, who were top of the league, in my first game and beat them 2-1. That was fantastic for me and we really fought to get out of trouble. We only lost another six games and survived. "It was strange, though, because I nearly didn't sign. I'd taken the train to Liverpool Street but only a taxi driver was waiting to meet me. That was a bit off so I got straight back on the train home. The bloke on the train said `I thought you were signing for West Ham today?'. I told him I wasn't because I couldn't believe what they'd done. "But later, after I'd spoken to my wife, I had second thoughts and decided it was something I really wanted to do. With Norwich I'd been promoted and played in a League Cup Final at Wembley, which were both unbelievable experiences, but when I went to West Ham it was even better and my time there was the most wonderful of my career." Before the glory, however, big changes at the club were afoot. He may have helped us escape relegation, but Graham had been powerless to prevent a humbling FA Cup Third Round defeat at the hands of Hereford United and feelings of unrest were prevalent amongst supporters who had witnessed one poor season too many since the glory days of the mid-Sixties. The start of the 1974/5 campaign followed much the same pattern and, with just one win and three points gained from our opening seven matches, calls for Greenwood's head grew louder. Greenwood took his cue in September and moved `upstairs', with John Lyall stepping up to become manager in his 19th year at the club. Gradually, things began to gel and following the arrival of strikers Billy Jennings (£110,000 from Watford) and Keith Robson (£45,000 from Newcastle) our season ignited. Losing just once - a 0-3 reverse at Arsenal - in 17 league games from then until Boxing Day, league security was all but assured by New Year, leaving us free to concentrate on the FA Cup. Graham quickly established a rapport with Robson - both on and off the field! - and along with Frank Lampard they formed a left-flank trio that became feared at home and abroad. There were few hints of what was to come, however, when, having won a Third Round tie at Southampton, we almost succumbed to Third Division Swindon. "We really struggled at Swindon on a mud bath," said Keith, as he recalled the glory run to Wembley and our eventual victory over Fulham. "It was the big West Ham thing that you were going to get knocked out by the smaller team - still is! We'd been done by Hereford the year before, but we escaped from Swindon with a draw and Trevor Brooking scored in the replay with a header - a miracle. "We beat QPR after that and when you reach the Quarter-finals you start to think something might be on. But we drew Arsenal away and they'd already beaten us there in the league. "On our day, though, in a one-off match, we could beat anyone. Down the left side we had Frank, myself and Keith and we'd developed an understanding that no one else could beat. We all had good left feet and were strong, so Arsenal held no fears. I liked playing at Highbury and I'd scored a hat-trick there once for Norwich. "Alan Taylor was drafted into the team but he said he was really scared. We played a practice match on the Tuesday, after which we all reassured him, saying he'd be all right. But he'd come from Rochdale and was terrified. `I don't know what to do', he said. So I replied, `Don't worry, we'll look after you'. "Then at Arsenal I chipped one across for him to score. He got another and that was that. Job done. "The Semi-final against Ipswich was unbelievable. When we walked out at Villa Park there must have been 30,000 West Ham fans at one end. I'd been at Wembley with Norwich, playing in front of 100,000, but Villa Park was something else again. The only thing I can relate it to was later on, when I was a coach at Portsmouth and we had 30,000 at Highbury for a Semi-final with Liverpool. "We got slaughtered at Villa Park, but somehow got a way with it and drew 0-0. We were so bad that when we asked Ron if we could have our bonus he told us to `bugger off'! But Alan came up trumps again in the replay at Stamford Bridge and we were at Wembley. "That was the biggest thing, the Cup Final, but on the Monday before me and Bonzo had had to prove our fitness against Arsenal. We'd both been injured but, fortunately, I scored the winner and he was all right, too. "In the first half at Wembley we were diabolical and Fulham should have been winning. We were hopeless and John Lacy put a header over, which was a real warning and at half-time I remember saying we had to step it up a gear. Fortunately, we did and it was a relief when Alan got the first goal. He'd been frightened again, but their keeper spilled the ball twice and he mopped up. "We went to The Dorchester afterwards, but they ran out of beer so we spent the night at The Grosvenor instead. At one point I remember walking down Tottenham Court Road with my medal in my hand, thinking `what am I doing with this?'. But the last thing I remember was Bobby Gould telling me `You're pissed'! "The Sunday was fantastic and I'll never forget it. Everybody - men, women, kids, babies, dogs even - was on the streets or hanging out of windows dressed in claret and blue. The funniest thing, though, was when we went past the Black Lion in Plaistow on the bus. We wanted a crate of beer but they said we'd have to pay for it. Do us a favour!" As well as guaranteeing immortality for those players in the eyes of West Ham supporters, our Wembley success brought European football back to Upton Park for the first time in ten years and this was not a chance to be missed. For once we had started a league campaign well - unbeaten in our first nine matches, then riding high in the First Division in December. But, as Keith candidly admits, our league form - which slumped alarmingly as we won just one of our last 21 matches - was sacrificed as the players mounted an all-out assault on the European Cup Winners Cup. "The management didn't think it, but the players did and even though we were near the top at offensive to pakismas we just said `leave it, we'll go for Europe'. We tried for all our lives to win that cup and we nearly did it. We were as close as we could have been and had some unbelievable matches along the way. "We had a diabolical start, struggling in Finland against Lahden Reipas, where Bonzo scored to get us out of the s*** before we beat them at home. "Then, after beating Yerevan in the next round, we went to Den Haag and found ourselves 4-0 down at half-time. That was a nightmare and probably the worst moment of my career. At half-time I just told Billy Jennings to keep getting into the near post and, fortunately, he got a couple to get us back into the tie. "We did them 3-1 at home to go through and those midweek games under the lights were fantastic. We were fine then, but were hopeless on Saturdays because we'd spend every Thursday afternoon in the pub! We'd come back from European trips, go straight to the Manor Park and that would be that. "In the Semi-final I scored one of my best ever goals, a 30-yarder to put us ahead against Eintracht Frankfurt. We lost 2-1, but won the tie at home when Robbo curled a beauty into the top right hand corner. "We really believed we could beat Anderlecht in the final, even though they were playing in their home city. 20,000 West Ham fans did, too, and we were geared for it. We didn't believe we could lose to any of these teams in a one off match, but they were a good side and we made mistakes on the day." Following that 4-2 defeat in Brussels, Graham was soon on the move again. Yet another poor start to the 1976/77 season - how familiar does that sound? - heralded another period of change at the club and he found himself back at Norwich in November. He spent a further five seasons at Carrow Road, during which time he enjoyed a short stint playing for Tampa Bay Rowdies in America, before ending his career at Millwall in 1981. After running a country pub in Norfolk and a leisure centre in South Walsham he joined Portsmouth as reserve team coach in 1985 before moving to Stoke City as assistant manager to Alan Ball in 1989. He returned to Pompey in 1991, working for Jim Smith until the pair were fired in 1995. Since then, Graham has worked in the Yemen and more recently scouted for Derby County. He now coaches locally and has his own website at www.footballcoach.ic24.net/defaultf.htm Looking back, though, he says: "To play with people like Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard and Trevor Brooking was the highlight of my career. Ron Greenwood and John Lyall were great, too, and all the East End people were brilliant to me. The fans were top notch. "We achieved so much in a short space of time and West Ham are undoubtedly the best club I played for."
Sad news indeed. Oh. how I remember some of those games, especially the ones against Ipswich. My next door neighbour and good friend, was a certain Mick Mills. Tickets were not a problem, but loyalties, almost became confused. It was always hard shouting on the Hammers when my best mate was in the opposing team. Graham was a buddy of Mick and I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times. A nice man and a big talent. I am feeling very old. Brian help me.
Can't help with the feeling old bit mate, I've gone way past that stage but I would like to add my condolences to the family of Graham Paddon, and all who knew him, I only ever saw him play a few times, (I'd shifted out to the colonies in the early 70's) but here's a photo of the man in his Norwich playing days. May he R.I.P.