Clichy

[johnny crossan]

Johnny crossan wrote :

66-70 was the best time of my life as a supporter

The 1971/72 season was an exciting, spellbinding season which, however, ended very disappointingly for us.

We were the best attacking side in the Division and, in the summer of '71 we had signed 30 year old Wyn Davies and he added an aerial presence which previously we didn't really have (although, at the time, I was averse to having a 'carthorse' like that up front). We looked certain to win the title as we entered the final stages of the season but Big Mal pushed for the signing of Rodney Marsh and, in trying to integrate him into the side, our flow was dislocated and we only ended up in fourth spot.

Very disappointing but there were many exceptionally great games :- to name just a few ; 5-2 against Wolves which wasn't one sided at all, 3-3 away to Sheffield United, 4-0 at home to Coventry in which Wyn Davies was, by all accounts, "unplayable" although he didn't score, a 3-1 victory away at the Swamp and the last game of the season, at home to Derby, was a fantastic performance as we won 2-0. Overall, our football that season was incredible.

I missed the 4-0 against Coventry, although I was actually in Manchester that day, playing chess for Yorkshire against Lancashire. It was difficult to concentrate on the chess but I won my own game, Yorkshire won the match and City handed out a footballing lesson in torrential rain which hardly abated, so I went home relatively happy.

At the end of that season, we sold Wyn Davies to the Scum. We'd bought him for £30,000 and off-loaded him for £45,000, if my memory serves me correctly, which is a bit different from what we seem to do today.

I sometimes wonder whether had we won the league that year coming so soon after the '68 triumph, would we have kicked on and been the dominant side of the '70s and not the dippers?

I don't think we can blame it all on Rodney Marsh - 13th, 10th and 11th before he rocked up when we finished 4th in 1972. Then Swales arrived......

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Johnny crossan wrote :

66-70 was the best time of my life as a supporter

The 1971/72 season was an exciting, spellbinding season which, however, ended very disappointingly for us.

We were the best attacking side in the Division and, in the summer of '71 we had signed 30 year old Wyn Davies and he added an aerial presence which previously we didn't really have (although, at the time, I was averse to having a 'carthorse' like that up front). We looked certain to win the title as we entered the final stages of the season but Big Mal pushed for the signing of Rodney Marsh and, in trying to integrate him into the side, our flow was dislocated and we only ended up in fourth spot.

Very disappointing but there were many exceptionally great games :- to name just a few ; 5-2 against Wolves which wasn't one sided at all, 3-3 away to Sheffield United, 4-0 at home to Coventry in which Wyn Davies was, by all accounts, "unplayable" although he didn't score, a 3-1 victory away at the Swamp and the last game of the season, at home to Derby, was a fantastic performance as we won 2-0. Overall, our football that season was incredible.

I missed the 4-0 against Coventry, although I was actually in Manchester that day, playing chess for Yorkshire against Lancashire. It was difficult to concentrate on the chess but I won my own game, Yorkshire won the match and City handed out a footballing lesson in torrential rain which hardly abated, so I went home relatively happy.

At the end of that season, we sold Wyn Davies to the Scum. We'd bought him for £30,000 and off-loaded him for £45,000, if my memory serves me correctly, which is a bit different from what we seem to do today.

I sometimes wonder whether had we won the league that year coming so soon after the '68 triumph, would we have kicked on and been the dominant side of the '70s and not the dippers?

That's the million dollar question NB but, personally, I'd like to think so.

After the 2-0 performance against Derby, I couldn't wait for the new season to start, as I thought Marsh had finally found his place and role in the side. However, we all know how things turned somewhat sour in the following campaign and then, later on, I was almost suicidal when we brought in Ron Saunders as manager. That just seemed to underline our comparative descent.

If we'd won the League in 71/72, would Big Mal have remained happy to stay in his then position and would Uncle Joe have still been offloaded ?? Who knows, but I'd really like to think that the applecart wouldn't have been upset and, if that had not occurred, there would have been nothing to stop us. With Mercer still at the helm, we would have had that steadying hand which would have been invaluable in the seasons to come.

OK, I'm now taking off my blue tinted spectacles and stopping wallowing in football nostalgia............

[nottsblue]

Johnny crossan wrote :

66-70 was the best time of my life as a supporter

The 1971/72 season was an exciting, spellbinding season which, however, ended very disappointingly for us.

We were the best attacking side in the Division and, in the summer of '71 we had signed 30 year old Wyn Davies and he added an aerial presence which previously we didn't really have (although, at the time, I was averse to having a 'carthorse' like that up front). We looked certain to win the title as we entered the final stages of the season but Big Mal pushed for the signing of Rodney Marsh and, in trying to integrate him into the side, our flow was dislocated and we only ended up in fourth spot.

Very disappointing but there were many exceptionally great games :- to name just a few ; 5-2 against Wolves which wasn't one sided at all, 3-3 away to Sheffield United, 4-0 at home to Coventry in which Wyn Davies was, by all accounts, "unplayable" although he didn't score, a 3-1 victory away at the Swamp and the last game of the season, at home to Derby, was a fantastic performance as we won 2-0. Overall, our football that season was incredible.

I missed the 4-0 against Coventry, although I was actually in Manchester that day, playing chess for Yorkshire against Lancashire. It was difficult to concentrate on the chess but I won my own game, Yorkshire won the match and City handed out a footballing lesson in torrential rain which hardly abated, so I went home relatively happy.

At the end of that season, we sold Wyn Davies to the Scum. We'd bought him for £30,000 and off-loaded him for £45,000, if my memory serves me correctly, which is a bit different from what we seem to do today.

I sometimes wonder whether had we won the league that year coming so soon after the '68 triumph, would we have kicked on and been the dominant side of the '70s and not the dippers?

I don't think we can blame it all on Rodney Marsh - 13th, 10th and 11th before he rocked up when we finished 4th in 1972. Then Swales arrived......

My point is sometimes the hurdle of a second title is an extremely difficult one and somewhat pyschological and IF we had claimed it that season then then future may well have been different. We will of course never know

[ruralblue]

I wish him the very best of luck!. He wasnt the best and perhaps last few seasons he's made mistakes that have cost us but, he was a winner with us on 'that' day!