September 1972

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

As appeared in Rothman's Football Yearbook 1973-74 (4th year) :

The Queene Anne Press, London 1973

September

1 Doug Broad resigns from the Watford board. . . It is announced that FIFA refused to grant permission to Arsenal for a tour of Comrnunjst China. . . Chelsea, hit by injuries, will line up against Arsenal without Dempsey, McCreadie, and Hudson.

2 Arsenal and Everton, still unbeaten after seven matches, lead the field with 11 points each. . . A David Webb own goal in 79th minute gives the Gunners a 1-1 drawat Highbury against Chelsea and Everton beat W.B.A. with a Joe Royle goal -his sixth of the season. . . The other divisional leaders : Burnley, Wrexham, and Mansfield . . . In Scotland Celtic open the League campaign with a 6-2 thrashing of Kilmarnock. Harry Hood scores a hat-trick . . . Streets in the London Borough of Newham will be named after Bobby Moore and Trevor Brooking. A spokesman from the council says that these two footballers have been doing a great deal of charity work in the district.

3 The Press unanimously condemn Charlie George for his behaviour at Highbury against Chelsea. Arsenal chairman Mr Dennis Hill-Wood says that the player was 'sinned against, sinned, and was sinned against. He is on the transfer list, but if we actually sold him, it would break his little heart'. Although Ron Harris, who suffered most from George's ill-treatment, said that as far as he is concerned the incident is forgotten, other Chelsea players warned George that if he persists in hurting 'other professionals' he will eventually be taken on by someone who is bigger and stronger' . . . Brian Clough, the Derby manager, makes a strong verbal attack on the home supporters: 'They started chanting only near the end when we were a goal in front. I want to hear them when we are losing. They are a disgraceful lot.' 4 Sam Longson, Derby chairman, disassociates himself and the Board from his manager's remarks and apologises to the fans. An open confrontation between Clough and his employers seems imminent.

5 Sheffield U. suspend Gil Reece for 14 days because he refused to travel in the squad to Workington after being told that he would be named only as a substitute . . . In the League Cup, Stockport beat C. Palace at Selhurst Park 1-0.
Marinello makes his first appearance for Arsenal this season and the Gunners beat Everton with a Peter Storey goal.

6 Holders Stoke beat Sunderland 3-0 in the League Cup. Leeds defeat Burnley 4-0 and Manchester C. win by the same score against Rochdale. A Bobby Charlton goal in the 87th minute gives United a 2-2 draw at Oxford and a Garland goal puts Chelsea in Round Three, where they'll meet Derby at the Baseball Ground. . .
Another soccer war in Argentina! Independiente drew 1-1 with Ajax in the first leg of the World Club Championship. Johan Cruyff scored in the sixth minute but was injured by an outrageous tackle from Mircoli, the 1ndependiente forward.
Stefan Kovacs, the Ajax coach says that Cruyff will be out of action for at least 14 days, and so will Horst Blankenburg another victim of a crude tackle. Kovacs adds that his players had to be persuaded to go back on the field after the interval.
Piet Keizer, the captain, had told him: 'The Argentinians are playing like mad lions, and we don't want to continue.' The Ajax players were advised to go out and to try to keep out of trouble. 'European football is much more important', says Kovacs. 'Whatever happens we will not come here again.' 7 Chelsea sign Bill Gamer of Southend for 100,000 pounds--the sixth forward Dave Sexton has bought for the club for a six-figure fee.

8 Dick Graham resigns as manager of CoI chester. Graham says: 'Let them find a new miracle man. I'm convinced now that football management is a rotten business. I've slogged away, saving the club money and teaching kids to play football. Then I'm slammed by shareholders who never watch us. I don't mind criticism but this situation makes me sick. Perhaps I should fight back. I am a fighter, but the blow this time has flattened me. Deep down I know I've done a good job for Colchester. It grieves me that a man who wins five shares in the club at a raffle can cause so much upset.' The Colchester board will meet later to discuss the crisis and trainer Denis Mochan will look after the playing staff . . . Q.P.R. sign Stan Bowles from Carlisle for 110,000 pounds. The 24-year-old striker also interested C.
Palace, but they dropped out of the hunt because they found the asking price too high.

9 After the 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa, Jimmy Scoular, Cardiff's manager, says that every player on the club's books is for sale. . . Everton are the only unbeaten team left in the First Division and they head the table with 13 points.
Tot ten ham are second with 12, but centre-forward Martin Chivers is unhappy.
He feels that the fans don't give the team enough vocal encouragement and single him out for criticism. . . Manchester U. lose at home to Coventry (0-1) and are still without a win. In fact, the two Manchester teams are propping up the table!
. . . Bob Latchford scores a hat-trick in Birmingham's 4-1 win over Manchester C. . . . Attendances are down in all four divisions-the saturation TV coverage of the Olympic Games is blamed.

10 In the final of the Olympic soccer tournament, Poland defeat Hungary 2-1 with goals by the Legia striker, Deyna. USSR and East Germany finished joint third. 2 UEFA launch an attack on the frightening development of violence. On the eve of the opening round of the European Cup, they warn clubs that they are responsible for the behaviour of their players and supporters. The memorandum says: 'Only if all those concerned contribute to the maintenance of a sporting atmosphere in the stadium will it be possible to continue the present large-scale staging of thrilling national and international football competitions.' . . . John O'Mara leaves Brentford for Blackburn (30,000 pounds) . . . Liverpool beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the first round of the UEFA Cup-a good start in Europe for England. . . Manchester U.
beat Oxford 3-1 in a League Cup replay-their first win in a competitive game this season.

13 Derby beat Zeljeznicar 2-0 in their home match in the European Cup and Celtic defeat Rosenborg of Norway 2-1. In the other two international competitions, the English clubs start well--0nly Manchester C. are in danger of elimination. All three Scottish teams lose by a one-goal margin-Aberdeen at home, Hibernian and
Partick away. . . Jan Capkovic (Slovan Bratislava) scores five goals in his team's 6-0 win over Vojvodina-a new individual record for the UEFA Cup. . . Tottenham made a record profit of 223,000 pounds last season, while Manchester U. lost 4 million. Spurs' success was due mainly to their exploits in the UEFA and League Cup competitions. United spent nearly 350,000 pounds on the transfer market (Ian Moore, Martin Buchan).

14 Wyn Davies moves from Manchester C. to Manchester U. for 65,000 pounds-the first transfer between these clubs for 41 years. . . Hugh Curran (Wolverhampton) signs for Oxford-the fee 50,000 pounds, a record for the club. . . League attendances are depressingly low this season-{)nly 15 clubs show improved gate figures and generally there's a downward trend in all competitions.

15 Chelsea face the worst injury situation in the club's history. In addition to Tommy Baldwin and Ian Hutchinson, Peter Osgood, Charlie Cooke, Peter Houseman, Alan Hudson, Bill Garner, and John Dempsey are all out of action. Teenager Brian Bason will make his first team debut for the Blues against Sheffield U. . . . Charlton manager Theo Foley blames TV coverage of football for the drop in attendances. He says in a newspaper article: 'Television is killing soccer like it's killed every other sport, except perhaps golf. It's ridiculous the saturation coverage football is getting. We see two matches on Saturdays, plus lunch-time previews, three on Sundays, and then some in mid-week. It's too much. Little wonder the fans don't want to go out to watch games-especially those outside the First Division. And what do clubs like ours get out of it? About 3,000 pounds to 4,000 pounds a year. What's that?
We get nothing from the big boys. We have been conned. Then people wonder why we sell players or cannot buy new ones. Bad players are going for 80,000 pounds these days. We could not lose out of a one-year ban. I think the crowds would come back. Certainly we have to do something before it's too late.' 16 Jimmy Hill, ex-Coventry manager, now TV commentator, takes over from an injured linesman at Highbury. The game, against Liverpool, started brightly but suffered from the hold-up and finished in a disappointing 0-0 draw. . . Everton lose their unbeaten run at home to Southampton. Everton, Ipswich, and Leeds, all on 13 points, lead the First Division. Aston Villa, Port Vale, and Mansfield are the other divisional leaders. . . Geoff Hurst sent off at Ipswich where Stoke lost 2-0 . . . Referee Jim Finn collapses and dies from a heart attack at the Exeter v Stockport game. Later Norman Burtenshaw, president of the Referees' Association, says that all referees should have an immediate heart check in order to prevent similar tragedies. . . Celtic beat Rangers 3-1 in the Glasgow derby after a kick-off at 12 noon by order of the Scottish FA. The idea seemed to workonly seven spectators were arrested !

17 According to a Sunday newspaper article, several Wolverhampton players were offered bribes to 'throw' the Championship decider against Leeds last season. None of the players approached accepted the offer. Percy Woodward, who was the Leeds chairman at the time, says that his club had nothing to do with this attempt to 'buy' the game, but there will be a full investigation. League president Len Shipman also promised an inquiry.

18 Dennis Follows, FA secretary, writes in the FA News that clubs with bad disciplinary records will be fined at the end of the season. Sir Alf Ramsey emphasises the importance of friendlies: 'It would be quite ludicrous to expect a young player to be thrust into a World Cup tie or a European Championship match without having gained any previous experience of international football.' . . . 60,538 people largest-ever crowd for a testimonial, attend the Manchester U. v Celtic game.
Bobby Charlton, who received a great emotional ovation from the crowd, will collect 46,000 pounds tax-free.

19 Another attempted bribery case breaks! Francis Lee reveals in a newspaper article that he was approached before a match against a team fighting relegation. Don Revie will not quiz his own players in connection with the Wolverhampton allegations. 'My players have nothing to hide. There is no need for me to speak to them on this matter. The issue will be discussed at our board meeting on Thursday. We shall decide then on the possibility of taking legal action.' . . . Gordon Jago takes up the theme of TV coverage of football. 'The BBC match fee is 800 pounds and Rangers collected 1,556 pounds from last season's TV pool. It's a ridiculously small amount of money bearing in mind football's high entertainment rating. If TV wants to saturate us with football, then they must pay heavily to make up the money lost at the turnstiles. If they don't want to increase fees, then the coverage ShoUld be rationed to a handful of games each season.' . . . Mike Flanagan scores four goals, the season's best so far, for Charlton against Notts Co. . . .
Hungarian Zoltan Varga signs for Aberdeen.

20 Italy beat Yugoslavia 3-1 in a friendly in Turin. . . Finland draw with Rumania in the World Cup. . . Gerry Queen transferred to Orient from C. Palace for 70,000 pounds.
Rothmans Golden BoOtS lunch-Sir Stanley Rous, president of FIFA, presents the awards to the selected players. . . Brighton sign Portsmouth defender George Ley for 25,000 pounds. . . It is believed that there is a serious crisis at Derby, where manager Clough refuses to sign a new contract. After a board meeting neither chairman Sam Longson nor Brian Clough would Comment on the situation. . .
Derek Parkin, the Wolverhampton defender is told to rest for at least two months because of a heart condition.

23 Liverpool take over the top SPot after beating Sheffield U. 5-0. They are level on points with Tottenham, who defeated West Ham 1-0 through a Lampard own goal three minutes from time. . . On a day of high scoring (35 goals in Division 1) and a record number of bookings (56), football hooliganism makes the headlines. 42 people are arrested at Nottingham, where Forest are at home to Aston points with Tottenham, Who defeated West Ham U. 1-0 through a Lampard own goal three minutes from time. . . On a day of high scoring (35 goals in Division I) and a record number of bookings (56), football hooliganism makes the headlines. 42 people are arrested at Nottingham, where Forest are at home to Aston Villa, and one Youth is saved from drowning in the river Trent by a policeman. . . Alan Hardaker says that attendances will eventually rise this season and that there is no cause for alarm . . . Celtic lose against Dundee in Scotland but still head the table with six points from four games. . . Of the English clubs playing in Europe next week, three lose (Derby and Manchester C. heavily, Leeds by the odd goal) and three win (Liverpool, Tottenham, and Stoke).

24 Sir Andrew Stephen, chairman of the FA, in a strongly worded statement, lists the reasons 'for the dramatic drop in attendances'. 'I believe there are three main reasons why gates are down by about 600,000 this season.' TOo much football :
'I am sure we are being completely saturated by the number of competitions and matches.' TOo much television: 'I don't think there is any doubt that there is over-exposure on the television screen.' Hooliganism: 'There is no doubt there is an urgent need to investigate the madness that takes place on the terraces. ' Sir Andrew is also concerned about the standard of football and its possible effect on gates. 'I am firmly convinced soccer is not as entertaining as it used to be. The time is certainly ripe to have a long look at the state of the game.'

25 The two-year ban from international football on Alan Hudson and Colin Todd is confirmed by the FA. Dennis FolloWS says, 'There is no question of an appeal because the players are not charged, as they might have been. They have just been told they are not wanted by England for tWo years.' The FA secretary also discloses that up to 50,000 pounds is available for checking scientifically the strength of the barriers at all League grounds. This move is in accordance with the recommendations of the 'Wheatley Report' . . . C. Palace sign lain Phillip of Dundee for 105,000 pounds. . . Jim Blair (St. Mirren) joins Norwich for 18,000 pounds.

26 C. Palace make a 'cash for goals' bid for Ted MacDougall of Bournemouth. They offer a 100,000 pounds fee, two players, plus an extra bonus if the striker scores at least 20 goals this season. . . Terry Cooper's recovery from injury will take longer than
anticipated and he will not be able to play until February. The Scotland v England Under-23 fixture is called off because of a dispute concerning the venue. The Scottish FA wanted to stage the match at Aberdeen the day before the full international match between the countries at Glasgow. England wanted to play in Glasgow so both teams could be managed by Sir Alf Ramsey.

27 Manchester U. pay Bournemouth 200,000 pounds for Ted MacDougall-a record fee for a Third Division player. . . British teams do well in the senior European competitions but four out of six fail in the UEFA Cup. Derby and Celtic win their away ties in the Champions Cup, Leeds, Hibernian (6-1 v Sporting Lisbon) and Wrexham (2-1 v Zurich) are through to the second round in the Cup-Winners' Cup.

28 Sir Alf Ramsey names a 22-strong squad for the friendly against Yugoslavia.
Keegan, Nish, Mills and Channon, all uncapped, are included in the party. Hurst, Allan Clarke, and Surnrnerbee are the surprise omissions. Paddy Mulligan, Chelsea's Irish international full-back joins C. Palace for 75,000 pounds -the third big-money deal within four days. . . Ajax beat Independiente 3-0 in a sporting match and take the World Club Championship trophy on a 4-1 aggregate with goals by sub. Johnny Rep (2) and Johan Neeskens.

29 Top coaches slate Sir Alf's squad. Malcolm Allison: 'Ramsey lives in his own football world. He picked Manchester C. players who are completely off form.' Clough :
'If Ramsey knows now what his squad for Munich is going to be, the man.s either crackers or a genius' . . . Bobby Ferguson and Trevor Brooking end their contract disputes with West Ham after an Independent Tribunal decision that came down on the players' side. . . C. Palace sign Charlie Cooke, the Chelsea ball artist, for a reputed 85,000 pounds fee, making their outlay for players this week 265,000 pounds! . . . Leeds buy Gordon McQueen (St. Mirren centre-back) for 30,000 pounds. . . Eamonn Dunphy re-signs for Millwall . . . Doug Ellis is reinstated as chairman of Aston Villa.

30 Liverpool beat Leeds at Elland Road to stay on top of Division I, level on points with Arsenal, who have played one match more. Three games are decided by late penalties: Manchester C. (Lee) v W.B.A., Derby (Hinton) v Tottenham, and Sheffield U. (Woodward) v Manchester U. Richards scores a hat-trick in Wolverhampton's 5-3 win over Stoke and goes to the top of the League scoring chart with 10 goals.