by Alex Gordon
‘Can you imagine being in a Scotland team that has been beaten 9-3 by England? It might be just about acceptable in a schoolboy match, maybe even in a club match, but certainly not in an international game and most definitely not at Wembley. For the rest of our careers that result made the Scottish players all the more determined on the pitch, because we continually had to live it down.’
Celtic’s Billy McNeill, who made his international debut that wretched afternoon, recalled, ‘I felt sorry for Denis because there was no greater patriot. However, like the rest of us, his performance at Wembley had not matched his true abilities, but he had certainly not lacked passion and commitment. Indeed, I am sure Bobby Robson would have testified to that. He was on the receiving end of a challenge from Denis smack in front of the Royal Box that left a lasting impression. I felt it was especially unfair of the selectors to point the finger at Denis because, such was his loyalty to the national team, that he angered his club by choosing to play for Scotland. The club game he missed was a league match between Manchester City and West Ham which had a significant bearing on City’s First Division survival prospects.
‘The selectors were savage after our Wembley mauling. Hardly surprising, Frank Haffey had played his second and last international. Bert McCann, the Motherwell wing-half, also paid the ultimate price. It was Bert’s fifth Scotland appearance and he must have known in his heart of hearts there would not be a sixth. On the evening following the game, Bert, Ian St John, Pat Quinn, Dunky McKay, my Celtic teammate, and myself had sought refuge in a backstreet London pub in an effort to escape the attention of the media and the fans. The intention was to drown our sorrows with pints of overpriced beer in the hope the effects of the alcohol would dull the pain sufficiently to allow us to sleep free from nightmare images of Johnny Haynes, Jimmy Greaves and company scoring for fun.
‘More seriously, we wondered about our international futures – if, in fact, we had any. We knew there would be a backlash. As I recall, Denis was dropped for the next match against the Republic of Ireland the following month. Rangers’ Ralph Brand and David Herd, then of Arsenal but later to become a colleague of Denis at Manchester United, were brought in to spearhead the attack. As luck would have it, they scored two goals each as we won 4-1. Four days later we played a return match against them in Dublin and once again there was no sign of Denis. Everton’s Alex Young led the attack and scored twice as we triumphed 3-0. Brand got the other. There was no reprieve for Denis, either, in the World Cup qualifier against Czechoslovakia in Bratislava a week later. We were trounced 4-0 and paid a heavy price for leaving one of our best – if not the best – players kicking his heels at home. Four months later we played the Czechs at Hampden and, thankfully, the selectors saw sense and brought back Denis. He responded with two goals in a 3-2 victory. Welcome back, Denis.’
Years on, Bobby Robson did, indeed, recall being clattered by Law. He said, ‘In fact, I will never forget when we clashed right in front of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at Wembley. I know Denis blamed me for the incident, but I still have the bruises. Kick Denis first? I should be so lucky! He was a real will o’ the wisp player, as sharp as a needle and lightning fast in his movements, with a brain to match. The advice I always used to give to anyone who had to mark him was track, mark and tackle . . . and always wear shin pads!’
Goalkeeper Frank Haffey bore the brunt of the flak. However, if it upset him he certainly disguised it well. Law, as you might expect, was fuming when he heard singing coming from the corner of one of the baths. Haffey recalled, ‘Yes, that was me. I always enjoyed a wee sing-song. So, it is a fact that I did a bit of warbling as we got a soak after the game. The baths at Wembley are quite huge. Remember, I was just 22 years old at the time, I was still a Celtic player and I had my whole career ahead of me. I could sing or I could melt into the deepest, darkest depression. I chose to sing. I was sitting there in the bath and all around me was doom and gloom, so I just started singing. Denis Law came over and said, “Damn it, Big Man, for a goalkeeper, you are a great singer.” Don’t get me wrong, though. I wasn’t indifferent to what had happened to Scotland and a 9-3 defeat at Wembley was a very sad situation. I could have sung all night, but I was still shocked and stunned. I might have been trying to laugh it off – or even sing it off – but inside I was completely burned up.
‘Yes, I posed for photographs as the press followed me around the following day. There’s a picture of me in front of Big Ben with the hands at three minutes past nine. There’s another at King’s Cross station with me standing under the sign for platform nine. It was just my way of dealing with it. If someone had a problem with that it was their problem and not mine. Obviously, the defeat wasn’t all down to me, but I was the goalkeeper and they always get the blame. Back home, I had people practically stalking me with cameras wanting me to pose in front of houses with the numbers nine and three. I had photographs of me taken all over Scotland.’
Haffey never played for Scotland again after the Wembley debacle and when his footballing career was over he emigrated to Australia. In 1989, Denis Law and George Best did a tour Down Under as they took their after-dinner chat show on the road. Best recalled, ‘We were performing in Sydney and Frank Haffey turned up. Afterwards, he was engaged in a conversation with my old mate in the car park of the hotel where we were staying. He asked, “Tell me straight, Denis, is it safe for me to come home now?”
‘Solemnly, Denis thought about it for a moment, stroked his chin, shook his head and answered, “Not yet, Frank. Not yet.”’
Chapter Seven
HAILED . . . AND FAILED
Denis Law was missing in action when the qualifiers kicked off for the World Cup Finals in Chile in 1962. He had toppled into an international void after the 9-3 humiliation against England at Wembley. Law wasn’t helped by the fact that he had moved to Italian side Torino and they weren’t sympathetic to Scotland’s cause and would only allow their player to represent his country in World Cup-ties. As it turned out, the SFA selectors overlooked Law for the squad for the opening World Cup encounter against the Republic of Ireland at Hampden on 3 May 1961.
‘I was dropped for the games against the Irish and Czechoslovakia,’ recalled Law. ‘I was stuck in Italy with Torino, away from the eyes of the selectors, and I began to feel I’d had it as far as Scotland was concerned.’ Ralph Brand, Rangers’ livewire frontman, took his place and scored twice in the 4-1 triumph. Arsenal’s David Herd, the only Anglo-Scot in the side, also notched a double. Four days later, the Scots beat their Irish opponents again, this time 3-1 at Dalymount Park, Dublin, where Brand scored once more while Everton’s Alex Young, a late replacement for flu victim Herd, bagged two.
The World Cup activity continued with a game against Czechoslovakia in Bratislava only a week after the Dublin encounter. Scotland were again without Law. Ian McColl, only 34 years old and still registered as a Rangers player, combined managing Scotland with running a garage business. For whatever reason, he decided to drop Young after his two-goal performance against the Irish. The Goodison forward – known on Merseyside as ‘The Blond Vision’ – wouldn’t play for his country again for five years. David Herd returned from illness to lead the line. The need for Law’s finishing qualities was underlined in this lopsided affair. The Czechs, roared on by a partisan crowd of 51,590, ran amok as they dismantled Scotland 4-0 after sweeping nonchalantly to a three-goal half-time advantage.
All eyes were now on Hampden on Tuesday, 26 September when Scotland attempted to claim back some pride against Czechoslovakia. A crowd of just under 52,000 made it to the famous old stadium and Law, thankfully, was back in his rightful place in the Scotland frontline. The SFA, though, were forced by Torino to insure the Lawman for £200,000. As it turned out, it was worth the risk. Torino pleaded with Law to remain at the club, but were told, ‘No chance’ – or the Italian equivalent. To many, this was the game that Denis cemented his unique relationship and intimate rapport with the Scottish support. Only five players
remained from the nosedive in Bratislava four months earlier – Eric Caldow, Pat Crerand, who somehow sidestepped a suspension after being sent off against the Czechs, Billy McNeill, Jim Baxter and Davie Wilson, the solitary forward to escape the axe. Into the frontline came Alex Scott, Wilson’s Rangers teammate, Spurs’ elegant John White, Ian St John, who had just left Motherwell for Liverpool, and Law.
The scene was set for an epic encounter. Could Scotland come back from their bloodied nose in Bratislava? With Denis Law around anything was possible. Czechoslovakia arrived in Glasgow in a relaxed and confident mood. They knew a draw would suit them with two games against the Republic of Ireland still to be played. Three out of four points against the Irish would propel the Czechs towards Chile the following summer. Scotland couldn’t expect any favours from their near-neighbours. They knew they had to do it on their own. And so it proved.
A report at the time stated, ‘Given the hype and the fact that the match was to be staged under Hampden’s new floodlight pylons, it was hoped the elements would smile. Instead, a vicious wind gurgled round the stadium, marginally favouring the Czechs in the first-half. Early goals had detonated all Group 8 games to date and this was to be no exception. In the sixth minute a back-heel from Josef Masopust, a lay-back from Kadraba and a fierce shot from Kvasnak put the visitors in front. It was an incisive goal and the white-clad Czechs danced a ghostly tango in delight. Like all east European teams, Czechoslovakia had been scathingly dismissed as dour, one-paced, unimaginative. The stereotype had its source in political propaganda, not footballing analysis, and was hopelessly misplaced. The Czech forwards constantly interchanged and the whole side bristled with imagination and power. Not for one moment had they come to defend. Now, a goal behind, the calibre of the Scottish team was held up for inspection.’
The observer continued, ‘The Scots could not compete with their opponents’ technical wizardry, but they could, and did, combat Czech steel. The game surged from end to end. One moment Brown was leaping at the feet of Scherer, the next, shots from Scott and White were charged down in front of Schroiff. Scotland levelled when Law back-headed White’s cross to St John, whose header squirmed under Schroiff’s body in the 21st minute. The goal was hardly memorable, but it was all Scotland needed. They powered forward, though the Czechs continued to break out at lightning speed. Scherer’s slide-rule pass set up Kadraba for a shot that Brown turned behind for a corner. Soon after the break, Scotland lost a dreadful goal. Jan Popluhar’s belted clearance found Scherer, who, to his disbelief, was permitted to stroll 40 yards into the Scottish nerve centre and beat Brown with ease. It was the sort of goal to have coaches and managers tugging at their hair.
‘With the wind at their backs and the Hampden Roar in their ears, Scotland dug deep for a spell of frenzied attacking. St John tussled with the giant Popluhar and Law was a constant thorn in the Czech rump. It was Law who equalised in the 62nd minute, drilling White’s cross into the net. Hampden was a cauldron, Scotland turning the screw against a cool, calm defence that refused to panic. Falling rain could not dampen Scotland’s ardour. St John was felled in the box, but the referee merely awarded an indirect free-kick and not a penalty-kick. Wilson collided with Schroiff and was then crudely flattened by Kvasnak. Czechoslovakia seemed as impressive on the defence as the offence, but with seven minutes to go Scotland took the lead for the first time. White was again the instigator, sparking the move that climaxed with Law swerving clear of two tackles and rifling the ball past Schroiff at the far post.’
Law said, ‘The forward line that day was Alex Scott, John White, Ian St John, Davie Wilson and myself. I thought it was good enough to give any defence in the world a hard time. I celebrated by having one of my best matches for Scotland. As well as scoring two goals, I reckon I covered every blade of grass on the pitch during that game.’ A nation celebrated an excellent victory. A new star had arrived and manager Ian McColl surprised his own players by moaning about the opportunities they had missed and the goals they had conceded!
Scotland now sat back with bated breath to see if the Czechs would falter against the Republic of Ireland. They might have guessed the outcomes of the matches. The Irish were turned over 3-1 in Dublin and were thrashed 7-1 in Prague. That meant a play-off between Scotland and Czechoslovakia to see who had the right to travel to Chile. A neutral ground was required for the 29 November fixture. Someone at the SFA helpfully suggested Wembley, possibly hoping the Czechs didn’t have a great grasp of geography and the fact Scotland played there every second year. Unsurprisingly, the motion was kicked into touch. Brussels was elected as the destination for the two countries to challenge for a place in the World Cup Finals.
The kick-off was brought forward to 1 p.m. because the Heysel Stadium didn’t have floodlights. The BBC beamed the game live and industry in Scotland just about ground to a standstill. Apparently, a one-day flu epidemic swept through the country that decisive Wednesday afternoon. There was the usual wrangle between Law and Torino over his release. The player had missed the two previous games, a 6-1 triumph over Northern Ireland in Belfast and a 2-0 win over Wales in Glasgow. However, at the eleventh hour, the Italians relented and once again Scotland were told they would have to put up £200,000 in insurance for the player. The Italians even sent three officials with Law to Belgium to protect their investment.
Unfortunately, Scotland were forced to make changes for the Brussels encounter. Dunfermline’s Eddie Connachan took over in goal and Dundee’s Hugh Robertson played at outside-left. Regulars Bill Brown, of Spurs, and Rangers’ Davie Wilson were injured. Connachan would only appear once more for his country, in a 3-2 defeat from Uruguay in a friendly in Glasgow six months later. Rangers’ Billy Ritchie replaced him at half-time. Neither goalkeeper figured in the future. Robertson’s international career ended with the referee’s final whistle in the Belgian capital. Alex Scott was also sidelined and his place on the right wing was taken by Rangers colleague Ralph Brand, playing out of position. Celtic’s inspirational captain Billy McNeill was missing, too, after picking up a strain playing a league game the previous Saturday. Manager McColl also fielded the Dundee defensive double-act of Alec Hamilton and Ian Ure, who were winning only their second caps. The average age of the side was just 23. Preparations could have been better for such a crucially important confrontation. The full Scotland team read: Connachan; Hamilton, Caldow; Crerand, Ure, Baxter; Brand, White, St John, Law and Robertson. A mere 7,000 turned out for the game, played in monsoon conditions with the pitch cutting up badly throughout two hours of football.
‘The Czechs,’ as one reporter so ably put it, ‘were equipped for all contingencies. If they needed to play, they could play; if they needed to kick, they required no lessons from anyone.’ He added, ‘Denis Law’s electric showing at Hampden guaranteed he would be securely padlocked on this occasion.’ Law was shadowed everywhere he went, but Scotland still made the breakthrough as half-time approached. Popluhar, a fine defender who would never become famous for hesitating before dishing out some ruthless punishment, dumped Ian St John, not for the first time, on the muddy surface. Jim Baxter, with comfortable ease, strolled forward to take the free-kick. He sent it into the danger zone and, as goalkeeper Villiam Schroiff was caught in two minds, St John launched himself forward to thump a header into the net. Scotland kept the lead for the following 10 minutes to go in at half-time a goal to the good.
Annoyingly, the Czechs did manage to draw level with 20 minutes remaining. The game had got rougher as the rain continued to pour down from the heavens, just about neutralising the ball-playing skills of the slight John White, so important in the Scottish engine room. These were not his conditions and the Spurs man struggled to make an impact. From a fifth consecutive corner-kick, right-back Jiri Hledik joined in with the attack and planted a header beyond the grasping Connachan. Remarkably, Scotland regained the lead within a minute. The quick-thinking Brand took a free-kick and picked out St John who only had to side-foot the ball past Schroiff f
or his second goal.
Agonisingly, the clock ticked towards the end of a gruelling, hard-fought encounter. With a mere eight minutes remaining, Scotland were heading for Chile. Then Dame Fortune, as she did on so many occasions, snarled in their direction. The ball ricocheted around the packed goalmouth before landing at the feet of the unmarked Scherer, who fired high past Connachan, the effort striking the underside of the crossbar, bouncing down and out. Law, and every other Scottish player, was convinced the ball did not cross the line. Right-back Hamilton got a good view of the incident and said, ‘That ball never went in; no way. It hit the line, but the whole of the ball did not go over it. The referee couldn’t have seen it properly from where he was standing, but he gave it, anyway. It was a real sickener.’
So near and yet so far. Scotland would have to do it all again in extra-time. Did they have the stamina to see off a powerful opponent? Law came close to providing an instant answer when he sizzled in a drive that had Schroiff frantically scrambling, but the ball flew just over the crossbar. Then White somehow summoned up the power in his slender frame to wallop in a ferocious 20-yard drive that thundered against the junction of bar and post. It was not to be Scotland’s day. Pospichal volleyed one beyond Connachan in the 95th minute and 10 minutes later Scherer beat the Scottish goalkeeper with a long-range effort. The second period of extra-time meant little. The Czechs shut up shop and there was nothing Denis Law or his teammates could do to unlock their blanket defence. Game over. World Cup hopes obliterated.
