Posts Tagged With : 70s football
Four-Goal Bolton Hand Arsenal Cup-Week Shock
By Denis Lowe.
Bolton Wanderers …..4 Arsenal…..2
Lowly Bolton dealt a severe blow to F.A Cup semi-finalists Arsenals morale at waterlogged Burnden Park last night. Two goals from Alan Gowling and two penalties by Frank Worthington left Arsenal, for whom David Price and and substitute Mark Heeley scored, a well beaten side.
Bolton, moving confidently in the rain and mud, looked happier than Arsenal in the wretched conditions, and took the lead in the twelfth minute with an opportunist goal by Gowling.
Worthington, whose shrewd passes caused the Highbury defence a lot of trouble, crossed from the right after O’Leary had blocked Smith’s effort and Gowling rose above Nelson to head home at the far post.
Arsenal, without the injured Brady and Young, were watched by Richie Barker, assistant manager of Wolves, their F.A Cup opponents, and hit back with some lively work from Sunderland. price had a chance but drove wide.
Jennings, the busiest goalkeeper, was rescued by O’Leary, but Bolton maintained pressure in the increasingly heavy rain and their second goal arrived after 28 minutes. Gowling moved onto a headed pass from Worthington and beat the advancing Jennings with a left foot shot from 18 yards.
Arsenal woke up after this second blow and reduced the lead within 60 seconds. Talbot’s shot stuck in the goalmouth mud with McDonagh out of position and Price followed up to shoot into an empty net.
Jennings just beat Worthington to a poor back-pass from Rice as Bolton started the second half in search of more goals and Walford was booked for a foul on Worthington.
A disputed penalty which earned Sunderland a booking for dissent brought Bolton’s third goal After 68 minutes. Worthington’s shot squirmed out of Jennings grasp and over the line.
Seven minutes later Bolton got their second penalty when Morgan went down rather theatrically under a challenge from Rix. This time Worthington put more power behind his left-footed kick, and Jennings was well beaten.
Heeley, substituting for Talbot, whi had earlier had treatment for an injury, scored Arsenal’s second goal in the 77th minute when he headed in off the bar from a centre by Rix.
Teams
Bolton: McDonagh, Nicholson, Dunne, Greaves, Jones, Walsh, Morgan, Whatmore, Gowling, Worthington, Smith.
Arsenal: Jennings, Rice, Nelson, Talbot, O’Leary, Welford, Gatting, Sunderland, Stapleton, Price, Rix, Heeley.
Smith Deal Called Off
by Colin Wood
“Stoke and Liverpool try to sort out League mystery over loan”
Tommy Smith will not join Stoke after all. The proposed month’s loan deal between Stoke City and Liverpool was called off in mysterious circumstances last night.
After speaking to Liverpool manager Bill Shankly from his private hospital ward last night, Stoke chief Tony Waddington said. “Having regard to all the circumstances the agreement between the two clubs has now been cancelled.” And he added: “We have decided to do this as it would not be fair to Liverpool. It was a tremendous gesture to agree in the first place to the loan.”
All day long the deal had been clouded in an atmosphere of confusion.
The tough Anfield defender signed on Tuesday to join injury-hit Stoke on a month’s loan. Yesterday afternoon Liverpool announced that the move was off because the Football League refused to accept a ‘quick release’ clause in the agreement.
Later, League secretary Alan Hardaker said in London: “The temporary transfer of Smith from Liverpool to Stoke has been completed.” And the man in the middle of it all, 28 year old Smith said: ”I am still in the dark. Of course I am still hopeful of joining Stoke and playing against Birmingham on Saturday. I shall be very disappointed if it doesn’t go through.”
The point on which the deal fell through was the question of a quick release so that Liverpool could recall the player if they so wished.
Shankly, when announcing that the deal had fallen through said: “The League wanted a provision that it would be a month before we could take our player back. We have three players injured at the moment so we could not do that.”
From League headquarters at St Annes there was a statement: “The position was that we received the transfer forms which stated a definite period of four weeks for the term of the loan with the proviso that Smith would return to Liverpool inside that period if they wanted him. The Management Committee decided they would not allow him to be loaned for a lesser period than the actual term stated.”
At Stoke, Waddington pointed to an instruction recently issued by the League to the effect that the Management Committee were aware of the practice of players returning to clubs within the period of the loan. It added that they did not prohibit this provided there was a special clause put in the agreement with the permission of the Management Committee.
And it said that in normal circumstances that permission would be granted.
Millwall held up by fans “Invasion”
Stoke City 0 Millwall 0
One player sent off,another booked, no goals that’s the grim tally from this scrappy ill tempered League cup second round clash. And play was held up for two minutes in the second half as several hundred fans,suffering the fourth home goalless game out of five,trekked across the pitch in the rain to the covered stand.
Tempers flared in the second half,to a background of slow clapping. Stoke full back Jack Marsh brought down Millwall winger Doug Allder and was booked.
Three minutes later Millwall inside forward Eamonn Dunphy tackled Mick Bernard heavily. Bernard appeared to swing a punch and was sent off.
Millwall defended well in the first half and showed up Stoke’s critical weakness lack of a real goal getter.
Only Bernard, with two efforts from outside the area and striker John Ritchie, a 30th minute substitute for Willie Stevenson, looked like scoring.
Millwall gave the stoke defence some anxious moments in both halves. Wingers Allder and Steve Brown tested Gordon Banks with shots from all angles.
Watch Smethurst!
There could be a new start this season among the galaxy which already inhabits Stamford Bridge, young South African newcomer Derek’s Smethurst.
Smethurst sat on the substitutes bench during the Charity Shield match against Everton and didn’t get on the field. Obviously he will find it even harder to get a game when all Chelsea’s men are fit.
But manager Dave Sexton has been impressed by this young man’s shooting power. He expects the football public to hear a lot about him in time. And there is a body of opinion within the club that Smethurst has the hardest shot in football.
That could be quite a claim to live up to, especially when your clubmates include Peter Osgood, Ian Hutchinson and John Hollins. Chelsea have another young South African on their books, Richard Gomes, Anne Sexton expects him to go far. Another interesting addition is Peter Feeley, a strong fast centre forward signed from Enfield.
They’re off
Football league referees are to provide home club secretaries with a “shame sheet” at the end of trouble hit matches this season.
The sheet will give the names of players, and their clubs, who have been either cautioned or sent off during each game. The move is expected to help pressmen who sometimes find difficulty in checking up incidents which took place during matches and the public will be better informed.
At the end of each football league and FA Cup match, the referee will be required to write on a printed card the names and clubs of players who are either cautioned or sent off.
Details of the offences will not be given. The card must then be handed to the home club secretary. Reporters who wish to know if a player has, in fact, been cautioned, will then be able to contact the secretary for information.
Chivers has a Big Task
Spurs: Chivers has a big task
The responsibility of putting Spurs back into the fall of first division football will rest heavily on £120,000 striker Martin Chivers this season.
Manager Bill Nicholson made it clear recently that Chivers will be expected to convert chances created by winger Roger Morgan and Alan Gilzean. But Roger Morgan now has a groin injury and Cyril Knowles and Martin Peters may face suspensions early in the season, after being sent off during matches in Majorca. This could mean Chivers may have to create chances and score from them.
Nicholson highlighted this problem when commenting on the Majorca games “they were ideal preparation for the season. I am not disappointed with their general play only with the fact that we missed chances and had players sent off.”
Neill Faces a Challenge
Terry Neill, the Irish international and former Arsenal centre half, start the new season under even more pressure than a new manager usually suffers. For he holds the key to the success or failure of a club which has promised for several years to make a big breakthrough.
Hull city finished 13th in the second division last season, a ridiculous position for such an attractive team, boasting one of the most effective forward lines in the country.
They scored 72 goals, four more than Huddersfield, who topped the division. And no wonder, Ken Houghton, Chris Chilton, Ian Butler and Ken Wagstaff are fast, skilful and determined enough to test any defence.
But the defence conceded 70, and that was seven more than Preston North end, who finished bottom, allowed their opponents.
Hull’s fine forwards get a great service from Chris Simpkin, tall, powerful midfield player who has the talent to grace any level of football. Add to all this Hull’s excellent ground, and the only question is why have why they have not risen to greater heights.
The answer is that defence, and this is where Neill comes in. Hull paid Arsenal £44,000 for his services as player manager, and not unnaturally the home supporters will expect him to do something fast.
Neill is never a man to make rash promises. But he is a determined and intelligent footballer, and it would be rash to ignore the possibilities of this Yorkshire side. It could take Neill a season or two to bring his defence into line, but on the other hand if there is a man who could work a miracle that man is Terry Neill.
Another manager at a new club is Freddie Goodwin, who almost took Brighton to promotion from the third division last year. He moved to Birmingham, a team who have known greatness, and always seem to be out of place struggling in the second division.
But Birmingham are quick to lose patience with a manager who doesn’t obtain overnight success. Goodwin is a splendid member of the footballing fraternity, if there is some luck going he needs it and deserves it.
Goodwin’s successor Brighton, Pat Saward, faces a different problem. Within two seasons since the advent of Goodwin, Brighton sprang from near disaster to almost promotion.
Saward has to keep the pot boiling, fifth place in the third division last season whetted the fans appetite for success. They will be looking for second division football very soon.
And its problems, problems, problems for Theo Foley. Promoted to manager of Charlton since Eddie Firmani’s departure towards the end of last season, a season in which the dreadful drop was only just averted. Foley has a lot of work to do with a team whose morale needs a big uplift.
A footballing family who occupy opposite poles are the Balls. Alan Ball Jr, World Cup hero and Everton captain, has the world at his feet. Alan Ball senior, has a long, hard road in front of him.
Possessed of as fiery temperament as his son, the elder Ball starts the season as manager of Preston, now down in the Third Division. His experience at Halifax should stand him in good stead, he is used to a struggle.
Darlington, re-elected after a bad season, now have Len Richley in charge from useful Third Division side Rochdale.
A New Face to Lead England
Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton are two names that mean English soccer. But question marks must hang over both during the 1970/71 international season, which leads up to the home countries championship in May.
The bigger question mark is that against Charlton’s name. The first gentleman of football has a shot or two left in his locker yet, but the time must come when he steps aside for a younger man.
With Inside Football columnist Brian Kidd for a place a striker, and Colin Bell surely destined to become the automatic choice in midfield, this could be Charlton’s last fling for England.
The case of Moore is different. He had a great World Cup, as a defender. To ask whether it is time to start looking for a more mobile, dynamic man to captain England might set the pulses racing around Upton Park, but it must be asked.
Room will soon have to be found for young players like Roy McFarland and David Sadler, and the aggressive Emlyn Hughes must capture a regular place in the very near future. Moore could find himself under pressure.
On the subject of the captaincy, a Alan Ball, now skippering Everton, might seem an obvious choice. But there are still doubts about his temperament.
Colin Bell has the intelligence to fill the post, but he might be better left free to use his skills without the added worries of captaincy.
The man who could come through, in fact, is Hughes. This great multipurpose Liverpool player is a constant inspiration to his fellow players, and his infectious enthusiasm and determination, allied to great natural skill, make him a reasonable bet to lead England onto the playing field of Germany for World Cup 74.
