1969 August - December.

As reported in 'Kevin Keegan. The Seventies Revistited.' With Norman Giller. 1994 Queen Anne Press, London.

1969

9 August: It's the earliest ever start to a season, and Everton goalkeeper Gordon West chooses this day to tell Sir Alf Ramsey that he does not want to be considered for the England World Cup squad. 'I would be homesick,' says West.

16 August: Leeds United beat Nottingham Forest in a First Division match to stretch their unbeaten run to 31 League games. It beats the 48 year old record set by Burnley.

20 August: Manchester United team manager Wilf McGuiness (Manchester United manager) travels to Highbury to make a surprise swoop for Arsenal's Scottish international centre-half Ian Ure (Manchester United). The fee: 80,000 pounds. He had joined Arsenal from Dundee 62,000 pounds in August 1963.

21 August: Tony 'Have Boots Will Travel' Hateley joins Birmingham City from Coventry City for 72,500 pounds. The move takes his total transtler fee to a British record of 377,000 pounds. He has already travelled the football roundabout with Notts County, Aston Villa. Chelsea and Liverpool. His son, Mark, is eight years old and already mad on football.

31 August: Peter Knowles, England Under-23 international striker and brother of Tottenham left-back Cyril (Tottenham Hotspur), informs Wolves that he is giving up football to work full-time as a Jehovah's Witness.

9 September: George 'Stroller' Graham scores two goals as Arsenal start their bid for the European Fairs Cup with a 3~0 victory over Glentoran at Highbury

10 September: Northern Ireland are held to a goalless draw by Russia in a World Cup qualifying match in Belfast. Bryan 'Pop' Robson (Newcastle United) scores a goal in 20 seconds as the Football League beat the League of Ireland 3-0 at Barnsley. Swindon Town beat Roma 5-2 on aggregate to become the first ever winners of the Anglo-ltalian Cup.

21 September. The Republic of Ireland and Scotland draw 1- 1 in a Sunday international in Dublin. Don Givens (Luton Town) scores for the Irish; Colin Stein (Rangers) for Scotland. In his first match in 29 September. Charlie George, the 18 year old Arsenal striker, is sent off in Europe. The referee gives him his marching orders in the 69th minute against Glentoran in Belfast following a flare-up with a linesman. Arsenal lose 1 -0 but win this Fairs Cup tie 3- 1 on aggregate.

1 October: Peter Osgood and Tony Currie (Sheffield United) score a goal each as England beat Wales Under~23 international at Bristol. Ron Davies (Southampton) scores a goal and misses a penalty as Southampton beat the Norwegian part-timers of Rosenburg 2-0 for a 2- 1 aggregate victory in a Fairs Cup tie at the Dell. It saves their blushes following a stumbling performance in the first leg.

3 October: Martin Peters (Tottenham Hotspur) rocks West Ham United with a transfer request. He is overshadowed at Upton Park by his England team-mates Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst (West Ham United).

4 October. Derek Dougan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is sent off against Everton. The Northern Ireland and Wolves striker is already under a 14 day suspended sentence.

8 October: AC Milan beat Estudiantes of Argentina 3~0 in the first leg of the World Club Cup in the San Siro stadium.

9 October: Grimsby's Graham Rathbone (Grimsby Town) and my Scunthorpe team-mate Don Welboume (Scunthorpe United) are each banned for eight weeks after being ordered off together in a League match. It is the most severe suspension handed out in post-war football, and there is a lot of anger at our club that they are making an example of Fourth Division players for the growing incidents of violence that are creeping into the game.

15 October: Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Bonetti (Chelsea) calls for fences to be erected at grounds after he is knocked out by a stone thrown from behind the goal during a League Cup tie at Carlisle. Don Givens (Luton Town) scores to give the Republic of lreland a 1-1 draw against Denmark in a World Cup qualifying match in Dublin.

23 October: Goals from Jimmy Johnstone and Alan Gilzean fail to rescue Scotland from defeat by West Germany in Hamburg, and they are out of the World Cup. Northern Ireland are left with little hope of qualifying for the World Cup finals following a 2-1 defeat by Russia in Moscow. Everton team-mates Jimmy Husband (Everton) and Joe Royle (Everton) score a goal each and England beat Russia 2-0 in an Under-23 international at Old Trafford.

24 October. AC Milan complain about the violence of Estudiantes after the second leg of the World Club Cup in Buenos Aires. The Italians lose 2- 1 but win 4-2 on aggregate.

29 October. Wolves centre-forward Derek Dougan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is suspended for eight weeks and Arsenal skipper Frank McLintock (Arsenal) for three week as the FA disciplinary committee gets tough. Wolves threaten to take the FA to court for alleged restraint of trade.

4 November. Italy crush Wales 4- 1 in a World Cup qualifying match in Rome.

5 November. Colin Bell (Manchester City) scores the winning goal as England beat Holland 1 - 0 in Amsterdam. Emlyn Hughes (Liverpool) makes a sound international debut at left~back. In World Cup qualifying matches, Scotland are beaten 2-0 by Austria in Vienna and the Republic of Ireland lose 4-0 to Hungary in Budapest.

9 November. Brentford manager Jimmy Sirrell (Notts County manager) quits to take over at Notts County.

19 November. Coventry sign England Under-23 striker John 0' Rourke (Coventry City) from lpswich for 80,000 pounds.

25 November: Manchester United defender John Fitzpatrick (Manchester United) is suspended for eight weeks after receiving three bookings.

30 November. Harry Catterick (Everton manager), manager of First Division leaders Everton. is rewarded with a new nine year contract.

3 December. Manchester United winger George Best is sent off after the first leg of the League Cup semi-final against Manchester City for kncocking the ball out of referee JackTaylor's hands.West Bromwich Albion reach the final of the League Cup at Wembley with a 4-2 aggregate win over Carlisle.

10 December. A Jack Charlton (Leeds United) goal gives England a 1-0 win over Portugal at Wembley. Francis Lee misses from the penalty spot for the second time in an England shirt.

15 December: Blackburn and England left-back Keith Newton (Everton) joins Everton for 75,000 pounds.

16 December: Roger Hunt (Bolton Wanderers). Liverpool's record scorer with 245 League goals. signs for Bolton Wanderers for 32,000 pounds.