January 1971

For further months, see archive below

As appeared in Rothman's Football Yearbook 1971-72 (2nd year)

The Queene Anne Press, London 1971

1 In Scottish League-only football played on New Year's Day-Falkirk beat Rangers 3-1, opponents they were due to meet in next round of Scottish Cup

2 F.A. Cup Third Round. . . Blackpool trounced West Ham U. 4-0, a result which was to have a sensational sequel later in the week. . . cash record of 21,000 pounds at Selhurst Park where Charlie Cooke 'on skating boots', according to opponent Alan Birchenall, helped Chelsea draw 2-2 . . . ten matches off, including Yeovil v Arsenal, already a cash record for match on Southern League club's ground. . . Wigan held Manchester C. to Bell's goal scored eighteen minutes from time. . . United could only draw at home. . . gates, 46,212 at Maine Road, 47,824 at Old Trafford . . .

3 Recommendation by FIFA World Cup Committe that quarter-finals and semi-finals of 1974 tournament be scrapped. . . instead there should be two league groups of four in last eight, the winners of the sections meeting in the Final, which would increase matches from 32 to 38 . . .

4 George Best fined by F.A. record 250 pounds, after keeping the Disciplinary Committee waiting for ninety minutes. . . player stated he had missed his plane. . . missed a train to London later in the week and was dropped from Manchester U. side against Chelsea. . .

5 Manchester U . 's cup of woe continueth to flow over. . . they lost Cup replay 2-1 at Middlesbrough. . . astonishing 2-0 win by Huddersfield T. at Birmingham. . . in closing minutes goalkeeper Terry Poole carried off with broken leg. . . winger Steve Smith, who took over, then broke a thumb. . . two games off through icy pitches. . . fear of further postponements caused the Pools Panel to be re-formed . . . in Fairs Cup draw Arsenal get Cologne, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Leeds U., Vitoria Setubal . . .

6 Four F.A. ties off . . . but 55,000 see Chelsea beat C. Palace . . . Q.P.R. announced that they would give a testimonial match to Manager Les Allen who had resigned . . . and appointed Gordon Jago as caretaker-manager . . . Nottingham F. signed W.B.A. full-back Doug Fraser for 35,000pounds . . . Stoke C. manager Tony Waddington said that nine weeks' sentence on Peter Dobing very lenient. . . his player would miss rest of season anyway with broken leg. . .

7 First real rumblings of the West Ham U. defeat at Blackpool . . . club briefly announced that 'as a result of a breach of disciplinary rules, fines have been imposed on four players, Moore, Greaves, Dear and Best. . .' then announced that club captaincy had been taken from Bobby Moore, and that neither he nor Greaves would play against Arsenal at Highbury . . .

9 Arsenal beat weakened West Ham U. 2-0, and before day's largest crowd at Stamford Bridge (53,482) Best-less United defeated Chelsea. . . Alan Warboys, signed by Cardiff C. from Sheffield W ., scored his first goals, two, against Sheffield W. . . .

10 Manchester U. suspend George Best for two weeks. . .

11 Rochdale 2 Coventry C. 1, in F.A. Cup replay. . . which meant that for first time in club's 63 years history, Rochdale had reached the Fourth Round. . . from 26 originally chosen training squad, England had only enough to stage a five-a-side game when players reported at Roehampton . . .

12 'I was wrong,' said George Best, accepting the club suspension in good spirit. . . Arthur Fryars, Chairman of Blackburn R. since previous June, resigned, stayed on as director. . . John Ritchie, Stoke C. centre-forward, into hospital for cartilage operation. . . Hibernian offer Sunderland 10,000 pounds for Joe Baker. . . deal went off smoothly. . .

13 Fog ruled out Leeds U. v Rotherham u. replay. . . Wales defeated Scotland in Under-23's international. . . Wilf McGuinness turned down offer of team managership at Bolton, so Jimmy Meadows, displaced at Blackpool by Bob Stokoe, took the job. . .

14 Eighteen months after joining Everton at 80,000 pound fee, Keith Newton asked for transfer. . . refused. . . Doncaster R.'s chairman told manager Lawrie McMenemy that he was sacked unless the team won at Plymouth. . . they drew, and the manager lasted until May before losing the job. . .

15 At last Newport Co. win, in their 26th league match. . . they beat Southend U. 3-0, with goals scored by men with household names. . . Jones, Brown, White. . . first win since April 25, 1970 . . . promotion chasers Halifax who hoped to have crowd augmented by disc of England's Wembley World Cup crowd cheering, told by League 'No' . . .

16 . . . Peter Osgood, under suspended sentence, and due for disciplinary hearing for three further bookings, had his name taken against Everton . . . and missed a penalty. . . Workington half-back Tony Geidmintis scored a penalty against Barrow, and was almost immediately ordered off . . . Hartlepool full-back Dawes sent off after giving a penalty away against Crewe Alex. . . . Gerry Sharpe, Bristol C. free-scoring winger, suffered double fracture of right leg against Middlesbrough . . . in non-league Cup, Telford (last year's finalists, and winners-to-be) beat Bradford, voted out of Football League in 1970, 6-1. ..

18 Leeds U. just scrambled home 3-2 in Cup replay against Rotherham U. after referee Jim Finney had quietened the rough play by calling the two captains together . . .

19 C. Palace drew 0-0 with Israel National team in Tel Aviv. . . same day announced by Football League that C. Palace will be among six teams playing for the Anglo-ltalian tournament at end of the season. . .

20 Football Association suspended Peter Osgood for eight weeks and fined him 160 pounds. . . and then sent the dossier to the England Selection Committee for them to study. . . in his absence from Board meeting, Brentford chairman Walter Wheatley was deposed, and named as joint-president . . . . . .

21 Chelsea announce that they had bought the freehold of their ground for 450,000 pounds, three years ahead of schedule. . . and now had 1,000,000 pounds plans to make Stamford Bridge the finest ground in the world. . . . . .

22 Bobby Moore, after missing two games, played in West Ham U.'s team against Charlton Ath. in a friendly. . . simple comment from the England skipper, 'It's good to be back' . . . . . .

23 Peter Bonetti made 500th appearance for Chelsea. . . his debut was against same team, Manchester C. in April 1960 . . . no happy ending, for City won easily 3-0. . . Fourth Division Brentford won at Cardiff . . . record receipts of 18,002 pounds at Fratton Park, where Arsenal's penalty by Storey gained draw. . . in league game Millwall missed two penalties before drawing 2-2 at home against Norwich C. . . .

25 After reading the week-end comments of club captain Billy Baxter 'I think the club is going to the dogs', Ipswich T. put a two-week ban on him, and then placed him on the transfer list. . . the big guns kept apart in F.A. Cup draw, apart from Arsenal trip to Manchester C. . . . Colchester U. faced with home tie with Leeds U. made short work of Rochdale in replay, winning 5 0 . . . Charlton brothers ]eft out of England squad for match in Malta. . . also Bobby Moore. . .

26 C. Palace paid Bolton W. 12,000 pounds for winger Terry Wharton . . . George Best came out from suspension by playing for Rangers-Celtic Invitation XI against Scotland at Ibrox for dependants of Ibrox Disaster victims. . . crowd of 81 ,405 paid over 50,000 pounds. . . Mike England, told by specialist not to resume training following an ankle injury, in fact did not play again during season. . .

27 Sheffield U. busy. . . paid Birmingham C. 40,000 pounds for Trevor Hockey, and exchanging John Tudor for Newcastle U.'s David Ford and John Hope. . .

28 Watford, knocked out of the Cup by Oxford u. put four of the team on the transfer list. . .

29 Terry Johnson, newly-signed from Newcastle U., scored the only goal for Southend U. against York C. on his debut. . . Maurice Setters back in full training for Charlton Ath. after cartilage operation. . .

30 Aston Villa beat Fulham 1-0 at Villa Park, before 33,343, one of ]argest crowds ever to watch a Third Division game. . . . Notts. Co. beat Peterborough U. 6-0 with Tony Hateley getting three . . . first County player to get hat-trick since January 1965 . . . Denis Law taken off on a stretcher against Huddersfield T. . . . After seeing Brian Labone carried off at Tottenham with badly gashed leg, Sir Alf Ramsey called up Roy McFarland to England squad. . . and with Cooper, Clarke (Leeds U.) and Bell, Lee (Manchester C.) also out, he drafted in Martin Chivers, of Tottenham H.