With Bobby Robson confirming that he is to stay at Ipswich Town, Derby County’s managerial problems took yet another dramatic turn yesterday when the club captain, Roy McFarland, handed to the chairman Sam Longson, a letter from the players asking for the reinstatement of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor.
The letter read: “During the events of the past week we, the undersigned players, kept our feelings within the dressing room. However, at this time we are unanimous in our support for Mr Clough and Mr Taylor and ask that they be reinstated as manager and assistant manager of this club.” The letter was signed by every member of Derby’s first-team squad, except Henry Newton, who was visiting Liverpool on business.
News of it was conveyed to Clough by a local newspaper who were also given a copy. Clough commented: “I am staggered. Whatever happens I will be grateful to them for restoring my faith in human nature. We have made a point of not seeing the players, but we have now arranged to meet them to let them confirm their intentions.”
McFarland, speaking on behalf of all the players, said: “We decided last week that Saturday’s match must come first and we did not intend to do anything rash. After the game we realised what had happened and called a meeting. It was made clear that no one was under any obligation to attend but everyone was there. It was the same with the letter. We agreed that if anyone did not want to sign it, it was up to them. But everybody did. The players did not want to get involved, but we are involved too deeply with these two men; so deeply, in fact, that we could not say in our hearts that we could be behind any other manager, no matter who took over.”
The Derby players held a gathering with their wives last night at a hotel near Derby, and it was there that McFarland added: “What will happen next we do not know. We hope it will not reach the stage of transfer requests. We have done everything we can do at the moment and I would like to stress again that the boss had nothing at all to do with the letter. It was entirely the idea of the players.” The players’ demand came at a time when the directors, having been informed that Robson was to stay as manager at Ipswich, were discussing the problem of finding a manager to replace Clough.
Robson’s decision to stay in East Anglia ended 24 hours of uncertainty at Ipswich. After an hour long board meeting to discuss Derby’s approach, the Ipswich chairman, John Cobbold, emerged to announce: “Bobby Robson is to stay as manager of Ipswich Town for a very long time to come. It didn’t take very long to clear the matter up, and I am delighted.” Robson rejected the chance to join Everton last summer, and was subsequently offered a 10-year contract with Ipswich, which he has not yet signed. He agreed yesterday to put pen to paper “immediately the details can be typed out,” and commented, “I have been too busy trying to run a football club.”
Meanwhile, the Derby board met for more than five hours before Longson commented on Robson’s decision. “It could take three weeks to find a new manager. It is not easy to get clubs to part with their managers. I fought for years to keep Brian Clough at Derby.” To add to Derby’s troubles, a writ for alleged libel was yesterday issued on behalf of Clough, seeking damages from the club, Mr Longson, and four other board members, Jack Kirkland, Sydney Charles Bradley, Frederick William Innes, and Thomas William Rudd.
After hearing yesterday’s news, Don Shaw, a Derby playwright, who has been leading a campaign to oust the Derby board and bring back Cough and Taylor, asked: “This is absolutely fantastic. We have won. Those 30,000 voices at Derby on Saturday have triumphed, and I don’t think the board have any alternative now but to reinstate them. This is a victory for justice. Those five directors who tried to hold the town to ransom have got their comeuppance.”
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