John Shuker

RIP John Shuker - club legend; him on one side & Dick Lucas on the other. A sad day but he will be having a smile at us sitting pretty in League 1!
 
RIP John. He scored the first Oxford goal I ever saw v Brighton at the manor circa 1966/7. I also sat next to him and Colin Harrington in the Town Hall at one of those crisis meetings pre uncle Firoz. Great club man.
 
A vague memory he was sent off with 2 others at Blackpool. Very odd as he was rarely in trouble with refs. A great servant RIP.
Yes very strange. Peter Houseman also sent off ( also strange) and Mick Tait I believe ( not so much if a surprise.
Like many others on here, I started watching oufc in the late 60's and John Shuker was pretty much an ever present for quite a few years.
RIP
 
Yes very strange. Peter Houseman also sent off ( also strange) and Mick Tait I believe ( not so much if a surprise.
Like many others on here, I started watching oufc in the late 60's and John Shuker was pretty much an ever present for quite a few years.
RIP

They didn’t seem to do squad rotation back in those days, never seemed to get injured and never seemingly lost form ! You just turned up every week to watch Oxford and assumed John was playing - and he always was !
 
Sad, sad news - it would have been nice if he had been able to get one last send off from the fans before he passed away, but we can give it to him anyway.

Respects to all of his friends and family, John Shuker was a good man
 
They didn’t seem to do squad rotation back in those days, never seemed to get injured and never seemingly lost form ! You just turned up every week to watch Oxford and assumed John was playing - and he always was !
Indeed. Normally numbers 1 to 11 (John S was normally 3 in my time as he was left back for most of that period.
 
Very sad to hear of his passing, R.I.P John Shuker a real club legend.
I was one of the lucky ones to have watched him play at the Manor.
 
So many memories.
JS joined the club the season after my father took me to my first game at the Manor and was with us for very nearly the next twenty years.
That superb Back 4 of Lucas, Smithson, Clarke and Shuker remains a powerful memory from my college years.
And then that season he was moved to striker. I'll always remember when Peter Houseman chipped the ball over John's left shoulder and he volleyed it on the run first time without it touching the ground. Real skill.
And I was stood just a few yards away at Blackpool when he got sent himself sent off.
RIP a true club legend.
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So many memories.
JS joined the club the season after my father took me to my first game at the Manor and was with us for very nearly the next twenty years.
That superb Back 4 of Lucas, Smithson, Clarke and Shuker remains a powerful memory from my college years.
And then that season he was moved to striker. I'll always remember when Peter Houseman chipped the ball over John's left shoulder and he volleyed it on the run first time without it touching the ground. Real skill.
And I was stood just a few yards away at Blackpool when he got sent himself sent off.
RIP a true club legend.
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What happened to get him sent off? He was normally pretty mild mannered?
 
Bizarrely I can’t ever remember seeing Shukes score a goal for us and I was really surprised when I saw how many he actually did score ! I can recall seeing goals from all the other defenders in that era but not one from John ! I started watching us in 1971 so must have seen a fair few of his but strange how I can’t recall any.
 
What happened to get him sent off? He was normally pretty mild mannered?

It was just a very badly timed tackle. Mick Tait also got sent off, for persistently hacking down their midfielders. And Peter Houseman, who was as mild-mannered as JS, also got sent off but for swinging a haymaker at a defender who was trying, if I remember correctly, to stop him taking a corner quickly. Laid him out flat and he wasn't acting.
Not a great afternoon to be leaving Bloomfield Road with a yellow & black scarf on your wrist.
 
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Houseman got sent off because Bill Bentley, the Blackpool defender, licked saliva onto his fingers and rubbed it onto Houseman’s bald patch when the ref wasn’t looking.
And Houseman naturally decked him.
It was er... quite a game. In fact it was a brawl.
RIP John Shuker, a great servant for OUFC.
 
I think I saw Shuke's play in just about every outfield position for the U's, back then he wouldve been referred to as a utility player, one of a handful of real legends of OUFC. R.I.P.

I remember my dad telling me many years ago that John Shuker had played in every outfield position during his time at the club.

Reading Sarge's post I reckon that must be right. What an incredible servant to the club. If we do go up this season there are so many to dedicate the promotion to. Too many legends lost this past few months.
 
One of those players who seemed to be a fixture when I started watching OUFC in the sixties. Very versatile, rarely injured, and very dependable, which is why he made so many appearances over a lengthy period.

RIP Shukes another legend taken too soon. Jim will be waiting for you in the Supporters Club Bar in the sky.
 
I do hope he gets added to the Hall of Fame in the Jim Smith Stand Concourse. A fitting tribute.
 
I met him years ago when he was working as a delivery driver....he seemed genuinely surprised to be recognised. Had a chat about OUFC. Lovely bloke. RIP.
 
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