'Tis the season to be jolly! Trala la la laaa, la la la laaa!!
And the 1977-78 season certainly was a jolly one if you were a Forest fan 40 years ago, like me, even if I wasn't particularly jolly overall as Christmas approached. I had just finished my first term at Nottingham University trying to get my head around Mathematics and it had been a largely miserable time. Try as I did, I just didn't get it. Students banging their heads against academic walls today are often tempted to turn to drugs to help them get through but in 1977 such options weren't available, not to me anyway.
And the 1977-78 season certainly was a jolly one if you were a Forest fan 40 years ago, like me, even if I wasn't particularly jolly overall as Christmas approached. I had just finished my first term at Nottingham University trying to get my head around Mathematics and it had been a largely miserable time. Try as I did, I just didn't get it. Students banging their heads against academic walls today are often tempted to turn to drugs to help them get through but in 1977 such options weren't available, not to me anyway.
Fortunately - no, miraculously! - I had access to the best "drug" I could possibly have. As a football mad 18 year old, my team, for whom I had already been a season ticket holder for three years, were enacting a football fantasy week after week right in front of my eyes. This was not a self-induced hallucination, I had ecstasy every Saturday and no suicide Tuesdays.
Back in August, Forest had started the season amazingly well at one of the iconic historic clubs on Merseyside with a 3-1 win at Everton and now, as the year was closing, we faced the other one - Liverpool on our own patch. A few days earlier I'd just had the best early early Christmas present I could have hoped for at the time - two points through an awesome 4-0 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Now, perhaps could there be a Boxing Day bonus too - a win against the mighty, mighty Liverpool to keep us top of the league?
More on the big match later, but first I must pay an all-too-brief tribute to Liverpool Football Club and their amazing history.
As I currently live in Perth, Western Australia, and am a member (just means "season ticket holder" but we are supposed to think it's more than that) of the Australian 'A' League side Perth Glory, and as I'm a regular in the "Glory Shed" where the singing fans go, I find myself singing "The mighty, mighty Glory" pretty much every two weeks.
Now I have to admit, when I sing this, it's not with a great deal of conviction. The club has only been going since 1996 (and yet is still the oldest club in the 'A' League) and since the disbandment of the old National Soccer League when they won two titles, back to back, they've not had a particularly great record. With all due respect to Australian football, even winning a league of just ten teams (which Glory haven't) is hardly a "mighty" achievement.
It was the same when I supported Wycombe Wanderers, Mansfield Town or even Forest in the early (or recent) days, to be honest. Even sat watching England in the first test at the GABBA with the Barmy Army, as England started their inevitably futile defence of the ashes, singing "The Mighty, Mighty England" felt more about bravado than factual accuracy.
But, let's be honest, there are some clubs' fans who can sing this line with pride and honesty.
It really, truly is... mighty, mighty Liverpool! When the Kop sings it, it's without hubris. But having said that, I don't recall them ever actually singing it.
Liverpool have won so many trophies it should make every scouse socialist feel guilty with hypocrisy about haves and have nots.
Even in 1978 they'd won the football league ten times - two more than next highest, Arsenal. They'd also been runners up 6 times and won the F.A. Cup twice but never (yet) the League Cup. They were also the current European Cup holders (1976-77) and won the UEFA Cup twice (1972-73 and 1975-76). It's so unfair!
Talking of "unfair" and "socialist feeling", Liverpool F.C.'s very origins seem to have been the result of a pretty mercenary gentleman called John Houlding. He was a wealthy businessman who made his money from owning a brewery. He was also a member of the Orange Order and a Fremason. Naturally for a rich businessman with a "Protestant" work ethic and lots of "contacts", he got involved with football and Liverpool's first professional football club, Everton. A property owner who could sniff a profit, Houlding got his fingers in the pie of the ground on which they played - which was actually Anfield, to start with, from 1884. The ground was developed and crowds started to exceed 8,000 per game. Everton were founder members of the Football League in 1888. So far so good.
It seems that a couple of years on, the man's greed reared its ugly head and Houlding increased the rate of interest on his loan to the club, and forced players to use his (Sandon) Hotel to get changed. Then he purchased the very land at on which the Anfield ground was based and started charging exorbitant rent to Everton F.C.
Everton's 279 members accused Houlding of trying to make a profit at the club's expense and on 15 March 1892, they decided to leave Anfield and find a new ground, which they did later that year. The move was close by, just a mile to the north side of Stanley Park to Goodison Park.
So Houlding decided to start a brand new club of his own, who would play at the ground he now owned, Anfield. He originally tried to call it Everton Athletic (they also played in similar blue and white colours to start with) but the Football Association would not allow it, so Liverpool F.C. were born. Not a shrinking violet this guy, he immediately applied for the club to join the Football League during the 1892 expansion but they were denied so Liverpool's first ever season was to play in the Lancashire league, which (it won't surprise) they won. They joined the Football League's Second Division (along with other newcomers Arsenal, Middlesbrough "Ironopolis" and Rotherham Town) the next season and, again not surprisingly, won that too, playing in red (but with white shorts) by now.
They had a bumpy start in the top division though and were immediately relegated before bouncing back winning the second division for a second time. Then they stayed in the top flight for eight season before the same thing happened again. Houlding had taken the club to where he wanted them, though, and used his power and influence to be elected Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1897. His club stayed in the top league for the next 39 seasons before the terrible "dark ages" of Liverpool's history - eight seasons in the second division from 1954 until 1962. After that it has been success all the way really. So only 11 out of 115 seasons (74 seasons in 1977) have Liverpool been outside the top tier.
Their first League Championship was in 1900-1901 which was also the best ever season for the two Nottingham clubs. It's the only time County and Forest both finished in the top four at the same time.
John Houlding only got to see Liverpool win the league once as he died the next year. Apparently both Everton and Liverpool players helped carry his coffin at his funeral so maybe he had made amends to the Toffees for his earlier greed.
Liverpool got relegated three years later but bounced straight back again, winning the second division and then, immediately, the first division for the second time. Not many clubs have ever done that!
After a few seasons flirting with relegation, Liverpool became England's best team for several years in the early 1920, winning the league two years running under their first really accomplished manager, David Ashworth, who had taken Oldham Athletic to their best ever period (runners up in the First Division, no less) just before the First World War.
So this was the first (of several) periods that Liverpool were the best in England over three seasons.
In fact, they would dominate the English league, having the most points, for the next 13 seasons, even though they wouldn't seriously challenge for the title until after the second world war.
After the war ended Liverpool took their team on an eight week tour to the USA to avoid food rationing. The players therefore put on some weight (presumably mainly muscle) for the resumption of league football. It seemed to have paid off.
After this, however, Liverpool went into a long period of uncharacteristic decline. They hovered around mid table for a few years before flirting with relegation and then dropped back into the second division at the end of the 1953-54 season.
Here's a sight you don't see very often...
Fans of the 86 league clubs not in the oligarch elite today will forgive me for dwelling on this moment a little. How did this happen? How could Liverpool get relegated? Just the season before this, they played Wolves in the F.A. Cup 4th Round - a match attended by 61,905 - still a record attendance at Anfield. What went wrong?
As often is the case it would appear it was a series of big mistakes revolving around the appointment of an individual manager and then not realising the mistake quickly enough. It seems, with the benefit of hindsight (which is always 20:20), Liverpool's demise was largely due to the mismanagement of their manager at the time, Don Welsh.
To make things worse for the red side of Merseyside, Everton got promotion back to the First Division the same season. Still, the club stayed loyal with him for a time - surely a key lesson here, Liverpool are champions of stability, usually.
The club continued their loyalty even though Liverpool finished mid-table in the second division the season after and suffered their worst ever defeat 1-9 to Birmingham City on 11th December 1954. In their second season down, they challenged for promotion but missed out. It seems this, finally, was the last straw and Welsh was sacked - the first Liverpool manager ever to suffer that indignity.
Their next manager was Phil Taylor, a former club captain. Liverpool continued to press for promotion, but kept missing out. Liverpool's fortunes continued to stutter and on 28th November 1959 they lost to Huddersfield Town away and Taylor resigned.
As they say: When one door closes, another opens. And who should replace Taylor but the man who had managed Huddersfield put the nail in his coffin.
That man, of course, was Bill Shankly.
Shankly was born in the tiny coal mining Ayrshire village of Glenbuck. He worked down the local pit for a couple of years before playing for the nearest English league club to his village - Carlisle United, then being snapped up by Preston North End - also not too far away.
As a right half, Shankly helped Preston onto success and they won the F.A. Cup with him in 1937, beating Huddersfield Town in the final.
He went into management back at his first club Carlisle United and took them to the highest league position (at that time) they'd ever been too - 3rd in Division Three South.
Dishonesty from the directors caused him to take his next job, at Grimsby Town where he did well again, almost getting them promoted to the Second Division. Again, more dishonesty from the owners - and a little home sickness caused him to leave and seek a job nearer Ayrshire and a brief spell at Workington. After a brief spell there he joined Huddersfield Town, initially as an assistant but soon as first team manager.
Huddersfield were never more a mid-table second division side under Shankly and his reign their is perhaps most notable for three matches - the first, when he gave a 16 year old called Denis Law his debut, and the other two when Huddersfield beat Liverpool. In 1957-58, Huddersfield beat them 5-0 with ten men, and the season after, amid rumours of being approached by Liverpool to become their next manager, 1-0. Two days later, he agreed to take the job.
Let's not get too carried away and deify the man as some Liverpool people seem to, though. Liverpool were already a side chasing promotion back to the First Division before Shankly came. They'd finished 3rd, just missing out on promotion twice, and 4th twice, under previous managers, but let's be fair, Shankly will always be remembered as the man who took Liverpool back to the top flight - and then some!
So, after eight years in the "wilderness" (doesn't your heart bleed for those poor, success-starved Liverpool fans - average position only 4th in Division Two!?) Liverpool were back in the top flight, (where they still remain) along with, bizarrely, Leyton Orient, who went up (and straight back down) for their one and only season in the top flight.
According to those clever football people who know about these things, two key signings made the difference - Ron Yeats at the heart of defence and Ian St John up front. Liverpool were able to consolidate their regained status the next season by finishing 8th.
It has to be said (pathetic, I know) that by gaining promotion, Liverpool were merely joining Forest who were going through their best spell in their history in post-war times B.C. ( = 'Before Clough') now under Johnny Carey after having dominated over Liverpool for the previous SIX seasons!
Aah... Lovely.
Liverpool didn't wait long to add to their already bulging trophy cabinet. They won the league in their second season back in the top flight.
Liverpool won the F. A. Cup for the first time the next season, beating Leeds United 2-1 by which time Liverpool final switched to playing in red shorts - the socks took another season.
The Silverware kept coming. In 1965-66 Liverpool won their 7th title with the side starting to have a familiar look to those who grew up watching football in the 1970s. Chris Lawler and Tommy Smith were now regulars in defence and Ian Callaghan and Peter Thompson in midfield. Ian St John and Roger Hunt were still banging 'em in up front.
This title win put Liverpool joint top (with Arsenal) of the table of League title winners.
Forest were pretty close to entering that table themselves the next season when Johnny Carey's team managed to actually finish above Liverpool and runners-up to Manchester United, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the F.A. Cup (losing to Tottenham Hotspur.) So that privilege would have to wait, though - but from this point in time in 1977, only a few more months!
An 18-year old John Robertson made an appearance that day, coming on as a substitute but again I must admit I have no memory of it. Robbo actually made his debut the season before (v Huddersfield) but this was still very early in his Forest career. For Liverpool, Kevin Keegan was the big attraction making all the headlines. This was only his 10th league appearance for the club. Ian Storey-Moore scored two for Forest but goals from Tommy Smith (penalty), Emlyn Hughes and Steve Heighway won the game for Liverpool that day.
Leeds pushed Liverpool into second place the season after this but Liverpool did at least win the F. A. Cup for the second time, beating Newcastle United 3-0 at Wembley. If only the Newcastle fans hadn't invaded the pitch in the quarter finals, it might have been us there that day. Duncan McKenzie playing against the mighty Liverpool in the F.A. Cup final - what a thought!
That would turn out to be the last competitive match in which Bill Shankly would manage Liverpool as he retired shortly after the game. Shankly's No 2, Bob Paisley took over, but Shankly still led the team out in their next match, the Charity Shield v champions Leeds, at the start of the 1974-75 season. Alongside him, perhaps, for similar reasons of respect, should have been Don Revie the very successful manager of Leeds United for the past 13 years, who had left to manage England. Apparently he was asked, but refused. So it would be the new (and very brief) Leeds manager "Old Big 'Ed" himself that had the last handshake with Bill Shankly at the start of a match.
So, any football fan with half a statistical mind should be asking - Just how good was Bill Shankly? How does his record compare with the other greats, say Sir Matt Busby and Don Revie? I'll also add in Bob Paisley, Clough/Taylor and Sir Alex Ferguson in a future blog but for now, at the end of 1977, these were probably the three best.
For sheer longevity and domestic trophies won, you'd have to go for Busby, but in terms of %age points gained, the net difference they made to their league position and trophies per year, it has to be Don Revie. It's hard to make a case that Bill Shankly is the best of these three. He inherited a side on the verge of promotion (but then again Busby's United were already doing well in the First Division.)
Of course, when you factor in the Munich disaster that must favour Busby but if you were to consider runners up slots too, I think it has to go to Revie.
Later that season I saw Liverpool lose 2-0 at Dave Mackay's Derby County in front of 33,463 at the ram-shackled old Baseball Ground as the Rams were on the way to winning the league.
If any non-Liverpool fan was hoping that the retirement of Bill Shankly might signal the end of Liverpool's reign at the top of the English League (like Don Revie's exit proved to be for Leeds) they were sadly mistaken. Under Bob Paisley Liverpool would go on to even greater heights, starting the very next season after Derby's championship win.
Liverpool won back-to-back League titles for the first time since Wolves did it in 1957-58 and 1958-59. It's amazing to think that was so rare in the days before the Premier League and the domination of the big six oligarchs. Nowadays, (apart from the ocassional foxy fluke) there's only six possibilities, before there were a dozen at least.
What a side! Kevin Keegan, Terry McDermott, John Toshack, Ray Clemmence, Emlyn Hughes etc etc. but, as we saw earlier, QPR can count themselves unlucky not to have won the title that year.
Liverpool won the European Cup for the First time in 1976-77 too, beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 in the Final in Rome. These were the days where most neutral English fans genuinely wanted English teams to do well in Europe. I'm not sure that's true any more. What exactly has a club like Manchester City or Manchester United got to do with England any more? Liverpool were only the second English side (after Manchester United and 3rd British, after Celtic) to win this trophy, another phenomenon about to change.
Paisley proved to be even better at re-building teams than his illustrious predecessor. For example, you'd think it would have been impossible to replace someone as good as Kevin Keegan but Paisley smoothly slotted Kenny Dalglish into the same No 7 shirt and they seemed to just get even better.
So, since their promotion back to the First Division, 15 years earlier, Liverpool had been by far the best team in the English Football League. Not only had they gathered more points than any other team, the gap between their points tally and the club below them, Leeds United, was greater than any other gap between the points tallies of any other two closely ranked teams the 39 who had played at least one season in the top flight in the period.
Of course, they also led the table of league championship winners at this point, on 10, now two clear of Arsenal.
And, this current season, Liverpool were in 3rd pace, despite a recent run of bad form they seem to be coming out of now. Forest's 4-0 at Man Utd the week before, in contrast, had been against a team that was struggling in the league. This was a bigger test.
Fans of what I now consider the boring, boring Greediership, where (yawn) the top six is pretty much predetermined every year, may argue that this was even stronger domination and by just one club, but it's a view that doesn't hold up to scrutiny when you remember that this era wasn't really due to sheer financial muscle, as is now the case of the big six, but rather just exceptionally sound management of a football club.
But still, in the days before the EPL, it felt like an impossible task to challenge them. How on earth could anyone compete with a record like that? All of these numbers were enough to drive supporters (who weren't Liverpool fans) to giving up all hope.
Forest' version, lacking the lyrical mastery of the famous ex-Beatle, was...
Needless to say, this was the song we sang most that day, at the City Ground, packed to the rafters.
It was top class stuff but unfortunately we got a sharp reminder that we were playing against a class side when Steve Heighway equalised just before half time in front of us in the Trent End.
Shipley describes it as " a bit of daft goal, really". A harmless looking cross was met by Heighway under no pressure from the defence, who splotted it in in front of us. 1-1 at half time.
Back in August, Forest had started the season amazingly well at one of the iconic historic clubs on Merseyside with a 3-1 win at Everton and now, as the year was closing, we faced the other one - Liverpool on our own patch. A few days earlier I'd just had the best early early Christmas present I could have hoped for at the time - two points through an awesome 4-0 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Now, perhaps could there be a Boxing Day bonus too - a win against the mighty, mighty Liverpool to keep us top of the league?
More on the big match later, but first I must pay an all-too-brief tribute to Liverpool Football Club and their amazing history.
Mighty Mighty Liverpool
Did I just write "mighty, mighty" Liverpool? At English-speaking football grounds everywhere in the world, football fans might find themselves singing those words in a song "Everywhere we go" that goes something like this...
Everywhere we go-o
People want to know-o
Who we a-are
And where we come from
We're here for the bee - er
We're here for the football
We're here for the [substitute team name here]
People want to know-o
Who we a-are
And where we come from
We're here for the bee - er
We're here for the football
We're here for the [substitute team name here]
the Mighty, Mighty [substitute team name here]
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| "The mighty, mighty Glory" |
Now I have to admit, when I sing this, it's not with a great deal of conviction. The club has only been going since 1996 (and yet is still the oldest club in the 'A' League) and since the disbandment of the old National Soccer League when they won two titles, back to back, they've not had a particularly great record. With all due respect to Australian football, even winning a league of just ten teams (which Glory haven't) is hardly a "mighty" achievement.
It was the same when I supported Wycombe Wanderers, Mansfield Town or even Forest in the early (or recent) days, to be honest. Even sat watching England in the first test at the GABBA with the Barmy Army, as England started their inevitably futile defence of the ashes, singing "The Mighty, Mighty England" felt more about bravado than factual accuracy.
But, let's be honest, there are some clubs' fans who can sing this line with pride and honesty.
It really, truly is... mighty, mighty Liverpool! When the Kop sings it, it's without hubris. But having said that, I don't recall them ever actually singing it.
Liverpool Football Club
I don't think many will be surprised that the league history of Liverpool Football Club, before the 1977-78 season, was a bit better than that of Nottingham Forest. The only claim we can make is that we are quite a bit older than they are... Liverpool were founded in 1892, the year Forest came into the league, when our club were already 27 years old. Liverpool didn't hang about though. One year after forming, they came into the league (Division Two) and it only took them four seasons to finish above us. We kept more or less on parity with them for 15 years or so but that was it. From 1909-10 until 1955-56 Liverpool finished consistently above Forest, year after year. Forest had their longest period of domination then from 1956 until 1962 but after Forest's great 66-67 season, again, it had all been Liverpool.
So, in Forest's 116 year league history (Liverpool have 115 years) we only finished above them 20 times and one of those was the one season we got in the league before them. Liverpool's average league position up to 1976-77 was 10.6 (remember in the second division your absolute position could get as high as 44.) Forest's, you may remember was 24th.
Even in 1978 they'd won the football league ten times - two more than next highest, Arsenal. They'd also been runners up 6 times and won the F.A. Cup twice but never (yet) the League Cup. They were also the current European Cup holders (1976-77) and won the UEFA Cup twice (1972-73 and 1975-76). It's so unfair!
Dodgy beginnings
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| Anfield owner who founded Liverpool F.C. |
It seems that a couple of years on, the man's greed reared its ugly head and Houlding increased the rate of interest on his loan to the club, and forced players to use his (Sandon) Hotel to get changed. Then he purchased the very land at on which the Anfield ground was based and started charging exorbitant rent to Everton F.C.
Everton's 279 members accused Houlding of trying to make a profit at the club's expense and on 15 March 1892, they decided to leave Anfield and find a new ground, which they did later that year. The move was close by, just a mile to the north side of Stanley Park to Goodison Park.
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| Goodison Park, about a mile north of Anfield |
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| Original Kit |
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| Liverpool's first season in the league - champions with no defeats in Division Two |
Their first League Championship was in 1900-1901 which was also the best ever season for the two Nottingham clubs. It's the only time County and Forest both finished in the top four at the same time.
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| Title Winners for the 1st time: 1900-1901 |
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| Liverpool Champions in 1901, and Notts County and Nottingham Forest have their best combined season |
Liverpool got relegated three years later but bounced straight back again, winning the second division and then, immediately, the first division for the second time. Not many clubs have ever done that!
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| Liverpool Champions for the 2nd time in 1906 |
After a few seasons flirting with relegation, Liverpool became England's best team for several years in the early 1920, winning the league two years running under their first really accomplished manager, David Ashworth, who had taken Oldham Athletic to their best ever period (runners up in the First Division, no less) just before the First World War.
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| David Ashworth - Success with Oldham before the War, with Liverpool after |
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| The Liverpool team that won the league for the 3rd and 4th times in 1921-22 and 1922-23 |
So this was the first (of several) periods that Liverpool were the best in England over three seasons.
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| The first 3-year period of Liverpool dominance in England |
After the war ended Liverpool took their team on an eight week tour to the USA to avoid food rationing. The players therefore put on some weight (presumably mainly muscle) for the resumption of league football. It seemed to have paid off.
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| Liverpool hit the ground running after the Second World War |
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| Liverpool, League Champions for the 5th time in 1946-47 |
Relegation
After this, however, Liverpool went into a long period of uncharacteristic decline. They hovered around mid table for a few years before flirting with relegation and then dropped back into the second division at the end of the 1953-54 season.Here's a sight you don't see very often...
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| Down with the Boro, you're going down with the Boro! |
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| Don Welsh |
As often is the case it would appear it was a series of big mistakes revolving around the appointment of an individual manager and then not realising the mistake quickly enough. It seems, with the benefit of hindsight (which is always 20:20), Liverpool's demise was largely due to the mismanagement of their manager at the time, Don Welsh.
To make things worse for the red side of Merseyside, Everton got promotion back to the First Division the same season. Still, the club stayed loyal with him for a time - surely a key lesson here, Liverpool are champions of stability, usually.
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| 69 Years |
Their next manager was Phil Taylor, a former club captain. Liverpool continued to press for promotion, but kept missing out. Liverpool's fortunes continued to stutter and on 28th November 1959 they lost to Huddersfield Town away and Taylor resigned.
As they say: When one door closes, another opens. And who should replace Taylor but the man who had managed Huddersfield put the nail in his coffin.
Bill Shankly
Shankly was born in the tiny coal mining Ayrshire village of Glenbuck. He worked down the local pit for a couple of years before playing for the nearest English league club to his village - Carlisle United, then being snapped up by Preston North End - also not too far away.
As a right half, Shankly helped Preston onto success and they won the F.A. Cup with him in 1937, beating Huddersfield Town in the final.
He went into management back at his first club Carlisle United and took them to the highest league position (at that time) they'd ever been too - 3rd in Division Three South.
Dishonesty from the directors caused him to take his next job, at Grimsby Town where he did well again, almost getting them promoted to the Second Division. Again, more dishonesty from the owners - and a little home sickness caused him to leave and seek a job nearer Ayrshire and a brief spell at Workington. After a brief spell there he joined Huddersfield Town, initially as an assistant but soon as first team manager.
Huddersfield were never more a mid-table second division side under Shankly and his reign their is perhaps most notable for three matches - the first, when he gave a 16 year old called Denis Law his debut, and the other two when Huddersfield beat Liverpool. In 1957-58, Huddersfield beat them 5-0 with ten men, and the season after, amid rumours of being approached by Liverpool to become their next manager, 1-0. Two days later, he agreed to take the job.
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| Shankly never strayed too far from home |
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| Liverpool's 8 years in their "dark age" |
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| Liverpool win promotion from the Second Division along with ... Orient? |
According to those clever football people who know about these things, two key signings made the difference - Ron Yeats at the heart of defence and Ian St John up front. Liverpool were able to consolidate their regained status the next season by finishing 8th.
It has to be said (pathetic, I know) that by gaining promotion, Liverpool were merely joining Forest who were going through their best spell in their history in post-war times B.C. ( = 'Before Clough') now under Johnny Carey after having dominated over Liverpool for the previous SIX seasons!
You'll Never Walk Alone
These were great days on Merseyside with the Beatles and other bands of the swinging 60s making waves all over the world. The rebirth of Liverpool as a force in English football pretty much coincided with the rise of Beatle-mania and the packed masses on the Liverpool Kop quickly got used to singing their songs.
Ironically, it wasn't a Beatles song that became the iconic anthem on the Kop but one from another Liverpool band, Gerry and the Pacemakers, "You'll Never Walk Alone".
Ironically, it wasn't a Beatles song that became the iconic anthem on the Kop but one from another Liverpool band, Gerry and the Pacemakers, "You'll Never Walk Alone".
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| Gerry and the Pacemakers |
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
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| Liverpool Icon |
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| Liverpool's 6th Championship Win in 1963-64 |
Liverpool won the F. A. Cup for the first time the next season, beating Leeds United 2-1 by which time Liverpool final switched to playing in red shorts - the socks took another season.The Silverware kept coming. In 1965-66 Liverpool won their 7th title with the side starting to have a familiar look to those who grew up watching football in the 1970s. Chris Lawler and Tommy Smith were now regulars in defence and Ian Callaghan and Peter Thompson in midfield. Ian St John and Roger Hunt were still banging 'em in up front.
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| Liverpool F.C. Title winners 1965-66 season |
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| League Champions for the 7th Time |
This title win put Liverpool joint top (with Arsenal) of the table of League title winners.
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| League Title winners by the end of 1966 |
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| Forest came pretty close to winning it themselves the next season |
Power house of the 1970s
It kills me that I just wasn't interested in football in 1966 thus missing out not only on Forest's great side of Ian Storey-Moore, Henry Newton, Joe Baker etc but also England's only World Cup win.
But as soon as I did get the football bug I was obviously keen to add Liverpool to the sides I'd seen. In fact Forest v Liverpool was the first game I watched at the City Ground on Saturday 24th April 1971. 20,678 watched Liverpool get a functional 1-0 win, Brian Hall got the only goal. It was only my 4th game visited after watching Mansfield three times, v Halifax, Wrexham and Bradford City.
I didn't realise at the time, but the 19-year No 9 for Forest that day was Duncan McKenzie. It was his 4th full league appearance for the club. I suppose all my attention was on seeing the famous Ian Storey-Moore and the Liverpool stars, Steve Heighway, John Toshack et al.
Just six months later I watched them again in Forest's relegation season. Forest again lost by a single goal, this time it was 2-3 to a similar crowd just below 21,000.
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| My First match at the City Ground |
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| Liverpool Team featured in the Programme |
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| Tribute to Shankly in the Forest Review |
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| McKenzie was in the team that day |
Just six months later I watched them again in Forest's relegation season. Forest again lost by a single goal, this time it was 2-3 to a similar crowd just below 21,000.
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| Forest v Liverpool for the second time in 1971 |
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| Larry Lloyd at the Back |
An 18-year old John Robertson made an appearance that day, coming on as a substitute but again I must admit I have no memory of it. Robbo actually made his debut the season before (v Huddersfield) but this was still very early in his Forest career. For Liverpool, Kevin Keegan was the big attraction making all the headlines. This was only his 10th league appearance for the club. Ian Storey-Moore scored two for Forest but goals from Tommy Smith (penalty), Emlyn Hughes and Steve Heighway won the game for Liverpool that day.
With Forest relegated, Liverpool won the league again in 1972-73 ending a seven year wait and bringing them back up to level pegging with Arsenal.
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| Liverpool's 8th English League Title |
Leeds pushed Liverpool into second place the season after this but Liverpool did at least win the F. A. Cup for the second time, beating Newcastle United 3-0 at Wembley. If only the Newcastle fans hadn't invaded the pitch in the quarter finals, it might have been us there that day. Duncan McKenzie playing against the mighty Liverpool in the F.A. Cup final - what a thought!
That would turn out to be the last competitive match in which Bill Shankly would manage Liverpool as he retired shortly after the game. Shankly's No 2, Bob Paisley took over, but Shankly still led the team out in their next match, the Charity Shield v champions Leeds, at the start of the 1974-75 season. Alongside him, perhaps, for similar reasons of respect, should have been Don Revie the very successful manager of Leeds United for the past 13 years, who had left to manage England. Apparently he was asked, but refused. So it would be the new (and very brief) Leeds manager "Old Big 'Ed" himself that had the last handshake with Bill Shankly at the start of a match.
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| Shankly Retired at Wembley but then met Clough there in the Charity Shield game |
For sheer longevity and domestic trophies won, you'd have to go for Busby, but in terms of %age points gained, the net difference they made to their league position and trophies per year, it has to be Don Revie. It's hard to make a case that Bill Shankly is the best of these three. He inherited a side on the verge of promotion (but then again Busby's United were already doing well in the First Division.)
Of course, when you factor in the Munich disaster that must favour Busby but if you were to consider runners up slots too, I think it has to go to Revie.
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| Which manager had the best record? - For me, Revie. |
Later that season I saw Liverpool lose 2-0 at Dave Mackay's Derby County in front of 33,463 at the ram-shackled old Baseball Ground as the Rams were on the way to winning the league.
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| Bob Paisley |
Liverpool won back-to-back League titles for the first time since Wolves did it in 1957-58 and 1958-59. It's amazing to think that was so rare in the days before the Premier League and the domination of the big six oligarchs. Nowadays, (apart from the ocassional foxy fluke) there's only six possibilities, before there were a dozen at least.
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| Liverpool win the League for the 9th Time (& The UEFA Cup) |
What a side! Kevin Keegan, Terry McDermott, John Toshack, Ray Clemmence, Emlyn Hughes etc etc. but, as we saw earlier, QPR can count themselves unlucky not to have won the title that year.
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| Liverpool's 9th Title - the last where Goal Average split teams on equal points |
Paisley proved to be even better at re-building teams than his illustrious predecessor. For example, you'd think it would have been impossible to replace someone as good as Kevin Keegan but Paisley smoothly slotted Kenny Dalglish into the same No 7 shirt and they seemed to just get even better.
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| "Crazy Horse" Emlyn Hughes celebrates with some fans |
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| And their 10th Football League title - now using Goal Difference |
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| 10th Title and a European Cup too |
So, since their promotion back to the First Division, 15 years earlier, Liverpool had been by far the best team in the English Football League. Not only had they gathered more points than any other team, the gap between their points tally and the club below them, Leeds United, was greater than any other gap between the points tallies of any other two closely ranked teams the 39 who had played at least one season in the top flight in the period.
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| Liverpool - the best League team with the biggest points gap - 96 more than Leeds - in the whole table |
Of course, they also led the table of league championship winners at this point, on 10, now two clear of Arsenal.
And, this current season, Liverpool were in 3rd pace, despite a recent run of bad form they seem to be coming out of now. Forest's 4-0 at Man Utd the week before, in contrast, had been against a team that was struggling in the league. This was a bigger test.
Fans of what I now consider the boring, boring Greediership, where (yawn) the top six is pretty much predetermined every year, may argue that this was even stronger domination and by just one club, but it's a view that doesn't hold up to scrutiny when you remember that this era wasn't really due to sheer financial muscle, as is now the case of the big six, but rather just exceptionally sound management of a football club.
But still, in the days before the EPL, it felt like an impossible task to challenge them. How on earth could anyone compete with a record like that? All of these numbers were enough to drive supporters (who weren't Liverpool fans) to giving up all hope.
Mathematical Blues
As I suggested at the beginning, I wasn't quite as jolly as I should have been with Forest's sparkling situation. The fact of the matter is I'd just finished my first term at Nottingham University and it hadn't gone well. Basically, I can see now that I was pretty depressed. It wasn't a subject that was as much in the public domain as it is now and the idea of getting psychological help would have never entered my head. That kind of thing was for "Nancy Boys" not hard Kirkby lads.
Mr Tomlinson, my maths teacher at Ashfield Comprehensive had assured me I was good enough to study the subject "at a red brick university" and I believed him. But it turned out he was wrong and I struggled at the very bottom of the class - a reminder I got every week when assignments where handed back in order of the mark in front of a lecture hall full of, what seemed to me, clever dicks. I finished the term really quite depressed about academia and determined never to return.
I sometimes wonder how, if it hadn't been for Forest's brilliant start to the season, I might have joined that small but very significant number of sad students who, feeling they cannot live up to expectations, choose instead to die. Forest certainly gave me something positive to look forward to every weekend.
Anyway, despite my dad trying to persuade me otherwise, I had resolved to pack in university and never return.
I had enjoyed some aspects. Following in the footsteps of my very accomplished brother-in-law, I managed to get into Sherwood Hall, at the time an all-male hall, seeking the kind of beer-drinking-induced heroic adventures he'd told me about. I got on with a few of people there but to be honest it was a very lonely time. One of the few jolly faces I looked forward to seeing, in those days, was a scouser called Richard Penston who ran the football tipping competition. With Forest doing so well we had a few seconds of football banter every week as I handed over my quid, or whatever it was. Coming from a Liverpool fan, any complements Richard dished out about Forest were eagerly lapped up.
Even in the academic side there were some silver linings. I had chosen to do Genetics as a subsidiary subject and I did find it all fascinating - and not just because my one-on-one weekly tutorials were with the most stunningly beautiful postdoc. My painful nervousness with her just added to my feeling of being useless though. In the end, it was just that the maths was far too hard. I had thought I was quite good at 'A' Level but this was literally another league. It felt what it must have been like for Derby County when they got promotion the Premier League in 2007 under Billy Davies and just found the leap in standard far too much. They finished rock bottom with the (still record) lowest ever points total of 11 - 24 points adrift of Birmingham City.
So, at Christmas, I found myself back at home in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, going out at the weekends to the Waggon & Horses with "the lads" enjoying the Christmas festivities, which included singing songs like our favourite Bing Crosby's "White Christmas"...
Mr Tomlinson, my maths teacher at Ashfield Comprehensive had assured me I was good enough to study the subject "at a red brick university" and I believed him. But it turned out he was wrong and I struggled at the very bottom of the class - a reminder I got every week when assignments where handed back in order of the mark in front of a lecture hall full of, what seemed to me, clever dicks. I finished the term really quite depressed about academia and determined never to return.
I sometimes wonder how, if it hadn't been for Forest's brilliant start to the season, I might have joined that small but very significant number of sad students who, feeling they cannot live up to expectations, choose instead to die. Forest certainly gave me something positive to look forward to every weekend.
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| Goodbye, Uni, Goodbye. I'll see you again, I don't know when.. |
I had enjoyed some aspects. Following in the footsteps of my very accomplished brother-in-law, I managed to get into Sherwood Hall, at the time an all-male hall, seeking the kind of beer-drinking-induced heroic adventures he'd told me about. I got on with a few of people there but to be honest it was a very lonely time. One of the few jolly faces I looked forward to seeing, in those days, was a scouser called Richard Penston who ran the football tipping competition. With Forest doing so well we had a few seconds of football banter every week as I handed over my quid, or whatever it was. Coming from a Liverpool fan, any complements Richard dished out about Forest were eagerly lapped up.
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| The Waggon |
So, at Christmas, I found myself back at home in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, going out at the weekends to the Waggon & Horses with "the lads" enjoying the Christmas festivities, which included singing songs like our favourite Bing Crosby's "White Christmas"...
Mull of Kintye
As Christmas approached in those days, everyone was wondering which song would be No. 1 on Christmas Day. In those days, being No 1 actually meant something because it was a measure of how many records were actually bought by the public and not just ... how do they work it out these days?
Every year several artists would launch a "Christmas song" with this in mind - hoping to be No 1 on Christmas Day. This year, Paul McCartney & Wings had released their attempt: Mull of Kintyre, a song named after Paul McCartney's home in Scotland. It was the first record ever to sell more than 2 million copies and was Wings' best selling single too.
I can't remember when it was first sung at Forest but it was probably before the Liverpool game. But it certainly was a sung with extra passion that day as the Trent End was literally packed like sardines and we were all in a cheerful Christmas mood.
"Mull Of Kintyre"
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Far have I traveled and much have I seen
Dark distant mountains with valleys of green.
Past painted deserts the sunset's on fire
As he carries me home to the mull of kintyre.
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Sweep through the heather like deer in the glen
Carry me back to the days i knew then.
Nights when we sang like a heavenly choir
Of the life and the time of the mull of kintyre.
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Smiles in the sunshine
And tears in the rain
Still take me back to where my memories remain
Flickering embers growing higher and higher
As they carry me back to the mull of kintyre
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
Mull of kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of kintyre
The song, of course, has stuck as Forest's own anthem. Not quite in the league of "You'll Never Walk Alone" but we love it just the same.
Forest' version, lacking the lyrical mastery of the famous ex-Beatle, was...
City Ground
Oh mist rolling in from the Trent,
My desire is always to be here
Oh City Ground
I have heard a few attempts of a second verse but never really got to learn the words. I had my own version in any case...
Far have I traveled and much have I seen
Leeds all in white, Norwich yellow and green.
Lots play in red now at clubs all around
But the first to do so play at the City Ground.
Boxing Day Matches
It still seems odd to me that Forest's Boxing Day Fixture that season was a home tie to Liverpool. It hardly seems fair to Liverpool fans that they they had to make such a long journey the day after Christmas. I had always thought the Boxing Day fixtures were supposed to be local derbies to make it easier for away fans to go and also guarantee a bumper crowd.
Certainly the first Boxing Day game I ever watched was a local derby - Mansfield Town v Lincoln City - an epic 4-3 win to the Stags. Forest's recent Boxing Day fixtures weren't often local derbies either. Apart from the shortest trip in English football, to Notts County in 1973, Forest have had some pretty long away journeys, and so have our visitors, averaging more than 74 miles. Surely the fixtures can be worked out better than this.
Certainly the first Boxing Day game I ever watched was a local derby - Mansfield Town v Lincoln City - an epic 4-3 win to the Stags. Forest's recent Boxing Day fixtures weren't often local derbies either. Apart from the shortest trip in English football, to Notts County in 1973, Forest have had some pretty long away journeys, and so have our visitors, averaging more than 74 miles. Surely the fixtures can be worked out better than this.
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| Forest's recent Boxing Day Fixtures |
Biggest City Ground Attendances
Boxing Day crowds were often massive and I always looked forward to getting the next day's newspaper just to see how big some of the attendance figures were (see, I am naturally a stats freak, just not a very good one!) This was the biggest crowd I'd ever been part of in Nottingham and only the third biggest in the club's 112 year history (as far as I can tell).
We were so crammed into the Trent End it wasn't funny. It seemed everyone who had ever said they were a Forest fan (but never usually went) were there that day. A notable example there was Tim Caunt, a friend from the 6th form at Ashfield comprehensive who was always more of a do-er than a spectator. Tim is of those guys that seemed to be good at every sport - so his Saturdays were usually taken by playing somewhere. But on 27th December 1977 he too was in the Trent End with us, having a fantastic time.
Here's a table of the biggest 10 City Ground crowds I've been able to find. The ones in bold are matches I attended. I am sure this isn't accurate as I do not have any programs before 1966 and the interweb gets very patchy before this time. Please send in any I've missed to algis@kuliukas.com.
I can't imagine how packed it must have been for the record attendance in October 67 when we were just 54 short of 50,000. On Boxing Day 1977 it was choc-a-bloc.
47,218
We were so crammed into the Trent End it wasn't funny. It seemed everyone who had ever said they were a Forest fan (but never usually went) were there that day. A notable example there was Tim Caunt, a friend from the 6th form at Ashfield comprehensive who was always more of a do-er than a spectator. Tim is of those guys that seemed to be good at every sport - so his Saturdays were usually taken by playing somewhere. But on 27th December 1977 he too was in the Trent End with us, having a fantastic time.
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| The Trent End - How did we all fit in? |
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| Top 10 City Ground Attendances (?) |
I can't imagine how packed it must have been for the record attendance in October 67 when we were just 54 short of 50,000. On Boxing Day 1977 it was choc-a-bloc.
The Teams
Forest were unsurprisingly unchanged after their demolition job at Old Trafford but Liverpool made two changes. Joey Jones came in for Alan Hansen at the back and Stevie Heighway returned in place of Ian Callaghan, who moved onto the bench.
David Needham was making his home debut for Forest
Nottingham Forest
1 Peter Shilton, 2 Viv Anderson, 3 Colin Barrett, 4 John McGovern, 5 David Needham, 6 Kenny Burns, 7 Martin O'Neill, 8 Archie Gemmill, 9 Peter Withe, 10 Tony Woodcock, 11 John Robertson.
Goals: Archie Gemmill 1.
Liverpool
1 Ray Clemence, 2 Phil Neal, 3 Joe Jones, 4 Phil Thompson, 5 Ray Kennedy, 6 Emlyn Hughes, 7 Kenny Dalglish, 8 Terry McDermott, 9 Steve Heighway, 10 David Fairclough, 11 Jimmy Case.
Goals : Steve Heighway 1.
Substitutions: Ian Callaghan(12) came on for Jimmy Case (11).
1 Peter Shilton, 2 Viv Anderson, 3 Colin Barrett, 4 John McGovern, 5 David Needham, 6 Kenny Burns, 7 Martin O'Neill, 8 Archie Gemmill, 9 Peter Withe, 10 Tony Woodcock, 11 John Robertson.
Goals: Archie Gemmill 1.
Liverpool
1 Ray Clemence, 2 Phil Neal, 3 Joe Jones, 4 Phil Thompson, 5 Ray Kennedy, 6 Emlyn Hughes, 7 Kenny Dalglish, 8 Terry McDermott, 9 Steve Heighway, 10 David Fairclough, 11 Jimmy Case.
Goals : Steve Heighway 1.
Substitutions: Ian Callaghan(12) came on for Jimmy Case (11).
The Game
This was my 240th match attended and it was the 68th competitive fixture between the two clubs. Forest's record wasn't as bad as you might have thought. We had beaten them 20 times, more than I expected, anyway. Liverpool had beaten us by 5 twice: 6-1 in 1968 and 5-0 in 1895 at Anfield. Their best win in Nottingham was a 4-1 victory in 1909. Forest's best win had been a 5-1 home win in 1908.
Liverpool had beaten Forest the last four times they'd played them, but things were about to change there.
Forest kicked off towards the Bridgeford End. Early on Robbo gave England full-back Phil Neal a torrid time and pressurised Liverpool's defence. They deservedly took the lead in the 20th minute goal from Archie Gemmill. Here's how the goal is described in John Shipley's excellent book "Nottingham Forest 1977/78 Champions"..
"In the twenty-first minute, Forest got the breakthrough that their outstanding play deserved. Viv Anderson galloped forward, before slipping the ball to Archie Gemill, who in turn whipped in a ferocious low drive that flew past the diving Ray Clemence into the far corner of the net. It was a fabulous goal at the end of a move of stunning quality."
Pity there were no cameras there that day. These were before the days of wall-to-wall TV coverage of football. There can't have been many bigger games after this one that weren't covered.
Just look how packed the City Ground was that day...
Liverpool had beaten Forest the last four times they'd played them, but things were about to change there.
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| Shipley's Book |
"In the twenty-first minute, Forest got the breakthrough that their outstanding play deserved. Viv Anderson galloped forward, before slipping the ball to Archie Gemill, who in turn whipped in a ferocious low drive that flew past the diving Ray Clemence into the far corner of the net. It was a fabulous goal at the end of a move of stunning quality."
Pity there were no cameras there that day. These were before the days of wall-to-wall TV coverage of football. There can't have been many bigger games after this one that weren't covered.
Just look how packed the City Ground was that day...
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| Great photo of John McGovern challenging Phil Thompson in the first half (Photo from Shipley's book) |
Shipley describes it as " a bit of daft goal, really". A harmless looking cross was met by Heighway under no pressure from the defence, who splotted it in in front of us. 1-1 at half time.
The second half was a bit calmer but Forest pressed for a winner as darkness fell on the City Ground and Forest were denied a penalty when Ray Kennedy appeared to bundle Tony Woodcock over in the box. So, the game ended as a draw.
Other Boxing Day Matches
Disappointment from being held at home to Liverpool quickly turned into more Christmas cheer as we walked across Trent Bridge back towards the city listening to the other results coming in on the radio.
The Boxing Day matches in the First Division were dominated by one incredible result...
Manchester United slaughtered Everton at Goodison Park 6-2. No-one saw that coming. Lou Macari scored two, including a sumptuous volley (according the the Guardian report), Gordon Hill, Jimmy Greenhoff, Sammy McIlroy and an own goal from Trevor Ross got the goals.
It meant that Forest's lead at the top now stretched to three points with a superior goal difference..
The Boxing Day matches in the First Division were dominated by one incredible result...
Manchester United slaughtered Everton at Goodison Park 6-2. No-one saw that coming. Lou Macari scored two, including a sumptuous volley (according the the Guardian report), Gordon Hill, Jimmy Greenhoff, Sammy McIlroy and an own goal from Trevor Ross got the goals.
It meant that Forest's lead at the top now stretched to three points with a superior goal difference..
Only four of the fixtures that day could have been described as local derbies.
Next up for Forest was a tough 7 days with 4 games: Newcastle away in two days followed by Bristol City away three days after that and then Everton at home two days later. |
| Boxing Day Matches 1977 - Average distance 91 miles |
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| Mind the Gap : Now increased to 3 points |
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| Bob Latchford still managed to score, despite losing 2-6 |
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| Tommy Docherty's Derby - the new "in form" team |
The Programme
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