Football in the seventies

[richie17]

Those of you who watched it back then, how would you describe it?

I know the media like to portray it as an era of hard-men and fancy dans, but what was the main footballing narrative of football in the seventies?  Is it all about Leeds/Revie/Clough/Derby/Forest, with Paisley's Liverpool side coming through later on?

cheers
rich

[MJG]

Just a few thoughts:

For me growing up(late 70's) as a kid it was the Big events, Cup Final Day, 1978 WC, Liverpool & Forest in Europe.
Finding Fulham in 1978 after my dad had taken me on and off for almost 10 years before and then it all finally clicked into place.
Football was a lot dirtier then (not only the tackles) the pitches were mud bath's, the kits got dirty, the quality of football (skill levels) & fitness was lower even at the highest level.
More clubs were in with a chance than today, you could go up all 4 divisions without a lot of investment.

Match of the Day & The Big Match were must watch TV.

[Burt]

I was 6 years old when I started going in the early 70s and my memories are pretty much in line with MJG.

Additional thoughts:
- There seemed to be more "characters" in the game back then.
- There were less overseas players.
- The game hadn't been corrupted by Sky (no silly wages, no daft transfer fees, everyone played at 3pm on Saturday).
- 2 points for a win in those days...

[CorkedHat]

Everything that Mr Burt has said is true.
I would add that in  the Seventies crowd hooliganism was more rife, players had more respect for the referee and it wasn't until the influx of foreign players did we see the antics of diving and going down like a sack of spuds at the slightest nudge.
Managers like Shankly and Clough were larger than life.
It wasn't until 1978 did we see a black player turn out for England and one of the all time great players, Albert Johanneson of Leeds was one of the first high-profile black players of any nationality to play top-flight football in England. He was racially vilified in virtually every match in which he played, not only by the crowd but by his opponents too.
When Alec Stock took Fulham to the Cup Final in 1975 our team was made up of ten English born players and an Irishman.
I guess we'll never see an era like that again 092.gif

[jarv]

The 70s, for me, were great.

1. 1975, Fulham in cup final.
2. Fulham's 70s teams, excellent entertainment. (Until campbell took over).
3. England had some real flair players and were well worth the entrance money.
4. Entrance money.....very reasonable.
5. Clough's Forest, great team, similar to Arsenal at their best today. (stretching it a bit I know).
6. My beloved Scotland had some truly great players and always qualified for the big ones.
7. George Best and Rodney Marsh join Fulham. Lets not forget Bobby Moore and Alan Mullery either.

8. Last but not least, I was in my 20s and playing football at a decent standard.

HAPPY DAYS    082.gif

[Burt]

I have to say that whilst some aspects of the game have gone downhill (money, scheduling, respect, etc.) there have been big improvements in other areas...notably respect and diversity.

I always wonder what Paul Parker thought of his song...whilst the Fulham faithful sung it with no malicious intentions behind it, to refer to him as "Fulham Black, Fulham White, Fulham Nigger" even in those times struck me as pretty abusive.

Glad we don't have to put up with that sort of nonsense any more. Although it still seems rife in certain parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

[finnster01]

My thoughts from 1975 and onwards the rest of the decade in addition to what has already been said:

1) Every team had a "hard-man", some two. Prehaps Fulham less so, but it was the decade of hard barstewards. They got away with it though. Wasn't so much the refs letting them as the Urban Legends that was spun around some players. Back then the players policed themselves.
2) Hooliganism was there and more rife as Mr CorkedHat says, but not the same as early/mid eighties. But you could easily see where that was all going to end up back then. Starting with thrashing trains, acting provocative etc. Nobody nipped it in the bud when they probably could have.
3) And yes, a "foreign" player back then was typically a Scot or the odd Irish chap.
4) Home country internationals that always turned out massive games but also fair bit of trouble.

[Burt]

4) Home country internationals that always turned out massive games but also fair bit of trouble.

Scotland's invasion of Wembley! The crossbar never recovered...

[LBNo11]

...BOVVER..!

[Motspur]

Football was played on a Saturday and midweeks were either Tuesday or Wednesday. There was one live (domestic) game on per year and that was the cup final which was why it was a big event. The whole day was devoted to it - Cup Final It's a knockout, Breakfast with the teams, Road to Wembley etc.

TV was restricted to Match of the Day (mostly Saturday nights) and the Big Match (Sunday afternoons) which did not do Div 1 exclusively. We were often the feature match on Sundays and the variety was great. Coverage on TV was not oversaturated, which made it all the more exciting when a game was on tv. The Big Match was mainly aimed at London teams. Football was followed by portable radios ('terrace trannys') and the Evening Standard on Saturday evenings.

As has been said, there were characters in the game and these people really did have a pull factor. I turned up to the Cottage after being sick on the way to the ground just to see Billy Bremner turn out for Hull. Frank Worthington, Eddie & Frank Gray et al all had the same effect (not making me sick but anticipation of them playing).

Hooliganism was commonplace and the shops were boarded up on Fulham High Street when Chelsea, Man Utd. or Leeds came to play. The thing was that those were all big clubs and they all got relegated so there was a much less significant gap between the haves and have nots. When we played them the Scotch Guards and other bads used to play which signified it was a really big game.

At that time there was sod all else to do other than football (especially for clubs out of London) so the likes of Bristol Rovers, City, Forest, West Brom, Pompey, Wolves, Cardiff, Swansea etc. would pack the Putney End and it made for a gret atmosphere and an occasion.

Great memories and in a number of ways, football had more to offer the fan then but equally, there were many not so desirable parts of the 'matchday experience'.  

[Lighthouse]

Football was everything. I would skive off work to see home games and phone in sick for away games. I worked every other Saturday from 75 onwards. Before then I would go to all the away games in the North where I lived. It was a religion it was pride. It was us against them. Or more likely me against them as there were few Fulham fans if any where I lived. The game was affordable.

The game was simple. Every team played the same formation with a few exceptions. There were characters and players you loathed. Liverpool fans were scum as were United and Leeds. But Leeds were never that brave. Man United fans were fun until the scum element took over and you ducked out of the way. One was always wary of Liverpool fans. They were sneaky, dirty, two faced. The press loved them, football fans loathed them.

The game was simple and a pleasure and a pain. I used to come back from Fulham on a bad day and want to open the train door and step into oblivion. Now it means less. The players are millionaires and I care but wouldn't  090.gif.

Football was once everything. Now it is a business. Fulham just happen to be one with a heart.

[Holders]

I think it was, by and large, more honest and enjoyable than now. Yes, the fitness levels weren't so high and pitches could be mud baths but I think I enjoyed it more - and you could get in for 65p.

[jarv]

Despite the so called "hard tackles" (and they were), the players on the receiving end  (George best, Eddie Gray, Charlie Cooke, Mick Channon etc.) just got up and got on with it. I think the lads on the receiving end were the real hard men.
Anyone remember Dave Thomas (I think played for qpr). Fast is lightning, tricky as hell, socks rolled down, NO SHINGUARDS. :dft002:

[Burt]

I liked being able to stand in the end that the team were kicking towards.

One half of the match in the Putney End, the other in the Hammersmith End.

[Rupert]

Can't add much to the above, just surprised nobody has mentioned the half time scoreboard. A wonderful piece of equipment, there was one in the Hammersmith End and another somewhere else (help, memory is going, can't recall exactly where) with the letters A - F and a series of coloured lights. Each letter and colour referred to a match, and so if A red showed 1 - 3 then a glance at the programme revealed that (for example) Arsenal were getting thumped by Leeds.
Other grounds had much more mundane ways, for example I saw one London ground (QPR or Chelsea, probably) where there were letters printed on a pitch-side hoarding and some old geezer ambled along just after half time hanging numbers on hooks to show the scores.

We also had an announcer (I think he was in the Cottage itself as I don't recall ever seeing him pitchside) who would call out the half-times, and at some point he would ask, "Are there any Chelsea fans here today?" We still had some who would go to the Cottage one week and Stamford Bridge the next, so there were always a smattering of cheers, then he'd read out their score to cheers or jeers from the rest of us. It seemed a lot more civilised than now, for all the hooliganism issues.

Somehow, Diddy reading the scores out just isn't the same.

[MOR :]

Keepers wearing a green shirt with the same shorts and socks as the rest of the team.
Keepers rolling the ball along the floor in the area and running after it, then picking it up again.
Muddy pitches
Refs looking as fat and old as your grandad
Numbers from 1 to 11 with one sub with 12 on his back
The number 12 standing out like a sore thumb cos hes the only player with a sparkling clean kit.
2 points for a win
Not even thinking about how much it cost to get in the game or buy a programme, cos it wasn't much more than a couple of beers.
Manager's in a big sheepskin coats,
Football Coaches in a skintight tracksuit.
Not having any idea how long the ref is going to add on.
Sky Blue Disabled Cars at the side of the pitch.
Players with beards.
Match of the Day on at 10pm after Starsky & Hutch (only football on TV except Sportsnight).
The playground mantra of ''Got it , Got it , Got it '' when looking for swapsies for Panini Football Stickers.
The smell of linament...do they not use it anymore or was it me near the front who could smell it?
Silk Scarves round your neck , woolly bar scarves round wrists.
Football specials - why don't they bring these back? Best thing ever.
What ever happened to white dog muck?

[Ron Sheepskin]

Mud.
Bloke selling bags of monkey nuts on the terraces.
The surge down the terraces when your team scored.
When rattles were a sign of appreciation, not a weapon.
Throwing toilet rolls at the goal.
The sheer wonder of seeing 'them skilful continental players' like Liam Brady.
FA Cup final day starting at 9 am with the reporters telling us what the players had for breakfast.

and:

Manager's in a big sheepskin coats,

:Haynes The Maestro:

[finnster01]

Forgot one: The wonderful feeling of hot liquid falling down my leg by some numpty behind me  :020:

[dgnffc]

Can't add much to the above, just surprised nobody has mentioned the half time scoreboard. A wonderful piece of equipment, there was one in the Hammersmith End and another somewhere else (help, memory is going, can't recall exactly where) with the letters A - F and a series of coloured lights. Each letter and colour referred to a match, and so if A red showed 1 - 3 then a glance at the programme revealed that (for example) Arsenal were getting thumped by Leeds.
Other grounds had much more mundane ways, for example I saw one London ground (QPR or Chelsea, probably) where there were letters printed on a pitch-side hoarding and some old geezer ambled along just after half time hanging numbers on hooks to show the scores.

We also had an announcer (I think he was in the Cottage itself as I don't recall ever seeing him pitchside) who would call out the half-times, and at some point he would ask, "Are there any Chelsea fans here today?" We still had some who would go to the Cottage one week and Stamford Bridge the next, so there were always a smattering of cheers, then he'd read out their score to cheers or jeers from the rest of us. It seemed a lot more civilised than now, for all the hooliganism issues.

Somehow, Diddy reading the scores out just isn't the same.

Before the Riverside stand was built there was a row of flags with a hut in the middle of the terrace. It was on top of this hut that said scoreboard stood. The row of flags used to be for each other first division team (premiership in the sixties) until we got relegated. Our wonderful chairman Tommy Trinder decided that we wouldn't stay down long enough for it to be worth buying a set of Division 2 flags; he was proved correct as, unfortunately, we were in that division only one season but were relegated rather than promoted.

Also playing on snow-covered pitches where they just swept the snow off and cleared the grass completely only around the line markings.