OBITUARY: Peter Osgood
Thursday 2 March 2006 01.39 GMT
The Chelsea, Southampton and England footballer Peter Osgood, who has died after a heart attack at a family funeral in Slough, aged 59, never truly fulfilled his enormous promise and potential. It was Geoff Hurst who scored three goals for England in the World Cup final of 1966 against West Germany. But it was Osgood who might so easily have played in his place.
Precociously and richly gifted, an amalgam of power, finesse and opportunity, he had been in ebullient form that season in the Chelsea attack. But during a match at Blackpool, his leg was broken in a collision with a future England captain, Emlyn Hughes, and that was the end of his World Cup chances. I remember on England's pre-season European tour lamenting his absence to Hurst, who replied somewhat bitterly: "Instead of me, I suppose." He scored 150 goals altogether for Chelsea in 380 appearances, but in his scintillating career, Osgood played only four times for England, twice as substitute. Three of those caps came in the season of 1969-70 when he materially helped Chelsea to win the FA Cup for the first time. Only the game against Belgium, his debut, saw him last the full 90 minutes. It was perhaps inevitable that Osgood, with his dissident, sometimes rebellious character, would hardly be the kind of player to appeal to the straitlaced England manager, Alf Ramsey, whatever his possibilities, though far less gifted players achieved far more international caps.
Osgood was born in Windsor and joined Chelsea as a junior in 1964. He played a major role at centre forward in Chelsea's FA Cup success, and not least in the sixth round 4-1 victory at Queens Park Rangers, when he scored three. There had never yet been a replay of the FA Cup final, but after a draw against Leeds at Wembley on an atrocious pitch, the clubs had to meet again at Old Trafford. Leeds went ahead there, but a spectacular goal from Osgood equalised, and David Webb eventually scored the winner. Osgood is one of only nine players to score in every round of the cup.
This put Chelsea into the European Cup Winners' Cup, where they reached the final in Athens against Real Madrid. Osgood gave Chelsea the lead, but Real equalised in the last minute. In the replay two days later on the same ground Osgood scored again, as did the Chelsea centre-half, John Dempsey, and this time the Cup was Chelsea's.
Osgood was never likely to see eye to eye with Ramsey, nor was it likely that he would have easy relations with his Chelsea manager, Dave Sexton, an altogether more sober character, a devotee of the Jesuit philospher Teilhard de Chardin.
Relations between Osgood, his friend Alan Hudson, a greatly talented young playmaker strongly influenced by Osgood himself, and Sexton, came to the boil on Boxing Day 1973. Osgood and Hudson had been at odds with Sexton for some time. When they met West Ham United, Chelsea were 2-0 up at half time and seemingly well in command, only to collapse in the second half and lose 4-2, with Osgood and Hudson seemingly uninvolved.
A couple of games later, Sexton dropped both men, and when, soon afterwards, it came to another FA Cup tie at Queens Park Rangers, they both refused to train with the first team. Both were at once suspended and put on the transfer list. Osgood was sold to Southampton for £275,000, Sexton remarking: "Maybe it would have been best if Ossie and I had sorted it out quickly between four walls of a locked room. But it wouldn't possibly have remained private with Ossie. He doesn't know when to be a good lad or Jack-the-Lad."
Osgood got one more England cap that season against Italy, but it would prove his last. He was to be put down as one of those all too familiar maverick England talents, never able to fulfil their potential in international football.
Standing six foot one and a half inches, weighing just under 12 stone, always a compound of strength and technique, Osgood became one of a number of gifted veteran players who kept Southampton in the top division while Chelsea, without him and Hudson, were doomed to slide into the Second. He helped Southampton to a surprise FA Cup final victory over Manchester United in 1976. After Southampton he joined the exodus to the North American Soccer League, but was soon back at Chelsea. After his playing days he ran a pub in Windsor with team-mate Ian Hutchinson.
On retiring, Osgood subsequently became a match day host at Stamford Bridge, only to cross swords with the always abrasive chairman, Ken Bates, and be brusquely banned from the stadium, though subsequently he was permitted to return. Latterly he was a well known after dinner speaker.
· Peter Osgood, footballer, born February 20 1947; died March 1 2006
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