Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970's

[Utah Owl]

4 minutes ago, MrsHall said:

Hello....that attendance....I'm sure I went to one against Bournemouth...might have been a cup game, and it was a lot less than that....nowt to brag about I know, but I'm starting to wonder if it was a dream :-)....night game I think. UTO.

May have been, but that Colchester game was our lowest post-war league attendance. It was Saturday 27th March 1976, attendance 6,905. We won 1-0 and even had to rely on an OG five minutes from the end!

 

Incidentally, 10 of the 23 home games that season saw attendances on less than 10,000.

 

http://www.adrianbullock.com/swfc/stats/lg1976.htm

[BIG D]

1 hour ago, doubled123456 said:

I was on the Kop on that fateful day when we lost against Man City. City tried to help us out by missing many chances. They forgot to tell the sub as he scored and we were relegated.

9 year old BIG D trudged home up the hill to Crookes that night with my Dad and Brother.

The worst walk home ever was when we were relegated in 1990 and the scrubbers won at Leicester to get promoted and we swapped places. That took some getting over.

[Bearwood Owl1]

There's a new(ish) book about it all .

 

My thoughts simply are that the Burtenshaw era was the 'Lowest Ebb' for the club. Although the team fell further in terms of league position - under the stewardship of Len Ashurst and chairman Bert McGee - there was by that stage a plan. 

 

Steve Burtenshaw was one of the few people who didn't want to talk to me about the period. He found it depressing and upsetting I was told. Wrong man, wrong time, wrong place are my thoughts of his time at S6. Good coach, but joining a club with no money, with players used to failure and with no managerial experience meant it was doomed to failure. I found several examples of him being a good guy though

[Neon Nick]

1970-1974 was when I was introduced to SWFC, so to me, that's SWFC, any better is a bonus.  Went to Hillsborough 6 or 8 times a year during that time-period, as a teenager, which is respectable attendance considering it was a ~4500 mile flight.  @Utah Owl posted a video a while back, it was when SWFC were kicking MANU's ass, so their fans invaded the pitch, in an attempt to get the match postponed.....the Cavalry were brought in, I never really knew what that was all about until Utah Owl posted that.   December of 1974 it was, I was 16.

 

Always kept an eye on Wednesday over the years, it's much easier in the Computer Age to keep up, AND spend money at SWFC.

 

 

 

[torryowl]

hopeless and once he was forced to sell tommy craig the club and him were totally fecked . 

[Utah Owl]

36 minutes ago, Neon Nick said:

1970-1974 was when I was introduced to SWFC, so to me, that's SWFC, any better is a bonus.  Went to Hillsborough 6 or 8 times a year during that time-period, as a teenager, which is respectable attendance considering it was a ~4500 mile flight.  @Utah Owl posted a video a while back, it was when SWFC were kicking MANU's ass, so their fans invaded the pitch, in an attempt to get the match postponed.....the Cavalry were brought in, I never really knew what that was all about until Utah Owl posted that.   December of 1974 it was, I was 16.

 

Always kept an eye on Wednesday over the years, it's much easier in the Computer Age to keep up, AND spend money at SWFC.

 

 

 

That makes you a year older than me then. OMG that Man U game was absolute carnage and scary but an incredible match nonetheless.

[REDOWL]

9 minutes ago, torryowl said:

hopeless and once he was forced to sell tommy craig the club and him were totally fecked . 

Tommy Craig is one of the best I've seen in a Wednesday shirt,a superb footballer.

[Utah Owl]

1 minute ago, Utah Owl said:

That makes you a year older than me then. OMG that Man U game was absolute carnage and scary but an incredible match nonetheless.

Games like that are indelibly stamped on the memory.

 

My biggest regret is that I wasn't at the 5-4 back in '68. That must have been awesome.

[Utah Owl]

1 minute ago, REDOWL said:

Tommy Craig is one of the best I've seen in a Wednesday shirt,a superb footballer.

On days when he was on it, I'd agree but too often he wasn't. Think the burden of expectation on such young shoulders was ultimately too much.

[Joe Sunburn]

That’s when I discovered Wednesday. It was the ‘70s. Just fell in love. (ahem, Sorry). UTO. 

 

[Dizzys Dad]

On a pre-season tour of Scotland, Wednesday were training at Troon. A group of us went to watch a session. Burtenshaw and the coaching staff were milling about but no players were there. We asked where they were. He hadn’t got a clue.

[Utah Owl]

4 minutes ago, Dizzys Dad said:

On a pre-season tour of Scotland, Wednesday were training at Troon. A group of us went to watch a session. Burtenshaw and the coaching staff were milling about but no players were there. We asked where they were. He hadn’t got a clue.

None of us had in those days, I mean we knew we'd probably lose, just didn't have a clue by how many! 

[Neon Nick]

12 minutes ago, Utah Owl said:

Games like that are indelibly stamped on the memory.

 

My biggest regret is that I wasn't at the 5-4 back in '68. That must have been awesome.

Yes, games like that cannot be forgotten.  No point in LIVING in the past, but there's no way to ERASE the past, for those whom experienced the past.  Can you even imagine that scene, in this era of "modern football" ?  It was considerably more rough-and-tumble in the 1970's.

 

I do not know what the "5-4" was, like to though.

[gurujuan]

There’s been some photos of some of our away followings in 70s on Facebook I believe. Don’t do it anymore, but a pal of mine was showing me

[Harrysgame]

7 hours ago, REDOWL said:

Dark and miserable days for many of us in the seventies and not just with Steve Burtenshaw. From the game against Man City in 1970 ,when we were relegated from the then First Division, to the Southend match in 1976 where we narrowly escaped dropping into the then Fourth Division. Nowt really to look forward to on those match days but we still had to be there because that's why we are Wednesday.

Only 7 years old at the southend game. Remember it like yesterday, night game biggest crowd i had seen until BDM. Dark times for the older fans as a kid though just enjoyed going to the game with my Dad. So in a way they were good times for me...

[Tommy Crawshaw]

3 hours ago, Neon Nick said:

it was when SWFC were kicking MANU's ass, so their fans invaded the pitch, in an attempt to get the match postponed.....the Cavalry were brought in, I never really knew what that was all about until Utah Owl posted that.   December of 1974 it was, I was 16.

 

 

 

 

I was at that game as a 

teenager myself. 

Normally stood on the Kop but went on the North stand that day as it was obviously going to get 'tasty' on the Kop that day give the Man U fans rep at the time, which it did.

 

That match also turned out to be the first in the run of the final 12 home games of that season in which we didn't win a single one.

 

Later that December we won away at Southampton,  which would be the last away victory for almost 2 years.

 

Yes the good old days 

 

 

[Bearwood Owl1]

10 hours ago, Dizzys Dad said:

On a pre-season tour of Scotland, Wednesday were training at Troon. A group of us went to watch a session. Burtenshaw and the coaching staff were milling about but no players were there. We asked where they were. He hadn’t got a clue.

Here's a couple of pictures of when they finally turned up. Thats John Hasleden next to the Troon sign. Wonder if anyone can name all the players in the other picture?!

[fredmciverslovechild]

20 hours ago, REDOWL said:

Dark and miserable days for many of us in the seventies and not just with Steve Burtenshaw. From the game against Man City in 1970 ,when we were relegated from the then First Division, to the Southend match in 1976 where we narrowly escaped dropping into the then Fourth Division. Nowt really to look forward to on those match days but we still had to be there because that's why we are Wednesday.

 

Think the rot set in after Alan Brown walked out in February 1968 when we appointed as manager a guy (Jack Marshall) who didn't want the job in the first place. The irony was that our best two results of the late 60's, the 5-4 against Man Utd and the cup win at Leeds, were both achieved when he was in charge.

 

I've also always felt that whilst it's true the last day defeat against Man City ultimately sent us down in 1970 their fixture congestion (they won both the League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup) did us no favours either. Right at the end of the season they played both Sunderland and Palace within 48 hours of each other and still had to play Southampton 48 hours after that; this coming after they'd also just played the first leg of the CWC semi in Germany. They fielded weakened teams in the league games and lost to both Sunderland and Palace; the latter game in particular (Palace's last of the season) being crucial. 

 

I can also remember back in the mid-70's there was some publication which used to list all the 92 teams in order of their home, away and overall records of the last five years or something. I do remember that Wednesday were 91st in the home table and 92nd in both the away and overall tables. It was a stunning indictment of just how bad we truly were.

 

Happy days!

 

 

[REDOWL]

10 minutes ago, fredmciverslovechild said:

 

Think the rot set in after Alan Brown walked out in February 1968 when we appointed as manager a guy (Jack Marshall) who didn't want the job in the first place. The irony was that our best two results of the late 60's, the 5-4 against Man Utd and the cup win at Leeds, were both achieved when he was in charge.

 

I've also always felt that whilst it's true the last day defeat against Man City ultimately sent us down in 1970 their fixture congestion (they won both the League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup) did us no favours either. Right at the end of the season they played both Sunderland and Palace within 48 hours of each other and still had to play Southampton 48 hours after that; this coming after they'd also just played the first leg of the CWC semi in Germany. They fielded weakened teams in the league games and lost to both Sunderland and Palace; the latter game in particular (Palace's last of the season) being crucial. 

 

I can also remember back in the mid-70's there was some publication which used to list all the 92 teams in order of their home, away and overall records of the last five years or something. I do remember that Wednesday were 91st in the home table and 92nd in both the away and overall tables. It was a stunning indictment of just how bad we truly were.

 

Happy days!

 

 

Hello mate. Your comments have set me on getting out the old programme's and reading threads about the Ozzy Owl Club. They were bleak days football wise but I wouldn't have missed them for anything. Most games we knew what was ahead of  us but it didn't matter as long as we were there.

I agree about Jack Marshall and would add that we have a history of appointments that were not right for us but I suppose that will always be the case when we aren't successful.

[fredmciverslovechild]

1 hour ago, REDOWL said:

Hello mate. Your comments have set me on getting out the old programme's and reading threads about the Ozzy Owl Club. They were bleak days football wise but I wouldn't have missed them for anything. Most games we knew what was ahead of  us but it didn't matter as long as we were there.

I agree about Jack Marshall and would add that we have a history of appointments that were not right for us but I suppose that will always be the case when we aren't successful.

 

Those years in the old Third, 1975 to 1980, were probably the best years I've ever had supporting Wednesday. The camaraderie on away trips in particular was fantastic....never remotely equalled since. And after Big Jack came even though we were dire for a long while still there was this total belief amongst us that great days lay just ahead.

 

Didn't we have the chance to have brought in both Brian Clough and Tommy Docherty on separate occasions? History would have been so different had we chanced with either.