Chapter 14
Baxter's Jolly Boys Outing
With the group stage now complete, it was time for the knockout stage to begin and across England on the 23th July, four matches would be played in which would decide which four teams from those games would be in the Semi-finals of the World Cup. Only two of those games had British interest with England taking on Argentina at Wembley while Scotland taking on Hungary in Sunderland. For many who had hoped all four would go through, it was rather disappointing of how only two had made it through and even those who did were not getting their praises sung in which England had started off sluggishly and though they did won the group, they hadn't impressed much. That though was nothing compared to the Scotland team in which following their disastrous loss against North Korea had seen the Scottish press being utterly ruthless to the team and this was to a team who had
won the group! The Daily Record newspaper even going as far as wanting the team to leave the World Cup and head home in disgrace. Lord knows what the reaction would've been if that North Korea result had knocked the Scots
out of the World Cup. Some of the players had already speculated that they'd never be allowed back into the country let alone play for the team again.
That said even though the players would get flak, always in situations whenever things go badly wrong for the team then it is the manager who would often get the full brunt of the anger over team selection and this would be no exception for Scotland manager Ian McColl. Everyone knew that following Matt Busby leaving the job after the disaster in Chile four years ago in which Busby went to concentrate fully with Manchester United that it was always going to be big boots to fill. That (unlucky if you like) person to step into this position would be Ian McColl who would actually surprise many by winning the Home Internationals three years ago and oversaw qualification for the 1966 World Cup which more or less made his choice to be selected more or less justified. That said it wasn't the Scotland job he had as just the previous year, he had also taken on the job at Sunderland and it was a rather fitting set of circumstances in which Scotland had been playing two of their group games at Roker Park and with the fact that Jim Baxter also played for Sunderland (incidentally also joining Sunderland the same time as McColl did) so it is fair to say that in that time with the Scots playing at that stadium, now for the third time for this game, had become something of a mini Hampden and the local people of Sunderland had been rather friendly to the Scots so there was the comfort of familiar surroundings.
That all saying, on the morning of the game at the hotel while the team and SFA staff were all having breakfast, McColl was going over his team sheet for who would be playing in this game and had a made a few changes for the line up with Charlie Cooke replacing Pat Stanton, who had been injured in the North Korea game, Tommy Gemmell replacing Willie Bell and Willie Johnston replacing Alex Scot. Helping him with the team selection would be his assistant manager that was none other than newly made Celtic manager Jock Stein though if things had gone differently, the roles of who would be who might've all be all so different. After Scotland crashed out in the first round of the last World Cup, Jock Stein, who was managing Dunfermline Athletic at the time, had been the favourite to replace Busby, however much to everyone's surprise he said that even if he had been given the Scotland job, he would've eventually falling out of favour with it as he was determined to focus more work at club level. That all said, he was happy enough to act as McColl's number two for the Scotland team and had helped supply the team with a number of Celtic players for the World Cup.
Scotland manager Ian McColl
As McColl drank his cup of tea he glanced over at the several newspapers sporting sections and his eyes darted at at the Daily Record which a horrible and scathing write up of the team wanting them to head home after the North Korean debacle.
At that moment, one of the staff members of the hotel ran up to him and spoke in a thick Mackem accent. "Sir, sum o' the press lads are here tuh see yee.."
Busby glanced up from his drink before placing the mug down. "English or Scottish?"
"...Sorry?" Replied the member of staff in confusion.
"The press chaps," Busby added. "Are they English or Scottish?"
The staff member made an 'ah' shape with his mouth as he understood what he meant. "Oh I see, uh, they're English, from the BBC or ITN ah think."
The Scotland manager smiled as he stood up. "Ah good staff, lad. Thank God it's the English as I cannae stand oor bloody press at home." He pointed to a Daily Record newspaper that was on the table with it's horrible headline to prove his point. "At least yer folks are more acceptin'."
"Not always wi' England, sir," the staff member replied with a chuckle with McColl and Stein joining in. Jokes aside however, as McColl walked away to meet up with the press who were somewhere in the hotel awaiting to interview him, he knew now that it was all to play for now there was no room for slip ups. With that all said, the interview went about as well as what he expected with much asking him what was his game plan and could he avoid embarrassment like with North Korea? He managed to get through it without incident though there was one question that he had been wanting to avoid and one that was a real elephant in the room; where was Jim Baxter?
The night before the game, the Scotland star had gone for a sneaky trip up the A1 back to his native Fife to catch up with his family though there were rumours flying around the city in which he was still here and in that time was out chatting up some of the local girls in the area and drinking it out in some pub in the North East. Knowing Baxter, it wasn't exactly unreasonable to think he'd be doing the former despite being married for just over a year now. At the same time, it was a pain for the players and coaching staff as Baxter was suppose to play in this game but he was still missing on the morning of the Quarter-Final and the longer this went on for then it was more than likely that Dundee player Andy Penman could take his place in the team. It was the last thing the team wanted though it was kept secret as if the press were to find out no sooner after what had happened, they'd likely have a field day with this.
Rare photo of Baxter somewhere in Sunderland meeting with the locals during the World Cup
It would be though just before team were to have an early lunch just before twelve in the afternoon that the wanderer did return into the dining room and pretty much all of the Scottish contingent were left stunned and Baxter's unannounced arrival. "How do lads?" Baxter greeted them as he took an empty seat beside a bemused Willie Bell at the breakfast table. "What's the matter? Gettin' ready fer the game?"
At once, the silence that greeted him was replaced by an uproar of anger of many trying to get a word in all asking the same question or saying they wanted to pay him out over what he had pulled off. The shouting match was quickly halted when McColl banged his fist on the table to get everyone's attention which quickly they went back to silence as the Scotland manager stood up looking red in the face.
"Where the hell have you been?!" McColl snapped, rarely showing his anger like this to his players. "I've already been gettin' the team selected and ye come in to muck up all the plans!"
"What were you doin' anyway?" John Greig asked from a table nearby.
"Obvious isn't it?" Baxter replied. "We were gettin' absolute pelters frae th' press so I took a wee trip back hame to meet the wi' the family to relax before comin' back doon the road."
No one had expected this from the team's joker and they all looked at him silence, he then turned to look at McColl and Stein. "You've nae planned th' tactics yet have ye? That means nothin' has been affected." He paused then a cheeky smirk appeared on his face. "Actually, whit if ah told ye already kent th' tactics?"
Jock Stein rolled his eyes, "How would ye know?"
"I do ken the plan though," Baxter replies with a crafty grin. "Ye want us to play attackin' fitba and try and naw lose a goal by th' Hungarians, we'd be playin' 4-3-1-2, I'd be in Midfield and ye'd want me tae pass th' ball up tae Denis so he can score the goals."
Both McColl and Stein look at him stunned and the rest don't know how to react upon hearing all this. "H-how did ye ken all that?!" McColl gawks.
"Simple," Baxter replies as he pulls out a sheet from his bag, "Found th' team sheet lying in our hotel lobby you must've left th' other night, I read it and it's a good tactic I'll say though ye must've leave things around th' place. Could fall in th' wrang hands."
Stein and McColl were stunned, somehow that crafty joker of a man had discovered their plans and had made them look like a bunch of fools in front of everyone. Silence gripped the players and staff and then almost at once, all of the players roared with laughter with some coming up to pat Baxter on the back. It is hard to say if it is good idea for him for Baxter to do these antics and what he put the whole team through, but it seems that in the moment, he has helped relax the players before such a big game.
Baxter and Law during warm up training prior to the Quarter-Final tie with Hungary
After that, lunch goes without incident and the team head off to Roker Park with the story of Baxter's Jolly Boys Outing being kept secret from everyone and it would only come out years later of what happened that everyone would know of just how close Baxter came to turn all plans upside down because of his antics. The game would kick-off at three in the afternoon and like what the team had gotten use to at this point, they were greeted to a large and mostly Scottish crowd backing them, though it must be said that they weren't being optimistic about their chances due to the last game. The locals who were there did find great joy in seeing that Baxter was in the starting line up, though like everyone else was made oblivious of the drama before the game.
Apart from being a Quarter-Final tie, the game itself had more than just a Semi-Final spot as the prize for whoever won as McColl felt that there was jokes to be put down as despite being a proud football nation who took the game seriously, they were actually the only Home Nation who had not reached the last four of a World Cup and this was a bad record that followed the Scotland team around like a bad stench and now this game was surely a chance to put that unwanted record to bed and move into the last four for the first time. It was rather funny for a Hungarian point of view in which in the last World Cup at this very stage that had lost to Wales and now here they were again at this stage with yet another British team to fight off, only this time it seemed to be more daunting as the huge amount of Scottish fans who had all made the short journey to Sunderland had turned the game into more of a 'home' game for the Scots. Was lighting going to strike twice for them?
When both teams walked out, this 'home' advantage the Hungarians feared became apparent when they were greeted to the sight of hundreds of Lion Rampant flags being flown from the terraces and that was not a nice sight if you weren't Scottish. The game would soon begin and this time Scotland were playing more as a team that not only meant business but were determined to silence the critics and their game plan of high pressing football was there to be admired and the Hungarians didn't look at all comfortable. Things for them would all go wrong quickly in the fifth minute in which Baxter looks like he is about to cross the ball towards Law to shoot it in on target, however he finds a good positing that he came aim for and instead lobs the ball from outside the penalty box and the ball hits the crossbar before bouncing downwards, hits the goal line before bouncing upwards to hit the roof of the net and putting Scotland a goal up.
Scottish players celebrate taking the lead in the Quarter-Final
Many a Scotsman either in that crowd, listening on radio or watching it live on television would have felt great joy at that early goal, no more so than McColl and Stein and the two men say nothing but smile at each other knowing that they'll not only answer their critics, but make them eat their words for what they have said about the team prior to this game. Great pressing play follows as the Hungarians seem helpless to hold off the Scottish attack and this attacking style of play. The crowd are roaring in delight at what they see and are all crying out for another goal and their wishes would be answered in in the twenty-seventh minute when Bremner crosses the ball up towards Cooke who runs with the ball before performing a delicious back pass towards Law who then takes it into the box and slotting the ball into the back of the net and making the score line read 2-0 for Scotland.
Scotland are flying with just less than half an hour played and it is a vast improvement the last game. The previous lukewarm supporters, who quite a number of them came down with more hope than expectation, have now starting cheering loudly as if it is like a long lost love affair has been reignited, it is nothing short of redemption for the team. However, all around the ground, news has filtered through of other results being played and one in Liverpool of a most incredible kind. That game in question was Scotland's conquerors North Korea playing Portugal and to the shock of play, they had only just gone 3-0 on Portugal and suddenly all thoughts of Scotland's humiliation at their hands didn't seem all that bad now as maybe there was more to them than what anyone was willing to give them. (Portugal would eventually fight back to defeat North Korea 5-3 but that's another story.)
Nonetheless here in Sunderland, Scotland were well and truly on top and with such a score, it looked as though the Hungarians were not going to have any luck and ended up out of frustration more than anything and all this bad play was all not going well for them and the Scots would keep them at bay for the rest of the first half while at times trying to find a third goal that would surely kill this game off. Alas that would not be the case as the first half would end 2-0 for the Scots and everything in that moment seemed all perfect, a far contrast of where they were before as they waited to play for the second half.
Jimmy Johnstone during the Quarter-Final tie with Hungary
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When it was time for the second half, Scotland were looking to carry on from where they left off and there was a few tweaks made to the team just to keep things in check though Hungary looked different for the second half as now they seemed more like a team that meant business and was keeping the Scots out for the best part of ten minutes in that opening half and there is a nagging feeling at the back of many people's minds that Scotland might be about to hit the rocks if they aren't too careful and this proves to be true as in the fifty-seventh minute of the game and from looking quite good in that opening period of the half, Bene scores for Hungary that makes the score line read 2-1 and there are some nervous expressions on the faces of the travelling Scotland fans in the ground and watching the game on television know that there is still potential for the Scots to mess this up. No one would deny that Hungary deserve that goal and from the dug out, McColl could be see shouting at the players to wake up as there is a game to play.
The game after that becomes more open in which both teams try to find another goal in which both knew was important in which if Scotland scored then the game would be put to bed though in Hungary scored...things could get messy to say the least. Even the huge Scottish support in the crowd seem nervous and they are not chanting as much as they were before as even they know how finely balanced this game seems to be now. It is during one Scottish counter attack in the sixty-sixth minute that Denis Law attempts to volley in a nice shot but it is blocked by the Hungarian keeper, however his block is more of a punch as it goes out of the box and right into the path of Jimmy Johnstone and fires the ball back just as it hits the ground and sends it rocketing right past the keeper, catching him off guard and making the score line now read 3-1 for Scotland.
It is a great goal and a good response to Hungary's goal and one might have been able to hear not just the roar of thousands of Scotland fans but also the sigh of relief that must have went with it. The game however it far from other as Stein and McColl keep on yelling at the players to keep a hold of the ball and start holding it back and their confidence and even arrogance in a way starts to show so much that they even start entertaining the forty-thousand something strong crowd in Roker Park by performing little tricks with each teammate while frustrating their Hungarian opponents by not letting them get a touch of the ball. The most memorable moment would of that man Jim Baxter showing off to the crowd as he would entertain the fans to show that he wasn't just a joker but a key player too.
Live broadcast footage of Baxter showing off to the crowd towards the end of the match
This goes on for most of the game and despite Bene nearly scoring a goal in the eighty-third minute, which would have caused many a brown trousers, thankfully just goes wide of the post. But there is also a shot by Baxter in the eighty-eighth minute which while goes in is sadly is ruled offside much to annoyance of the crowd. Nonetheless, Scotland hold onto that score and book their place into the Semi-finals for the first time in their history and following the final whistle by the Spanish referee there is a minor pitch invasion of delighted Scotland fans who want to celebrate with their heroes.
After all the drama going into the game prior at the start of the day, the victory felt well and truly worth it and now all roads would leave to Liverpool while news would also filter through that England managed to dispatch Argentina in a bad tempered game and that Scotland's opponents would be West Germany. For now though, Scotland would leave the North East and head south to Liverpool in which Merseyside was about to see a tartan invasion of thousands...
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And here we are, Scotland are in a Semi-Final and we get to have more fun and frolics with one Jim Baxter who let's be honesty would likely do some of the things you've read here had Scotland been at the WC in 1966. So then, here is the final four as it stands...
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West Germany vs Scotland
England vs Portugal
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So yeah, all the other games (and England's run so far) is pretty much the same as OTL. Nonetheless stay tuned for the Semi-Finals in which will see what happens next...!