Filed under: Blackpool, Burnley, Chelsea, Liverpool, Football, Remember When...
Misbehaving footballers are not a new breed. Perhaps they attract a lot more publicity nowadays, but players who step out of line have always been around.And, as Chelsea prepare to play at Blackpool on Monday, their meeting revives memories of a previous infamous trip to the seaside resort by the London club.
It happened nearly 46 years ago, but you can still find Chelsea fans who recall it vividly and will insist their stay in the town cost them the championship.
Chelsea had been among the frontrunners in the old first division throughout the season after finishing fifth in the previous season.
Manager Tommy Docherty had built a talented and exciting side, but cracks were appearing even before they headed to their Blackpool base for the crucial final three games of the season, all of them in the north west and starting with a match against title rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
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Docherty, keen on discipline, had upset several of his players, particularly Terry Venables, who was a strong personality within the dressing room.
But they still cherished hopes of finishing in top spot, which were badly dented when they lost in the Monday night match at Liverpool.
They returned to their hotel and what happened next was to make front page headlines. It was widely reported at the time that some of the players angered Docherty by going out in Blackpool on the night before their game at Burnley the following Saturday.
However, the truth is that a bust-up between the manager and his players was caused on the night after the Liverpool game.
Docherty, upset by the performance at Anfield, had cancelled permission for the players to go out in Blackpool on Tuesday night.
But eight of them still headed for a nightclub and were spotted by a porter at their hotel. He told Docherty and the manager reacted by effectively ending their title aspirations and dropping eight of his most influential players.
Venables, George Graham, Barry Bridges, Joe Fascione, Bert Murray, John Hollins, Eddie McCreadie and Marvin Hinton were all sent home ahead of their Saturday game at Burnley.
It meant Docherty had to replace them with reserve team players, who were beaten 6-2, with striker Andy Lochhead scoring five of the Burnley goals, while Ron Harris and Peter Houseman replied for Chelsea.
The disciplined stars were back for the final game of the season at Blackpool two days later, but the championship was a lost cause and the season ended dismally with a 3-2 defeat, the Chelsea goals coming from John Mortimore and Bobby Tambling.
Venables has since recalled the doomed trip north. He said:"We did not play badly at Anfield by any means, but we lost and as a result Docherty cancelled our night out.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/03/03/remember-when-tommy-docherty-didnt-like-to-be-beside-the-se/
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