Be Nice To Steve.

After a Forest first game of the season win* last night Steve, anything is possible. Just be careful how you slip away, don’t upset the Duchess.

*We rarely win the first game! Blacklion will be chuffed, it was Millwall.

Yes the first £1million player, TF. Repaid that with his 1979 Euro Final goal, great to watch him working with Robbo, but he became injury-prone and missed the second Final, when Robbo scored the winner. Cloughie didn’t help matters, having taken a dislike to TF, based (according to a mate who was a long-term Scout and a mate of Peter Taylor, in the mid-60’s to late 80’s) on pure jealousy. Remember that BC had been a high-scoring striker for Middlesborough, Sunderland and England before his injury. TF was brought in by Peter Taylor, not BC, and Clough himself always had a thing about highly-rated players. He apparently believed they were all ego, although Francis was a good guy: I met him at a couple of Supporters Club functions and he was fine, no attitude and always had time for fans. I dread to think what BC would make of some of todays “stars”! We got that £million back from Man City, but he was always on the treatment table there too.

Forest also paid the first £100,000 fee for a player – Jim Baxter, in  December ’67. That did not go to plan either, although he started well. His 1st and 2nd games were during the Christmas holidays. I was over at my aunts in Stoke and my cousin drove me to the first game, at Stoke. “Slim Jim” was fantastic, made all 3 goals for Lyons and Hilley, in a 3-1 win. The return was at Forest and he again made a goal each for Joe Baker and Hilley, scoring himself with a brilliant run from his own half. 3 – 0 this time. I saw both games with my cousin Bill and his mates from the old Boothen End at Stoke’s Victoria Ground. They were all quiet on the way home, so was I, although that was hard! Fortunately my cuz was a Port Vale supporter, so the atmosphere was OK back at my aunts…

Forest gave Slim Jim a “Free” back to Rangers in ’69. He was a heavy boozer, would be paralytic until the early hours of Saturday, then go out and play a great game. All caught up with him in the end of course.

I remember that Semi, BL. Keane, Psycho and the 2 Gary’s, Charles and Crosby, scored. Have to admit it was a bad sending-off, never a Red card. Hackett was supposed to be Top Ref, but he made a lot of errors. I have just finished reading Big Sam’s autobigraphy, titled (what else?) “Big Sam – My Autobography” and he has some uncomplementary words for most refs. No, on second thoughts, make that all refs! It’s worth a read, especially if you are a supporter of one of the many clubs he played for or managed. It’s honest and straightforward, also full of some very funny stories, but only goes up to 2015 so doesn’t say anything about life after leaving the Hammers.

The aggro towards London teams, began after bad experiences at QPR, involving London Mounted coppers. Queueing on South Africa Road, some of the Forest lads were being pushed against the wall in the tunnel there. One with more mouth than sense, said loudly, “This horse must be a Mare, it has a C*** halfway up its back!” The officer in question shoved the horse into him, he fell and was injured by hooves, taken to hospital. The aggro got worse at the game, a 1-1 replayed draw with 2 disallowed Forest penalties. Fans started fighting, me and mates made our way out and back to the station, well before the final whistle. Every club has its minority of nutters who come to make trouble, Forest no exception, but in the minds of the Forest nutters, after that, all London clubs were tarred with the same brush. It’s daft, but they also believe that all Londoners are Cockneys, which is the same delusion as saying that all Scots are Highlanders. We won the replay and went on to win the League Cup, or whatever version of it was running at the time. Steve’s lot would call it The Mickey Mouse Cup.

The FA cup final after the WHU Semi, was a horrible game for us, against Spurs. Gazza should have been sent off for kicking Gary Crosby in the chest, never even received a yellow. The best defender we ever had (Des Walker) of all people, scored an own goal. It just made the nutters see London clubs as the villains again.

The pub you mention is the TBI (Trent Bridge Inn) and does a roaring trade during both football and cricket matches. The only time there was ever serious trouble there, was against the worst, most obnoxious fans in Britain: Leeds. They started a fight in there one Saturday before the game, all the Forest lads and the staff left, police moved in and lost it, so they actually chained the doors shut and left them to wreck the place. In the end the Leeds “fans” were fighting each other, all pi**ed and raving. The Riot Squad opened the doors and the survivors (!) were either arrested or taken to hospital. One of my mates knew the landlord at the time and he says they did him a favour, as the insurance paid for doing the place up.

Usually that pub is a good mix of opposing fans, with no trouble, but Leeds fans are detested almost everywhere. Personally, after Hammers fans looked after me in 1966 when I was AWOL to watch England win the World Cup, I have nothing but good words for WHU fans. But some Millwall fans are as bad as most Leeds fans.

The Duke wrote:

Stephen had a good day. It’s 3am, and one is about to retire. Also one is struggling to type with one eye closed.

Then one should type with one eye closed from now on: grammar and spelling perfect! Maybe alcohol is a cure for dyslexia???