• Nigel Adkins has been given the Tranmere job on a permanent basis signing until the end of the 25/26 season. Continue the discussion here.

Norman Wilson

Joined
15 Mar 2010
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13,870
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Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
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John King
Very sad news about Norman Wilson, who died today. He literally kept the club alive in the mid-80s by hiding the Colin Clarke transfer money from Bruce Osterman, thus creating space for the Johnson takeover.

A great servant of the club.
 

Boz

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Joined
30 Sep 2005
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8,851
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Iain Hume
I was away at college for much of the Osterman era and never really appreciated just how bad things were, until reading some of the interviews with Norman, long after the event. As RLC says, his squirrelling away of the transfer funds helped to save the club and his actions were as important in securing our future as the work of PJ and Kingy were in taking the club forward.
RIP.
 
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Joined
1 Oct 2005
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Alan King, Barry Dyson
I see the club have decided to sponsor an annual award in his name. http://mobile.tranmererovers.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/the-norman-wilson-award-3660275.aspx
A fitting tribute. My only concern is that by nominating every year, you are going to end up with some very worthy recipients and some who get it almost by default. But perhaps I should be more generous and less cynical. There are probably many unsung individuals behind the scenes who have given unstinting service over the years and who are more than worthy of this accolade.

I wonder who you all would choose? Johnny King would be a fitting inaugural winner, but I presume posthumous awards are not allowed. I'd like to see more about who is eligible and what the criteria are, but of the people I have heard of my vote would go to Peter Johnson. He may have had his critics on this forum and he may have made some unfortunate decisions, but he did ensure the club's survival first by taking it over, then funding it continually with his own money, consistently refusing to sell to people who did not share his vision and finally selling it on to someone with the same love of the club and the means to move things forward.
 
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Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
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I think the award will go to unsung heroes, volunteers and supporters, rather than people like Johnson. Audrey Evans would be a deserved winner.
 

Boz

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30 Sep 2005
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Iain Hume
What about the supporters for ensuring dross over the last 10 years!
That's what supporters do though!
Quite like RLCs suggestion of Audrey though.
 
Joined
15 Mar 2010
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13,870
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Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
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John King
She runs the away coaches, and has been doing for at least as long as I have been supporting.
 
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