Name: Melvin Bernard Blyth



Country: England
Club: Southampton F.C.
Position: ★CB, DMF
Side: RF/BS
Age: 31-32 years (28/07/1944)

Height: 185 cm
Weight: 75 kg

Attack: 66
Defence: 81
Balance: 84
Stamina: 80
Top Speed: 74
Acceleration: 74
Response: 82
Agility: 74
Dribble Accuracy: 69
Dribble Speed: 68
Short Pass Accuracy: 72
Short Pass Speed: 71
Long Pass Accuracy: 69
Long Pass Speed: 72
Shot Accuracy: 65
Shot Power: 81
Shot Technique: 62
Free Kick Accuracy: 63
Curling: 69
Header: 84
Jump: 81
Technique: 71
Aggression: 66
Mentality: 70
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 71

Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 6
Weak Foot Accuracy: 4
Weak Foot Frequency: 4
Consistency: 6
Growth Type: Standard/Lasting

CARDS:

SPECIAL ABILITIES:

Attack/Defence Awareness: Defence Minded

INFO:
Nonchalant, calm, cool, pretty slow in his actions. Liked very often to give back the ball to the keeper.

Blyth joined Crystal Palace in the summer of 1968 as an old-style wing-half, but he developed into a centre-back. Recommended by Mick Channon; watched by Ted Bates; signed by Lawrie McMenemy. So it was that Mel Blyth left Crystal Palace for Southampton in September 1974. Arriving at Selhurst Park from Scunthorpe, where an apprentice called Kevin Keegan had cleaned his boots, Mel had spent six seasons with Palace, in the last two of which they had plummeted from Division I to the Division III under Malcolm Allison. Southampton had followed Palace down in 1974 and McMenemy now needed to rebuild a side that was struggling to find a Second Division win. With the arrival of Chris Nicholl in the summer of 1977, Mel had a few games in the Reserves before being loaned to Palace, who were back in Division II. By now 33, he would have only six games before he summered in Cape Town, briefly joined by Keegan and Channon, and came home for a few weeks with Southern League Margate. He was recalled to the Football League by Second Division Millwall, making a dozen appearances as they were relegated.