1971-72 season scrapbook

[Crewton]

I went to allot of the Central League fixtures at the BBG between 1968 and 1972. You got to see some top players, either on their way up or returning from injury and they were well attended. I think the Liverpool home match attracted an attendance of over 10,000, for example. 

Terrific work again @Brailsford Ram

[Normanton Lad]

On 03/05/2022 at 08:50, Crewton said:

I went to allot of the Central League fixtures at the BBG between 1968 and 1972. You got to see some top players, either on their way up or returning from injury and they were well attended. I think the Liverpool home match attracted an attendance of over 10,000, for example. 

Terrific work again @Brailsford Ram

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.

 

[Crewton]

32 minutes ago, Normanton Lad said:

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.

 

David Langan probably the only one from the late 70s to play in the top flight.

[Normanton Lad]

4 hours ago, Crewton said:

David Langan probably the only one from the late 70s to play in the top flight.

I think Dave Langan and Phil Boyer were the best players who came out of Derby reserves when I used to watch them.

Don O'Riordon wasn't bad and he went on to have a very long career albeit in the lower divisions.

Micky Quinn was on the books at Derby at that time but I can't remember him in the reserves.

[GB SPORTS]

8 hours ago, Crewton said:

David Langan probably the only one from the late 70s to play in the top flight.

Graham Moseley? 

[Dordogne-Ram]

8 hours ago, Normanton Lad said:

I think Dave Langan and Phil Boyer were the best players who came out of Derby reserves when I used to watch them.

Don O'Riordon wasn't bad and he went on to have a very long career albeit in the lower divisions.

Micky Quinn was on the books at Derby at that time but I can't remember him in the reserves.

IIRC, Phil Boyer left DCFC for York City, and eventually got a full international cap at Southampton.

[Crewton]

4 hours ago, I DONT MIND said:

Graham Moseley? 

Moseley was in the first team by season 75/76. Normanton was referring to the period after that, I think, and Langan was the only apprentice I could think of who established himself in the 1st team while we were still in the top flight in the late 70s. I think his point was perhaps that the club was in decline at all levels after that fateful season. 

[PistoldPete]

29 minutes ago, Crewton said:

Moseley was in the first team by season 75/76. Normanton was referring to the period after that, I think, and Langan was the only apprentice I could think of who established himself in the 1st team while we were still in the top flight in the late 70s. I think his point was perhaps that the club was in decline at all levels after that fateful season. 

When Clough left he took a lot of the scouting network with him at all levels. The player he left behind , plus Franny, Charlie and Rioch all grew old together and we didn't have any replacements. Actually Charlie wasn't that old but he went off when Mackay was sacked.  

[Ellafella]

 

[Normanton Lad]

2 hours ago, Crewton said:

Moseley was in the first team by season 75/76. Normanton was referring to the period after that, I think, and Langan was the only apprentice I could think of who established himself in the 1st team while we were still in the top flight in the late 70s. I think his point was perhaps that the club was in decline at all levels after that fateful season. 

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. 

 

[LeedsCityRam]

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;

Edited May 8, 2022 by LeedsCityRam

[Guest]

“CHAMPIONS, CHAMPIONS, CHAMPIONS………”

Molineux – Highbury

Following the victory over Liverpool, Brian Clough had departed for a holiday with his family in the Scilly Isles while Peter Taylor had flown with the team for a well deserved end-of-season break at the Hotel Castella de Mar in Cala Millor, Majorca.

On the Saturday, Leeds beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley in the Centenary Cup Final with a goal scored by Allan Clarke in the 54th minute. On BBC Brian Clough and Bobby Charlton joined the injured Bob Wilson of Arsenal and Terry Cooper of Leeds to form the panel of pundits. When the outcome of the League title chase was discussed, Charlton was adamant in saying, “Leeds will do the double. There is no way that Wolves can hold them.”

Clough for once maintained a diplomatic silence on the matter.

With seconds remaining Leeds centre forward Mick Jones tumbled to the ground as Arsenal’s ‘keeper Geoff Barnett dived at his feet. Jones was still receiving treatment for a dislocated elbow as his teammates collected their winners’ medals but he then made an agonising walk up the steps to the Royal Box to meet the Queen.

With the FA Cup won, the Leeds players, having being allowed in the dressing room a single champagne served in a plastic cup, left their wives to enjoy the post-match banquet and travelled by coach to Wolverhampton where they were to meet Wolves 48 hours later. There was discontent among the Leeds players about being denied their celebration, which they believed would have helped them wind down before resuming their preparation the next day.

Jones was out of consideration and eight draining matches inside a month had taken their toll. The Leeds’ medical team was kept busy patching up several players to take the field at Molineux. Eddie Gray was troubled by a thigh injury while pain-killing injections were administered to Allan Clarke and Johnny Giles. Revie later claimed that all three would not have played under normal circumstances.

Revie was furious that Leeds were being forced to play Wolves just 48 hours after a gruelling Wembley appearance. He had wanted the crucial games put back to the Wednesday night but the Football League secretary, Alan Hardaker refused in his peculiarly obstinate and dictatorial way, citing the fact that to do so would disrupt the preparation of the England team before their upcoming second leg of the European Nations Cup in West Germany. Hardaker was no friend of Brian Clough but he absolutely detested Don Revie

By the Monday morning, Derby’s odds to win the title had drifted out to 8/1 with the bookmakers. Delighted by the move in the betting market, Peter Taylor backed his team to finish the day still at the top of the table.

Wolves were in the middle of a two-legged UEFA Cup Final against Tottenham. To add further spice to the game, there was a whiff of corruption in the air. The day before the match, the Sunday People newspaper revealed that offers had been made to some Wolves players to throw the match. There are members of the team who will steadfastly maintain that they were asked directly to do things to help Leeds’ cause. And it was not the first time that these sordid accusations were levelled at a Don Revie team. The evidence is credible, if furiously denied by Leeds. Word of the approaches was relayed to the Wolves’ manager Bill McGarry who decided that he needed to address the players on the morning of the match. He called them out to the centre circle of the Molineux pitch as if he feared the dressing room might have been bugged. Then he told them in no uncertain terms that if any player gave the impression of not giving 100 per cent that night, they would never play for Wolves again. Whether it was McGarry’s threat or the insult to their professional integrity, but something fired up Wolves on a memorable evening.

McGarry, who Peter Taylor believed was one of the most honest men in football, insisted before the game that he believed Wolves were capable of winning.

The allegations were known to the match referee, John Gow, who, given the notorious reputation Leeds had developed for pressurising referees, was now under extra pressure.

A crowd of 53,379 packed into Molineux with the gates locked behind them long before kick-off. On the South Bank, where I stood with three friends, among several hundred or maybe a couple of thousand who had travelled from Derby, eight crush barriers buckled and one broke, causing injuries to more than 70 spectators. Despite only needing a draw, Leeds attacked from the outset, in accordance with Revie’s tactical plan. They made strong appeals for an early penalty when Wolves’ ‘keeper Phil Parkes collided with Allan Clarke in the area. Their appeals were even louder in the 25th minute when Bernard Shaw got both hands to a Clarke effort and, for a split second, was actually carrying the ball.

Donald Saunders in the Daily Telegraph said, “Shaw quite clearly beat the ball down with both hands”, and although referee John Gow was unsighted it was amazing that the nearest linesman did not spot the infringement.

A few minutes later, Peter Lorimer let fly with a powerful shot, which Parkes stopped with a full-length dive. Just before half time and totally against the run of play, a Frank Munro drive found the net off a post to give Wolves the lead. As soon as the second half commenced, Leeds went back on the attack.

Lorimer hammered a free kick in from 30 yards that Wolves somehow managed to scramble away, with another suspicion of handball by Shaw. In their chase for an equaliser, Leeds left gaps at the back. In the 67th minute, John Richards’ pass opened up their defence, allowing Derek Dougan to run through and slide the ball home for two-nil.

In desperation, Revie replaced the struggling Clarke with Terry Yorath and pushed Jack Charlton into attack. The decision paid instant dividends when Bremner clawed a goal back. Lorimer headed onto the crossbar in the final minutes but, despite frantically pressing for an equaliser, the final whistle blew leaving Leeds a point behind Derby. Meanwhile, at Highbury, Arsenal took on Liverpool, who needed to win the game to overtake Derby on goal average. Arsenal seemingly had little to play for and they were without Charlie George and Bob McNab who picked up injuries in the FA .Cup Final.

In front of a crowd of 39,829, in the 13th minute, Emlyn Hughes hit a shot from 25 yards, which crashed off of the underside of the Arsenal crossbar, before Ray Kennedy responded by shaking Liverpool with a header that rebounded off the bottom of a post. There was a frantic 20 minutes finale to the game when, after hearing that Leeds were losing, Liverpool threw everything at Arsenal.

Then, with two minutes left to play, John Roberts, on as a substitute for Pat Rice, mis-kicked and John Toshack fired home a mishit shot from Kevin Keegan. But the Liverpool celebrations were cut short when referee Roger Kirkpatrick disallowed the ‘goal’ for offside. His decision was loudly criticised by Bill Shankly but not by journalists whose overwhelming consensus was that the referee’s decision was correct.

Two minutes later Mr Kirkpatrick blew the final whistle to confirm the two results that Derby required to become Champions of England for the first time in their history.

Sam Longson, who had remained confident of the final outcome during the past week, stood in the Arsenal director’s box, waving to the crowd. There were tears in his eyes as he said, “I’m overwhelmed. Our manager Brian Clough said that Arsenal would beat Liverpool and Leeds would draw at Wolves for the point they needed to be champions.”

Sam felt somewhat left alone to fly the flag as the ambassador for Derby County at Highbury that night as he explained in his autobiography:

“I told Brian I was going to Highbury to watch Arsenal deny Liverpool the championship and I told him I was confident that Wolves would beat Leeds to present us with the championship.

“And Brian’s reaction: “Daydreams chairman, I’m off to join Barbara and the kids in the Scilly Isles tonight for my holiday.

“Peter wasn’t there either. He had gone with the team to Majorca. So it was left to me to carry the Rams’ flag at Arsenal during those crucial final hours of the season.”

Well done Sam, just what did you do to prevent Liverpool or Leeds from claiming the trophy on the night? About as much as Clough and Taylor knew they couldn’t do from Tresco and Cala Millor. Nothing. They had completed their season’s work with the defeat of Liverpool. They had nothing left to offer. We were that night in the hands of Wolves, Arsenal and the lap of the Gods. All three came up trumps for Derby County.

Does self-delusion come to mind or is it just me?

Roger Kirkpatrick, who had wrongly disallowed Kevin Hector’s potentially winning goal at Stoke at the end of March, had in the end balanced the scales of justice and the Rams had got their just desserts at the end of the closest run chase to the title ever seen since 1888. Kirkpatrick is still bemoaned in Liverpool to this day. Had he not got this right on the night, it would have been in Derby that he would never have been forgiven.

Bill Shankly fumed, “That man Kirkpatrick has deprived us of the championship. When Keegan was about to shoot Toshack was nowhere to be seen. When Keegan mishit his shot Toshack arrived on the scene and put the ball in. The same referee disallowed a goal for us at Anfield in the League game against Leeds with the score 0-0. We lost 2-0. On that occasion he took no notice of a linesman. Tonight he did. “

The press disagreed, with the Guardian reporting that, ‘Toshack was palpably offside.’

However, Shankly conceded that, “The best team we have played this season has won the League.”

Back at Molineux Revie moaned, “Naturally we are bitterly disappointed after all the hard work of the last nine months. But what can you do when the decisions go against you. We could have had three penalties. The first incident was definitely a penalty and if anyone has the picture on TV they will see that Bernard Shaw touched the ball with both hands.

“The second looked equally blatant when Phil Parkes blatantly brought down Allan Clarke and lay on top of him and I also thought there was another handling offence.”

For all that, Revie generously said, “All of us at Leeds are pleased that Derby have won the title. They are a very fine side and I had the foresight to tip them at the start of the season.”

The truth of Revie’s feelings was very different. His relationship with Clough had become extremely bitter over the past three years and if Leeds had to lose out, he would have wanted the title to go anywhere except Derby.

In the Rams’ team hotel in Majorca, while the matches were being played, the senior staff all stayed in the bar, with no link at all to follow what was happening back home. Some of the players drifted in and out, all feeling the tension in the air. About 15 minutes before the games were due to end, a hotel porter called Peter Taylor into the foyer. A British journalist had rung Peter from Molineux and told him not to hang up, because as the scores stood at that moment, Derby County were the Champions elect. When Peter did not return to the bar, one-by-one the players and staff crept into the foyer. There was complete silence; all eyes were glued on Peter. He was ashen white. The dreadful suspense lasted for 20 minutes that seemed like two hours. Suddenly, Taylor raised his free arm in the air and shouted, “We’ve won it, we’ve won it!”

Peter Taylor said excitedly down the phone, “Everyone here seems to be Derby supporters. The players are being mobbed and two of them are being paraded shoulder high round the hotel.”

Kevin Hector pushed through a wall of well wishers and commented” “Ten minutes ago we all had butterflies.Our courier said ‘You lot look like a bunch of expectant fathers.’ My God how right he was – we have given birth tonight to the League crown.”

The other guests at the hotel all joined in and the celebrations went on into the early hours of the morning. Not one sports journalist from the United Kingdom was in Cala Millor that night. They had all gone to Molineux or Highbury, where they thought they would have the best chance of interviewing the newly elected champions. Having booked hastily arranged flights to Palma, they didn’t start arriving at the hotel until the next morning.

Brian Clough speaking from his holiday hotel in Tresco in the Scilly Isles claimed: “I am the happiest man in the world. This is incredible. It makes me realise what a great job I, and my players have done. My players have given blood this season.”

When he knew Derby had won the championship he ordered champagne all round for the fifty guests staying in the hotel.

He sent a message of congratulations to the Derby team and said he would see them next week for a private celebration.

In a telephone interview on the Ten o’clock national TV news, Clough said, “It is incredible. I do not believe in miracles but one has occurred tonight. I heard they played  four and a half minutes of injury time at Molineux. It seemed like four and a half years to me. There is nothing I can say to sum up how I feel, although I suppose we could have won the Cup as well. For a team and a town like Derby to win this title is a credit to all concerned.”

There was plenty of sniping from some quarters, including the national press reporters, with suggestions that Derby had somehow become champions by default while sitting on the beach. But Clough was having none of it, simply pointing out, “It’s about how many points you have after 42 matches – and we had the most.”

As he told his players the next Sunday, “You are the Champions of England, not Leeds, not Liverpool – Derby County.”

Roy McFarland and Colin Todd had flown back early from Majorca to join up with the England team. Before travelling to London they and their wives joined up at Todd’s house in Dean’s Close in Littleover where they listened to radio coverage of the night’s events in a car on the drive. When the final whistle blew and it dawned on them that they had won the League, they celebrated by hugging and kissing their wives in the otherwise deserted street.

They then resisted the temptation of a celebratory drink and travelled down to Hendon Hall Hotel in London, expecting a frosty reception from Alf Ramsey following their withdrawal from the team against West Germany nine days before. But Ramsey never mentioned it as he warmly greeted the pair and congratulated them on their title success.

A few of the squad started to arrive from Highbury. Emlyn Hughes was gutted but still managed a generous smile as he shook Roy’s hand and whispered, “Lucky so-and-so McFarland.” Arsenal hard man Peter Storey came in with a little grin as if to say “We played our part.” Alan Ball, now with the Gunners after a £220,000 transfer from Everton, was simply delighted to have prevented Liverpool from winning the title.

It was a while before the Leeds contingent, including Paul Madeley and Norman Hunter, turned up and they were deathly quiet and downcast. Resentment was evident, a little shred of bitterness, some of it directed at the Football League, which had made them play so soon after the Cup Final.

As for us we were celebrating in the streets around Molineux, with hundreds of Rams fans. The pubs called last orders at 10.30pm in those days and they had shut by the time we had calmed down. We didn’t celebrate with a drink until the next day and then the party lasted for a week.

Just two hours before, most of us didn’t believe this really was going to happen but it had! During the game we were getting tit-bits of the situation at Highbury via people in the crowd who had one ear glued to transistor radios. When Dougan put Wolves two goals ahead we were ecstatic and we started to believe but that was short-lived for Bremner had quickly pulled one back for Leeds. When Lorimer hit the bar late on, our hearts were in our mouths. Then someone said Liverpool had scored at Highbury and our hearts sank and then someone shouted the goal had been disallowed and elation returned with the renewed tension and then finally the full-time whistle pierced the night sky and we were the Champions! The roller coaster of emotions we experienced in those closing minutes were enough to last most people a lifetime. But at the end, I was so grateful that the Wolves and Arsenal players had been so committed and honest in ensuring that the trophy went to the team who deserved it. They had little to play for except for pride but their efforts did Derby proud on that unforgettable night.

Two years later, all three managers had left the clubs that had fought for the title to the very end. Shankly retired, Revie quit Leeds to take over England and Clough stepped into the Elland Road cauldron to replace him for just 44 days.

All three had a common denominator. They had dragged the three clubs up from the Second Division and had very soon led them to the First Division title.

In his autobiography, ‘Shankly,’ published after he retired, Bill Shankly reflected on this saying, “Don Revie and I had a difficult time turning Leeds and Liverpool into what they are today, but Brian Clough had possibly the worst job of all at Derby County. He took them from nothing to the Championship of the First Division and built a world-class team.

“Cloughie did a hell of a job and I have a great deal of respect for him. But I think he has said a lot of things he is sorry for. I am not suggesting what he said is not true, but sometimes it is better to keep the truth to yourself. He has offended people, and you don’t offend people in football if you can avoid it.

“I didn’t like the feud between Cloughie and Don Revie. It would have been better if they hadn’t gone on television together. They were two sour men – but great managers – and it was an unfortunate episode which both could have done without.

“Derby now have another strong man at the helm in Dave Mackay, a courageous player who has proved that he is also a courageous manager. Dave has done wonderfully well considering the trouble there was at the time he came. He pulled things together and enlarged on what Cloughie had done by buying great players that some people didn’t fancy. He bought Francis Lee from Manchester City and that move helped Derby win the championship in 1975. He then took Charlie George from Arsenal, and the boy’s attitude changed dramatically. Bruce Rioch has been a revelation since he joined Derby from Aston Villa. Mackay is the type of manager who is willing to back his assessment of players. He has a positive attitude, and that is why Derby will continue to have success even though other clubs have double the population and grounds twice the size.

“For a small club Derby think big but if it hadn’t been for Cloughie there would have been no need for Mackay or anybody else – because there would have been no Derby County as we know it today. Cloughie made Derby with his vital decisions and his vision of the game. He is young, so he could still become a force in the game again.”

You were so right Bill but unfortunately when he became a force again soon after these words were written, it wasn’t to be with Derby County.

So there you have it, the story of how Derby County became Champions of England is about complete but LeedsCityRam will be back again on Saturday to cover the presentation of the trophy to the team at the Baseball Ground.

On that note, we come to the real reason why Sam Longson was so desperate to be at Highbury that night. That was where the First Division trophy still rested, having been won by Arsenal in their Double season the year before. If the Rams were to finish as Champions, Sam wanted to be the one to grab it and take it back to Derby. As he explained in ‘Sam’s Story,’ describing his emotional experience in the Arsenal boardroom after the game:

“I came to earth long enough to ask if I could take the League Championship trophy home with me. I was told politely by the Arsenal directors that I couldn’t have it without League permission. So I had to go home that night empty handed. I drove 400 miles to Highbury and back the next day to collect the trophy!”

Sam, if Cloughie had been with you in the Arsenal boardroom and received the refusal that you did, he’d have had the trophy away regardless of the consequences, put it on top of his telly at home in Ferrers Way and saved on the petrol bill the next day. That’s a fact.

[IslandExile]

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

[angieram]

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? 

[Guest]

On 05/05/2022 at 23:17, Normanton Lad said:

I think Dave Langan and Phil Boyer were the best players who came out of Derby reserves when I used to watch them.

Don O'Riordon wasn't bad and he went on to have a very long career albeit in the lower divisions.

Micky Quinn was on the books at Derby at that time but I can't remember him in the reserves.

Now you have mentioned Don O'Riordan, he posted on Facebook recently that he was a boyhood Leeds fan who watched the Leeds v Arsenal Cup final on TV in 1972, which was also the day he signed for the Rams. This is what Don posted:

Don O’Riordan

I was watching the 1972 FA cup final when Leeds won and I signed a contract that very day for Derby before the kick off and cheered Leeds to victory.

On the Monday I was outside playing football with my mates and my older brother came out to say there was good news and bad news. My favourite club Leeds blew the league v Wolves but I’d signed for the new league champions Derby. Funny old game as Jimmy Greaves would say.

Indeed it is Don. It has uncanny relevance to this thread on this day of all days!!!

[PistoldPete]

Thanks to Brailsford and LeedsCity Ram for this fantastic log of an epic season. One thing I never understood is how people can say it detracted from our Title win that it was other teams failing in their final games. 
 

but actually the other teams had the advantage .. they knew exactly what they had to do. 

[SirBrian]

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.

[LeedsCityRam]

1 hour ago, PistoldPete said:

Thanks to Brailsford and LeedsCity Ram for this fantastic log of an epic season. One thing I never understood is how people can say it detracted from our Title win that it was other teams failing in their final games. 
 

but actually the other teams had the advantage .. they knew exactly what they had to do. 

Exactly this. I stressed this at start of my post yesterday as a massive advantage for Leeds & Liverpool and something that wouldn't be allowed to happen nowadays - it's unfair & leaves open the possibility of results being engineered. The fact that even then they couldn't get the results they needed, purely reflects on them as not being good enough.

Liverpool came from nowhere to challenge but got beat by Derby when it mattered & then couldn't find their way past Arsenal. Memories were probably skewed with Leeds as they tended to fill their boots with some showcase TV matches at Elland Road (7-0 v Southampton, 5-0 v Man Utd etc) but their away record in 71/72 was P21 W7 D5 L9 - far from the aura of invincibility some would have you believe.

By contrast;

• Derby had the best away record in the division (this in an era of very good home records)
• Were the only club to be in the top 4 all season (with exception of 4 days at the end of December)
• Beat everyone else in the top 6

Worthy Champions.

Edited May 9, 2022 by LeedsCityRam

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

10 minutes ago, LeedsCityRam said:

Exactly this. I stressed this at start of my post yesterday as a massive advantage for Leeds & Liverpool and something that wouldn't be allowed to happen nowadays - it's unfair & leaves open the possibility of results being engineered. The fact that even then they couldn't get the results they needed, purely reflects on them as not good enough.

Liverpool came from nowhere to challenge but got beat by Derby when it mattered & then couldn't find their way past Arsenal. Memories were probably skewed with Leeds as they tended to fill their boots with some showcase TV matches at Elland Road (7-0 v Southampton, 5-0 v Man Utd etc) but their away record in 71/72 was P21 W7 D5 L9 - far from the aura of invincibility some would have you believe.

By contrast;

• Derby had the best away record in the division (this in an era of very good home records)
• Were the only club to be in the top 4 all season (with exception of 4 days at the end of December)
• Beat everyone else in the top 6

Worthy Champions.

Lets also not forget Derek Dougan and other Wolves players tales of shall we call it 'look at would you could win'  24 hrs before the game which annoyed them that much they set out to make sure Leeds didn't get the win.  

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

1 hour ago, PistoldPete said:

Thanks to Brailsford and LeedsCity Ram for this fantastic log of an epic season. One thing I never understood is how people can say it detracted from our Title win that it was other teams failing in their final games. 
 

but actually the other teams had the advantage .. they knew exactly what they had to do. 

Remember that Match of the 70's show where Dennis Waterman refers to Derby nicking the title.  Yes Dennis, by beating the team that could have won it instead in our last match.  Suppose Arsenal, Blackburn, Man City nicked theres as well with last game title wins in recent years.