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

Bristol City said:
Bit of a sticky one for me to comment on, I agree with you all that Hills actions were wrong and it was definitely cheating.

With that being said, if you were in our position, 15 minutes left and you needed a draw. If you didn't play for the draw, tried to score and ended up conceding, and going down.

To this day you would still be talking about the 'f***ing idiots' in 77 that only had to draw with 15 minutes left and the other results finished, but still managed to go down.

I'm not saying it's all Coventry and not us (although it sort of was), but with 15 minutes to go and relegation on the line I would bet my house on every other team in the league doing the same.
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I don't think Sunderland fans have ever really blamed Bristol City for their part in the debacle. You're absolutely right that any club, including Sunderland, would have done the same when presented with the knowledge that was made available. The thing we hate is Jimmy Hill's actions in this - he clearly violated the integrity of football, yet he presented himself as a paragon of virtue with the game's interests at heart. An obnoxious person in every way imaginable. But we should have taken care of business ourselves and not lost at Everton to even allow the farce to develop.

It would have been even more intriguing if Coventry had still been winning when the final score at Everton came through. I wonder if they would have then allowed Bristol City to equalise? I know we were losing when news came through of your equaliser and, the way we were playing at Goodison, the realisation quickly set in that we were down before the game ended - we kept hoping that you'd score a third one, but we all knew there was no point, as we certainly didn't look like getting an equaliser, and then Everton scored the second goal in the last minute and it was all over.

After the euphoria of our draw at Norwich on the Saturday, we just didn't get started and Everton won because they could, not because they really went hard at it. A truly horrible day.
 


Freedom of Information Request ? I am not legally minded , but there are still so many unanswered questions , would it be possible to prepare such a request . The FA , Coventry and Sunderland will hold information to confirm - who , where and when was the decision made to delay the Coventry game . At what time was the Coventry referee informed of the delay , did he inform the Everton referee , if not , why not ? When did the Everton referee first find out the Coventry game was delayed ?Who arranged for the Sunderland score to be announced over the Coventry tannoy .Why did the Coventry referee allow the final 15 minutes of the game be played with the teams simply passing the ball to each other .
Who authorised Jimmy Hill to be part the inquiry , when he was the Coventry chairman ? From the evidence held why no sanctions against Coventry and Bristol
I intend writing to the FA , Sunderland and Coventry asking for answers , and copies of any information they hold . However anybody prepared to try the Freedom of information route , please see what can be achieved .
For those who remember Jimmy Hill from his Match of the Day career .He played from 49 to 61 .Then chairman of the PFA , in 1961 he successfully campaigned to end the maximum wage . Coventry managing director in 75 , in 77 when this game was played he was Coventry chairman . He had immense influence , numerous favours to be called in , and close contacts in the corridors of power
questions still need to be answered , how as chairman of Coventry the game was delayed , tannoy announcement made , then he sits on the inquiry in to his own clubs actions .
We were cheated , then denied natural justice .
 
Bristol have no blame at all ... they equalised and did what any team would do in the circumstances. Likewise the Coventry team - and supporters ...

The officials yes ... BUT Jimmy Hill is the true villain!!! Never liked him on MOTD ... always talked crap!
 
We were totally outplayed that night and Everton really raised their game. In truth we were never in the game and a defeat was inevitable from kickoff. Big shame as our fans were crammed in and we deserved better
 
thamesvalleyman said:
Don't try to change the subject. Coventry cheated , they were found guilty but escaped with no sanctions as Hill was on the investigating committee.

Doesn't matter how long ago it was, 31 years after the event Hill was escorted away by the police at Fulham for trying to wind up the Sunderland fans.

It's not like we're going to say ok we will hate you for the next 12 months but after that its ok.
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My dad was there , still calls hill a cheating bastard to this day
Said to bloke at work years ago that i thought Everton fans were friendlier than Liverpool fans , he said tell that to the ones who chased me around Stanley park with knives in 1977
 
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Astute said:
Police advice. But if course that is fully denied by thise who are so upset over something that happened so many years ago.

And we shall also ignore where Sunderland have cheated for real. Or how about how you had it all in your own hands. Or how your own club wouldn't have gone full out attack when all you would have needed was a point.

But yeah.
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I was there at Goodison that night and we were well beaten by Everton.

Jimmy Hill was out of order but this hatred of all things Coventry that many of our fans have is beyond ridiculous.

Sadly, hatred is the over-riding emotion most of such fans seem to have. They claim to hate our various owners over the years, hate many of our players past and present, and hate the fans of random clubs around the country.
 
thamesvalleyman said:
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.
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That’s just ruined my day. Thanks very much. 😢
 
Gloucester said:
I was there at Goodison that night and we were well beaten by Everton.

Jimmy Hill was out of order but this hatred of all things Coventry that many of our fans have is beyond ridiculous.

Sadly, hatred is the over-riding emotion most of such fans seem to have. They claim to hate our various owners over the years, hate many of our players past and present, and hate the fans of random clubs around the country.
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it’s all part of fans folklore for clubs like ours. I was brought up on all those stories and things like the 58 relegation. The reality is if you scratch at it a bit it’s all bollocks. Like the 58 relegation is the root of all the problems - is it hell man. A well run club would just bounce back from that no problem. It’s a convenient narrative to have that everything is stacked against you. Luckily as an Englishman I also get to enjoy similar hard luck stories for the national side too 😂 chips on both shoulders!
 
Astute said:
Police advice. But if course that is fully denied by thise who are so upset over something that happened so many years ago.

And we shall also ignore where Sunderland have cheated for real. Or how about how you had it all in your own hands. Or how your own club wouldn't have gone full out attack when all you would have needed was a point.

But yeah.
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You didn’t need a point, you needed to win. You cheated to change that arithmetic.
 
thamesvalleyman said:
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.
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Not a good situation of course, but conveniently distracts from the truth that survival was actually in our own hands, we did what we've done so many times and fucked up when survival was down to us.
We should never of given Jimmy Hill the opportunity that any one would of taken advantage of.
 
Thanks for reminding me of probably the most disappointing night of supporting safc.
Always hated J Hill ,smug smarmy typical BBC twat and that took the biscuits.
 
Gloucester said:
I was there at Goodison that night and we were well beaten by Everton.

Jimmy Hill was out of order but this hatred of all things Coventry that many of our fans have is beyond ridiculous.

Sadly, hatred is the over-riding emotion most of such fans seem to have. They claim to hate our various owners over the years, hate many of our players past and present, and hate the fans of random clubs around the country.
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You my friend are the voice of reason. I was at the Coventry game that night and what went on was totally wrong but here we are over 40 years later still dredging it up. You can’t change history but you can learn from it. Apologies to you older Mackems, don’t expect you to forgive but would just ask you to move on and leave it in the past.
 
just found this thread. I was at Highfield Road that night, and I recorded the event in my book "Birth of The Sky Blues" as follows:-
UNLUCKY BLACK CATS
The authorities now ensure that all the games are played on the
same day and that all games kick off at the same
time, so no one team gains an advantage by knowing
exactly what it has to do to succeed. This is a fairly
recent innovation, and prior to this arrangement
postponed final games were played on different
nights at the end of the season, the result being that
the last team to play had a distinct advantage. On
one famous (infamous?) occasion in May 1977, this
was, by sheer chance, not the case and the teams
facing relegation all had their final games kicking off
on the same night at 7.30 p.m. The teams in question
were Sunderland, Bristol City and Coventry. The table
was a statistician’s delight (In 1977 two points for a
win and three up/three down): -

Played Points

WEST HAM 42 36
SUNDERLAND 41 34
BRISTOL C 41 34
----------------------------------------------------------------------
COVENTRY 41 34
STOKE 42 34
SPURS 42 33
Intriguingly, Coventry were at home to relegation
rivals Bristol City. Sunderland were away to Everton,
and if they won or drew they survived, with the winner
of the other game also staying up. If the Coventry
game ended in a draw with Sunderland avoiding
defeat, then Coventry would take the drop. Even a
small defeat for Sunderland would still see them safe,
unless the other game ended in a draw, in which
event they would be relegated.
When I reached the ground at 7.20, I was amazed
to see Swan Lane heaving with people queuing to get
in, and it was clear that Bristol had brought an army
of support. At 7.30, I was still outside and heard that
the game had been put back by 15 minutes. I just
about made the kick-off. City took the lead before half
time through Tommy Hutchinson and he increased it
midway through the second half. This goal had totally
the wrong effect on Bristol (from our point of view)
and they started playing out of their skins to hit back
immediately and then, with 15 minutes to go, they
equalised, which put us into the relegation slot. Bristol
had momentum with them now and pressed forward
for the winner. City seemed to have shot their bolt,
and we started to feel sick to our stomachs.
Then, with about 10 minutes to go, the final score
from Goodison was flashed up on the electronic
scoreboard at the Kop end. Everton had beaten
Sunderland 1-0 and a draw at Highfield Road would
keep Coventry and Bristol up. Both sets of supporters
inside Highfield Road went crazy! The teams had also
noticed the announcement, and they knew a draw
would keep them both safe, and now started the most
bizarre few minutes of football I have ever witnessed,
with the ball being kicked from one team to the other
in the middle third of the pitch to the wild cheers of
the crowd. After the final whistle, something
happened which I am sure wasn’t spotted by some of
the crowd, such was their delight. The phrase
“CORRECTION TO SCORE” appeared on the
scoreboard, followed by a long pause and then - the
words…..
EVERTON 2 SUNDERLAND 0
This was no doubt a little Jimmy Hill trick, but as we
were the ones to be relegated if Sunderland hadn’t
lost after all, the word “Correction” caused a moment
of panic for those of us who spotted it.
The controversy sparked by this event lasted for a
while, but accusations of skullduggery against Hill,
who was back at the club as Managing Director at the
time, were wide of the mark. There were genuine
crowd problems outside the ground and it was a wise
decision to delay the game. In any event, the
Coventry game could easily have been the night
AFTER the Sunderland game, and nobody would
have complained then. But the draw would still have
been the obvious solution to both teams from the start
of the game, not just the last ten minutes. In any
case, I really don’t see why Sunderland fans
remember the occasion with such bitterness. All their
team had to do was draw to stay up, and they failed.
 

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