Normanton Lad

Derby 3 Chelsea 1 1968 
Derby 3 Leeds 2 1975 
Derby 4 Real Madrid 1 1975

Derby 3 Chelsea 1 1968 
Derby 3 Leeds 2 1975 
Derby 4 Real Madrid 1 1975

Derby 3 Chelsea 1 1968 
Derby 3 Leeds 2 1975 
Derby 4 Real Madrid 1 1975

Derby 3 Chelsea 1 1968 
Derby 3 Leeds 2 1975 
Derby 4 Real Madrid 1 1975

Derby 3 Chelsea 1 1968 
Derby 3 Leeds 2 1975 
Derby 4 Real Madrid 1 1975

Derby 3 Chelsea 1 1968 
Derby 3 Leeds 2 1975 
Derby 4 Real Madrid 1 1975

One for the old time Rams fans here who go back to the early 60s.  Mick Jones, famous for being Neil Warnock's assistant manager has died at the age of 75.  I well remember him at the start of his career playing at the BBG for Tim Ward's Rams side and just into the Brian Clough era.  He was more of an occasional first-team player but I remember him more playing left half in the Rams Reserves Central League team.
 
RIP Mick - once a ram......
https://leaguemanagers.com/news/lma-latest/mick-jones-1947-2022/
 
 
 

Those Cavaliers TV matches were a godsend – there wasn't much else you could do on a Sunday afternoon. It is hard for today's youngsters to imagine how quiet things were then on a Sunday. The only shops open were newsagents in the morning and the off-licence in the evening. There was hardly any traffic on the roads because there was nowhere to go. 
Nowadays Sunday is just another day, but then it felt different from any other day. On Saturday you looked forward to Sunday because it was another day off work, but on Sunday itself the prospect of going to work on Monday seemed to hang over you and spoil the day. You had a feeling of dread lurking in the back of your mind. I liked to go to the cinema on Sunday evenings to take my mind off work. Before the adverts and the film they would usually play some light string music. Often it was a particular record with cascading violins. It was very famous then but I can't remember the name of it now. I just know that as soon as I heard it I could relax in my seat and all my troubles would be forgotten for a couple of hours.
There's a link to a Cavaliers game below that captures the spirit of the time and the church bells give it the Sunday feeling. You can see great players enjoying themselves. It's a pity that we only get a short bat from Sobers. Roy Marshall seemed to score a hundred before lunch every Saturday. I don't know why he didn't play more for the West Indies. Fred Rumsey was a familiar face at Derbyshire games. I don't think I ever talked to him but I can remember looking at him in a beer tent around 1975 and thinking that he looked old and far from the cricketer I remembered on TV in the 1960s. I've just looked him up on wikipedia to find out when he died. I would have guessed the 1990s but he is still going strong and he even had a book published last year. He's still only in his 80s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N77TIGZqzc&t=1072s
Old age in those days started at about 50. At that age most men were knackered by many years of hard physical work. I can't remember seeing anyone over 50 running. Most of my old relatives had died or they lived far away so I didn't have much to do with old people. I used to regard them as being miserable and secretive. My street was full of them but they rarely seemed to come out of their houses. I couldn't work out what they did all day. 
The old couple next to us didn't like children. We only had a tiny patch of grass at the back but my brothers and I played an under arm cricket game there. Unfortunately, our neighbour didn't like our shouts of “out” or “lbw” and she sometimes came out the back to tell us off. We just listened to her politely, but that wasn't enough and she reported us to our mother. When I asked my mother what the old lady had accused us of she replied “dumb insolence”. My mother laughed but she and my father had great respect for the elderly and she said she would tell us off. Many years ago I looked up the occupiers of the houses in our street and I think that old couple were living in the house before the First World War. On Sundays she would sometimes go to the off licence with a jug to be filled with beer. They must have died at least 50 years ago. I can't imagine how they would have coped with some of the people in that street today.

Your career has been very varied and eventful but to me it all seems hellish. I don't like travelling. Wouldn’t you have been more fulfilled as an artist? With your education at Joseph Wright Art School and the Art College you could have been an illustrator or something equally artistically creative. I like the work of Harry Wingfield, a Derby man, and Martin Aitchison. While they were drawing or painting they were probably also watching the birds in the garden. They both lived into their 90s and I doubt if they had more than half an hour’s stress in their careers as illustrators. As a kid I liked to draw and I would have loved to have gone to Joseph Wright School. I ended up working on building sites and latterly doing pointless things in offices. Fortunately, I’ve been retired nearly 20 years and I have been able to do things I should have done when I was younger.

It is a great shame that the art schools have gone. I suppose the conceptual artists and other wasters spoiled it for those who could draw and paint things people like to look at.

In the 1960s and 1970s the Wardwick Library was excellent. I always finished my trip there with a quick visit to the museum to look at the Joseph Wright paintings. I think they also had a stuffed fox there which I found very interesting. 
 

Your career has been very varied and eventful but to me it all seems hellish. I don't like travelling. Wouldn’t you have been more fulfilled as an artist? With your education at Joseph Wright Art School and the Art College you could have been an illustrator or something equally artistically creative. I like the work of Harry Wingfield, a Derby man, and Martin Aitchison. While they were drawing or painting they were probably also watching the birds in the garden. They both lived into their 90s and I doubt if they had more than half an hour’s stress in their careers as illustrators. As a kid I liked to draw and I would have loved to have gone to Joseph Wright School. I ended up working on building sites and latterly doing pointless things in offices. Fortunately, I’ve been retired nearly 20 years and I have been able to do things I should have done when I was younger.

It is a great shame that the art schools have gone. I suppose the conceptual artists and other wasters spoiled it for those who could draw and paint things people like to look at.

In the 1960s and 1970s the Wardwick Library was excellent. I always finished my trip there with a quick visit to the museum to look at the Joseph Wright paintings. I think they also had a stuffed fox there which I found very interesting. 
 

I passed my 13 plus to go to Joseph Wright and then along with most others in my class went on to Art College but I quickly realised that I wasn’t as good as the others so left to become a librarian. When I worked in the Wardwick the Museum had a clear out of stuffed animals, many of which I took for my bedroom. Mum didn’t like it though. I had a stuffed badger but it had woodworm and had to be thrown out. By my bed I had a stuffed squirrel and birds hanging from the ceiling.  Wright’s paintings are fantastic, an example of chiaroscuro.
Things always work out eventually and I like to think I’ve had a good and interesting life. Hopefully more to come
 

Kevin Hector looks great for 77 especially when you compare him with much younger retired players.  In the pictures above you can see from his waist size that he is looking after himself. I've known a few postmen and I think all that walking has tremendous benefits. One of them told me he was being paid to keep fit.
I was behind the goal at the Normanton End when Kevin made his wonderful home debut against Huddersfield and I can remember one of his last games at the Baseball Ground many years later when it looked as if he was going to race through the defence and score but alas his speed had gone. In fact, I was surprised he lasted so long because when I watched him in a charity game at the Osmaston Sports Ground in the mid or late 1970s he looked completely knackered. There was a tiny attendance and standing on the touchline I had very close view of the players. He looked as weak as a kitten. Perhaps this is just my imagination but in my mind I can see Archie Gemmill laughing as Kevin struggled to reach an easy pass. It could be that he was ill or just recovering from illness.
He might have ended up with a nice house but he deserved to have made as much money from football as any of them are getting today. We know that the TV companies got away with paying peanuts but where did all the gate money go? They didn't spend much on ground improvements. Someone was making money but it wasn't the players. 

Kevin Hector looks great for 77 especially when you compare him with much younger retired players.  In the pictures above you can see from his waist size that he is looking after himself. I've known a few postmen and I think all that walking has tremendous benefits. One of them told me he was being paid to keep fit.
I was behind the goal at the Normanton End when Kevin made his wonderful home debut against Huddersfield and I can remember one of his last games at the Baseball Ground many years later when it looked as if he was going to race through the defence and score but alas his speed had gone. In fact, I was surprised he lasted so long because when I watched him in a charity game at the Osmaston Sports Ground in the mid or late 1970s he looked completely knackered. There was a tiny attendance and standing on the touchline I had very close view of the players. He looked as weak as a kitten. Perhaps this is just my imagination but in my mind I can see Archie Gemmill laughing as Kevin struggled to reach an easy pass. It could be that he was ill or just recovering from illness.
He might have ended up with a nice house but he deserved to have made as much money from football as any of them are getting today. We know that the TV companies got away with paying peanuts but where did all the gate money go? They didn't spend much on ground improvements. Someone was making money but it wasn't the players. 

Kevin Hector looks great for 77 especially when you compare him with much younger retired players.  In the pictures above you can see from his waist size that he is looking after himself. I've known a few postmen and I think all that walking has tremendous benefits. One of them told me he was being paid to keep fit.
I was behind the goal at the Normanton End when Kevin made his wonderful home debut against Huddersfield and I can remember one of his last games at the Baseball Ground many years later when it looked as if he was going to race through the defence and score but alas his speed had gone. In fact, I was surprised he lasted so long because when I watched him in a charity game at the Osmaston Sports Ground in the mid or late 1970s he looked completely knackered. There was a tiny attendance and standing on the touchline I had very close view of the players. He looked as weak as a kitten. Perhaps this is just my imagination but in my mind I can see Archie Gemmill laughing as Kevin struggled to reach an easy pass. It could be that he was ill or just recovering from illness.
He might have ended up with a nice house but he deserved to have made as much money from football as any of them are getting today. We know that the TV companies got away with paying peanuts but where did all the gate money go? They didn't spend much on ground improvements. Someone was making money but it wasn't the players. 

I went to the Neptune yesterday to meet Kevin .He was really pleasant a really nice man very down to earth .I had a long chat to him a few of the things he said ,which I`m sure he wouldn`t mind me disclosing.
Were that TIM Ward was a real gentleman probably to nice to be a manager. How he was overlooked by leeds because Don Revie said he was too small,he talked about his second spell with Derby how he came into a poor side and in his last match how he gave away a penalty and scored aginst Watford.He never got sent off and only got booked for "silly" things like kicking the ball away He has lived in the same house for 50 years he even kept it while he was playing in Canada.And the ONLY reason he didn`t participate in 72 anniversary was he was on holiday in Spain else he would have attended he`s still in touch with the ex players especially Big Rog .He told me he ran the ex Rams but no longer since he has given up playing football even walking football.
There is a saying "never meet your heroes" NOT in this case.

Sunday 14th May 1972 – six days after capturing their first league title, Derby were finally back in the city to lift the trophy
As we all know, Clough had been in the Scilly Isles whilst most of the squad & Peter Taylor had been in Majorca as the dramatic news of the Leeds/Liverpool results broke. Meanwhile Roy McFarland & Colin Todd had been on England duty, preparing for the upcoming Euro Quarter Final against West Germany
That didn’t stop Sam Longson & ground staff having a celebratory drink on the pitch the day after Derby had been confirmed as Champions. Clip also includes a voxpop around Derby & best of all, some salty Leeds fans;
https://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-09051972-derby-county-win-football-league-championship
 
Onto the presentation, bizarrely arranged for that Sunday morning (and no buses running apparently). Photos from the day starting with the trophy waiting to be presented;

 

 

 

 
The final 71/72 edition of the Ram was released 3 days later;

 
4 days after the presentation, Derby held an open topped bus tour through the city ending in a civic reception at the Council HQ – footage and photos of fans & players celebrating below;
https://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-18051972-derby-county-football-team
 

 

 
And so ends the story of Derby’s remarkable 1971/72 league title win. An achievement 5 years in the making & in so doing, forever changed how the football club & city saw itself;

I began following the Rams in January 1962 - 60 years ago this year, although I'm not sure if Harry Storer was still manager at that time, and I was certainly on the pitch when Tim Ward was sacked, but then in walked Clough & Taylor, and we didn't know what the next five years would bring.
So the experiences of watching Derby County, home and away, throughout that 60 years have been wonderful when we were promoted and winning the league titles; heart breaking with the relegations; sometimes despair and impossible to fathom what the hell was going on with the many off-field shenanigans, yet very proud to have travelled so many miles supporting my home town club.
And, at the age of 70, a few weeks back, I was in the crowd of 4,000 Derby fans at Blackpool, absolutely enjoying every minute - what a day.
Let us hope the love and support we gave the team during last season goes through to next season and we see the good times return again to Derby County Football Club.
COYR's

Leeds City Ram and Brailsford Thank you so much for taking me down memory lane, what a wonderfull season that was, my heart should be full of joy, sadly with what is going on at the club it feels more broken. Did not miss a home game and went to most away games, and living in Crich at the time transport was a pain and you had to go and queue at the ground for a ticket and the queue appeared miles long and you just hoped the shutters did not come down before you got to the front.
European Cup semi final ticket, had spoke to Colin Boulton and his wife( forgive me cannot remember her name) in the Hurt Arms, Ambergate over a few wednesday nights early doors, then one night Colin gave me a ticket for the Juventus game for which promptly paid him the face value, a memory which never will be forgotten.

Thank you @LeedsCityRam and @Brailsford Ram for these fantastic memories and such an uplifting thread.
Here's the BBC's take on it...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61272553

Thank you, @LeedsCityRam and @Brailsford Ram for bringing alive again that fateful night.
I was one of those "glued" to a transistor radio at home, listening to events unfold. What days they were for those of you privileged to have been there, Brailsford.
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed how low-key the pitch presentation of the players was yesterday, and how little regard the younger fans around me in the stand gave to it.
There is a distinct possibility that without the genius of Clough and Taylor, we would always have remained that nothing club that Shankly described.
Instead we had been taught to "think big" and I feel that this is Clough's true legacy to our club. 
Division One may be our temporary destination, but because of these glory days, we will have the spirit and fight to rise again. It's what football is all about really, isn't it? 

Monday 8th May 1972 & title D-Day for Derby, Leeds & Liverpool
A week after Derby finished their league campaign, Leeds & Liverpool played their final matches of 71/72 knowing exactly what they needed to do to win the title. This was a massive advantage both had over Derby & something that would never be allowed to happen in the modern era because of the risk of ‘result manipulation’ – something it later emerged Leeds had attempted to do…
The permutations on the night were straight forward;
·        Derby would win the title if Leeds lost & Liverpool didn’t win
·        Leeds needed only a point away at Wolves to win the title
·        Liverpool needed to beat Arsenal at Highbury & for Leeds to lose
Leeds were therefore favourites going into the evening & 2 days after winning the FA Cup, were in confident mood to secure the double - as per below sycophantic back page. Wolves however were not straightforward opposition – they had reached the UEFA Cup Final & were particularly strong at home, as Derby had found out the previous November;
 

 
That evening, 55k crammed into Molineux with a further 40k at Highbury and thousands more listening on the radio, many of them anxious Derby fans. Onto the action & the timeline of the evening;
13 mins – Emlyn Hughes hits the crossbar for Liverpool at Highbury but the ball stays out – Arsenal 0 Liverpool 0
16 mins – Ray Kennedy of Arsenal plants a header against the post – still Arsenal 0 Liverpool 0
25 mins – furious appeals for a penalty at Molineux as Leeds claim Bernard Shaw of Wolves handled on the line. Ref unsighted & linesman doesn’t flag. Still Wolves 0 Leeds 0 - Leeds are top & heading for the title as things stand
43 mins – Wolves take the lead through Frank Munro. Wolves 1 Leeds 0 & Derby are back top of the table
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ArJjYAqxiHc?start=0&end=9
67 mins – Derek Dougan doubles Wolves’ lead – Wolves 2 Leeds 0
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ArJjYAqxiHc?start=10&end=19
68 mins – Billy Bremner pulls a goal back – Wolves 2 Leeds 1 & Leeds only need one goal to go back top. Don Revie sends Jack Charlton up front for the last frantic 20 mins
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ArJjYAqxiHc?start=20&end=30
88 mins – John Toshack puts the ball into the net for Liverpool at Highbury for what seems a late title winner….but it is ruled out for offside by referee Roger Fitzpatrick (he of the disallowed Kevin Hector goal late in Stoke v Derby match)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLcJX8yjUFs
90 mins – sub Terry Yorath heads the ball over Wolves keeper Parkes from 6 yards out but Gerry Taylor heads off the line – still Wolves 2 Leeds 1
Finally full time – Wolves 2 Leeds 1 & Arsenal 0 Liverpool 0. Derby County are crowned Champions of England for the first time.
 

 
Predictably both Revie & Shankly pointed to controversial refereeing decisions as key factors in their inability to get the results they needed. Brian Clough meanwhile was both elated & incredulous – here he is being interviewed by David Coleman the day after, whilst on holiday in the Scilly Isles;
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke8457SVa48?start=57&end=167
 
And so the final table was as follows - one of the closest title finishes in history with the top 4 all within a point of each other. A high-quality title race too – the top 3 all won the league again over the next 3 seasons, 5th placed Arsenal had won the double the year before & Spurs in 6th won the UEFA Cup;

I think "decline" is the keyword. When Dave Mackay left I rarely went to away games but I still wanted to see a game on Saturdays so I watched the reserves. I never felt as if I was watching current stars or stars of the future. It all seemed a bit depressing and I think a first team squad member playing in one of those games would have felt a bit depressed himself. But I think it must have been different at Liverpool where they were winning the Central League every year. They seemed able to keep a large first team squad happy. Leeds did the same in the 1960s when they had a reserve team containing Greenhoff, Yorath, Bates, Belfit and Johanneson. I think Liverpool are showing now that the key to success is to have a large first team squad and to rotate your stars. 
 

Top teams always have strength in depth. Dave Mackay's big mistake was selling Roger Davies and not replacing Franny Lee with a top forward. He ended up using reserve players who later found their natural level in the old third division.  Liverpool used to win the Central League most seasons because they made sure they had "like for like" replacements for their injured or tired players. I've just looked at a 1978 Liverpool reserve teamsheet which included Alan Hansen, Kevin Sheedy, Sammy Lee and David Johnson.
When Man City were starting to get really good in the 1960s they had a strong reserve team. I can remember watching big name players like Johnny Crossan and Ralph Brand when their reserve team played Derby in 1966.
One of the few Derby reserve games that stuck in my mind was in 1975 when we played Bury and we had Leighton James, Alan Hinton and Roger Davies up front. I think we beat them 8-0. That was a fun game to watch. But after that our reserve team became very weak. Apart from Alan Cork I can't remember many of them going on to play in the top division.
 

Top teams always have strength in depth. Dave Mackay's big mistake was selling Roger Davies and not replacing Franny Lee with a top forward. He ended up using reserve players who later found their natural level in the old third division.  Liverpool used to win the Central League most seasons because they made sure they had "like for like" replacements for their injured or tired players. I've just looked at a 1978 Liverpool reserve teamsheet which included Alan Hansen, Kevin Sheedy, Sammy Lee and David Johnson.
When Man City were starting to get really good in the 1960s they had a strong reserve team. I can remember watching big name players like Johnny Crossan and Ralph Brand when their reserve team played Derby in 1966.
One of the few Derby reserve games that stuck in my mind was in 1975 when we played Bury and we had Leighton James, Alan Hinton and Roger Davies up front. I think we beat them 8-0. That was a fun game to watch. But after that our reserve team became very weak. Apart from Alan Cork I can't remember many of them going on to play in the top division.
 

Matchday 42 – Monday 1st May 1972 and the title showdown with Liverpool at the BBG
After Derby’s defeat at Maine Road 9 days earlier, the equation was simple – anything less than a win & the title would be gone. That was easier said than done though against a Liverpool side in red hot form. On 8th January, Liverpool sat 9th in the table having been beaten at Leicester – since that day, their league record read Played 15 Won 13 Drawn 2 Scored 34 Conceded 3 – they also hadn’t conceded an away goal in that entire time.
The drama was increased still by the Leeds v Chelsea match being played the same night – with Leeds having a game in hand, Derby hoped Chelsea could do them a favour & stop Leeds picking up 2 points
Onto the action at a packed Baseball Ground, 39k there but thousands locked out. Action from Elland Road at the end of the clip;
 
One of the most evocative photos in Derby’s history - John McGovern’s second half winner giving The Rams a precious 2 points & keeping us in the title race;

 

 

 
Pre match edition of The Ram railed at the Derby Evening Telegraph for ‘rocking the boat’, especially the suggestion Clough & Taylor had been on the verge of joining Coventry – as per earlier posts this week, it came a lot closer than Derby fans probably realised at the time;

 
Derby’s win in their final match returned them to the top of the table but that was only really half the story. Leeds’ 2-0 win over Chelsea meant they only needed a point away at Wolves on May 8th to win the title. Liverpool still had a title chance but needed to beat Arsenal at Highbury on the same night & hope Leeds lost. Derby meanwhile headed off on their holidays knowing there was nothing else they could do but sit and wait for next week;