I can only bring to mind two players from the Wolverhampton Wanderers page in my ‘Soccer Stars’ sticker collection, circa 1970. One is Peter Knowles, brother of Tottenham’s ‘Nice One’ Cyril who at the peak of his powers and on the verge of an England call-up gave it all up to become a Jehovah’s Witness. To a 10 year old soccer obsessive this was bewildering. A bit like, say, Aron Gunnarsson announcing that he was quitting the game to join IS. Well, if Holy Jihad meant trawling around suburbia on a Sunday morning dressed like civil servants, knocking on doors enquiring politely if you wouldn’t mind awfully being saved. So a far from perfect analogy.
The other stand out player was Derek Dougan, justifiably remembered as a Wolverhampton Wanderers and Northern Ireland ‘legend’ and a complex character. His on and off field exploits were fuelled by an anti-authoritarian streak which often got him into trouble and resulted in that most of ambiguous of descriptions ‘colourful’ being applied to his relatively short public life.
With his de rigueur 1970s chevron moustache, lank unkempt hair and ‘You talkin’ to me?’ demeanour he wouldn’t have looked out of place on the mean streets of Noo Yoik assisting a dysfunctional Robert De Niro in his quest to ‘wash all this scum off the streets’. You didn’t mess with The Doog. He had a notoriously short fuse. Documented outburst include picking up a record suspension for swearing at a linesman and handing in a transfer request on the morning of an FA Cup Final. At Wolves he struck up very successful strike partnerships with John Richards and Dave Wagstaffe which was quite remarkable as he was on speaking terms with neither.
After retiring from the game his inclusion in the ITV 1970 World Cup Panel, which more or less invented TV football punditry, led to him being elected as chairman of the PFA where he successfully advocated freedom of contract for players. Or else. His subsequent role as chief executive of Wolves proved controversial and almost saw the club go out of existence setting it on a downward spiral which culminated in a spell in the fourth tier (Division 4 in old money…) of the football league.
Dougan was often described as a ‘loveable rogue’ by those who worked closely with him, the emphasis placed firmly on ‘rogue’. A legend to Wolves fans, he was inducted into the Wolverhampton Wanderers Hall of Fame in 2010 alongside former Bluebirds manager Kenny Hibbitt who played nearly 500 games for Wolves between 1968-84.
For Bluebird fans Hibbitt is a half-forgotten footnote in an appendix to the history of Cardiff City AFC. In a tortuous two year tenure he proved as effective as his former colleague in overseeing a trophy, sorry, atrophy, and the decline of a once proud club.
In March 1998 Hibbitt returned for an enforced second spell as manager after Russell Osman, football’s Greta Garbo, had walked away muttering enigmatically ‘I want to be alone’. Osman’s thespian predilections were ultimately satisfied when he starred with Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Pele, Mike Summerbee and Osvaldo Ardiles in the Hollywood Prisoner of War Soccerball classic ‘Escape To Victory’. Unfortunately Osman was to acting what Stallone was to the art of goalkeeping.
On his return to the dugout Hibbitt oversaw a 0-0 home draw against Brighton in front of 3,519 bewildered pathological optimists. With six games left of a season that redefined the word ‘drab’, the Bluebirds needed just one more draw to match the greatest number of stalemates in a season. They struggled to achieve even this most dubious of accolades, conspiring to go on a run of 5 successive defeats to set up a drear-defying denouement against dopey Darlington in the final game of the season.
2,610 lost souls attended the game, each one picking up a certificate that would exempt them from military service in a time of conflict, granting disability benefits on the grounds of imbecility and entry into the Donald Rumsfeld Museum of Preposterousness. It was a close call but in a game that swung from fair and all the way back to middling a 0-0 draw enabled the Bluebirds to, as reported in the South Wales Echo at the time, pluck ‘sheer averageness from the jaws of triumph’.
Both clubs might have bounced back from the brink but the sheer averageness of recording a 50% draw return over a Premier League season would be a realistic ambition and a reasonable return today.
CCFC 2 v 1 WOLVES
Due to an injury in the warm up I found myself driving away from the ground, its lights urging me to, in the words of Dame Bonnie Tyler of Sketty ‘Turn around bright eyes (every now and then I fall apart)’. Ironically following my non-appearance in the last two home games this is now my worst run of absenteeism since the Hibbitt period. The favourable no-show win percentage of 66.6% might suggest that my personal contribution to the success of the team is limited.
I’d already written the preliminary nonsense so decided to carry on and file my match report direct from my armchair. Slightly detached and fuelled by a glass or two of Marston’s Old Peculiar the following is an analysis of each player’s contribution.
ETHERIDGE. A commanding, reassuring presence. Read the game well and is always alive to danger. Not called into action very often but always alert. Prepared to be adventurous whilst exercising due prudence. Blameless for the goal, he was yet again, let down by his defence from a set piece.
MANGA. More suited to a central defence partnership as part of a back four. Peltier, back from injury and sitting on the bench is probably more suited to a three man defence. Lost his man in the lead up to the Wolves goal.
BAMBA. Typically cool in possession and committed to the cause. Distribution wayward at times. Often too keen to get in a pre-emptive strike on his attacker and too easily turned. The fulcrum of a defence which has now conceded more goals from set pieces than any other Premier League team this season.
MORRISON. Formed an effective partnership with Bamba and dealt well with the limited threat from opposition front line. Often seems more at home in the opposition box than his own, and has record more touches there than any other PL defender this season.
GUNNARSSON. A compelling presence marshalling a five man midfield. Held the ball well but provided with limited outlets due to lack of movement ahead of him. Blamed by Warnock for the Wolves goal by failing to track his man. Did well to get ahead of defenders for his goal.
RALLS. Combative but made some poor choices when in possession. Unable to hold and make the decisive pass. Part of a unit that successfully negated the potential dominance of the opposition midfield.
CAMARASA. Quality on the ball which he didn’t see enough of. Should be given more freedom to take the initiative. Put in a lot of work off the ball and tracked back well.
ARTER. Excellent work rate and capable of turning a game but needs to exert greater influence. A few decent chances from second balls on the edge of the box.
HOILETT. Not the force that he was this season and as the only player with regular PL experience was expected to have a greater impact. Disappointing playing deep as a wing back and rarely threatened. However, any negatives overlooked following superb winning goal. Awarded Sky’s Man of the Match for that one telling contribution.
PATERSON. Physical, awkward, always willing but with no goalscorer’s instinct. A temporary solution to our problems up front which must be addressed in the January transfer window. Won a few decent balls in the air but typically went to ground too easily and transparently.
MURPHY. Got the better of his full back but lack of a regular striker able to make runs off the ball limits his effectiveness. Too often left with nowhere to go. Unfairly substituted.
THE CROWD. Outstanding. Clearly determined to enjoy the PL experience in the full knowledge that it probably won’t be for long. Responded well to provocation from the travelling fans including misguided renditions of God Save The Queen and Swing Low Sweet Chariot. Given due praise by Warnock in his post match interview and there is no doubt that the connection between crowd and team is telling. All of our wins this season have been achieved after going behind which is a great testament to the spirit of the team and the influence of the crowd and manager providing reasons to believe. Always great to start the weekend with a Friday night win. Happy 70th birthday Mr Warnock!
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