CHAPTER 6
SPURS V RANGERS 1968
SUMMERTIME BLUES
● Pre Season
Friendly
● Wednesday
31st July 1968 ● Kick-Off 7.30 pm
B A C
K G R O U
N D
█ INFORMATION
EXCHANGE █
• GETTING IT TOGETHER
It is easy to see why Rangers wanted to play Spurs again. The latter not
only won trophies but they did it with an attacking flourish, had European
experience and one of the great managers of the game. Having been beaten in
1962, it would offer the chance of extracting some small revenge and pit their
players against some top internationals. Rangers liked to visit
█ THE BLUE
ROOM █
• SUMMER NIGHT
The directors also seemed to enjoy a good rapport and I would say that
they shared a number of ideals about the game and traditions. Add in the famous
White Hart Lane hospitality, a sumptuous pre match four course meal followed by
cigars and drinks in the Blue Room. Then seats in a mini section of the West
stand directors box and further refreshments at half and full time. Not many
better ways to spend a summer evening and I don’t think there was any danger of
this invitation being rejected by the Ibrox board.
For the fans, seated accommodation was available at 10/- behind either
goal, whilst the West Stand was priced at 15/- or 12/- depending on whether you
wanted a seat in the centre or didn’t mind sitting in the wings.
█ YOU CAN’T WIN THEM ALL. SPURS SINCE 1962-63 █
• FUNNY OLD GAME
Spurs seemed unstoppable and surely future triumphs beckoned. However as
Jimmy Greaves himself has often noted, "It’s a funny old game,” and the
1962-3 Spurs team was soon to break up.
• A SAD OLD GAME
Danny Blanchflower retired at the end of that season. Terry Medwin broke
his leg in three places whilst playing a tour match in May 1963 and never
played again despite spending two years trying to get fit. Dave Mackay broke
the same leg twice, firstly at Old Trafford in December 1963 and then having
only just recovered again in a reserve comeback game against
•
TRAGIC LOSS
Most tragic of all was the death of John White aged just twenty four
when he was struck by lightning on a golf course at the end of the 1964 season.
It was not the first tragedy to strike his family, his father in law and Spurs
assistant manager Harry Evans died not long after the 1962 game.
The loss of these key players, plus the fact that older members of the
team needed to be replaced meant Bill Nicholson had to construct a new Spurs
team.
• AT A GLANCE
62-3 EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS’ CUP
WINNERS, Division 1 Runners Up
63-4 4th Division 1.
64-5 6th Division 1.
65-6 8th Division 1.
66-7 FA CUP WINNERS, beating
• 1967-1968
The Season had been a major disappointment by Spurs standards. Seventh
in Division One and knocked out in the fifth round of the FA Cup by Liverpool.
This was also the last Season Spurs and a couple of other big clubs refused to
participate in the League Cup competition.
~Put Them In With European Champions
During the Season, Spurs had experienced two sets of European Champions
at close quarters. They held Celtic 3-3 in the Hampden Park Centenary match in
1967 (The same day Rangers travelled to Arsenal). They lost twice to Manchester
United in the League but in the FA Cup third round, drew away and beat them by
a solitary extra time winner in the replay. They had also drawn 3-3 in the
Charity Shield against
~Don't Put Them In Europe
Spurs European campaign in the Cup Winners’ Cup ended early on the away
goals rule in the second round to French side Lyon.
• UPDATE
Bill Nicholson had continued to update his training programmes. They
were as good and as varied as at any club. Pre-season comprised initially of
walks, runs, weight training, exercises, sprints, five-a-sides, practise
matches, ball skills, passing movements and new dead ball set pieces that
sought to maximise the prodigious throw ins of Chivers and Gilzean’s headed
flicks
• GOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH
The brilliant Spurs team of 1960-63, by season 63-4 had lost its heart.
They had not won the League Championship since 1961 and since the 1964-5 season
only two domestic trophies. Nevertheless most clubs would be more than happy
with Spurs recent record, but for manager Bill Nicholson it was just not good
enough. He wanted a new team as good as the 1960-3 vintage. He worked
tirelessly to find the right blend, bought big on the transfer market and spent
more time than ever working at the club.
The fans had not really helped matters by being overly ‘critical’ of the
new players bought in. Contrary to the perception that Terry Venables was loved
by Spurs fans as a player, they were unhappy with his contribution and for
quite some time they were equally unhappy with his new midfield partner Alan
Mullery. They had been spoilt with Blanchflower and Mackay.
• IMITATION IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF FLATTERY
Other big city teams had come to the fore during the 1960’s and were
prepared to match Spurs spending power. Managers and coaches were now all doing
what Bill Nicholson had been doing years ago. Similarly a generation of outstanding
managers had emerged. Matt Busby already a legend had rebuilt his third great
Manchester United team, Don Revie and Bill Shankly were starting to work
miracles at Leeds and
The fans and Bill Nicholson made unfavourable comparisons with the
Glory, Glory Team, which could not have helped. Perhaps Spurs should have
brought in a younger man to help with the coaching. To bring in fresh ideas,
impetus and approaches. Danny Blanchflower?
• WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FOOTBALL
Tactics were all very well, but since England’s wingless triumph in
1966, football had become a much more dour and defensive affair. Whereas the
key to England’s success had been the fact that at any given time a midfielder
would take on the winger’s role, a lot felt that the 4-3-3 formation and
absence of wingers was spoiling the game as a spectacle. This was not the way Nicholson
or Spurs fans wanted to see the team play.
There was also an unpleasant cynical side creeping into football. Sadly
clubs were taking their cue from the European Cup Winning Italians rather than
Real
• THE GENERATION GAME
In between breaks during the
pre-season, the players talked about cars, girls, clothes, holidays, money and
music. Some things never change, so it was not so much this but Bill Nicholson
and his assistant Eddie Baily were now coming across a new problem, a
generation gap had grown up between them and their players. Baily a teammate of
Nicholson’s in the push and run team and former England international, re-joined
the club shortly after the sad death of Harry Evans in 1963. Baily brought to
the club a great sense of humour, not only could he make Nicholson laugh he had
even brought a smile to the face of that dourest of men and Spurs full back,
Alf Ramsey. Like Nicholson, he was honest, passionate and knew what he was
talking about and even though several stones heavier than his playing days still
one of, if not the most skilful player at the club.
The young players had total
respect for their manager, they only had to look at his record and see the
admiration the senior players had for him. They also respected the achievements
of Eddie Baily and enjoyed their banter with the razor witted cockney.
However both men had served in
the Army during World War 2 and somehow found it harder to empathise and relate
to the new breed of more cosseted, independent minded and sensitive players.
Baily saw active service in Belgium, Holland and Germany as the only Cockney in
the Royal Scots regiment.
Spurs players were expected by their manager to put in a top
performance every week. The players understandably expected a pat on the back
when they played well but the one glaring criticism of the management was that
they were too slow to praise and give confidence to their players. Nor was
there a Danny Blanchflower to emphasise the positives. Another problem was that
both men constantly preached the virtues of the 1951 and 1961 teams and made
unfavourable comparisons so what could have been an inspiration became a
millstone. It would also be fair to suggest that in 1961, there were not
constant references to a decade earlier.
Both Baily and Nicholson had a
particular aversion to the long hair now sported by some of their players, again
a generational thing. Not only did it run the risk of getting over the eyes,
but it was felt to show a lack of discipline and set a bad example to
youngsters.
█ SPURS 1968 █
The core of the senior players joined in 1964. Including: Mullery,
Jennings, Gilzean and Knowles.
• DEFENCE
Pat Jennings, one of football’s all-time great goalkeepers. Reliable and
consistent but also capable of making spectacular saves. Brave and powerfully built,
he had a massive kick that could change defence into attack. In the 1967
Charity Shield, his wind assisted clearance resulted in a goal. His long arms
and giant hands enabled him to make impossible one handed saves and he could
also improvise cleverly with his feet. Unflappable on the pitch, a picture of
calmness and reassurance. Rated by some at the time to be even better than
Gordon Banks.
Phil Beal played mainly at full back or centre half. Efficient, versatile
and an excellent marker. Some felt that he should have made more creative use
of his skills.
Cyril Knowles was an excellent all round full back and capped by
England. Attack minded, highly skilled and a robust tackler.
If Pat Jennings did not
collect a cross, centre half Mike
• MIDFIELD TRIO
Pete Collins joined Spurs in January 1968. Originally his fee was £5,000
and Chelmsford City received a further £4,000 when he completed ten appearances.
A natural centre half, well built, athletic, a powerful tackler and good header
of the ball. When not playing alongside Mike England, he was well suited to
playing an anchor role in midfield.
England international, Allan Mullery was signed from Fulham for £72,500,
a record fee for a half back. (Nicholson also wanted to sign his
Terry Venables appeared for England at every level as a Schoolboy, Amateur,
Youth, Under 23 and Full England cap. As a young teenager many tipped him to be
as good as Duncan Edwards. Despite his tragically short life, many including
Nicholson rated Edwards as the best all round footballer they could remember. Venables
did not go on to emulate the
• ON A WING AND A
PRAYER
Jimmy Robertson a fast winger
who could operate on either flank. He gained his only cap whilst playing for St
Mirren in Scotland. A goal creator but strangely at his most effective when
pressurised by defenders, when given space he seemed to make too many an
unforced error.
• FEARSOME ATTACK
Once Spurs got the ball into the opposition’s penalty box, their trio of
forwards were lethal. One could argue that it might have been more effective to
play a pair and perhaps Chivers was signed as the long term replacement for
Greaves. But goals win matches and with these three forwards, if the service
was half decent there would always be goals.
Since 1962-3 Greaves had continued to plunder goals anywhere and
everywhere and it looked like he could possibly even break Arthur Rowley’s
record of 423 League goals. Greaves game did not deteriorate with age as his
game was never about pace but about clinical marksmanship and uncanny
positional sense. Despite being the best English striker of his generation,
hepatitis affected his career in 1965-66 and he missed the latter stages of the
1966 World Cup Final with injury, replaced by the fit and in form Geoff Hurst.
In the next two seasons, he was back to peak form with 48 League goals in 77
appearances. Despite English football becoming much more defensive and his well
documented drink problems that were starting to cause him personal problems.
Certainly all his teammates who had enjoyed his kindness, humour and friendship
were stunned and upset when the extent of his alcoholism was later revealed.
Alan Gilzean was part of the 1962 Championship winning
Martin Chivers £125,000 transfer to Spurs from
• WHO TAKES OVER FROM THE
LEGEND MACKAY?
Dave Mackay had left Spurs in July to join Brian Clough’s
“First division football is getting harder, and although I may have
lasted another one or two seasons, there was a flicker of doubt in my mind. The
best years of my career have been spent with Spurs, and leaving has been a
great wrench. Yet I feel the time is right, and I am grateful to the club for
letting me join
Brian Clough manager of Derby, snapped Mackay up for a cut price fee.
The giveaway £5,000 fee, was a testament to his service to the club so he could
negotiate a better deal and also the fact that the club would not have to grant
him a Testimonial. Several ‘experts’ raised their eyebrows thinking Mackay was
‘washed up’ and ‘over the hill’. Clough had a typically humorous riposte for
them. “I am young and therefore more likely to make mistakes than the older
managers. But I won’t make many mistakes about buying players because my
assistant manager, Peter Taylor is a better judge of a player than anyone I
know.” (Goal Magazine, 26 October 1968, No. 12)
In October 1970, Phil Beal told the same magazine.
“I felt really sad when he left. It was a privilege for me to have
played with him. Dave is the greatest professional I have ever met. I’ve never
met anyone quite like him for bringing out the best in his teammates. It was
great to play with Dave Mackay. I go further and say it was a privilege for me
to have played with him. Dave was the greatest professional I have ever met.
You can’t replace a Dave Mackay. They will replace him, it is true, but there
will never be another Dave Mackay.”
█ DAVIE WHITE
█
• THE APPRENTICE
Davie spent his entire playing career as a strong tackling wing half at
Clyde but as the end of his playing days began to loom, he had already
diligently prepared for a career in coaching and management and was one of the
first students to attend and complete the Scottish Football Association’s new
coaching courses. His efforts were rewarded when he was appointed Clyde’s
player coach. Then with the 1965-66 closing there was a managerial vacancy at
Clyde when their manager Gordon Prentice was appointed Scotland boss at the end
of March 1966. The thirty three year old, Davie White was promoted to the post
of player manager and in doing so became the youngest manager in top flight
British football.
• RISING STAR
In his first full season in charge the young man led Clyde to that
remarkable third place finish and Scottish Cup semi final. Of the teams to
better him, one had just won the European Cup and the other unlucky to lose the
European Cup Winners’ Cup Final.
• MAKING A POINT
He first came up against Scot Symon’s Rangers in February 1967 and the
Gers ran out 5-1 winners at Shawfield, however when the teams met at Ibrox on
the 22nd April at the end of the season Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw. The
Rangers boardroom didn’t need that draw at Ibrox to highlight the young man’s
abilities, he was already well known in Ibrox circles having travelled abroad
with both Celtic and Rangers on their European sojourns as an observer.
• THE ASSISTANT
In Summer 1967, he accepted the invitation to become assistant manager
to Scot Symon
• THE MANAGER
Then he must have been as shocked as anyone when with Rangers top of the
league, Scot Symon was dismissed on 1st November 1967 and offered the
opportunity to become just the fourth manager in Rangers history, at just
thirty four years old.
• DIFFERENT PLANET
In terms of approach, White was from a different planet to Symon. He
tried to introduce a more relaxed and informal style of management to Ibrox.
Players were allowed to dress casually and discipline was dramatically relaxed.
He also tried to introduce fresh ideas and was an avid student of tactics.
Sometimes he would socialise with the players and he encouraged them to talk
and open up to him, for players brought up in the traditional Rangers way it
must have been something of a culture shock.
• TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG?
A key problem for White was that he lacked gravitas. Without the odd exception
he lacked the medals, caps and playing reputation of the players at the club.
Had he done so it might have compensated for the sense felt in many quarters
that he was just too young for the job, barely older than some of the players.
█ RANGERS
1967-8 █
• DOWN TO THE WIRE
In 1967-8, Following on from Symon’s early work Rangers went unbeaten in
the League until the final game of the season. Rangers and Celtic went into the
final Saturday level on points but Celtic had a much better goal difference.
Rangers lost 3-2 at Ibrox to
• WHITE FACES THE MIGHTY WHITES
• RE-APPOINTMENT
Behind the scenes Davie Kinnear was now back at Ibrox as White’s assistant.
• THE RANGERS SQUAD
During this generation of football, Rangers boasted two fantastic
servants. Colin Jackson at centre half was tall, slim and especially good in
the air. Clever at covering forwards and jockeying them away from goal. Jackson
a Londoner spent almost two decades at Ibrox before retiring in 1982. Alec
Willoughby also joined Rangers in 1962, 47 goals in 95 games is a record any
Rangers forward could be proud of. Not just a Rangers fan but also exceptionally
popular with everyone at the club. A very clever and tricky forward, he was
good enough to play for most English teams in the top flight yet preferred to
spend seven years as an understudy with Rangers. He was unfortunate in having
to compete with the likes of Jimmy Millar and Jim Forrest who not just great players
in their own right were better suited to the team pattern set out by the
management.
White was not convinced about Erik Sorensen and had Norrie Martin in
reserve. A cool and decisive goalkeeper, particularly good in the air. Orjan
Persson signed the previous summer had made his mark at Ibrox, not a prolific
scorer but a scorer of great goals, especially from seemingly impossible angles
and with a talent for bending the ball. He also offered pace on the wing. He
was joined in this Rangers team by two younger players. Sandy Jardine,
incredibly versatile on either side of the pitch and in any outfield position. Attacking
left back, Billie Mathieson was charged with the unforgiving task of replacing
Eric Caldow.
M A
T C H
D A Y
█ NUMERICAL
EXPERIMENTS █
• 4-3-3
Davie White wanted to carry on experimenting with his 4-3-3 formation
which he had introduced in the pre-season trip to Scandinavia, where it had not
been too successful. Comprising of Smith, Jardine and Penman in the middle perhaps
the weakness was the lack of tackling in midfield and attack plus a big player
to act as a foil for Willie Johnston. Or failing that an out and out
goalscorer.
• NUMBER 1?
White was equally keen to experiment with his goalkeepers. Taking the
unusual step of naming his single substitute as goalkeeper Norrie Martin. In
this era clubs would almost always field a ‘utility man’ or versatile all
rounder as substitute.
M A T C H R E P O R T
Spurs : 1 Pat Jennings 2 Phil
Beal 3 Cyril Knowles 4 Alan Mullery (C) 5 Mike England 6 Peter Collins 7 Jimmy Robertson 8 Jimmy Greaves 9 Martin Chivers 10 Terry Venables 11 Alan Gilzean 12 Sub Jimmy Pearce.
Long sleeved white shirts
with cockerel on ball motif. Blue Shorts. White socks.
RANGERS
: 1 Erik Sorensen 2 Colin Jackson 3 Billie Mathieson 4 John Greig (C) 5 Ron McKinnon 6 Dave Smith 7 Willie Henderson 8 Sandy Jardine 9 Andy Penman
10 Willie Johnston 11 Orjan
Persson 12 Sub Norrie Martin.
Blue shirts with a deep white V. White
shorts. Black socks with a red top.
Referee : Mr A Dimond (
Linesmen : Mr D Pond (Essex) and Mr A Turvey (
(The officials collectively known as The
1 Substitute per team.
Dry sunny evening.
FIRST HALF
1st Half : Spurs kick towards the
In the early moments, Rangers look disorganised and sloppy with Spurs
taking the initiative.
Chivers is played through, but McKinnon clears for a corner.
4 mins 02 Seconds : GOAL 1-0 SPURS
Jimmy Greaves takes a corner. Peter Collins moves unmarked into the box.
Collins heads downwards, Sorensen under pressure from Robertson lets what
should have been a routine save in to the net.
8 mins 15 secs : GOAL 2-0
A Greaves corner (This is 1962 all over again!) again met by the head of
Peter Collins is stopped on the line by Dave Smith. Sorensen does not move
quickly enough to gather and Collins follows up to force the ball home.
The Spurs bench was certainly happy. The Tottenham Herald reported that
Eddie Bailey seated next to Bill Nicholson was happily puffing away on a cigar.
28 mins 24 Secs : GOAL 2-1
Mike England hesitates and makes a mistake, letting Penman nip in to
bring Rangers back into the game.
The goal gives Rangers fresh confidence and they now look the more
likelier team to score.
HALF TIME SCORE : SPURS 2 RANGERS 1
THAT’S
MEE IN THE CROWD
Arsenal manager and former military man, Bertie Mee makes the short
journey across North London and deep into enemy territory to spy on his next
two opponents!
SECOND HALF
Half Time Substitution : Norrie Martin replaces Sorensen in goal.
The Rangers defence seems more settled and better organised for the
goalkeeping switch.
55 mins: GOAL 3-1
Alan Mullery bursting through, shoots hard and the ball deflects off
Collin Jackson off the post and into the net.
On the hour mark Rangers enjoy their best period of the match and force
Pat Jennings into showing the crowd his exceptional talent.
For the final fifteen minutes, it is Spurs who finish the stronger but are wasteful of further opportunities to increase their lead.
FINAL
SCORE : SPURS 3 (Collins 2, Mullery/Jackson OG) RANGERS 1 (Penman)
Attendance
: 37,998
POST MATCH
Rangers physio is kept fully occupied as: Mathieson, Penman and Smith require
treatment for minor knocks.
Erik Sorensen’s first half display was to have more serious
repercussions. He never played again for Rangers.
P O S T M A T C H
R E A C T I O N
█ THE
THOUGHTS OF DAVIE WHITE █
• DRESS REHEARSAL
According to the Daily Record’s Alex Cameron, Davie White did not seem
too perturbed by Ranger’s display. Telling him, “One can expect things to go
wrong in the first game of the season.”
Ken Gallagher of the same paper quoted him as saying, “We lost two bad
goals early in the game before the lads had time to settle. After that we gave
as good as we got. The defence made mistakes and were punished, but later we
tightened up in the penalty box. With a bit of luck later in the game we might
have scored more goals.”
On his
█ THE
THOUGHTS OF THE MEDIA █
• THE SCOTTISH MEDIA
The assembled Scottish media were not over enamoured with Rangers
display. They felt that Spurs were much the better team and that Rangers looked
no better than the previous season. Furthermore they wanted more creativity in
the team and considered the first half defensive display as lacklustre. They
were certain, that Erik Sorensen’s Rangers career was on borrowed time. Alex
Cameron noted that the midfield played too far up to link with the defence and
that even when they moved back, Spurs bypassed them by playing a high ball over
the top of them to Alan Gilzean.
Ken Gallagher was most impressed with John Greig. “John Greig gave the
same drive, the same determination that did so much for the team last year.”
• THE TOTTENHAM HERALD
The Tottenham Herald was as one might expect mainly concerned with Spurs
display and nominated Peter Collins as their man of the match. There was also
praise for Alan Mullery in midfield and Phil Beal’s contribution at left back.
Though concern over Jimmy Greaves lack of pace and the selfishness of Jimmy
Robertson up front. Gair Henderson agreed with this assessment of Greaves who
he felt showed none of his old inspiration. (I thought Gair didn’t rate Greaves
in the first place.) Having mulled over the Spurs performance and the prospects
for the forthcoming season, the Tottenham Herald then took time out to praise,
“The brilliance,” of Willie Johnston. Gair’s man of the match for Rangers was
Colin Jackson. “He showed himself to be cool in emergency, full of running and
adventurous enough to go up and shoot when he got the chance.”
█ A SPLIT
DRESSING ROOM █
• THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNLUCKY
Alex Cameron writing in the Daily Record on Friday 2nd August was
concerned that the Rangers dressing room was split, with different opinions on
the state of their club.
He quoted one anonymous player as saying, “There was nothing wrong with
Rangers,” and that, “They would win the League in the forthcoming season.”
However another anonymous player told him, “They were a poor side by
Rangers standards and would have to sign a quality player immediately.” Cameron
indicated that this was very much the boardroom thinking.
Yet another anonymous player disagreed. “Every team hits a bad patch. OK
we’ve been having one. But surely we can’t be as bad as all that, for we took
three points off Celtic and finished second to them in the League. Of course we
threw points away but this can damn well happen to anyone.”
█ SECOND
OPINION █
• REMEDIED
When Arsenal arrived in Glasgow for the Saturday game at Ibrox, the
Daily Record caught up with Bertie Mee. Having made the traditional comment
about expecting a tough game at Ibrox, he made these observations. “I was
impressed by several Rangers players. Greig, McKinnon, Henderson and Johnston.
They looked good.”
“Admittedly there was a bit of trouble in defence. They looked
unsettled.” Before going on to say that he expected this to be, “remedied,” by
the time they faced Arsenal.
█ HOPE! █
• FROM WEST BROM
Prior to the game at Spurs, Rangers had made an enquiry about midfielder
and Scotland international, Bobby Hope of West Bromwich Albion. Indeed they
upped their bid to £90,000 after the game. Gair Henderson of the Evening Times felt
that this was not enough and quipped they might also need to sign Faith and
Charity. Rangers fans in the late 1960’s had to put up with a constant barrage
of ungairly written offerings from the man whose journalistic offerings might
have been more apposite for a newspaper called the Evening Crimes.
T A L K I N G P O I N T S
█ CAN WE PLAY
YOU EVERY WEEK! █
• BOX OFFICE RANGERS
The crowd of just under 38,000 was quite superb for a midweek friendly.
With the exception of Spurs biggest League games against the top teams and
local derbies this was better than for their other fixtures. The 8,000 plus
Rangers support not only boosted the coffers but it is worth considering the
few miscreants in the context of the overall support.
█ CORBY AT
TOTTENHAM █
The following day, eleven Rangers fans, mostly residing in Corby in
England appeared at Tottenham Magistrates Court. Two fans were fined £10 each
for using threatening behaviour. They were seen throwing tins and bottles in
the crowd during the match. Another pair were fined £10 each for insulting
behaviour or to be precise for kicking at parked cars and knocked aside a man
selling rosettes outside the ground. A further five men (four from Corby) were
each fined £5 for various acts of insulting behaviour. (What about that first
half defensive display?). A further two Scots living in Corby were each fined
£5 for drunk and disorderly. One had to pay an extra £5 for stealing a beer
glass from a local pub.
Clearly I’m not condoning the two fans throwing items but the rest of it
however seems like over exuberance. I would assume that a mixture of alcohol
and the excitement of a rare opportunity to see Rangers the contributing
factors. The insulting behaviour reflecting their disappointment.
To put this into context, one should see what happened when Spurs opened
their League campaign against Arsenal. On the night before the game, two
carloads of Arsenal fans arrived at White Hart Lane around midnight. They then
defaced the freshly painted ground with Arsenal graffiti. During the game there
was fighting before, during and after the match. Fire crackers were thrown
during the game and in a shocking incident, some fans discovered building
materials behind a stand and dropped a scaffold board down on a fan walking
below them.
• RANGERS AND CORBY
Rangers had a massive fan base in the town of Corby, Northamptonshire,
England. The
█ HOW DID
DAVIE WHITE BECOME RANGERS MANAGER? █
NOT DAVIE WHITE
Firstly and most importantly for those with Machiavellian tendencies
there isn’t one allegation let alone a single piece of evidence that White did
anything to undermine his boss or bring about the cycle of events that
followed.
THE IBROX STADIUM MYSTERY
Unlike the Arsenal Stadium Mystery or an Agatha Christie novel when
something happened in the Ibrox boardroom there were never any witnesses. What
happened in the Ibrox boardroom stayed there and that went for managers too.
That was the Rangers way, that was the bargain, everyone understood that. And
why nearly fifty years later, we can’t be entirely certain of any of what
followed.
THE INVITATION
The first mystery to solve is who invited Davie White to Ibrox and why.
Was it Scot Symon or the boardroom?
If it was the directors were they looking to groom the young man as a
successor for the fifty six year old Symon? or to immediately deploy the
talents of the young man to help get Symon and Rangers back to trophy winning
ways? Or could it have been a warning shot across Symons bows?
If it was Symon, was he looking for help and new ideas? Or was he simply
looking for someone to groom as a successor?
Crucially for me, it wasn’t a shot across Symon’s bows. Certainly the
Berwick defeat had seriously angered the boardroom but Symon had redeemed himself
with the European Cup Winners’ Cup campaign and they wouldn’t have made so much
cash available to him in the summer if they felt they would be soon dismissing
him. They were far too careful with money for that. Secondly Davie White was
just too young and inexperienced to be realistically considered as a candidate
for the role of Rangers manager.
David Leggat in the excellent, “Great Scot” a biography of Scot Symon
and with a deep insider’s knowledge and informed contacts is adamant that it
was Scot Symon who championed bringing White to Ibrox to groom as his
successor. Certainly Symon always did look to and prepare for the future, for
instance he signed Sammy Baird for Preston only to leave the club days later
when Ibrox gave him the call.
The board I suggest were more concerned with the present. They were fans
and like those who watched from the terraces were desperate to see some
silverware back in the trophy cabinet. So whilst it was good to plan ahead, I’d
venture that they saw White’s arrival primarily as an immediate antidote to
Symon’s shortcomings in terms of some of the modern nuances of football
management.
• THE THIRD MAN?
Then again, how does all this square with the appointment of another
talented young man, Bobby Seith? Though White had a track record of one season
of outstanding management success, Seith had the gravitas that came from being
part of League Championship winning teams in both England and Scotland. The
purpose of Seith’s appointment was to inject new ideas, new expertise and new
thinking from a younger man into the club. Presumably if he did a good job over
the next few years, he would be in pole position to take over when Symon
retired. So why was there a duplication? The only answer I could suggest was
that Seith had become associated with the barren seasons of 1966 and 1967 and
like Symon and Jim Forrest would forever be tarred in the boardroom with the
Berwick upset…
• DISMISSAL
So back to summer 1967, Scot Symon has seemingly invested Rangers
capital well and he delivers the goods as of the end of October but on 1st
November he is dismissed. So why? Either the directors no longer have
confidence in him being able to deliver at the end of the season or something
else has happened. And this something then becomes related to the presence of
Davie White at Ibrox.
The young man is working diligently and learning from Scot Symon but I
can’t believe that even the new youthful Directors, Ian McLaren and David Hope
would believe that Davie White is anywhere near the finished article. For
goodness sake, he’s a bairn compared to them!
• FANTASY MANAGER
What is logical is that something special was needed to overcome Jock
Stein. As fans we spend many splendid wasted hours debating and arguing as to
what makes a perfect manager and one of the great pleasures of producing this
book has been looking at some of the great and greatest bosses. I can’t believe
this was something the Ibrox board hadn’t spent more than the odd hour doing
too, especially as they looked across to the east of Glasgow.
It’s obvious that a ‘dream ticket’ of Symon’s, wisdom, experience and
ability to blend a team together with someone like Davie White who was a
cutting edge coach, tactician and better able to relate to a younger generation
of players would give you almost everything you needed to construct the
perfect, almost ‘fantasy’ manager. So I suggest that the board envisaged a very
different role than Scot Symon had for Davie White. They didn’t want him to be
a student but actively and immediately contributing his talents to Rangers
benefit.
And it’s why I believe the current version of events as also described
on Rangers official website (Not that you should believe all you read on
official club websites.) and by a number of seasoned historians, fans and writers
as it follows a consistent and logical sequence of events and thinking. John
Lawrence and his board concluded that the best way to create their perfect
manager was by making a dream team of Symon as general manager and placing
Davie White in charge of first team affairs.
It was in theory a smart and obvious division of labour that would use
and focus both men’s strengths to the full. In a similar way to which
Manchester City deployed Joe Mercer and young Malcolm Allison with such
devastating success in the late 1960’s. The partnership established in 1965 had
by the end of 1970 won all three of the major English honours and a European
Cup Winners’ Cup.
• PLAYING THE WINNING HAND
Jock Stein might be the ace in the pack but this dream ticket would seem
to be the trump card. However, the secret of good card play is knowing when to
play your winning hand. Rangers are top of the League, if it ain’t broke, don’t
fix it. The smart thinking at this juncture would be let Symon finish the
season, it looks like he’ll win the league and if he doesn’t deliver at the end
of it, then play the trump card next season. With Rangers in such a strong
position this season, the last thing the board need to do is to upset the apple
cart. But they are desperate to bring back the glory days and as the wise Danny
Blanchflower once noted, desperate men in the football boardroom do desperate
things.
• PRESENT TENSE AND UNHAPPY
Scot Symon is not at all happy when the ‘dream team’ proposition is put
to him. Not one bit. He’s doing the business. Whether it is because of his
pride (and it will look like a demotion to the outside world) or he doesn’t
believe it will work isn’t really relevant. He won’t accept what the board want
and now the board are very angry and unhappy. They’re trying to get Rangers
back to the very top and in their eyes Scot Symon is putting himself before the
club. Something has to give and it is the manager. I will now try to follow the
thought process of first John Lawrence and then Davie White in early November
1967.
• THE OBVIOUS REPLACEMENT
Davie White is too young, one for the future aye but that’s not a
problem, I’ve got just the man. There’s a gentlemen with a profound love of Rangers
who won the title two seasons ago and better still isn’t even employed by
another club (So no messy recruitment or a penny in compensation to pay
either!) and au fait with everything that’s happening in the domestic and
European football scene. Problem is that when Willie Waddell is asked, he knows
the score better than anyone and will not tolerate any boardroom interference
whatsoever. He’s even more intransigent about this than Scot Symon and he’s
probably very uncomfortable about taking over from his former teammate in such
circumstances.
Ibrox, we now have a serious problem and to make matters worse Bobby
Seith has left the club in disgust. Not that I really trusted him after that
Berwick fiasco anyway. We have a game to play, we need to do something fast…
• STUMPED
But wait a moment, Davie White is young but he just led Clyde to being
the best of the rest on a shoestring in 1967 and we know how well the old firm
together performed in European football that year. He gave Celtic a run for
their money in the Scottish Cup with a team of part timers, for goodness sakes.
So think what he might do if he is given an Old Firm squad and budget to
manage. Maybe Stein’s had his moment and this young man might have exactly the
new tricks that we need. He hasn’t half impressed me since he’s been here, he’s
the most mature thirty four year old I know, Better still, he’s been here
nearly half a year, so he knows all the players and the staff and how we
operate… If he’s good enough, he’s old enough and to paraphrase Mr Struth, what
man has done, this young man can do too.
• NO CHOICE
And so the job is then offered to Davie White. The young man probably
knows better than anyone, that he needs at least another couple of seasons
minimum to really be ready. But if he turns the job down not only might he
never be offered it again, when someone else becomes Rangers manager, he’ll
probably be out of his assistant manager’s job too. He has no choice but to
accept.
█ TIME FOR A
EUROPEAN LEAGUE █
• TREVORROW ON TOMORROW
Ron Trevorrow of the Evening Times writing for the 1968-69 Rangers
Supporters’ Association Annual felt that a European League was not so far away.
He felt that the Old Firm were, propping up the ‘sagging structure’ of Scottish
football and there were too many small clubs with no chance of competing with
the Old Firm. The upshot being to intensify Old Firm clashes as Championship
deciders. With the advent of jet travel he concluded that, “The day must be
approaching when we will see the formation of a British League and ultimately a
European League.”
█ THE RISE OF
THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL HOOLIGAN █
• WHEN & WHY
Everyone has their own view of football hooliganism, how it started it
when and why.
Football hooliganism has contrary to what has sometimes been written,
always been with the game. However around 1967 it took on a new format. In the
past, major fighting between rival sets of fans tended to be limited to the
local derby fixture as few fans regularly followed their teams around the
country. Many people worked Saturday mornings, so there wasn’t time for long
journeys either. Therefore hooliganism tended to take the form of pitch invasions,
objects thrown at the referee, linesmen or players or the occasional lone fan
running on to the pitch to remonstrate with them normally as a result of
something that had taken place on the pitch.
• NEW FACTORS
However this pattern changed as large number of youths and young adults
started to travel to away games many miles away from their home towns and
cities. They were able to do this partly because of:
• Increasing Incomes for younger people
Meant youngsters could afford to travel to away games, buy alcohol and pay for their admission fee.
• Better Road Structures
The advent of motorway construction in the 1960’s meant that it was
possible to catch a coach (cheaper than rail) to and from an away game within
one day.
• Cheaper Train Fares
British Rail noticed the desire of fans to follow their football teams.
In a rare dash of public sector entrepreneurship, they decided to run heavily
subsidised trains to away matches enabling any hooligan to follow his team.
Even better it was possible to take drink onto the trains. I’ve stated that
this was BR showing enterprise, it may also have had something to do with
segregating the fans from their regular weekend clientele and being able to lay
on their worst rolling stock so their better stock would not get vandalised.
• Football was cheap and standing up at football cost the same amount as
a trip to the cinema.
• WHY
THE TRAVELLING SUPPORT WAS NOT PEACEFUL?
• Alcohol + Groups of Young Males = Boisterous Behaviour = Trouble
Get any group of heavily drinking young males together, be it on holiday or in a town centre on a Saturday night and it will usually end in violence. Male testosterone has always manifested itself in violence and probably always will.
• A ‘liberty’ begets a ‘liberty’ and it becomes a matter of pride based
upon local identity.
It goes like this, a group of youths supporting one team mock a group
supporting another team. That group retort in an unpleasant way. The first
group is larger and chase (just to scare) the other group who run away. Later
in the day the group of youths who ran away are joined by more fans of their
team and they spot the group from earlier. ‘They attacked us and so with their
friends go out to do what they the felt first group intended to do unto them.’
The bruised group will look for revenge later or if not the following season.
They repay the ‘debt’ with interest and if they can’t find the same set of
lads, fans of the same team will do. And so goes on the ‘vicious’ circle.
• Gang Culture.
Being in a gang was then a part of youth culture, football clubs
afforded being part of a much larger regional gang where local gangs would in
turn come together and fight for the honour of their community.
• Football grounds could have been purposely built for violence.
Terraces in particular enabled groups of youths to run at each other
with nothing to slow them down and gave proceedings the feel of a medieval
battle. Nor was there any segregation to keep the rival factions apart. Holding
the high ground, forcing your opponents to retreat and taking their ground. I
actually agree with the chap who attributed the ‘English disease’ to the
English ‘martial spirit’. Battling at football gave a new meaning to those
history lessons about Henry V at
•Similarly the decrepit, run down stadiums gave the subconscious
impression that low standards of behaviour were not just acceptable but
actively encouraged.
• Matchday Anarchy
For some young men stuck in boring day time jobs there was nothing
better than letting off steam on a Saturday afternoon. Pretty much since the
outset of television, violence has been glamourised so as the world’s most
popular soft drinks manufacturer would deduce, for some what is going to be
more enjoyable than the real thing? Then of course there is the anti-authority
angle. Avoiding arrest and outwitting the police to start ‘aggro’ provided a
feeling of power and achievement.
• The Enjoyment of Football Hooliganism as a Hobby
Look at any young man who has a hobby and I bet you that his hobby will
encompass at least a few of the following.
- Adventure: Anything can happen, especially on an ‘awayday’.
- Social Grouping and Friendship: Making new friends and meeting new
people. The camaraderie of it all.
- A ‘Buzz’. The unique excitement related to that hobby. Many football
hooligans talk of an almost chemical like buzz that goes through them when they
are in the midst of aggro.
- Opportunity to Travel. Every other week is an away game.
- Different Tests of Skill and Aptitude: The easy one’s like Coventry or
Charlton at home, the difficult one’s against Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool.
The
- Souvenir Hunting: Mainly but not exclusively the sort of thing, any
football fan collects (programmes, ticket stubs etc) to commemorate a famous
day. The early hooligans collected scarves of vanquished opponents.
• Taking
For some there was nothing more satisfying in seeing their exploits
become far more newsworthy than the event they were supposed to be spectating
and frankly how else would some hooligans otherwise have ever made the
newspapers or even the televised news. Though football hooligans are often
among the most knowledgeable and passionate fans, events off the pitch were
usually far more exciting and unpredictable than those on it.
There was also something satisfying in seeing authority figures from
club chairmen, managers to star players desperately pleading for good
behaviour. Or a politician working himself up in a lather of self-righteous
indignation. In what other circumstances could the hooligans have got attention
from someone like that?
• Hardmen and Nutters
Of course young toughs keen to make a name for themselves and those
already with a reputation found matchdays an ideal way to boost their
credentials. Nutters who enjoyed violence found somewhere they could easily
find it, complete with another likeminded, consenting nutter to fight against
on the side.
• Lenient Penalties for Getting Caught
Say this for the old Communist Eastern Europe, they rarely had trouble
of youths fighting at the match. The thought of a couple of years in a Siberian
Gulag could sober up the most high spirited fan. The English Courts usually
opted for a fine of £5 to £10. A nuisance but not a deterrent.
• It Became a Youth Hobby or Cult
Football found itself at the heart of the latest youth cult. Namely
through the emergence of the ‘Skinhead’, the first youth tribe to be directly
linked to football and the latest tribe for youngsters to join.
•‘The Permissive Society’
Yes and No. Yes, in the sense of lenient sentences but not in the form
of the politics and mentalities of many of the hooligans.
~The Buzz
Football hooliganism has had many thousands of individual participants,
each deriving their own unique thrill, satisfaction or pleasure from it. If
they didn’t enjoy it, they wouldn’t be there. Certainly in many instances it’s
become a drug, with participants unable to pack in the activity even though it
can result in serious injury, imprisonment and all the implications that go
with it. There is simply nothing else to replace the adrenalin of it all.
~Many Factors
With so many factors involved, it was never going to be something that
could be solved quickly and simply.
█ GENERATION
X █
• SUPERMARKET HOOLIGANISM
Between January 1963 and June 1964 Charles Hamblett and Jane Deverson
surveyed the youth of
As the number of mods and rockers declined due a mixture of: marriage,
parenthood, career, imprisonment or simply through boredom with that lifestyle,
the next generation of youngsters sought to create their own new cult.
█ SKINHEADISM
█
•
THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR KICKING
Nobody knows exactly when and
where the cult of the skinhead was born. It is however widely credited with
having been born in
There were also Skinhead
girls, shaved hair on top with their hair left long at the front and back.
Ladies not to be trifled with, they wore tight white jeans and high Dr Marten
boots. An Urban working class cult, it was about: style, territory, violence,
music and of course football. The early London skinheads tended not to be the
later fascist incarnation, they shared with West Indian Youth who many grew up
with a passion for Ska and reggae music. Even within London though there were
many racist skinheads at this stage and certainly more outside of London where
the black communities were smaller. Indeed it is probably correct to say that each
local band of skinheads had its own unique customs and politics. Saturday and
matchday were a focal point for the young skins to meet up, exchange gossip,
show off their new clothes and for many to ‘have a laugh’ and ‘get up to
mischief.’ See and be seen.
Though the Skinhead was
actually in the minority when it came to football hooliganism, the tough image
became synonymous with the activity and cartoonists had a field day with it.
█ NO MEAN CITY
█
• OLD FIRM VIOLENCE AND GLASGOW GANG CULTURE
Of course any reader will point out the historic violence associated
with Old Firm fixtures or indeed the ‘Brake’ gangs of supporters that pre-dated
the turn of the century. (Think a gang of hooligans originally travelling away
by horse and carriage.) They might also correctly suggest the political and
religious dimension. However local derbies in every city attract trouble, for
instance we have noted how the
I would also suggest that since the turn of the century substantial
numbers of Glasgow gang members have been supporters of the Old Firm teams.
Historically, though football’s most passionate fans were drawn across the
strata of society, they have always been especially represented among the least
affluent. Just as gang membership is predominately drawn from those from the
most impoverished backgrounds. Add them together and it was natural that where
large numbers of the same gang were attracted to football, they would turn up
together on matchdays. It is not coincidence that two such gang names became
unofficial nicknames for the wider old firm support. Namely, the ‘Billy Boys’
of the 1920’s from
• I BLAME THE FOOTBALL!
The Billy Boys were formed in 1924 following a football match between
Kent Star and a scratch XI. One Billy
An interesting phenomena at both old firms clubs was for instances of
fighting to occasionally break out between fans of the same team especially if
there were few away fans in attendance. The terraces, just another venue for
gangs to fight it out for supremacy even if they shared the same culture and
supported the same team. A good example in the context of this book is the
fighting that took place at Rangers v Arsenal in 1968 at Ibrox.
Often, blaming football and football clubs was a handy smokescreen for
politicians to exonerate their own wider failings.
█ WHERE DO
SPURS FANS COME FROM 1968 █
• THE SPLIT
In many parts of North London, support for Spurs and Arsenal was split
down the middle. Arsenal tended to enjoy the support of newcomers to London
whilst Spurs was more established, interestingly reflecting the history of both
clubs presence in North London. Obviously those areas closest to each club were
mainstays of support. For instance, the boroughs of Enfield and Haringey a
hotbed of Spurs support. The Double team had made Spurs the more popular among
a new generation of fans, just as Chapman’s teams had created a new generation
of Arsenal fans in the 1930’s. Support
that was of course then passed down the generations.
There were also pockets of support away from North London. For instance,
Richmond, a Chelsea stronghold in the south west had a large Spurs contingent,
as did Bethnal Green in what was otherwise a sea of claret and blue.
Spurs attacking brand of football and top players had given them
supporters further afield. Often fans of smaller less successful provincial
clubs would support them and share in some glory glory. Certainly Nicholson and
his teams were not synonymous with Southern softies which made them far more
appealing. Although it wasn’t quite like the
Also across the South East there were areas of support where fans had
more recently moved to. Particularly in the new towns of Essex, Surrey and
Hertfordshire.
Spurs by this stage were of course becoming known for attracting a large
Jewish contingent. The anti-Semitic element at West Ham originally dubbed Spurs
‘Yids’ and ‘Yiddos’ and sang anti-Semitic songs when the sides met so the Spurs
fans turned this abuse on its head by taking the name for themselves.
• SPURS AND THE JEWISH COMMUNITY 1968
To begin with, Arsenal also had a large Jewish support. In 1968, I would
say the split was probably 67:33 in Spurs favour. The Jews who supported Spurs
then (or any other club) were secular ones, not religious ones as games were played
on the Jewish Sabbath. These fans were mainly second and third generation Jews,
so were not newcomers to London per se, so would not have automatically
gravitated to Arsenal in the same way as other new first generation newcomers
to North London had done.
Originally, the Jewish community in London was based in London’s East
End. However there had also been a large enclave close to Spurs in Stamford
Hill. In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the east end Jewish community moved in
great numbers to the suburbs in the North West of London, for instance Golders
Green and Edgware and also to suburbs in the North East of London such as
Ilford and Leyton. West Ham’s fanbase contained too many anti-semites so the
two North London teams were always going to pick up the Jewish football
support. Spurs picked up the greater share for a variety of reasons. They were
closer to the East End than Arsenal, so it was an acknowledgement of where they
had come from. Spurs were a more entertaining side post war than Arsenal and my
observation is that the Jewish community perceived football as something that
should be entertaining. Some might say that the white and blue colours of Spurs
matched the Star of David and this had a particular resonance too. I also
believe there was another factor in play. The people running Arsenal were very
much representative of ‘the establishment’. In the 1960’s there was
anti-semitism in business and society and it was felt that it came from the top
of society downwards. So by supporting Spurs, Jews were also making a statement
along the lines of if the establishment are not going to support us, we’re not
going to support their football team. And of course, it made it all the sweeter
when their team beat or did better than the ‘establishment’s’.
The Jewish community loves football for all the same reasons any other
community does, but also atmosphere and community and at Spurs they got both.
Friends who had moved away from each other could meet up every other Saturday.
The family is an important Jewish tradition, and otherwise busy fathers could
now spend quality time with their children at something they all enjoyed. I
also believe that Jews were particularly keen to mix with the wider community
and supporting Spurs was a fun way of integrating with non-Jewish society.
█ TOUTING FOR
BUSINESS █
• SATURDAY AND SUNDAY PEOPLE
You’re either Arsenal or Tottenham? Not necessarily, if you’re a ticket
tout you are both. Probably whichever team was doing best, as that team’s
tickets were worth more money.
P O
S T S
C R I
P T
█ SPURS
1968-9 █
• NO MORE GLORY
Spurs finished sixth in the League and went out in the League Cup semi finals
to their arch rivals Arsenal. The guarantee of a European place for winners and
a lucrative Wembley final persuaded all the big clubs to enter the draw. After
the huge disappointment of defeat to Arsenal, Spurs fans had the consolation of
seeing 3rd Division Swindon’s shock victory in the Final. However at the start
of the decade Spurs celebrated their own rather than someone else’s triumphs,
Bill Nicholson was far from satisfied.
█ RANGERS
1968-9 █
• SCOTLAND’S FORGOTTEN SHAME
Rangers were League Runners Up for the fourth consecutive season. They
had a great opportunity to seize the Championship but threw away what seemed
like an unassailable lead with just three wins in the last eight fixtures. So
Rangers and their young manager ‘bottled’ it? Well actually they didn’t but
were victims to one of the most disgraceful and despicable episodes in the
history of Scottish football.
• KICKED OFF THE PARK
On 15th March 1969 as Rangers hosted Clyde the striker was subjected to
an afternoon of thuggery from the visitors defence. With a minute and a half
remaining he is whacked not once but four times in immediate succession by a
nonentity named Eddie Mulherron. Unprotected by the officials, how much more
was Stein expected to take, so he kicked out at the clogger and both men were
sent off.
• A SINISTER TURN
Then events were to take a sinister turn. The Scottish Referee’s
Committee chaired by none other than Celtic Chairman Bob Kelly handed out a
ridiculously disproportionate six week suspension to Stein. The suspension
ending on 1st May by which time the domestic Scottish season had ended. If ever
there was a conflict of interests. With Rangers Talisman sidelined for the
remainder of the season and the inferior, unhappy Alex Ferguson recalled, the
damage was done.
• SWINDLED
Kelly must have been well pleased with the title already won, Celtic
then notched up a 4-0 victory against Rangers in the Scottish Cup final in late
April. Minus Colin Stein, with Alex Ferguson in his place and a team now shorn
of confidence and momentum.
On 14th and 21st May 1969 Rangers contested the two legs of the European
Fairs Cup semi final. Stein was back but with lack of match practice and dare I
say it a bit sickened with the injustice done to him was nowhere near his best
and nor were his teammates.
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