C1 1978 1979 Liverpool Nottingham Forest

Premier Tour Retour

27 septembre 1978

Anfield Road Liverpool

ENG resume 40  pass twb22.blogspot.com

Unseen & long awaited version more than a few minutes highlights

C1.1978.1979.Liverpool.Forest.19780927.twb22.blogspot.com.2MT.mp4

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Back in the days of the old European Cup it was almost impossible for two English clubs to meet, as the only way it could come about was for one team to qualify as holders and another to enter as champions. Then they would have to be drawn together. When that happened, with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest paired without seeding in the first round of the 1978-79 competition, it was a shock to the whole country. It was certainly a shock to Garry Birtles, then a 22-year-old on the fringes of the Forest first team, but still waiting to make his senior debut.

"We thought we'd be going to Italy or Spain, somewhere a bit exotic," Birtles says. "Drawing Liverpool didn't seem right. Partly because it wasn't much of a trip and partly because they were such a fantastic team we thought we were bound to lose. We had never played in the European Cup before, and it looked like we might be going out without even getting out of the country."

As September arrived and the first leg at the City Ground approached, ­Liverpool embellished their unbeaten start to the season with a 7-0 demolition of Spurs at Anfield, Terry McDermott completing the rout with one of everybody's favourite goals. "Deep down we were scared," Birtles says. "But Brian Clough told us we didn't need to worry about the opposition. He said we were better than them and we had nothing to be afraid of as long as we played our own game. He always said that, he wasn't one for filling your head with tactics or warning you what opponents might do. He'd just say go out and play.

"The thing was I had no idea I would be playing until the last minute. I made my debut against Arsenal on the ­Saturday, and afterwards the boss said I'd be the first name on the teamsheet for Liverpool, which was his way of ­saying I'd done well. I didn't know whether I could believe him, but sure enough I was in, and I scored my first goal, so I stayed in for the next game, which was Manchester United. That was my first week. Arsenal and United on the ­Saturdays, with a goal against Liverpool in the European Cup in between." According to Kenny Dalglish, who generously acknowledges that Forest left Liverpool looking like the European novices, the holders would have been better accepting a 1-0 defeat and trying to overcome the deficit at Anfield. "In Europe a 1-0 defeat in a first leg away from home is not normally a bad result," Dalglish says. "But because we were playing familiar league opponents we foolishly went chasing the game and got punished when Colin Barrett scored." Birtles remembers it well. "After I'd scored Phil Thompson told me a ­single goal wouldn't be enough to take to Anfield," he says. "So when we scored again, cocky young thing that I was, I went up to him and said: 'Will two be enough then?' He was speechless."

Two proved plenty. The Forest defence put up the shutters and the second leg stayed goalless. All Birtles remembers of the trip to Anfield is feeling incredibly nervous beforehand, yet being bizarrely relaxed by the presence of Bill Shankly on the team coach. "Don't ask me how that came about," he says. "It didn't seem normal, but not much ever did under Brian Clough. Shankly must have come to our hotel or something, and we took him to the game. I never asked why. You just didn't."You could not have told Birtles at that point, or anyone else from Forest with the possible exception of the ­manager, that the next two European Cups would end up in Nottingham, yet that is what happened. "Unbelievable, isn't it?" Birtles says. "It's like Barnsley doing it. Every time I watch Liverpool now I look for the flags on the Kop, because there's a two-year gap in the dates. They go from '77 and '78 to '81. And I always think: that's us. That gap. We did that."

Inevitably, perhaps, Birtles thinks the modern arrangement has lost a ­little magic. "The competition should just be for champions, even the title gives that away, but it's all about making money now," he says. "I enjoy watching the games, but with English teams ­meeting each other so often it's becoming a bit predictable. Thank goodness for ­Barcelona, that's what I say."

Liverpool: Ray Clemence, Phil Neal, Alan Kennedy, Phil Thompson, Ray Kennedy, Emlyn Hughes (C), Kenny Dalglish, Jimmy Case, Steve Heighway, Terry McDermott, Graeme Souness.

Substitutions: David Fairclough replaced JImmy Case after 71 minutes and David Johnson replaced Terry McDermott after 71 minutes.

Nottingham Forest: Peter Shilton, Viv Anderson, Frank Clark, John McGovern, Larry Lloyd, Kenny Burns, Archie Gemmill, Ian Bowyer, Garry Birtles, Tony Woodcock, John Robertson.

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