Keep Fighting

by paul harrison

  ‘Clough and me never saw eye to eye, I never questioned his ability, but his aggressive attitude and arrogance were fuelled by his hatred of Leeds United. When we heard he had been sacked, well, I for one didn't shed a tear for him. It was like a great weight had been lifted from Elland Road. He had dragged the club and everything it stood for to the depths, a place where none of us wanted to be; we wanted Leeds to be challenging, not the laughing stock he had transformed us into. I hated being at the club during his time in charge, it was like everything we had achieved was being dismantled, freedom of speech was suffocated, and new players had been put into the dressing room to deliberately cause discontent. That was probably the lowest point of my club career. I had never met anyone before who was so manipulative and contriving as Brian Clough. It was obsessive behaviour from him alright, he wanted us all gone, history, players, fans, the lot. He wanted his own version and brand of Leeds United but no man is bigger than the club, as he found out.’

  Within days of this incident, Clough was dismissed, but not before agreeing a handsome settlement from the club. He laughed and seemed anything but concerned as he exited Elland Road. Several years later I interviewed him and asked about his thoughts on the Leeds experience. He was unrepentant of his behaviour and actions:

  ‘The board of directors at Leeds United were puppets, controlled by the players. I would have eventually got rid of all of those players at Leeds, they were finished, had their day, time to move on chaps. I wanted to bring real football to the masses of Yorkshire, causing them to leave their terraced homes and get down to Elland Road to enjoy a proper game of football, not the kind of brawlers Don Revie's style had created. They couldn't handle it, they couldn't deal with my honesty, so they forced me out. Best thing that ever happened to me really. Leeds United, who the f—— are they?”

  Billy recalls: ‘It's funny, but he called after he was sacked, telling me he was now a very rich man, thanks to Leeds United. He said that he wished he had listened to what I had said to him. I thought to myself, “Is this an apology of sorts?” No chance, he followed this up with, “You have the biggest gob at the club, everyone has to listen to your shit when you talk, they have no choice. Our paths will cross again, don't worry Bremner, I won't forget you or your cheating pals.”

  ‘The supporters wanted the board of directors and the manager to go and Elland Road crowds dropped to match our performances. There were regular anti-board and manager demonstrations in the club's main car park after games. It was obvious what Clough was doing, creating a “them and us” mentality. I heard deliberately circulated rumours about the various, highly inflated salaries of the new players, which player was signing next and who would be next leaving – it was bollocks. He was a real enigma, a square peg in a round hole, and I did feel sorry for him towards the end of his time at the club. He alienated himself from so many potential allies within the football club, not least the supporters. It was always going to end in tears.’

  After just forty-four days in charge, Clough was sacked by the Leeds board and once again press and supporter speculation was rife as to who the next manager would be, Bremner admitted:

  ‘I would have taken the manager's job at that time if I had been asked, and I make no bones about the fact that I wanted it. So did John Giles and I think if they had paired us up as a managerial team we could have worked wonders. Instead the club went for another outsider and Jimmy Armfield was appointed. I was a bit dubious about the change but Jimmy won us all over with his calm manner and knowledge of the game.’

  It didn't take the new manager long to start sorting out the dressing room. Players like John O'Hare and John McGovern were moved on as stability returned. League form was patchy but in Europe the team found their best form, beating teams like Anderlecht and Barcelona en route to the 1975 European Cup final where they faced the mighty Bayern Munich in Paris. It was the twentieth anniversary of the European Cup competition and UEFA elected to stage the final in Paris, the scene of Real Madrid's first triumph in 1956, when they defeated Stade de Reims 4-3.

  I was fortunate enough to be in Paris with my uncle, a couple of days before the game itself. The build-up was excellent; I remember Leeds fans enjoying the whole atmosphere and being welcomed by the locals in bars around the city. There wasn't a problem until the day of the game. In the afternoon, riot police had been deployed, sweeping bars and ejecting anyone who had any link with Leeds United. Most fans accepted the strong-armed policing tactics and moved on, finding another bar where they could relax and soak in Paris and the thought of a European Cup final.

  As kick-off got closer, the police grew antagonistic. Batons were used to clear bars and restaurants, and fans were struck by over-enthusiastic police desperate to avoid trouble, when in fact, it seemed they were creating the problem. I recall seeing Leeds fans laid in gutters and on the streets, bleeding and requiring medical attention, because local authorities deemed the best way to prevent violence was to attack first.

  We made our way to the stadium where we were forced by a mounted police branch to congregate into one mass group. No one told us what was happening and Leeds fans were becoming agitated. Eventually we were marched through some gates, into the stadium, no tickets required, no searches, no checks, just get in and stay there until the game's over. The atmosphere was becoming hostile against the authorities; families had been separated during the rounding-up, and now had no way of contacting one another. By the time kick-off arrived, an element of support were looking for a fight. It wasn't a good situation; we were hemmed in like cattle.

  The match didn't help proceedings. The final got off to a physical start when a late tackle by Terry Yorath on Andersson ended the game for the Bayern defender. Bayern boss Uli Hoeness later described it as ‘the most brutal foul I think I have ever seen.’ It served to heat up the already hostile atmosphere, Bayern fans were now throwing missiles at us. Leeds produced some fine football and controlled the game. In an action-packed first half two penalties were denied by referee Michel Kitabdjian: the first when Franz Beckenbauer handled the ball inside the penalty area and the second a much more blatant foul when Allan Clarke was tripped by the Bayern captain when through on goal – a foul that Beckenbauer himself later admitted should have been a penalty. Bremner recalled:

  ‘What the referee was playing at I do not know. It brought back the nightmare memories of games against West Bromwich Albion and AC Milan, when the referees seemed strangely aloof to the reality of what was taking place around them. I clearly saw both incidents that should have been penalties, and so did 48,000 other people. The only one who didn't was the most important one, the referee. I was rattled and extremely pissed off as I could see how it was going to map out.

  ‘In the second half we really attacked Bayern but Sepp Maier was in outstanding form and seemed to get a hand, leg or foot to everything we fired at him. Franz Beckenbauer was a real pain and made no end of tackles or interventions to stop us getting through on goal. On one occasion I hit a shot that I was sure was going in but, amazingly, Maier got a hand to it and parried the ball out through a crowded penalty area. Peter Lorimer was first to react and lashed it back in and at last the ball flew past Maier into the net. I remember hearing our fans going wild and shouting “Goal”, then there was an eerie silence. Before we could congratulate Peter on his goal the referee was blowing his whistle and signalling a foul. The linesman had flagged for offside. We were asking who was offside and when I was told that it was me I disagreed. I was certain that I had a Bayern player between me and the goal and another closer to the goal than me. Despite my angry protest to the referee and linesman the goal was disallowed. I couldn't believe it and neither could the majority of our fans.’

  As is generally the case when goals are disallowed, the decision seemed overtly harsh. On this occasion it simply lit the touch paper and ignited mass hooliganism among the Leeds support. Sections found the refereeing decisions unbelievable and vented their frustration by throwing whatever
they could get their hands on behind the Bayern goal. As Bremner observed:

  ‘It went crazy, nobody could understand it, the referee seemed blind to everything we did and there was nothing we could do about it. I could see that as a team we were filled with anxiety. We needed a time-out but that clearly wasn't possible.’

  Within five minutes of the restart that anxiety spilled back onto the terracing as Roth hit a right-foot shot past Stewart and into the Leeds net to give Bayern the lead. The referee pointed to the centre circle signalling a goal. It was the signal for Leeds fans to begin to rip out their seats and use them as missiles against anyone who didn't look like a Leeds supporter. Another angry group made a concerted effort to get over a wall and across a moat that separated them from the pitch. The French police tried to intervene and the fighting escalated:

  ‘We were aware of what was happening on the terraces but we were concentrating on trying to get ourselves back into the game and get an equaliser. With a few minutes left another of our attacks broke down and Bayern broke away down the wing. We were caught out and tried desperately to get back to defend, but Kapellman centred a ball that fell to Gerd Muller who scored at the near post. It was game over for us. The referee was smiling and that was like showing a red rag to a bull. I got near him and really let him have my thoughts and opinions as to how he had managed the game. I don't think he heard a word of it as he seemed totally unfazed by it all and carried on. In hindsight I was wrong to do it but then again he deserved it.’

  As was the case in the European Cup Winners Cup of 1973, the winners of the competition were prevented from doing a lap of honour through poor crowd behaviour. It was behaviour that was again to cost Leeds United dearly. There was thousands of pounds worth of damage done to the stadium, which shamed the club and would be punished by a lengthy ban from competing in all European football.

  It's still my opinion that the law enforcement authorities got it all wrong, and provoked and instigated the violence. Not that Leeds fans should have responded so defiantly but, if you treat people like animals, then ultimately they will behave like animals. I recall being treated very poorly by the authorities and felt intimidated by the police. Police still seem to believe that by saturating potential public order incidents, they will ultimately overcome. Sadly, the commonsense approach to policing football has long since disappeared, and with it went the absolute respect a police officer once held.

  13

  OVER THE HILL AND

  NOT FAR AWAY

  The following season was very much a non-event on all fronts for both Leeds United and Billy Bremner:

  ‘Our league form was all over the place – win one, draw one, lose one. We did enough to stay close to the sides at the top but we were never challenging for the league title. So many key players from that original and great Leeds team built by Don Revie had now gone, the heart had been ripped out of the team, and fresh talent introduced. John Giles was the latest to move to pastures new.

  ‘I was beginning to feel very aware that my days at the club may be numbered. I was also feeling a little weary. I recognised that my pace and stamina were dropping off, though I don't think the fags helped too much in that area, but I opted to train and work harder in order to keep my place in the side being built by Jimmy Armfield.’

  Leeds finished the season in ninth and were knocked out of both Cup competitions in the early rounds:

  ‘It was a bit embarrassing at times. In the League Cup Notts County, who were in the Second Division, beat us 1-0 at Elland Road and in the FA Cup Crystal Palace, who were in the Third Division, beat us by the same scoreline in front of our own fans.

  ‘There comes a time in everyone's life that you have got to be honest with yourself. For me that time arrived towards the end of the 1975-76 season. I felt that Leeds needed to move on and that I had become a dinosaur and was hampering the club's progress. I had a chat with Don Revie and then with Jimmy Armfield, hoping that the latter may offer me some words of comfort or even a coaching position, but there was nothing. Jimmy still wanted me to play as I was more influential on the pitch than he was in the dugout. Sadly he all but told me what I already knew, that my days of playing regular football at the highest level were numbered. I asked him to let me know if any club showed interest, or if he heard of any management positions that came up that may suit me. Jimmy is an honest and fair man and I trusted him.

  ‘September 1975 isn't a month I will remember with any great fondness. It was the month when I won my last full international cap for Scotland, and with it, a lifetime ban from playing for them again. All over a lot of nonsense. We were staying in Copenhagen after playing Denmark and a few of us decided to go out and have a few beers. We didn't do anything bad or really wrong, we went out for a few beers and to a nightclub in search of late-night drinking. We got a bit boisterous and loud and the management of the club asked us to leave, which we did. The worst thing we did was to break the 1am curfew set by the Scottish Football Association. The outcome of that was a lifetime ban from Scottish international football for several of us. I was embarrassed about what had happened but it wasn't a heinous crime.

  ‘Again the punishment outweighed the reality of the matter. I felt like telling them to go and f—— themselves but somehow managed to keep my calm about it all. The five of us who were banned became known as the “Copenhagen Five”. How embarrassing. The ban was eventually lifted in 1976, when I was past playing international football so I never played for my country again.

  ‘I remember my last game for Leeds United. It was on 18 September 1976, against Newcastle United at Elland Road, in front of 35,089 spectators. It was a very emotional time. I knew my body couldn't sustain the rigours of regular First Division football and I was getting caught by lesser opponents a little too often for my liking. As ridiculous as it may sound, I felt I was losing my dignity, getting caught in possession by “Johnny come lately” players, that in my younger days I would have left in my wake. My trademark reverse pass was getting to be a rarity too, and I didn't fancy the thought of putting my back or knees out for the sake of one pass. I can laugh about it now, but I was genuinely sad that it was coming to an end. I loved that place, Elland Road was my second home and I loved doing my stuff for the people who watched us every week. During my time at Leeds, some supporters had grown from being children into young men and women. I felt partly responsible for teaching them positives, self-discipline, respect, never to give up on anything – keep fighting for what you want and believe in. Now it was all coming to an end, I was a little apprehensive about my future, if not scared.

  ‘It wasn't long before the inevitable happened. Jimmy told me of Hull City's interest. I was honoured, but I so wanted someone at Leeds United to ask me to stay. I would have done anything and even if it was in a different capacity from playing it would still be part of Leeds United and therefore a major part of my life.

  ‘Sadly, nobody at Leeds did say they wanted me to stay so I was forced to look at the Hull offer. It was easily accessible from Leeds and they were regarded as a decent side who liked to play football as opposed to just hoofing the ball forward and chasing it. So I decided to speak with their manager, an old adversary of mine, John Kaye. Somehow, the press got hold of the story and ran it in the local papers before I had actually signed. I had talked it through with my family, relatives and friends. I still had a few years play left in me so I agreed to join them. They paid a £35,000 transfer fee – that's a full £10,000 more than Hibernian valued me at all those years before. Inflation I expect.’

  Starting a new career away from Elland Road wasn't as difficult a transition as Billy had anticipated:

  ‘I had talked to some of the other players who had moved on and they told me of some nightmare experiences they had encountered at lower league clubs. Inferior quality players were virtually bullying them, making derisory comments and remarks about “dirty Leeds” and being more like wrestlers than footballers. Not that I would take or accept any of
that sort of crap. I would rather flatten someone than put up with shit like that. Big Jack was great, he told me how it wasn't that bad and how it was all about attitude.

  ‘To be perfectly honest, Hull City were great to me, the players were decent lads, the manager was good, and the fans were right behind us and me. I got no preferential treatment and got stick if I messed up. John Kaye insisted that I was given the number four shirt for the entire time I was there, and naturally I accepted it. I got off to a good start scoring the winning goal against Nottingham Forest on my debut. We had some decent young footballers in the side and one player I rated highly was a kid called Paul Haigh. He had the strength of a bull, and talk about quick! The one thing he lacked was on-the-pitch vision and awareness, that special, almost psychic thing that tells you precisely what your team mates are up to and where they are at any one time. I thought Paul would go on to bigger and better things – he had represented England at under-21 level – yet he never lived up to expectations and he was sold for a big-money fee (around £100,000) to Carlisle.

  ‘It was something of an eye opener visiting grounds that were near empty, and places I had only heard of week in, week out. Everywhere I played, supporters were always decent to me, asking for autographs or just having a chat. Of course you got the odd one who would be abusive but they got the shock of their lives when I would laugh at them and return the stick or abuse. One lad offered me a scrap because I played for Leeds and he hated Leeds. A club official wanted to call the police but I told him to hang fire and let me talk to the lad. I talked him down and had him laughing and joking. After a few minutes he shook my hand and apologised for being such a prick and walked off. I'd never walk away from confrontation or my critics.