tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65349525267350005502024-03-16T01:11:47.131+00:00The Football History BoysLike Football? Love Its History! 2014 FBA winners and 2019 Finalists!The Football History Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611337978479265207noreply@blogger.comBlogger45113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534952526735000550.post-21053811052874685292024-03-03T23:08:00.002+00:002024-03-03T23:08:24.043+00:00Blackburn Olympic | Football's Most Important Club?<div><span id="docs-internal-guid-f70b4002-7fff-00b9-632e-154961363fdf"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibob5DaFS-ACjSEaRXIJVUVB4pVswUBN7xflhhijTTx4JbKn--fBGLQmXJ5WyAZIc1f1Y4zMrVpKDCcZoKZTT-uNRM5DQtdD_Mce2GMDHBKb4hFxw1yS1a3nap7dvA1dDhsvE5jUPzQ85GWHGzZY72BiUi849ednJUsXFTcMmVVco8UAyxZ9ETl8u3_PA/s1600/Blackburn%20Olympic%20Football%E2%80%99s%20Most%20Important%20Club%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibob5DaFS-ACjSEaRXIJVUVB4pVswUBN7xflhhijTTx4JbKn--fBGLQmXJ5WyAZIc1f1Y4zMrVpKDCcZoKZTT-uNRM5DQtdD_Mce2GMDHBKb4hFxw1yS1a3nap7dvA1dDhsvE5jUPzQ85GWHGzZY72BiUi849ednJUsXFTcMmVVco8UAyxZ9ETl8u3_PA/w640-h360/Blackburn%20Olympic%20Football%E2%80%99s%20Most%20Important%20Club%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Blackburn Olympic no longer exist. Even more astounding is the fact they have not played a match in over 135 years. Founded in 1878, the Lancashire club would be dissolved just 11 years later in 1889. However, it is not for their longevity that they retain an undeniable importance to the history of football but it is for their role as one of the game’s first ‘professionals’. We now know football as a professional game, but in 1878, the year of Olympic’s establishment, the sport was distinctly amateur. Football’s codification had been born out of the establishment’s desire to see a return to seemingly forgotten Christian morals of teamwork, leadership and courage with on-the-field battles aiming to mimic real-life wars and conflicts. The game’s growth however, by the time Olympic first entered the FA Cup in 1880, had seen a shift in football’s demographic with working-class men increasingly taking up the sport and the ever-growing middle-classes seeing more and more opportunities to profit financially.</i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are many towns and cities across the world that are synonymous with football and Blackburn is certainly no different. Even in spite of early Victorian football’s London-centrism, by the mid 1870s, the town saw over a dozen active clubs. The best known of all was Blackburn Rovers, founded in 1875 and influential in the dissemination of the game in Lancashire. The establishment of Blackburn Olympic as a club would come three years later following the merging of two existing sides from the local area, Black Star and James Street. Starting in 1875, the excavation of Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games is believed to have inspired the name of the club with its adoption similarly seen in a number of teams across the UK around this time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Olympic were an instant success. Originally playing with ‘combined rush’ tactics, they would win smaller local competitions and the Blackburn Association Challenge Cup twice in 1879 and 1880. The victory in 1880 over local side Perseverance, was watched by an impressive 2000 spectators. Such was the draw and attraction of the game in Blackburn, its local cup saw a gate not far from the 6000 at England’s premier competition, the FA Cup Final. Moreover, the area’s larger competition, the Lancashire Association Challenge Cup saw upwards of 8000 fans turn out for its final. Olympic’s domination of the Challenge Cup in Blackburn was no doubt helped by the lack of participation from the town’s larger clubs, Blackburn Rovers and Darwen. These sides could be found competing in the nation’s larger tournaments with the Lancashire Cup and of course the FA Cup providing clubs with a greater level of prestige and quality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhN7jSDoBstMnW-wSlNusEbmh2sGBAh0oOoDlACG1tPVq0OCrl_AAoTIyPCtu8wCGIZ26P8ZzZ5Otjzsgk5Svv1SPsOWTWC7l0TbPPU62iy3ep9_HWygda5oaldTbOIUXxKCGexc_YgVSx8IvG1PtpXqt9cPp4rFmD6DOzVnJG8caqxbeBjtwhZ3eo-0SY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhN7jSDoBstMnW-wSlNusEbmh2sGBAh0oOoDlACG1tPVq0OCrl_AAoTIyPCtu8wCGIZ26P8ZzZ5Otjzsgk5Svv1SPsOWTWC7l0TbPPU62iy3ep9_HWygda5oaldTbOIUXxKCGexc_YgVSx8IvG1PtpXqt9cPp4rFmD6DOzVnJG8caqxbeBjtwhZ3eo-0SY=w400-h342" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So much of football’s early history would be intertwined with the FA Cup. Its earliest editions had been dominated by Wanderers FC, a team primarily created from the alumni of one of England’s most prestigious public schools at Harrow. Amateur football, and indeed amateur sport in general, had placed great importance on the principle of ‘playing for the sake of playing’. Sport’s primary aim at the time was to educate public schoolboys into becoming a new Englishman, brave in battle and adhering to increasingly forgotten Christian morals. Even with an increase in participation from northern and midlands sides, the southern amateurs would continue to dominate the competition, with the Old Etonians becoming the nation's strongest side by the turn of the decade.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Olympic would first enter the FA Cup in 1880. Drawn against football’s oldest club, Sheffield FC, they would narrowly be defeated after a thrilling tie ended 5-4. Despite the defeat, the match had been played in difficult conditions and only a ‘miraculous’ save from Sheffield’s goalkeeper had denied Olympic, who had come from 5-1 down, the chance of a replay. Perhaps frustratingly for Olympic, both Rovers and Darwen would progress with the former reaching the second round and the latter the semi-finals. Defeat would not deter the club from entering the competition again for the 1881/82 season, this time actually drawing Darwen in the first round. Disappointingly for Olympic, the tie was once more away from home. The club had spent around £100 a year earlier on improvements to their fantastically named ground, The Hole i’ th’ Wall, and a home tie would have brought an impressive gate and a financial boost. Once more, a first round exit would follow as Darwen reached the fourth round only to be beaten themselves by Blackburn Rovers. 1881/82 would become an incredibly significant season for the ‘working-class’ northern game as Rovers eventually made it to the final in London.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although Blackburn Rovers would lose the tie to the Old Etonians it marked a decisive shift in where the power lay within football, at least on the pitch. Off the field clubs, particularly those in the north of the country were redefining football in more ways than one. Blackburn Olympic were at the forefront of a new ‘professional’ approach to the game. We now know professionalism as being defined by receiving payments to play, but Olympic would go beyond this, even undertaking three weeks of ‘special training’ to work on both ‘fitness and tactical play’. Football was moving towards an attitude where the will to win outweighed any notions of playing for the sake of playing. Taking on funding from local businesses further assisted the club in achieving their ambitions of FA Cup glory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 1882/83 FA Cup campaign would arguably be its most important as Olympic once more entered into the first round but with the added bonus of being granted a home draw against Accrington. A 6-3 victory would be followed by further victories over Lower Darwen, Darwen Ramblers and Church before setting up a quarter-final tie with Welsh club, Druids. As with each other tie which had preceded the fixture, Olympic were drawn at home. The Hole i’ th’ Wall would see 3000 spectators in attendance, demonstrating the growing popularity of the side and a comfortable 4-1 victory. Meeting the Lancashire club in the semi-finals would be 1881 winners, Old Carthusians, a side composed of alumni from Charterhouse School, Surrey. For Blackburn Olympic, a side featuring weavers, iron workers, loomers and plumbers, their upper-class opponents would be their social antithesis. <i>Athletic News </i>dubbed the fixture a tie between ‘patricians and plebeians’ and were surprised by Olympic’s speed and condition, noting the week the club had spent in Blackpool to train for the encounter. In front of a ‘godly number of people from Blackburn’, Olympic were described as akin to ‘freshly painted butterflies, sparkling here and there with their speedy runs’. Winning 4-0, the result was indeed seen as a statement victory further consolidating football’s shift towards working-class professionalism.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqz46_OEBTZ8gKdWE8uVeXvcV6ltcS553ZnYLSzN9LlYs362P4vfEapHU7cJSbrtE6uhUE1veXfAAVH-_BeKNnatcouXUiHaft-sOSAUt6NqPL6LNNneRb_vdQ_KUcU_ARUfXUNAppFnEq0_vA5-3hFmC5MFqrrEiKmLBPja8wvzdZ9q0eVtBMmYlmt88" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqz46_OEBTZ8gKdWE8uVeXvcV6ltcS553ZnYLSzN9LlYs362P4vfEapHU7cJSbrtE6uhUE1veXfAAVH-_BeKNnatcouXUiHaft-sOSAUt6NqPL6LNNneRb_vdQ_KUcU_ARUfXUNAppFnEq0_vA5-3hFmC5MFqrrEiKmLBPja8wvzdZ9q0eVtBMmYlmt88=w220-h400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is the final fixture against Old Etonians that seals Blackburn Olympic’s place in football history. Matches between the sides were rare, as the southern gentlemen would rarely seek to play games against their ‘social inferiors’. Much of the pre-match build-up in British newspapers focussed on Blackburn’s use of training prior to the final. <i>Bell’s Life </i>was one such publication. Frequently alluding to the lack of playing time the Old Etonians had together and the ‘luck and pluck’ of their 11, it was clear who those in the south wanted to win. Furthermore, commenting on Olympic’s use of training before the match, it mentions that such a practice had been taken up by other clubs, like Blackburn Rovers. A ‘training mania’ had begun. The <i>Blackburn Time</i>s was clear in what victory for Olympic would mean for the club, stating that it would ‘make a name for themselves as no such provincial club had made before’. Arriving at the Kennington Oval, which had long been a symbol of the ‘muscular Christianity’ of the upper-class establishment, was a large number of supporters from Blackburn. Their presence was greeted by most as almost alien. One article would refer to their chant of ‘Coom Olympics, put on another shovelful’. The writer passes it off as a ‘manufacturing metaphor’, with the industry of the north clearly at odds with the idea of a southern gentleman.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After 90 minutes the final was level. Olympic’s Alfred Matthews would cancel out the opener scored by Etonians forward Harry Goodhart. At full-time, it was agreed by both teams to play an extra half hour to determine the winner of the contest. In front of 8000 supporters, James Costley would score the goal to settle the tie and win the cup for Blackburn Olympic. The match had been described as ‘fast and furious from beginning to end’. The <i>Derby Daily Telegraph</i> noted how the Old Etonians were ‘pumped out’ and their condition rapidly deteriorated whereas Olympic grew stronger as the match wore on. Clearly, the impact of strict and dedicated training in the weeks leading up to the final had the desired effect. With Olympic almost scoring more but for some excellent defending, the future of football was about to change forever. <i>Sporting Life </i>would be disappointed by the outcome, preferring to highlight the aggressive and cynical nature of Olympic’s football. Nevertheless, the cup was heading north and would not return to the capital for another 18 years with the gentlemanly amateur sides never claiming the trophy again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgqNKC_y9tdn3wIfp1CuMmTsMGDbVpQwlsLRzqwWO0Zvyy-E_FqGTKpWvPc-zraKFd5z5driH6dT79paE-s-azTE-BAr90QJo3xa1kXzlk1-5xk7hGayKOjZnhxO23H0hApD5zah3QEgUBWHe4rXzc3CG4MYNu8speHKCFKq8o-ox_fTp84jLkvV5c4kw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgqNKC_y9tdn3wIfp1CuMmTsMGDbVpQwlsLRzqwWO0Zvyy-E_FqGTKpWvPc-zraKFd5z5driH6dT79paE-s-azTE-BAr90QJo3xa1kXzlk1-5xk7hGayKOjZnhxO23H0hApD5zah3QEgUBWHe4rXzc3CG4MYNu8speHKCFKq8o-ox_fTp84jLkvV5c4kw=w400-h271" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The fallout from the final would introduce the game to its next great debate. That of amateurism vs professionalism. The rest of the 1880s would be dominated by calls, mostly from southern-based sides, to eradicate the professional element of the game. It was becoming increasingly clear that footballers playing for sides outside of the capital were being paid to play. This was usually seen through a form of ‘veiled professionalism’ as broken-time payments were made to cover the loss of wages and the promise of wider employment in the local area saw players move across the country. Olympic were undoubtedly a working-class team, but as Taylor notes, the club had a strong middle-class organisational element with the eagerness to win seeing financial incentives increase from that moment. Olympic themselves would fail to win the FA Cup again and reach no further than the semi-finals the following season. By 1889, the club would sadly be dissolved due to financial debt and an inability to continue competing against the more supported and increasingly more successful, Blackburn Rovers. The nail in the coffin would come with Rovers being chosen as the town’s representative in the professional Football League founded in 1888. Nevertheless, Blackburn Olympic’s impact and importance to football history is monumental. Their FA Cup triumph would mark the game’s first major turning point, proving professionalism’s inevitability and introducing fresh ideas based around training and tactics. Working-class football had won and it was here to stay.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Written by Ben Jones (@TFHBs)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">©The Football History Boys, 2023</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Follow the latest scores and football news @ <a href="https://www.flashscore.com">flashscore.com</a></b><br /><div><br style="text-align: left;" /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">LIKE FOOTBALL? LOVE ITS HISTORY!</div>The Football History Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611337978479265207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534952526735000550.post-38171666711527131282024-03-03T23:08:00.001+00:002024-03-03T23:08:12.898+00:00Euro '76 | A tournament locked in time<div style="text-align: justify;"><i><blockquote>"This latest European Championship took a bit of believing. The four games in the final stages in Yugoslavia were played out in a manner refreshingly reminiscent of children playing in the park, with the added spice of talents and technique of the very highest order."</blockquote></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>The 1976 European Championships is arguably football history's greatest, most entertaining yet unusual tournament.</i></b> <b><i>Indeed, for all of the goals, flair and superstar talent, there is something quite peculiar about the fifth edition of the continental competition. Hosted in Yugoslavia. four teams battled it out for the title, as they had always done, ever since the birth of the Euros in 1960. Taking a closer look at the four finalists is what makes this tournament so unique - as only the Netherlands still exist. Indeed, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and </i></b><b><i>West Germany</i></b><b><i> have all since separated, dissolved or assumed more territory - truly locking this competition in time.</i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xd9eVUwEKxIlpLx5ywn7qwzbiPgHjkQVWP15aWFO0YwWxnC5gdH6Y8kaZ7ZdrFP3LZ554pifT7pihdnJD7Pq5SpM1dygF5aTrt16B8pCZQ1Gbbd5olLVIHPJQ-V4_U8o01_pkAuzTzFsUjxOBvasNXSUM0vo1qWaboM9_MUKaDEI8fPZFsrM-jp0Q8w/s1600/Your%20paragraph%20text.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xd9eVUwEKxIlpLx5ywn7qwzbiPgHjkQVWP15aWFO0YwWxnC5gdH6Y8kaZ7ZdrFP3LZ554pifT7pihdnJD7Pq5SpM1dygF5aTrt16B8pCZQ1Gbbd5olLVIHPJQ-V4_U8o01_pkAuzTzFsUjxOBvasNXSUM0vo1qWaboM9_MUKaDEI8fPZFsrM-jp0Q8w/w400-h225/Your%20paragraph%20text.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Europe in the late 20th century was a continent split by Churchill's 'iron curtain', an area which saw opposing ideologies of the capitalist west and communist east meeting often. Football was no stranger to this conflict, seeing nations engaging on multiple occasions for glory which far outweighed personal or team ambitions. Euro 1976 was therefore set-up perfectly with two sides from the west (West Germany and Netherlands) and two sides from the east (Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Qualification</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Reigning European and World champions, West Germany, would qualify relatively comfortably, topping their group and seeing off the Spanish challenge over 2 legs in the quarter-finals. The Netherlands, however, would be drawn against Italy and a resurgent Polish side. The Dutch would need their talismanic forward Johan Cruyff to therefore lead the way, scoring four goals to help his nation top the group. Despite being drawn against neighbours Belgium in the quarter-finals, a 7-1 aggregate scoreline proved the side, managed by George Knobel, would be the team to beat in Yugoslavia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yugoslavia, the hosts of the finals, had cruised through their qualification group and narrowly defeated Wales in the quarter-finals. On the other hand, Czechoslovakia had a far more difficult route to Euro '76. Edging out England in their group, they would be drawn against the USSR in the last 8. Winning 4-2 over two legs meant the eastern European nation would qualify for the European Championships for the first time since the inaugural competition in 1960.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2PfMNZdVQKgkmRp5vW0lP4oQwCBrKRhvFLjwG237tiLXw9sBy8VoSe-kIbXx5XnQuTPXGwC1ROInJAVw2SqsN-UAi9sOJxK_w1b-zciG3hewqtLxHdThs_IwTZdsDG_jP4Gfe3b5vc1kYu81-Wwosgtf-dgEyRJ8nUzpmVwDJP18an6F8-tnflHQ0Sgg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2PfMNZdVQKgkmRp5vW0lP4oQwCBrKRhvFLjwG237tiLXw9sBy8VoSe-kIbXx5XnQuTPXGwC1ROInJAVw2SqsN-UAi9sOJxK_w1b-zciG3hewqtLxHdThs_IwTZdsDG_jP4Gfe3b5vc1kYu81-Wwosgtf-dgEyRJ8nUzpmVwDJP18an6F8-tnflHQ0Sgg=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wales vs Yugoslavia, 1976 </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Semi-Finals</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The semi-final draw saw two east vs west clashes. First Czechoslovakia would face the Netherlands before Yugoslavia faced West Germany at the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade. The English press were clear in who they believed to be favourites for the title. A day before the competition began, the <i>Liverpool Echo</i> ran with the headline, <i>Dutch Set to Dazzle Europe, </i>believing that the inclusion of Cruyff in the squad would be too much for the other nations. However, the same newspaper was quick to note that all four semi-finalists were of 'outstanding quality'.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It would therefore come as a shock to many when Czechoslovakia emerged victorious from their showdown with the Dutch. Locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the extra-time period would see the Czechs score two late goals through Zdenek Nehoda and Frantisek Vesely. The<i> Daily Mirror</i> would describe the match on the 'shock night', noting the feisty nature of the encounter which saw Welsh referee Clive Thomas send-off three players. Likewise, the <i>Scotsman</i> described the result as a 'surprise', noting Holland's unpreparedness for the attack of the Czechoslovaks. Defeat saw the resignation of Dutch coach Knobel as the nation hoped to restructure before the '78 World Cup qualification campaign.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unbeknownst to most spectators and journalists alike, the Dutch FA had been in disarray before the semi-final. Individual player power, notably in the form of Johan Cruyff had disrupted preparations and manager Knobel was deeply unpopular. Likewise, the rest of the Dutch squad had allowed for egos to obscure their confidence before the Czechoslovaks arrived to meet them in Zagreb. Many players believed Czechoslovakia to be a slight bump in the road before a 'revenge clash' against West Germany in the final.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTx3PVVTzmjP2pgxr6HaNm7kdeuhTqCLaMEFL6gR84cXYKZuFiuu1kecOEy9c9dP-7glsO-tkKhzIYYmgJ0fWGm7aGZWbUfxCqnZzfFPtNgX7pWZPQyn1d2OB3q7lKZzyaLox2wTBIsuJgIH_gqgRra33d7PLoX-cKYB__Q_holfr0JDba-azNUsTshws" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTx3PVVTzmjP2pgxr6HaNm7kdeuhTqCLaMEFL6gR84cXYKZuFiuu1kecOEy9c9dP-7glsO-tkKhzIYYmgJ0fWGm7aGZWbUfxCqnZzfFPtNgX7pWZPQyn1d2OB3q7lKZzyaLox2wTBIsuJgIH_gqgRra33d7PLoX-cKYB__Q_holfr0JDba-azNUsTshws=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other semi-final saw hosts Yugoslavia welcome West Germany to a fiercely partisan Belgrade. Over 50,000 spectators crammed into the Red Star Stadium, a ground in which Yugoslavia had not seen defeat since the end of the Second World War. Moreover, the eastern European nation had only conceded one goal in their last 12 competitive home matches stretching back to 1968. Despite the inclusion of captain Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany would line-up for the semi-final without 1974 World Cup Final goalscorers Paul Breitner and Gerd Muller. The odds appeared firmly in Yugoslavia's favour.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps unsurprisingly, two first-half goals from Yugoslavia saw them race to an early 2-0 lead. The game would turn on its head in the second 45 as iconic German coach Helmut Schon made two vital substitutions, bringing on Koln pair Heinz Flohe and Dieter Muller. Both players would score in the second half to see West Germany level the match and once more send the game to extra-time. Muller, known by the British press as<i> 'Muller Mark Two'</i>, would settle the game in the additional 30 minutes, scoring twice before the full-time whistle was blown. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The result would see a final (and 3rd place play-off) once more pitting east against west. The West Germans, safe in their status as a footballing superpower would narrowly be classed as favourites for the championships. Schon was aiming to coach his side to successive titles, something which had never been achieved before, with a World Cup victory in between. Victory would surely have led to his side being revered as one of the greatest of all-time. Prior to the final, Schon had announced his intention to retire from international football management after the 1978 World Cup, drawing widespread acclaim for his achievements. The<i> Mirror</i> would even describe him as the 'Greatest international manager in modern soccer history'. However, the same paper would note that the Czechoslovaks would still fancy their chances in the final. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEUnTP1KdqjGb3JM5jWILV2zmWmTOQrjEaMeFRjvlsOIGz53WJIsM5cXtvWc1EN6HTbYTNUAXtQ19sLxaAiU5dtB3SMemISA7mCwb3SC2Y4JEehj0dxVPgTGBY_9WyM_249YYE_Ywu33Rb1voqWRvsARCPqb62_2bgiMxQv5MQ4USCUkKm7kLv2Vu0l_A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="736" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEUnTP1KdqjGb3JM5jWILV2zmWmTOQrjEaMeFRjvlsOIGz53WJIsM5cXtvWc1EN6HTbYTNUAXtQ19sLxaAiU5dtB3SMemISA7mCwb3SC2Y4JEehj0dxVPgTGBY_9WyM_249YYE_Ywu33Rb1voqWRvsARCPqb62_2bgiMxQv5MQ4USCUkKm7kLv2Vu0l_A=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Third Place Play-Off</u></b></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A day before the final in Belgrade, the Netherlands had secured third-place following a 3-2 victory over Yugoslavia after extra-time. Ruud Geels would emerge as the hero, halting a Yugoslav comeback which had seen them come from 2 goals down to see the match finish 2-2 at full-time. Although, a thrilling encounter, it would be a story off-the-pitch which gained the most attention as captain Johan Cruyff was absent from the starting XI. Although suspended for the clash due to earlier bookings, the Dutch number 14 would leave the camp to return to Barcelona, failing to support his teammates in orange. Cruyff's defence of manager Knobel and his insistence for the Netherlands FA to fly his family to Argentina for the subsequent World Cup has irked many at the top of Dutch football.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><i>From total football to total chaos...</i></div></blockquote><p><b>The People, 20th June 1976 </b></p><p><b><u>The Final</u></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The final, held once more in Belgrade, saw a pulsating first-half with Czechoslovakia taking a 2-1 lead into half-time. After the match resumed, the second 45 saw a West German onslaught, and after sustained pressure, an equaliser one minute from time through left-wing Bernd Holzenbein. For the third match in-a-row, spectators were treated to a side coming back from two goals down to draw level. No further goals were scored before the full-time whistle and once again the 1976 European Championships would see extra-time. Peculiarly, each match at Euro '76 would go the distance in a tournament of many coincidences.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Extra-time itself was cagey. Although both sides had chances to win the tie, tiredness and fatigue had severely reduced the effectiveness of the two nations, resulting in a penalty shootout. The spot-kicks would be the first ever in the European Championships, with the law only being introduced by IFAB at the start of the decade. Both Czechoslovakia and West Germany would score the first seven penalties before an exhausted Uli Hoeness blazed over the bar. The miss provided Czech midfielder Antonin Panenka with the opportunity to win the Euros for his country. Stepping up to the spot, Panenka would delicately chip the ball down the middle of the goal and into the net. German 'keeper Sepp Maier, anticipating a more forceful strike would dive to his left and see the ball drift slowly in. Panenka would follow the ball into the goals before turning to celebrate with his euphoric teammates. </p><blockquote><i>“I was really convinced I couldn’t fail with this sort of penalty. I was convinced it would be okay to convert the penalty in the final against Germany.</i></blockquote><p><b>Antonin Panenka talking to TalkSport (2021) </b></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Both Czechoslovakia and West Germany were revered by the press for their efforts in the final. The <i>Aberdeen Press and Journal</i> commented that the match was indeed a 'great advertisement for fast, entertaining football'. Furthermore, other articles would describe the players as 'dead tired' by the final whistle, with neither nation able to do any more to win the game. Unsurprisingly, Panenka's penalty drew the most attention with the <i>Daily Mirror</i> noting how he 'cheekily curled the ball to Sepp Maier's left' and <i>The Scotsman</i> describing the spot-kick as a 'dummy of supreme impudence'. Across the continent, Panenka's penalty became known as 'the falling leaf' for its gentle drift into the net.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoQPYstJKjV2HhmMMKjzTJ6qv2XxfGXGseDWgqFu5MBa4YmcJ9p3TEJIyb7YE8KLzS7cxn8cgWf8XPWgB84h1BSjciihef-rlQxfjoT2kLvULvU3Ob_1R1ZWeBQlKr3GE4m2-DjqXQDbopVCjpzbRtLja0p0wxvNQOD6ra_j2vmwI_faLTb7I-vd4I-mA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoQPYstJKjV2HhmMMKjzTJ6qv2XxfGXGseDWgqFu5MBa4YmcJ9p3TEJIyb7YE8KLzS7cxn8cgWf8XPWgB84h1BSjciihef-rlQxfjoT2kLvULvU3Ob_1R1ZWeBQlKr3GE4m2-DjqXQDbopVCjpzbRtLja0p0wxvNQOD6ra_j2vmwI_faLTb7I-vd4I-mA=w400-h210" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Euro '76 was a resounding success. Two days after the final, <i>The Scotsman</i> would write an extended piece highlighting that the tournament was 'something of a revelation'. Both eastern European nations, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia would be heralded for adopting a more liberating and expressive style of play, far removed from the stereotypical defensive and 'boring' tactical discipline. The newspaper would ask the question if football was to enter a 'new age' in which the 'essence of the game will be rediscovered'. In his excellent book, Euro Summits (2021), Jonathan O'Brien likewise praised the tournament,</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>So much incident was crammed into Euro 1976 that, per capita, it has no rivals as the most exciting international tournament ever.</i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Whether the notion that football was to enter a 'new age of rediscovery' came true is open to debate, but what is certain is that the following decade would see global circumstances change dramatically and begin the end for Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and West Germany. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 brought both East and West Germany together once more; the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia heralded in a peaceful split into modern day Czechia and Slovakia and the fiercely fought and bitter Yugoslav Wars dominated much of the news in 1990s as the nation eventually split into seven separate nations. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Incredibly, never again would football see all four countries competing in a European Championship. However, Italia '90 did see all four qualify - all reaching the knockout rounds. Nevertheless, Euro '76 remains one of football history's greatest, most unique tournaments, full of political tensions, player vs squad battles, extra-time drama and above all else - spectacular matches. The following Euros in 1980 would see the competition expanded to 8 teams - clearly 1976 had revolutionised and revitalised the international game.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Newspapers accessed via the British Newspaper Archive:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Daily Mirror</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Scotsman</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Liverpool Echo</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Aberdeen Press and Journal</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Books:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jonathan O'Brien, <i>Euro Summits</i> (Brighton: Pitch, 2021) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>©The Football History Boys, 2023<div class="blogger-post-footer">LIKE FOOTBALL? LOVE ITS HISTORY!</div>The Football History Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611337978479265207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534952526735000550.post-83441755288533458252024-03-03T23:08:00.000+00:002024-03-03T23:08:01.268+00:00Freedom on the wing: Danny Wallace’s unheralded impact at Southampton<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This piece was kindly written for @TFHBs by Eleanor Hobby - you can follow her on Twitter </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://twitter.com/Elz65002681" target="_blank"><i>@Elz65002681</i></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Quick and a natural at controlling the ball, Danny Wallace joined Southampton at the age of 13. A year earlier Keith Hodder, a PE teacher from Wallace’s school, had written to Southampton asking if Wallace could go on trial. At just 16 years and 314 days Danny Wallace became the Saints youngest-ever first-team player, a record since broken by Theo Walcott. Lawrie McMenemy gave the winger his debut at Old Trafford on 29th November 1980 in a 1-1 draw.</i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgthYqS9oFl070p3XxqpFGOzNuaSHTE5HS5vXTggD9JCtp_DniqTHRHJduS1qcCkJmXFh6Y6vjv8xjMl7eTrZUlYE2FVHcVA9CGPhMjHM_91SG6YYWF1u2_4CVkfgb-qrGCaiDxwBAwFghAV1LgVvPtNnhSURJ52VzNcNexvZbspr5b2UTTZjrEdjuh6yw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1088" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgthYqS9oFl070p3XxqpFGOzNuaSHTE5HS5vXTggD9JCtp_DniqTHRHJduS1qcCkJmXFh6Y6vjv8xjMl7eTrZUlYE2FVHcVA9CGPhMjHM_91SG6YYWF1u2_4CVkfgb-qrGCaiDxwBAwFghAV1LgVvPtNnhSURJ52VzNcNexvZbspr5b2UTTZjrEdjuh6yw=w400-h231" width="400" /></a></div><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Danny Wallace’s first full season for Southampton came during the 1982/83 campaign. He netted his first goal for the Saints in a 4-2 League Cup win against Colchester United. That season saw Wallace boast his best goal return, scoring 12 goals in 35 league appearances.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In March 1983, in a 2-1 win away to Nottingham Forest, Wallace showed his ability to produce spectacular moments in games. Wallace’s goal was the second of the match, after David Armstrong had scored from a previous corner. Steve Williams` corner was contested by Chris Fairclough, whose headed clearance fell for Wallace on the edge of the area, Wallace volleying the ball home with his left foot. Southampton’s number eleven had threatened just moments before, catching Bryn Gunn out in the Forest man’s own half, before shooting straight at the keeper.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ever tricky to stop on the right wing, Wallace had no problem outpacing his opposing fullback. In a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford that season, Saints star winger showed how key his runs were. Left back Arthur Albiston was no match for him as Danny floated a pinpoint ball into substitute Nick Holmes path. Holmes shot was blocked before Martin Foyle levelled with the rebound.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is often said that a winger that can combine their speed with dribbling is lethal. At his peak, Wallace has stated he could cover 100 metres in only 11 seconds. In a 3-3 away draw to Luton, the first time Saints had scored three goals away from home during the 1982/1983 season, Wallace demonstrated his blistering pace. In the 26th minute he even took John Motson by surprise, beating Kirk Stephens, darting into the box on the left-hand side before the ball bulleted off his right foot into the bottom right corner.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6SpKqtLQz4GjXpKyXtoBhTZwOfqkQJJUMVVl3LcR25ibWRR3bL6aRfH_VYf-CtQAapXpUAuqbsW4ZkKJu2LgmLMHupHr0OHLy-OLfQoqRBIEW-yt1fxmns4K8N7e5PZUF1KW2ZhEreryC-QyTel2Ty3TbHQOk7MIq_tcwhMvM54hIRgcsPqqEumnEN9c" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="594" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6SpKqtLQz4GjXpKyXtoBhTZwOfqkQJJUMVVl3LcR25ibWRR3bL6aRfH_VYf-CtQAapXpUAuqbsW4ZkKJu2LgmLMHupHr0OHLy-OLfQoqRBIEW-yt1fxmns4K8N7e5PZUF1KW2ZhEreryC-QyTel2Ty3TbHQOk7MIq_tcwhMvM54hIRgcsPqqEumnEN9c=w400-h248" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seven years after he signed for Saints as a youth player, Wallace scored Match of the Day’s Goal of the Season in the first game to be televised live at The Dell. In a First Division campaign that saw Southampton go toe to toe with the current champions, Wallace demonstrated his ability to suddenly accelerate down the wing very quickly.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On a cold March Friday night in 1984, the wingers brace secured the win for Southampton, leaving them fourth in the table. Towards the end of extra time in the first half, David Armstrong, and Kenny Dalglish both went up for a header in Southampton’s half. Dalglish leaned into the Southampton midfielder with the home fans screaming for a foul. The referee played on as the ball was cleared up field before being hammered back by the opposition into Southampton’s half. Mark Wright then dribbled the ball running inside of Craig Johnston, before passing to Frank Worthington just on the halfway line who turned and played the ball through to Mark Dennis on the left wing. Dennis, initially blocked by Johnston, crossed it into the box onto the head of Wright who nodded it into the path of Wallace, who performed a glorious overhead kick, guiding the ball into the top left corner.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later in the game, Sammy Lee charged forward for Liverpool before being dispossessed by Wallace 35 yards out. Armstrong then took the ball, passing to his teammate on the halfway line who passed to his right to a darting Wallace, who demonstrated his exceptional pace, beginning his run as soon as Armstrong had taken the ball. Wallace ran down the pitch straight into the box, Alan Hansen trying but failing to stop him. Wallace turned and crossed into substitute David Puckett, who just kept it in play. Puckett in a tight area, played the ball back down the left-hand side to Dennis. Dennis’s cross into the box met Wallace who headed it on the side of his head past a diving Bruce Grobbelaar into the top right corner.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Southampton beat Liverpool at home for a second season running, thanks to the confidence of Danny Wallace who as Jimmy Hill enthused was “the toast of Hampshire for two moments of splendid opportunism”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/18eSlWNJIlM" width="320" youtube-src-id="18eSlWNJIlM"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A month later on 28th April, Saints beat Coventry at home 8-2, Wallace and Steve Moran both scoring hat tricks that day. Wallace completed his hattrick by heading in David Puckett’s cross to make it 8-1.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later in his career, Danny was joined by his two siblings Rod and Ray at Southampton. In 1988, in a disappointing 4-1 loss to Everton at Goodison Park, Danny and his brother Rodney combined to score the opener. The ball reached Colin Clarke on the left wing. Clarke then fed the ball through to Rodney Wallace on the left side of Everton’s box. Rodney then dinked the ball with his left foot into the path of his brother Danny, who was unmarked, heading it past Neville Southall into the bottom left corner. Rod and his twin brother Ray had signed for Southampton in 1986 as apprentices, nine years after Danny. Like Danny, Rod played as a winger. He could play with pace, but he was particularly brilliant at crossing the ball and linking up with other forwards.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In his last away fixture for Southampton at Maine Road during the 1989/1990 season, Danny scored a brace against a newly promoted Man City. Matt Le Tissier displayed some lovely skill on Saints righthand side, before passing back to Rod Wallace. Rod then floated a pinpoint cross into the box as Danny ran onto it, volleying the ball into the back of the net.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wallace’s second came from some nice work again from Le Tissier on the right wing, twisting and turning Ian Bishop. Le Tissier once again floated a ball into the box and the cross was initially won in the air by Brian Gayle before the ball fell to Paul Lake. However, Lake failed to clear, and City’s number 2 and Gayle got in each other’s way allowing the ball to be kicked through their legs and into Wallace’s path who smashed it into the back of the net.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVs17pSuLOKMNyDTzcik0lR-xqb5yQok9ht2LyFPdchws6ScCdOJFecvB5oy7I8ZNAbqTPTV0qHLnlyyy7MlYp1T5q6tGjaVK8At2BwDkvHtl-KPU491cfMiecBT7QyjOouRhKk0771QeC4jslHZddTwHZEk3I8oiWz5sNfrm0gcA41w0T8LE_oobWjLg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVs17pSuLOKMNyDTzcik0lR-xqb5yQok9ht2LyFPdchws6ScCdOJFecvB5oy7I8ZNAbqTPTV0qHLnlyyy7MlYp1T5q6tGjaVK8At2BwDkvHtl-KPU491cfMiecBT7QyjOouRhKk0771QeC4jslHZddTwHZEk3I8oiWz5sNfrm0gcA41w0T8LE_oobWjLg=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wallace at Manchester United</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many were full of praise for Wallace’s ability to control the ball, with Wallace’s “gaffer” Lawrie McMenemy once describing him as someone who can “kill it straight away, then be off on a run”. But perhaps Barry Davies described Wallace best during the 1990 FA Cup semi- final between Man Utd and Oldham. Brian McClair had sent the ball racing down the middle of the pitch. Rick Holden and Earl Barrett, both out of position, had no chance of catching an unbelievably quick Wallace who raced after the ball, slotting it past Jon Hallworth, who had come out to try and close Wallace down. “Test of his pace, now a test of his finish. And he’s
equal to both...”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">©The Football History Boys, 2023 <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thefootballhistoryboys"><img src="https://img.buymeacoffee.com/button-api/?text=Buy%20TFHBs%20a%20coffee&emoji=%E2%98%95&slug=thefootballhistoryboys&button_colour=FFDD00&font_colour=000000&font_family=Bree&outline_colour=000000&coffee_colour=ffffff" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">LIKE FOOTBALL? LOVE ITS HISTORY!</div>The Football History Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611337978479265207noreply@blogger.com0