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TIE A YELLOW RIBBON, a 165-page hardback, published in 2006 – the 30th anniversary of the FA Cup-winning run that it relives – was well-received by reviewers:
Once upon a time, as April turned to May, the schoolboys of England would be stirred into a fizz of expectation, a tizz of tenterhooks, about the upcoming FA Cup final. No longer. No romance, no ‘magic’….yawn, yawn. The last FA Cup final to tweak the cockles came with Wimbledon’s victory [in 1988, since when the] dreary predictability is emphasised by the rich span before Wimbledon’s victory, when the Cup lived up to its competitive billing with such headily unforgettable victories as those by Sunderland (1973), Southampton (1976), Ipswich (1978), West Ham (1980) and, in the best Cup final of my time, Coventry in 1987. Such ruminations are reinforced by enjoyment of the latest relishable paean from those indefatigable publishers of Hagiology Books at Southampton FC – Tie a Yellow Ribbon, by Tim Manns – a fulsomely detailed account of the Wembley victory [of 1976] when Tommy Docherty’s United were so undone. That was a good enough result for the Queen to rest her laurels, too – it was the last final she attended (Frank Keating, Guardian).
An absorbing, well-presented book that focuses on second-flight Southampton’s eight FA Cup ties of 1976 [which] ended in glory, with David slaying Goliath – otherwise known as Manchester United… Like everybody else outside Manchester (Leatherhead and Oslo), I hoped the underdogs wearing yellow would win. It did not seem very likely, though. United boss Tommy Docherty was supremely confident, and in his foreword admits ‘I would have mortgaged the house on us winning.’ Yet, the Saints more than held their own and, with only seven minutes left, Jim McCalliog found Bobby Stokes, whose early shot flew past Alex Stepney’s left hand. The Doc’s side were unable to respond and it was Peter Rodrigues rather than Martin Buchan who collected the cup from the Queen.
Among the many interesting things we learn from this excellent book is that Her Majesty has not been to another FA Cup final since. Heartbreak that does to you!
The Saints almost never made it past round three. They needed a very late equaliser by Hugh Fisher… to earn a replay against Aston Villa. Victory…at Villa Park was followed by a comfortable 3-1 win over Blackpool. West Bromwich Albion were crushed 4-0 at the Dell in a fifth round replay to set up a trip to Fourth Division Bradford City… Jim McCalliog fir[ed] Southampton into a Stamford Bridge semi-final, against Crystal Palace. Two goals in the last quarter…settled a scrappy match at the Bridge… Palace boss Malcolm Allison lost his fedora to Southampton defender Mel Blyth [who] had bet Big Mal £50 against the hat that the Saints would win.
This book is effectively in two parts. The first relives the Cup run through the eyes of those who played in it and in the second we learn what has happened to Lawrie McMenemy’s players since. Sadly two, the scorer Stokes and, more recently, Peter Osgood, have passed on. The first photograph (of many splendid ones, some in colour) inside the book shows ‘always room-mates’ Ossie and Bobby celebrating with the cup in the bath after the final.
Well-written by Tim Manns (with additional material and overall editing by David Bull), this is another top idea well-executed by our friends at Hagiology. There is a nice balance between the words and illustrations and the scans of the line-ups from the eight match programmes are a nice touch. It is topped-off with a comprehensive statistical section. (David Powter, WINGER: The Review of British Football)
Purchase Tie a Yellow Ribbon direct
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