1971-72 season scrapbook

[Crewton]

1 hour ago, LeedsCityRam said:

Matchday 32 – Saturday 18th March 1972 & back to league action with the visit of Leicester to the BBG

Leicester started the day in 15th spot and were making a good fist of keeping clear of the relegation scrap in their first season back at the top level. Derby had beaten them 2-0 at Filbert Street back in August though & showed their superiority again here with a comfortable 3-0 win – goals coming from O’Hare, Durban & Hector

 

 

 

Front page of the Ram focused on transfer fee controversy & calls from the PFA to abolish fees so players could walk away for free when their contract expired – predating the Bosman rule by 20 years;

 

Derby’s win meant they took advantage of Leeds’ FA Cup commitments to move into 2nd place. Meanwhile at Maine Road, new £200k signing Rodney Marsh was given his full debut by Man City in a 1-0 win over Chelsea – a result that kept City 5 points clear of Derby at the top (albeit having played two games more);

"Nish and Shilton will stay" says Leicester boss Jimmy Bloomfield. 

Hard lines Jimmy ?

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 33 – Wednesday 22nd March 1972 & the visit of Ipswich to the BBG

Ipswich were having the epitome of a dull midtable season, starting the day in 13th place & with only 30 goals to their name so far this season. The two sides had drawn 0-0 at Portman Road back in August & so the lowest league gate of the season (26,738) were presumably not expecting a thriller. The game was indeed a tight one & was settled by a first half Kevin Hector winner

 

 

Front page of the Ram focused on a report in The Guardian predicting future domination of the game by big city clubs & pointing out the limitations of the Baseball Ground and crowds well below 40,000;

 

Derby’s fifth consecutive league win saw them consolidate 2nd place & move to within 3 points of leaders Man City, with a game in hand still. Elsewhere, Leeds could only draw 0-0 at Leicester & so slipped 2 points behind the Rams;

 

[Guest]

 

Hinton, having shaken off his hamstring injury, returned to the side in place of Hennessey. Colin Viljoen was absent for Ipswich and their manager, Bobby Robson, sprang a surprise by switching right-back Mick Mills to centre forward with Hammond replacing him in defence.

Disappointingly, despite the fine victory over Leicester and the looming push for the title, the BBG attendance fell to below 27k, the lowest of the season to date. Clough was disappointed by the drop in the gate but as we have said before, the times were hard economically and the three cup ties against Arsenal had taken a toll from supporters’ pockets.

On a hard bouncy surface Derby had the better of the opening exchanges but it was clear that Ipswich had come with a packed defence in an attempt to stifle the Rams’ attack, which had so impressed against the Foxes.

With just 15 minutes gone, a long clearance from Boulton bounced over two defenders, allowing the alert Hector to run past both of them before blasting a sublime volley past ‘keeper David Best for his second goal in consecutive games. But Hinton, who was clearly struggling with an injury, had to leave the field to be replaced by Jim Walker.

Ipswich often had eight men behind the ball as they struggled to contain Derby but the Rams seemed reluctant to throw too many players forward for fear of being caught out by a breakaway. However, McFarland was superbly marshalling the rearguard and Boulton was rarely troubled.

In the end it was the result that mattered and although supporters would have preferred a more exciting contest, the majority were happy enough with another two points. The state of the BBG playing surface hadn’t helped but again Derby had coped with it better than the opposition. The same evening Leeds had only drawn at Leicester. The Rams had moved to within three points of Manchester City and had a game in hand over the leaders.

One of the features of this season had been the consistently high performance of Belper born Ron Webster. His reliability had already become legendary at the BBG as had his sheer professionalism and it was a joy to supporters to see him become an integral part of a great side. To date he had only missed three League games that season.

Thanks to his extraordinary positional sense and firm tackling, wingers rarely got the better of him although for some strange reason he always seemed to have difficulty in containing David Wagstaffe of Wolves. Webster may not have been blessed with great height but he was competent enough in the air and although wingbacks as such hadn’t really been invented by that time, he could be effective when surging down the right flank. In fact his fine headed goal against Manchester City in the 3-1 home win was a contender for goal of the season.

Webster had joined the Rams in June 1960, making his debut on the right side of midfield towards the end of the 1961-62 season. He continued to perform superbly in that role for another six years and it wasn’t until midway through 1967-68 that , Clough and Taylor’s first season at Derby, that he eventually switched to full-back, a position he continued to fill with distinction until he tried his luck in the USA in 1976. By then he had made 535 appearances for Derby in all competitions including five as substitute, a total exceeded only by Kevin Hector.

[PistoldPete]

1 hour ago, Brailsford Ram said:

 

Hinton, having shaken off his hamstring injury, returned to the side in place of Hennessey. Colin Viljoen was absent for Ipswich and their manager, Bobby Robson, sprang a surprise by switching right-back Mick Mills to centre forward with Hammond replacing him in defence.

Disappointingly, despite the fine victory over Leicester and the looming push for the title, the BBG attendance fell to below 27k, the lowest of the season to date. Clough was disappointed by the drop in the gate but as we have said before, the times were hard economically and the three cup ties against Arsenal had taken a toll from supporters’ pockets.

On a hard bouncy surface Derby had the better of the opening exchanges but it was clear that Ipswich had come with a packed defence in an attempt to stifle the Rams’ attack, which had so impressed against the Foxes.

With just 15 minutes gone, a long clearance from Boulton bounced over two defenders, allowing the alert Hector to run past both of them before blasting a sublime volley past ‘keeper David Best for his second goal in consecutive games. But Hinton, who was clearly struggling with an injury, had to leave the field to be replaced by Jim Walker.

Ipswich often had eight men behind the ball as they struggled to contain Derby but the Rams seemed reluctant to throw too many players forward for fear of being caught out by a breakaway. However, McFarland was superbly marshalling the rearguard and Boulton was rarely troubled.

In the end it was the result that mattered and although supporters would have preferred a more exciting contest, the majority were happy enough with another two points. The state of the BBG playing surface hadn’t helped but again Derby had coped with it better than the opposition. The same evening Leeds had only drawn at Leicester. The Rams had moved to within three points of Manchester City and had a game in hand over the leaders.

One of the features of this season had been the consistently high performance of Belper born Ron Webster. His reliability had already become legendary at the BBG as had his sheer professionalism and it was a joy to supporters to see him become an integral part of a great side. To date he had only missed three League games that season.

Thanks to his extraordinary positional sense and firm tackling, wingers rarely got the better of him although for some strange reason he always seemed to have difficulty in containing David Wagstaffe of Wolves. Webster may not have been blessed with great height but he was competent enough in the air and although wingbacks as such hadn’t really been invented by that time, he could be effective when surging down the right flank. In fact his fine headed goal against Manchester City in the 3-1 home win was a contender for goal of the season.

Webster had joined the Rams in June 1960, making his debut on the right side of midfield towards the end of the 1961-62 season. He continued to perform superbly in that role for another six years and it wasn’t until midway through 1967-68 that , Clough and Taylor’s first season at Derby, that he eventually switched to full-back, a position he continued to fill with distinction until he tried his luck in the USA in 1976. By then he had made 535 appearances for Derby in all competitions including five as substitute, a total exceeded only by Kevin Hector.

The BBG had a hard bouncy surface?  that’s not how I remember it. 

[Crewton]

4 minutes ago, PistoldPete said:

The BBG had a hard bouncy surface?  that’s not how I remember it. 

It was when it froze! That's how Charlie George dislocated his shoulder at the same time of year in 1976. There was no grass or give in the surface to cushion the fall.

[PistoldPete]

21 minutes ago, Crewton said:

It was when it froze! That's how Charlie George dislocated his shoulder at the same time of year in 1976. There was no grass or give in the surface to cushion the fall.

Charlie’s injury was a night game if I remember correctly. Denis Smith challenge. 

[Crewton]

1 hour ago, PistoldPete said:

Charlie’s injury was a night game if I remember correctly. Denis Smith challenge. 

Yes, it was a Wednesday night, but very cold. It was a pretty routine aerial challenge. Charlie just fell awkwardly and landed on his shoulder. And that was the Double gone, effectively. 

[strawhillram]

7 hours ago, Brailsford Ram said:

 

Hinton, having shaken off his hamstring injury, returned to the side in place of Hennessey. Colin Viljoen was absent for Ipswich and their manager, Bobby Robson, sprang a surprise by switching right-back Mick Mills to centre forward with Hammond replacing him in defence.

Disappointingly, despite the fine victory over Leicester and the looming push for the title, the BBG attendance fell to below 27k, the lowest of the season to date. Clough was disappointed by the drop in the gate but as we have said before, the times were hard economically and the three cup ties against Arsenal had taken a toll from supporters’ pockets.

On a hard bouncy surface Derby had the better of the opening exchanges but it was clear that Ipswich had come with a packed defence in an attempt to stifle the Rams’ attack, which had so impressed against the Foxes.

With just 15 minutes gone, a long clearance from Boulton bounced over two defenders, allowing the alert Hector to run past both of them before blasting a sublime volley past ‘keeper David Best for his second goal in consecutive games. But Hinton, who was clearly struggling with an injury, had to leave the field to be replaced by Jim Walker.

Ipswich often had eight men behind the ball as they struggled to contain Derby but the Rams seemed reluctant to throw too many players forward for fear of being caught out by a breakaway. However, McFarland was superbly marshalling the rearguard and Boulton was rarely troubled.

In the end it was the result that mattered and although supporters would have preferred a more exciting contest, the majority were happy enough with another two points. The state of the BBG playing surface hadn’t helped but again Derby had coped with it better than the opposition. The same evening Leeds had only drawn at Leicester. The Rams had moved to within three points of Manchester City and had a game in hand over the leaders.

One of the features of this season had been the consistently high performance of Belper born Ron Webster. His reliability had already become legendary at the BBG as had his sheer professionalism and it was a joy to supporters to see him become an integral part of a great side. To date he had only missed three League games that season.

Thanks to his extraordinary positional sense and firm tackling, wingers rarely got the better of him although for some strange reason he always seemed to have difficulty in containing David Wagstaffe of Wolves. Webster may not have been blessed with great height but he was competent enough in the air and although wingbacks as such hadn’t really been invented by that time, he could be effective when surging down the right flank. In fact his fine headed goal against Manchester City in the 3-1 home win was a contender for goal of the season.

Webster had joined the Rams in June 1960, making his debut on the right side of midfield towards the end of the 1961-62 season. He continued to perform superbly in that role for another six years and it wasn’t until midway through 1967-68 that , Clough and Taylor’s first season at Derby, that he eventually switched to full-back, a position he continued to fill with distinction until he tried his luck in the USA in 1976. By then he had made 535 appearances for Derby in all competitions including five as substitute, a total exceeded only by Kevin Hector.

Rob Webster one of our own and vastly underrated. Great player each and every year with us. Always reliable at the back, and strong  going forward. Wish we had him in the team today

I think he might have lived in or near Somercotes, but I might be wrong.

 

[Normanton Lad]

10 hours ago, Brailsford Ram said:

 

Hinton, having shaken off his hamstring injury, returned to the side in place of Hennessey. Colin Viljoen was absent for Ipswich and their manager, Bobby Robson, sprang a surprise by switching right-back Mick Mills to centre forward with Hammond replacing him in defence.

Disappointingly, despite the fine victory over Leicester and the looming push for the title, the BBG attendance fell to below 27k, the lowest of the season to date. Clough was disappointed by the drop in the gate but as we have said before, the times were hard economically and the three cup ties against Arsenal had taken a toll from supporters’ pockets.

On a hard bouncy surface Derby had the better of the opening exchanges but it was clear that Ipswich had come with a packed defence in an attempt to stifle the Rams’ attack, which had so impressed against the Foxes.

With just 15 minutes gone, a long clearance from Boulton bounced over two defenders, allowing the alert Hector to run past both of them before blasting a sublime volley past ‘keeper David Best for his second goal in consecutive games. But Hinton, who was clearly struggling with an injury, had to leave the field to be replaced by Jim Walker.

Ipswich often had eight men behind the ball as they struggled to contain Derby but the Rams seemed reluctant to throw too many players forward for fear of being caught out by a breakaway. However, McFarland was superbly marshalling the rearguard and Boulton was rarely troubled.

In the end it was the result that mattered and although supporters would have preferred a more exciting contest, the majority were happy enough with another two points. The state of the BBG playing surface hadn’t helped but again Derby had coped with it better than the opposition. The same evening Leeds had only drawn at Leicester. The Rams had moved to within three points of Manchester City and had a game in hand over the leaders.

One of the features of this season had been the consistently high performance of Belper born Ron Webster. His reliability had already become legendary at the BBG as had his sheer professionalism and it was a joy to supporters to see him become an integral part of a great side. To date he had only missed three League games that season.

Thanks to his extraordinary positional sense and firm tackling, wingers rarely got the better of him although for some strange reason he always seemed to have difficulty in containing David Wagstaffe of Wolves. Webster may not have been blessed with great height but he was competent enough in the air and although wingbacks as such hadn’t really been invented by that time, he could be effective when surging down the right flank. In fact his fine headed goal against Manchester City in the 3-1 home win was a contender for goal of the season.

Webster had joined the Rams in June 1960, making his debut on the right side of midfield towards the end of the 1961-62 season. He continued to perform superbly in that role for another six years and it wasn’t until midway through 1967-68 that , Clough and Taylor’s first season at Derby, that he eventually switched to full-back, a position he continued to fill with distinction until he tried his luck in the USA in 1976. By then he had made 535 appearances for Derby in all competitions including five as substitute, a total exceeded only by Kevin Hector.

Around 1965 or 1966 I read something about Spurs trying to sign Webster. That's when he was a right half.

Just looking at that Ipswich team reminded me of how Derby ended up being a kind of elephant's graveyard for a few years around 1980. Whymark played a couple of games for us but I can't remember them. We also had players like Mick Coop and John Richards who were well over the hill. 

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, Normanton Lad said:

Around 1965 or 1966 I read something about Spurs trying to sign Webster. That's when he was a right half.

On Easter Monday and the following night, April 11 &12 1966, Derby played Coventry at home, winning 2-0, and then away, losing 2-3. It was reported in some national newspapers that a Spurs scout had attended both games to watch Ron Webster and Tottenham were contemplating making an offer of £40k for the player. Nothing more was reported after that and of course Webster stayed at Derby.

[angieram]

13 hours ago, StrawHillRam said:

Rob Webster one of our own and vastly underrated. Great player each and every year with us. Always reliable at the back, and strong  going forward. Wish we had him in the team today

I think he might have lived in or near Somercotes, but I might be wrong.

 

Ron? Yep, lived in Leabrooks for a while. His sister was in the same class as my sister.

[strawhillram]

1 hour ago, angieram said:

Ron? Yep, lived in Leabrooks for a while. His sister was in the same class as my sister.

Somerlea or Swanwick grammar?

[angieram]

22 minutes ago, StrawHillRam said:

Somerlea or Swanwick grammar?

Junior School but I think she went up to Swanwick Grammar. I can vaguely remember her, but she was two school years below me. Ron must be a fair few years older than her.

[Wistaston Ram]

The lady I sit next to at games, has connections with the Webster family. She says he is not really interested in football anymore and although he gets invited to home games, rarely attends. I suppose it is a very different game to the one he played.  As I work in agriculture,  I would have loved to have visited his farm.

[LeedsCityRam]

Matchday 34 – Saturday 25th March 1972 & the short trip to Victoria Ground, Stoke

Stoke started the day in 15th place but had already secured silverware this season, winning the League Cup 3 weeks earlier against Chelsea. They had been beaten 4-0 at the Baseball Ground earlier in the season but their home form was impressive, losing only 3 times in 15 games to that point. Stoke took the lead with a Jimmy Greenhoff penalty before Alan Durban equalised from a free kick - post match discussion though was of a late disallowed goal by Kevin Hector that meant Derby had to settle for a 1-1 draw

 

 

 

Derby’s point meant they stayed in 2nd place even though Leeds walloped Arsenal 3-0 at Elland Road. Liverpool won 1-0 at Southampton to highlight it was a 4 horse title race whilst Man City could only draw 0-0 at Newcastle & so remained 3 points ahead of Derby;

Leeds highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhStPGirTNQ

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by LeedsCityRam

[angieram]

53 minutes ago, LeedsCityRam said:

Matchday 34 – Saturday 25th March 1972 & the short trip to Victoria Ground, Stoke

Stoke started the day in 15th place but had already secured silverware this season, winning the League Cup 3 weeks earlier against Chelsea. They had been beaten 4-0 at the Baseball Ground earlier in the season but their home form was impressive, losing only 3 times in 15 games to that point. Stoke took the lead with a Jimmy Greenhoff penalty before Alan Durban equalised from a free kick - post match discussion though was of a late disallowed goal by Kevin Hector that meant Derby had to settle for a 1-1 draw

 

 

 

Derby’s point meant they stayed in 2nd place even though Leeds walloped Arsenal 3-0 at Elland Road. Liverpool won 1-0 at Southampton to highlight it was a 4 horse title race whilst Man City could only draw 0-0 at Newcastle & so remained 3 points ahead of Derby;

Leeds highlights  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhStPGirTNQ

 

Sounds like games against Stoke were boring even then! 

 

[Guest]

On the back of five consecutive League victories, the large contingent of Rams fans was in buoyant mood as we made the short journey to Stoke City’s Victoria Ground. It takes little longer than it takes to reach the City Ground from Derby but there has never been much of a rivalry between the two club’s supporters, except perhaps in the locality of Uttoxeter where rival fan’s live alongside each other. The rivalry in Stoke has historically between the Potters and Port Vale and that remains quite intense today. Even that is quite different to Nottingham where the Forest and County fan rivalry is quite gentle. As we know, there is only one East Midlands derby and in my lifetime, the Notts. County rivalry has centred more upon Mansfield and Chesterfield than it has with Derby and Forest. As Jimmy Greaves used to say ‘It’s a fanny old game.’

Jim Walker made his first League start of the season, replacing the injured Hinton. The crowd was close to capacity with a very big following of away fans. There was little between the two teams in a closely contested first half and the game was goalless at the break.

Shortly into the second half, referee Roger Kirkpatrick of Leicester awarded Stoke a penalty when Todd brought down the tricky Harry Burrows in the area. Jimmy Greenhoff beat Boulton from the spot to put the Potters in front. Derby immediately pushed forwards for the equaliser and three minutes later Durban brought the Rams level when he curled a free kick from just outside the area, around the Stoke wall past Gordon Banks and into the back of the net.

The goal spurred Derby on as they went in surge of a winner. Then, with timing running out, Kevin Hector appeared to have given the visitors a well deserved victory when he jumped in front of Gordon Banks and headed home in front of the celebrating Rams fans at the open end of the ground. Amazingly and quite wrongly, Mr. Kirkpatrick disallowed a perfectly good goal. Clough, as usual, refused to condemn the official but poignantly suggested to reporters that they should ask the ref to explain his decision. Kirkpatrick said that he considered that Hector had elbowed Banks but ‘The King’ insisted that he had made no contact whatsoever with the ‘keeper. I was stood about 25 yards from the incident with a clear view and without a shadow of doubt I can confirm that what Kevin said was absolutely true. It was an appalling and wholly unjust decision, which ultimately could have cost Derby dearly.

Although an away draw is always welcome, it seemed more like a point lost than a point won. Although we were still in second place, it was becoming increasingly tight amongst the leading pack and it seemed that the chase for the title might go down to the wire.

I still travel away today with the same people I did in my youth and Mr. Kirkpatrick’s awful decision still often comes up in conversation. It was one of those moments that stay with you forever. Rant over. Well at least until the next time someone mentions his name to me.

Kirkpatrick was almost a ‘Mr Pickwick’ clone. He was tubby, balding, with mutton-chop sideburns and ran with his knees pumping high. It was said that he could run faster going backwards than forwards. He seemed to like the attention he attracted and became popular with players and the media. Clough and Taylor were friendly with him but I never acquired the taste for him. Maybe that is because I developed an unconscious prejudice towards him because of that ludicrously disallowed goal. But I also believed that he courted publicity with the same enthusiasm of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, which was unheard of for a referee up until that time. It was uncomfortable.

Talking of such prejudice, Gordon Banks rose to world fame with Leicester City and England. Many English football followers questioned whether referees over protected him who was from Leicester because of his reputation as the crown jewel of goalkeepers. I wonder if Mr Kirkpatrick, who was from Leicester, had an unconscious bias for Banks when he ruled out that goal?  Maybe, I’m in danger of being called a conspiracy theorist.

Kirkpatrick, along with the controversial Clive ‘The Book’ Thomas was one of the original celebrity refs who emerged around that time. Later Roger Milford and Neil Midgeley took on the role of the extrovert official. They are the ones fans remember, yet it was quiet Jack Taylor who got the World Cup final, and undemonstrative George Courtney who was his most admired successor.

The cult of the referee came into its own with the introduction of full-time professional referees, following the formation of the Premier League in 1991. From then on, referees have competed to become stars in the game, alongside the players. For me that has been detrimental. When I was growing up, you always knew the referee had a good game by the fact that you never noticed him because he had called the crucial decisions correctly and without fuss and without trying to attract personal attention. That was why Jack Taylor rose to the top to referee the Holland v West Germany World Cup Final in 1974.  He and Norman Burtenshaw, who was also on the FIFA list, were the best English refs from those times. They were well respected for the unfussy way in which they got most of the big decisions right.

The Pickwick Papers is a book that I have never recommended for children.

[True Ram]

On 23/03/2022 at 07:54, angieram said:

Ron? Yep, lived in Leabrooks for a while. His sister was in the same class as my sister.

Living in Swanwick  comes to McDonald's in alfreton nearly every day not very good at the  minute all I can say keeps wondering off at the moment to much heading the ball when he played 

Very sad ? 

[PistoldPete]

1 hour ago, Brailsford Ram said:

On the back of five consecutive League victories, the large contingent of Rams fans was in buoyant mood as we made the short journey to Stoke City’s Victoria Ground. It takes little longer than it takes to reach the City Ground from Derby but there has never been much of a rivalry between the two club’s supporters, except perhaps in the locality of Uttoxeter where rival fan’s live alongside each other. The rivalry in Stoke has historically between the Potters and Port Vale and that remains quite intense today. Even that is quite different to Nottingham where the Forest and County fan rivalry is quite gentle. As we know, there is only one East Midlands derby and in my lifetime, the Notts. County rivalry has centred more upon Mansfield and Chesterfield than it has with Derby and Forest. As Jimmy Greaves used to say ‘It’s a fanny old game.’

Jim Walker made his first League start of the season, replacing the injured Hinton. The crowd was close to capacity with a very big following of away fans. There was little between the two teams in a closely contested first half and the game was goalless at the break.

Shortly into the second half, referee Roger Kirkpatrick of Leicester awarded Stoke a penalty when Todd brought down the tricky Harry Burrows in the area. Jimmy Greenhoff beat Boulton from the spot to put the Potters in front. Derby immediately pushed forwards for the equaliser and three minutes later Durban brought the Rams level when he curled a free kick from just outside the area, around the Stoke wall past Gordon Banks and into the back of the net.

The goal spurred Derby on as they went in surge of a winner. Then, with timing running out, Kevin Hector appeared to have given the visitors a well deserved victory when he jumped in front of Gordon Banks and headed home in front of the celebrating Rams fans at the open end of the ground. Amazingly and quite wrongly, Mr. Kirkpatrick disallowed a perfectly good goal. Clough, as usual, refused to condemn the official but poignantly suggested to reporters that they should ask the ref to explain his decision. Kirkpatrick said that he considered that Hector had elbowed Banks but ‘The King’ insisted that he had made no contact whatsoever with the ‘keeper. I was stood about 25 yards from the incident with a clear view and without a shadow of doubt I can confirm that what Kevin said was absolutely true. It was an appalling and wholly unjust decision, which ultimately could have cost Derby dearly.

Although an away draw is always welcome, it seemed more like a point lost than a point won. Although we were still in second place, it was becoming increasingly tight amongst the leading pack and it seemed that the chase for the title might go down to the wire.

I still travel away today with the same people I did in my youth and Mr. Kirkpatrick’s awful decision still often comes up in conversation. It was one of those moments that stay with you forever. Rant over. Well at least until the next time someone mentions his name to me.

Kirkpatrick was almost a ‘Mr Pickwick’ clone. He was tubby, balding, with mutton-chop sideburns and ran with his knees pumping high. It was said that he could run faster going backwards than forwards. He seemed to like the attention he attracted and became popular with players and the media. Clough and Taylor were friendly with him but I never acquired the taste for him. Maybe that is because I developed an unconscious prejudice towards him because of that ludicrously disallowed goal. But I also believed that he courted publicity with the same enthusiasm of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, which was unheard of for a referee up until that time. It was uncomfortable.

Talking of such prejudice, Gordon Banks rose to world fame with Leicester City and England. Many English football followers questioned whether referees over protected him who was from Leicester because of his reputation as the crown jewel of goalkeepers. I wonder if Mr Kirkpatrick, who was from Leicester, had an unconscious bias for Banks when he ruled out that goal?  Maybe, I’m in danger of being called a conspiracy theorist.

Kirkpatrick, along with the controversial Clive ‘The Book’ Thomas was one of the original celebrity refs who emerged around that time. Later Roger Milford and Neil Midgeley took on the role of the extrovert official. They are the ones fans remember, yet it was quiet Jack Taylor who got the World Cup final, and undemonstrative George Courtney who was his most admired successor.

The cult of the referee came into its own with the introduction of full-time professional referees, following the formation of the Premier League in 1991. From then on, referees have competed to become stars in the game, alongside the players. For me that has been detrimental. When I was growing up, you always knew the referee had a good game by the fact that you never noticed him because he had called the crucial decisions correctly and without fuss and without trying to attract personal attention. That was why Jack Taylor rose to the top to referee the Holland v West Germany World Cup Final in 1974.  He and Norman Burtenshaw, who was also on the FIFA list, were the best English refs from those times. They were well respected for the unfussy way in which they got most of the big decisions right.

The Pickwick Papers is a book that I have never recommended for children.

Jack Taylor got a big decision wrong though disallowed David Nish goal in the fa cup semi against Man U. Players not interfering with play were deemed offside and Taylor came up with the cliche if they are not interfering with play what are they doing on the pitch? 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, PistoldPete said:

Jack Taylor got a big decision wrong though disallowed David Nish goal in the fa cup semi against Man U. Players not interfering with play were deemed offside and Taylor came up with the cliche if they are not interfering with play what are they doing on the pitch? 

I have never seen a quote about the disallowed Nish goal attributed directly to Jack Taylor. Following a disputed goal, which Liverpool conceded in the 60s, Bill Shankly was famously quoted as saying “If a player is not interfering with play, he shouldn’t be on the bloody pitch.”

Like all of us present that day I of course was disappointed that the Nish goal was disallowed but Taylor went with the linesman who had raised his flag immediately. If Taylor was doubtful, he should have consulted the linesman but he didn’t. However, Taylor’s comment to Dave Mackay below seems honest enough. I did say that Taylor got the big decisions right MOST of the time, not always.

My difference with Kirkpatrick at Stoke was that he claimed to ‘see’ something that simply never happened. There’s a big difference in my opinion.

IN a DET article by Anton Rippon about the Nish ‘goal,’ this was said.

David Nish lofted the ball over the last line of United defenders before running on to it and driving it into the net. Alas for Derby, the linesman’s flag was raised. The whistle had sounded and Stepney had made no attempt to prevent the “goal”.

Nish takes up the story: “When they cleared the ball, United always rushed out. They’d done it against us at Old Trafford a few weeks earlier. So when the ball came out to me at Hillsborough, I got to it before it had even bounced, put it over the top, went through myself. I couldn’t believe it when the linesman gave someone offside on the other side of the field.”

Actually, reviewing film of the incident today, it seems that several Rams forwards were offside. Nowadays, the goal would have stood, but 40 years ago there was a wholly different interpretation to “interfering with play”.

Six minutes from time, the tie was settled when Gordon Hill made it 2-0. Nish summed it up: “He took a free-kick and it ricocheted off one of our players and the goalkeeper was going the wrong way. That just about typified our day.”

Not everyone thought that the Rams had been robbed, however. Even manager Dave Mackay, who said later: “We deserved to lose that day. David Nish? Ah, well. Jack Taylor was the referee and afterwards he said that, had he realised what was happening, then he wouldn’t have given offside. But that’s dead and gone. We can forget that."

“Of course, I was very disappointed to lose because we’d met United previously in the league and done very well. We beat them 2-1 at Derby and drew 1-1 at Old Trafford. We’d also had some good results in the Cup and I thought that we were on a roll. But it wasn’t to be. And in the end we didn’t deserve to get there.”