The first time I saw the Chelsea striker Bobby Tambling was in 1960, in a newsagent’s shop close to the club’s Stamford Bridge ground. He was accompanied by the future England manager Terry Venables, and I was stunned to observe that they were buying cigarettes.
In those days people would claim that tobacco was harmless. But even then I knew that was untrue, as my gran tried to stop me from smoking as a kid. The two players went off to the stadium, as it was close to kick-off.
Though not a Chelsea fan, I liked watching Tambling, who had a way of snapping at his opponents’ ankles that irritated them, especially as he never seemed to get done for it.
