By and large the 1975-76 football season was shaping up very nicely as October drew to a close.
While as a statement of fact that could apply to most so far during the decade, the sixth full campaign of the 1970s had come with the added dynamic of Queens Park Rangers, newly-promoted Manchester United and West Ham United fizzing passes around like teams possessed – possessed that is with the intent to play in a positive manner, being rewarded for their endeavours by holding down respective first, second and third places in Division One as November loomed into view.
Close on the heels of the leading trio were reigning champions Derby County, Leeds United and Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton, a two point margin separating the top seven – week on week bringing highly-skilled, high intensity fixtures as domestic football appeared in rude health, leaving aside for a moment associated ills such as crowd violence and racist chanting.
Three weeks into the season the England team had maintained their unbeaten start under the stewardship of Don Revie with a scratchy 2-1 win over Switzerland in Berne. Thus their undefeated trot extended to nine games and into a second year – although the Revie reboot had not come without confounding side-effects.
In the wake of inflicting a 5-1 Wembley walloping upon Scotland in late May, Alan Ball, for reasons evident only to the manager had not just been axed as captain, but dropped from the squad altogether.
The Arsenal midfielder and 1966 World Cup winner appeared to have had no apparent drop-off in form, he as surprised as anyone to be omitted from the squad to face the Swiss – Revie, perhaps, settling a long-standing grudge after Ball chose Everton over Leeds when moving from Blackpool a fortnight after England had won the World Cup.
While QPR midfield lynchpin Gerry Francis was the right choice as succeeding skipper, few expected it to happen in such abrupt manner. While he made a winning start in the role against Switzerland (where England prevailed with first half goals from Kevin Keegan and Mick Channon), the visitors were far from convincing in victory.
Nevertheless, where England and Revie were concerned it was so far so good, but the acid test of his credentials as an international manager awaited just around the corner – late autumn visits to Czechoslovakia and Portugal requiring a three point return (two for a win) to ensure beyond doubt their participation in the latter stages of the 1976 European Championships.
Ahead of the visits to Bratislava (28/10) and Lisbon (19/11), England had a commanding three point lead at the top of Qualifying Group One, their four matches to date yielding victories against Czechoslovakia (3-0), a double over whipping boys Cyprus (5-0/1-0) and a goalless Wembley draw against Portugal.
With Revie’s men yet to concede, they had reached a position where victory over the Czechs would make them virtually unassailable as group leaders – qualification for the two-leg quarter-finals the following spring duly ensured with a fixture to spare.
1976 European Championship Qualifying Group One (as of October 27 1975):
P W D F A Pts
1. ENGLAND 4 3 1 9 0 7
2. CZECH REP 3 2 0 9 3 4
3. PORTUGAL 3 1 1 2 5 3
4. CYPRUS 4 0 0 0 12 0
The contentious axing of Ball from the England set-up manifested in a recall for midfield maestro Tony Currie, who ended two years away from the national team when he lined up for a seventh cap in facing Switzerland. His last before then had come in a 1-0 Wembley defeat against Italy, this November 1973 encounter proving the penultimate England fixture with 1966 World Cup winning supremo Sir Alf Ramsey at the helm.
Replacing Ball with Currie on sending England out to meet the Swiss was the only change to the XI who put Scotland to the sword in their previous fixture, the notion of ‘Don knows what he’s doing’ still prevailing despite the curious treatment meted out to gifted Stoke City midfielder Alan Hudson. His first-cap virtuoso display in the commendable 2-0 friendly victory over world champions West Germany in March 1975 drew praise from far and wide – Hudson, playing in a free-role, effectively doing to the Germans what Gunther Netzer had done to England at Wembley in a 1972 European Championship quarter-final first-leg between the sides.
Hudson was selected for the next game, the 5-0 thumping of Cyprus, but then discarded altogether, England at this stage of the Revie era encountering more problems with soured relations between the manager and high-profile players than they were with opponents.
Whether Revie found Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes, (dropped after being named skipper for the first two games under the new manager) and Ball too opinionated, or free spirits like Hudson unsuitable for the formation he envisaged is unclear, but Currie, another blessed with abundant talent, also went back into the cold after the Switzerland game.
Revie, far from the confidence nine games without defeat should have nurtured, adopted a cautious, highly conservative approach to facing Czechoslovakia, while at the same time making wholesale changes.
Out went Steve Whitworth (Leicester City) and Kevin Beattie (Ipswich Town) who had begun to resemble a recognised full-back pairing, despite the Portman Road central-defender playing out of position. Their places went to Ian Gillard – called up for a third cap – and Revie’s former Elland Road stalwart Paul Madeley, whose ball-winning ability may, as things transpired, been better utilised in midfield.
In central defence Roy McFarland was recalled at the expense of Dave Watson (Manchester City) where he would partner Derby County club mate Colin Todd.
Up front Malcolm Macdonald was preferred to David Johnson (Ipswich Town), while in a change of strategy, England would operate with three strikers rather than two – Macdonald and Channon joined by the returning Allan Clarke, who had not featured since the second game of the Revie reign, substituted after 70 minutes of the stalemate against Portugal eleven months before.
So for a game where England needed to avoid defeat but the home side had to win, Revie opted for an unfamiliar line-up which, on paper, lacked balance, particularly in midfield.
ENGLAND (v Czechoslovakia – 29/10/1975):
Ray Clemence (Liverpool); Paul Madeley (Leeds United), Ian Gillard (QPR), Gerry Francis (QPR, capt), Roy McFarland (Derby County), Colin Todd (Derby County), Kevin Keegan (Liverpool), Mick Channon (Southampton), Malcolm Macdonald (Newcastle United), Colin Bell (Manchester City), Allan Clarke (Leeds United):
Those who waited to see if the team was somewhat disjointed only had nineteen minutes on which to draw their conclusions – the match, scheduled for Wednesday 29th October, was abandoned at this point, symbolically perhaps where England were concerned, due to fog.
Twenty four hours later, however, the visitors were seeing clearly enough to capitalise on a bright start, Keegan attacking the left flank of the Czech defence with purpose before crossing for Channon, who gave England a 26th minute lead, scoring his 11th international goal on hooking the ball home from ten yards.
But England were unable to prosper further during a positive opening half hour, although just when it appeared they would reach half-time holding the lead, the home side struck back seconds before the break. Goalkeeper Clemence and those around him were undone by a fatal lack of communication when Zdenik Nehoda levelled with a close range, near post header – this from an in-swinging corner that should have been meat and drink to experienced defenders.
During the break Watson replaced McFarland, whose match fitness had been in question, alongside Todd at the heart of the England rearguard. But within two minutes of the restart their adjustment was exposed.
On making a threatening run down the right, winger Marian Masny sent a dangerous centre into the English penalty area, the first to react being Peter Gallis whose powerful diving header gave his side a 47th minute lead.
It proved an advantage they would safely protect. Complaints from the away side that Czechoslovakia were indulged in some of the rough stuff they dished out by a lenient Italian referee were justified in a couple of instances, although whether they would have been quite so blatant had England a midfield enforcer of their own is up for debate – Alan Ball, for one, unlikely to have been passive in such circumstances.
For Revie his first defeat as England boss had costly consequences, something the press were quick to point out and while they remained top of the group, qualification for the last eight was now in the lap of the gods – or perhaps more pertinently the own hands of the Czechs, who despite having a point less had a match in hand, English hopes now resting on a Czechoslovakian collapse, providing that is England won in Lisbon.
The most plausible possibility of England being thrown a lifeline was Portugal inflicting defeat on their visitors when the sides met in the Portuguese capital. But upon the teams playing out a tame 1-1 draw (both goals scored in the first nine minutes) the only straw left to clutch at was the huge unlikelihood of Cyprus picking up their first point – or two – when the Czechs travelled to Limassol to play the final game of the group, England in the meantime having to beat Portugal and then cross fingers for a miracle.
In response to losing in Prague, Revie went for the knee-jerk judgement of wholesale personnel and positional changes when naming a side to face Portugal.
Once again both full-backs were changed, Gillard after three caps dispensed with altogether as Whitworth was quickly reinstated. Beattie returned at left-back with Madeley assigned a midfield role. After 12 months away from the international scene, West Ham playmaker Trevor Brooking was recalled as Revie was denied the services of Colin Bell, who had recently been injured for City in a Manchester-derby League Cup tie.
Opting for a change in formation, Keegan was pushed up into a front line also including Channon and Macdonald, Clarke while dropped from the starting XI named along with Currie, reserve goalkeeper Peter Shilton (Stoke City) and Kevin Lock (West Ham) as the substitutes, the Hammers defender involved with the senior squad for the first and only time.
ENGLAND (v Portugal – November 19 1975):
Ray Clemence (Liverpool); Steve Whitworth (Leicester City), Kevin Beattie (Ipswich Town), Gerry Francis (QPR, capt), Dave Watson (Manchester City), Colin Todd (Derby County), Kevin Keegan (Liverpool), Mick Channon (Southmpton), Malcolm MacDonald (Newcastle United), Trevor Brooking (West Ham), Paul Madeley (Leeds United);
Faced with a fixture they needed to win by a big margin to put pressure on Czechoslovakia when they came to complete their qualifying fixtures, England began in tentative fashion, the hosts enjoying a greater share of possession and wasting two clear-cut chances even before taking a 16th minute lead. Upon being awarded a free-kick thirty yards from goal, Rui Rodrigues netted with a spectacular effort that eluded Clemence through a mix of pace and swerve.
Now involved in an exercise to salvage pride rather than sustain hope of onward progress, while England laboured away to no great effect the wastefulness of Portuguese striker Nene allowed the visitors to stay in contention. Indeed, from being in a position where the game should have already been won, the home side found themselves going to the dressing rooms at half-time on level terms – England restoring parity three minutes before the break when an edge of the box free-kick from Channon was deflected into the net for an unforeseen equaliser.
While the scoreline changed with the goal, the general state of play remained the same. Clemence saved well from Alves as Portugal continued to threaten, England fortunate that opportunities kept falling to Nene, whose wayward finishing saw a number of opportunities go begging when it looked easier to score.
In the hope of mustering up an unlikely victory Revie introduced QPR winger Dave Thomas and Clarke with 20 minutes remaining (replacing Macdonald and Madeley), but as the performance lurched back and forth between aimless and abysmal – creative talent Currie left kicking his heels on the bench – England toiled through the closing stages, the final whistle bringing the stark reality of missing out on qualification for the finals of a major tournament for the second time in three seasons.
When failure to reach the finals of the 1974 World Cup cost Ramsey his job, successor Revie on taking charge in July 1974 was immediately tasked by his employers at The Football Association with taking England through to the business end of the 1976 European Championships. The fallout from not winning the group meant the manager had failed his first assignment and as a result the growing distrust between Revie and the FA International Committee began to fester. By the summer of 1976 it had reached such a heightened level of suspicion on both sides, the Lancaster Gate hierarchy were covertly sounding out interest from a list of alternative candidates.
For his part Revie was making backchannel overtures about a return to club management (speculation rife he was in the frame to replace Bertie Mee at Arsenal as the 1975-76 season came to an end), the conniving continuing on both sides for another 12 months until the willing adulterers ended up having a messy divorce in July 1977
.
Back in the November 1975, five days after England had laboured to their 1-1 draw in Lisbon, Czechoslovakia travelled to Cyprus knowing victory would clinch top spot in the group and a quarter-final berth, the visitors encountering few problems in recording a comfortable 3-0 win.
1976 European Championship Qualifying Group – Final table:
P W D F A Pts
- CZECH REP 6 4 1 15 5 9
- ENGLAND 6 3 2 11 3 8
- PORTUGAL 6 2 3 5 7 7
- CYPRUS 6 0 0 0 16 0
For England there would be the scant consolation of being eliminated by the eventual winners of the competition. The Czechs went on to account for Russia in a two-leg quarter-final, before defeating Holland and then world champions West Germany (on penalties) at the respective semi-final and final stages when the last four gathered in Yugoslavia over five days in June 1976.
Proving themselves a combative, counter-attacking side, Czechoslavakia overcame both finalists at the 1974 World Cup in quick succession in what was testament to their durability. That said, the penalty from Antonin Paneka that won the shoot-out against the Germans was the height of audacity. The Czechs had developed noticeably from the dour outfit beaten 3-0 at Wembley in the first group game 20 months before on the night of Revie’s first match in charge of England, for whom the time since amounted to hitting peaks before falling to depths.
On the Saturday following the limp showing in Lisbon, big crowds flocked to Anfield, Highbury, Villa Park and Maine Road, top flight English football offering a collective shrug of its shoulders at the prospect of another high-profile tournament transpiring without the involvement of England. In truth, an air of nonchalent antipathy was already evident among the football public, tangible success for those wearing the three lions growing increasingly distant for a new generation of followers who were starting to regard the national team as a byword for unfulfilled potential.
By way of irony, the last match where Sir Alf had taken charge of England was a low-key April 1974 draw away to Portugal, Ramsey losing his job a fortnight later but six months after World Cup qualification hopes had ended in October of the previous year.
While the Revie tenure still had the best part of two years to run, it began unravelling in the autumn of 1975 – the wheels coming off in Prague, Lisbon the start of a road to nowhere.
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