The Battle of Britain: 1970

George of the Jungle casts his mind back to 1970 and remembers the two games against Leeds in the semi-final of the European Cup. He claims that such was his dedication to Celtic that he gave up a night with Queen Anne (the whisky not the monarch) at the El Dorado (the wine not the night club) in order to listen to the away leg on the radio.

Although the Celts had dominated Scottish football for a few years before these two games and had won the European Cup only three years earlier, Leeds were the favourites to win what the media styled as this "Clash of the Titans" and go on to lift the trophy itself.

The Leeds team of the early 70s had internationals in every position and was regarded as well nigh invincible by the media south of the border, who proclaimed them as the best English club since the restoration of league football at the end of the Second World War. The sports media there believed that Leeds would win easily. Indeed their attitude highlighted the excessive arrogance and vulgar condescension that have endeared them to generations of Scots throughout the years.

As it transpired Celtic won the first leg in Leeds by 1:0 thanks to a goal by George Connelly a mere 40 seconds after the ref had blown his whistle for the game to start. The same player was to have another goal mysteriously disallowed after a minute of the second half.

Despite this victory over the English champions at their Elland Road stronghold the English press refused to be swayed by the evidence of their own eyes and still felt confident that Leeds could win at Hampden and thereby go through to the final in Milan. Rather than praise the Celts for a magnificent performance in Leeds they put forward the excuse that Leeds were 'tired' after a hard-fought victory over Manchester United in the semi-final of the FA Cup which went to a second replay, allied to a punishing schedule of league fixtures within a short period of time.

Imagine the horror these hacks must have felt as they sat in the old press box at Hampden and watched Celtic win the second leg as well, in front of a crowd of 134,000 (official attendance but, as we all know, lots more got one way or another).

Although Leeds scored first thanks to a brilliant strike by Billy Bremner after 14 minutes - a goal which stunned the crowd to silence for all of two seconds - Celtic dominated the game. The equaliser came two minutes into the second half through John Hughes, then Celtic scored again with another great effort by Murdoch. So dominant were the Hoops that apart from Bremner's unstoppable drive from distance, 'keeper Fallon didn't have to make a save until the 75th minute.

Even the English media now had to realise that Celtic were a great club and deserving of fulsome praise for their superior football ability. As Jock Stein said at the time, "Scottish football has been laughed at long enough. Now maybe they'll take it seriously."

The Scottish press, by contrast, lavished great praise on the club, not just for the sustained quality of the team's performances, but for the beneficial publicity that these two victories over what many were calling England's 'Team of the Century' brought to Celtic, Glasgow and the country as a whole.

Alan Herron, writing in the Sunday mail after the match at Hampden, was able to claim, with some justification, that, "Scotland is no longer associated with haggis, bagpipes, Rabbie Burns and the River Clyde alone. It is associated with Celtic and successful attacking football: attacking football the likes of which the European countries, including England, have never seen."

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The Battle of Britain: 1970 European Cup Semi Remix

(Tune: Said Lizzie To Philip)

One day down in England in the year 69
The great Leeds United were on cloud number 9,
They'd just become champs and were over the moon,
Next season in Europe just can't come too soon.

'They're the best team in Europe' said the bold English press
'They'll take on all-comers from the east to the west,
'There's no one can match them for speed and for skill,
And to watch them in action gives punters a thrill.'

Well Revie's brave heroes were quick off the mark
They thrashed the Norwegians and Slavs off the park
They beat off the Belgians from Standard Liege
And were drawn to meet Celtic at the semi-final stage.

Now the Fleet Street pen-pushers were having a ball
They were slagging the Celtic and Scottish football,
'A big fish with minnows in such a small pool
'They can't match the league where the mighty Leeds rule'.

'It's the Battle of Britain', said the man from the Mail,
'And the Leeds will beat Celtic, for sure, without fail,
'Our English league champs will fill our hearts with pride,
'And we'll take those Jock chancers all the way for a ride'.

Now the first leg at Leeds was a sorry affair,
As the boys from the press pulled out lumps of their hair.
Their favourites were outclassed for speed and for skill,
And the Celts ran out victors by one goal to nil.

Then onward to Hampden, what a glorious scene,
we saw Leeds destroyed by the Bhoys in the green,
All Fleet Street was mourning for the whole English race
While sad Leeds United went home in disgrace!

SEAMUS MURPHY

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