43 years ago today. Montys save. Porterfield goal. Stokoe dancing. Mackem delight. Dorty Leeds despair. 43 years. Can one of you mods sort out that title. ****ing portetfield.
I was lucky enough to be there also, went in a mini bus along with two of my brothers, left Darlo 11pm the Friday night caught the tube into central London around 9am couldn't believe the number of Sunderland fans who were knocking about, hardly saw any Leeds fans but the one thing that stuck in my mind was we all KNEW we were going to win, can't explain why. Didn't have that feeling in 85 & 92. Brilliant day what a shame we have had to wait more than 40 years to have another day like that.
Top stuff. But why that feeling about gonna win? Massive underdogs. Where did the optimism or self belief come from?
Comm I think it was just Stokoe had that team with togetherness (bit like Leicester this season), we actually played some really good football that season especially in the cup (obviously) and the main disappointment was that we didn't carry it through to the following season and the team was slowly broken up, as a club we missed a real opportunity to move onto the next level.
I agree with Cumbrian that it was Stokoe that revived us. I remember Arthur Appleton (Argus at that time) writing that eight of the team were already there when Stokoe came, but gradually they began to realise that the oppressive shackles of Brown had gone and a new freedom was there. They started to enjoy themselves, and that made the difference. Without that change of manager, we might easily have ended up in Div. 3 long before McMenemy. Brown had the players (like Bruce), but didn't know anything about man management. Stokoe running onto the pitch and being part of the team was something Brown would never have done - and it mattered.
Amazing day, and so many images are still so clear in my mind even after all these years. '' We went to Wembley stadium, was on the fifth of May Nineteen hundred and seventy three oh what a F****** day. We showed them how to chant and we showed them how to sup We even showed Newcastle how to win the FA Cup ! ''
Sure i read that at the time not one single safc player had played an international game whereas most of leeds team had. Correct?
but that's bollocks We sang :- We went to Wembley Stadium, t'was on the fifth of May Nineteen hundred and seventy three . . . . what a ****ing day We showed them how to drink their beer, we showed them how to sup We even showed the bastards how to win the F.A. Cup I remember that as if it were yesterday p.s. how can we have this thread without a video
Fair enough if that's what you sang, but I did the other one. Great memory either way, and each carried the same important messages.. Do you remember the following year David Coleman provided us with another classic, '' Keegan 2, Heighway 1 Liverpool 3, Newcastle none ''
Yes. The thing was that a fair few of ours could play at international level but weren't. Within a year or so of Stokoe coming, Hughes, Tueart, and Watson were internationals.and Malone would have had a hatful of caps if he hadn't come along at the same time as Danny McGrain. Leeds had eight or nine internationals at the time.
That '74 final was the first time any NE club had lost at Wembley. They'd been six times (4 Newcastle and 2 Sunderland) and won every time.
Had Leeds put someone taller than Billy Bremner on the back post then we probably would have lost that game haha!
Ok then! Just watched these brief highlights. Porterfield's goal, Monty's save (shown in slo mo from behind the goal, showing the drop in the defenders shoulders when they expect the net to bulge), the anticipation for the full time whistle which still makes me nervous despite knowing the outcome. Stokoe running across the pitch at full time, I think its Bobby Kerr who takes off Stokoes hat and puts it on himself in celebration. This happened 6 years before I was born. Why does it still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my eyes fill up!? Football meant so much more back then.
