Big Match Revisited

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17 yr old Neil McNab debut, bought by Bill Nick from Morton (?)

Cyril Knowles studio guest

Edit: how could we have been so crap that season?

Team was:

Jennings
Knowles
Beal
England
Perryman
Coates
McNab
Peters
Chivers
Duncan

Chivers subbed off but was suffering with a high temperature, Alfie Conn came on, 3 Scots on at the same time

Terry Neill the manager
In the dug out for the Barcodes - a certain Mr. Keith Burkinshaw
 
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Good points, but I think you're underestimating our status at the time.

The Big Match was a London/SE programme. Not only were we a big club in the country, we were relatively bigger in London than we are now. In the period of the Big Match, late 60s to early 80s, IIRC, we were the second biggest club in the London region. So we were on plenty of Big Match games, and not just against big clubs. We were a big club in our own right so games against lesser clubs like West Ham Chelsea and Crystal Palace saw us featured on Big Match programmes. I've got some great games from a Big Match revisited CD I have somewhere.

However for some reason, a lot of the good stuff of ours hasn't been shown on this TV series.

For example, I'm 99.999999% sure that our 2-2 classic at Upton Park about 1968 was on the Big Match, but I haven't seen that one shown anywhere since. Maybe my memory is playing me tricks. Ditto the superb 2-2 v Man U about 1970, again for some reason not shown.Then there was our win against City with Hodd's superb goal about 1980, again not shown. Or our superb win and goal v Brum in the FA Cup about 1980, again not shown but I'm sure it was on the Big Match at the time.

There are loads of games that I remember us being on the Big Match, winning or drawing in superb games that aren't being shown. Anti-Spurs bias, I know not. But I agree with 1882, we don't seem to be getting a fair crack of the whip on this series. I wonder if they've played our defeat of Liverpool 2-0 about 1971 in the series?
Classic Peters head from a classic Knowles cross.
 
17 yr old Neil McNab debut, bought by Bill Nick from Morton (?)

Cyril Knowles studio guest

Edit: how could we have been so crap that season?

Team was:

Jennings
Knowles
Beal
England
Perryman
Coates
McNab
Peters
Chivers
Duncan

Chivers subbed off but was suffering with a high temperature, Alfie Conn came on, 3 Scots on at the same time

Terry Neill the manager
In the dug out for the Barcodes - a certain Mr. Keith Burkinshaw


This was just a bit before my time (started supporting in 81).

Did those that were supporting when we were relegated see it coming, was it just down to bad management, crap players or were there lot's of injuries?
 
This was just a bit before my time (started supporting in 81).

Did those that were supporting when we were relegated see it coming, was it just down to bad management, crap players or were there lot's of injuries?

I didn't even think about it. It was just something that happened. Que Sera Sera. Maybe because I was young I don't even remember getting upset about it.
 
This was just a bit before my time (started supporting in 81).

Did those that were supporting when we were relegated see it coming, was it just down to bad management, crap players or were there lot's of injuries?
We had been poor for a couple of seasons, however the season before it we finished in not too bad a position. But then went down a year later.
I was 9 and was devastated.
My brother and his mates, who were 10 years older than me, were upset to start with, then were just excited about different teams to play and facing Millwall.
 
I was only 10 at the time of relegation. Maybe because of the lack of 24 hr media, twitter etc, it didn't seem such a big thing as it would be now.

As mentioned above, there'd been a narrow escape a year or so before, and Iooking back, I think there may have been a feeling that the club had to go through a sort of renewal following Nicholson, Neill, the ban from Europe (which ended up not affecting us.) I don't recall finances being mentioned , as it would be now.

On the day of relegation, won 2-0 home to Leicester I think and had to win something like 30 nil to stand a chance of staying up, but papers recorded an attitude of defiance rather than anger e.g... 'we'll be back' banners, going in the directors box .
I remember saying before that I thought the 70s viewed as a whole were enjoyable, the success in the earlier part obviously but also the closer connection with the players, the game not having many of the aspects that we moan about today. Even towards the end of a loss, if they'd tried hard, away fans would often sing 'we're proud of you'. It's almost impossible these days to discuss club football in a general sense without mentioning finances.

I saw a Big Match revisited couple of months back. From the relegation season I think, we were 3-1 up at home to a good Everton team, ten minutes to go, started trying keep ball, gave it away and drew 3-3.
Alfie Conn being candid in a post match interview saying he needs an honest conversation with Keith to see if he's wanted consistently and finishing with 'no way we go down'.
 
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I was only 10 at the time of relegation. Maybe because of the lack of 24 hr media, twitter etc, it didn't seem such a big thing as it would be now.

As mentioned above, there'd been a narrow escape a year or so before, and Iooking back, I think there may have been a feeling that the club had to go through a sort of renewal following Nicholson, Neill, the ban from Europe (which ended up not affecting us.) I don't recall finances being mentioned , as it would be now.

On the day of relegation, won 2-0 home to Leicester I think and had to win something like 30 nil to stand a chance of staying up, but papers recorded an attitude of defiance rather than anger e.g... 'we'' be back' banners, going in the directors box .
I remember saying before that I thought the 70s viewed as a whole were enjoyable, the success in the earlier part obviously but also the closer connection with the players, the game not having many of the aspects that we moan about today. Even towards the end of a loss, if they'd tried hard, away fans would often sing 'we're proud of you'. It's almost impossible these days to discuss club football in a general sense without mentioning finances.

I saw a Big Match revisited couple of months back. From the relegation season I think, we were 3-1 up at home to a good Everton team, ten minutes to go, started trying keep ball, gave it away and drew 3-3.
Alfie Conn being candid in a post match interview saying he needs an honest conversation with Keith to see if he's wanted consistently and finishing with 'no way we go down'.
A mate of mines always says KBs only mistake was thinking Daines was the better option as Pat was past it(yeah,right)...
i would add to that ,not playing Alfie enough.he seemed a fringe player the short time he was there after Keith took over.
 
I was only 10 at the time of relegation. Maybe because of the lack of 24 hr media, twitter etc, it didn't seem such a big thing as it would be now.

As mentioned above, there'd been a narrow escape a year or so before, and Iooking back, I think there may have been a feeling that the club had to go through a sort of renewal following Nicholson, Neill, the ban from Europe (which ended up not affecting us.) I don't recall finances being mentioned , as it would be now.

On the day of relegation, won 2-0 home to Leicester I think and had to win something like 30 nil to stand a chance of staying up, but papers recorded an attitude of defiance rather than anger e.g... 'we'' be back' banners, going in the directors box .
I remember saying before that I thought the 70s viewed as a whole were enjoyable, the success in the earlier part obviously but also the closer connection with the players, the game not having many of the aspects that we moan about today. Even towards the end of a loss, if they'd tried hard, away fans would often sing 'we're proud of you'. It's almost impossible these days to discuss club football in a general sense without mentioning finances.

I saw a Big Match revisited couple of months back. From the relegation season I think, we were 3-1 up at home to a good Everton team, ten minutes to go, started trying keep ball, gave it away and drew 3-3.
Alfie Conn being candid in a post match interview saying he needs an honest conversation with Keith to see if he's wanted consistently and finishing with 'no way we go down'.


Great post, love reading stuff like this, thanks.

and ofc Nutter-Naylor Nutter-Naylor and Tottenham Sean Tottenham Sean

Seems everyone felt a lot closer to the club back then, something Levy should perhaps try and understand more.
 
Just remembered an incident from back then that i haven't thought of for years.
My best mate at primary school was a half decent player and played for one of the local sides, Wormley Youth FC .The year we signed Ardiles & Villa WYFC asked them to present the player of year trophies, and were quoted £1000!! Now they couldn't afford that, so ended up asking others. Terry Naylor and Jimmy Holmes did it for nothing. Obviously Ossie & Ricky had been very poorly advised over this, it was the first time i recall an agent being thought poorly of by fans(Most fans didn't really know about agents back then ).
After that(Ossie in particular) threw themselves into the local community and did bundles for young teams and cubs, scouts etc.
 
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Relegation didn’t seem like the end of the world my first 2 matches were the last 2 home games v villa and Leicester (2 wins!!) and there was a strong conviction we’d bounce back (just like Man Utd did the year before the consensus being we were too big to not come straight back up and there was a fantastic atmosphere at both games - don’t remember any tears like you see now when a team is relegated . The season in division 2 was fantastic though not quite the stroll most of us expected!!
 
Relegation didn’t seem like the end of the world my first 2 matches were the last 2 home games v villa and Leicester (2 wins!!) and there was a strong conviction we’d bounce back (just like Man Utd did the year before the consensus being we were too big to not come straight back up and there was a fantastic atmosphere at both games - don’t remember any tears like you see now when a team is relegated . The season in division 2 was fantastic though not quite the stroll most of us expected!!
My brother was convinced we would piss the 2nd division. My dad was less confident, he was nearer the truth me thinks :)
 
A mate of mines always says KBs only mistake was thinking Daines was the better option as Pat was past it(yeah,right)...
i would add to that ,not playing Alfie enough.he seemed a fringe player the short time he was there after Keith took over.
I think Jennings missed a lot of the 76/7 season through injury so I think the club thought they had seen the best of him and added to the relegation let him go / as you say a big mistake.
My biggest regret was not seeing my hero of the day Alfie conn play live - he was well out of favour and I’m sure I read in the programme he was dropped for indiscipline such as slagging the management off
 
I think Jennings missed a lot of the 76/7 season through injury so I think the club thought they had seen the best of him and added to the relegation let him go / as you say a big mistake.
My biggest regret was not seeing my hero of the day Alfie conn play live - he was well out of favour and I’m sure I read in the programme he was dropped for indiscipline such as slagging the management off
I think i saw him play once, maybe twice. Definitely once though.
 
And who can forget invading the pitch and refusing to leave until the team came out and took an ovation....after being relegated.

I imagine that was quite humbling for the players.
 
Just gone full anorak and checked what games I was at Vs games Alfie Conn played in. It actually amounts to seven! Home to Norwich Sept 76, Everton Oct 76, Bristol City Nov 76, Stoke Nov 76, Man City Dec 76, Woolwich Dec 76 and WHU Jan 77.
 
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