‘I say supporters, because amongst them, outside of Wales, he was regarded as something of a joke. In one game at Liverpool he threw the ball into his own net and, at once, and in unison, the Kop and thirty thousand other people in the ground began to sing the Des O'Connor hit, “Careless Hands” to him. At Chelsea and Leicester they would scream whenever he went near the ball, trying to make him nervous and put him off his game. He did react a couple of times, turning on the crowd to show his displeasure. We all told him to ignore everything but the game being played out in front of him. Sometimes he saw the funny side of how the fans related to him and he got a rapport going with them, other times he just didn't seem to concentrate.
‘It might well be that this made him even more prone to making mistakes. I don't know, he was so arrogant and full of himself, I couldn't be doing with it half of the time. Saying that, I wouldn't want to be a goalkeeper at any price.’
I had witnessed Sprake's arrogance as a supporter and, as sad as it was, he didn't always endear himself to the Leeds fans, despite many remaining loyal to him because he represented Leeds United. It was only after he left and sold his version of events to a national newspaper that we saw him in a different light. I lost most of my respect for him when I was a child meeting him at Newcastle, but I did occasionally feel sorry for him when he dropped one of his clangers. Billy Bremner had very definite views on this:
‘The boss had this thing that he had plucked him from obscurity as a teenager and nurtured him, and Gary would play on that, abusing the boss's loyalty to his own advantage. He reckoned he had film-star looks and at times was more concerned about his appearance than saving bloody shots. He was always chewing gum, too, and that would irritate me, trying to talk to him and his bloody jaw jerking from side to side.
‘To be honest, I always felt much safer with David Harvey in goal; David was a sensible and level-headed lad who quietly went about his goalkeeping without any fuss. In games, he did the simple things and made the most difficult saves look very easy. David was reliable and instilled confidence in the defence, whereas Sprake was so wrapped up in himself that he would miss important moves.’
Oddly enough, during that previous season Sprake had been replaced in the Leeds goal by David Harvey for a Football League Cup tie at West Ham. Leeds had lost the game 7-0:
‘In no way was David Harvey responsible for the way we were comprehensively beaten by West Ham. We defended like amateurs in that game and West Ham played us off the park. As infuriating as it was, they well and truly stuffed us.’
In the League Cup competition of 1967-68 there was far greater success as Leeds marched on to Wembley, overcoming the challenge of Luton Town, Bury, Sunderland, Stoke City and Brian Clough's Derby County before a final encounter against Arsenal:
‘By the time the season was over we were well and truly shattered; I think the successes of the cup competitions arrested our league progress. Not that we failed at all, but we all felt we could have achieved more. It's fair to say that the majority of us believed that we could have won just about every competition we went for. It may sound arrogant or big-headed, but not many teams will ever come as close as we did to achieving a clean sweep of domestic trophies and a European success into the bargain.
‘The semi-final against Derby County wasn't the tough challenge we expected. I never liked playing at Derby County, it was one of those intimidating little grounds, where the stands feel like they are going to fall on top of you on the pitch. That was my first brush with Brian Clough. He stood by the side of the pitch calling me a Scottish ginger-nut, telling his players to kick the cheating Scottish ginger-nut and finish his game. I thought that's rich coming from someone whose playing career was ended through injury. As I ran past him I told him what an arsehole I thought he was and he yelled back at me, “Who are you talking to, little man? If it's me, then you call me sir, you understand.” I called him an English prick and got on with my game.
‘Afterwards, the boss told him in no uncertain terms that he ought to concentrate on his own team and players, and not those at Leeds. He (the boss) gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder as he did so and winked. Clough was visibly angered by this. As we walked out of the ground the boss advised me that it was a lesson learned – some people are able to manage themselves, others aren't. Brian Clough, at that time, fitted into the latter category but, to be honest, it mattered little to me at that time. I just wanted to get home to my family.
‘The second leg at Leeds wasn't easy for me. It was obvious that Brian Clough had targeted me and some of his players were throwing themselves like cruise missiles into tackles where I was involved. The comments coming from some of them were as foul as I had encountered, so I thought to myself, “Bill, you either go down without a fight, or you give back as good you get.” I chose the latter and “inadvertently” clattered into a couple of their players. They soon backed down and our football won the day. Brian Clough was incensed and vocally abusive. I gave him a friendly nod and a wink as we triumphantly walked off. “I won't forget this Bremner, you little shit” he said to me. So I asked him who he was and if he was talking to me? And if he was, he was then to call me “the winning captain”. He quickly disappeared into the dressing room, muttering all kinds of things as he did so.’
The final was a close-fought affair. Revie and his players were almost desperate to collect their first silverware, but in Arsenal they knew they faced formidable and tough opponents. The pre-match team talk consisted of the manager telling his side, amongst other things, to match Arsenal for effort and in the physical challenges and encounters. The uninspiring final was settled by a hotly disputed Terry Cooper goal, a sweet strike from the edge of the Arsenal penalty area which flew past the Gunners keeper Jim Furnell. The goal was immediately contested by the Arsenal players who hounded and surrounded match referee Mr Hamer, bitterly complaining that Furnell had been impeded and fouled by Jack Charlton.
The match official stood firm in Leeds favour and the goal stood:
‘It was ridiculous the way the Arsenal players reacted. Big Jack never deliberately went into any challenge intent on fouling an opponent – he always went for the ball and nine times out of ten he won it. He never fouled Jim Furnell that day. Likewise, I can't remember too many occasions when Terry [Cooper] struck a shot so well. He could be devastatingly accurate in training, yet in matches he never got much opportunity to shoot so, as you can imagine, we were all really happy that he chose that game to have a go. Bobby Charlton would have been proud of that shot and goal, it was a real screamer.’
Arsenal never gave up fighting but Leeds were their match and deserved their first Wembley victory, and the club's first major domestic honour:
‘It was fantastic getting hold of our very first major trophy. I remember looking around the ground from the podium where I collected the trophy and Wembley was a sea of white, blue and gold. It was a joy to celebrate our success with the supporters.
‘When we returned to Leeds, thousands of people were out to welcome us. I was so proud and as I looked round the rest of the team I could see how much it meant. The boss didn't stop smiling for a couple of days. That was unusual because it took something very special to get him to smile in the first place.’
The victory assured qualification into European competition again. In the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, Spora Luxembourg were beaten 16-0 on aggregate and, once again, Billy Bremner was among the goals at Elland Road in a 9-0 first leg demolition. Partizan Belgrade were beaten 3-2 on aggregate, followed by Hibernian, who went out 2-1 over two legs: ‘I was keen to play well against Hibernian. After all, they didn't think I was worth £30,000. It was a tough two games we had against them and I thought we were lucky to come through.’
Unlike now, clubs like Hibernian, Kilmarnock and Dundee were frequently participating in European competition. They were challengers too – Celtic and Rangers didn't have it all their own way in Scotland. Hibernian's team was filled with well-known stars of the Sc
ottish game, legends like Pat Stanton, Colin Stein, Peter Cormack and Pat Quinn. Hibernian in particular could boast European victories over great clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona to name a couple. Perhaps the most incredible victory the Hibees achieved came in the round prior to meeting Leeds, against legendary Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff's Napoli. After a disastrous 4-1 first leg defeat in Italy, they produced one of the most scintillating European performances of all time, thrashing Napoli 5-0 at Easter Road and winning the tie 6-4 on aggregate.
These weren't games that Leeds saw as easy and they were as tough, if not tougher, than any overseas opposition. In the first leg, Leeds took an early lead through Eddie Gray, yet it was Hibernian who looked the more confident side, forcing Leeds back at every opportunity. They were worthy opponents and caused mayhem in the Leeds defence. Colin Stein had a goal disallowed, before leaving injured, while Peter Cormack played what many believed was his best ever game. Despite everything, Leeds were resilient and won the first leg 1-0.
A few weeks later, 40,000 partisan Hibernian fans filled Easter Road, creating an intimidating atmosphere for Bremner and his colleagues:
‘It was as tough a game as I can recall in Europe. Edinburgh was filled with green and white and we were given a raucous welcome when we arrived at the ground. Nothing sinister, just lots of anti-English chanting. I couldn't help but laugh with the fans screaming “Scotland, Scotland” – that's my boys I thought, passionate and devout, good on you.
‘The game was frantic to say the least. It was wave after wave of Hibs attacking, we couldn't get near them and I feared that we were going to be overrun. I think it was Colin Stein who scored to level the game. We were hanging on. I can honestly say that I realised that not all referees are poor. Clive Thomas was the man in the middle for this game and he had been tough on both teams, telling players that he wouldn't stand for any nonsense. I thought we were going to extra time and I remember the ball being with their goalkeeper, Willie Wilson. Clive Thomas suddenly blew for an infringement. Back then the four-step rule had been introduced for goalkeepers. Apparently Willie took five and we won a free kick. The result was Big Jack equalised and we went through 2-1 on aggregate. Poor Clive Thomas took the brunt of the fans’ angst, the Easter Road stands were vibrating to a chorus of booing. I didn't take much satisfaction in seeing a Scottish club being knocked out. Though my football love belonged to Leeds, my football heart belonged to Scotland.’
Next came a tie against Glasgow Rangers:
‘I was thrilled to be playing against Rangers. We held out for a 0-0 draw in front of 80,000 raucous spectators at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow. As a Scotsman, and with my background, to play Rangers at Ibrox was the stuff dreams were made of. Apart from the emotion I felt as a Scotsman, it was a marvellous occasion to savour. As we made our way to the ground in the bus, supporters lined most of the streets surrounding the stadium. Many had come all the way from Leeds and were yelling and waving to us. The Rangers fans, normally regarded as partisan and hugely biased, applauded our team, and from what I saw, made our supporters very welcome in Glasgow – at least that was before the game.
‘Once we got inside it was clear Ibrox was buzzing. Many of the Rangers boys, some of whom I would class as good friends, were trying to play down the game, in an attempt to disguise the pre-match nerves we all suffer before such an important encounter. A few of us knew the Rangers players and had a laugh with them; it was all part of the psychological build-up to the game itself. As we took to the pitch, the Ibrox roar filled our ears. It was as intimidating a ground as I have played on. I remember the smell of fag smoke, Oxo and cigars. I was mighty glad to hang on for a 0-0 draw, privately, and I knew that at Leeds it would be a different game altogether.’
The second leg saw Leeds progress, with a competent 2-0 victory, goals coming from Johnny Giles and Peter Lorimer. With two Scottish club sides dispatched, a third awaited in the semi-final. Dundee proved themselves to be much more difficult football opponents. A Paul Madeley goal was enough to earn a draw in Scotland, and an Eddie Gray strike in the second leg put Leeds through to the final for the second year in succession:
‘It was nice to beat Hibernian, Rangers and Dundee; there were those who said that we had managed to get to the final by avoiding foreign opposition. What a load of rubbish that was, the sides we met were more of a match for us than any overseas club and there was British pride at stake which made the games all the more difficult.’
The final of the competition saw United face Ferencvaros, a Mick Jones goal was enough to give United a 1-0 advantage to take to Hungary. A sterling defensive performance saw off the Hungarian challenge as United tasted European success, and brought home to Elland Road the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, making them the first British club side to do so.
Bremner recalled:
‘I often look back on that season as one of the best. We were accused of being the bridesmaids and falling at the last hurdle. Sometimes we did stutter, but people forget what an achievement it was to get there in the first place. Two Inter Cities Fairs Cup finals on the trot, and two FA Cup semi-finals in succession is not a bad achievement by anyone's standards. Yet we were condemned by the media for not winning everything. In hindsight, I can now see how highly regarded we were. If the press believed we were capable of winning everything then we can't have been a bad side, but try getting one of them to admit that and you have no chance. Instead they will remind modern Leeds fans of our “too physical attitude”, but mark my words, we were a damn good football team, the best. Leeds United could, and did, compete with the best that European football had to offer – how many clubs can say that?’
Incredibly after the European success of the 1967-68 season, United were forced to begin their defence of the crown just one week after winning it. The first round of the 1968-69 Fairs Cup campaign was a particularly sticky and uncomfortable one. After a 0-0 draw against Standard Liege in Belgium, many thought the Elland Road second leg would be a formality. They were wrong. Liege took a 2-0 lead at Leeds, however, and showed their true European pedigree before Bremner and company rallied and came back to win the game 3-2. It was Bremner who scored the winner. If that wasn't enough to cause concern, then a trip to Napoli in the next round did. The first leg had been settled by two Jack Charlton goals, but in Naples, United crumbled losing by the same deficit, meaning a toss of a coin to decide who went through. Bremner called it right and Leeds progressed.
There was no such tension in the following round, as Hanover ‘96 were thrashed 7-2 on aggregate. The fourth round threw up an interesting challenge against Ujpesti Dozsa, a side that Leeds had beaten previously. There was to be no repeat as, on this occasion, the Fairs Cup holders crashed out of the competition, 3-0 on aggregate, putting in two lacklustre performances: ‘It was disappointing to lose to Ujpesti Dozsa but it allowed us to concentrate on the domestic front. We had been crowned as Inter Cities Fairs Cup Champions, now we wanted to go one stage further, Football League Champions, and later, European Cup Winners.’
In the league it was jackpot time, as Leeds reached even higher levels and new heights:
‘There was feeling throughout the team that we could go all the way in the 1968-69 season. I remember a pre-season friendly, played at Hampden Park against Celtic. There were 75,000 inside the ground creating a terrific atmosphere. The boss didn't want to lose and fielded more or less the full first team, and we won the game 2-1. It was as good an all-round performance as we had given and it instilled an incredible amount of self-belief into our challenge.’
The season started with a winning run of league results, before being brought to a temporary halt at Nottingham Forest when the game was abandoned at half time:
‘Christ, the game at Nottingham Forest will always stick with me because it was one of those strange incidents which just seems so surreal and thoroughly unbelievable when you look back at it. It all seemed fairly trivial at the time, but later, the seriousness of it all struck home.
‘It
all happened in slow motion really, wisps of smoke, the smell of wood burning and the sensible approach of the supporters. The main stand, beneath which stood dressing rooms, was on fire. The referee went into a panic, we all did, our belongings and clothing was all in there. It was something you didn't expect to happen, another chapter in my wonderful football career. It was obvious that complete evacuation was necessary, so we all, as players, made our way into the main car park. These were the days before Health and Safety became important, wooden benches in wooden constructed stands were the usual seating arrangements for main stands up and down the country. I remember seeing a little boy and his dad looking bewildered, and a little frightened, outside the ground. I wandered over to check they were okay. Quick as a flash, the dad asked for an autograph, I obliged and was soon swamped by supporters asking for my signature. Pretty soon the fire brigade were arriving in numbers and it was obvious that the stand was going to burn down, with much of our property still in there. It did, and miraculously, without one casualty. Albeit, Forest's historical records, all irreplaceable, along with various trophies, were destroyed in the blaze. It was a sad and terrifying moment for us all. They said the fire had started in the dressing room area, probably by a discarded cigarette. A further warning as to the perils of smoking.’
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