Finally, after a period seemingly at least as long as the one being reminisced, we come to the last instalments of our ‘Back to the ‘Seventies’ series.
And what a journey it has been!
We have trundled, mumbled and grumbled through a decade of events, catastrophes and happenings – both footballing and non – that left a mark on those around at the time, and on society in general in the years since, and in doing so have often marvelled at however much things change, sometimes still they stay the same.
So, it is to the final year in our glance backwards we now go, and for me personally it is a drift back 50 years to where and when it all started.
1974 was the year I became ‘football-conscious’, as it were. It was the period that I first became aware of the existence and some of the nuances of this wonderful, frustrating, soul-destroying and exhilarating so-called national sport of us, and – one could argue – started on a life-long journey of disillusionment and disappointment.
Anyway, the year started with Leeds United hurtling away at the top of the Football League unbeaten in twenty-four games with 40 points from sixteen wins and eight draws. Trying desperately to hang onto Leeds’ coattails were Liverpool, eight points behind, with Burnley a further two adrift.
On the international front, England had famously failed to qualify for the summer’s World Cup Ginala being held in West Germany, and as a result, Sir Alf Ramsey’s job was said to be hanging in the balance, with possible replacements being put forward by the press. Among the names being banded about were such characters as Don Revie of Championship-chasing Leeds United, Ron Greenwood of West Ham, Bobby Robson of Ipswich, Joe Mercer of Coventry, and Brian Clough, ostensibly of Brighton and Hove Albion, but more often to be found in the television studios than at the Goldstone Ground.
All except the latter would end up getting a crack at the top job, of course.
Scotland, on the other hand, was suffering no such trials or tribulations as, despite changing managers halfway through the qualifying campaign due to Tommy Docherty decamping for Old Trafford, qualification for the tournament was achieved with the minimum of fuss. With the Welsh and Northern Irish joining the English in falling by the wayside, Scotland was left to single-handedly fly the flag for the Home Nations.
Away from football, the year kicked off with the obligatory Christmas record sitting atop the chart, in this case, ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ by Slade (yep, we really have been subjected to that particular ditty for over half a century now), with the New Seekers thankfully putting the nation out of its collective misery in mid-January with their bouncy jingle, ‘You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me’.
1974 would ultimately be remembered as the year of not one but two General Elections, with the incumbent Conservative Party led by Ted Heath unable to secure a majority in the February 1974 version and so being replaced in the Westminster corridors of power by Harold Wilson’s Labour Party who formed a minority government.
The first items on the agenda for Wilson and his chums were to negotiate an end to the Miner’s strike and the three-day-week in effect as a result. This was managed an admirable two days after Wilson took office, as an improved pay offer got everybody back to work.
That’s good, then.
European football did not go swimmingly for English clubs in the 1973-74 season, as defending League Champions, Liverpool got no further than the second round of the Europan Cup, and 1973 FA Cup Winners, Sunderland suffered a similar fate in the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Thus, in the UEFA Cup, Ipswich Town and Tottenham Hotspur were the only sides left representing England in Europe after the turn of the year, with Ipswich eventually going out in the quarter-final stage on penalties to Lokomotive Leipzig, and Spurs going all the way to a two-legged final defeat to Feyenoord, 4-2 on aggregate.
Bobby Moore played his last game for West Ham and departed for the tranquil vibes of Craven Cottage and Second Division Fulham, while the FA managed to turn their prime competition, the FA Cup, into a somewhat total cluckbuster.
In the quarter-final draw, Newcastle United were paired with Nottingham Forest, with the tie due to take place at St. James’ on 9 March 1974. In front of more than 52,000 Geordie maniacs, Forest got into their groove and went 3-1 up, with Newcastle reduced to ten men following the dismissal of Pat Howard. This, however, was the cue for a sizeable pitch invasion by hordes of home support, and in the melee, two Forest players were attacked. Following the game’s restart, perhaps unsurprisingly the Forest players lost a tad of their concentration and Newcastle, despite being a man down, came back to win 4-3 and seemingly take their place in the semi-final.
However, Forest appealed the event and after deliberating the matter, the FA ordered the game null and void and for the sides to meet again at the neutral Goodison Park. Neither club was particularly enamoured by the FA’s seemingly fudge-like decision-making skills, but nonetheless, a goalless draw was indeed played out on Merseyside. Three days later, the sides once again were hosted by Everton and this time a single Malcolm MacDonald goal put Newcastle through to a final-four match-up with Burnley at Hillsborough.
Back in the league Leeds United’s efforts to complete the season unbeaten stalled at Stoke City’s Victoria Ground, where the home side prevailed by a 3-2 scoreline. Leeds’ form then dipped with just one win and a further three defeats in the next six games. With one of these defeats coming at Anfield, Liverpool moved to within four points of the Elland Road side and had three games in hand. Unfortunately for Bill Shankly and his merry men, it was now that their own form deserted them and just a single victory in the remaining eight games was achieved, allowing Leeds to take the title by five points.
On May 1, Alf Ramsey was officially dismissed as England manager and Joe Mercer was placed in temporary charge for the British Championship and end-of-season tour matches.
ABBA warbled their way to fame and the Eurovision Song Contest success with ‘Waterloo’ and in doing so sat atop the pops when FA Cup Final day came around. Following his winning goal in the quarter-final saga with Nottingham Forest, Malcolm Macdonald had netted a brace in the last four against Burnley and so spent much of the week preceding the final regaling the press with tales of what he was going going to do to Liverpool’s back four on D-Day.
Oh dear, Malcolm.
Watching the game live on television in the Nesbit abode was my father, who as well as being a die-hard Manchester United fan, was also an ‘Old School Northerner’. This meant that when watching a game as a neutral, despite his Mancunian roots, he would invariably root for whichever side was the more local. Hence he nailed his flag very much to the Liverpool mast that drizzly May day fifty years ago now.
Keeping him company in the living room was his five-year-old first-born son who was, truth be told, probably more interested in his colouring book than in the events unfolding in front of them both on the box.
Then, Liverpool scored…or rather, the old chap thought they had scored…and a certain individual’s life map was drawn in an instant.
With fifty minutes gone and the scoreline still blank, Liverpool left-back, Alec Lindsay, slammed a 30-yard peeler past McFaul in goal and the Reds seemingly had the lead. Cue Pater leaping up from the sofa and bellowing in delight, much to the shock and then bemusement of his young offspring, who promptly and irrevocably became a Liverpool fan for life as a result of getting caught up in the excitement of the moment.
That Lindsay’s effort was ruled out for offside ultimately mattered not, as a subsequent brace from Kevin Keegan and one from Steve Heighway meant that Liverpool cruised home by a 3-0 scoreline As for Malcolm Macdonald; well the three Liverpool goals meant that he got to touch the ball four times in total – each time Newcastle kicked off!
The domestic season thus came to an end with Leeds United and Liverpool taking the major honours and Wolverhampton Wanderers chipping in with a League Cup success. At the bottom of the table, in the first season of three up and three down, the unlucky trio being ushered through the trap door were Norwich City, Southampton, and – rather amusingly – Manchester United.
In Scotland, Celtic completed the league and cup double, with only a Dundee success in the final of the League Cup stopping the Parkhead side from winning the domestic treble. Celtic also reached and lost the in the semi-final of the European Cup.
Scotland defeated England at Hampden Park to grab a share of the British Home Championship title and then sauntered off to West Germany for the World Cup while England were left to lick their collective wounds on a tour of Eastern Europe.
So, with “Sugar Baby Love” by the Rubettes topping the charts, and Jon Pertwee making his final appearance as Doctor Who and Tom Baker his first, the summer of 1974 was amongst us.
Join us next time as we speed into absolutely the last of this oh-so-drawn-out-will-it-ever-end series and have a gander at the 1974 World Cup and the second half of the calendar year.
Until next time.
