The good old days (not)

[alfinyalcabo]

Elland Road 23rd of March 1974
As told by one of the Burnley team.

Burnley had come up against Leeds United on the 10th of November of the 1973/74 season at Turf Moor. Leeds were in the middle of a record breaking run of no defeats. A tough match for Burnley against a 'robust'and physical side. Lots of exchanges both verbal and physical during the nil-nil draw. None more verbal than Burnley's diminutive midfielder Doug Collins, firing an almost continuous invective at the opposition throughout the match. So infuriating were Collins' tauntings, that at the final whistle he had to be escorted off the pitch between two of Burnley's biggest, Jim Thomson and Colin Waldron, only to be met at the top of the tunnel by the Leeds manager Don Revie, who faced Collins and screamed that on the return match at Elland Road "Both your legs will be broken".
Fast forward to Saturday the 23rd of March, Elland Road Leeds. Kick-off 3:00 pm. Prior to kick-off, as was usual, the two opposing managers attended the match referee for briefings and team information. At the end of the interview, the referee said "Thanks gentlemen. Have you anything to add?" "Yes Ref," said Jimmy Adamson, Burnley's manager "When we last met earlier in the season, the Leeds manager (Revie) threatened one of my players with having his legs broken during today's match." Incandescent is the only word to describe Revie.
Later reports of the match used words such as 'brutal', 'savage', 'ferocious'. Burnley ran out 4-1 victors with 2 goals from Paul Fletcher (the second one a breathtaking overhead kick), 1 from Doug Collins, and one from Geoff Nulty. Clarke providing Leeds only goal. A great victory, but at the cost of some serious injuries suffered by Burnley players. Arguably, Frank Casper's career end by a vicious off pitch kick to his knee by Norman Hunter.
Only one Burnley player escaped any kind of injury that day.
Guess?
Yes. Dougie Collins.

Dirty Leeds at their finest..😇

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Not sure you can tarnish the present with the past young Alfred. Possibly time to move on …

Leeds were no better nor any worse than a lot of team of that era but got tagged by the media.

[spaldy]

It's kind of mind boggling to think that football is the same sport when you look back at the 70's and early 80's players compared to todays.

Every contested ball someone's flopping around like they are heading straight to the hospital. Every touch in the box results in a 5 minute VAR and any agressive, yet sometimes legal, slide tackle results in a card.

It makes for some really tough viewing at times. Hard to stay interested when you have 20 minutes of VAR review time in some matches.

[alfinyalcabo]

Spaldy,I'd rather watch seventies football with all the dirty crunching tackles than the schite they serve up nowadays.You are spot on in your comments.

[alfinyalcabo]

Leeds were no better nor any worse than a lot of team of that era but got tagged by the media
Yes H,if you say so. 🙂🫣😁

[WTF11]

Leeds were no better nor any worse than a lot of team of that era but got tagged by the media
Yes H,if you say so. 🙂🫣😁

He's not the only one to feel like that Alf. Watch matches featuring Liverpool, Chelsea, Scum (it's not just Leeds fans who use that name, deervedly), Schitty (when they were around in Div 1), and more. All were capable, some more than others but Leeds were both the new kids in the block having languished in lower divisions before the Revie era and on being promoted demonstrated footballing SKILLS that were let's say, unexpected. When they were overtly physical it was an opportunity for opposing club's and their supportive media to regurgitate the Dirty Leeds mantra. Like they say, good news is no news.

Agree with you and Spaldy about what kind of football I'd prefer to watch though!😉

[alfinyalcabo]

Agreed WTF..I used to love going to away matches at Liverpool and listening to 50,000 Bindippers chanting "Dirty Burnley Dirty Dirty Burnley " in that horrible scouse accent. 🤣🤣🤣

[george_kaplan]

Agreed WTF..I used to love going to away matches at Liverpool and listening to 50,000 Bindippers chanting "Dirty Burnley Dirty Dirty Burnley " in that horrible scouse accent. 🤣🤣🤣

I think the song went “you dirty burnli b’stards Alf mi ol chum!

[whitestomper45]

Hey Alf here is a conundrum you might solve as your err better endowed so to speak. We can tiptoe but not tipfinger yet we have finger tips but not toe tips?

[CalverleyBoy]

It would be interesting to see some of today's prima dona's play against a 60/70's side certainly give one or two something to roll around about