The start of the rot?

[dunsbyowl1867]

A bit before my time! I remember people talking of the Man City keeper urging Wednesday on and someone saying they had forgot to tell the bloke who scored the winning goal not to. Some very dark days(& seasons) followed.

I also heard other people saying Eric Taylor expended too much effort on the ground development rather than the team.

Any thoughts?

[mickjj]

Man City did everything they could to help us out that night. From Francis Lee side footing a penalty kick straight to the keeper to erramt passes to Owls players feet. They then brought on a young Ian Bowyer (later to win the European cup with Forest) and forgot to tell him the plot. He scored the two goals that sent us down on that rain soaked night. In light of the recent Man Utd v West Ham game if we had won our game there might have been the same outcry.

As far as the start of the rot that came when they hired Danny Williams as manager. He had won the league cup with third division Swindon Town by beating Arsenal. He was Rotherham born so I guess the Owls thought he was the perfect fit. He came in and had a clear out of players who were all of fist division stature and brought in a load of third division players who could not live at the top level, so the slide started.

[Guest fredmciverslovechild]

Man City did everything they could to help us out that night. From Francis Lee side footing a penalty kick straight to the keeper to erramt passes to Owls players feet. They then brought on a young Ian Bowyer (later to win the European cup with Forest) and forgot to tell him the plot. He scored the two goals that sent us down on that rain soaked night. In light of the recent Man Utd v West Ham game if we had won our game there might have been the same outcry.

As far as the start of the rot that came when they hired Danny Williams as manager. He had won the league cup with third division Swindon Town by beating Arsenal. He was Rotherham born so I guess the Owls thought he was the perfect fit. He came in and had a clear out of players who were all of fist division stature and brought in a load of third division players who could not live at the top level, so the slide started.

I was stood on the Kop that night and have vivid memories of the game. It was all a bit surreal; City were playing in the Cup Winners Cup Final the following week and just wanted to avoid injuries. And even though they treated the first half in particular like a training session or a testimonial match we were so bad that we never looked like scoring.

The City penalty in the first half was actually taken by Mike Doyle and I can still recall their captain, Tony Book, running from his own half to have a word with him before he took the kick. He then rolled it straight to Peter Grummitt; I actually doubt very much that it would have had the strength to reach the net. It seemed unbelievable but still we couldn't score.

But the key moment was just before half time when Mike Summerbee got injured. Ian Bowyer came on and obviously realising he was now playing for a Cup Winners Cup Final place (Summerbee missed it) he started to take us apart. And City now started to take the game seriously.

Bowyer scored early in the second half and it was then desperation time. About 15 minutes from the end Tony Coleman (who'd started the season a City player) cut in from the North Stand side as we were attacking the Kop and smashed a fantastic goal from miles out. It should have inspired us on to win but it didn't; about two minutes from the end some guy next to me said "come on City, put us out of our misery" and Bowyer promptly did with a good header. And that was it.

Danny Williams was, in hindsight, a good Third Division manager but way out of his depth in the top flight. But I think the rot really started a couple of years earlier when Alan Brown walked out on us to go back to Sunderland. We seemed to lose our way after that even though there were one or two notable exceptions (beating Man Utd 5-4 and the 3-1 cup win at Leeds); without someone like Brown in charge we just seemed to be staggering along.

I don't think any of us imagined back in 1970 what we'd have to go through as supporters over the next few years....

[Biscuit Head]

I was 7 years old, and though I used to attend quite regularly with my dad, I didn't go that night.

He went though, and I can still remember him coming home and shaking his head in utter disbelief, 'They were passing the ball to us' he said.....again and again.

Interesting to read those match reports from people who were there......thanks.

[Guest zep]

I was 11 and recall as we left the Leppings Lane end, pointing out a grown man who was crying, to my Dad. I'd never seen a proper man, a grown up man, cry before.