43 years ago today 19th May 1977 Everton 2 Sunderland 0/ coventry 2 Bristol City 2/ cheating sky blue filth



As already mentioned, West Ham at home to win promotion. They were still pissed from the weekend and wanted us to go up rather than Chelsea.

Also, Liverpool 0 SAFC 1. Bob Paisley went off it with the Liverpool players for making it look too obvious.
Well both are obviously not SAFC cheating are they not?
 
Well both are obviously not SAFC cheating are they not?
Well our most blatant cheating was in the 1950's paying players backhanders but we were severely punished for it. In fact it probably shaped the direction of the club from at that time being one of the most successful to one that's won one trophy since.
 
I remember we were robbed in a midweek match at Man City. The Mags scored a last minute equaliser on Good Friday. Ifs buts and maybes. What was unfortunate however .. in winter the pools panel sat 3 times during our terrible run and all 3 times we played and lost. Now had those games been held back ....
I thought over loads of games that season for just one thing where we could or should have scraped a point but as you say pure personal soul destroying speculation. We didn't get it so that was that.....back into obscurity after just one season.
 
Well our most blatant cheating was in the 1950's paying players backhanders but we were severely punished for it. In fact it probably shaped the direction of the club from at that time being one of the most successful to one that's won one trophy since.
True, but Coventry were not made to pay at all for their cheating
 
After the roller coaster game at Norwich, we headed into the last game of the season to Goodison Park. We took another huge following to this game, to put things in context Everton's previous 2 games had attracted 20102 and 24000 respectively but there were 36,075 at Goodison that night including around 10,000 Sunderland fans.

After a terrible start to the season (Played 23 9 points), we were top of the form table the previous 16 games W9 D7 L2.

Coventry were playing Bristol City the same night and the situation was very close. All 3 teams were level on the same points, with Coventry having the worst goal difference. So Bristol City and ourselves both needed a draw and Coventry were in the biggest danger of relegation.

For our part, a draw would be enough, or a defeat would even be ok if there was a decisive result in the other game.
It's quite clear that Jimmy Hill had pre-planned their game to kick off late, in those days it was extremely rare for a game to be delayed.

But delayed by 15 minutes it was.

So we kicked off at Everton but sadly the occasion seemed to get to the players and we froze on the night, losing 2-0 to goals from Latchford and Rioch.

The real drama of the night was at Highfield Road though. Coventry had gone 1-0 up and at half time it looked as if Bristol City were going down. Even more so when coventry went 2-0 up in the second half.

Bristol got one back and laid siege to the coventry goal, and equalised to bring the scores level. Bristol City continued to dominate and were looking like they might score again, which would potentially relegate the home side.

Meanwhile due to our game kicking off on time, it had finished and we had lost 2-0.

Hill then arranged for our score to be announced on the tannoy and shown on the scoreboard, this was very unusual at the time.

What then happened was an absolute disgrace as the sides made a mockery of football by not even trying. The Bristol City goalkeeper and defenders just passed the ball between themselves and the coventry players did not even try to get the ball.

A farcical end to the season and the tv pictures of the coventry and Bristol City players told you all you needed to know.

An inquiry was ordered into the events and bizarrely Jimmy Hill was part of the inquiry. Think of an accused man sitting on the jury of his trial and that's a good comparison.

Coventry were charged and found guilty of influencing a game by erroneous or foul means but although they were found guilty the result was allowed to stand and we were relegated in highly controversial fashion.

An absolute disgrace and for me one that I'll never forgive or forget. I'll hate the sky blue filth until they, or I, die and I'm hoping they will go first.

Ironically a few years later West Germany and Austria played out a tame 1-1 draw in the 1982 World Cup, this result allowed both teams to go through at the expense of Algeria whose game had finished. Hill then had the nerve to complain about the antics of both sides. Pot. Kettle. Black.
So if you won you would have stayed up? Only yourselves to blame.
 
So if you won you would have stayed up? Only yourselves to blame.
Well not really. Winning games of football at the top level is hard. You wont win them all but you reasonably expect that other teams in your division can't get points by cheating and be allowed to get away with it.
 
You omitted pointy chinned **** out of your description.

We didn't play well on the night but as others have said what chinny did that night was abysmal.
The thing is, Hill was a win at all costs kind of person. There are loads of them around in football now.

And there are people who don’t take the fans with them. Just to be clear, if Sunderland‘s kick off had been delayed by 15 minutes, would Coventry City fans hold a grudge for so long? Nope.

I’m CCFC, I was in the ground really early and the Bristol Pen was very sparse until the decision was made to put the KO back. There is no denying that it was helpful. The final score came through and that was that. However, if you were a City fan, you‘d have been skeptical right up to the final whistle. As it was Bristol and City were safe.

All fans react against defeats. Over a season, it becomes obvious why we are where we are. We dust ourselves down and go again.
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3 points for a win , Safc would have stayed up
Who championed the 3 point system?
 
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The thing is, Hill was a win at all costs kind of person. There are loads of them around in football now.

And there are people who don’t take the fans with them. Just to be clear, if Sunderland‘s kick off had been delayed by 15 minutes, would Coventry City fans hold a grudge for so long? Nope.

I’m CCFC, I was in the ground really early and the Bristol Pen was very sparse until the decision was made to put the KO back. There is no denying that it was helpful. The final score came through and that was that. However, if you were a City fan, you‘d have been skeptical right up to the final whistle. As it was Bristol and City were safe.

All fans react against defeats. Over a season, it becomes obvious why we are where we are. We dust ourselves down and go again.

Who championed the 3 point system?
The thing is I am a hold a grudge person there are a lot of SAFC fans who were at Everton that night and feel they were cheated. They were, which ever way you dress his antics up that night it was a disgrace. Cheating **** of a man watched by people like you who think it's OK. Win at all costs is the excuse you come up with ffs just don't comment instead of trying to defend his actions.
 
The thing is, Hill was a win at all costs kind of person. There are loads of them around in football now.

And there are people who don’t take the fans with them. Just to be clear, if Sunderland‘s kick off had been delayed by 15 minutes, would Coventry City fans hold a grudge for so long? Nope.

I’m CCFC, I was in the ground really early and the Bristol Pen was very sparse until the decision was made to put the KO back. There is no denying that it was helpful. The final score came through and that was that. However, if you were a City fan, you‘d have been skeptical right up to the final whistle. As it was Bristol and City were safe.

All fans react against defeats. Over a season, it becomes obvious why we are where we are. We dust ourselves down and go again.

Who championed the 3 point system?
Hill
 
Well our most blatant cheating was in the 1950's paying players backhanders but we were severely punished for it. In fact it probably shaped the direction of the club from at that time being one of the most successful to one that's won one trophy since.

Thing was everyone was doing it, we were just made the example of. It changed football
 

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