March 1972

Note : The news from thirty years ago has an archive below

As appeared in Rothman's Football Yearbook 1972-73 (3rd year) :

The Queene Anne Press, London 1972

March 1972

1 Bob Lord, Burnley chairman said that the referees are entitled to resign en bloc, on account of the leniency of the Disciplinary Committees. 'They are made to look fools in the eyes of the players' said Lord. 'The job of a Disciplinary Commission is to decide the size of the penalty, not whether a player is guilty!' . . . Arsenal institutes a full investigation to find out why a crush barrier collapsed and injured 50 people at Highbury during the Cup replay. . . Manchester C. go four points clear after beating W.B.A. 2-1 with goals by Colin Bell. . . Chris Garland is selected for the League Cup Final in place of Steve Kember, who is ineligible.

2 Nottingham F. officially announce that Ian Moore is for sale. . . Santos draw 0-0 with Anderlecht in a friendly played in Brussels.

3 Derby County announce that they have signed Ian Moore for a record transfer fee . . .
Bobby Charlton is considering an offer to play for a South African League club during the summer. . . Arsenal drop Kennedy and bring back Radford for the game against Manchester C. . . . Stewart Houston on loan from Chelsea will play his first game for Brentford v Grimsby. Floodlighting restrictions are lifted from the 9th March.

4 Confusion over the Moore transfer deal. While the Derby manager introduces him to the crowd at the Baseball Ground Nottingham F. are adamant that Moore is still a Forest player and Manchester U. manager O'Farrell is confident of landing him. . .
Stoke win the League Cup at Wembley, beating Chelsea 2-1 (Conroy, Eastham Osgood). Their first major honour in 109 years of competitive football. . . Six players are booked at Manchester, where City beat Arsenal 2-0 . . . Liverpool win the Merseyside 'derby' against Everton 4-0 with two own goals. Lawler and Hughes were the other scorers. . . Birmingham beat Norwich 4-0 and the Second Division promotion race is wide open. . . In Scotland Celtic are five points in front and seem certain to grab the title once again. . . Greece beat Italy 2-1 in a friendly at Athens.

5 Moenchengladbach lose 2-0 against Hanover and are out of the running for the Bundesliga . . . Standard Liege draw with Bruges in Belgium and Ajax beat Groningen 7-0 in Holland.

6 Ian Moore signs for Manchester U. after a great deal of contradictory statements from the three clubs involved. The fee: 200,000 pounds. . . Fulham try to sign Alan Mullery from Spurs, but the ex-Fulham man is not for sale. . . Vic Buckingham becomes the new manager of the Spanish club Seville.
7 John Hughes (C. Palace) received a 21-day suspension - he was sent-off against Everton earlicr in the season. . . Ron Ycats (Tranmere R.) has also received a seven day suspension. . . Leicester C. sign goalkeeper Mark Wallington from Walsall (30,000 pounds) . . . Sam Ellis, the SheffieJd W. half-back has been signed by Mansfield (10,000 pounds) . . . Stoke City buy the Argentinian Carlos Babbington from Buenos Aries club Huracan for 40,000 pounds. Babbington has a British passport as a son of English emigrants. . . Good start for England in the European tournaments.
Woverhampton W. draw in Turin against Juventus 1-1 and Tottenham H. beat U. T . Arad 2-0 in Rumania. Knowles and Chivers are booked.

8 A rush of signings before the transfer deadline. Manchester C. land the biggest fish Allison signs Rodney Marsh (Q.P.R.) for an estimated fee of 200,000 pounds. W.B.A. pay 55,000 pounds for Alistair Brown (Leicester). Paul Gilchrist of Doncaster R. goes to Southampton - the fee 30,000 pounds. Other transfers: Dennis Booth (Blackpool) 7,000 pounds and Peter Woods (Luton) 3,000 pounds both to Southend, Sam Ferris (Albion Rovers) to Chesterfield 5,000 pounds . . . Arsenal lose 2-1 v Ajax in Amsterdam in the European Cup.
Celtic win by the same score in Budapest v Ujpest Dozsa. Both Inter and Feyenoord win 1-0 at home in the same competition. . . Rangers complete a good week in Europe for Britain by drawing I-I in Turin v Torino . . . A record Pools win is announced. Cyril Grimes, a Hampshire accountant, collects 512,683 pounds from Littlewoods.

9 Last day of the transfer deadline- Aston Villa pay 75,000 pounds for Chris Nicholl (Luton);
Bob Graham goes to Coventry from Liverpool 70,000 pounds. Luton sign John Faulkner from Leeds. Frank Saul joins Millwall from Q.P.R. Brighton splash out 25,000 pounds for Ken Beamish of Tranmere. Alan Mullery returns to his old club Fulham on loan.
Bryan Conlon leaves Blackburn for Cambridge U. . . . Mee reveals that three Arsenal players were doubtful hours before the kick-off against Ajax. He is happy with the result and optimistic about the outcome of the tie. . , Ian Moir (Wrexham) signs for Shrewsbury for 10,000 pounds. Len Hill (Swansea) to Newport 2,500 pounds. Billy Yeats (Newcastle) to York and Brian Mahoney (Huddersfield) to Barnsley for an undisclosed fee. , . Fred Dewey, Cardiff's chairman, attacks the loan system saying that the Alan Mullery deal was an 'old pals act' between London clubs, , . Coventry also signed Neil Ramsbottom from Blackpool for 10,000 pounds.

10 Transfer dealings hit an all-time high in England. The sum of 5+ million pounds changed hands during the season up to the deadline involving over 150 deals. In this week alone clubs forked out an estimated 750,000 pounds. Philip Whitehead, Member of Parliament for Derby, wants the Government to step in and control 'the flesh market' as he put it. . . Cyril Grimes, who won a record half million on the Pools, said that he has been a life-long Watford supporter and, as Watford's draw v Luton completed his winning coupon, he would consider joining the Board of Directors of the club.

11 Jackie Charlton plays his 600th League game for Leeds. Before the match he was given presents by team-mates and management and in the 12th minute he scored the only goal. . . Ian Moore opened his account for Manchester U. in the club's 2-0 win against Huddersfield - the first league win for the Old Trafford team since December 4th . . . Derby win at Tot ten ham with a Hinton penalty and Manchester C. get two points at Everton . . . The League race now seems to rest between the top three teams - City, Leeds and Derby. . . All the promotion candidates drew in Division 2- Millwall and Norwich are still in front. . . League leaders Schalke lose in W. Germany and are now only one point in front of Bayern Munich.

12 Juventus beat Bologna 2-1 and lead by three clear points in Italy. . . Both Standard Liege and Anderlecht narrow the gap in Belgium but Bruges are still leading the race. . . Noel Cantwell is fired at Coventry, but gets a 30,000 pounds golden handshake. . , A benevolent football 'clan' is formed with Malcolm Allison as the 'Godfather', The founder members include internationals Lee, Banks, Hurst and Chivers. Allison says: 'Our binding interest is and always will be football. We are an exclusive soccer academy where all the talk and theorizing will be about the greatest game in the worJd. Each member of The Clan will be committed to improving the image of the game and their own knowledge of it'.

13 Arsenal beat Derby 1-0 in a fifth round second replay at Leicester with a goal scored by Ray Kennedy. . , The Football League decided to discuss the Ian Mooretransfer. . . Ian St. John resigns his job as assistant manager of Coventry although his playing contract still binds him to the club. Coach Tony Waiters also leaves as a gesture of protest against Cantwell's sacking. . . John Cooke sues the Football Association for preventing him from earning his living as a professional player. The test case will be heard in the High Court next Wednesday.

14 Derrick Robins, Coventry chairman justifies Cantwell's sacking by saying 'We want form to-day, not to-morrow' . . . Alan Hudson is out of the Football League match v the Scottish League due to injury. David Wagstaffe, Mike Channon and David Nish are drafted into the squad. . . The dates of England's World Cup qualifying matches are fixed for November 15, 1972 and January 24, v Wales, June 6 and Oct. 17 1973 v Poland.

15 Tony Currie (She/field U.) scores two goals at Middlesbrough in the Football League's 3-2 win over the Scottish League. . . Brighton lose at home to Oldham and fall back in the Third Division promotion race.

16 The Football League lodges a strong protest to the BBC about the extra lights they put up at Middlesbrough to make colour transmission possible. 'In future they have to put their lights above the existing pylons or stick to black and white' says Alan Hardaker . . . Sir Alf Ramsey also blamed the lights for the 'bad' goal conceded by the Football League. . . John Connolly, St. Johnstone forward joined Everton for 75,000 pounds . . . Stan Harland is appointed as skipper of Birmingham C.

17 Two foreign international players, Zoff (Italy) and Overath (W. Germany) will miss the European Championship quarter-finals due respectively to injury and illness.

18 John Radford (Arsenal) is suspended for three weeks and will not be available against Ajax next Wednesday. . . Arsenal beat Orient 1-0 in the F.A. Cup quarterfinal. Leeds and Birmingham have also reached the semi-finals. . . In the League Manchester City stretched their lead to five points with a 1-0 win over Chelsea. . .
Nottingham F. seem doomed after their 4-2 defeat at Upton Park. . . Terry Paine (Southampton) is sent off at Ipswich . . . In ScotJand, Celtic drew in the Cup v Hearts and Rangers will also need a replay against Motherwell. Hibernian, good winners over Aberdeen and Kilmarnock have reached the semi-finals.

19 F.C. Bruges drop another point in Belgium and both holders Standard Liege, and Anderlecht are back in the race for the title. . . Di Stefano's team Valencia lost at home against Real Madrid.

20 The F.A. Cup semi-final draw pairs Second Division Birmingham with 'in-form' Leeds . . . Peter Marinello is the likely replacement for Alan Ball (ineligible) against Ajax . . . Tommy Docherty announces his squad for the Independance Tournament in Brazil. The 20-strong party includes 'Anglos' Charlie Cooke, Denis Law, Willie Morgan and newcomers Martin Buchan and Jim Bone, the Norwich forward. . .
Juventus arrive for their U.E.F.A. Cup match against Woverhampton W. without five of their first team players. . . Fulham Supporters Club ask for the resignation of chairman Tommy Trinder.

21 Tottenham draw with U.T. Arad 1-1 and will go into the semi-final of the U.E.F.A.
Cup draw on Friday. . . Birmingham's protest over the venue of the cup semi-final v. Leeds at Hillsborough, Sheffield is turned down. . . Tommy Trinder refutes the charges levelled against him and says that his resignation would only harm Fulham.

22 Ajax beat Arsenal 1-0 at Highbury and the holders are in the European Cup semi-final with Celtic (1-1 draw at home v Dozsa) Benfica and Inter-Milan . . . Both Rangers and Wolverhampton W. reach the semi-finals of Cup Winners' Cup and the U.E.F.A. Cup respectively. . . England Under-23 lose 1-0 to East Germany in Bristol.

23 John Cooke wins a case against the F.A. in the High Court which might change the transfer system between member countries of the F.I.F.A. According to the Judge, Mr. Justice Foster, the present system is contrary to the principles of English law. . .
Wolverhampton W. cabled the U.E.F.A. saying that if they are drawn away in the first leg of the international competition - they will not be able to play because of fixture congestion. . . Young England will make a tour of Eastern Europe in Juneplaying E. Germany, Russia and Poland. . . Bertie Mee says that the Football League should give more help to clubs in European competitions. . . Players suspended for an offence committed in domestic football should not bc barred from playing in international cup games.

24 European semi-finals draw day - Wolverhampton W. and Tottenham H. are kept apart in the U.E.F.A. Cup. Glasgow Rangers will face their 1967 Final opponents Bayern Munich in the Cup Winners' tournament and Celtic wilJ also meet previous foes Inter - a repeat of their clash in the Lisbon final the same year .

25 Good day for Leeds! While they beat Arsenal 3-0 at Elland Road, both their chief rivals in the title race Manchester C. and Derby collect only one point each in away fixtures. . . Norwich and Millwall are still leading the promotion race in Div. II and Brighton close the gap in Div. III by beating Aston Villa. . . Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 4-1 and take the lead in the Bundesliga - Gerd Muller has now scored 31 goals.

26 Torino beat Juventus 2-1 and the Italian league is wide open. . . Benfica lose their unbeaten record but still have a commanding lead in Portugal.

27 The Football League agree to postpone Woverhampton W .'s Easter matches so they will have three clear days before their U.E.F.A. Cup semi-final match in Budapest. . . A.C. Milan refuse to alter the dates of their fixtures v Tottenham in the same competition. . . Leeds beat Nottingham F. 6-1 and are now only two points behind leaders Manchester C. . . . Both Rangers and Celtic are through to the Scottish F.A. Cup semi-finals after winning replays respectively against Motherwell and Hearts.

28 The Tot ten ham v rvlilan dates cannot be altered and Ipswich are unwilling to postpone their Easter Monday fixture against Spurs. . . Tony Currie is out of Sheffield U.'s team due to injuries received in a car crash. . . David Wallace of Swindon will referee the Hendon v Enfield Amateur Cup Final. . . Sheffield W. have had to call in a Sunday League goalkeeper, Trevor Pearson, to face Fulham - both regular 'keepers Springett and Grummitt are injured. . . Peter Marinello scores his first League goal of the season in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Southampton.

29 Results of international friend!ies : Hungary 0 W. Germany 2, Belgium 1 Russia 1 . . .
Portugal beat Cyprus 4-0 in a World Cup qualifying game. . . Alan Hardaker declares that there is a state of 'open war' between the Football League and the F .A. due to the decision to accept 60,000 pounds for the live televising of the England v W.Germany game.

30 The clubs, solidly behind Hardaker, call a special meeting where their chairmen will discuss possible sanctions against the F.A. Boycotting next season's Cup is a distinct possibility. The Football League Review writes that part of the money collected from Pools firms should be ploughed back into the game and used for ground improvements and the introduction of safety measures.

31 Good Friday morning match at Upton Park; West Ham 2 Leeds 2- Gray scores twice to equalise first half goals by Bonds and Hurst . . . Birmingham continue to climb the Second Division table by beating Oxford 1-0.

Other Transfers Lee Brogden (Rotherham) to Rochdale ; Graham CJapham (Shrewsbury) to Chester ;
Alan Duffy (Brighton) to Tranmere; Gerry Ingram (Preston N.E.) to Bradford C. ;
Bertie Lutton (Wolverhampton W.) to Brighton; Keith Pointer (West Ham) to Cambridge U.; John Ritchie (Preston N.E.) to Bradford C.; Ian Turner (Huddersfield) to Grimsby; Jeff Wealands (Darlington) to Hull C.; Norman Whitehead (Rochdale) to Rotherham.