Burnley were back. They were back in the First Division after a two-year absence. A storming campaign in 1972/73 resulted in them being promoted as Champions. Nevertheless, it was surprising that only Peter Noble was added to their squad as the Clarets prepared to move up a gear.
The season began on August 24th. IRA terrorism and football hooliganism dominated the headlines.180 were arrested in the day’s football troubles. At Derby there was a pitch battle between the local boot boys and Chelsea’s notorious firm, with the police apparently powerless to act, although eight youths were arrested afterwards. Derby won the real contest 1-0, after Chelsea had created a stir by dropping their extravagantly talented midfielder Alan Hudson. Man U, in serious decline, lost 0-3 at Highbury, prompting their seething supporters to set about Euston on their way home.
Denis Law reminded them of what they’d lost by scoring twice for their City rivals, who triumphed 3-1 over Trevor Francis’s Birmingham. And Burnley gave further notice of their pedigree. They had already beaten Man City at Maine Road to secure the Charity Shield. Then, in their opening league fixture at Bramall Lane, the Clarets beat the Blades 2-0, with two blistering strikes from Collins and Dobson. Mick Docherty’s serious injury was the only down side.
Slade’s raucous celebration of dyslexia Skweeze Me Pleaze Me, Gary Glitter’s terrace anthem I’m the Leader of the Gang (I Am) and Peters and Lee’s syrupy Welcome Home provided the main soundtrack on that bright Saturday. Little did we know that a dismal winter of power cuts and fuel shortages awaited us. The lights were going out for Sir Alf, too. Despite masterminding a 7-0 drubbing of Austria, just one month later, Alf’s career as England’s supremo was ebbing as fast as Richard Nixon’s US presidency. But some institutions are impervious to change. Our test side was struggling. Having been given a massive fright by New Zealand in the first of the summer’s three match series, England’s cricketers greeted the new football season by collapsing spectacularly against a resurgent Windies.
The ‘Claret and Blue club official match magazine’ for this opening home fixture cost just 8p. I wonder why it was necessary to state that this was a ‘club official’ publication? Was there any prospect of a pirate version? Anyway, the front cover portrayed Jim Thomson and Mick Docherty beaming in bluey monochrome while Martin Dobson and Colin Waldron were locked in competition for the mouth breathers’ trophy. Obviously Martin felt he had done enough as he was shown trying to tug the trophy out of Mick’s tight grasp. The opening feature was titled Jimmy Adamson talks… about Soccer. I’m not sure what the ‘….’ was meant to denote. Were these full stops included to create a feeling of suspense? After all, Jimmy might have been intending to talk about anything. It could have been DIY, stuffed marrows or Scooby Do. With Jimmy you never knew. Anyway, today it was soccer, so he began his opening address by emphasising, "It’s GREAT to be back in the First Division of the world’s finest football League." Malcolm Allison also insisted that English football was at its zenith during the seventies, but that judgement was probably coloured by Liverpool and Nottingham Forest’s joint stranglehold on the European Cup at the end of the decade. True, several English club sides achieved European silverware in the early seventies, but then our top teams were still behind their German, Dutch and Italian counterparts, and probably inferior to the major South American club opposition as well. We still tended to cling to our ’66 laurels, though. In fairness, our 1970 World Cup squad was probably nearly as good as that of 1966, but decline set in quickly thereafter. During the early seventies we suffered several humiliations at international level, notably at home to West Germany and Northern Ireland in 1972 and away to Poland and Italy in 1973.
Jimmy also announced with pleasure his appointment of Joe Brown as his assistant. "Joe, a former Burnley player, was promoted to chief coach in 1970 and has done great work behind the scenes without getting too much credit for it." Arguably, Joe was more comfortable and certainly more effective in a back stage capacity. With the coaching staff augmented by Jimmy Robson as ‘youth development player’, Adamson claimed, "We have every reason to believe that the coaching and training staff is second to none." Peter Noble was welcomed to the fold, too. Jimmy said, "Peter has joined us from Swindon Town, where in five years he became one of the Wiltshire club’s most popular players. I am sure he will quickly build a similar reputation at Turf Moor, for apart from being a very likeable young man he is also a footballer of talent who will prove a great asset." How prophetic, Jimmy!
Jimmy paid tribute to the Burnley supporters. He said, "We greatly appreciate what our supporters did in the promotion season. [Just eighteen months before they were howling for Jimmy’s head. Stan isn’t the only Burnley manager to have prompted a feast of humble pie.] They gave us wonderful backing and it made a great difference… We were delighted to receive such great support at Sheffield on Saturday, when some 350 travelled in a special club train. Without doubt many others went by car… We have been fortunate to book the Leagueliner [a special supporters’ train complete with disco] for the games against West Ham and Newcastle. You’ll remember that Burnley were the first club to use the Leagueliner when it was brought into service on January 27th (for the QPR game). We are always on the look out for ways to help fans enjoy the game more and we feel that our efforts in this direction are only a fair ‘reward’ for what supporters do for players during matches." Whilst these sentiments are very laudable, Jimmy, victory remains the best reward.
Jimmy always expressed strong opinions on how the game should be run and today was no exception. He asserted, "I have NO PLANS WHATEVER to introduce at Burnley a system of fining my own players for getting booked and suspended. I understand that this is being brought in at one club at least, but quite honestly I can’t see that it is a particularly good idea. We are confident that our players will conduct themselves well and like other clubs we have our rules of discipline, but I see no reason to slap on club fines if they should get booked on the field of play." I presume Stan agrees. If he didn’t his current squad could be paying the club to play.
Jimmy concluded by referring to the successful pre-season programme. He said, "We were very pleased with our pre-season match results, winning 4-0 at Penzance, 3-0 at Torquay and 1-0 at Manchester City in the FA Charity Shield. We drew 2-2 at Kettering against the best non-league team I’ve seen [Wimbledon would trump that view sixteen months later] and after a tiring day of travel from Devon."
In the ‘Welcome to Chelsea’ slot the visitors were described as ‘brilliant’ but ‘inconsistent’. The team shot included Ian Britton with an outrageous proto-mullet. It looked as if several pelts had been pasted to his head. Like his team mates he was sporting a tight fitting shirt, which made the pecs appear positively pendulous. The notes stated, "On their day this exciting London team are capable of beating any side in the land. But there have been too many uninspired performances when opponents of lesser ability have been allowed to get off the hook last season. Chelsea’s final position was twelfth after their inconsistency had been shown in six home defeats and only nine victories in 21 matches at Stamford Bridge."
Peter Osgood, Chelsea’s ‘player of the year’ in 1972/73 was considered to be, "A forward of outstanding ability, who has not always showed the application and character to become a great player. But he’s publicly stated that this season will see a ‘new Ossie’ an the public are waiting to see if he lives up to this claim." Ossie honoured the commitment by jumping ship before the season was through, treating Southampton to his frittered talent and thereby helping to ensure their relegation. As for the other Chelsea stars, most of them were entering the veteran phase like Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, whose nickname had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with violence. Ralph Coates gave graphic testimony to this in his impromptu Houses of Parliament address earlier this year.
The centrefold was the Burnley FC first team squad in their looser, non-pec clinging shirts (a much more modest bunch than those King’s Road hussies). Their vital statistics appeared alongside. Ray Hankin was reported to have weighed in at a comparatively lithe 12 stone 9lbs. His weight would increase quicker than his goal tally. The 1974/75 version would weigh in at a stone heavier as the club sought to maximise Ray’s impact. I’m surprised that the programme’s advertisement for ‘Calvert’s Pies’ didn’t carry his personal endorsement. ("Whether you’re watching or playing there’s time for one." A Calvert’s pie, that is.) Also among the small ads was Ray’s School of Motoring (was Hankin moonlighting too?) based at ‘St Tropez’, Skipton Road, Colne. St Tropez? Ray must have been having a laugh.
The advertisements betrayed their age. The jar of Toby Light told you these were the keg years, when real ale was almost decimated by brewers more concerned with speed and economy than quality. Stephenson’s ("The area's only Free and Independent Beers, Wines and Spirits Wholesalers") confirmed, "We are on call with all your favourite Keg Beers and supplies. VAST STOCKS." For sure. Thank God for CAMRA.
We were also told that Rushworth’s, the authorised Chrysler dealer 'have the answer'. Christ knows what the question was. But the BFC Development Association had been taken in. They were advertising a ‘Brand New Hillman Hunter’ as the ultimate prize in their weekly draw. A year later Chrysler contracted Ally’s Tartan Army ("And we’ll really shake them up when we win the World Cup." Yeah right.) and Petula Clark (‘the Chrysler Man can') to advertise their fleet. Chrysler’s eye for quality remained impeccable to the last. You could have been forgiven for mistaking the real culprit in the Specials’ bleak 1981 chart-topper, Ghost Town. But it wasn’t Callaghan’s moribund socialism or Thatcher’s heartless conservatism that brought Coventry to its knees. It was Chrysler. I’ve never forgiven them for the Hillman (P)Imp. Neither should God.
In his ‘Soccer Spot’ column, resident journalist Ronald Crowther reflected upon the new three-up, three-down system for promotion and relegation. He wrote, "The idea is stimulating. But even now, after the big break-through by the progressives at the League’s annual meeting in June, there are gloomy forebodings among some people... that there will be more dismal, safety-first Soccer. There are also people who still back the argument of West Ham that, by making it just a little easier for clubs to get into what is widely regarded as the finest First Division in the world [a contagious misconception, it seems] it will dilute the strength of this top table. That strikes me as a somewhat snooty attitude." Good on you, Ronald. Well, the Hammers’ chairman was called Pratt. Ronald went on to point out that the gulf between the First and Second Division was not that great, citing Sunderland’s recent FA Cup triumph as evidence alongside the rapid transition made by Ipswich, Liverpool, Man City and Derby following their respective promotions during the sixties. All of these teams won the Championship soon after their elevation.
Before the 1973 oil crisis launched massive inflation, life seemed comparatively cheap. A Turf Moor Ground Season Ticket cost just £7 and stand match tickets at other First Division grounds varied between the cheapest figure of 70p at Old Trafford, of all places, to £2 at QPR. A return rail ticket for the coming Wolves game was priced at £1.35, a Championship silk scarf was 65p and a BFC rally coat was £4.95. I recall that a pint of Robinson's was just 13p then. Remember and weep.
Finally, we had the Clarrie Blue Limerick competition. This did for poetry what Duncan Smith now does for charisma. I give you:
‘Burnley had a full back called John,
Whose footballing days are now gone.
He was one of the good ‘uns,
An example to young ‘uns,
And his memory at Turf Moor will live on.’
It must have been a lugubrious task judging this competition. But who cares if it didn’t scan? Why be snobby when a stand ticket was up for grabs?
Oh, by the way, Burnley won 1-0, thanks to Frank Casper.
