Such were the prosaic fortunes of the England team as the mid 1970s approached, they embarked on the 1975 end-of-season Home Internationals with a different manager for the third campaign running.
After leading the side into ten in a row, his last being the 1973 championship, 1966 World Cup winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey was sacked by The Football Association just a month prior to the 1974 tournament. Dismissed due to failure in guiding England to the World Cup Finals of that year, The FA procrastinated for six months before wielding the axe, the national team unable to make the cut when the qualification process had concluded in October 1973.
In the wake of Ramsey departing in abrupt fashion after this prolonged state of inertia, Coventry City boss and former Manchester City trophy winning supremo Joe Mercer (Sir Alf having already named a squad for the fixtures through May and June 1974) was appointed in a caretaker capacity.
Through his two month, eight match tenure, England produced some creditable performances against a number of sides who had qualified for the World Cup. In fact the sole dispiriting display was a 2-0 Hampden Park reversal to Scotland, the only home nation to qualify for the 1974 global gathering in West Germany.
Yet on the same July weekend as the 1974 West Germany v Holland World Cup Final, The FA brought their pursuit of Leeds United manager Don Revie to a successful conclusion by announcing he would be leaving the reigning league champions (his second league title of a 13-year Elland Road reign), to take charge of England – his immediate working brief that of ensuring qualification for the 1976 European Championship finals.
To this end Revie made an encouraging start. The four qualifiers played between October 1974 and start of the Home Internationals yielded three wins and a draw without a goal conceded. England had also beaten world champions West Germany in a Wembley friendly, this notable 2-0 victory in the spring of 1975 quickly declared their best display of the decade to set new levels of expectation among supporters and Fleet Street scribes.
On the surface, therefore, the mood around the England set-up was understandably upbeat in May 1975 when international football took centre stage. Domestic issues had been wrapped up for another season, although there was the anticipated matter of the European Cup Final to come.
Now under the command of Jimmy Armfield, Revie’s former charges would be contesting the trophy with holders Bayern Munich in Paris at the end of the month – but for seven days the football public at large would receive rare opportunity to watch in the moment international fixtures.
Most of the games were broadcast live, the annual fixture between England and Scotland generating significant interest and huge viewing figures, prompting widespread coverage only matched by the FA Cup Final.
But it was not only England who entered the ’70s midpoint Home Internationals with reason to feel pleased with themselves. After exiting the 1974 World Cup at the group stage (the Scots the only side in the competition not to lose a game), Scotland had continued to make steady progress.
There was encouragement to be taken from victories in friendlies against East Germany and Portugal, some ground lost in suffering a Glasgow defeat in a European Championship qualifer against Spain, made up when they came back with a point from the February return in Valencia.
Wales had also opened their qualifying campaign with a defeat, going down 2-1 in Vienna against Austria. But subsequent home and away victories over Hungary and Luxemburg put the Welsh in a strong position – the forthcoming autumn home game against the Austrians likely to determine who would be advancing to the quarter-finals.
Also falling into the category of responding well to an opening fixture defeat were Northern Ireland. After losing the first-up clash against visiting Norway, they had defeated Sweden in Stockholm. Yet this proved the final game with Terry Neill at the helm (departing to succeed Bill Nicholson at Spurs), player-manager, Everton midfielder Dave Clements, then guiding the team to an impressive European Championship home win over Yugoslavia that maintained hopes of progressing further.
Thus the 1975 Home Internationals, aside from resurrecting long held rivalries (the tournament contested since 1884 with the England v Scotland match dating back to 1872), provided opportunity to gauge the current narrative of each home nation – while looking for clues into how things may look when the clocks changed again in regard to prolonged European Championship involvement.
As things transpired the tournament posed more questions than it answered,. The side who finished bottom without winning a game would be the one for whom longer term gain awaited, while the undefeated winners peaked to the extent the two years ahead brought only calamity and chaos.
The results through that week in May 1975 were a decidedly mixed lot and in the great scheme of things meaningful only in the context of getting one over on the neighbours – the 1975 British Home Championship, to use its official title, often fitful, but fascinating all the same.
Saturday 17 May 1975:
NORTHERN IRELAND 0 ENGLAND 0 (Windsor Park – 36,500):
Despite the province being locked into a cycle of discord and violence, England went back to Belfast for the first time since 1971 and in doing so enabled Windsor Park to end a four year period without a Home International fixture.
In truth, the symbolism in England being there was more notable than 90 largely soporific minutes, the sunny, momentous afternoon deserving of a much better contest.
Befitting a team who were five matches undefeated under a new manager (nine in total if including the last four fixtures under Mercer), the game, if anything, became a microcosm of the Don Revie era – England starting brightly, showed undoubted flashes of enterprise, but faded to the point of being dour and disjointed.
With 1966 World Cup winner Alan Ball fully embracing his role of captain, he, Ipswich Town debutant Colin Viljoen and Colin Bell quickly gained the upper hand in midfield. The latter tested Pat Jennings with a fierce shot the Northern Ireland ‘keeper moved smartly to save, the Spurs custodian then relieved to see a Kevin Keegan header cleared off the line.
For England that amounted to the best they had to offer, the last hour a litany of misplaced passes and lightweight attacking. In response the home side conjured a half chance in each half for Bury striker Derek Spence, but all told there was little to write home about – and while the visitors laboured away to no discernable effect, sitting in his Stoke-on-Trent front room would have been Potters midfield maestro Alan Hudson.
Outstanding in the recent triumph over West Germany, Hudson had been retained for the ensuing 5-0 home win against Cyprus but then discarded, the first in a series of baffling decisions that would punctuate the reign of Revie from this point onward.
Northern Ireland: Jennings (Spurs); Rice (Arsenal), O’Kane (Nottingham Forest), Nicholl (Aston Villa), Hunter (Ipswich Town), Clements (Everton), Hamilton (Ipswich Town), O’Neill (Nottingham Forest), Spence (Bury), McIlroy (Manchester United), Jackson (Nottingham Forest. Sub: Finney (Sunderland, for Hamilton, 36 mins).
England: Clemence (Liverpool), Whitworth (Leicester City), Hughes (Liverpool), Bell (Manchester City), Watson (Sunderland), Todd (Derby County), Ball (Arsenal), Viljoen (Ipswich Town), Macdonald (Newcastle United), Keegan (Liverpool), Tueart (Manchester City). Sub: Channon (Southampton, for Macdonald, 62).
WALES 2 SCOTLAND 2 (Ninian Park – 23,509):
What the Belfast fixture lacked in flair and positivity, this Cardiff contest contained both in abundance.
In the charge of English coach Mike Smith, Wales were developing a strong team ethic in conjunction with some significant individual talent. While they took the lead in scruffy fashion, John Toshack netting at close range just before the half hour with the Scots defence looking more spartan than tartan, they increased the advantage eight minutes later following a move of sparkling synchronicity.
Following a succession of precise, first time passes, young midfielder Brian Flynn, himself involved in the eye-catching build-up, is presented with a chance that he converts confidently from 12 yards – ITV match commentator Brian Moore describing it as ‘a masterpiece of a goal‘, his assessment hard to disagree with.
Having lost to Scotland in a recent Five Nations rugby international, Wales at this stage appeared on course for round-ball revenge. But the Scots were far from finished, their comeback, literally, the stuff of champions.
Seven minutes after half-time the arrears are reduced when centre-back Colin Jackson, a fortnight on from collecting a league championship medal with Rangers, headed home a cross from Ibrox club-mate Derek Parlane.
Just after the hour mark the Welsh lead is then wiped out with a goalscoring contribution from a recent title winner in England, Derby County midfield man Bruce Rioch restoring parity with a sweetly-struck drive – between Belfast and Cardiff the Home Internationals seen in their best and worst light on the same afternoon.
Wales: Davies (Everton); Page (Birmingham City), Phillips (Aston Villa), Roberts (Birmingham City), Thomas (Derby County), Flynn (Burnley), Mahoney (Stoke City), Reece (Cardiff City), Yorath (Leeds United), James (Burnley), Toshack (Liverpool). Subs: D. Roberts (Oxford United, Roberts 66), A. Griffiths (Wrexham, Flynn, 74).
Scotland: Kennedy (Rangers); Jackson (Rangers), Jardine (Rangers), McGrain (Celtic), McQueen (Leeds United), Duncan (Hibs), Rioch (Derby County), Dalglish (Celtic), Macari (Manchester United), MacDougall (Norwich City). Sub: Munro (Wolves, Jackson 77).
Tuesday 20 May 1975:
SCOTLAND 3 NORTHERN IRELAND 0 (Hampden Park – 64,696):
While attracting a gate of nigh-on 65,000 for a midweek, mid-May fixture was impressive in its own right, it was still not the biggest crowd referee Pat Partridge had carried out his duties in front of that month – the Durham-based official having taken charge of the West Ham v Fulham FA Cup Final 17 days before.
In both instances Partridge experienced 90 largely uncontentious minutes. The outcome of this Glasgow get-together was rarely in doubt once Ted MacDougall put the hosts ahead on the quarter hour and settled altogether when Kenny Dalglish rattled in a second six minutes later.
The only surprise in the 70-odd minutes to follow being that it took Scotland so long to muster a third – which finally arrived when Parlane struck in the 80th minute.
Scotland: Kennedy (Rangers); Munro (Wolves), Jardine (Rangers), McGrain (Celtic), McQueen (Leeds United), Duncan (Hibs), Rioch (Derby County), Dalglish (Celtic), Robinson (Dundee), MacDougall (Norwich City). Subs: Forsyth (Manchester United, for Jardine, 65), Conn (Spurs, for Robinson, 70).
Northern Ireland: Jennings (Spurs); Rice (Arsenal), O’Kane (Nottingham Forest), Nicholl (Aston Villa), Hunter (Ipswich Town), Clements (Everton), Finney (Sunderland), O’Neill (Nottingham Forest), Spence (Bury), McIlroy (Manchester United), Jackson (Nottingham Forest. Sub: Blair (Oldham, for Hunter, 46), Anderson (Swindon Town, for O’Neill, 66).
Wednesday 21 May 1975:
ENGLAND 2 WALES 2 (Wembley Stadium, 53,000):
With Wales not having defeated their English neighbours for twenty years and the hosts yet to concede a goal through six games in the charge of their new boss, it was hard to envisage anything other than straightforward home win – although it would not have slipped the attention of the highly superstitious Revie that he was a member of the last England team beaten by the Welsh, the visitors suffering a 2-1 Cardiff defeat in 1955.
Initially, portents for the expected outcome looked in place, the home side contriving an impressive passage of play that resulted in Viljoen crossing for Portman Road team-mate David Johnson to score with a close range header – the former Everton striker benefitting, not for the last time that evening, from some lax goalkeeping by current Goodison incumbent Dai Davies.
With England delivering the type of performance that 30 years later would have moved their Swedish manager of the day to use his oft-used analysis of ‘First half good, second half not so good,‘ by the hour mark Revie looked on from the bench to see his side trailing – Welsh skipper Toshack and midfielder Arfon Griffiths striking within a minute (55/56) as Wales suddenly looked on course to record a first-ever Wembley victory.
They were just five minutes away from achieving the feat when English blushes were spared – Davies misjudging the flight of a cross from debutant substitute Brian Little (his introduction bringing pep to a misfiring attack), the Welsh ‘keeper outjumped by Johnson whose downward header earned England a somewhat fortuitous draw.
After 90 minutes when the home side failed to cover themselves in much glory, Revie came to a conclusion that seemed more confused than concise – neither Viljoen, no better nor worse than many around him, or Little, who clearly made an impact, ever selected again.
England: Clemence (Liverpool), Whitworth (Leicester City), Gillard (QPR), Francis (QPR) Watson (Sunderland), Todd (Derby County), Ball (Arsenal), Viljoen (Ipswich Town), Channon (Southampton), Johnson (Ipswich Town), Thomas (QPR). Sub: Little (Aston Villa, Channon 73).
Wales: Davies (Everton); Page (Birmingham City), Phillips (Aston Villa), Roberts (Birmingham City), Thomas (Derby County), Flynn (Burnley), Mahoney (Stoke City), Griffiths (Wrexham), Smallman (Everton), Toshack (Liverpool), James (Burnley). Sub: Showers (Cardiff City, Smallman 60).
Friday 23 May 1975:
NORTHERN IRELAND 1 WALES 0 (Windsor Park, 17,010):
With Wales heading to Belfast for the first time in four years, each side found themselves with opportunity to end the championships on a winning note – while a draw would ensure both would end the week without a win to their name.
Ultimately, it was the visitors who were saddled with that unwanted statistic, the contest decided in favour of the hosts by a 23rd minute strike from 22-year-old Sunderland forward Tom Finney.
Eleven months after officiating at the 1974 World Cup Final, Wolverhampton referee Jack Taylor took charge of a scrappy contest and while Welsh captain of the night Griffiths failed in converting a second half opportunity, he would find the target in more important circumstances later in the year – scoring the only goal at his Racecourse home ground as Wales defeated Austria to clinch their place in the European Championship quarter-finals.
Northern Ireland: Jennings (Spurs); Rice (Arsenal), Scott (Everton), Nicholl (Aston Villa), Hunter (Ipswich Town), Clements (Everton), Blair (Oldham), Finney (Sunderland), O’Neill (Nottingham Forest), Spence (Bury), McIlroy (Manchester United), Jackson (Nottingham Forest.
Wales: Davies (Everton); Page (Birmingham City), Phillips (Aston Villa), Roberts (Birmingham City), Thomas (Derby County), Flynn (Burnley), Mahoney (Stoke City), Griffiths (Wrexham), Smallman (Everton), Showers (Cardiff), Reece (Cardiff). Sub: Smallman for Reece 60.
Saturday 24 May 1975:
ENGLAND 5 SCOTLAND 1 (Wembley Stadium, 98,241):
Twelve months before Scotland had fully exploited a disjointed England line-up in running out comfortable victors at Hampden Park – but whether the visitors would have succumbed quite so tamely had Alan Ball been in the ranks is open to question.
Simply put Ball and the Scots had history. Back in 1967 he had been part of an England side beaten on their own patch by a fine Scotland team. In suffering their first defeat since becoming world champions the previous year, the home side came upon the great Jim Baxter in resplendent form, his teasing of the English with tricks and tomfoolery generating north of the border bonhomie thereafter.
Often overlooked, however, by the Scottish football populace is that Ball returned it all with brass knobs on in the Hampden Park fixture of 1972.
Not only did he see England to victory by scoring the only goal (on crossing the halfway line as Scotland prepare to restart, his satisfaction at scoring is made known to every opposing player within earshot – and some who are not), while in the closing stages the Arsenal man on taking possession, heads to the corner flag and engages the crowd in conversation, Ball for one in jocular mood.
So with Ball as their figurehead, the hosts were always likely to be focused and fired up as Scotland arrived beneath the twin towers seeking their first win on English soil since 1967 and aiming to end a sequence of three successive Wembley defeats. Few, however, would have envisaged England making such a devastating start to the fixture.
Following a couple of promising early sorties into their opponents half, Scotland are rocked when the home side score from their first attack. With only five minutes played Gerry Francis (the QPR midfield man soon to be named captain), shows good awareness in creating space to shoot, his fierce drive beating visiting goalkeeper Stewart Kennedy from 20 yards – the Rangers ‘keeper seemingly of the thought the effort was going wide due to his failure to launch into a dive.
By all accounts a reliable performer for the Ibrox outfit, Kennedy is again at fault when England increased the lead barely two minutes later.
In the midst of playing a run of sold-out shows at Earls Court, rock titans Led Zeppelin would have been hard pressed to produce better four-man cohesion than Revie’s side show in sweeping downfield. When the ball is played out to Keegan he crosses to the far post where Kevin Beattie (here playing out of position at full-back) sends a looping header over Kennedy – whose miscalculation with his angles results in him clattering into an upright.
Twelve months before Scotland boss Willie Ormond could have been forgiven in thinking beating England was a walk in the (Hampden) park, but as the match unfolds it turns into a stroll for the eager opposition.
In fairness a visiting line-up containing such stellar talents as McGrain, Jardine, Dalglish and Leeds centre-half Gordon McQueen (permitted to play by the Elland Road club due to being suspended for the imminent European Cup Final), do not perform that badly, their cause undermined by England scoring each time they mount a raid – Kennedy found wanting again five minutes before half-time when Bell beats him too easily with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Shortly before the break in what appears an act of pity, 1970 World Cup Final referee, West German Rudi Glockner, awards Scotland a penalty which leaves BBC commentator David Coleman nonplussed by the decision. His best guess (and mine) being a handball offence committed by Colin Todd, whose Derby team-mate Rioch beats Ray Clemence with the ensuing spot-kick.
For Kennedy the afternoon took another tortuous turn just after the hour when a 20-yard Francis free-kick is deflected beyond him off a blue-shirted defender as the home side score a fourth. The rout, which it had now become, completed ten minutes from time when Johnson swept the ball home after England had hit the bar and post within the space of a couple of seconds.
On returning to the dressing room after the final whistle, the England captain informed his jubilant team-mates, ‘It doesn’t get any better than that,’ the comment becoming profoundly prophetic for both Ball and England.
By the time Revie announced his next England squad for a September friendly against Switzerland, Ball had not only been relived of the captaincy but dropped altogether, never playing for his country again.
England required three points (two for a win) from their two remaining European Championship qualifiers, (away trips to Czechoslovakia and Portugal), to ensure they would go further in the competition, but given their eight match unbeaten record under Revie it did not look a task that was beyond them.
Despite the manager making a succession of increasingly curious decisions, the results to date spoke for themselves – so what could possibly go wrong…………………
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