1971-72 season scrapbook

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Eatonram said:

Was the Notts County the game when Ian Storey Moore signed on the pitch? Could be my memory playing tricks. I was there at this match and when he signed on the pitch but not sure if they were the same day!

No Eaton, that was Wolves at home in the League which LeedsCityRam will be kicking off on 4th March.

[Eatonram]

1 hour ago, Brailsford Ram said:

No Eaton, that was Wolves at home in the League which LeedsCityRam will be kicking off on 4th March.

strange thing memory...well mine is.

[LeedsCityRam]

2 hours ago, Eatonram said:

Was the Notts County the game when Ian Storey Moore signed on the pitch? Could be my memory playing tricks. I was there at this match and when he signed on the pitch but not sure if they were the same day!

Yes, like Brailsford says - it was Wolves on 4th March 1972. Mentioned in link below;

https://footballpink.net/the-one-that-got-away-the-storey-of-the-most-controversial-transfer-of-1972/

Edited February 11, 2022 by LeedsCityRam

[mozza]

6 hours ago, uttoxram75 said:

like putty they were when I strolled into the youth club......

 

If you had to wear those to get a little bit of 'slap and tickle' i'd sooner have had a, a,.. er, i'd rather not bother..

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 28 – Saturday 12th February 1972 & back to league action with a visit to reigning League Champions Arsenal

The Gunners had been on an excellent run of form & started the day in 5th place, just 3 points behind Derby. Sadly that form was to extend further with a 2-0 home win – both goals coming courtesy of future Derby hero Charlie George & in so doing, handed Derby their first defeat of 1972. Snapshot of John O’Hare trying to muscle his way to goal below;

 

 

Programme of the day from North London;

 

Despite their defeat, Derby stayed in 3rd as Man Utd were beaten yet again but Arsenal climbed to within a point of the Rams with their win. Elsewhere, Leeds were held to a no score draw at Everton whilst Man City shared 6 goals away at Sheffield Utd (highlights in below link) to see their advantage over Derby extended to 3 points;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLs0cKm1ETE

[Guest]

The destination for the Ramaway was St Pancras and from there we had to take the short hop on the Tube to Arsenal. Originally known as Gillespie Road, it was renamed in 1932 after Arsenal Football Club, who at the time played at the nearby Highbury Stadium. The name Gillespie Road can still be seen on the tiled brickwork on the platform today.

Sir Alf Ramsey was present to keep an eye on McFarland and Todd as well as Arsenal’s Alan Ball and possibly Charlie George too. The Rams had no injury concerns so as usual they were at full strength. Arsenal’s side included their future manager, George Graham

Both sides put on a fine display of football in the first half although the home side looked more threatening in attack. Charlie George hit the post early on and it was the in form striker who eventually put the Gunners ahead with only seconds remaining before the interval when he headed home past Boulton from an accurate cross by Graham.

After the resumption Durban had a close range effort blocked and McFarland was unlucky to see his shot go narrowly wide after running through on to a pass from Hector. Boulton made fine saves from Ball and George but McFarland and Todd were on fine form and must have impressed the watching England manager

Arsenal continued to look the most threatening going forward and six minutes from time Charlie George put the game beyond Derby’s reach from the penalty spot. Webster seemed to have been pushed in the back by Ray Kennedy but referee Ken Burns ignored the incident and there even appeared to be a hint of offside when George burst through and rounded Colin Boulton. The ‘keeper opted to pull him down just as he was about to shoot, Burns awarded a penalty and George fired home from the spot.

The Gunners about deserved their victory if only because they posed the greater threat up front.. Clough was extremely complimentary about Charlie George who he said had scored a marvellous goal and deserved to be on the winning side. It was small wonder that many of us were wishing that we had him in our side although some of the older supporters, including my dad, were very critical of his shoulder length hair. I remained silent because mine was actually longer than Charlie’s.

The win took Arsenal up to fourth place, just a point behind the Rams. They had now gone 12 games unbeaten and had begun to emerge as serious title challengers. But with leaders Manchester City and second placed Leeds both drawing the Rams were still very much in contention too.

As we made our way home to Derby, little did we know that we would come face to face with the Gunners three more times in the next four weeks.

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 29 – Saturday 19th February 1972 & East Midlands derby day as Forest were visitors to the BBG

Forest were struggling by this point in the season & started the day 4 points adrift at the bottom. The Rams had won at the City Ground in October & were clear favourites to do the double over our hapless neighbours. Derby duly did the necessary – dispatching Forest 4-0 with goals from O’Hare, Hector & a double from Alan Hinton.

 

Match report from the nationals amusingly suggested Derby fans were embarrassed by how poor Forest were on the day. Taken along with our FA Cup win over Notts County a fortnight earlier, February 1972 yielded a pleasing aggregate score of Derby 10 Nottingham 0;

 

The Ram reported on the ‘offer’ from Willie Morgan of Man Utd that he would wash Derby’s shirts for a whole month next season if Derby finished above Man Utd this season. Given they were clinging onto a top 6 spot by this point & hadn’t won since December, it looked a foolhardy boast & one that proved spectacularly misjudged…

 

Derby’s win kept them in 3rd place & on the tail of the top two. Leeds maintained 2nd spot by walloping Man Utd 5-1 at Elland Road (Willie Morgan present) whilst Man City edged Huddersfield out 1-0 at Maine Road to stay top & 3 points clear of Derby;

Leeds v Man Utd highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weBuwfr8iy8

Man City v Huddersfield highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYkMM6EgzVY

 

 

[angieram]

3 minutes ago, LeedsCityRam said:

Matchday 29 – Saturday 19th February 1972 & East Midlands derby day as Forest were visitors to the BBG

Forest were struggling by this point in the season & started the day 4 points adrift at the bottom. The Rams had won at the City Ground in October & were clear favourites to do the double over our hapless neighbours. Derby duly did the necessary – dispatching Forest 4-0 with goals from O’Hare, Hector & a double from Alan Hinton.

 

Match report from the nationals amusingly suggested Derby fans were embarrassed by how poor Forest were on the day. Taken along with our FA Cup win over Notts County a fortnight earlier, February 1972 yielded a pleasing aggregate score of Derby 10 Nottingham 0;

 

The Ram reported on the ‘offer’ from Willie Morgan of Man Utd that he would wash Derby’s shirts for a whole month next season if Derby finished above Man Utd this season. Given they were clinging onto a top 6 spot by this point & hadn’t won since December, it looked a foolhardy boast & one that proved spectacularly misjudged…

 

Derby’s win kept them in 3rd place & on the tail of the top two. Leeds maintained 2nd spot by walloping Man Utd 5-1 at Elland Road (Willie Morgan present) whilst Man City edged Huddersfield out 1-0 at Maine Road to stay top & 3 points clear of Derby;

Leeds v Man Utd highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weBuwfr8iy8

Man City v Huddersfield highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYkMM6EgzVY

 

 

Two Forest players knocked to the floor but no sending off - those were the days! 

Better buy a new washing machine, Willie Morgan. ?

[CBRammette]

On 12/02/2022 at 07:46, LeedsCityRam said:

Matchday 28 – Saturday 12th February 1972 & back to league action with a visit to reigning League Champions Arsenal

The Gunners had been on an excellent run of form & started the day in 5th place, just 3 points behind Derby. Sadly that form was to extend further with a 2-0 home win – both goals coming courtesy of future Derby hero Charlie George & in so doing, handed Derby their first defeat of 1972. Snapshot of John O’Hare trying to muscle his way to goal below;

 

 

Programme of the day from North London;

 

Despite their defeat, Derby stayed in 3rd as Man Utd were beaten yet again but Arsenal climbed to within a point of the Rams with their win. Elsewhere, Leeds were held to a no score draw at Everton whilst Man City shared 6 goals away at Sheffield Utd (highlights in below link) to see their advantage over Derby extended to 3 points;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLs0cKm1ETE

Just to say thanks for everything on this thread. When I'm looking after my dad and mum is out I go through it with him.  He loves it as he went everywhere in the late 60s and 70s

[Crewton]

That 4-0 win against Forest was so routine that I have very few recollections of the game itself. My one abiding memory was feeling sorry for Tommy Gemmill, one of the Lions of Lisbon, that he was playing for such a poor excuse of a football team. 

[Guest]

Although the 2-0 reversal at Highbury had highlighted some weaknesses in Clough’s squad, particularly their inability to find the back of the net regularly enough, hopes were high that they could bounce back against their increasingly bitter rivals from down the A52.

Despite the recent goals shortage, the Rams remained unchanged for the sixth game in a row. Surely it was only a matter of time before Hector regained his touch and Hinton was almost certainly going to be up for it against his former club. Forest included winger Ian Storey-Moore in their side with Martin O’Neill returning to their attack after a five game absence.

Derby had the better of the early exchanges and Hector was instrumental in their first goal, 11 minutes before half time. He threaded a clever pass inside the full back, which was seized upon by Hinton who placed a sublime lob over Jim Barron who seemed to have been expecting a cross. Four minutes later, the industrious McGovern dispossessed Paul Richardson before finding O’Hare who shot home past Barron. It was a superb effort by the centre forward to send the Rams into a 2-0 lead at the interval.

Hinton was having a field day against the club that had once boasted that they had been glad to get rid of him and four minutes into the second half he was on the mark again to make it 3-0 after the cumbersome Hindley had fouled, O’Hare on the edge of the box. Instead of unleashing one of his specials, Hinton opted to chip the ball over the stranded Barron and just under the crossbar.

Storey-Moore looked dangerous at times and on one occasion Boulton had to be at his bravest diving at his feet to deny what looked like a certain goal. Forest were unable to pose any other threat to the impressive Derby rearguard and when a clearance fell to Hector their abject defence allowed him to run through before firing past the keeper to make it 4-0. Shortly after he almost added another but his shot came back off the woodwork.

It was a relief to see such an excellent player as Hector returning to form in front of goal. Rumours of new faces arriving at the BBG to boost Derby’s strike force would probably go away now. In any case, with attendances nowhere near the 40,000 that they were attracting two years earlier, a slightly frustrated Brian Clough had made it clear that they weren’t in the same League as the big city clubs when it came to bringing in expensive players.

After the match, while some Forest players were bemoaning the state of the pitch, Clough was of the opinion that it had all been too embarrassing. The victory, which had enabled the Rams to complete a comprehensive double over their neighbours, had been a particularly comfortable one and in McGovern, Derby had the best player on view.

But for some careless finishing late on the score line could have been even more embarrassing for Matt Gillies, the beleaguered Forest manager. His side had struggled to get out of its  own half for most of the game and had never troubled the Derby defence, so much so that McFarland and Todd were often able to push forward into midfield. Afterwards some pundits were of the opinion that the shambolic Forest outfit was the worst side to visit the BBG in the League all season and were odds-on for a spell in the Second Division.

Derby had been restricted to just two League games in February after making progress in the FA Cup. The disappointing defeat at Arsenal had been followed by the thumping of Forest but this was enough to keep them hanging on to third place three points behind leaders Manchester City and a single point adrift of second placed Leeds. Hot on the Rams tails were Liverpool who were bouncing back after winning their three fixtures and Arsenal who had picked up maximum points from their two.

Alan Durban, one of only a handful of players to survive Clough’s initial cull four years earlier, had by now become an even better player under the new manager. No one had played better than the Welsh international in February. His clever positional play, passing ability and an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time to score vital goals had made him an extremely valuable member of the team.

[LeedsCityRam]

34 minutes ago, Brailsford Ram said:

Although the 2-0 reversal at Highbury had highlighted some weaknesses in Clough’s squad, particularly their inability to find the back of the net regularly enough, hopes were high that they could bounce back against their increasingly bitter rivals from down the A52.

On the subject of East Midlands rivalries in 1972 - was it similar then as now?

Bit surprised by the crowd for this one (just under 32k) whereas the match with Leicester a month later attracted over 34k & of course the Notts County Cup match saw 39.5k at the BBG. Suggests Forest weren't necessarily seen as the primary rival at that point although their dismal team may have dulled the feeling from our side.

[Crewton]

49 minutes ago, LeedsCityRam said:

On the subject of East Midlands rivalries in 1972 - was it similar then as now?

Bit surprised by the crowd for this one (just under 32k) whereas the match with Leicester a month later attracted over 34k & of course the Notts County Cup match saw 39.5k at the BBG. Suggests Forest weren't necessarily seen as the primary rival at that point although their dismal team may have dulled the feeling from our side.

The rivalry didn't really take off until Clough went there. Yes, it was a local derby, but Stoke and Wolves had more edge. It was partly because, like Leicester, we often found ourselves in different divisions, so no great intensity developed. There was still a bit of aggro around the game, but not as much as developed later in the decade. 

[IslandExile]

54 minutes ago, LeedsCityRam said:

On the subject of East Midlands rivalries in 1972 - was it similar then as now?

I agree with @Crewton, the rivalry has intensified as the years have gone by.

In the late 70s, early 80s, I'd try and see as many games as possible and that would include going to watch them down the road. My Dad and a lot of friends supported them. There was rivalry but not like it is now.

The big rivals for me were Leeds - obvs. - and Liverpool. The Dirties are still the team I dislike the most.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, LeedsCityRam said:

On the subject of East Midlands rivalries in 1972 - was it similar then as now?

Bit surprised by the crowd for this one (just under 32k) whereas the match with Leicester a month later attracted over 34k & of course the Notts County Cup match saw 39.5k at the BBG. Suggests Forest weren't necessarily seen as the primary rival at that point although their dismal team may have dulled the feeling from our side.

The intensity of the East Midlands derby rivalry has certainly intensified since 1969, fuelled by the Clough and Taylor connections and the increase in social media communications.

It must be remembered that it was as recent as the late 1950s before Forest established themselves as the biggest club in Nottingham, taking over from Notts County.

Prior to the 1969-70 season the last time Derby had played Forest in the First Division was 1906. In the intervening years, the two sides met just 12 times in Division Two and three times in the FA Cup.

Between 1911 and 1957,  Forest had spent only three seasons in Division One. They then enjoyed 15 seasons there until they were relegated in 1971-72.

In respect of attendances, the aggregate attendance for Division One in 1969-70 was 14.9m, which fell t o 14. 5m in 1971-72. In those years Derby’s average home attendance fell from 36k to 33.2k while Forest’s declined from 25.4k to 21.5k.

The Conservatives had come to power in 1970 under Ted Heath. There followed an immediate rise in unemployment and industrial unrest. At the time of this game we were in the midst of a national miner’s strike, which had brought about a three day working week to save on energy consumption. Derby was still recovering from the effects of the Rolls-Royce crash, which had rocked the whole town 12 months before this match was played. It was small wonder that football attendances were down, given the uncertainty of the country's economic future..

[Elwood P Dowd]

14 minutes ago, Brailsford Ram said:

The intensity of the East Midlands derby rivalry has certainly intensified since 1969, fuelled by the Clough and Taylor connections and the increase in social media communications.

It must be remembered that it was as recent as the late 1950s before Forest established themselves as the biggest club in Nottingham, taking over from Notts County.

Prior to the 1969-70 season the last time Derby had played Forest in the First Division was 1906. In the intervening years, the two sides met just 12 times in Division Two and three times in the FA Cup.

Between 1911 and 1957,  Forest had spent only three seasons in Division One. They then enjoyed 15 seasons there until they were relegated in 1971-72.

In respect of attendances, the aggregate attendance for Division One in 1969-70 was 14.9m, which fell t o 14. 5m in 1971-72. In those years Derby’s average home attendance fell from 36k to 33.2k while Forest’s declined from 25.4k to 21.5k.

The Conservatives had come to power in 1970 under Ted Heath. There followed an immediate rise in unemployment and industrial unrest. At the time of this game we were in the midst of a national miner’s strike, which had brought about a three day working week to save on energy consumption. Derby was still recovering from the effects of the Rolls-Royce crash, which had rocked the whole town 12 months before this match was played. It was small wonder that football attendances were down, given the uncertainty of the country's economic future..

I dont remember a Forest rivalry prior to the 1970s even then there was much more of a rivalry with Dirty Leeds than there was with Forest.

[uttoxram75]

1 hour ago, Elwood P Dowd said:

I dont remember a Forest rivalry prior to the 1970s even then there was much more of a rivalry with Dirty Leeds than there was with Forest.

I only remember the intensity growing when the gumps got promoted under Clough, was it '77? Before then I wouldn't class playing them as anything other than if we played Notts County now really.

Leeds, Liverpool, Man United, Man City were the rivalries in the early/mid 70's, maybe the London clubs as well due to top of the table clashes with those teams.

[LeedsCityRam]

FA Cup 5th Round – Saturday 26th February 1972 & the visit of reigning FA Cup Winners (and League Champions) Arsenal to the BBG

Arsenal stood one point behind the Rams in the Division 1 table & had beaten Derby 2-0 at Highbury two weeks earlier so this was about as tough a tie left in the competition. The visitors picked up where they’d left off a fortnight earlier & led twice in the game (both goals from Charlie George - again) before a late equaliser from Alan Durban took the tie to a replay – to be played 3 days later at Highbury.

Here’s a pic of the two teams having a brief exchange of views;

 

 

 

Pre-match column from Roy Mac talking all things Wembley…

 

Elsewhere, Division 2 strugglers Orient caused a shock by beating 1970 Cup Winners Chelsea to make the Quarter Finals. Full results from Round 5;

 

There were also 3 matches in the League with one very significant game played at Anfield – Liverpool dragged themselves back into the title picture with a 3-0 thumping of leaders Man City, meaning Derby remained 3 points off the top;

[Guest]

The day before this game, the seven weeks long miners’ strike ended when a settlement to the dispute was agreed. But energy restrictions continued with the three days working week for the time being due to the low level of coal stocks.

When the fifth round draw was made, Derby fans were delighted for the team to be drawn at home for the third consecutive time. But now they faced a much sterner test with the visit of Arsenal, the reigning double-winners. Both teams were at full strength with Derby unchanged for the sixth game in a row. A capacity all-ticket crowd of just under 40k packed the BBG with a large contingent of visiting supporters present.

The controversial George followed on from his recent two goals against the Rams at Highbury by putting Arsenal ahead with a fine goal just before the interval. In a highly charged atmosphere, the first half had been action packed but the sheer tension of the occasion prevented the free flowing football that everyone had been looking forward to.

Two minutes into the second half, Hinton equalised from the spot after O’Hare had been brought down in the penalty area. The game was now up for grabs but Arsenal’s more muscular approach was making it even more difficult for Derby to play their normal free flowing game.

With just 10 minutes remaining, George put Arsenal ahead for the second time before running to the Popside where he delivered ecstatic V-signs with both hands in front of the baying Rams supporters.  The moment was infamously captured by photographers and splashed across the back pages of the Sunday papers the following morning.

However, the fury of the Derby fans at Charlie’s celebration was replaced by their own ecstatic celebrations with only two minutes of the game remaining by Alan Durban equalising, when he placed the ball past Bob Wilson after latching on to Kevin Hector’s superb cross. It was a dramatic end to an exciting, if at times over-physical cup-tie.

The Gunners’ 34 fouls to the Rams 13 had reflected the difference between the two side although only one player, George, had been booked after referee Pat Partridge, who had been remarkably lenient up until then, decided he could not ignore his blatant trip on Archie Gemmill.

The two sides would have to try again in London just three days later, which meant I had to queue outside the BBG from the early hours of Sunday morning with a clutch of season tickets and cash in hand before the ticket office opened at 10.00 am. There was not the comfort and convenience of either telephone or online bookings in those days.

Actor, writer and Arsenal supporter, Tom Watt, best known for playing ‘Lofty’ in Eastenders, attended this match and recalled:

‘People call grounds like Old Trafford and Anfield intimidating, but when I was growing up watching Arsenal I never saw a place as intimidating as the Baseball Ground. I came up with my Dad to watch the FA Cup tie between Derby and Arsenal in 1972 and for some reason we ended up in the Paddocks with a load of Derby fans. Charlie George scored a couple for us and made his feelings known to the Popside and it all got a bit heated and it was a shock to a 15 year-old boy to find out that so many people hated Cockneys! Me and my Dad would normally end up in the Paddocks of grounds because at Arsenal that’s where the civilized people watched matches – but that obviously wasn’t the case at Derby. There was no trouble but plenty of dark looks and insults and I went away thinking that I had met blinkered fans, but now I had met Derby fans. I remember talking to Charlie some years later about that gesture to the Popside and he said he couldn’t believe the abuse he received. Of course when he trotted out at the Baseball Ground for his home debut he quickly found out that they were more than willing to forgive and forget.’

[Eatonram]

1 hour ago, Brailsford Ram said:

The day before this game, the seven weeks long miners’ strike ended when a settlement to the dispute was agreed. But energy restrictions continued with the three days working week for the time being due to the low level of coal stocks.

When the fifth round draw was made, Derby fans were delighted for the team to be drawn at home for the third consecutive time. But now they faced a much sterner test with the visit of Arsenal, the reigning double-winners. Both teams were at full strength with Derby unchanged for the sixth game in a row. A capacity all-ticket crowd of just under 40k packed the BBG with a large contingent of visiting supporters present.

The controversial George followed on from his recent two goals against the Rams at Highbury by putting Arsenal ahead with a fine goal just before the interval. In a highly charged atmosphere, the first half had been action packed but the sheer tension of the occasion prevented the free flowing football that everyone had been looking forward to.

Two minutes into the second half, Hinton equalised from the spot after O’Hare had been brought down in the penalty area. The game was now up for grabs but Arsenal’s more muscular approach was making it even more difficult for Derby to play their normal free flowing game.

With just 10 minutes remaining, George put Arsenal ahead for the second time before running to the Popside where he delivered ecstatic V-signs with both hands in front of the baying Rams supporters.  The moment was infamously captured by photographers and splashed across the back pages of the Sunday papers the following morning.

However, the fury of the Derby fans at Charlie’s celebration was replaced by their own ecstatic celebrations with only two minutes of the game remaining by Alan Durban equalising, when he placed the ball past Bob Wilson after latching on to Kevin Hector’s superb cross. It was a dramatic end to an exciting, if at times over-physical cup-tie.

The Gunners’ 34 fouls to the Rams 13 had reflected the difference between the two side although only one player, George, had been booked after referee Pat Partridge, who had been remarkably lenient up until then, decided he could not ignore his blatant trip on Archie Gemmill.

The two sides would have to try again in London just three days later, which meant I had to queue outside the BBG from the early hours of Sunday morning with a clutch of season tickets and cash in hand before the ticket office opened at 10.00 am. There was not the comfort and convenience of either telephone or online bookings in those days.

Actor, writer and Arsenal supporter, Tom Watt, best known for playing ‘Lofty’ in Eastenders, attended this match and recalled:

‘People call grounds like Old Trafford and Anfield intimidating, but when I was growing up watching Arsenal I never saw a place as intimidating as the Baseball Ground. I came up with my Dad to watch the FA Cup tie between Derby and Arsenal in 1972 and for some reason we ended up in the Paddocks with a load of Derby fans. Charlie George scored a couple for us and made his feelings known to the Popside and it all got a bit heated and it was a shock to a 15 year-old boy to find out that so many people hated Cockneys! Me and my Dad would normally end up in the Paddocks of grounds because at Arsenal that’s where the civilized people watched matches – but that obviously wasn’t the case at Derby. There was no trouble but plenty of dark looks and insults and I went away thinking that I had met blinkered fans, but now I had met Derby fans. I remember talking to Charlie some years later about that gesture to the Popside and he said he couldn’t believe the abuse he received. Of course when he trotted out at the Baseball Ground for his home debut he quickly found out that they were more than willing to forgive and forget.’

Brilliant, I think there is also an account of this game in the Nick Hornby book, "fever pitch" which is even better.