Relegation Derby

This is a short piece on the final part of the battle against relegation being played out in Premier League stadiums up and down the country.

There are 11 clubs who are still looking over their shoulder from Swansea (10^th) downwards.  The Swans are only 4pts from the drop zone but then there are 7 clubs between them and the dreaded bottom three.  Just 7pts separate ‘the accused’ and so they are all in the dock with a realistic chance of ‘going down’ or a stay of execution.

I looked at the remaining fixtures for each team and the current league positions for their opponents.  Then I added up those positions to try and work out which teams had the easier or tougher finish.  The lower the score, the more you will come up against teams from top half of the table.  I also looked at the difference between opponents at home and away.  As the season draws to an end I think you would rather come up against another relegation-threatened team at home rather than away.  You may also sacrifice a defeat away to a top half club, in return for a win against a rival.

This analysis throws up a number of observations.

·         West Ham has most games against top sides.

·         Hull has most games against bottom sides.

·         All but one of Palace’s home games are against top sides.

·         Palace plays all but one of their games against sides around them, away from home.

·         Sunderland has most home games against sides in bottom 12, yet nearly all their away games are against top 7 sides

Looking at the fixtures in the last few matches also throws up some interesting points;

On the Final Day, there will be three fixtures which may be relegation play-offs.

Fulham v Crystal Palace; West Brom v Stoke; Sunderland v Swansea;

Fulham’s final 3 matches are Hull (h), Stoke (a), Palace (h)

Norwich’s final 4 games are Liverpool (h), Man Utd (a), Chelsea (a), Arsenal (h)

None of Aston Villa’s final 3 games are against sides lower than 11^th

I have worked through the fixtures and made my predictions of the results I expect and in my opinion I cannot see Cardiff or Fulham winning another match for the rest of the season.  That may reflect their current form and of course does not allow for some desperate, frantic performances which may see last minute goals turning games.  But this may also reflect a rather unusual feature of this season.  With so many clubs in danger of dropping back to The Championship, I feel it is more likely those clubs just around mid-table are going to provide a much sterner test and be keener for the points than maybe would be the case in an ‘ordinary’ season.

So that’s two of the relegation places sorted.  The other one looks to be between West Ham, West Brom, Crystal Palace, Norwich and Swansea.  The game between Swansea and Norwich at the end of March could be crucial.  At this stage I can see a draw, but if Swansea can win they may just stave off the drop.  For West Ham to avoid the drop their home games against Norwich and Crystal Palace could be crucial.  Right now I can see them drawing both, but again that could be after Norwich’s battling draw against Man City yesterday, whereas had I been working this out a few days ago I could see a West Ham win. 

How Swansea fare is also uncertain given they have just ditched their manager and replaced him with a man who, not only has little playing experience in the Premier League, but no managerial experience at any level.  Personally, I can only see them winning one more game and a final day trip to Sunderland may not save them.  Swansea has three key games at home with Palace, West Brom and Norwich visiting and they may only win one of them, but to win two out of three may just keep them up.

West Brom could ultimately fill that third spot and mainly because of their choice, and timing of managerial change.  Pepe Mel is still to register a win but visits to The Hawthorns of Cardiff and Fulham should produce that and maybe their squad has enough fight left in them to pull off a result when West Ham visit.  Their final match is at home to Stoke, who should be safe by then and may be less concerned with the points than their hosts.

What is very difficult to predict is the freak result.  There will be some, but where is almost impossible to work out.  Chelsea and Liverpool are in such good form, although Liverpool still has the ability to produce a poor performance against a side from the bottom half.  Norwich, Palace, West Ham, Cardiff and Fulham all host Liverpool and any of them could produce a strong enough performance to bring 3pts.  At this stage of the season, I cannot see Man City or Chelsea slipping up against any of the clubs down the bottom but with European and domestic cup fixtures to negotiate then who knows.

Of course my prediction could well be weighted towards the fact I cannot see what any club gains by changing a manager in the second half of the season, albeit Clarke and Jol were binned before mid-December.  There are a few instances of managers actually making enough of a difference to keep teams up but these are few and far between, but nonetheless enough to convince Chairmen of the need for a change.  It seems more likely to me that Crystal Palace and Sunderland may well have timed it better to make changes.  Swansea may only stay up on goal difference and the fact that the outgoing manager had already stashed away enough points in the bag before his dismissal.

My relegation prediction: Fulham, Cardiff and West Brom

The Shirt Hits The Fan

I often write about rule changes I’d like to see in football, as many of them seem nonsensical.  However, a lot of them are trivial and do not have any great bearing on a game, but sometimes the littlest things puzzle us the most.

One rule change I would like to see is the one where you are cautioned for removing your shirt after celebrating a goal.

Last week we had another example of this.  Sunderland, yes that Sunderland who were so far adrift at the foot of the Premier League their owners decided they had to change the manager after just 5 matches, were up against the might of Chelsea, League and European Champions in the past few years.  This was a League Cup tie, a competition in which the likes of Arsene Wenger has convinced the FA of its importance so much so that it must be settled in one attempt.  No replays, just extra time and penalties.  The game is 1-0 to Chelsea with barely two minutes remaining and Sunderland grab an equaliser to force extra time.  In front of their own fans, who’ve endured a miserable time of it lately, save the ‘massive’ derby day win over Newcastle, the place is buzzing for the effort their boys have put in.  Deep into extra time and there’s still nothing to separate the two sides.  The fans are shifting in their seats about penalties, many of the players will also be anxious as they will their teammates to end things to put them out of their impending misery.  With seconds left on the clock, Sunderland attack and the ball is in the Chelsea area at the feet of one Ki Sung-Yueng.  He beats one defender as he switches the ball onto his right foot and fires a shot low into the corner of the net and the whole place erupts.  This Sunderland side has endured a lot this season, they are still 4pts away from any company at the foot of the table, they are up against a Chelsea side managed by an enigmatic Portuguese who has never experienced defeat in a League Cup tie at Chelsea, yet little old Ki has won it for them.  He goes off on a victory celebration.

Now let’s consider this for a moment.  When we were kids, whatever sport you fancied, we’ve all dreamed of hitting the winning runs, taking the last wicket, kicking the drop-goal in added time, serving the final ace, potting the black, hitting the double 16 to win a game.  We’ve all dreamed of that, and we’ve all seen ourselves celebrate.  None of us really know how we’d react but we’ve all played it through in our own minds.  These are the moments of no return in sport which in team sport happen so rarely.  The point when no one else can trump you.  You can score a goal at any time in a game, but when it comes so late the other team has no chance to come back then you are remembered as a hero for eternity.

If you score a goal in the first half of a cup Final and that is the only goal of the game, then you are known as the man whose ‘only goal of the game won the cup for his club’.  But if your goal is virtually the last kick of the game then you are known as the man who ‘won the cup for his club’.  Ki won the game for Sunderland.

For South Korean, Ki, this was his first goal in English football having been signed by Swansea in August 2012.  At the time he was the club’s most expensive player, but he struggled to live up to his price tag and a year later joined Sunderland on a season-long loan.  This would’ve been his finest moment in football so far, in fact he has admitted so, calling it a “once in a lifetime” goal.  Given all that, you can hardly forgive him from losing control over his celebration and taking his shirt off.

This disrobing has a habit of breaking through the most reserved player’s defences at times when the goal and/or the occasion is beyond comprehension.  I’m willing to bet that when Ki was flying over to England (ok, Wales), he dreamed of such a moment.  He dreamed of the headlines, of the crowd singing and he must’ve dreamed of how he imagined he would celebrate.  But that was all done with a clear head and under no pressure whatsoever.

Rewind to another goal involving a Swansea player.  It is May 2011 and Swansea are in the Championship play-offs at the Semi-Final stage where they’re playing Nottingham Forest.  The 1^st leg ended goalless and Swansea were 2 goals up in the first half of the 2^nd leg.  Rob Earnshaw came on to score a late goal for Forest, who were then in the position of knowing another goal would send them through on goal difference.  It had been 28 years since Swansea had been in the top flight and in that time had virtually gone bust.  They had clawed their way back from the dead and were on the verge of the big time.  Three minutes into injury time and with Earnshaw having already hit the bar, Forest had a corner for which their keeper went up for.  Swansea defended it and Pratley broke clear picking the ball up just outside his own area, and as he reached the halfway line he launched the ball into the net.  Cue amazing scenes of celebration.  The Championship Play-off Final is reputed to be worth around £90m for the winner in tv revenue and Premier League prize money, and Pratley has just ensured his side has made it.  He then goes on a run back down the touchline, ripping his shirt off as he goes.  It is quite clearly his greatest moment on a football field and he is ecstatic.  He may never get another chance to be the man to score that goal at that stage of as important a match as that.

Both Ki and Pratley were booked for their celebration.  They could’ve done almost anything and not been cautioned but because they removed their shirts, they were booked.  The authorities claim this action could incite opposition fans to riot and they have been very clear in the punishment for this offence.  Referees will tell you that all the League clubs have posters on the walls warning players they will be punished for this misdemeanour, and they will argue the players only have themselves to blame.

My point is that there should be some leeway for this rule, in fact I’d go further and say we should get rid of this ridiculous rule altogether.

Before I go onto explain why, let us just consider another incident from this season.  The Merseyside derby and Liverpool are 2-1 up at Everton, who have lost just once at home in the league all season.  Daniel Sturridge, who has not made the starting line-up, is warming up on the touchline.  He is having to do this in front of the home fans who are giving him fearful stick.  Sturridge takes it all in good faith, smiling as he continues his routines.  Sturridge is sent on just after Everton has equalised and then soon after his introduction, Everton take the lead for the first time.  It is not certain whether the Everton players knew this, but since the War Everton has only once come from behind to win a Merseyside derby, and they are on the threshold of achieving the ‘impossible’.  Then Liverpool has a free-kick with a minute to go.  Gerrard fires the ball in and Sturridge gets up to head it past Tim Howard for a dramatic equaliser.  Sturridge then goes to the Everton fans who had so politely welcomed him to the ground earlier and proceeds to show off his dance moves which are synonymous with his goal celebrations.  He was already on that side of the pitch so it seems natural to move to the side of the pitch to celebrate the goal.  But some of the home fans are incensed by his behaviour resulting in Sturridge having to justify his actions, for which he claimed he was simply ‘cocking a snook’ at them (my words, not his) for their greeting earlier.

Sturridge wasn’t booked for his celebration, despite some of the home fans anger.  Nobody likes having their noses rubbed into things and taunted, especially football fans or people in a crowd.  Had Sturridge taken his shirt off he would’ve been booked, but would the Everton fans have become violent as a result?  Would they have considered in that moment that Sturridge had committed the ultimate sin of standing in front of them showing off his fine torso, resulting in them scaling the fences to administer a suitable punishment themselves?  I think not.  I wouldn’t imagine they would’ve been any more, or less incensed whether his shirt was on his back or not.

Therefore, why is it considered the height of yobbery or the most unpleasant of taunts for a player to remove his shirt whilst celebrating, yet he can perform any other sort of insult (not one fingered, obviously) and mockery and escape punishment.

I can understand if officials wish to deter an epidemic of scantily-cladishness but in certain circumstances surely they can exercise some discretion?

Neither Pratley or Ki ran towards the opposition fans to try and goad them.  Sturridge, it could be argued, did.

Getting back to Ki.  Ki has now received 4 yellow cards, leaving him one short of a ban.  What if Sunderland are about to reach the Final and he is slightly late on a challenge, which is neither malicious or dangerous but warrants another caution?  He would then receive his last one resulting in a ban denying him a contribution to what could be Sunderland’s only high point of the season.  Now I realise referees cannot suddenly decide not to punish a player in case he misses out on one of his finest moments of a brief career, but it is now the case that he has picked up a card for demonstrating he is human and had celebrated in front of his own fans in what was a wonderful moment.  Something many players can go through a whole career never experiencing.  Of course he wouldn’t be the first to miss a Final following a suspension but often they have deserved it.  Dennis Irwin, for contrast, was particularly unlucky.  In 1999 as Manchester United closed in on a treble they were leading at Anfield when the ball was going out for a throw and Irwin attempted to keep it in.  By the time Irwin connected with the ball, the linesman (out of sight behind him) had flagged and so referee David Elleray deemed Irwin had deliberately kicked the ball away at which point he showed Irwin, already on a yellow card, a second yellow resulting in a sending off and an automatic ban meaning he would miss the FA Cup Final.  For the 33 year old Irwin, this was likely to be his last chance of another Wembley final and so it proved.

Referees should understand the circumstances of the game and should officiate the game accordingly.  Running the whole length of the pitch to celebrate in front of your old club’s fans as Adebayor did when he scored against Arsenal, warrants a punishment as it was crass, stupid and only going to inflame already irritated, and frustrated supporters.  But taking your shirt off to celebrate in front of your own fans with almost the last kick of the game would seem to be poor reasoning for admonishment.

The most famous shirt-removal behaviour was when Ryan Giggs scored one of the best FA Cup goals in extra time of the Semi-Final Replay against Arsenal in 1999.  He had scored a goal many of us have dreamed about, and for a midfield player who picks up the ball just inside his own half, it was the best goal they could’ve scored.  No wonder Giggs ‘lost it’ with his celebration.  It was a heavyweight clash which was nearing a penalty shootout and Giggs had not only scored, but the nature and timing of the goal proceeded to finally burst Arsenal’s competitive balloon.   He removed his shirt as he went on a run back down the pitch, revealing the sort of chest thatch that presumably he would rather only his wife or her sister would ever have seen.

He’s never done it since, but then he’s never scored a goal like it since.  These things can often happen just once in a player’s career and for an official to determine how it should be celebrated is simply pouring unnecessary fuel on a perfectly well-lit firework.  We are often reminded how short a footballer’s career is, so let’s fast forward 30 years and there is young Ki sitting in his rocking chair reflecting on his life.  Do you really think he’s going to regret taking his shirt off during a celebration bringing himself a booking?  Well, he will do if it contributes to him missing an important match, but for a ‘once in a lifetime’ goal surely he love to be able to think back and reminisce that he couldn’t possibly have celebrated that goal any better. 

This further illustrates the futility of the law as it doesn’t deter every player and there are certain circumstances when a player is going to break this law no matter the consequences, as the positive reaction from his teammates and supporters is more than enough to keep him going during any suspension he may incur.  Another example of crassness of the rule is that Ki had a top underneath his shirt so he wasn’t even bare-chested, so it is hardly likely to incite a crowd any more than a player celebrating in front of them keeping his shirt on.

I would suggest we need to give referees the power of discretion.  They can then determine whether a celebration is likely to cause a reaction in the crowd, or better still we could just leave it all to the fabulous ‘wise-after-the-event’ panel which can only bring retrospective action on a player if the referee hasn’t seen him commit an inappropriate challenge.

The Great Escape - Bristol City 1976-77

The season is 1976-77 and the club in focus is Bristol City.  They’d made it to the big time when they gained promotion the season before from the old Second Division, along with Sunderland and West Brom.  Their last game in English football’s top tier was in April 1911 and so a wait of 65 years was finally over.

SQUAD

MANAGER

Alan Dicks, aged 42.  After a playing career at Chelsea and Southend, he joined Coventry as assistant-manager to Jimmy Hill.  In 1967 Bristol City was Dicks first management job.  He finally left in October 1980, moving to Greece and Qatar before returning to manage Fulham in 1990.  

GOALKEEPERS

Ray Cashley, aged 25 (8 games) – Local born, he joined the club as a youth player making his debut in 1970.  Was a regular during their promotion season and eventually moved to Bristol Rovers in 1982 after over 260 appearances for City.

John Shaw, aged 22 (32 games) – Scottish born Shaw began his professional career at Leeds United but before making a league appearance he joined City on a free transfer in 1974.  Eventually, got his chance during this season in the home defeat to Birmingham in October. He played every match from then on.  Stayed with the club until his move to Exeter City in 1985.

Len Bond, aged 22 (2 games) – Born in Somerset he joined City as an apprentice in 1971.  He was always understudy to Cashley and Shaw before he moved to Brentford in 1977.

DEFENDERS

Gerry Sweeney, aged 31 (42 games, 2 goals) – Began his career at Morton before moving south to City in 1971.  Became a regular during their promotion season and beyond, he left the club in 1982 having made over 400 appearances for the club.  He later managed them in 1997 in a caretaker capacity after Joe Jordan was sacked.

Gary Collier, aged 21  (42 games, 1 goal) – Born in Bristol he made his debut for the club in 1972. Formed a solid defensive partnership with Geoff Merrick and then Norman Hunter before leaving for Coventry in 1979.

Geoff Merrick, aged 25 (39 games, 1 goal) -  Born in Bristol he made his debut with the club in 1967 and ended up playing over 360 times for the club before he left in 1982.  Was club captain for many years and was a transfer target of Arsenal’s just after he helped City to promotion.

Norman Hunter, aged 33 (31 games) – Part of ‘the great Leeds side’ of the 60’s and 70’s, he earned a reputation for tough tackling and was subsequently nicknamed Norman “Bites yer legs” Hunter.  Won League title and FA Cup winners medals at Leeds and after 540 appearances, he joined City in 1976.  Remained with the club until leaving for Barnsley in 1979.

Brian Drysdale, aged 33 (11 games) – Durham born, he spent 10 years at Lincoln and Hartlepool before joining City in 1969.  Made 280 appearances until moving to Oxford in 1977 as he was a regular in their promotion season.

Brian McNeill, aged 20 (1 game) – Made his debut for the club in 1975 but only ever came on as a sub for the club before he moved to Plymouth and then onto Hearts.

David Rodgers, aged 24 (1 game) – Born in Bristol he made his debut in 1970.  Always found himself understudy to Merrick and then Collier he eventually left the club in 1982 having made 192 appearances.

MIDFIELD

Trevor Tainton, aged 28 (38 games, 2 goals) – Born in Bristol he first played for the club in 1967, playing an important part in both their promotion season and their First Division spell.  Left the club in 1982 having played more than 480 times.

Gerry Gow, aged 24 (30 games, 1 goal) – Born in Glasgow he made his debut as a 17-year old in 1970.  Became in integral part of their midfield during promotion push and remained at the club until his move to Manchester City in 1981, where he won an FA Cup runners-up medal.

Jimmy Mann, aged 24 (30 games, 1 goal) – Began his career at Leeds in 1969 and made the move to City on a free transfer at the same time as John Shaw in 1974.  Left the club in 1982 after playing over 200 times.  Later played for Barnsley, Scunthorpe and Doncaster.

Clive Whitehead, aged 21 (41 games) – Joined City in March 1973 and became an important part of their promotion side.  Remained with the club until his move to West Brom in 1981, having played almost 230 times for City.

Don Gillies, aged 25 (37 games, 3 goals) – Another Scot, Gillies began his career at Morton then signed for City in March 1973.  A crowd favourite he played over 240 games for the club before moving across the city to Rovers in 1980.

John Bain, aged 19 (2 games) – Born in Falkirk, he joined City in 1974.  Struggled to get into the first team and ended up carving a decent career for himself in America mainly in their indoor league.

STRIKERS

Tom Ritchie, aged 24 (30 games, 7 goals) – Another Scottish born player who was signed by Dicks in 1969.  An important player in their promotion success as well as their First Division spell, scoring 77 goals in just over 300 appearances before he moved to Sunderland in 1981.  Returned to City in 1982 during a difficult period for the club.

Chris Garland, aged 28 (21 games, 7 goals) – Local boy, he joined the club in 1965.  Spent 6 years at the club, including making an appearance for England at under-23 level.  He moved to Chelsea and then onto Leicester in 1974.  Dicks brought him back to City in November 1976 and he was a big part of their battle for survival.

Keith Fear, aged 24 (26 games, 6 goals) – Born in Bristol, he first played for the club in 1969.  Eventually left in 1978 after 150 appearances and 32 goals.  He later joined Plymouth after a couple of loan spells

Paul Cheesley, aged 23 (3 games, 1 goal) – Unlike all the other local boys in the squad, Cheesley didn’t start at City.  He made his debut for Norwich City in 1971.  In late 1973 Norwich offloaded him to Bristol City.  He formed a lethal partnership with Tom Ritchie during their promotion season, scoring 33 goals between them.  After scoring the winner against Arsenal in the opening game of the 1976-77 season he was injured against Stoke, 3 days later and never played again.

Peter Cormack, aged 30 (20 games, 6 goals) – Edinburgh-born Cormack started his career at Hibs, where he made his debut in 1963.  In 1966 he earned the first of his 9 international caps.  In 1970 he moved south to Nottingham Forest and when they were relegated, Bill Shankly signed him for Liverpool.  He won League and UEFA Cup winners medals in 1973 and was part of the squad which lifted the title again in 1976.  Surplus to requirements at Anfield, Dicks bought him to Ashton Gate in November 1976.  Remained at the club until he moved back north to Hibs in 1980.

An opening day win at Highbury followed by draws against Stoke and Newcastle had given the Robins a dream start.  That win at Arsenal was all the more sweet as the home side had spent big during the summer bringing Malcolm MacDonald from Newcastle and he’d spent the run-up to the match boasting how many goals he was going to score.  After 29 minutes he clashed with Gary Collier and went off with broken ribs.  Not so super-mac.

ARSENAL   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   1   (Cheesley)

Arsenal: Rimmer; Rice, O’Leary, Simpson, Nelson; Ball, Ross, Cropley, Armstrong; MacDonald (Storey), Radford

Bristol City: Cashley; Sweeney, Merrick, Collier, Drysdale; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Mann, Cheesley

When Sunderland came to Ashton Gate and were beaten, 4-1 City were in the heady heights of 2^nd place.  But they then went 9 games before they won again, including a run of 6 straight defeats.  Back-to-back wins against Tottenham and Norwich gained them some reprieve, but by the end of the year they were in the bottom four and fighting for survival.

The new year really illustrated their Jekyll and Hyde qualities as January saw them complete the double over Arsenal, before losing to bottom club Sunderland and then beating title-chasing Manchester City.  They followed this with 3 straight losses which saw them hit rock-bottom.

Bristol City now had 10 games to save their First Division status.  Having waited so many years to feed off the top table again, they were desperate for the dream to last.  In November, Alan Dicks was alerted to the fact one of the club’s ex-players was not securing a regular place in the Leicester City side.  So Dicks bought Chris Garland back to Ashton Gate.  He left the club in 1971 to join Chelsea and then moved to Leicester where he formed a good partnership with Frank Worthington.  No longer a starter at Filbert Street, City bought him for £110,000 at the end of November.  It would prove to be a shrewd piece of business.

Mid-April and Tottenham arrived at Ashton Gate.  Spurs were struggling just 4pts ahead of City and with a defence which had shipped more goals than any other team in the Division.  Peter Cormack scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot to give them a vital 1-0 win.  Defeat was a calamity for Tottenham who dropped 4 places into 21^st.  City were now 2pts adrift at the bottom behind 5 clubs on 27pts.

TOTTENHAM   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   1   (Cormack)

TOTTENHAM: Daines; Naylor, Osgood, Perryman, J. Holmes (Keeley); Pratt, Hoddle, McNab; Armstrong, Jones, Taylor

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Collier, Hunter, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland (Fear), Cormack

Bristol City now had 9 games to try and save their First Division future.  It would start with a run of 4 away games, including trips to Stoke City and Queen’s Park Rangers, both of whom were not safe.  They only had three more matches to come at home and to make things tougher, two of them were against teams in the top five, Liverpool and Manchester United.  As things stood they still faced the prospect of the final day clash at Coventry, who by this stage were 19^th.

Saturday 16^th April 1977

NORWICH CITY   (1)   2   (Reeves, Peters)

BRISTOL CITY   (1)   1   (Cormack)

NORWICH: Keelan; Ryan, Powell, Jones, Sullivan; Neighbour (Evans), Suggett, Steele, Peters; Reeves, Gibbins

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Collier, Hunter, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Gillies (Mann), Whitehead; Ritchie, Cormack

City travelled to Norwich City who were lying in 13^th.  Norwich won 2-1 to put Bristol City under further pressure.  Tottenham and Sunderland played out a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.  QPR went to Middlesbro and came away with a vital 2-0 win.  West Ham weren’t so fortunate as their trip to Newcastle ended in 0-3 defeat.  Coventry City played host to Aston Villa but also went down 2-3.  Stoke also lost away to Birmingham, 0-2, and certainly couldn’t be considered safe.

Midweek fixtures saw QPR gain a priceless win as they beat Man Utd, 4-0.  Coventry also earned a point at home to West Brom.  The next night saw Bristol City at Stoke City.

Wednesday 20^th April 1977

Stoke were 7 places ahead of Bristol put only 5pts better off and just 2pts above the drop zone.  Their away record was the major reason for their lowly position but they weren’t easy to beat at the Victoria Ground.  Bristol City hadn’t won away from home since their victory at White Hart Lane back in November and had gained just 2pts in the 9 games since.  Tom Ritchie gave them a first half lead, but early in the second half Alan Bloor equalised.  Denis Smith, Bloor’s defensive partner, put the home side in front before Chris Garland grabbed a crucial equaliser and Bristol had earned a point.

STOKE CITY   (0)   2   (Bloor, Smith)

BRISTOL CITY   (1)   2   (Ritchie, Garland)

STOKE CITY: Shilton; Dodd, Bloor, Smith, Marsh; Robertson, Salmons, Mahoney, Ruggiero; Tudor, Crooks

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland, Cormack

On the same night Derby County (18^th) and West Ham (21^st) played out a 1-1 draw.  Tottenham did little to improve their position, going down 1-2 at Aston Villa

The following weekend was the Easter holiday and on the Saturday Stoke (16^th) and Tottenham (20^th) meet and play out a 0-0 draw, and Sunderland (18^th) and Derby County (17^th) play out a 1-1 draw.  Coventry (19^th) were well beaten at Arsenal, 0-2 and QPR (15^th) missed the chance to pull away from the danger zone as they gave up a lead to lose 1-2 at home to Newcastle.

On the Monday Coventry and Derby were again in action as they met at Highfield Road.  Goals from Mick Coop and Mick Ferguson gave the home side a 2-0 win.  This ended a run of 13 games without a win for the Sky Blues.

Tuesday 26^th April 1977

QPR   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   1   (Ritchie)

QPR: Parkes; Clement, McLintock, Webb, Gillard; Francis, Hollins, Masson (Thomas), Kelly; Eastoe, Givens

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland, Cormack

In front of just 14,576 at Loftus Road, Bristol City earned a priceless win when Tom Ritchie scored the only goal of the game as City closed the gap at the bottom.  It was a crucial victory and meant the bottom eight clubs were separated by just 4pts and the bottom four clubs separated by a single point.  City also had games in hand on the three clubs immediately above them and hope was returning to Ashton Gate.

Saturday 30^th April 1977

LEEDS UNITED   (1)   2   (Thomas, E. Gray)

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   0

LEEDS: Stewart; Stevenson, McQueen, Madeley, F. Gray; Thomas, Cherry, Currie, E. Gray; McGhie, Jordan (Harris)

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland, Cormack (Fear)

Inside the opening 10 minutes and Gwynn Thomas pounced on a John Shaw’s inability to hold onto his initial shot, to score on his debut.  The goal was really of City’s own making and the kind of goal you concede when you’re battling against relegation.  In the second half Tony Currie’s free-kick was headed on by Gordon McQueen and Eddie Gray turned the ball in at the near post to complete the victory for the home side.  It was a blow for City, but it would be the last time they savoured defeat that season.

Worse news was to follow as the five clubs immediately above them all picked up points.  West Ham earned a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough, but Tottenham, Sunderland, Derby and Coventry all won.  Tottenham ended a run of 1 win in 9 when they produced a rare highlight by beating Aston Villa 3-1 at home.  Sunderland pulled off a surprise as two goals from Tony Towers helped them to a 3-2 win at West Brom (7^th).  Derby hosted Manchester City, who were second only to Liverpool on goal difference.  Goals from Gerry Daly, Archie Gemmill, Peter Daniel and Kevin Hector gave Derby a surprising 4-0 win.  Coventry (18^th) put Stoke (15^th) back into trouble as they thumped them 5-2, thanks to a hat-trick from Ian Wallace.  QPR were unable to repeat their performance against Man Utd 10 days previously as their return match at Old Trafford saw them lose to a Lou Macari goal.

Bristol City were back to 2pts adrift at the bottom with the next 7 clubs separated by just 2pts.  Tottenham looked to be in most trouble with just 2 games left, despite their win over Villa.  City needed to take advantage of their games in hand.

Midweek matches saw Derby earn an important 0-0 draw at Arsenal and then West Ham (21^st) beat Coventry (16^th), 2-0 with goals from Geoff Pike and Bryan Robson.  This win propels the Hammers out of the relegation zone to 18^th but they have just 3 games to go.

Saturday 7^th May 1977

BRISTOL CITY   (1)   1   (Garland)

MANCHESTER UNITED   (0)   1   (J. Greenhoff)

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Gillies, Whitehead; Ritchie (Mann), Garland

MAN UTD: Stepney; J. Nicholl, Buchan, B. Greenhoff, Houston (McIlroy); Coppell, Jackson, McCreery, Albiston; Macari, J. Greenhoff

Over 32,000 packed into Ashton Gate for City’s first home game in a month.  A feisty match which saw Stewart Houston suffer a broken leg, which put him out of the FA Cup Final, and then Gow and McIlroy were sent-off for fighting.  Another Chris Garland goal gave City a vital lead at home to Man Utd, but they couldn’t hold on and Jimmy Greenhoff equalised in the second half.  But a point was still welcome, especially as 5 other clubs around them did the same.  West Ham and Derby drew 2-2 to earn another point each.  Coventry also picked up a point as Tommy Hutchison equalised Bruce Rioch’s goal at Everton.  Stoke drew 0-0 at home to Norwich, and QPR held the leaders, Liverpool to a 1-1 draw.  The biggest beneficiaries were Sunderland as Mel Holden scored the only goal of the game to give them a 1-0 win over Birmingham.  It was the second successive victory for the Black Cats who were now unbeaten in 8 and looking like survivors.

Tuesday 10^th May 1977

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   1   (Garland)

LEEDS UNITED   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Mann, Gillies, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland

LEEDS UNITED: Stewart; Stevenson, McQueen, Madeley, Hampton; Thomas (Harris), F. Gray, Currie, Cherry; McNiven, E. Gray

With 4 games to save their bacon, it was time for experienced, cool heads to stand up and be counted.  Chris Garland was that man.  He scored his third goal in 5 games and City hung on this time to pick up a crucial win.  They had lost just once in their last 5 and picked up 3pts from their two recent home matches giving the Ashton Gate faithful some real hope.  This win now took City off the bottom as Tottenham were unceremoniously dumped there.  On the same night Derby beat QPR 2-0 to shoot them up to 13^th and they looked safe.  QPR, on the other hand, still had work to do as they were still in the bottom three, albeit with games in hand.

Coventry and Stoke both earned points which may well make them safe, in only just safer than others.  Coventry held the league leaders, Liverpool, to a 0-0 draw.  Stoke City were involved in an exciting battle with Manchester United where Garth Crooks scored twice in a 3-3 draw.

Realistically, the three relegated clubs would come from the bottom seven with Stoke and Coventry 2pts clear of the drop zone.  Sunderland and West Ham were nervously looking over their shoulder as the two clubs below them, QPR and Bristol City, both had games in hand.  Tottenham looked doomed.  They only had one game to go and had a goal difference 5 goals worse than West Ham.  QPR were the biggest surprise as 12 months earlier they’d come 15 minutes away from lifting the League title, yet here they were contemplating Second Division football.

Bristol City now had a crucial week to save their skin.  At the weekend they would travel to Middlesbrough, then back home for a Monday night game against the league leaders, Liverpool, before a trip on the following Thursday to Coventry.

QPR are away to Leeds on Saturday, then home to Ipswich on the Monday before a Friday journey to Aston Villa, culminating in a home game against Birmingham on the Monday

Saturday 14^th May 1977

The last Saturday fixtures of the season and things were reaching a conclusion.  City were up at Ayresome Park to meet mid-table Middlesbrough.

MIDDLESBROUGH   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   0

MIDDLESBRO: Platt; Craggs, Maddren, Boam, Bailey; Mills, McAndrew, Souness, Armstrong; Wood (Boersma), Hedley

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick (Gow); Tainton, Mann, Gillies, Whitehead; Ritchie, Cormack

Chris Garland missed the match and City missed his firepower.  The hosts had little to play for and the game ended as a rather drab goalless draw with City nervous not to make any mistakes.  It was another point and in a relegation battle so tight, that was important.

Elsewhere, at White Hart Lane Tottenham had to try and overturn a 5-goal deficit in their goal difference.  But a win might not even be enough if West Ham or Sunderland didn’t lose.  Goals in each half from John Pratt and Jimmy Holmes gave Tottenham a 2-0 win over Leicester but it just was too little too late.  West Ham held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw, handing the Championship to Liverpool and giving West Ham hope of staying up.  Sunderland were at Norwich and Gary Rowell and Bobby Kerr earned them a point in a 2-2 draw.  Tottenham were relegated.

Coventry lost 0-1 at home to Manchester City to cause them further grief and Stoke City were well beaten, 1-3 at West Brom.  QPR managed to end their poor run when Peter Eastoe first half goal was enough to win 1-0 at Leeds.  QPR had gone 5 games since they last won and this was a welcome change in fortune.

Tottenham had been relegated with Stoke, West Ham, Coventry and Sunderland all on 34pts with one game remaining.  QPR had given themselves a chance with their win over Leeds as they had 3 games to go.  Bristol City may still have been bottom but they had 2 games to try and gain at least 3pts.  However, next up for them were the League Champions, Liverpool.

Monday 16^th May 1977

Liverpool arrived at Ashton Gate for a league game for the first time since they were both Second Division sides in 1959.  Liverpool had just won the league and were on course for the treble with the FA Cup Final to come on the Saturday.  But their run-in had seen them grow tired and weary as they’d had to fight for three successive draws against relegations candidates, QPR, Coventry and West Ham.  Their final league match was against the bottom club, Bristol City.  Ashton Gate’s biggest crowd of the season, 38,688 turned up to see if the home side could pull off the impossible.

BRISTOL CITY   (1)   2   (Garland 2)

LIVERPOOL   (1)   1   (Johnson)

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Gillies, Collier, Hunter, Sweeney; Tainton, Gow, Mann, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland

LIVERPOOL: Clemence; Neal, Smith, Hughes, Lindsay; Case, McDermott, Kennedy, Callaghan; Fairclough, Johnson

David Johnson gave Liverpool the lead on the half-hour as he was keen to force a place in the upcoming Cup Finals.  As half-time approached the home fans got their reward and it was that man, Chris Garland who got the equaliser.  Level at half-time and there was a growing belief amongst the City faithful they could pull off a shock.  Liverpool clearly had their minds on other things and with 15 minutes to go, Garland was again the hero as he scored the winner.

Liverpool’s FA Cup Final opponents, Manchester United were at West Ham, who needed the points.  Gordon Hill put Man Utd in front after just 25 seconds to give them a half-time lead.  On the hour Frank Lampard equalised and then ‘Pop’ Robson and Geoff Pike sent the home fans into raptures before Stuart Pearson grabbed one back for the visitors.  Robson then completed the scoring and West Ham won 4-2.  This secured West Ham’s survival.  The three teams below them couldn’t all reach 36pts as two of them were playing each other.

Not so, Stoke City.  They were at Villa Park where Andy Gray scored the only goal of the game and Aston Villa won 1-0 and Stoke were relegated.

QPR took one step further to First Division safety when Don Givens goal earned them a 1-0 win at home to Ipswich.

So, two down and one to go.  Coventry, Bristol City and Sunderland were all on 34pts.  To add to the drama Coventry and City were to meet next three days later.  On the same night Sunderland travelled to Everton.  If Skysports had been around they would’ve either thought up a title for this dramatic Thursday night in May, or they’d have moved the fixtures to a night more convenient.  But the English fixture list still valued the FA Cup Final, to be played on the Saturday and then Liverpool were in the European Cup Final the following Wednesday.

Thursday 19^th May 1977

It couldn’t have been scripted any better.  Three clubs on the same points and one of them was going to be relegated.  Two of those clubs were meeting each other.  Unfortunately, things didn’t seem that good for Sunderland as Coventry and Bristol City could just play out a draw and if Sunderland didn’t earn at least a point, then they’d be down.  Sunderland’s goal difference was the superior of the three and if there was some collusion at Highfield Road then Sunderland could still be safe with a draw at Everton.

The following description of that night has been garnered from various areas, some factual, some mythical, some strewn from memories long draped in a hue of the Robin.

Highfield Road was besieged with Bristol City fans as this was one of the biggest away games for the club in their history.  When Liverpool arrived at the same ground the previous week, a crowd of 38,032 turned up.  For this game between two sides battling against relegation a crowd of 36,903 were there.  Bristol City fans talk of queues outside the ground as these the were the days where you turned up to buy a ticket rather than went online the summer before.  Bristol filled the terrace behind one of the goals and the main stand was a sea of red too.  Local legend has it that a Crown Court jury was let off early to join the hoardes of Bristolians making their way to Coventry.  Thousands of schoolkids had been joined by their teachers in bunking off school in Bristol and there were suggestions the turnstiles were opened to let thousands of people in to avoid crushing outside.  Coaches were getting stuck in traffic around the ground and for anyone who remembers Highfield Road they will be able to sympathise.  Due to the congestion, kick-off was delayed by 5 minutes.  It is not certain whether this was done on request of Coventry Chairman, Jimmy Hill, or whether the police ordered the referee to do so.  Conspiracists would prefer it to be Hill and indeed he has endured some pretty unpleasant vitriol for what transpired, as a delay in proceedings would give his team a slight advantage of finishing after the Sunderland game.

Tommy Hutchison gave the home side the lead which they held to half-time.  At Goodison Park, Bruce Rioch put Everton in front and both games were 1-0 at the break.  At this stage, Bristol City were going down.

Into the second half and further despair for the Bristol fans just 7 minutes after the re-start as Hutchison grabbed his second to double Coventry’s lead and it looked desperate for the visitors.  Bob Latchford then scored for Everton and they too were 2-0 up and cruising.  Then, Gerry Gow got a goal back for Bristol City almost immediately after a knockdown by Gillies and there was renewed hope amongst the travelling masses.  It was Gow’s 30^th league appearance of the season and what a time to score his first goal.  Bristol City were now throwing everything at Coventry and finally gained their reward as long free-kick into the area found Garland who nodded it down and Don Gillies had time to steady himself and fire the ball into the net for the equaliser.  The place was rocking.  On the scoreboard was the Everton v Sunderland scoreline of 1-0.  To add to the drama, the crowd watched as the words ‘correction’ lit up.  “You could hear a pin drop waiting for the revised score to go up”, recalled one spectator.  Eventually, the scoreline was confirmed as Everton 2-0 Sunderland, and there were still 5 minutes of play to go at Coventry.

Various supporters have pointed to memories of players being told to stop trying to score as a draw was enough for both sides.  In the end the game ended 2-2 and both Coventry and Bristol City fans celebrated as they would meet again next season.  Indeed both managers, Alan Dicks (Bristol City) and Gordon Milne (Coventry City) shared the champagne.

COVENTRY CITY   (1)   2   (Hutchison 2)

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   2   (Gow, Gillies)

COVENTRY: Sealey; Oakley, Coop, Holton, McDonald; Beck, Powell, Yorath, Hutchison; Wallace, Ferguson

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Gillies, Collier, Hunter, Sweeney; Tainton, Gow, Mann, Whitehead (Cormack); Ritchie, Garland

For Sunderland it was a bitter blow.  They were relegated barely 12 months after winning Division Two.  It was also their first defeat in 9 matches and certainly seemed cruel.  But they paid the price for their awful form in the first half of the season when they’d only picked up 9pts from their first 23 matches.  So a run of just 3 defeats in 19 wasn’t enough to save them.

Bristol City rejoiced in an amazing escape.  The dream would live on.  They were unbeaten in their final 5 matches including games against Liverpool and Manchester United.  They’d picked up 12pts from their last 10 matches and they’d taken their supporters through every kind of emotion.

There were many heroes for Bristol City that season and one of the undeniable contributions came from Chris Garland who returned to the club he joined as an apprentice in 1966.  Garland would remain with the club until he became one of the Ashton Gate Eight in 1982 (but that’s for another story).

Tragically in 1998 Garland was diagnosed with Parkinson ’s disease.

Another sad story from that season was Paul Cheesley.  “The Big Cheese” formed a lethal striking partnership with Tom Ritchie during their promotion season as the two shared 33 goals.  Cheesley scored the only goal in their famous win at Highbury on the opening day of the season.  Three days later Stoke City came to Ashton Gate.  Cheesley went up for a cross to challenge Peter Shilton, and although he got there first the clash would have disastrous consequences for the young striker.  He landed badly, ripping his cartilage, tearing ligaments and chipping a bone in his knee.  He was taken off and would never play professional football again.  At the age of 23 he had a promising career ahead of him, having been named in the Second Division team of the year in 1976 and had caught the eye of national manager, Don Revie, but it all ended on 24^th August 1976.

City finished 3pts clear of the drop the following season too, and in 1978-79 finished 13^th.  But in 1979-80 the dream came to an end and they were relegated.  This preceeded an alarming fall from grace as they suffered three successive relegations before they were virtually bankrupt in 1982. 

But that is for another story.