The Second Half of an Update

Back after our half-time orange, the Seventies project now takes a turn into what has proved to be an abiding area of interest from the middle of that decade to the present, namely European football.

I’ve blogged on this subject previously and extensively, but, basically, I got into football via the 1974 World Cup and became immersed in the game in the autumn of that year with the domestic season and the exploits of a selection of British clubs in the various continental competitions for which they had qualified. However, what most appealed, mostly, when encountered via the results pages of the Daily Mirror newspaper and, in particular, Shoot! magazine were the identities of these teams’ opponents and, in an unwitting act of un-nationalism, such gloriously exotic names became immediate and enduring favourites.

Two of these happened to feature as Liverpool’s opponents in the opening two rounds of the now sadly defunct and much-lamented European Cup-Winners’ Cup, which was pure coincidence but nevertheless acts as the inspiration for the following two drawings.

First of all, the magnificently-monikered Strømsgodset, from Drammen in Norway, presented themselves as an attractive proposition and an underdog to be embraced after receiving an 11 - 0 pasting at Anfield in the first leg of their First Round tie. Prior to the return fixture, which big match was scheduled to take place in the national Ulleval Stadium in Oslo, a particularly wet Norwegian autumn had rendered the pitch somewhat churned-up and waterlogged, apparently to such an extent that the match was under threat of postponement.

Liverpool’s star striker duo of John Toshack and Kevin Keegan - the latter of whom we’ve already encountered twice earlier in this project - were sent out to perform publicity duties and be pictured ‘testing’ the state of the surface, albeit in their civvies (admire those fashions, those flares, if you will) rather than playing kit, and the source image of this media performance provides grist to the artistic mill in this instance. Much to the Liverpool contingent’s disbelief, as subsequently reported, the match did go ahead on the ‘cow field’ and our heroes Strømsgodset managed an impressively doughty display to restrict their opponents to a mere single-goal victory on this occasion: since, they have maintained a place in my heart.

John Toshack and Kevin Keegan, Oslo,October 1974

graphite & putty eraser on ‘Seawhite’ cartridge paper/42 x 30cm

Liverpool’s reward was to progress to a Second Round meeting with Hungary’s wonderful Ferencváros, one of a number of attractive clubs from Budapest, who had previously eliminated Cardiff City from the competition after a fabulous 4 - 1 victory on Welsh soil (as I was to become a Wrexham FC supporter, historically this defeat of the most despised of rivals is thus doubly enjoyable), and it is the first leg of this match, on Merseyside, that provides the source image for the next drawing, of Liverpool, and Kevin Keegan (again!) in particular, pictured attacking the Ferencváros goal. Keegan scored on the night to give his team a lead they held until the final minute, when Maté equalised for our Hungarian heroes, a goal that ultimately proved decisive as, following a scoreless return match, Ferencváros progressed to the next round courtesy of the ‘away goals rule’ in the event of a tied aggregate, a journey that subsequently continued to the Final of the 1974 - 75 season’s Cup-Winners’, where they sadly succumbed 0 - 3 to the then-Soviet Union’s Dynamo Kiev, one of the great clubs of European football but nowhere near one of my particular favourites, even from the Ukraine.

Liverpool v Ferencváros, ECWC, October 1974

graphite & putty eraser on ‘Seawhite’ cartridge paper/42 x 30cm

My first taste of live European match action came in September 1978, when I attended the Wrexham v NK Rijeka - then of Yugoslavia - European Cup-Winners’ Cup First Round, Second Leg, tie at the Racecourse Ground, where the hosts could retrieve only two of a three-goal First Leg deficit and thus departed the competition at the initial stage.

The next season saw Wrexham return to the Cup-Winners’ Cup and being drawn to play East Germany’s 1FC Magdeburg, winners of the trophy in 1974, in the First Round. As we were, of course, all schoolboy Communists at this time, such matches had a palpable exotic glamour to them, to yours truly at least, and to be there was magical indeed, to witness the action unfolding, beneath floodlights. The first leg took place at the Racecourse and it is this match that provides the source image for the following drawing, depicting Wrexham’s Steve Fox (far right) in the act of scoring his team’s equalising goal to make the score on the night 2 - 2: this was a proper cup tie of the legendary sort - Wrexham establishing a very early lead before Magdeburg recovered to 2 - 1 ahead by half-time. Fox’s goal arrived late but there still remained enough time for Wrexham to score a winning goal to take a 3 - 2 advantage to East Germany for the rematch (lost, unfortunately, 2 - 5 after extra time to again fall at the first hurdle), and it is such occasions that form the lasting memories, which those of us of a nostalgic inclination can recall fondly whilst they contribute to the personal cultural store.

Steve Fox scores, Wrexham v 1FC Magdeburg, ECWC, September 1979

graphite & putty eraser on ‘Seawhite’ cartridge paper/42 x 30cm

Next up, another sport-themed source image, this one of the author pictured some time at that particularly awkward age around the threshold of one’s teens, captured for posterity in sun-drenched colour. There is no requirement to add anything further here.

Tennis Self-Portrait, 1970s

coloured pencil on ‘Seawhite’ cartridge paper/30 x 42cm

Further to my inglorious history of being pictured pulling faces (or, perhaps, pulling faces when being photographed), the following drawing is based on a source image that is up there with the very best/worst. Taken for and published by a local newspaper in the summer of 1976, it depicts three of St Mary’s school’s ‘Prize Pupils’ clutching the books with which their academic achievements had been rewarded. The apparent loon grinning maniacally in the centre of the group of course made his parents very proud.

‘“The Prize Pupils”, 1976’

graphite & putty eraser on ‘Seawhite’ cartridge paper/30 x 42cm

Teenage Armchair Fandom (Subbuteo-style)

Continuing with the Half Man Half Biscuit-inflected 'Subbuteo' -themed series of still life paintings, this latest composition - essentially a study of a slight reduction in scale of the represented objects exploring the potential of a larger, more complex proposition - references the title and subject of the song 'I Was a Teenage Armchair Honved Fan' and thus features our miniature heroes sporting the colours of Honved on the left, in the red and black strip, and their Budapest neighbours and rivals - to whom I became attracted and attached as a pre-teen and have favoured since - Ferencváros in the green and white to the right. I've blogged on the subject of this very teenage armchair fandom as it relates to European clubs teams previously, at some length and in some detail, but this seems to be the first time I've made such an allusion in paint.

'Teenage Armchair Fandom (Subbuteo Budapest derby)'

oil on canvas/25cm x 35cm/June 2018

The pair of miniature figures are here represented as being placed in their cutout slots in the cardboard box of the type in which complete teams of players were/are presented for sale or otherwise in the boxed sets of the Subbuteo game, as will be obvious to anyone with even a passing acquaintance with such. It's noticeable that the plastic bases reflect more highlights in this state than being placed on a horizontal surface as previous examples have been, which helps give a bit more painterly 'zip' to proceedings.

World Cup '74 Portrait #171 (Carlos Reinoso: Chile)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Featuring as our subject today a re-mediated image of Carlos Reinoso, appearing every inch the archetypal Seventies' footballer, who was represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album & subsequently chosen as a member of the official Chile squad for the tournament, where he played in each of his country’s three matches: although I do remember Chile as being one of the teams present at the ’74 World Cup, I must admit to having no recollection of Carlos Reinoso or any of the individual players.

As regards contemporary matters, disappointing news of two of our favourites from a couple of the European city derby matches this weekend, with Red Star Belgrade losing to Partizan & Grasshoppers being defeated by FC Zurich. In Budapest, though, its rather pleasing to see grand old MTK up in second place, keeping winning to put a bit of pressure on the top spot, &, behind them Ferencvaros back up to fourth with a win.

World Cup '74 Portrait #162 (Wim Van Hanegem: Holland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

After another of those later-week drawing lulls, we’re able to get the weekend going with the latest subject in the project as it continues, representing here an image of Wim Van Hanegem, who was selected for inclusion in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums, & subsequently the official Holland squad for the tournament, in which he went on to play in all 7 of the Dutch team’s matches on the way to their losing appearance in the Final itself, & is a name remembered from the television coverage of the tournament, one of the handful that registered at the time.

By one of those wonderful occurrences of serendipity, this very morning, before embarking on today’s drawing process, a long-required copy of the 26^th October 1974 edition of Shoot! magazine arrived at TOoT Towers, having been tracked down at last, including the must-have-for-the-archives ‘Results’ section featuring the first mentions of a number of our enduringly-favourite European clubs as they’d been drawn against British teams in the first rounds of the 3 continental competitions, those names that had so stirred the blood & romantic tendencies (Strømsgodset, RWDM, Ajax & Ferencváros), & also carrying an interview with the very same Wim Van Hanegem, most interestingly speaking his mind about a number of footballing matters, not least the ’74 World Cup & its Final match & the domestic Dutch rivalry between Ajax & Feyenoord, then in what was probably an unremarkable manner but now reads shockingly forthright in a PR-driven age when footballer-drones say nothing that could be considered anything other than anodyne, utterly content-less & opinion-free in nature as it is (although the managers might have a post-match grumble-in-the-moment, which isn’t the same thing as a considered critique anyway).

In a further coincidence, the ‘Focus On’ feature in this particular Shoot! has as its subject Eric Morecambe (whose football connection was his then-presidency of Luton Town), with suitably light-hearted responses to the usual series of questions, also half the subject of the stage production ‘Eric & Little Ern’ which, with rather a great deal of anticipation, A & I are off to see this very evening.

(P.S. it was a wonderful, highly enjoyable show, spot-on performances & a fitting tribute)

World Cup '74 Portrait #97 (Berti Vogts: West Germany)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest randomly-chosen subject features Berti Vogts, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ sticker albums & subsequently, having been selected for the official West Germany squad for the Finals, like his full-back partner & the recently-drawn Paul Breitner, went on to appear throughout the tournament, in all 7 of the West Germans’ ultimately trophy-winning matches, although keeping a more defensive & lower profile (I can’t say whether I remember Vogts from the ’74 World Cup, or otherwise became aware of the name soon afterwards).

Somehow, the (unreliable) memory plays the trick that it was Berti Vogts who fouled Johan Cruyff to concede the second-minute penalty that led to Holland taking the lead in the Final even before a German player had touched the ball, but this was not the case, Uli Hoeness being the offender: Vogts, rather, playing for his club Borussia Monchengladbach, brought down Kevin Keegan to give away the decisive penalty to Liverpool during the 1977 European Cup Final.

P.S. (late evening)

Crikey O’Riley, never mind the distraction of the current World Cup (& Belgium finally overcoming the USA, & Tim Howard in particular, 2 – 1 after extra time in a decent old match), but ‘next’ season has kicked-off in earnest for TOoT tonight with one of our very favourite teams, the mighty Ferencváros, coming from behind to earn a 1 – 1 draw in Malta at Sliema Wanderers in the first leg of a Europa League First Qualifying Round tie: it’s going to be a long haul to the Final for our Hungarian heroes…

Shirt of the Day #1(Ferencváros)

Today finds us still featuring a ‘badge of the day’ of sorts, but in this case not a pin badge from the collection but an embroidered crest attached to a garment, in the form of a Ferencváros replica shirt, the particular design of which appears to be the 2007/08 season vintage (when the club were in the midst of a three-season sojourn in the Hungarian second division, initially imposed for financial irregularities), a prized acquisition indeed: the attachment to Ferencváros has been documented at earlier dates, & being able now to sport their green & white colours will add a whole new aesthetic dimension to our support.

Badge of the Day #52 (Stalybridge Celtic)

Today’s badge from the collection features another ornate crest in the form of that representing Stalybridge Celtic, very near neighbours of recently-featured Mossley (matches between whom constitute the great ‘Manchester’ derby) & another of the truly wonderful, romantic, ‘redolent’ names of non-League football, which they have been throughout almost their entire history although they did choose to grace the Football League for two seasons in the early 1920s before taking the massively mistaken decision to resign their place.
Whatever, & at whichever level of the pyramid the club might be playing, the name Stalybridge Celtic resonates & bestrides the football globe, at least as considered from the vantage point of TOoT, as this neat little piece of physical contextualization juxtaposes their badge beside those of Ferencváros & Atlético Madrid, comfortably existing on the same plane & within the same orbit of favoured teams.

In terms of current fortunes, this season the ‘Bridge are bobbing along in the lower half of the Conference North table, which could be better, & today saw the team go down, disappointingly, to a 2 – 3 defeat at home to Colwyn Bay, although that might be considered something of an improvement on Boxing Day’s archetypal ‘too much Christmas pudding’ 0 – 5 tonking at Altrincham: let’s hope for a happier new year…

Badge of the Day #1 (Ferencváros)

Premiering a device to at least get us blogging regularly here again, slight though it might be, & creatively productive as it isn't even remotely, today we present, individually, the first of the European football club badges featured in collected form yesterday.

Given the beginnings of this train of thought, it seems most appropriate to begin with the recently-acquired lapel pin badge representing the crest of the very wonderful Ferencváros, or, rather, to give them their full native due, Ferencvárosi Torna Club, of Budapest, the object being of a suitable vintage to inspire a nostalgia for when the mighty 'Fradi' featured amongst the higher echelons of not only Hungarian domestic soccer but also regularly at the business end of European club tournaments, winning the 1964-65 Fairs Cup & subsequently losing another final to Leeds United, a period that concluded, alas, just as I was developing an interest in the game, with the team's swansong appearance in the 1974-75 Cup-Winners' Cup Final, a 0 - 3 losing cause to Dynamo Kiev.
This defeat, however, occurred not before Ferencváros had eliminated not only Cardiff City & Liverpool from the competition but also the similarly glamorous Red Star Belgrade at the semi-final stage, a tie that constitutes, here at TOoT, one of the truly great match-ups across the map of European football, an aesthetically-delightful meeting of green & white against red & white.

Since, the years might have passed with varying degrees of domestic success, & ups & downs (to which the Budapest clubs in particular seem subject in the apparently ever-volatile environment of Hungarian domestic football), also including an appearance in the group stages of one of the earlier editions of the Champions' League (indeed, when that brave new world was the preserve only of champion clubs) that yielded the return of a fine 3 - 0 victory at Grasshoppers Zurich (another of the favoured clubs), a couple of draws & three good old-fashioned drubbings, including a pair of four-goal reverses at the hands of Ajax Amsterdam (& another of the particular favourites) on their way out of the tournament, yet the attraction & devotion to Ferencváros endures.

Coming right up to date, it was rather disappointing to discover that Ferencváros' latest fixture last Sunday resulted in a 0 - 3 defeat at home to Haladas Szombathely, this offset only slightly by the victors being amongst the collection of other but lesser favourites, but still the season is relatively young & there remains the opportunity to make up lost ground.