The Fall of Dickie Dinnis
£40 a Week
If Dinnis had thought that after his tough baptism things would start to run more smoothly, he was soon to be proved totally wrong
Even before the 1976/77 season was over it was being reported in the press that several players were unhappy with the new contracts they had been offered.
Indeed, earlier in the season striker Paul Cannel had claimed in the press that he was the lowest paid professional in the first division. He was on a gross salary of £66 a week (he was still being paid as a reserve despite making 22 consecutive appearances before being injured) and claimed that his take home pay had dropped to £40. The board replied stating that Cannel had only taken home less than £45 on one occasion and that his average weekly pay so far this season (including bonuses) had been £164.
Wor Summer of Discontent
Come July and a whole host of players had refused to sign their new contracts. Some wanted an extra £1000 on their basic wage (including Nulty, Gowling, Tommy Craig, Nattrass and Kenneddy) whilst others were not happy with the one year contracts they had been offered (including Burns, Barrowclough, Cassiddy and Player of the Year Mick Mahoney).
Dinnis initially seemed to side with the directors as he stated "You've pushed your claim to the limit. The talking's over. There's no more cash from the board". However within days Dinnis had become so concerned about the stand-off between players and directors that he has to cut short his family holiday to return to Tyneside and try and broker an agreement. Dinnis was obviously in a difficult position. It was the support of the players that had got him the job in the first place and they were now at loggerheads with his employers once again. By the end of the month there had been a complete breakdown in communications with 11 players still not having signed new contracts. The players were prepared to take their case to the Football League rather than accept the contracts and Dinnis stated that "we are near the brink of disaster". Other clubs were now hovering around like vultures waiting to take advantage of the situation
Dinnis was now openly supportive of the players "If our directors or the public think any one of these players is bluffing then they are totally wrong. They are making a stand on a matter of principle and in the process getting some undeserved bad publicity. Although my job is to persuade them to sign I have sympathy for each and every one of them".
Yet another emergency board meeting was held on 27th of July. Despite initial defiant words that they would play the reserves the directors were now buckling under the pressure. The directors agreed to meet all of the players in dispute and listen to their concerns. Although the board backed down on the wage demands it was still believed that some players would leave. It was reported at the time that certain players were even asking for changes in the boardroom and in the way the club was run. There was also a strong feeling that many players would take their lead from caption Geoff Nulty.
On August 11th the directors made new offers to all the 11 players in dispute. "I think peace is possible now" said Dinnis. "I have been backed to the hilt by the directors . If I am backed in the same way by the players I will be laughing" Nulty stated "I believe the directors have made a big effort. I'm happier now and I think most players are". The board stated that the offers would make the players some of the best paid in the football League and also indicated that money would be made available for new signings. However the players holding out for longer contracts did not seem to be offered much more.
The eventual settlement was seen as a great victory for Dinnis, but in reality irreparable damage had already been done. Pre-season preparations had been affected, Dinnis had not been able to strengthen the squad, the players were not mentally prepared for the new season and most importantly of all Dinnis had - by supporting the players in their battle with the directors - further antagonised the very people who had been reluctant to appoint him in the first place.
Therefore United started the season with the same squad of players (minus the injured caption Nulty) whose form had dipped towards the end of the 76/77 season. It was a squad that Dinnis knew wasn't strong enough to survive many injuries.
The Stupid Things We Did
United had a tough start to the season, a home game with Leeds followed by away games at Liverpool (the home debut of a certain Kenny Dalglish) and Middlesbrough. A last minute winner secured all 3 points against Leeds and for a passing moment it looked as though things might be ok, but this was followed by 3 successive 0-2 defeats culminating in a disastrous home defeat by Millwall in the League Cup 2nd Round.
But Dinnis was not for panicking as he cryptically stated: "If I ran about the corridor shouting 'fire' people would be running in all directions - even if there was no fire".
In contrast to the 1976/77 season the injury problems soon started to mount for Dinnis. Caption Geoff Nulty was missing with a groin problem from the start and further short term injuries deprived him at various times of Gowling, ........ . Dinnis’ was still making no impact in the transfer market. A bid for Graham Souness - who was unsettled at Middlesbrough - was made, but the money offered was way below Boro’s asking price and anyway they didn't want to sell. The player was supposedly keen on the move but did not want to ask for a transfer and so lose out on his percentage. .
September started with another disastrous home defeat to West Ham. Dinnis spent half an hour behind locked doors after the match emerging to bemoaning “the stupid things we did”. But he dismissed talk of a crisis; “It would only be a crisis if there is nothing to work on but as a coach I know I can improve on things”.
Certainly the directors were expecting an improvement; prior to the next game against West Brom the first unveiled ultimatum was issued. Lord Westwood stated “our patience is not inexhaustible…..the players had a hand in appointing the manager and they got the improved contracts they wanted. They said they would produce the goods and now it up to them to do so”. Dinnis himself seemed to be beginning to feel the pressure. He had already criticised the team after the Millwall and West Ham matches for failing to adjust to the loss of Gowling and Nulty and making “stupid mistakes”, then before the game against the Baggies Tommy Cassiddy was dropped and publicly criticised by Dinnis for not giving 100%. Not surprisingly Cassiddy was not best pleased especially with the fact that Dinnis had made the accusations in the press rather than speak to him personally.
The West Brom match was a total disaster and took United to the foot of the table. The team were completely outplayed and the 0-3 scoreline did not reflect the visitors superiority. The Newcastle fans who had rightly been praised for the unstinting support they gave to the team during the West Ham game they turned against the team. Misplaced passes by the players were jeered, a pitched battle broke out in the Leazes End during half-time and a chorus of boos met the final whistle. It was reported that all the players personally apologised to Dinnis for the performance, some of them in tears. This did little to convince the fans that they had a heart for a fight.
No Rhythm or Reason
The UEFA Cup tie at Bohemians had the potential for giving the team a break from the pressures that were building. Newcastle managed a 0-0 draw but the match was marred when trouble between the rival supporters (the United fans raising a Union Jack after being taunted by the home supporters) spilled on to the pitch resulting in Mahoney being struck by a brick. The players had to be removed from the pitch for 10 minutes whilst order was restored. Newcastle offered to support Bohemians in any enquiry.
The next game was away at another struggling side, Birmingham. The first half ended goalless after another competent but unincisive performance. However a controversial goal a couple of the minutes into the second half (the referee overruling an offside decision by the linesman) gave Birmingham the lead and once again the Magpies crumbled eventually losing 0-3.Speculation began to mount about Dinnis’ future and managers such as Jack Charlton (who was supposedly ready to return to management) and Bob Stokoe were being linked to the job. Dinnis himself travelled to Edinburgh to watch the Scotland U21’s. Tentative enquiries for a number of players (inc David Narey and Paul Sturrock) were rebuffed. However there was one new face at the club; Len Hepple (Hexham nightclub owner and Pop Robson’s father in law) was brought in as a “rhythm and balance expert”.
Next up were Coventry and despite an improved performance and much more effort the 4th home defeat in a row (1-2) . Fighting once again broke out in the crowd and it was announced that a crisis board meeting would be held on the following Tuesday. Dinnis meanwhile stated again that new players were needed “The only way out of our trouble is to sign better players” The crisis meeting ended with Westwood stating that “there will be no pressure put on the manager about his position” and more interestingly he said they were going to get together to discuss transfer targets of which “Richard has his ideas and I have mine”. Such a statement certainly suggesting that Dinnis was not exactly getting full backing as far as bringing in new players was concerned.
The home tie against Bohemians lifted the gloom slightly. A 4-0 win was not as comprehensive as it seems with Newcastle struggling to assert their superiority until a burst of 3 goals in 4 minutes on the hour finished the game off. There had been fears of further trouble on the terraces but this was “limited” to a smoke bomb from the Leazes End. Meanwhile further transfer setbacks after Dinnis thought he had signed two of the Bohemians players only to find out that Derby manager Tommy Docherty had moved in and bought them for a combined fee of £70,000. Docherty stated “Its hard luck on Richard Dinnis as I understand that Newcastle had first option. But football is a competitive business”.
Travel Sickness
The month started with away games against the Tractor Boys and their country cousins Norwich. In both games Newcastle started well and took the lead with cracking goals…. and then conceded 2 goals themselves. Injuries started to pile up; seven senior players were now out. However Dinnis had at last made a breakthrough in the transfer market with the £100, 000 signing of Scottish international sweeper John Blackley from Hibs.
The home match with Derby produced a depressingly familiar story; plenty of possession and tidy play, no cutting edge, another 1-2 home defeat, another injury (Alan Gowling). Mahoney and Nattrass joined the list of injured players, but not to worry, United had signed Dennis Martin the 30 year old “stylish Carlisle left-winger” for the princely sum of £30,000. Martin - a player who had been struggling to gain a place for the third division club - was hardly the big name that everybody was waiting for and another sign that the club was not going to release sufficient funds to buy any quality players. The team that played the next game at Old Trafford bore little resemblance to the side that kicked off the season and predictably United fell to their 10th consecutive League defeat. The flattering 2-3 scoreline (Newcastle scoring twice in the last quarter as Man Utd coasted) in no way reflected the Red Devils dominance.
On the eve of the 2nd round UEFA Cup game at Bastia there was more controversy. Bohemians had been told that their next 3 European games had to be played at least 120 miles from Dublin as a result of the trouble in the 1st round match. Bohemians were set to appeal and part of their defence was a letter from Newcastle director James Rush apologising for the behaviour of the Newcastle fans whom he believed were responsible for starting the trouble.
Despite losing 1-2 in Corsica after scoring first and then losing with the second Bastia goal being the last kick of the game) the mood was optimistic rather than despondent. Nulty had returned from injury and United had put in an excellent performance. The team seemed confident that they could make it through to the next round. However the journey home was something of a nightmare due to the travel arrangements described as “unprofessional” by Dinnis. The departure was initially delayed by the unavailability of ‘planes, however this was exacerbated by the decision to take the team on a 5 hour trip to a vineyard on the Thursday. The trip made in thick fog included many hairpin bends resulting in a number of players being travel sick.
United are Back..???
The following day they were at home against Chelsea who were also struggling at that time. Another meeting with the board was planned for the day after and it was assumed that if the match was lost Dinnis would be sacked. Thankfully a disastrous mistake by Droy presented Burns with a goal after only 2 minutes. Then despite the United team gradually losing their nerve as usual a mixture of dogged defending and poor Chelsea finishing gave United their first clean sheet in 18 League games despite the fact that the Blues dominated the game.
After the match Chelsea’s star performer Ray Wilkins blasted the state of the St James’ pitch: “We've complained about our Stamford Bridge Pitch, but its like a Bowling Green compared to Newcastle's. There are great tufts of grass, ruts and ridges all over. It is the worst that I have played on for a long time”. Such a statement might have appeared sour grapes if it wasn't for the fact that many United players echoed his sentiments!
Dinnis survived the latest board meeting and remained in charge for the game at Goodison Park and a reunion with a certain Gordon Lee. Lee took the opportunity to absolve himself of any responsibility for Newcastle's current plight “There's no way I can take the blame for the problems that Richard Dinnis or Newcastle have got… the club should have a good look at itself before blaming others”. However, he did accept that “when I left my only worry was about the squad being so small.”
The match itself was a bit of a classic with Newcastle taking the lead 3 times, but eventually having to settle for their first away point of the season in a 4-4 draw. Dinnis was delighted although he excepted that “there are still one or two problems to sort out”. It really did seem that United may have turned the corner although Dinnis stated prophetically after the match “I suppose I will get the sack sometime. You are either philosophical about it or become an alcoholic - and I don't drink!”.
Dutch international Johnny Rep had failed to impress the Newcastle players in the match in Corsica and the general opinion was that Bastia would be seen off at St James in the same way that United had steamrollered through foreign teams in their Fairs Cup exploits. But their criticisms of the Dutch international came back to haunt them in the second leg. The chants of “United are back” soon stuck in the throats of the Geordie faithful as Bastia raced into a 2-0 lead within the first 8 minutes after Gowling had missed a gilt edged chance in the first minute. Dinnis admitted that his side had been given “a soccer lesson” but remained confident that Newcastle could - with the signing of a couple of quality players - avoid relegation.
.Second Raters
However by the next day Dinnis’ mood had change dramatically; he threw caution to the wind with a blistering attack on the club; it was effectively a suicide note.
He stated that a massive overhaul of the playing staff was required and that only half the team were good enough. “There are players in the reserves that have been here 5 years. They will have to go. There are players in the first team who have been with the club too long. They will also have to go”
He blasted the board for not making sufficient funds available to buy the quality players required; “This club has to decide where it is going. And as far as big buying is concerned, I believe there must be a change of heart at director level…. There is no money available unless we sell someone.
He also stated that the club needed to double the wages if it wanted to compete with the top teams in the country. He believed that there was a great danger that unless club policy changed United would become a “second-rate” club. “There’s a super league within the First Division and we are not in it. It has to be decided whether we are going to join it or stay out of it….. If we don’t (join) ….we will become just an ordainary club. We are on the edge of a precipice and unless something drastic is one we will topple over”
The next game was at home to Bristol City who were 2 places and 2 points above Newcastle. The match itself was very poor with Newcastle again letting a lead slip, this time to a side that had failed to score in all their previous away matches. The draw actually lifted United off the bottom of the table and Dinnis was still upbeat claiming that “I've no intention of quitting…I believe I can still do a good job for Newcastle given the right situation”. Dinnis did go on to apologise for suggesting that the club were second rate but stood by his statements regarding the need for new players.
Not surprisingly the directors called another emergency board meeting. Lord Westwood who had been the most supportive of Dinnis stated that “I felt very let down when I read his remarks in the press. I have stood by him in the past, but I cannot say my support is as it was. The directors I have spoken to are very upset and now it is up to the board”. The 2 hour meeting on the 9th November confirmed Dinnis’ sacking. A short statement thanked Dinnis for his efforts following Lee's “defection”, but given the “disappointing performances of the team…a change was unavoidable”.
Dinnis who had remained pretty unflappable during the whole traumatic year went out with dignity thanking the players, coaches supporters and directors.