Keep Fighting

by paul harrison

  Certainly in the Scotland team Billy captained, each and every player would be focused and would deliver their all throughout the entire game. Representing their country, Scotland, was important to them, their families, their people. There would be no shirkers of responsibility, no excuses, just honest and tireless effort and at the end, great pride that they had given their all.

  With incredible foresight and vision, Bremner once told me of his take on the future of the Scottish game in general.

  ‘I blame the Scottish Football Association of the 1970s for not having the foresight to develop young football talent at junior school level. The Scottish clubs themselves have to take a look at themselves; far too many home-grown young Scottish footballers were allowed to join English clubs from school. Outside Celtic and Rangers, and occasionally Aberdeen or Hibernian, no club was seriously investing in, or encouraging youth into the game. It has to change, otherwise Scottish international football will stagnate and it will take decades to catch up on other countries’ emerging youth policies.

  ‘Willie Ormond was another great character as the Scotland manager. Willie was a Hibs (Hibernian FC) man, he had represented Scotland and appeared in the 1954 World Cup finals, so he knew his football. As a manager he was tough, or tried to be. To be honest, we gave him a bit of a run around, albeit we were respectful and generally did as was asked of us. We were once staying in a hotel in the middle of nowhere, good for focused training, Willie would say. We were told to get an early night, and to be up for an early start the following morning, a run and some light ball work before breakfast. Will escorted us to our rooms and bid us a goodnight. It took about half an hour before the tapping at the bedroom doors began – a few players fancied a late night tot to help us sleep. So together, we sneaked back downstairs and into the bar, ordered our rounds and quietly sat down in the corner to drink them. I took a drink out of my pint to find it was shandy and gradually everyone realised that we had been served with pints of shandy, and not what we ordered. One player thought he was drinking rum and blackcurrant, it was in fact just blackcurrant!

  ‘We complained to the barman and he said he would fetch the manager. A few seconds later, out comes Willie Ormond, wearing a broad grin on his face. He looked at us all and said, “I knew I couldn't trust you buggers. Now off to bed with you all. I'm staying up all night, guarding this bar.” As far as we know he did too, least ways he looked rough the next morning. Willie wasn't a fool, nor was he a stooge for the bureaucratic ways of the Scottish Football Association. He began to speak out against their ways, and, for his rewards, he too was effectively shown the door, being allowed to leave to manage Heart of Midlothian.

  ‘I played under a few authoritarian managers for Scotland and Tommy Docherty wasn't a man to cross. He had a real temper on him, added to which, he knew how it was, he knew the tricks and fun players got up to when away on international duty and you couldn't pull the wool over his eyes one little bit. I got to know Tommy over the years. He is an amazing after-dinner speaker, players of all ages and eras just love listening to him. It's such a pity that a great Scot such as him should have had a club career at Chelsea and Manchester United.

  ‘Of course, the man I would really liked to have played under was Jock Stein. He had a short stint in 1965-66, but by the time he was permanently appointed in 1978, my international career was over. Unfortunately, I missed him at Leeds too. I was gone by the time he made his brief visit to the club.

  ‘Another would have been Alex Ferguson. That man is a wonderful role model for future potential managers to study and emulate. Alex is a devout and thoroughbred Scotsman, the greatest manager in the modern-day game without any shadow of a doubt.

  ‘Scotland is my homeland, no one will ever insult or discredit it in front of me; if they do, and few have tried, then they will learn from me what makes Scotland so superior to all other nations. Our passion, loyalty and bravery are a good place to start!’

  It's sad that modern-day football fans will never see or realise the absolute passion and commitment players of the Billy Bremner era had, when representing both club and country. It wasn't about money, ego or self-publicity and marketing, it was about a love for the game and loyalty to the club and country they represented. There was no badge-kissing heroics before the fans, or feigned affection; this was an era when men played football with honesty and integrity. It was rough and you had to be tough, it was all about winners and losers, and for a select few, collecting trophies. Players were both approachable and accessible, and in general, enjoyed mixing with supporters and making them happy. Today, the marketing people in football tell us that the game is more fluent, action packed and entertaining than it has ever been. Anyone who watched football through 1960-1970 era will know different. It was the golden era of the game and it's no coincidence that so many recognised all-time football greats come from that era. For Scotland and Leeds United, Billy Bremner stood out among his peers, and continues to do so to this day. Class is permanent.

  7

  WE LOVE YOU

  LEEDS – LEEDS – LEEDS

  Don Revie held a great belief in his team and not least in Billy Bremner, who he saw as the lynchpin around which he could build his side. However, other managers could spot a ‘wee gem’ as well, and Revie was not alone in his respect for the player. With Leeds still aspiring to succeed, and with no silverware to boast, other top First Division sides began to express an interest in signing the Leeds star. Everton came in with an offer of £25,000. Once again the Leeds board spoke to their manager and intimated that they were interested in reaching an agreement with Everton. According to writer Eric Thornton, ‘Revie was incensed by such business and in no uncertain terms told the board: “If you go through with this transfer of Bremner, I'm through too. I shall be out of this club.”’ In consequence of this show of support from manager to player, the board brought transfer negotiations to an immediate halt.

  In the late 1970s Revie recalled the incident:

  ‘At the time I thought the board of the football club was acting improperly. They seemed hell bent on cashing in on playing assets; they wanted the silverware and the trappings of success that went with winning trophies, yet hard cash seemed to be a bigger attraction to them. As a manager you tend to forget that the football club side of things is run as a business. I was upset by them – first we had Hibernian, then Everton sounding out moves for some of my best players, and instead of turning them down, the board implied that they were open to, and would assess, individual offers. It sent the wrong message out to our competitors and my players. I wanted stability throughout the team, players who knew they were wanted and were treated with respect and loyalty. I wanted them to feel part of one big family. Transfer speculation does nothing but cause unrest and disharmony within a football club so I told the directors that if any player was sold to a rival club without my blessing then they would need to find another manager. Of course, they were shocked by my outburst, but I meant it, and if they had sold Billy Bremner, then I would not have hesitated in resigning. The chairman wasn't slow in changing his mind and in telling me that neither Billy Bremner, nor any other Leeds player, would be sold in the immediate future. Thankfully that was the end of the matter.’

  The 1965-66 season was not as dramatic as the previous one, which had ended in failure at Wembley. Leeds were gradually forging a good reputation for themselves and being accepted as a force and championship contender within the First Division. Despite this they still had many critics, each of whom tended to concentrate solely upon their tactics rather than football performance. The Liverpool manager, Bill Shankly, once described their style as being similar to that of a ‘rugby team, more akin to Hull Kingston Rovers than a football team’. Whether this outburst was borne out of the fact that Leeds had just inflicted a 1-0 defeat over his side in front of Liverpool's own fans at Anfield, on the day after Boxing Day, is open to debate. Nevertheless, such comments offended many of the Leeds team, and if anything were to make
them a more committed unit.

  Highlights in the league included the 6-1 defeat of newly promoted Northampton Town, and a 5-0 demolition of West Ham United, with Bremner scoring in both games:

  ‘Northampton Town were a bit of an unknown quantity to the First Division. They had made a meteoric rise from the Fourth Division to the First in consecutive seasons. Although we really thrashed them, they had some decent players in their team but on the day they couldn't compete with us over ninety minutes. We exploited their full backs and defensive weakness time and again. I think I am right in saying that Northampton were relegated after just one season and dropped straight back through the leagues and back into the Fourth Division as quickly as they rose from it.’

  Perhaps the best league result of that season was the 3-0 victory over Arsenal at Highbury, a game that took place before just 4,554 spectators. The game had been rearranged and was played on the evening of Thursday, 5 May 1966. On that same evening, Liverpool were facing Borussia Dortmund in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup and that game was being shown live on national television. This, combined with Arsenal's dismal form, resulted in Highbury's lowest First Division crowd since the First World War. Goals from Jim Storrie (two) and Jimmy Greenhoff secured the victory. Arsenal manager Billy Wright was humble in defeat, and later told reporters:

  ‘It was a bad result for us, Leeds were beatable today but we failed to capitalise on their frailties. They are a rugged outfit, not very pretty to watch, but they have an extremely strong midfield. Billy Bremner strikes me as the kind of player who will forge a good career for himself, I wish we had half a dozen of his sort playing for us.’ Good fortune appears to have deserted the Arsenal manager who was removed from his position the following summer, after Arsenal finished a lowly fourteenth in the league, their lowest position since 1930.

  There was a lot of comment about Bremner by this time:

  ‘By now, many people were making comparisons with my style of play and that of other more experienced players. Other than those who counted, such as my dad or the boss, I never really listened to anyone else about my play. I realised through bitter experience that some journalists and outsiders tended to be deliberately cynical and more critical about individual performances. If Pop and the boss thought I was playing alright, then that was good enough for me. I always gave my best and if you do that in all you do, then no one has any right to criticise.’

  As previous season runners-up in the First Division championship, the team had qualified for European football. The challenge of pitting their skills against some of the best football opposition in the world beckoned Bremner and his colleagues. The first round of the Inter Cities Fairs Cup competition saw Leeds paired with Italian side Torino, who visited Elland Road in the first phase of the two-legged tie. It was a far from easy draw but Leeds pulled off a 2-1 victory courtesy of goals from Bremner and Alan Peacock.

  The second leg, in Turin, however, was an entirely different proposition:

  ‘We knew that Torino would come at us as soon as the whistle blew. We had more than a few ball winners in our side, certainly enough to unsettle them, and perhaps give us the chance to hit them on the break.’

  In the fiftieth minute of that game, United skipper Bobby Collins was clattered to the ground in a vicious tackle by Torino full back Poletti. As a result Collins suffered a broken thigh. With substitutions not yet introduced into European football, Leeds were forced to play out the remaining forty minutes with just ten men. Hang on they did, right through to the final whistle, to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate.

  Don Revie believed that the performance of the team in Turin was as good as his side had ever produced. Bremner was less than complimentary in his assessment of Torino:

  ‘They were the dirtiest set of players I had ever come up against, kicking, punching, pinching and spitting at us. They were a bunch of spoilers and the foul on Bobby (Collins) was sickening. I swear you could hear the bone break. To lose a player of his influence was a real blow, but we did our bit and resolutely fought on.’

  The second round provided opposition in the form of SC Locomotiv Leipzig. United repeated the first-round formula, taking a 2-1 lead to East Germany, and once again Bremner netted in the Elland Road triumph. A dour 0-0 draw in East Germany ensured further progression in the competition.

  Spanish club side Valencia were next on the European agenda:

  ‘I don't think any of the team could really believe that we were successfully marching through Europe. There was a different atmosphere about the European games and even when we played in Leeds it felt like we were in some far-off cosmopolitan district of Europe. The night we played Valencia there was a peculiar, almost hostile atmosphere around the stadium. Some of their players ignored us when we met them during the pre-match build-up. It was not unlike two boxers winding each other up before a fight. I cannot stand rudeness in any form; there is no excuse in the world for ignoring someone who acknowledges you. A few of our players made comments about it and I told them to ignore the foreign bastards.’

  Little could anyone have realised how such a glamorous-looking European tie would be recounted for everything but football memories. Valencia knew all about how to win European encounters, having won the Fairs Cup in 1962 and 1963, and had only been narrowly beaten by Real Zaragoza in the 1964 final. An injury to centre forward Alan Peacock in a league game at Sunderland had left Leeds with few options up front. Revie toyed with the idea of moving Bremner forward, but didn't want to upset the equilibrium of the team too much. Instead he opted to play an inexperienced youngster, Rod Belfitt, as centre forward. Valencia were clearly aware that Leeds could rough it up with the best of them, and so applied their tactics accordingly. One commentator stated: ‘Valencia's tactics smacked more of the bullring than the football field. They were the roughest continental side I have ever seen.’

  An eleventh-minute Valencia goal silenced Elland Road early on, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead which was consistently defended; at times all eleven Valencia players were committed to protecting the lead from the edge of their own penalty area. The Spanish giants undoubtedly used every trick in the book to suffocate the Leeds threat, with blatant strong-arm tactics, and they brought down a Leeds player with every tackle. It was a nasty and hostile atmosphere both on and off the pitch. Supporters yelled at referee Leo Horn to bring the Spanish side to rights for their continued fouling. The match official ignored all shouts from the crowd and from the players and, ultimately, his refusal to act fairly caused the game to degenerate, as scenes of violence were witnessed all over the Elland Road stadium, not least amongst the players on the pitch. Leeds continued to push forward but couldn't break open the heavily manned Valencia rear guard. Trailing 1-0 at half time they left the pitch looking disconsolate and clearly wound up.

  In the second half there was some reward for their efforts, when a Bremner cross was met by Peter Lorimer, who gleefully fired home the Leeds equaliser. It was game on and it was Leeds who were clearly in the ascendancy. As the match moved into its final quarter, Leeds continued to attack. During one such raid, Jack Charlton was clearly punched and kicked by a Valencia defender. Charlton recalls the incident:

  ‘What had been a sizzling atmosphere became downright white hot, as we threw everything into an assault which, we hoped, would bring us a winner. Fifteen minutes to go, and I raced upfield to add my weight to one of our attacks. As I challenged an opponent in the Valencia penalty area, I was kicked. This angered me, of course – but before I knew where I was I found myself having to take much more when one of my opponents slung a punch which would have done credit to Cassius Clay. Right there and then, my anger boiled over. I chased the culprit around that penalty area and I was intent upon only one thing – getting my own back. I had completely lost control of myself after these diabolical fouls upon me, and neither the Spaniards nor the restraining hands of my team mates could prevent my pursuit for vengeance. Then I saw police appear on the field, they were there to
stop this game of football from degenerating into a running battle.’

  Finally, on police advice, referee Leo Horn walked from the pitch with both of his linesmen and he signalled to club officials of both sides to get their players off, too.

  Charlton continues: ‘I was still breathing fire when I reached the dressing room – then I got the word that I need not go back. For a moment I thought the referee had called off the match … then it sank home that it was only Jackie Charlton's presence which was not required any longer. For eleven minutes the teams remained off the field, to allow tempers on both sides to cool down. By that time, I was beginning to feel sorry for myself, and not a little ashamed of the way I had lost my temper.’