THE FULL MORTY: DENNIS MORTIMER – THE STORY OF A HOLTE END KING by Dennis Mortimer with Richard Sydenham

The gripping memoir and tell-all biography of Dennis Mortimer, including his decade at Villa and the team’s European Cup win.

Dennis Mortimer became Aston Villa’s most famous captain when he lifted the Lions’ first League Championship trophy in 71 years. That was in 1981, and he achieved a European Cup win the following year, but his time at the club ended controversially.

After signing for Coventry City as a teenager in the late 1960s, Mortimer lined up against such legends as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best. From there he moved to Villa and became one of manager Ron Saunders’ most trusted players. He was in the dressing room for the most successful period in the club’s history but was frozen out by the chairman before his eventual exit.

He finished his playing career at Brighton & Hove Albion, Sheffield United and Villa’s bitter rivals Birmingham City, then moved into coaching.

In this autobiography, Mortimer lifts the lid on the highs and lows of his time at Villa and shares stories galore about the many characters he met through his life in football.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. September 2022. Hardcover: 320 pages)

 

Buy the book here: The Full Morty

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ONE IN A MILLION: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Trevor Francis with Keith Dixon

Compelling, entertaining and refreshingly honest, One in a Million is the autobiography of Trevor Francis, the subject of the first £1 million transfer fee in football history – a record for all time.

As a 16-year-old, Francis set a record as the youngest player to score four goals in a match, an early indication of an exceptional talent. And so his unique career journey would continue to unfold, encountering a seemingly endless succession of superlatives, larger-than-life characters and astonishing events.

Trevor played professionally not only in England but also in the USA and Scotland, in Italy and Australia. He gained 52 England caps and won the European Cup on his debut in the competition. He played his part in the English revolution at Glasgow Rangers and managed QPR, Crystal Palace, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City.

Thrillingly, Trevor takes the reader with him into dressing rooms, into boardrooms and on to the field of play. He has a true gift for memorable detail, providing a wealth of revelations and remarkable stories.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. April 2019. Hardcover: 256 pages)

 

Buy the book here: Trevor Francis

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Book Review – Troy Deeney: Redemption: My Story

For me, a great autobiography gives a reader a really authentic, honest insight into the individual and helps them understand that person more. When the subject of the autobiography is particularly complex and nuanced and someone you haven’t necessarily been able to connect with or relate to before, yet you come away from the book with recognition and perspective, that’s all the more telling of a successful autobiography, and in that respect Troy Deeney’s Redemption excels. Deeney is one of those players that is perhaps largely misunderstood, divisive and dismissed for those without a Watford affiliation and, certainly, I would be guilty of being drawn into this narrative, so I was really intrigued to read this book and came away from it with genuine renewed understanding for Deeney.

Across his career, the Birmingham-born striker has developed, or perhaps rather been tagged with, a persona as something of a rogue, a bit of a pest on the pitch and potentially disruptive off it, but as with any antihero story, there is a backdrop to it all, and Deeney’s is more telling than most in helping readers understand the people, places and events that shaped him, not least a tough upbringing after his biological father abandoned him and his mother and a stepfather not without serious flaws entered his life. The circumstances of Deeney’s younger years are truly eye-opening and, I think, do a lot to unravel Deeney’s character and personality, his bravado, his resilience and his tenacity. He speaks without censor about the challenges and adversity of his upbringing but conversely also with love and appreciation and it’s clear that his early years were both troubling and seminal in shaping, and continuing to shape, him.

Indeed, a large proportion of the book is given over to his life pre-football and even when football becomes a greater part of his story, it almost feels secondary in many ways to everything else that has happened. Football autobiographies can sometimes get bogged down in the minutiae of training, matches, dressing-room tales, but having come from where he’s come from, having been through what he’s been through, Deeney’s story is as much as, if not more so, about the journey, rather than the destination. That’s not to say, football is not central to his life, his passion, but it is part of a much bigger and more significant narrative. In many ways, this only makes Deeney’s rise to the footballing heights all the more miraculous and impressive.

He is the first to admit that he wasn’t necessarily the fastest, most skilful, most talented of footballers, but what he lacked in these areas, he made up for in graft, determination and drive. His is very much a success story for the hard-working, the underdog, the strong-willed. There is obviously talent there too, though perhaps underappreciated, but Deeney’s is above all a journey that underpins the argument that hard work pays off, that good things don’t come easy, that you have to make your own luck. This commitment to hard work, to fight against the odds, to battle his way to the top are attributes that have come to define Deeney the footballer as a tenacious, tough, tireless competitor. Qualities that have perhaps often been used against him, especially by opposition fans, yet qualities nonetheless that should be valued, and qualities that clearly stem from a tough start.

Deeney may be a menace on the pitch, he may antagonise and rile up defenders and fans alike, but being on the pitch, working hard to get there, to prove himself, to improve himself, to rise up from the challenges of his birthplace, of his upbringing, is a success story that shouldn’t be underestimated. He has his flaws, don’t we all, but what is so impressive is that he hasn’t allowed them to hold him back. If anything, he has channelled them, made the most of his attributes and compensated through hard work and determination. He refused to be defined by disadvantage, he refused to take the easy route, and that takes incredible conviction and dedication. It is easy to see that Deeney’s story could have been a very different one, if not for football and if not for his dedication to the game, and whether you love him or loathe him, reading his story, knowing his journey, you can’t take away how far he’s come and how much work that’s taken.

Jade Craddock

(Publisher: Cassell. September 2021. Hardcover: 304 pages)

 

Buy the book here: Troy Deeney

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Book Review: Nicklas Bendtner Both Sides

Nicklas Bendtner is perhaps not a major name in Premier League history and certainly not the icon he dreamt, even predicted, he’d become as a young boy head and shoulders above his compatriots in his homeland of Denmark.  More of a cult figure, and a problematic one at that, even for Arsenal fans, where he spent the majority of his career, though Bendtner’s name may not be amongst football’s Hollywood elite, his life story is definitely one more suited to the big screen as his autobiography Both Sides makes explicit. Indeed, his early prowess and his move to boyhood club Arsenal which promised much, followed by his larger-than-life antics and headline-making behaviour off the pitch reads like a quintessential Hollywood story of an outsider’s rags-to-riches ascent and eventual fall from grace, with so many outrageous episodes you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a movie script.

What makes Bendtner’s story all the more compelling is that the early days promised so much, and that old echo of ‘what if’, ‘what could have been’ sounds loudly in the background of the book. But this isn’t a book of ‘what if’ and Bendtner doesn’t get hung up on feeling sorry for himself, far from it, this is a book about what was, what has been, with Bendtner unflinchingly frank, to the point of blunt, in his assessments of every action on and off the pitch, the good, the bad and the ugly – and, really some of it is very ugly. Yet despite his wild antics and faux pas, Bendtner never comes across as malicious or bad-natured, rebellious, yes, wayward, certainly, headstrong, definitely, but not irredeemable. He is the impish child let loose in a fun fair, and fun he certainly has.

With Rune Skyum-Nielsen, the autobiography hits on a simple but effective formula of breaking down the chapters into various spans of years, which allows everything to be covered but also gives the flexibility to address some periods of Bendtner’s life in lesser detail and some in greater detail as required. This moves the book along nicely at a pace and gives the feeling of leaving nothing unturned. As too, do the details, memories and episodes that Bendtner includes, which are oftentimes genuinely jaw-dropping and eye-opening. Indeed, despite Bendtner’s reputation, which very much precedes him, thanks to several publicised fallings-out, misdemeanours and troubles, he could be forgiven for wanting to brush a lot under the carpet or at least gloss over it. And whilst in the world of social media where Bendtner’s every move has been detailed and every action scrutinised, obviously he wouldn’t have been able to rewrite himself as a saint, but should he have chosen, he could have handled his story very differently, focusing purely on on-the-pitch matters, for instance, to take the spotlight, the heat off everything else. But whatever you think of Bendtner, and opinions do seem very strong, the way he fronts up to even the darkest corners of his past and tackles things like alcohol, gambling, womanising and football culture head on – even if it doesn’t reflect the most positively on him – is unquestionable and his frank, unfiltered voice remarkable. A lot of autobiographies sadly seem sanitised to repair or cement a reputation, whilst others claim to be outspoken and honest. Bendtner’s is certainly not the former and is definitely the latter but in a way that exposes all others as mere child’s play. This isn’t so much warts and all, as warts, spots, lesions, blisters, blemishes – the whole graphic caboodle. I don’t think any other football book I’ve read, at least not in a long while, comes anywhere near close to Bendtner’s scrutiny. So whether you’re a fan or Bendtner or not, know a lot about him or a little, if it’s an unflinchingly honest behind-the-scenes insight into football and all of its trappings you want, this is the book for you.

His on-pitch story is covered well and is interwoven with his off-pitch life nicely, but there is no escaping the fact that it is his off-pitch world that sustains the reader in this book. And that perhaps sadly says it all about Bendtner’s career. Learning the true extent of off-field issues and troubles and his lifestyle makes for a seemingly entertaining read but in many ways it’s also poignant as he confronts betrayals, family breakdowns and trust. Alcohol, gambling and womanising are also central themes, and rather than be contrite or humbled, he is as frank and straightforward as ever. For those thinking the problem days of football were consigned to the past, the book comes as a real wake-up call to the continued issues that dog the sport and its players, particularly those like Bendtner, who seem, be it through quirks of character or personality or genetics, most susceptible.

Whilst Bendtner’s actions, particularly as he gets older, seem reprehensible, again there’s that question of ‘what if?’ hanging over it all, in terms of his early years in football and how perhaps he was handled – or possibly, rather, mishandled. Would a different approach perhaps have led to different results? Would he have continued to rival van Persie and Ibrahimovic as he had done for periods with a different coach, a different club, a different philosophy? And would he have achieved his ‘Golden Boot’ aims if he was given a different outlet off the pitch? Although there is no shying away from the fact that there are a lot of mistakes and misjudgements on Bendtner’s part, and a recognition of his challenges, the book raises the question of how football handles mercurial young talent. Bendtner is not the first, nor will he be the last, young footballer with prodigious potential but also a maverick character, with certain traits and predispositions, and yet football has never seemed to learn how to nurture and care for these individuals, allowing them often to self-destruct. Yes, there has to be a sense of individual responsibility but that comes later on and perhaps we need to ensure the football world does enough in the early stages to protect and steer all of its charges, not only those blessed with self-discipline and attentiveness, and to offer the necessary off-field support needed. Bendtner is clearly no angel, nor I suspect would he ever be or want to be, but it feels like his story wasn’t necessarily inevitable.

The final chapters do point to a changing man, as Bendtner, now 33, finds himself at a very different stage in his life, and possibly a very different reality to that he envisaged when he was ruling the pitches as a youngster in Denmark. However, it’s clear there is still a long way to go, and with retirement yet ahead of him, maybe the hardest part of his journey yet, when football is completely behind him. Sadly, this side of football is also still too often ignored and I imagine Bendtner’s story is replicated the world over, although not quite to the heights he reached. Call me naïve, but I find the ending of the book poignant and can’t help hoping that despite his demons, his bad press, his misadventures and plain bad mistakes, Bendtner finds the sort of peace and stability that seem to have eluded him all his life. Whatever you make of the man, and many I’m sure will find his life story unsavoury and disconcerting, it takes a certain degree of mettle to speak so candidly and to face up to such an errant past. This book is also a warning to young footballers, their parents and their coaches about the very real issues and distractions that remain in and around the game. Football is a game we know and love on the pitch, but off the pitch there is still a murkier side, albeit more concealed these days, and one way or another promising footballers like Bendtner can still get caught out.

Jade Craddock

 

(Monoray. October 2020. Paperback 346 pages)

 

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Book Review: It Shouldn’t Happen to a Manager – How to survive the world’s hardest job by Harry Redknapp

Since his stint in the Australian jungle on I’m a Celebrity last year, Harry Redknapp has fast become the nation’s favourite former football manager (unless, of course, you’re a Southampton fan – in which case however many critters Harry ate or dingo dollars he won, he’s probably still not on your Christmas card list). Whatever your thoughts on him, there’s no doubt that he’s certainly a character both on the touchline and off it, and if anyone has a story or two to tell from his footballing career, it’s Harry Redknapp.

Published in 2016, when he was better known as a football manager (still managing Jordan before going on to manage Birmingham City in 2017) rather than a ‘showbiz’ celebrity, It Shouldn’t Happen to a Manager (one of several books to have been published by Harry Redknapp and the most recent aside from his 2019 The World According to Harry) shares some of Harry’s stories from over five decades in football and his views on everything from agents to scouting to the modern obsession with sports science and stats. And, without doubt, there’s a sense in which Harry is one of the old guard of managers who belong to another era when footballers thought nothing of a post-match meal of fish and chips (and a pre-match pint or two), when managers could bawl players out without the threat of them storming off or calling in their agent, and when clubs couldn’t afford to put teams up in hotels for away matches let alone fly them by private jet.

Football has, inevitably, evolved and in lots of ways for the better, but Harry’s simple, common-sense attitude rings true on a number of fronts, not least in his insistence on the need to see a player live to judge them. Videos and stats can show you so much, but there’s nothing that compares to watching a player on a muddy pitch on a cold December day in England to see if they can hack it, as many fans will attest. Similarly, Harry’s concerns about the way that technology can get in the way of team spirit seems to be a simple but accurate truth. Whereas coach journeys, he says, used to be a great opportunity for players to bond, nowadays most players put their headphones on and don’t talk to anyone. He offers a perceptive point, too, about the amount of injuries in the modern game compared with earlier eras, despite the rise of sport science. Whilst he acknowledges the modern game is perhaps faster and more intense, he also points out the physicality of bygone eras, in which players kicked lumps out of each other on pitches that were more like dirt tracks than carpets.

Though in many ways Harry seems to be a product of a different time, in some ways he’s a timeless manager, not least in the emphasis he placed on player management and a holistic approach to understanding and managing individuals. Again, though, simplicity seems to be the key – as in the way he built his “tactics” on getting the ball to the best player! Although, I’m not entirely sure how successful this approach would be in motivating players who clearly know they’re not top dog – but it seemed to work at Bournemouth, Tottenham and Portsmouth. Harry also claims that the gap between divisions isn’t as wide as people think – whilst the quality may be noticeable between teams and leagues, there are individual players who are capable of playing higher up the football pyramid but have got stuck at a certain level. Similarly, Redknapp asserts there are players at top teams who struggle when dropping down the leagues. He seems to advocate the fact that there is a degree of luck, of being in the right place at the right time, on which footballers’ careers are made or broken. And, in much of what he says, Redknapp seems to hit the nail on the head.

In all, this is a really easy and enjoyable read from one of football’s last real characters. It sheds light on life as a football player and manager and the changing face of both. It also holds football’s past up against its present, highlighting the differences, both for better and for worse. At its crux, Redknapp maintains, football is a simple game, but the modern way seems to try and overcomplicate things and the old guard are at the risk of being left behind. But football’s loss has been entertainment’s gain in the form of Harry Redknapp, who comes across as an eminently likeable, straightforward and down-to-earth man – just the sort perhaps that seems to be missing in large part from football today.

Jade Craddock

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Book Review: Red Card Roy: Sex, booze and early baths – the life of Britain’s wildest-ever footballer by Roy McDonough with Bernie Friend

If ever there was a book which delivered based on its title, then this is it. As the Ronseal advert of the 1990’s famously proclaimed, “it does what it says on the tin.”

This rumbustious roller-caster of a story is without doubt a page turner and details the career of Roy McDonough who was good enough to score in the top-flight for Birmingham City, but then found himself careering around the lower professional ranks with clubs including Cambridge United, Colchester United, Exeter City, Southend United and Walsall.

One of the overriding observations as a reader and which McDonough discusses in the Epilogue, is how different his career could have been, with a number of key incidents shaping the eventual path of his years in the game.

At sixteen and on the books of Aston Villa, McDonough received a six month ban from the game after assaulting the referee, effectively ending his association with the Villa Park club. However, he was taken on by Birmingham City and after signing professionally made a couple of appearances at the end of the 1976/77 season, scoring in the final day of the campaign at QPR. His expected progression into a first-team regular in the following season never materialised and frustrated by the lack of opportunities moves onto Walsall, just as the striking pair at Birmingham are injured which would have seen McDonough back playing in the First Division.

The growing resentment and frustration at having missed out on playing in the top-flight and an unhappy season at Chelsea after leaving Walsall, saw McDonough increasingly seek comfort in ‘booze and birds’ and characterised his playing career as he had spells with Southend United (twice), Colchester United (twice), Exeter City and Cambridge United. Despite the excesses of his social life, McDonough comes across as a player who gave nothing less than 100% when crossing the white line, gaining cult status at Roots Hall and Layer Road and indeed had success earning promotions with Walsall and Southend United as a player and promotion and an FA Trophy win at Wembley with Colchester United as player-manager.

McDonough was undoubtedly a centre-forward and occasional centre-half in the old style of somebody who put themselves about and his physical approach to the game led to his record number of 22 red cards. As on the pitch, this book pulls no punches and reputations of some of the biggest names in football are scattered to the winds. For example, in his career McDonough was managed by Sir Alf Ramsey (at Birmingham City), Sir Geoff Hurst (at Chelsea) and Bobby Moore (at Southend United), yet it is only the England skipper Moore who emerges with any real respect.

This is a book written in the language of the dressing room so if you are looking for a read that is PC then this particular story isn’t for you. Ultimately, it is a tale of a player and a game from a different era and is about as far away from the sanitised product that is the Premier League as you can get.

 

 

 

 

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2011/12: FA Cup 4th Round – Sheffield United v Birmingham City

Friday 27 January 2012 (07.00 am)

Watford v Tottenham Hotspur  (7.45 pm)

Everton v Fulham (8.00 pm)

When the 2011/12 FA Cup Fourth Round begins on Friday night there will be two fixtures taking place. The first of these will see Watford take on Spurs at Vicarage Road. These two sides have met on four previous occasions in the FA Cup and Spurs have triumphed in all of them. Interestingly, the first two ever games between these clubs took place in the FA Cup. In January 1922 in the Second Round, Tottenham triumphed 1-0 at White Hart Lane and in 1939 an emphatic 7-1 win for Spurs in the Third Round. The most famous of the FA Cup meetings came in the 1986/87 season when the teams met in a Semi-Final tie at Villa Park. Tottenham finished comfortable 4-1 winners with Steve Hodge bagging a brace to add to goals from Clive Allen and Paul Allen. Malcolm Allen scored The Hornets goal. The last meeting between these team came in the Third Round in 1999 at Spurs, with the home side convincing 5-2 winners.

The other game will see Fulham travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton. For Fulham fans of a certain age this fixture will bring back memories of the Fifth Round tie that took place back in February 1975. A game which pitched then Second Division Fulham against the First Division leaders. It was to be an epic game that was part of an incredible 11 game journey by the men from Craven Cottage that took them to the 1975 FA Cup Final against West Ham United. Coincidentally, as was the case with Watford v Tottenham, the first two occasions Everton and Fulham met was also in the FA Cup. Everton first hosted Fulham in January 1926 in the Third Round. After a draw at Goodison, Fulham won the replay 1-0. It was over twenty years before these two clashed again, and on this occasion it was a Fifth Round tie in London in 1948. The game went to a replay and Fulham emerged 1-0 winners. In February 1975 and again at the Fifth Round stage, Fulham travelled to the North West and came away with a 2-1 victory courtesy of two Viv Busby goals. The last meeting was in the Fourth Round in 2004. The game at Goodison looked to be slipping away from Everton as they were behind 1-0 to a Sean Davis goal. However, in the dying minutes Francis Jeffers scored to ensure a replay. As in the first game Everton went behind and again Jeffers equalised in the dying minutes. However, Steed Malbranque was the Fulham hero as he scored to sent The Cottagers through 2-1.

Tonight then, two games where FA Cup history says that the winners will be Tottenham and Fulham. If only it were that simple.

 

Friday 27 January 2012 (11.00 pm)

Watford (0) – (1) Tottenham Hotspur

Everton (2) – (1) Fulham

Abba famously sang in their hit “Waterloo”, “…The history book on the shelf, Is always repeating itself…” Now, fine exponents of the pop song they may have been, but as for football pundits, well, the jury has to be out tonight. History said Tottenham hadn’t lost to Watford in the Cup and so it continued as Spurs came away from Vicarage Road with a 1-0 win. Rafael van der Vaart’s long range effort just before half-time gave Spurs the lead, but The Hornets provided their Premier League opponents with a real test in the second period. After the game Spurs manager Harry Redknapp acknowledged that his team had indeed ridden their luck to make it through to the Fifth Round. Unfortunately for Watford it was a case of “So Long” to this years competition.

Meanwhile on Merseyside, Fulham were at Goodison with their unbeaten FA Cup record over Everton at stake. It all looked good for The Cottagers when they went ahead through a Danny Murphy penalty. However, The Toffees worked their way back into the game and were level before the half-hour mark. Everton emerged the better side in the second-half and a header from Marouane Fellaini ensured their progress and Fulham’s exit.

“Hasta Manana”

 

Saturday 28 January 2012 (10:00 am)

Sheffield United v Birmingham City

It’s a case of back to Bramall Lane for the ‘trail’ game later today. January has been a mixed month in the League for The Blades, with two convincing wins, against Yeovil and Bury, offset by two losses to Carlisle United and last weekend at League leaders Charlton. Birmingham have gone unbeaten this month, drawing with Peterborough (1-1), followed by wins against Ipswich (2-1), Millwall (6-0) and Watford (3-0). Both clubs have to date had good seasons and they both occupy a play-off place in their respective divisions.

In terms of the FA Cup, this will be The Blades fourth tie this season and in the last round Sheffield United put an end to non-league Salisbury City’s adventure 3-1, whilst Birmingham put out Midlands rivals 1-0 in a replay at Molineux. These clubs have met previously in the FA Cup on three occasions and on each occasion Birmingham City have emerged as winners. The Blues won 2-1 in 1933/34, 3-1 after a replay in 1952/53, with the most recent tie in the 1983/84 season. In a Third Round tie at Bramall Lane, then Third Division Sheffield United held First Division Birmingham City to a 1-1 draw, before The Blues emerged 2-0 winners in the replay.

This is The Blades toughest test in the Cup this season and will be a good chance to compare themselves against Championship opposition.

 

Saturday 28 January 2012 (07:00 pm)

 Sheffield United (0) – (4) Birmingham City

The Blades FA Cup run came to an emphatic end at the hands of Birmingham City today. To an extent the score-line doesn’t reflect the part United played in this game, although they did at times contribute to their own downfall today. The Blades opened the game very positively and dominated the opening fifteen minutes. Ched Evans, Lee Williamson and Stephen Quinn were causing problems for Birmingham and with over 18,000 in the ground their was a terrific atmosphere inside Bramall Lane. However, with their first corner of the game, Nathan Redmond was picked out and his shot flashed into the net to give The Blues a lead against the run of play. Birmingham suddenly looked a different side, who seemed first to every loose ball and eager for more goals. The Blades were now playing far deeper and allowed The Blues space in midfield. On a couple of occasions Redmond drove at the United defence, but shot wastefully wide. Chris Burke too was coming more into the game and getting dangerously down the flanks. On 38 minutes Burke was involved in getting wide again and his cross was efficiently swept past Simonsen by Adam Rooney to put City 2-0 up, as they cruised towards half-time.

The Blades were first out the blocks in the second-half and dominated the opening ten minutes. Lee Williamson was again a threat to Birmingham as was the experienced Richard Cresswell with a couple of attempts on goal. However, Birmingham weathered the storm, and scored a third on 58 minutes. As they had done in the opening period The Blades backed off and backed off and Wade Elliot took advantage by firing home to put City 3-0 up and send the 4,000 travelling fans delirious. United continued to press, but could find no way past the City custodian Colin Doyle who was to keep a clean-sheet, despite some nervous looking handling all afternoon. With less than fifteen minutes remaining, a period of sustained Birmingham possession saw the ball switched into the six-yard box, where Adam Rooney tucked home his second and a fourth goal for The Blues. As some Blades fans drifted away at the last goal, so the match lost its earlier intensity and after 3 minutes of time added-on the referee blew for time.

On reflection, United will know they had their periods of pressure, but Birmingham were clinical and scored at crucial times. The Blades were somewhat unfortunate to play Birmingham at this point, as the side from St Andrews are running into a bit of form latterly. Danny Wilson will not have the Cup as a distraction now and instead must look to focus his side and ensure they are ready to battle for promotion. City will look forward to the next round and keep their own chances of promotion on the boil.

I’d like to put on record my thanks to Sheffield United as a club for their pricing policy throughout the FA Cup this year. The total cost for the four games I have seen at Bramall Lane has only been £45 and it has been a privilege to have witnessed the four game adventure. Good luck to The Blades in their promotion push.

 

Sunday 29 January 2012 (7.00 pm)

Sunderland (1) – (1) Middlesbrough

In the first of the two final games of the Fourth Round, the Wear-Tees derby took place at The Stadium of Light in front of a crowd of over 33,000. It proved to be a no-nonsense game that you would expect from such close Northeast neighbours. The visitors struck first when on 16 minutes, Barry Robson brilliantly gave Boro’ the lead. However, hero turned villain, when Robson gave away possession which lead to a goal for substitute Fraizer Campbell who made a goal-scoring return after 18 months out injured.

 

Arsenal (3) – (2) Aston Villa

At half-time this game seemed only to be going one way and that was a Cup exit for Arsenal. Villa had gone ahead through Richard Dunne on 33 minutes and were seemingly cruising at 2-0 when Darren Bent scored on the stroke of half-time. However, the game all turned in a frantic seven minute spell. On 54 minutes Aaron Ramsey was brought down by goal-scorer Dunne and from the resulting penalty Robin van Persie gave The Gunners a way back into the game. Three minutes later and the game was all square when Theo Walcott was credited with a scrappy looking goal, not that the Emirates faithful cared. The comeback was complete on 61 minutes, this time the other Villa scorer, Bent conceded the penalty, and Captain Fantastic did the rest from the spot. They always say you need a bit of luck to win the Cup. Arsenal will certainly hope so.

In the remaining “trail” game not covered so far, Bolton Wanderers made it through to the Fifth Round after a 2-1 home win over Swansea City. Luke Moore put the visitors ahead on 43 minutes, but The Swans couldn’t hang on to their lead until the half-time whistle. In time added-on, Darren Pratley headed in from a Martin Petrov free-kick. The game was won on 56 minutes when Gerhard Tremmel, the Swansea reserve keeper couldn’t hold a Petrov shot and Chris Eagles gleefully slotted home the loose ball.  

After the draw the Fifth Round “trail” fixtures are as follows:

 

Everton v Blackpool/Sheffield Wednesday

Chelsea v Birmingham City

Sunderland/Middlesbrough v Arsenal/Aston Villa

Millwall/Southampton v Bolton Wanderers

 

So Wembley is a step closer and as those football pundits from Abba once said, “…the winner takes it all, the loser has to fall…”

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FA Cup Semi-Finals 2010/11: That was then – this is now….

FA Cup Semi-Final 1975

05 April 1975 – just another Saturday for most people, but for a 12 year old boy this was a day that was almost too incredible to believe was happening. It was FA Cup Semi-Final day and his beloved Fulham were within a game of reaching the FA Cup Final for the first time in their history. Second Division Fulham were up against First Division Birmingham City, Trevor Francis et al.

The Cottagers previous attempts in reaching the FA Cup Final had all ended in failure. In their first season in the Football League (1907-08), the team progressed to the Semi-Final after victories over Luton Town (8-3), Norwich City (2-1), Manchester City (3-1 in a replay) and Manchester United (2-1). However, the Semi-Final at Anfield against Newcastle United proved a game too far and Fulham slumped to an FA Cup Semi-Final record 6-0 defeat.

It was 28 years before the men from Craven Cottage reached the Semi-Finals again in 1935-36. The journey which never saw Fulham leave London contained wins over Brighton & Hove Albion (2-1), Blackpool (5-2), Chelsea (3-2 in a replay) and Derby County (3-0). For the first time during the Cup run the Cottagers had to travel away from the capital and they were duly beaten 2-1 by Sheffield United.

In 1957-58 Fulham hoped it was third time lucky in the Semi-Finals after victories against Yeovil Town (4-0), Charlton Athletic (2-0 in a replay), West Ham United (3-2) and Bristol Rovers (3-1). Their opponents were Manchester United, a club still coming to terms with the Munich disaster just 6 weeks after the event. The first game ended 2-2 at Villa Park and in the replay at Highbury, Fulham again failed to reach Wembley after a 5-3 defeat.

Just four years later, Fulham were back in Semi-Final action. Hatlepools United were dispatched in the 3rd Round 3-1 at the Cottage and Walsall were overcome 2-0 in a replay in Round Four. Round Five and Port Vale were beaten 1-0 and in Round Six a replay was required to see off Blackburn Rovers by the same score. Burnley were the opposition at Villa Park and Graham Leggat’s first half goal gave Fulham the lead going into the interval. However the advantage was quickly wiped out as John Connelly levelled for the Clarets. Once again a replay was required and once again Fulham came up short. A brace from Jimmy Robson put the Lancastrians on their way to Wembley as Jim Langley’s 90th minute goal was nothing more than a late consolation.

It was against this backdrop of Semi-Final failure that the Fulham faithful travelled north to Hillsborough in April 1975. My recollection of the day is dominated by a number of things. In my early teens I was not a great passenger when travelling by car as I was prone to travel sickness. So the journey up the M1 had me eating and drinking very little and sat clutching a carrier bag in case of emergencies. I also remember having a new rosette for the game which my mum had bought me. Black and white crinkled ribbon circled a silver foil replica of the most famous Cup in the World and a neatly printed piece of cardboard sat proudly below showing “FULHAM FC” in black block capitals. I remember too us parking near a massive estate of tower blocks and the walk to the ground. It was the biggest crowd I’d been part of, nearly 55,000.

Of the game itself, well the size of the ground, the noise of both sets of fans, the colour, the excitement and the tension of the occasion are all fresh in my memory. Fulham dominated and should have been ahead at the break, but then our reward came early in the second half with a wonder-strike from John Mitchell. We were going to Wembley for the first time and I was going to witness the historic moment. And then Fulham’s Semi-Final hoodoo struck again as Joe Gallagher brought the Blues level. Once again a replay was required. I cut a rather forlorn figure in the back of the car as I clutched my sick bag and we headed away from Sheffield. History shows that four days later Fulham broke their Semi-Final jinx in the last minute of extra time at Maine Road with possibly the luckiest, scrappiest, scruffiest, Semi-Final goal ever. Unfortunately I had to settle for listening to the game on the radio, but we were there and that was enough for me. Wembley beckoned for the FA Cup Final.

Roll forward to this weekend and it’s Semi-Final time again. However, these days things are very different. The games no longer take place on the same day. Both games are shown live on television and both take place at Wembley. I don’t agree with it. Wembley is the reward for the Finalists. That day in 1975 was special because a Semi-Final then had its own unique atmosphere – travelling to a neutral venue was like one foot on the podium. Now the podium has been flattened and in my opinion contributed to the devaluing of the FA Cup. I feel sorry for fans having to travel all the way down to London and all the costs and hassle that will involve to suit the needs of television and the FA’s Wembley debt. I know a Stoke fan who is caught in a quandary like many will be this weekend. He has a family to support, so going to both the Semi-Final and Final is not a financial option. What does he do? Does he gamble on not going this weekend and hope that the Potters get to the Final and then scramble for a ticket? Or does he go to the Semi knowing that if they win he won’t be able to see them in the Final?

For me football is no longer for the fans, it’s about the powers that be in positions of authority, whether that be the FA or the media organisations. Tradition? They have killed it and frankly they don’t care if they do. I’m glad I was able to experience the heritage and romance of the FA Cup back in 1975, because that now belongs to a different era and I’ll always cherish that day in April, 36 years ago.

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1974/75: Bridge Over Troubled Water

My match day experience is not complete unless I am able to get a programme. Over the years there have been just four games when this has happened. Thanks to the Internet the ability to try and get hold of those missing programmes has become easier. Just this week I managed to track down one of the missing four. The game in question was an FA Cup 4th Round game between Chelsea and Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge in 1975. One of the things about programmes for me is the memories that they evoke, in the same way songs, smells or photographs do for other people. They are in their own way a piece of social history. But it is also for me about being there, the shared experience and a confirming of your existence.

So it was a real joy to get my hands on the programme and get the nostalgic juices flowing. The cost of admission that day for standing was 50p (adults) and 25p (juniors), with the programme 10p and seats ranging from 80p to £2.00 – that seems incomprehensible when you consider that a programme alone currently at many Premier League and Championship clubs is at least £3.00.

Looking inside I found the results section and details of the game from the previous Saturday (details below):

Division One – Saturday 18th January 1975 (Attendance: 34,733)

Chelsea: Phillips, Locke, Harris, Hollins, Hinton, Hay, Kember, Wilkins, Garland, Hutchinson, Cooke. Substitute (Did not play): Stanley

Leeds United: Harvey, Reaney, Gray (F), Bremner, McQueen, Madeley, McKenzie, Clarke (Yorath), Lorimer, Giles, Gray (E).

On a near waterlogged pitch and in incessant rain, Chelsea contributed to a fine match, but conceded the season’s double to the reigning Champions. Harvey made magnificent saves from Hollins and Wilkins in the first half. When Leeds were opened wide by Kember’s brilliant free-kick, scooped over the “wall” to Hay, he pulled his shot wide. McKenzie shot the first goal after 32 minutes, when Clarke headed down Eddie Grays’s cross. Clarke (pulled hamstring) was substituted early second half by Yorath, who from close range, netted Leeds’ second ten minutes from the end, when Philips pushed up Frank Gray’s cross-shot.

I realised that I had been at that game and had gone along with a friend from school. It was the first time I had seen Leeds United “in the flesh” – the reigning Champions. I was in awe of the Leeds names on display in what was a traumatic season for the club. For Leeds United 1974/75 started with the rather less than glorious 44 day stewardship of Brian Clough and ended with the great rock and roll swindle that was the European Cup Final in Paris. For Chelsea it was no better either as the season ended in relegation.

Elsewhere in the programme for the Chelsea v Birmingham games were details of the other FA Cup games taking place. It then dawned on me that I wasn’t meant to be at Stamford Bridge at all. There in black and white was listed Fulham v Nottingham Forest (then managed by Brian Clough). However, the rain has put pay to us attending that game and so the short journey to Chelsea was made instead. My other abiding memory of the day relates to the end of the game. Birmingham had secured a 1-0 win and as my dad and I left the ground, somebody in front with a radio was relaying the action from Elland Road where Leeds United had been awarded a penalty against Wimbledon. We all stopped in our tracks and waited for the spot kick to be taken and gasped as we shared the news that Dickie Guy had saved Peter Lorimer’s penalty.

Interestingly I was to watch Birmingham City in action later that season. Quite incredibly it was again in the FA Cup at Hillsborough, as a Fulham side containing Alan Mullery and Bobby Moore drew 1-1 with the Midlands team, before winning the replay and getting to their only FA Cup to date. Like Leeds in Paris, Fulham succumbed to a 2-0 nil defeat, although not in such controversial manner.

Finally, just as I was putting the programme away, my eye caught the date the Chelsea match took place. Saturday 25th January 1975. The relevance of that date? 20 years later my son Liam was born. One date, so many memories.

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Leeds United FA Cup 1972 (Part 1)

“On what grounds are you applying to read English at Liverpool of all places?” my mystified English teacher asked me. How could I tell him the grounds were Anfield and Goodison Park?

I was studying at Liverpool University the year Leeds United won the Cup. I had applied there for the sole reason that Leeds played in the city twice a year (London, with five games, had turned me down). I wasn’t able to get back for the Third Round tie against Bristol Rovers but when we were drawn at Liverpool, it made my going there worthwhile.

A group of us went to the match and arrived at the ground as soon as the gates opened at midday. That might seem a little keen for a 3.00 pm kick off but the match was not all ticket and by one o’clock, the Anfield Road Stand was completely full with a majority of Leeds fans separated from a large minority of Scousers by the thin blue line of Bobbies. Sways and surges up and down the terracing meant that we lost one friend, carried off by a particularly high wave. We didn’t see him again until in the pub afterwards. My main memory of a close, tense affair was being sandwiched in the packed terraces of a 56,000 crowd, with no possibility of moving anywhere. Somebody nearby had a pork pie dashed from his hands and I spent an entire 45 minutes sliding around on its gristly lubrication before somehow escaping to dry land. It was not a great match but we survived to take them back to Elland Road.

The replay was an afternoon kick off so because of the ‘Three Day week’. I had to forego the pleasures of Charles Dickens and also of the Metaphysical poets. Lectures had to somehow manage without me as I desperately thumbed a lift home. Since the fair city of Liverpool invented the ‘sickie’, it was only right for me to employ one on this occasion. The match ended in 2-0 win, we were the better team and it was goodbye to our friends from Merseyside.

Success in the Fifth Round gave us a home tie against Tottenham, the last team to beat us in any competition. Much has been said and written about the thumpings Leeds gave Manchester United and Southampton prior to the Cup game. Yes, they were thumpings but for me the win against Spurs was the best that team ever played because Tottenham Hotpsur were a good side and they actually played very well. Leeds were magnificent and stormed back after conceding a fluky goal. Birmingham City were then swept aside in the Semi-Final and that set up an encounter with the previous season’s double winners, Aresenal.

 

Author: Graeme Garvey

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