If the expression ‘the auld enemy‘ was heard every time Scotland and England crossed swords at football in the 1970s, then ‘the old certainty‘ – except with one unusual exception – was the oldest rivals in the international game would come face to face at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon towards the end of May.
In a time that to many of us feels no less immediate than last week but to those somewhat younger looks like the end of the Regency period, the annual fixture (which in most years closed the Home International Championships) was a significant date on the football calendar – namely because along with the FA Cup Final, it was the only match guaranteed to be shown live on television, thus for many a rare opportunity to watch the national team beyond recorded highlights.
Indeed, where England are concerned, compiling golden moments from a decade often lurching between systematic failure and self-inflicted underachievement would test the resolve of even their most ardent follower.
Of the rare moments to savour, for the most part they occurred when our friends from the north so to speak, were in opposition – England victorious in seven of the eleven encounters played between 1970 and 1979, although that is not to say they excelled in everyone, belligerence rather than brilliance winning the day on a number of occasions.
Conversely, given the perceived notion of victory in the fixture (or defeat as the case may be) meaning more to those north of the border, statistics of won three, drawn one, lost the rest, make grim reading through tartan-tinted eyes – yet the most important statistic of the era is Scotland 2 England 0.
Not reference to the 1974 Hampden humbling of the English but participation in successive World Cups – which is the best yardstick to gauge the standing and progress of a national team over an eight-to-nine-year period.
True, England dished out a couple of hidings to their familiar foes (even Mel Gibson would have difficulty giving the 1975 Wembley walloping ‘Braveheart‘ connotations) lording it over the neighbours all well and good, until they fly off to foreign climes to play against the big lads while you are left kicking your heels in the back garden.
After the decade began with a low-key Hampden stalemate played in the shadow of the Leeds United v Chelsea FA Cup Final replay and Celtic contesting the European Cup Final, England – deposed as world champions at the 1970 World Cup – won the next four meetings. The anomaly to the usual end of season bun-fight came in February 1973 when in a match commemorating the Scottish FA Centenary, the visitors showed no gratitude for the invitation and on a Glasgow night when conditions were fit less for football and more a sequel to ‘The Heroes of Telemark‘ England skated to a 5-0 victory.
But by the time of their next visit 15 months later it amounted to a snowball in hell, 1966 masterminds Sir Alf Ramsey and Bobby Moore consigned to history, England no more than also-rans with regard to the 1974 West Germany World Cup – a tournament for which Scotland had qualified.
If the 1975 rout was part English renaissance in the first twelve months under Don Revie and part Scottish hangover from the 1974 World Cup, then successive victories for the Scots in 1976 and 1977 depict an outfit that had regained its bearings, better value for each 2-1 win than the scoreline suggests.
The surprise Hampden win for Blighty-bound England, prior to Scotland departing for the Argentina World Cup, was not met with joy south of Hadrian’s Wall comparable to that on the other side which greeted the Scots’ 3-2 1967 Wembley triumph over the world champions.
But when the referee blew time on the May 1978 contest, it is possible to imagine in the front room of a modest East Anglian dwelling a Knight of the Realm affording himself a wry smile at one put over the opposition he most liked to beat – in his love of the England team and loathing of the FA, Sir Alf more a man of the people than he realised.
Taken as a whole the fixtures may not have been quite as remarkable as those of the previous decade, although at Wembley in 1979 the era was to end in suitably contrary fashion, England eventually coasting to a 3-1 win after Scotland had dominated for 40 minutes.
While the fixture as an annual international would be played for another ten years, (the last as such in 1989 at times resembled a street-disturbance rather than football match – and that was on the pitch). True, needle was always prevalent in an Scotland v England encounter, but the 70s was the last decade when both sides could field top class players in legion – the occasion graced at various times by the likes of Moore, Bremner, Banks, Johnstone, Ball, Dalglish, Bell, McGrain, Peters, Greig, Keegan and of course Denis Law.
Even by the highly charged standards of these games, the 1972 Hampden clash was particularly rumbustious, Law spending much of his time trying to rile Bobby Moore and Gordon Banks, England match-winner Alan Ball on scoring the only goal telling Lou Macari what was on his mind – remarks not thought to include ‘I might come up this way on my holidays.’
Yet just after the final whistle Law and Ball leave the field together smiling, arm around the other, although noticeably wearing their own shirts.
Hostilities forgiven – if not forgotten.
ENGLAND v SCOTLAND 1970 – 1979:
Saturday 25 April 1970 – SCOTLAND 0 ENGLAND 0: In a decade where fortunes would swing back and forth, it seems strange – and somewhat appropriate – the 70s should start with the only drawn contest (and first scoreless encounter since the inaugural fixture 98 years before).
Played unusually early due to the 1969-70 season being compacted in order to aid England being ready for the forthcoming Mexico World Cup, preparations for the game were affected by withdrawal from the respective squads of players from Leeds United (Madeley, Cooper, Bremner, Charlton, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Gray) and Chelsea (Bonetti, McCreadie, Cooke, Osgood), who would be facing each other in the FA Cup Final replay four days later.
Celtic meanwhile, with a European Cup Final looming on their horizon, gave permission for Tommy Gemmill, David Hay and Jimmy Johnstone to play as Scotland sought to send the visitors off to South America with a Firhill flea in their ear. As things transpired neither side emerged with much credit from a dour encounter, both keeping their pride (and goal) intact, but achieving little else.
By a strange quirk of fate, this was a decade when not a single penalty was awarded in the Hampden fixture, although a second half challenge by Brian Labone on Colin Stein looked as blatant as they come – indeed, had the Everton skipper tripped say Roger Hunt in such a way during a Merseyside derby in front of the Kop, chances are Liverpool would have been awarded two.
Saturday 22 May 1971 – ENGLAND 3 SCOTLAND 1: For a man reluctant to make sweeping statements, Sir Alf declaring this particular game as ‘one of the finest internationals I’ve seen,’ is a quote worth heeding. For the first time in five seasons England entered the fixture without the status of being world champions, yet at times their fluency in attack is far superior to much of what they produced when holding the title.
With a team reflecting the square peg/square hole ethos of the manager (one of the last in this respect he would select), impressive forward play yielded an eye-catching brace for Martin Chivers after Martin Peters had given England an early, but short-lived lead – Wolves striker Hugh Curran levelling with a scrappy goal the hosts rarely conceded when Messrs Banks and Moore were in harness.
Far be it for me to contradict Sir Alfred the Great, this was a decent game but no more, England comfortable winners over a spirited, if hard-to-fathom Scottish line-up – the omission of recent Arsenal double-winning pair Eddie Kelly and George Graham, along with Tottenham talisman Alan Gilzean hardly helping their cause.
Saturday 27 May 1972 – SCOTLAND 0 ENGLAND 1: For those preferring their international football with poise and positive purpose, highlights of the 1972 joust are not for you. In the year of ‘Ziggy Stardust‘ the apparent aim of both teams on taking the field was to kick seven shades of space-age sewage out of each other. To this end England are especially culpable, a team with Peter Storey and Norman Hunter deployed in midfield not likely to blind anyone with science.
Two weeks on from an inglorious European Championships exit at the hands of West Germany – Ramsey lambasted by Fleet Street for fielding a similarly combative team in a Berlin second leg where a three-goal victory was required – England took their anger and antipathy over the Cheviots, the tone set when Hunter skewered club-mate Bremner with a trademark terror tackle.
Yet amidst all the sledging and sledgehammer fouls, the match is strangely compelling, Scottish ire increased when England winder-up-in-chief Ball puts the visitors ahead, then compounded when Law has a second-half header cleared off the line. Skipper Moore and Roy McFarland do a good containment job on the Scottish strikers, but with the likes of Asa Hartford, Lou Macari, Archie Gemmill and Willie Donachie beginning to make their mark, Scotland are laying the foundations for better days.
But on a day that belonged to England the last words, literally and metaphorically speaking, went to Ball and Ramsey. Scorer of the only goal, as the visitors ran down the clock the World-Cup winner took the ball into a corner, performed a couple of juggling tricks and exchanged ‘greetings’ with the crowd. More concerned at upsetting his strait-laced manager than the Scottish football public, afterward Ball sat in the dressing room awaiting the response.
According to one source, ‘Alf walked in with a big grin on his face and said ”Alan you really are a very naughty boy.”‘
Wednesday 14 February 1973 – SCOTLAND 0 ENGLAND 5: To commemorate their centenary, what better, must have thought the Scottish FA, than a match against those with whom we have fought the one hundred years football war? There were other notable landmarks, manager Willie Ormond in charge of Scotland for the first time, a 100th cap for Bobby Moore, but on a freezing night it was quickly established who would be feeling a warm glow – England two up in twelve minutes, the contest all over when they scored a third on the quarter-hour mark.
The next day ‘St Valentine’s Day Massacre‘ headlines were to be expected, although based on three of their goal-scorers (Chivers, Allan Clarke (2) and Mike Channon) ‘England Hit The High C’s‘ was more original – each striker on target after a bizarre Peter Lorimer own goal had given England a sixth minute lead.
Given an uninspired home display and comparatively low attendance figure – less than half than the usual 100,000 plus who would normally pack Hampden for the fixture – the Scottish FA might have been better off arranging a night of television built around showing the 1967 Wembley win and seeking out recollections from surviving members of the glorious 1928 ‘Wee Blue Devils.’
Saturday 19 May 1973 – ENGLAND 1 SCOTLAND 0: As a contest this was much more like it, England a shade fortunate to win a tough encounter – and to finish the match with eleven players still on the park.
In any era, the spiteful second half challenge on Bremner by Emlyn Hughes would be classed as serious foul play, but more surprising and worse by degree was a nasty foul by Moore – whose uncharacteristic flattening of Lorimer (not a good day to be a Scottish Leeds player) proved the most brutal assault by an England captain on a Scot until Martin Johnson wrecked the Scotland pack at Twickenham in 2003.
With Jim Holton and Chivers providing entertainment for Saturday afternoon wrestling, as well as football, fans, on seeing World Cup winning team-mate Peters find his customary yard of space in a crowded penalty area, Ball clipped a cross to the Tottenham man who headed home the only goal. But in the end England owed victory to goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
Established as the number one after Banks was forced to retire due to a serious eye injury sustained in a car crash the previous autumn, early on Shilton had saved well from Lorimer and then with little time left produced a save of even greater magnitude to deny Kenny Dalglish.
In acclaiming what is a brilliant stop, little did ITV pundit Jimmy Hill know what fates he was tempting when saying: ‘Having a goalkeeper in such fine form is a wonderful sign for England’s World Cup chances.’
Saturday 18 May 1974 – SCOTLAND 2 ENGLAND 0: Few could have predicted just how much the football axis was to turn in just twelve months. In the aftermath of failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, Ramsey, Moore and a few more recent regulars on the England international scene were no longer in situ, former Manchester City boss Joe Mercer installed as caretaker while the path was cleared for redoubtable Leeds United manager Don Revie to take charge.
Scotland on the other hand had become solid, steady and successful – seven players present at Wembley the previous year, still members of a team who would shortly be on duty at the World Cup.
On a damp and grey afternoon there were, in fact, more questions than answers. Should Scotland have won by more against a disjointed English outfit? (Who in this respect were fortunate that Shilton again played well). Was it a case of an exceptional team beating an abject one? Or simply a good side exploiting the weaknesses of lacklustre opposition?
Either way two own goals of pantomime proportion saw Scotland to an easy win, their passionate performance in front of a fired-up Hampden putting England into a constant state of unease and bewilderment – and presumably to pile on the one-upmanship, the match ball was of the type Scotland would be playing with at the World Cup, a tournament England could only look at from afar.
Mind you, in truth they didn’t get a kick of the Adidas Telstar at Hampden that day either………..
Saturday 24 May 1975 – ENGLAND 5 SCOTLAND 1: As the midpoint of the decade arrived once more one of the protagonists was in a state of flux – only this time it was Scotland, a number of new faces joining the fray after the 1974 World Cup proved a watershed moment for members of the old guard.
On paper they fielded what looked a useful side, player-for-player not noticeably inferior to an England team yet to lose under Revie – the honeymoon period now a seven-match unbeaten run that included a notable 2-0 Wembley win over World Champions West Germany.
Yet for all that nobody saw what was coming, least of all hapless Scotland goalkeeper Stewart Kennedy. By all accounts a consistent week-to-week performer with Rangers, he suffered the equivalent of Test Match first ball ‘pair.’ Kennedy was twice at fault as England disappeared out of sight before half-time, Gerry Francis, Kevin Beattie and Colin Bell each on target during a breathless first half – Bruce Rioch reducing the arrears to 3-1 from the penalty spot a minute before the interval.
After the break Francis and substitute David Johnson completed the rout, skipper Ball telling his team-mates afterwards ‘that’s as good as it gets‘ – unaware he had just played the last match of a glittering international career or that England would not beat Scotland again until ‘Grease‘ was not just an axle lubricant.
Saturday 15 May 1976 – SCOTLAND 2 ENGLAND 1: When time came around again for the yearly pow-wow, neither country had reached the forthcoming European Championship Finals, England after a good start to their qualifying campaign slipping off the rails in the last two matches.
At kick-off they looked two evenly matched teams, but by quarter to five Scotland had proved themselves superior in most departments. England briefly held the lead through an early Channon header, Scotland level on 18 minutes when Don Masson headed home an Eddie Gray corner. Twelve months after Kennedy suffered from the heebie-jeebies, England goalkeeper Ray Clemence did the same, the normally reliable Liverpool custodian allowing a shot from Dalglish to pass through his legs – Scotland taking a 49th minute lead they never looked likely to surrender.
Clemence atoned with a number of smart saves to prevent the Scots winning by a wider margin, a substandard England performance revealing yet more cracks as the Revie era continued to unravel.
Saturday 4 June 1977 – ENGLAND 1 SCOTLAND 2: Suspicions all was far from well in the England camp had manifested with three defeats in their last five matches when Scotland arrived in London on the Silver Jubilee weekend – another reversal on the cards even before central defender Gordon McQueen headed the visitors in front two minutes before half-time.
In warm sunshine, expressive Scottish play instigated by Masson, Dalglish, Asa Hartford and Willie Johnston was far better than anything the hosts could offer and when Dalglish added a second just after the hour it came with a sense of more to come.
Containing four players who ten days before had won the European Cup with Liverpool, (the quartet of Clemence, Neal, Hughes and Kennedy joined at Anfield by Dalglish before the summer was out), England mustered a late response when Channon converted a penalty, but in truth were well beaten – their stagnation in sharp contrast to a Scotland team showing sure signs of progress with the nitty-gritty of 1978 World Cup qualification to come in the autumn.
At the final whistle thousands of Scottish supporters invaded the field to celebrate a first Wembley win since 1967, joy turning into victorious vandalism with damage to the pitch and goalposts. One of the few English-born people to encroach was Scotland supporting rock star Rod Stewart. Number One in the charts at the time, after four defeats in six matches ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It‘ summed up the feelings of most England followers as Revie’s reign lumbered to an embarrassing conclusion.
Saturday 20 May 1978 – SCOTLAND 0 ENGLAND 1: Assessing the recent fortunes of both teams upon reaching the last Hampden meeting of the 70s did not to reveal any tales of the unexpected. For the last ten months England and Revie had not been an item, the manager walking away after negotiating a lucrative role as coach of the United Arab Emirates national team – this in the midst of a faltering World Cup qualifying campaign that his successor, former West Ham boss Ron Greenwood was unable to correct, England once again failing to make the cut.
Scotland, on the other hand, under ebullient manager Ally Macleod had, by the skin of their teeth, secured qualification. Anticipation at what could be achieved by a strong team overseen by a confident manager best summed up by Macleod when he answered ‘retain it‘ on being asked what was envisaged for Scotland on returning from Argentina.
With their song climbing the charts, on the packed terraces ‘Ally’s Army‘ made a thunderous noise, while on the pitch his men played with energy and enterprise giving the impression if they scored one more would inevitably follow. But somehow the sombre, stay-at-home English managed to stay in the game – which duly became a tale of the unexpected when Steve Coppell secured them an unlikely victory by scoring in the 83rd minute.
On beating the Jules Rimet holders at Wembley in 67 the Scots proclaimed themselves ‘world champions‘ – so by the same token did this Hampden hit-and-run make England the best team in Britain despite not going to the World Cup?
It was all hypothetical anyway. By the time the clocks changed again, Scotland were long back from a campaign in Argentina that lurched between ridiculous and sublime, Macleod had resigned in ignominy, England returning to winning dour midweek friendlies at a soulless Wembley.
Saturday 26 May 1979 – ENGLAND 3 SCOTLAND 1: Given how fortunes had fluctuated in the past nine years, strange there should be sense of ‘Deja vu’ about the last meeting of the decade – the final Wembley meeting of the 70s replicating the first in producing a 3-1 win for England.
With the next World Cup three years away, both managers, (Scotland now under the stewardship of 1967 Celtic European Cup winning supremo Jock Stein), knew they would need to blend new talent with their experienced campaigners – not just to make an impact in Spain, but assure qualification in the first place.
Displaying far more purpose and appetite for the contest, on a rain-soaked pitch Scotland deservedly went ahead with a goal from John Wark – their command of the game not threatened until a visiting supporter invaded the pitch to delay proceedings and break the momentum his team had built.
For a minute or so of recognition, he effectively handed bragging rights to England for another twelve months – on resumption the home side snapped out of their lethargy, equalising on the stroke of half-time through winger Peter Barnes.
On the hour George Wood became the latest Scottish goalkeeper to suffer from the Wembley wobbles in gifting Coppell the goal that put England ahead – but Wood, like the defenders in front of him, were left helpless as ten minutes later the outcome was put beyond doubt.
Saving their most memorable passage of attacking play in this fixture during the 70s to the very last game, a classy exchange of passes between skipper Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking resulted in the England captain – and reigning European Footballer of the Year – slotting home with aplomb.
It could, however, be argued the 1970s ended well for both England and Scotland. Two experienced managers, each a late-70s appointment went for consistency in selection (apart from the strange policy adopted by Greenwood of alternating Shilton and Clemence), Scotland won on their next visit to Wembley, England victorious at Hampden in ’80 and ’82 and when the World Cup finally came round, each – despite the occasional bump along the way – were bound for Spain.
So together Scotland and England found a happy ending to the 1970s – it just occurred in 1982.
As Eric Morecombe, a 70s icon if ever there was one, might say: ‘There’s no answer to that.’
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE’ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.