1971-72 season scrapbook

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 20 – Saturday 4th December 1971 & the visit of title rivals Man City to the BBG

City started the day in 2nd place, two points ahead of the Rams & so a win was essential to keep pace with both Manchester clubs;

 

Goals there from Hinton, Webster & Durban securing a vital win. City’s goal not shown in the clip was a Franny Lee penalty – something that I gather was a fairly common occurrence in the early 70s

 

Front page of the Ram reported that Derby were jetting off for a winter break in Greece shortly but without Brian Clough, who felt he needed a rest (and the players from him). We were also scheduled to have a friendly against Olympiakos, to be managed by Peter Taylor. Speaking of Taylor, his pre match column (also below) singing the praises of Sam Longson seems surprising in retrospect;

 

Derby’s win saw them move back into second place, ahead of City & Leeds on goal average. Man Utd beat the ever hapless Forest to stay 5 points clear of the Rams;

Edited December 4, 2021 by LeedsCityRam

[Eatonram]

I went to the above game. Its hard to explain the significance of the result and performance. It was like a new confidence running through the whole Club and supporters that we could take on and beat any team, often with ease. Hinton on that day was unplayable. 

As a kid, going with his Dad, it was just brilliant going to games like that, in winter on a packed Pop Side, getting home in mid Derbyshire at about 6.00, having yer tea, watching telly feeling on top of the world, and the icing on the cake was watching all again on Match of the day. 

Great days and wonderful memories.

[Guest]

Although Derby’s recent away form was a cause for concern they remained unbeaten at home for the visit from highflying City. Derby made one change with Durban replacing Hennessey in midfield. The City team was at full strength.

The atmosphere was tense but the Rams were lively and fully deserved their 23rd minute lead from an Alan Hinton penalty after McGovern was tripped in the box. Hinton sent Joe Corrigan the wrong way to score his fifth goal of the season and his 50th for the club.

Derby had already scored some outstanding goals in the season to date but their next, a header by Ron Webster was about to become a contender for goal of the season Hinton, who had been giving full back Tony Book a torrid afternoon, collected a superb pass from Durban. He raced down the left wing to the far corner of the penalty area. He paused while he waited for Derby players to move forward into the area and then crossed the ball into the path of Webster, who had raced 50 yards down the right hand side, before heading the ball downward from 20 yards out to beat Corrigan who was stranded. It was only Webster’s sixth goal in about 350 appearances but afterwards, the modest defender was content to praise Hinton for his excellent cross, although he did conceded that his header ‘wasn’t bad.’ The memory of Hinton, in total command of Book, bouncing on the balls of his feet while he waited for Webster to complete the run is an abiding one.

Two minutes later the Rams made it 3-0 when the rampant Hinton looped yet another perfect cross over Corrigan for Alan Durban, so often in the right place. He only had to nod his head. As the whistle sounded for half-time, Tony Book couldn’t wait to get off the pitch for Hinton had turned him inside out in a classic display of wing wizardry down the left. Hinton had destroyed City by stealth.

Derby had dominated throughout most of the first half and continued to look the better side after the restart. Lee pulled a goal back for City from the penalty spot after 66 minutes. But with the Rams defence looking strong and composed a City fight-back never materialised and the Rams saw the game out at 3-1.

The Rams had leap-frogged City into second place on goal average, but they were five points behind leaders Manchester United who had beaten Forest 3-2 the same afternoon.

Afterwards, Malcolm Allison paid tribute to Alan Hinton, saying that he was a marvellous player. ‘All credit to Brian Clough to get him to play like this when other managers failed to make the most of his tremendous ability.’

Nobody need worry about United said Allison. He found it hard to understand how they had managed to gather so many points. Protests followed from the direction of Old Trafford about loud- mouthed managers, with Clough inevitably being hauled in too. It had seemed quite light-hearted but it had obviously ruffled some feathers down Stretford way.

Sometimes the truth hurts.

 

[Guest]

55 minutes ago, Brailsford Ram said:

Sometimes the truth hurts.

And the pain of the hurt for United was almost instant for little did they know that they would not win another game in the League until 10th March when they overcame Huddersfield Town by 2-0 at Old Trafford..

Loud-mouthed? No, not at all. Just remarkably perceptive, forthright and honest.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Guest

[dabber]

Alan Hinton was so good! Why can't anyone cross a ball like that anymore

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 21 – Saturday 11th December 1971 & another clash with a title rival, this time with a trip to Anfield

Liverpool lay in 6th place before the game, just 2 points behind the Rams but were an obvious title challenger given they’d finished in the top 5 for the previous 6 seasons. 44,601 turned up to Anfield to watch this one;

 

In another case of shoddy 70’s recording, John O’Hare’s first goal (equaliser on 42 mins to make it 1-1) wasn’t shown by the cameras but Jack Whitham’s full hat-trick was. This game also marked the first league appearance of the season for Jim Walker, as a half time sub for Colin Todd.

 

Programme of the day from Merseyside;

 

Derby’s defeat saw them slide to 4th place behind Man City (who beat Ipswich 4-0) & Leeds, who got a point away at Chelsea. Man Utd were held to a 1-1 draw away at Stoke but stretched their advantage over the Rams to 6 points;

[Guest]

In view of the recent poor away form, Liverpool at Anfield was a quite daunting trip. I went on the Ramaway with a friend and I remember on the way we were trying to drum up some optimism that the run of away defeats had to end sometime soon. In the first season back in Division One, we had done the double over Liverpool with a 4-0 home win and a 2-0 win at Anfield. At the end of that season, Shankly started to dismantle the great team of the 60s. He later recognised that he should have started that process a year earlier but loyalty to his players had temporarily blinded him.

The next season saw a 0-0 draw at home and we lost 0-2 at Anfield. Liverpool lost 1-2 to Arsenal in extra-time in the cup final, beaten by the famous Charlie George winner. At the beginning of the current season, Kevin Keegan, signed from Scunthorpe, immediately established himself in the Liverpool team.

But the man who thwarted Derby this day was Jack Whitham. In a League career spanning nine years from 1967-76, he only played 111 times, scoring just 44 goals. He joined Liverpool from Sheffield Wednesday in April 1970 for £57,000 as a potential replacement for Roger Hunt, who had moved to Bolton. At Wednesday, Whitham had scored 31 times in 63 appearances. He played just 15 games for Liverpool, scoring just seven goals, before moving on to Cardiff City in 1974. Unfortunately for Derby, three of those goals came in this game at Anfield.

Liverpool sat in sixth place and their away form to date had been poor. However, at home, they were unbeaten in their last 33 games. Robson was injured, so Ron Webster moved to left back and Colin Todd to right back with Hennessey partnering McFarland in the centre.

From the start, the Rams struggled defensively, which was unusual. Liverpool took the lead in the 14th minute when hesitancy between Hennessey and Boulton allowed Whitham, filling in for the injured Toshack, to nip in and score. O’Hare equalised in the 42nd minute from a Hinton corner but second before half-time, Whitham restored the lead when he shrugged off Hennessey and fired home.

O’Hare equalised again from a Hinton corner in the 49th minute, only for Whitham to immediately restore the lead again to complete his hat-trrick. He tapped home from close range a Heighway centre after Todd, Hennessey and McFarland were caught out of position. Todd was withdrawn on the hour with a broken nose. Walker replaced him with McGovern, who had been outstanding in midfield, reverting to right back. Derby faded after the substitution and the game ended at 3-2.

Afterwards, Shankly complimented Derby, saying “They never stopped playing football.” Their win put Liverpool into the pack that was chasing for the title.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Guest

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 22 – Saturday 18th December 1971 & the visit of Everton to the BBG

Everton started the day in a surprisingly lowly 15th spot given they’d won the League two years previously & still had quality like Alan Ball, Howard Kendall, Joe Royle & Henry Newton in their ranks. Derby had won 2-0 at Goodison in September though & Alan Hinton's brace meant history was to repeat itself in the return fixture. Match report below;

 

Front page of the Ram highlighted the recent poor away form & asked whether that was going to mean Derby slipping out of Championship contention;

 

Derby’s victory moved them back into 3rd place, above Leeds who could only draw 1-1 away at lowly Palace. Man Utd also dropped a point in a 0-0 draw away at Ipswich to see their advantage over the Rams cut to 5 points;

[Crewton]

That Hinton goal, from a shot on the run from out on the left wing, was possibly the goal of that season and a contender for best DCFC goal I've seen live. Unfortunately, it wasn't on TV so only those who saw it live will have any memory of it. It was unreal. Strangely, I don't recall much about the FK goal?! 

I remember though it was a dominant performance by the Rams and a great start to the Christmas period. 

[Foreveram]

Four defeats on the trot, should have been sacked and replaced by that young upcoming Tommy Docherty.

[Guest]

Derby's unbeaten home form was now keeping them in touch with the group at the top of the table. John Robson returned at left back with Ron Webster reverting to his usual position on the right. Hennessey partnered McFarland as Todd war ruled out with his broken nose. Henry Newton, still rumoured to be wanted by Brian Clough, was in the Everton midfield.

Following the defeat at Anfield, Clough had taken his team away to Greece for a few days to recharge their batteries but they also fitted in a light-hearted friendly against Olympiakos, which they lost 3-1.

The last Saturday before Christmas, traditionally saw a dip in League attendances as the more henpecked supporters were press-ganged into family shopping manoeuvres. Today's attendance was confirmed as just under 28,000, the lowest of the season so far. Derby were much the better side early on with O'Hare and McGovern prominent. McGovern was not allowing Alan Ball, who was pondering a move to Arsenal, any space whatsoever. Everton looked jaded and Boulton had little to do in the opening half, which surprisingly remained goalless at the interval. Hinton was also on top form, putting over a series of pinpoint crosses, while also testing Gordon West with some typically powerful shooting.

The Rams had Hinton to thank when they finally opened the scoring early in the second half, although West might have done better to cope with his free kick from distance, which finished up in the back of the net. But the keeper had no chance at all in the 56th minute when Hinton let fly with another powerful shot that left him clutching at fresh air.

McGovern with his non-stop running, not only managed to keep Alan Ball subdued but he also find time to prompt a series of Derby attacks. The defence was barely troubled by the Everton forwards and it was surprising that the Rams did not add to their goal tally as the game petered out at 2-0.

Afterwards O'Hare, who had given Roger Kenyon a torrid afternoon, was being compared with Alfredo di Stefano, the Real Madrid legend. Clough said that his centre forward's performance was probably his best in a Derby County shirt.  As for Hinton, it was seven years since his last appearance for England and some pundits were questioning why Sir Alf Ramsey was ignoring his claims for an international recall. His powerful shooting and accurate crossing was just what England needed and as Clough said "Alan's second goal was something special."

The victory saw Derby move up to second place behind the two Manchester clubs. But if they were to stay in contention, they would soon have to sort out their away form. Nine days later they were to face their nemesis, Don Revie's Leeds United, at Elland Road and already it didn't look as though Todd would be fit enough to play Both sides had 29 points, so a particularly hard battle was anticipated.

[SirBrian]

LeedsCityRam a big Thank you for taking the time and effort in reminding me of that glorious season of 1971/1972, you are certainly bringing back magical memories, so looking forward to the final game against Liverpool, crammed in like sardines, Liverpool fans opening champagne on half time 0-0 all in the pop side no segregation then.

[GB SPORTS]

2 hours ago, Foreveram said:

Four defeats on the trot, should have been sacked and replaced by that young upcoming Tommy Docherty.

Doc was 7 years older than Cloughie!

Thanks LCR for this thread some great nostalgic memories returning.

Edited December 18, 2021 by I DONT MIND

[Crewton]

1 hour ago, Brailsford Ram said:

The last Saturday before Christmas, traditionally saw a dip in League attendances as the more henpecked supporters were press-ganged into family shopping manoeuvres. Today's attendance was confirmed as just under 28,000, the lowest of the season so far.

By comparison, Forest played Everton at the City Ground 7 days earlier, and the attendance was 18,639. 

I can only assume that "Panthers were playing at home the same day" ?

The other plausible explanation for Forest's appalling support that December (and, indeed, that season) is that the Magpies were doing well in the old Division 3 and, as was traditional in Nottingham before Forest won something, some locals had switched their support to the more successful of the two teams.

Nottingham County fans would no doubt point to the fact that the two clubs combined average of 35,374 exceeded Derby's average that season of 33,087, though it's only fair to point out that the Football League thoughtfully ensured the two clubs never played on the same day.

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 23 - Monday 27th December 1971 & Derby finished the year with a visit to Elland Road

Leeds started the day behind Derby on goal average but Don Revie's side had shown themselves to be particularly strong against the better sides in the division - beating Man Utd at Old Trafford & Man City comfortably at Elland Road in recent weeks. Sadly that knack & Derby's poor away form were to collide with Derby turning in their worst league defeat of the season. Match report below;

 

Derby's task wasn't made any easier with the continued absence of Colin Todd, still recovering from his broken nose at Anfield. He was replaced by Tony Bailey, who was not only making his first start of the season but unbelievably also his league debut in such a crucial game. He never played another league game for Derby.

 

An unusually generous programme from West Yorkshire with our team photo dominating their front page

 

Derby's heavy defeat saw them slip to 5th place behind Leeds & Sheffield Utd. Elsewhere Man City won 3-1 away at Stoke but Man Utd could only surprisingly draw at home with Coventry, meaning the gap to the Rams was now 6 points. Full league table going into 1972;

 

[angieram]

1 minute ago, LeedsCityRam said:

Matchday 23 - Monday 27th December 1971 & Derby finished the year with a visit to Elland Road

Leeds started the day behind Derby on goal average but Don Revie's side had shown themselves to be particularly strong against the better sides in the division - beating Man Utd at Old Trafford & Man City comfortably at Elland Road in recent weeks. Sadly that knack & Derby's poor away form were to collide with Derby turning in their worst league defeat of the season. Match report below;

 

Derby's task wasn't made any easier with the continued absence of Colin Todd, still recovering from his broken nose at Anfield. He was replaced by Tony Bailey, who was not only making his first start of the season but unbelievably also his league debut in such a crucial game. He never played another league game for Derby.

 

An unusually generous programme from West Yorkshire with our team photo dominating their front page

 

Derby's heavy defeat saw them slip to 5th place behind Leeds & Sheffield Utd. Elsewhere Man City won 3-1 away at Stoke but Man Utd could only surprisingly draw at home with Coventry, meaning the gap to the Rams was now 6 points. Full league table going into 1972;

 

Poor Tony Bailey. So we liked a scapegoat even then! 

[LeedsCityRam]

Just now, angieram said:

Poor Tony Bailey. So we liked a scapegoat even then! 

I'll confess to not having heard of him before but sure Brailsford Ram will fill in the gaps. Interestingly he only has a wikipedia page in German (which mentions an early foul on Mick Jones in this game) but not in English! Really was a baptism of fire for him to make his league debut

[Guest]

2 hours ago, LeedsCityRam said:

I'll confess to not having heard of him before but sure Brailsford Ram will fill in the gaps. Interestingly he only has a wikipedia page in German (which mentions an early foul on Mick Jones in this game) but not in English! Really was a baptism of fire for him to make his league debut

Tony Bailey was born in Burton-upon-Trent. As it says on the tin this was his only league game for Derby. Although he didn't let himself down, it was just too much to expect him to shine in that company. That season he made three other first team appearances in the Texaco Cup. Firstly away at Dundee United in the first round, then as a substitute at home to Stoke in Round Two and finally in the away leg of the semi-final at Newcastle in front of a packed St James Park crowd that left early in extra time as the Rams came from behind to reach the final. We were left to celebrated the victory alone on the open end as the Geordie faithful had simply seen enough. Most Derby wannabes would settle for that. This is what Tony himself said about his time with the Rams:

"I wasn't exactly a household name during my time at the Baseball Ground but I was fortunate enough to play one First Division match for the Rams during that momentous championship season. A lot of Derby supporters would have settled for that. That single appearance was against Don Revie's formidable Leeds United side at Elland Road on the afternoon of Monday 27 December 1971 and I suppose Brian Clough couldn't have arranged a more difficult baptism if he'd tried. In the run up to the game it was obvious Colin Todd would be unable to play because of a broken nose so the gaffer turned to me.

"I had joined the Rams from Burton Albion in February 1970 after being spotted by Peter Taylor but with so many great players at the Baseball Ground, it was always going to be extremely difficult to break into Brian Clough's wonderful team on a regular basis. I eventually made my first team debut in a Texaco Cup match away at Dundee United in September 1971, playing alongside Terry Hennessey. We  lost 3-2 but as Derby had won the first leg 6-2 we were all but certain to reach the next round anyway. Not that the manager was happy about the three late goals that we conceded after going 2-0 up - he made that pretty clear.

"Three months later I was selected for the second leg of the Texaco Cup semi-final at Newcastle United's St. James' Park. I was told an hour or so before the match that I was playing with the instruction to keep centre-forward Malcolm McDonald quiet. There were 37,000 in the ground and they made it fairly obvious what they thought of me when I was booked for clattering into him but Super Mac soon got his own back by thumping me in the ribs. 

"A month later came that League debut at Elland Road. What a side they were. We were on a bad run away from home anyway but a full strength Leeds were far too good for us that day. I didn't have a particularly good game and to be honest no one else did either but standing in for a great player like Todd was bound to be difficult. It all seemed a blur but I do remember getting booked for fouling centre-forward Mick Jones.

"That turned out to be my one and only League appearance for Derby although I played in virtually every match for the reserves when we won the Central League the same season. In October 1973 Dave Mackay replaced Clough and the following January he decided to send me out on loan to Oldham. Three months later I joined them permanently for a fee of £6,000. Actually, it wasn't quite as permanent as I thought it was going to be because by the end of that year, I was playing for Third Division Bury. Gigg Lane might not have been the same as the Baseball Ground but I had six enjoyable years there.

"I have wonderful memories of that season when the Rams won the League title. It was a marvellous time for me. I have always regarded it as a privilege to have been associated with so many great players and I still look back on it with a lot of affection."

What lovely and honest sentiments. He has reason to be very proud of what he experienced at Derby.

[mozza]

@Brammie Steve, didn't you work at Marmite with Tony Bailey's dad?, and you got him to get Tony to take my DCFC year book for all the first team to sign? I've still got the book in my proud possession..

[Brammie Steve]

1 hour ago, mozza said:

@Brammie Steve, didn't you work at Marmite with Tony Bailey's dad?, and you got him to get Tony to take my DCFC year book for all the first team to sign? I've still got the book in my proud possession..

Yes, Stan was a good sort and was only too happy to get Tony to sign the book. He went the extra mile and took it to the BBG and got everyone to sign it including a new player called Colin Todd. He wasn’t a bad signing was he?

Even Cloughie, Taylor and Jimmy Gordon (trainer) we’re kind enough to sign it!

A fine gesture from a wonderful team!