Keep Fighting

by paul harrison

  An undefeated run of nine league games came to a halt at Maine Road as Manchester City ran out 3-1 winners. Leeds couldn't get into their game as City pummelled them from the outset. A worse league defeat was to follow, when Burnley trounced them 5-1 at Turf Moor. The media began to foretell of cracks.

  ‘F—— hell, yes it was a shock and not so much a bad performance by us but a fluke by Burnley. It was another of those games where the other team got everything right and there is nothing you can do. It was hardly the beginning of the end though. I remember being interviewed by a reporter not long after that game, and he was talking like we were looking at relegation and telling me how Burnley had overrun and completely outplayed us. I asked him if he had been at the game, he said he hadn't, but he had been told by a Burnley colleague how shit we were. So I told him how shit I thought he was, and his mate from Burnley. They could give it, but they couldn't take it, some of the reporters back then were a f—— nightmare, a disgrace to the profession.

  ‘I had vowed some time earlier that I was never going to allow the press to tell me how it was. I would always tell them and if they disagreed then fair enough. Football is about opinions and it's only right that all sides of a story should be aired to readers and not simply what is on many occasions, unqualified opinions that are extremely biased in order to sell newspapers.’

  The debacle at Burnley was followed by three 0-0 draws. Winning ways were resumed on Saturday, 16 November 1968 when Coventry City fell to a solitary Paul Madeley goal to give United a much needed 1-0 victory. The win ignited Leeds and, as they shifted up a gear, the team went on an undefeated run of twenty-seven league games, including a 6-1 victory over Burnley and a 5-1 win at Stoke, during which Bremner netted a brace:

  ‘It was like someone flicked a switch. The players kicked on after the Burnley defeat – we were hurt by the press comments and wanted to show the football public that we were the best. Players like Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer were showing some sublime skills, whereas others like Norman Hunter, Johnny Giles, Jack Charlton, Terry Cooper and Paul Reaney were reliable and solid. It was a privilege to play alongside them. I recall one goal in particular that was scored by Eddie Gray – mind blowing. With the ball at his feet, he weaved in and out and round and about six or seven Burnley players all inside the penalty area before smashing the ball home. It is easily the best goal I, and probably thousands of others have seen and it was the best piece of skill I ever witnessed from a Leeds player in all my years. Such sublime skill and victories defy the “dirty Leeds” label the press had attached to us. No matter what anyone may claim, in the majority of positions we were the complete team.’

  Leeds kicked on and showed why they were the best team in the land, clinching the Football League championship on the night of 28 April 1969, after a 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. The scenes were memorable to say the least, and will long live in the memory of all those who attended the game. The night when the most famous terrace in football, Liverpool's Spion Kop, saluted the champions from Elland Road. It was the night Billy Bremner and his colleagues fulfilled a united ambition: Leeds United – Champions of the Football League:

  ‘It was a wonderful occasion. People tell me they shed a tear, who didn't? We were worthy champions, even our closest opposition said we were the best and deserved to win the championship.

  ‘When the final whistle blew I was overwhelmed; I think every Leeds supporter in the ground and back home in Leeds or anywhere else, found it hard to believe that we had done it. All I wanted to do was get in among them and shake each and every one of them by the hand to thank them for their incredible and undying support. They really are the best supporters in football. I don't know if there is any other emotion in football that could equal the joy of being champions of the entire Football League – perhaps lifting the World Cup as a winner for Scotland, but that's a different story altogether. I have to say that the Liverpool supporters were immense that evening, cheering and clapping us and singing our names and acclaiming us as champions. It was the perfect surroundings to be crowned as the best team in English football. Bill Shankly was a fine and honourable man, he had champagne delivered into our dressing room and he was first to congratulate us, adding that we were worthy champions. Coming from him, that's what I call a real compliment.

  ‘The boss was all smiles and when he told me to take the players to the Liverpool Kop I shit myself and said to him, “No way, they'll lynch us.” He said, “Bill, these are football people, they known and respect good football. Just go over there, stand proud and thank them.” As we got closer I was looking at the sea of red and white scarves and faces staring back at us. Then I saw them applauding and congratulating us, shouting out “Well done” and other compliments. It was something else. I was crying, I couldn't believe it and we all thanked them and applauded back. I didn't want to come off the pitch.’

  The domestic cup campaigns had ended at an early stage, Sheffield Wednesday putting the team out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, and Crystal Palace dumping Revie's side out of the League Cup in the fourth round.

  9

  THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER

  The following season, the FA Charity Shield was added to the trophy cabinet as the 1969-70 season got underway and FA Cup winners Manchester City were beaten 2-1 at Elland Road:

  ‘It was wonderful times at Leeds United. I remember telling the boss that he would have to speak with the chairman about getting a joiner to build us a bigger trophy cabinet! He wasn't amused and duly told me that true champions are gauged over a continued period of time and not just on the efforts of one season. I didn't need to be told, but he reiterated that we must strive to further achieve rather than rest on our laurels. I know he wanted to see the European Cup in the trophy cabinet and we all believed that we could deliver that for him.’

  The league campaign of 1969-70 went as everyone had hoped with just one defeat in the first twenty-five league games. Indeed, just six league fixtures were lost all season. Incredibly, this wasn't sufficient for Leeds to keep hold of the League championship, and they finished runners-up to Everton.

  In the FA Cup, after scraping through 2-1 at home to Swansea, victories over Sutton United (0-6), Mansfield Town (2-0), and Swindon Town (0-2) saw the side through to the semi-final stage, where Leeds drew against Manchester United at Hillsborough and Villa Park respectively. The game was finally settled at Burnden Park, Bolton, when a sweet strike from Bremner flew into the Manchester United goal, giving Leeds a 1-0 victory:

  ‘The FA Cup run really took it out of us that season, particularly those games against Manchester United. It was an exhausting and disappointing season, especially as we had done so well on different fronts. The games kept coming, two a week for most of the season.

  ‘As for the FA Cup and the goal that got us to Wembley, it just fell nicely. I had to be quick to get in front of the defender, and I just let fly; the next thing it was in the back of the net and I was being mobbed by white football shirts. I had a real desire to lift the FA Cup trophy at Wembley, and felt that we were ready.’

  Before the FA Cup final, the gruelling diary of fixtures continued. First, they faced Celtic in the semi-final of the European Cup, which they had reached by aggregate victories over Lyn Oslo (16-0), Ferencvaros (6-0), and Standard Liege (2-0). The first leg was played at Elland Road, and was settled by a Chalmers goal which gave Celtic a 1-0 lead to take home for the second leg in Scotland. Leeds looked a shadow of themselves, and never truly outwitted their opponents, for whom Jimmy Johnstone was magnificent:

  ‘In Europe you would prefer to play the away leg first, but we didn't get that luck. I was sick as a dog after our performance at home against Celtic. The press called it the “Battle of Britain” and we did everything but score a bloody goal. Celtic had a strategy, stuck to it, and outwitted and outplayed us.

  ‘Jock Stein was a manager to revere, he knew our strengths and weaknesses. Before the game, he actually commented to me that I and some
of our players were looking tired. Clever psychological stuff, and it worked. That aside, some of our players had their minds on Wembley, so were focused on not picking up any kind of injury which might rule them out. I felt very bitter that we lost the first leg in the way we did, almost without a fight, but I knew I had to let it go and focus on the next game – the FA Cup final against Chelsea.’

  On a rain-sodden Wembley pitch, Leeds twice took the lead but were twice pegged back by a determined and extremely physical Chelsea team. First to score was Jack Charlton, a header that sneaked between two Chelsea defenders on the goal line. This was followed by a ‘freak’ Chelsea equaliser. A scowling Bremner recalled:

  ‘Oh dear, we had settled into our game and were playing better than Chelsea – everyone was working for each other, covering when needed, and making space for the pass with our typical understanding. Everyone that is, except Gary bloody Sprake. Chelsea had the ball, Peter Houseman, he was well away from goal and none of us saw the attack as a threat. When he hit what can only be described as a “speculative” shot towards our goal I thought to myself, that's as weak as water and is going nowhere.

  ‘Afterwards, he told me that he didn't expect it to come to anything and just hit it towards our goal. As I glanced back following the ball with my eyes, I saw that Sprake looked to have it covered and dived to his left. Everyone in the stadium thought he had comfortably gathered the ball. The next thing I saw was Sprake fumbling and making a real meal out of such a basic save. I remember saying to myself, “Please, not now Gary, not now.” In the next second I saw the ball squirming out from beneath him – it was as though it was alive, and it trickled into our net. I remember big Jack saying to me, “What the hell has the f—— clown done now?”

  ‘Now I am no goalkeeper, yet even I knew that he had dropped a right clanger. It certainly wasn't his first and it certainly was not to be his last. Boy, of all the places and moments to choose to f—— about and lose your concentration, the clown picks the FA Cup final at Wembley.

  ‘At half time I made a real effort to console him, and told him to focus and to forget the f—— up. Inside I was seething with him for being so incompetent and wanted to hit him. To my surprise he wasn't at all fazed by the incident. All he wanted to do was get on with the game and told us not to mention it. If it had been any other player who had let the team down, they would have been devastated and apologetic. Not him, he was too arrogant to admit his mistake.

  ‘I told the boss I wasn't happy about Gary Sprake and wasn't comfortable with his shit attitude. The boss told me that he would deal with him. I don't think he ever did and that really didn't help us as a unit. By the time he realised what Gary Sprake was, a weakness and an uncommitted part our team, it was too late. A few years later, Sprake, as far as I am concerned, sold his soul to the devil and showed his true self, all for the sake of a few quid, selling poisonous tales to the press about the boss – damning the integrity and reputation of the man who gave him his opportunity in the game, a man who stuck by him when others doubted his ability and had all but lost belief. Gary Sprake gave us very little yet in my opinion took a great deal from Leeds United. He didn't last long at Birmingham after we got rid of him. I'm certain their manager, Freddie Goodwin, must have always regretted signing him for the fee he paid. Birmingham didn't get much value for their money.’

  In the second half of the Chelsea game, a Mick Jones goal returned the advantage to Leeds, only for Iain Hutchinson to head home an equaliser for Chelsea. Again some critics have ascribed blame for that goal to Sprake, although poor defensive marking seems a more reasoned and likely cause for allowing the Chelsea striker the time and room to score. With the scores level at full time, extra time was played out. With no further goals, a replay was necessary to find a winner. Another game was just what Leeds did not want, especially as it was a game carrying such importance.

  Four days after the Cup final it was back to European Cup action and the second leg against Celtic, at Hampden Park. In the fourteenth minute, Leeds answered their doubters with a stunning Bremner goal which levelled the tie on aggregate.

  Gary Sprake went some way to redeeming his dire Wembley performance, and produced a number of top-class saves to deny Celtic a goal. Eventually, with tiredness beginning to takes it toll, the Glasgow side began to dominate. It came as no surprise when a John ‘Yogi’ Hughes glancing header flew past Sprake into the net. Celtic had regained the advantage. Later, a clash between Hughes and Sprake saw the Leeds player stretchered off and applauded by the crowd for his valiant performance and bravery. His replacement was David Harvey and the youngster barely had a chance to settle when, before he even got a touch, his first and unenviable task was picking the ball out of his net. Bobby Murdoch scored the second Celtic goal of the night, giving the Parkhead side a 3-1 aggregate lead, more than enough to see them through the remainder of the game against an exhausted Leeds United.

  Bremner recalled: ‘It was a gruelling night at Hampden Park; Celtic were a great team and really exploited our tired state. It was the one game I saw what Gary Sprake could give us as a team. His head was on the game and he knew he needed to make amends for his abject display at Wembley, not only to us but to the supporters. He was really hurt in that collision with “Yogi” Hughes and I felt for him. Afterwards I think we could all see the strain and exhaustion on our faces. It wasn't so much a long season but the amount of big games we had to play in a short space of time. Ridiculous really. Mentally we had to tough it out – if we approached the Chelsea replay in anything but the right frame of mind then we could be punished and lose.’

  The Old Trafford replay was no different from Wembley. Leeds had the play and pressed forward from midfield, and in the thirty-fourth minute took the lead through a first-class finish from Mick Jones, after an Allan Clarke pass had split the Chelsea defence. Late in the game came the Chelsea equaliser, a diving header from Osgood, which broke the resilience and will-power of a team running on adrenalin. Again the final went into extra time. Intense Leeds pressure persisted, yet Chelsea stood firm and began to look dangerous. When David Webb ‘shouldered’ the ball into the net late into extra time, the trophy was heading to Stamford Bridge. Leeds United left the field thoroughly dejected and trophyless:

  ‘I don't think it was so much losing to Chelsea that hurt us, more the way our season ended. We had chased three major trophies – the European Cup, the League, and the FA Cup – and had just failed in all of them. We had too many important games crammed together and despite official appeals we were forced to play them without a reasonable break in between, as dictated by the football authorities. No thought was ever given to the physical strain such a season placed on the team. For the first time in my football career I felt physically and mentally drained and needed a break and a lift.’

  The final game of the season closed a decade of first-team football for Billy Bremner. A decade that by his own admission had been a rollercoaster ride, from reserve-team football to lifting the League Championship trophy, the Inter Cities Fairs Cup trophy, the Football League Cup trophy, the FA Charity Shield plus the consolidation of his first-team place in the Scotland international team.

  By 1970, the slightly built ginger-haired boy from Raploch had matured into a world-class footballer, and was accepted in football as a true leader of men:

  ‘I don't think I changed as a person during my first decade at Leeds, but I had become more aware of other people's perception of me. At first I found it difficult to understand why the press would wish to undermine the success of a British football club or of individual players but the sad thing is that they did, and to this day they continue to do so. It's a sad indictment of society and the game but success ultimately breeds contempt.

  ‘Leeds were initially despised by some of the press. Condemnation in those printed column inches spread such animosity to football supporters throughout the land that our football was often condemned as cynical, and as an individual I was classed as “dirty”. E
ventually such tags wear thin and we were forced to maintain an aloof approach with much of the press.

  ‘With that said, you can imagine my surprise and pleasure when I was told that I had been nominated and voted as “Footballer of the Year” by the Football Writers Association. What a fantastic accolade, one which had previously been bestowed to the boss, Don Revie, at the end of the 1954-55 season. By winning this award I had joined some illustrious company, yet not once did I consider myself as good a footballer as some of those previous winners. Billy Bremner, Footballer of the Year – it was unbelievable! Yet it was true, it had really happened, the boy from Raploch had done good.’

  10

  SIDE BEFORE SELF EVERY TIME

  The new decade brought new hope, and with it new promise to Elland Road. An opening-day fixture at Old Trafford against Manchester United provided a distinctly difficult start to proceedings:

  ‘The boss didn't want any hangovers from the way the previous season had ended, but I felt okay. Winning the Footballer of the Year award was an unexpected honour and kept my mind focused on keeping my performances at their very best.

  ‘Old Trafford was always difficult terrain for us at Leeds, the two teams were so closely matched in skill and ability and the supporters had their own enthusiastic agenda on the terraces. Whenever we played Manchester United the noise level seems to lift – it's a game everyone looks forward to, especially the fans of either club.’

  The game itself was typically close with Leeds winning 1-0 courtesy of a first-half strike from Mick Jones. The team set off on a run of five straight victories as they stormed to the top of the league before Arsenal snatched a point in a dour nil all draw at Highbury:

  ‘Mick Jones was a great lad to have up front; he put away so many chances, and what an athlete he was. He never stopped running throughout a game, fantastic energy and commitment. Both Mick, and his partner up front Allan Clarke, were a threatening strike force and they took so much pressure off us defensively by holding up the ball and chasing lost causes.