Keep Fighting (23 page)

‘The Fulham manager was a man by the name of Vic
Buckingham. I wasn't aware of anyone mentioning this at the time but he later said we had been winding his players up by taunting them about fixing games and that's why it had deteriorated so badly. Whatever, the whole situation could have been better managed by the referee. I admit I clattered into a few players, but all I was doing was sending out a message to them not to f—— with us. It backfired big style and I got myself sent off and suffered that ridiculous punishment. I wrote a letter of apology to Fulham right after the game but they sent it back to the club, torn up.’

A few months before the Chelsea game, the Pensioners (as they were then known) had scraped through an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds, 1-0. The result had come about in controversial circumstances. First, an eighty-third minute Terry Cooper goal had been adjudged to have been ‘marginally offside’ and disallowed, then incredibly, in the final minute, Peter Lorimer flashed a long-range free kick past the despairing Bonetti, only to have the goal ruled out. Experienced television commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme said of the incident: ‘You would have to turn the rule book inside out to find out why the referee has disallowed that goal.’

Bremner recalled:

‘I could not understand why the goal was not given – it was hard to accept at the time. We won the advantage with the foul being awarded to us, yet we were punished. It wasn't the first time something like that happened either, and it certainly wasn't to be the last. We felt much cheated. It was an accepted part of the game at that time that referees were not consistent and could easily be influenced by players and the crowd. Ken [Burns] was one of the better referees but he wouldn't be moved from his decision. Even years later he stood by it as being correct, albeit he did admit that we are all human and therefore make mistakes, so maybe that was him admitting it. The referee's decision is final and we had to accept that, but knowing they were human and could err more than most it didn't make it any easier to accept at the time, or now. I had issues with Chelsea all my playing career.
If we were dirty then they were savages. There was nothing they wouldn't resort to.’

The stage was set for another closely fought encounter. Chelsea's preparation hadn't been good and they had been rocked by the resignation of manager Tommy Docherty the day before the game. Docherty was a class act and a huge loss to the football club and the team's morale. Many of the Londonbased journalists and reporters categorically stated that the loss of Docherty would not particularly upset the professional Chelsea style – they would pull together and fight for victory for the sake of Chelsea FC.

That day Bremner ran the Londoners ragged. Nowhere to be seen was the arrogant swagger of the Chelsea superstars, and even when they threw themselves to the ground feigning injury, they looked distinctly amateur. The
Yorkshire Post
reported: ‘Bremner teased and tormented them [Chelsea] with dexterity of foot … he could twist and turn on the proverbial sixpence.’ The Leeds captain turned in a truly world-class performance as Leeds not only beat Chelsea but demolished them with a scintillating display of pure football. Bremner crowned his own performance with a tremendously executed overhead-kick goal which today would still have the pundits raving about its quality and glory in true Brazilian style.

The other Leeds goals, and there were plenty of them, that afternoon came from Albert Johanneson, Jimmy Greenhoff, Jack Charlton, Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray and a Marvin Hinton own goal as Leeds ran out very comfortable 7-0 winners. The Bremner goal ensured that Leeds entered the football record books as the first side to win 7-0 with seven individual goal scorers.

‘At the time we did not know anything about that record, and to be honest we didn't really care. It was a great all-round performance from the whole team, everything we tried seemed to come off for us. You get games like that every so often. Chelsea caught us on the wrong day, although some may say we caught them on the right day and blame the Tommy Docherty situation on their abysmal display. I believe that whatever the situation
that day we would have still turned them over and they would have suffered the same fate. As for my goal, well that was a bit special, more so because I scored it in front of the kop at Elland Road. My back was sore for days afterwards, not from the acrobatics or athleticism used to strike the ball, but from players slapping me on it to congratulate me afterwards!’

ARSENAL v LEEDS UNITED

Football League Cup Final

Saturday, 2 March 1968

Wembley Stadium

The route to Wembley for a final is never an easy one to successfully traverse. At times pundits and supporters belittle a team's appearance in a national final, claiming they have got there via an easy route. Such was the accusation levelled at Leeds when they reached Wembley in 1968, by virtue of victories over Luton Town (3-1), Bury (3-0), Sunderland (2-0), Stoke City (2-0) and Derby County in a two-legged semi-final, who were dispatched 4-2 on aggregate. In the final their opponents were Arsenal, a north London-based club with a true armoury of firepower and a battling defence and midfield. The Arsenal side was filled with internationals and experienced professionals and were as tough opponents any team could face in a Wembley final.

‘After losing the FA Cup final to Liverpool at Wembley in 1965, I didn't relish the thought of suffering the same emotional despair caused by defeat. I loved the feeling of winning at Wembley, beating England there in 1967 gave me an emotional high, and I wanted to replicate that success for my club. That aside, we really needed to win a major trophy to prove to ourselves and the manager that we had the ability to achieve and progress as a unit. In the build-up to the game there was a lot of talk about consistency and finishing. The boss told us that we would get very few goal scoring opportunities and to make sure
we finished and made the goalkeeper work when the chances came along. On the pitch I told the lads to stay calm in the early stages and not to give Arsenal any space, and when we got the chance to shoot at every opportunity.’

The game opened with the initial sparring and tentative pressure from both sides, as gradually Leeds began to assert themselves on the Arsenal defence. In the seventeenth minute Leeds won a corner. The kick was exquisitely curled into the Arsenal penalty area by Eddie Gray and was headed clear of the goal line by George Graham. The ball dropped to Terry Cooper at the edge of the Arsenal penalty area and, doing as his captain had instructed, without further ado the left back thrashed the ball back towards the Arsenal goal and into the back of the net: ‘It was a great moment for the team and for Terry Cooper. He was such an honest player and deserved that goal. His performance that day was as good as any full back ever produced in a Wembley final.’

However, the goal and the game were not without further incident and controversy. The ball had hardly struck the net when the Arsenal players began to remonstrate with match referee Mr Hamer. They furiously claimed that there had been an initial foul on their keeper Jim Furnell by Leeds centre half Jack Charlton. The referee remained firm and would have none of it; he dismissed all Arsenal protestations and correctly allowed the goal to stand.

From the scoring of the opening goal onwards, Arsenal had essentially controlled affairs and pushed Leeds back into defensive mode. So committed and serious were the Leeds outfield that goalkeeper Gary Sprake had just one serious save to make during the entire game. As the final whistle blew, signalling a Leeds victory and the winning of their first major domestic trophy, Wembley erupted into choruses of Leeds songs and the stadium was a sea of white, blue and gold. The late Don Revie was ecstatic about the victory and at last winning a domestic trophy: ‘My lads have done me and the city of Leeds proud today. Every one of them gave me 110 per cent. At times it
wasn't pretty but we worked hard and rightly lifted the trophy.’ Revie looked on with much pride as his skipper raised the Football League trophy above his head to the sound of 40,000 enthused Leeds supporters.

‘I shall never forget the final few minutes,’ Bremner recalled. ‘The crowd were whistling so loudly that I could hardly hear the referee's whistle blowing for fouls and throw-ins. I kept my eyes firmly fixed on him when our defenders had the ball; I think all our players stared at him, anticipating him blowing the final whistle. It seemed an eternity before he did. When I heard it go I couldn't take it all in and I kept asking other players if it was all over. It was as though I felt it was going to be taken away from us at the last moment. My relief was truly great. Marching round Wembley stadium with that trophy was, I have to say, an awful nice feeling. The support was fantastic, people were crying with tears of joy, I wanted to take them all by the hand and thank them individually. That first trophy was won in honour of them.

‘When we arrived back in Leeds thousands of supporters filled the streets. The last time I had seen this was after our FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool back in 1965 but the mood had been a little more sombre then. This time it was one massive party, people dancing and shouting and singing. Every player had a lump in their throat that day when we saw how happy we had made so many people. I like to think we gave every Leeds supporter a great deal of pleasure in what we achieved. Without our supporters, we as footballers would have been nothing and today's players should really bear that in mind.’

Afterwards, the Leeds match winner Terry Cooper told colleagues and reporters that he had dreamed he was going to score in the game, a self-fulfilling prophecy!

FERENCVAROS v LEEDS UNITED

Inter Cities Fairs Cup Final (Second Leg)

11 September 1968

Nepstadion

Ferencvaros, Hungary's most successful club side, had been previous winners of the Inter Cities Fair Cup in 1965. Nicknamed ‘the Fradi’ or ‘the Green and Whites’ they were founded in Budapest in 1899 and were deemed ‘formidable opponents’ by Leeds boss Don Revie. Bremner and his troops went into this game eager to protect a 1-0 lead they had managed to secure at Elland Road in the first leg. There, before just 25,268 spectators, Leeds had successfully breached the Hungarian side's defence in the fortieth minute with a less than pretty Mick Jones goal that typified his penalty area prowess. On the night, Ferencvaros had proven themselves to be equal foes and had created a number of opportunities to score. However, some heroic defending and some fine goalkeeping from Gary Sprake had kept the intruders at bay.

The Nepstadion, ‘The People's Stadium’, was first opened in 1953 and constructed with the voluntary assistance of a mass of people, allegedly including Ferenc Puskas. On the night in question, when Leeds were the opposition it was a cauldron of tension and noise. Some 76,000 people filled the terraces, the majority believing that the hosts would be victors. Leeds had suffered defeat in the final of the same competition in the previous season and were not about to submit so easily this time. Experience had taught these Leeds players well.

Revie told his players to defend in numbers and to break with pace and with support from the midfield.

‘I remember the boss telling me to play my usual game, get close to the man with the ball and to intimidate with my physical and vocal presence. I knew that very few of the Hungarians would understand my Scottish dialect. Yet most footballers, despite their background, nationality and the language barrier can understand a fellow player's desire and tenacity. I was really
fired up for this game and wanted to show everyone that I was fully committed to every tackle and challenge.’

The Hungarian supporters booed every Leeds player and every pass in a desperate attempt to knock their confidence. Undeterred, the Leeds stars battled on, ignoring the hostility of the whole affair. Ferencvaros ran at the Leeds defence each time they won the ball, and playing neat interchanging passing moves they came close to scoring several times in the opening half hour. Gradually Leeds rose in confidence and began to realise that they needed to, and could take control of the game. Cooper and Reaney were magnificent in the timing of their tackles. Bremner and Giles were at their industrious best, utilising every ball they played to maximum effect. A floated free kick from Mike O'Grady found Mick Jones in the Ferencvaros penalty area and the striker met the ball with his head and directed it goalwards only for the ball to thump against the Hungarian team's crossbar and be kicked to safety. The Ferencvaros support began to turn against their own team for not scoring as freely as they had anticipated which worked in Leeds’ favour.

‘We always knew that our backs would be against the wall in Hungary. Ferencvaros needed an early goal really. That would have settled them and the supporters down but it didn't happen and we slowly grew in confidence. We gave as gritty a performance in that game as I can ever remember. It became clear to us that as a unit in order to compete at the top of the game we had to consistently work for and support one another through-out the full ninety minutes and more. There was enough quality in our team for individuals to produce their own moment of brilliance in any game.

‘That night in Hungary we proved we were able to compete with the very best Europe had to offer. It was a real milestone in my career and that of Leeds United and our second trophy in six months. We could now force our critics to recognise that we had the capability to progress to even greater achievements, and that we were not too bad a team in the process. The boss was ecstatic about winning the trophy. To him the desire to make Leeds
United a major football force was not only limited to British shores, he wanted us to be regarded as the best in Europe and we had now achieved a very small portion of that goal. We were the first British side to win the Inter Cities Fairs Cup; we had achieved a lot in a relatively short space of time, now it was up to us to maintain that momentum with even more success.’

LIVERPOOL v LEEDS UNITED

Division One

Monday, 28 April 1969