Don Revie’s England debut: a 3-0 win that opened a reign ending in a ten-year ban (1974)
The Don Revie England debut came on Wednesday 30 October 1974, when England beat Czechoslovakia 3-0 at Wembley in a UEFA European Championship 1976 Group One qualifier. Mick Channon headed the opener and Colin Bell added two more in the closing quarter, watched by a Wembley crowd of 83,858. It was the clean, promising start to a reign that would end in 1977 with a secret defection, a newspaper exclusive and a ten-year ban, the self-made downfall of one of English football’s great mavericks.
The beginning looked nothing like the end that was coming.
Key Facts
- England 3-0 Czechoslovakia, a UEFA European Championship 1976 Group One qualifier at Wembley Stadium, London, on Wednesday 30 October 1974.
- Don Revie’s first match in charge of England, appointed on 4 July 1974 in succession to Alf Ramsey after a caretaker spell by Joe Mercer.
- Scorers: Mick Channon on 72 minutes, then Colin Bell twice, on 79 and 81.
- Official attendance 83,858. Half time: 0-0.
- Referee: Michel Kitabdjian of France. Emlyn Hughes captained an England side that made both substitutions just after the hour.
- Revie resigned on 11 July 1977 to manage the United Arab Emirates; the FA banned him for ten years, a ban later overturned by the High Court.
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England 3-0 Czechoslovakia: the night at Wembley
How the Don Revie England debut unfolded
Revie had taken the England job fresh from a First Division title with Leeds United, and Wembley gave him a straightforward opponent to open against. The scoreboard stayed goalless at the interval. Frank Worthington headed against a post inside the first ten minutes and Jan Pivarnik struck the Czechoslovakia bar with a long shot, so the final 3-0 flattered a first hour that did not run to plan.
The match turned on a double change. Trevor Brooking and Dave Thomas came on together on 64 minutes, replacing Martin Dobson and Worthington. Thomas, the Queens Park Rangers winger, was making his England bow, and it was his cross from the right that Channon headed in unchallenged from close range on 72 minutes for 1-0. Bell then swept in a Channon pass to make it 2-0, and within a couple of minutes headed a third from another Channon cross, injuring himself in the act of scoring. England had 3-0 and a clean sheet.
| Goal | Scorer | Minute (EFO) | Minute (RSSSF) |
|---|---|---|---|
| England 1-0 | Mick Channon | 72 | 72 |
| England 2-0 | Colin Bell | 79 | 80 |
| England 3-0 | Colin Bell | 81 | 83 |
Emlyn Hughes captained a side that read Ray Clemence in goal behind Paul Madeley, David Watson, Norman Hunter and Hughes, with Bell, Dobson and Gerry Francis in midfield and Channon, Worthington and Kevin Keegan ahead of them. Michel Kitabdjian of France refereed, and Czechoslovakia’s Ivan Pekarik collected the match’s only booking. Of the four men who managed England having also turned out at Wembley as players, only Revie and Mercer began in the dugout there without conceding.
The reign that started here, and where the record takes it
England won the 1974-75 British Championship in Revie’s first season, and he finished with a 29-match record of 14 wins, 8 draws and 7 defeats. The Czechoslovakia group was the problem. England took three wins from six Euro 1976 qualifiers, and Czechoslovakia, beaten here, went on to win the tournament, edging England out of the group. Qualification for the 1978 World Cup then slipped away on goal difference behind Italy.
The secret deal and the Daily Mail exclusive
With qualification fading and his relationship with the FA fraying, Revie looked for a way out. He travelled secretly to negotiate a contract abroad, publicly claiming to be on a scouting mission in Helsinki while skipping a friendly in Brazil. When the FA refused to release him, he went to a newspaper and sold his story to the Daily Mail, announcing he had resigned before the Football Association had received his letter of resignation. The exclusive appeared on 12 July 1977, the day after his resignation reached Lancaster Gate. The FA read that its England manager had quit, and where he was going, in a rival’s morning paper.
Where he was going was the United Arab Emirates, on a lucrative four-year contract. Reported at £340,000, the figure is cited as either an annual salary or the four-year total; either way it dwarfed his FA salary of £20,000 a year. Revie managed the UAE until 1980, then Al-Nasr and Egypt’s Al-Ahly, and after coming home in 1985 he did not work in football again.
The ban, and the judge who lifted it
The FA’s response was a charge of bringing the game into disrepute, and a ban from English football for ten years. Revie took the association to the High Court and won: the ban was struck down for bias on the part of the FA’s own hearing officer. The victory came without warmth. Mr Justice Cantley, who lifted the ban, still branded Revie’s exit an “outrageous example of disloyalty, breach of trust, discourtesy and selfishness”. He won his case but kept the stain.
He was, in one sense, a maverick who paid for going his own way. He died of Motor Neurone Disease on 26 May 1989, remembered as much for the manner of his leaving as for the title-winning Leeds side he built.
READ MORE: The managers and players who went their own way, in our Football Mavericks archive →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Don Revie’s England Debut
What was the score when Don Revie made his England managerial debut on 30 October 1974?
England beat Czechoslovakia 3-0 at Wembley. It was a UEFA European Championship 1976 Group One qualifier, played on Wednesday 30 October 1974. Mick Channon scored once and Colin Bell twice in the closing quarter of an hour. The half-time score was 0-0.
Who scored in England 3-0 Czechoslovakia in October 1974?
Mick Channon and Colin Bell scored England’s goals against Czechoslovakia. Channon headed the first on 72 minutes from a Dave Thomas cross. Bell added the second and third soon after, on 79 and 81 minutes, injuring himself heading in the last.
Where was England 3-0 Czechoslovakia played, and how many watched?
The match was played at Wembley Stadium in London, with an official attendance of 83,858. The French referee Michel Kitabdjian took charge. It was Revie’s first match managing at Wembley.
When was Don Revie appointed England manager?
Don Revie was appointed England manager on 4 July 1974. He succeeded Alf Ramsey, who had been dismissed earlier that year, after a caretaker spell by Joe Mercer. Revie came to the job as the reigning First Division champion manager with Leeds United. His first match followed on 30 October 1974.
What was Don Revie’s overall record as England manager?
Revie took charge of 29 matches, for 14 wins, 8 draws and 7 defeats. England won the 1974-75 British Championship in his first season. He managed England from July 1974 until his resignation in July 1977. The team failed to reach both Euro 1976 and the 1978 World Cup during his tenure.
Why did Don Revie resign as England manager in 1977?
Revie resigned on 11 July 1977 to take a management contract in the United Arab Emirates. England were drifting out of 1978 World Cup qualification behind Italy, and his standing with the FA had soured. Rather than wait to be dismissed, he arranged his own exit and broke the news himself as a paid Daily Mail exclusive. He had negotiated the UAE deal in secret beforehand.
What was the Don Revie Daily Mail exclusive?
It was a paid newspaper story in which Revie announced his resignation as England manager. He sold the story to the Daily Mail before the FA had even received his letter of resignation. The exclusive ran on 12 July 1977. The FA learned that its manager had quit, and that he was leaving for the United Arab Emirates, from the newspaper.
How much was Don Revie’s United Arab Emirates contract worth?
It was a lucrative four-year deal to manage the United Arab Emirates. The reported £340,000 is cited as either an annual salary or a four-year total, so the exact terms are unclear. Either way it far exceeded his England salary of £20,000 a year. It made him one of the best-paid managers in the game.
Why did the FA ban Don Revie, and for how long?
Revie was charged with bringing the game into disrepute, and the punishment was a ten-year ban from English football. The association objected to the manner of his departure and to the secret negotiation of the UAE job. The ban followed his 1977 resignation. Revie contested it in the courts rather than accept it.
Did Don Revie overturn his ten-year FA ban?
Yes. The High Court later overturned the ban. It was lifted because of bias on the part of the Football Association’s own hearing officer. Mr Justice Cantley, who lifted it, was nonetheless scathing about Revie’s conduct, describing his exit in terms of disloyalty and selfishness. Revie won the legal argument but not his reputation.
Was Colin Bell’s brace against Czechoslovakia notable?
Colin Bell scored twice in England 3-0 Czechoslovakia, England’s second and third goals on the night. He injured himself heading in the third. The Manchester City midfielder was among England’s most influential players of the era. His pair, with Channon’s opener, gave Revie a 3-0 winning start.
Who made their England debut in the 30 October 1974 match?
Dave Thomas of Queens Park Rangers made his England debut, coming off the bench. He was the seventh England player to make a first appearance as a substitute, and the fourth to do so in a competitive fixture. His cross set up Channon’s opening goal within minutes of his arrival. He replaced Frank Worthington.
What happened to Don Revie after he left England?
Revie managed the United Arab Emirates national team until 1980, then Al-Nasr and Egypt’s Al-Ahly. Once he came home in 1985 he found no further work in the game, retiring instead to Scotland. He died of Motor Neurone Disease on 26 May 1989.
Did Czechoslovakia recover from losing to England in 1974?
Yes, emphatically. Czechoslovakia went on to win the 1976 European Championship, beating West Germany on penalties in the final. They topped the qualifying group ahead of England despite this 3-0 defeat at Wembley. The loss to Revie’s England proved no barrier to their run to the title.
Don Revie’s England debut, in one night and one long fall
A 3-0 win over Czechoslovakia is a footnote next to what followed: the hopeful hour before the secret UAE deal, the Daily Mail morning and the courtroom. For more days where the beginning and the ending sit oddly together, keep reading our On This Day series.
Sources: England Football Online, RSSSF, England Stats, England Caps, The Scotsman, Football Bloody Hell.
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