On the eve of the new season, the last US
ground combat unit quit Vietnam. But Hanoi was in no hurry to make a deal. Having won most
of the propaganda battles, the North Vietnamese leaders knew that the heat was on Nixon.
With his public restive and a re-election campaign imminent, Nixon realised he had to
reach a quick settlement. So while Kissinger talked of peace with honour, he
was prepared to allow the B52s to flatten a path to the peace table. Not that the 1973
deal in Paris did South Vietnam much good. Starved of US military might, it quickly
capitulated to the Norths nationalist ambitions. Many Americans were quite
unconcerned by this point. They were ready to settle for peace at any price. Maverick
chess genius Bobby Fischer might have been an exception, though. For him the World Chess
Championship match with Soviet Grandmaster Boris Spassky was something akin to World War
III.
As for Britain, they had they had their own international conflict
to resolve. This was the spat with Iceland over fishing rights. Cod might not move in
mysterious ways, but the Icelandic gunboats certainly did. In September two British
trawlers were sunk. Although the Royal Navy was called in, the Icelanders were not
deterred. Courageously, recklessly the Icelandic gunboats continued to cut the
trawlers nets right under the noses of the protecting frigates, darting back and
forth in alarming but brilliant high seas raids.
Then of course there was terrorism. 1972 was a big year for
terrorists. Black September stormed the Olympic compound in Munich, eventually killing all
nine Israeli hostages. Twenty-six were killed at Tel Aviv airport by three kamikaze
Japanese hit men. Januarys Bloody Sunday prompted the IRA to escalate
their campaign of violence. The Aldershot bombing followed in February and soon mainland
high streets would experience the force of the IRA. Heaths imposition of direct rule
from Westminster in March was intended to break down the log jam between the Loyalists and
the SDLP. It was meant to be a prelude to power sharing. The IRAs announcement of a
cease-fire in June even gave brief cause for hope. It was a false dawn. Within two weeks,
British troops were back in open confrontation with sectarian factions on both sides.
Whereas on the continent, the arrest of Ulrike Meinhof brought the Baader-Meinhof reign of
terror to an end.
According to Simon Frith, 1972 was the year when the "rock /
pop division seemed absolute." In the blue corner we had "middle-class rock
pretentious and genteel, obsessed with the accumulation of expertise and
equipment." To illustrate just how pretentious some progressive rockers
could become, Jon Lord of Deep Purple announced, without the faintest hint of irony,
"Were as valid as anything by Beethoven." Hmm. And in the red corner there
was working-class pop banal and commercially driven. This was always a
snobbish distinction, often churned out by plodding prog rockers. Stand up,
Whispering Bob Harris ('The Old Grey Whistle Test'). Sure, Yes or Emerson,
Lake and Palmer were of a different order to the Osmonds or David Cassidy. But was this
difference based in quality or just style? Where did black music sit? And where, for that
matter, did T Rex, Status Quo, Slade, 10CC or Roxy Music fit in? Mind you, we cant
dodge the issue of quality. Take the case of Little Jimmy Osmond and his 'Long Haired
Lover From Liverpool'. Surely, Jimmy provided the biggest challenge yet to our abhorrence
of child abuse?
As for David Bowie, he seemed oblivious to type, constantly
re-inventing himself. Always driven more by individuality than by badge or cause, neither
his campness nor bisexuality held a torch for Gay Liberation. Arty image-hopping was more
his thing. His resurrection of Iggy Pop was a curious departure, though. The Stooges
nihilistic high-octane rock seemed quite unconnected with Bowies more mannered work.
And yet Bowie was turned on by Iggys savage energy. The 1973 album 'Raw Power' was
the fruit of their collaboration. Try listening to Iggys remix, though. It scuttles
along like a stabbed rat, an angry, proto-punk classic, much like the best from the MC5
('Kick Out The Jams'). It makes you realise how poorly served Iggy was by Bowies
original production.
Bowie was the big style guru, too. He needed to be. The seventies
was a fashion holocaust. Remember the Laura Ashley stuff? The long dresses with flowery
patterns and high necks? All very Beatrix Potter. Retro, rural and as fetching as a
cows bum. The blokes had the worse deal, though. Take the thin checked jackets with
the wide lapels, the florid shirts, the blinding kipper ties, the rainbow Tank
Tops and the ever-widening flares. Did we abandon mirrors in 1971? Had we no shame?
Jimmy Adamson seemed fairly shameless. Having put the mockers on the
1970/71 season with his expansive claim, in the summer of 1972 he was at it again. His
pre-season boast was, "I think well be among the promotion contenders."
There didnt seem too much to support his claim. The 1971-72 season had been a huge
disappointment. After a good start, the Clarets had faded badly. With the miners holding
Heath to ransom, there had been little cheer in that chilly winter of power cuts.
Unsurprisingly, interest tailed off. There were growing cries for Adamsons
resignation, too. By mid April less than 9,000 were turning up. Admittedly, Adamsons
fortunes changed towards the close of the season. The last six games were won, but this
only secured Burnley seventh position.
Neither Kindon nor Thomas had featured in the revival. Their days
seemed numbered. Kindon was sold to Wolves in the summer for £100,000. Thomas
departure was merely delayed. Harry Potts finally upped sticks. He received a £28,000 pay
off, having given fourteen years continuous service as manager and upstairs.
John Angus called it a day, too. But not all moves had been outgoing. Adamson added two
new aces to his pack, goalkeeper Alan Stevenson for £50,000 and international full back
Keith Newton for free. Their contribution would be immense.
The pre-season form was uninspired. The home Watney Cup tie with
third division Bristol Rovers drew over 10,500. Although Burnley played their strongest
team, minus the listed Thomas, they were a poor second to the bubbling Rovers (0-2). Bruce
Bannister of Smash and Grab fame (the name that would be given to
his 1973/74 scoring partnership with Alan Warboys) nailed the Clarets with the second
goal. The game had been highlighted on 'Match of the Day'. Perhaps thats why seven
hundred fewer supporters turned up for the opening home game with Carlisle. Again, Burnley
did not do themselves justice but they came from behind twice to seize a point. Due to
Proberts injury, Thomas was given a final opportunity to impress. Another point was
taken from Craven Cottage before table-topping Aston Villa came to Turf Moor on 26th
August. It was the day on which the twentieth Olympic Games opened in Munich. Alice Cooper
topped the singles charts with 'Schools Out' and Plod Stewarts 'Never A Dull
Moment' was the best selling album. It was also the day when the Clarets stopped
under-performing.
As at Fulham, Leighton James gave Burnley a flying start. In only
the second minute, he picked up a pass from Thomas on the edge of his own penalty area.
Setting off on an accelerating sixty yard run, James evaded defender after defender as he
homed in on goal, but instead of going for glory he released Doug Collins, on the left
side of the Villa box. Collins instant left footed drive barely left the ground as
it whistled past Jimmy Cumbes (1-0). However, Villa were soon back in the hunt. At left
back, Charlie Aitken lofted a long ball into the Burnley area. Combative as ever, Andy
Lochhead headed powerfully across goal and there at the far post was Chico Hamilton, who
squeezed the ball past Stevenson (1-1). Keith Newton then showed that anything his
opposite number could do, he could do just as well. Supporting Collins on the left
touchline, Newton flighted a cross into the area, Casper headed down and Fletcher, placed
centrally, blasted a volley in from eighteen yards before Cumbes could twitch (2-1).
Thomas then decided to get in on the act. Having taken a short corner on the left, Thomas
received the ball back from Casper. Dribbling past two Villa defenders, Thomas reached the
by-line and crossed perfectly to the near post for Dobson to outjump Aitken and head in
(3-1).
At half-time Burnley left the field to rapturous applause. Burnley
then completed a magnificent quartet late in the game. Stevenson cleared long and high
into the Villa half. Fletcher headed on, leaving Casper to rifle a shot into the far
corner (4-1). Now there was belief. Now Jimmy Adamsons boast didnt seem at all
silly. In fact, he won the Bells Second Division Manager of the Month Award after
victories over Preston and Portsmouth (both 2-0) had taken Burnley to the top.
In September, Burnley fell back into third place after a series of
draws. They also nearly let a four goal lead slip against Blackpool (4-3). The month ended
with a fixture at a gloriously sunny Kenilworth Road. It was in a week when dispossessed
Ugandan Asians began flooding into Britain, having been expelled by that decent
chap Idi Amin. It was in a week when Heath proposed a voluntary pay and incomes
policy in an attempt to curb the inflationary pay demands of the miners and power workers.
It was the day on which T Rexs 'Children of the Revolution' was number one.
Again, Leighton James was the inspiration. His outrageous thirty
yard effort dipped and bent but somehow squirmed through Willie Carricks hands to
give Burnley an early lead. But Luton were soon back on terms after Collins was penalised
for hands. John Aston tucked away the resulting penalty. At half-time it was
1-1. In the second period, Colin Waldron returned Carricks compliment with a
disastrous pass back, which totally stranded Stevenson. Vic Halom pounced to put Luton
into the lead. Burnleys first league defeat then seemed inevitable. But we reckoned
without James. Shrugging off the booing, James cut in from the right and unleashed a
fierce dipping drive. This time Carrick had no chance as the ball flashed into his right
corner (2-2). Just as James star was rising, Thomas was falling. Within three
weeks he would be on his way to QPR for £165,000. Immediately afterwards, Bob Lord
announced that the club would proceed with earlier plans to build a £200,000 stand on the
Brunshaw Road site.
On October 7th Burnley returned to the top when they beat
Swindon 2-1 at Turf Moor. They would hold this position until early March. Such was their
brilliant form that the 'Match of the Day' cameras were enticed to Hillsborough on the
following Saturday. Wednesday were going well in second position. They were well served by
their wingers, Scottish international Willie Henderson and former Hammer John Sissons. In
central defence, they had a certain James Mullen. But in this battle of reputations,
Leighton James once more proved he was the bigger man for the occasion. His stunning
long-range drive found the right top corner of the Wednesday net at the uncovered Kop end
to give Burnley both points.
Burnleys resilience was underlined at Middlesborough in
November when they scored twice in the final ten minutes to secure a draw (3-3). However,
they let themselves down one week later at Turf Moor, when a Gerry Queen goal turned the
game on its head and enabled lowly Orient to steal the points. It was merely a blip as
Burnley proceeded to complete four successive 1-0 victories, giving them a four point lead
at the top.
They consolidated this position over Christmas. Helped by the
dismissal of two Blackpool defenders, Frank Caspers brace saw off the Seasiders
(2-1) on Boxing Day. Unsurprisingly, Burnley went into their return game with Villa on
January 6th in good heart. Villa had just put together a five match unbeaten
run, putting themselves in fourth place. They were still in with a shout for promotion and
almost 40,000 of their fanatical supporters piled in urge them on. This was the week in
which Britain joined the EEC. It was also a week in which 400 Londonderry children
attacked British troops. David Bowies 'The Jean Genie' shadowed Little Jimmy Osmond
from second position in the charts. Carly Simons tilt at Warren Beatty 'You're So
Vain' headed the US singles charts while Slade had our best selling album ('Slayed').
Despite the ferocity of the home support, Villa were totally
outplayed. The Sunday Express reported, "Magnificent Burnley took an arrogant stride
nearer to the First Division when they crushed promotion hopefuls Aston Villa in their own
backyard. The overwhelming brilliance of Burnley had the biggest League crowd of the
season at Villa Park seething with frustration as their own heroes were made to look like
mere pretenders for the title. Angry spectators demonstrated against the directors
box and the huge crowd began to stream away twenty minutes from the end."
The rout began as early as the seventh minute. Newly promoted
midfielder Billy Ingham and left back Keith Newton, were the heroes. Inghams free
kick found Newton whose low shot just eluded Cumbes dive to his right. Geoff Nulty
then scored the second from close range after Fletcher had headed Caspers cross into
his path. Ingham nearly got a third after he and Casper had opened up the Villa defence
with a brilliant one-two. James was anxious not to be left out of the fun. Having lobbed
the ball over two defenders, he skipped around them catching the falling ball on the
volley. Only a brilliant save from Cumbes denied him. At half-time, Burnley were well in
command (2-0). After just three minutes of the second half, Burnley sealed the result.
James low cross was inch perfect. Star performer, Billy Ingham did the rest. Villa managed
something of a late rally but Stevenson was equal to the best that Ray Graydon could
produce. It was a stunning performance. The whole team purred like a Rolls.
Although the Cup competitions offered little distraction, Burnley
maintained the momentum until the end. Championship rivals QPR beat them 2-0 at Loftus
Road with first half goals from Mick Leach and Don Givens. Reverses were also experienced
against Wednesday (0-1) and Nottingham Forest (0-3). But the Forest defeat was the only
interruption to an eight match winning sequence, which took Burnley to the final game of
the season at Preston on the 28th April. Despite Burnleys brilliant run
of results, QPR had tracked them all the way. Burnley still needed a point from the
Preston game to secure the Championship. By contrast, Preston needed a point to avoid the
drop.
This was the time of the Watergate scandal. Nixon publicly accepted
responsibility for the incident but denied any part in either the break-in or subsequent
cover up. Four of his aides, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Kleindienst and Dean all resigned.
Nixon tried to tough it out. He would need more than Teflon, though, to keep him in the
White House. It was also the day on which Old Trafford gave Dennis Law a free transfer and
when Bobby Charlton bowed out at Stamford Bridge. Dawns 'Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'was
the singles chart-topper while Pink Floyd were continuing to peddle their plodding 'Dark
Side Of The Moon' to the British masses.
Saturday 28th April was sunny and very warm. It was a
fitting day on which to celebrate a championship. As it turned out, no one was
disappointed. Not even Preston. The home side took the lead when leading scorer Alex Bruce
shot past Stevenson after a forty yard run by Alan Lamb. It was a classic
counter-attacking goal. For Burnley had most of the possession in that first half.
However, they had difficulty in breaking down the packed North End defence. But Preston
failed to puncture the celebrations. Ten minutes after the break, Waldrons header
rebounded to him twenty five yards from goal. Without hesitating he struck a left footed
volley cleanly and crisply into the Preston net. Cue party time. Burnley were back where
they belonged.