On This Day – 22nd December
It was on this day in 1972 that Tommy Docherty took the manager’s job at Manchester United.
Docherty had left his post as manager of the Scottish national team to join the Old Trafford club, and set to work immediately to try and steady the ship after Frank O’Farrell was dismissed on 19th December.
Docherty had a real task on his hands when he joined the club. George Best had gone missing earlier in the month, refusing to play for the club. Best was transfer listed and fined by the club and when Docherty joined, he announced his retirement from the game.
As well as having problems with George Best, the other two of the Holy Trinity were also in their 30’s. Denis Law was just short of his 33rd birthday and Bobby Charlton was 35 years old. Docherty would need to find suitable replacements very soon to replace the players who were already considered legends of the club.
The club had really struggled early on in the season under Frank O’Farrell. Their first win came ten matches into the season and had only won five of their first 22 games. Their last match before O’Farrell was shown the door was a 5-0 hammering against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Docherty set to work but had to wait until his seventh league match to record his first win. This came in a 2-1 win at home to Wolves, with both goals coming from Bobby Charlton, who was going to be retiring at the end of the season.
Seven wins from the final thirteen games saved United from relegation. They finished seven points clear of the relegation zone.
There is a saying that things have to get worse before they get better. That would definitely be the case when it came to Docherty’s five year tenure at Manchester United.
In the 1973/74 season United were relegated after finishing in 21st position. They won promotion back to the First Division at the first attempt as they won the Second Division title.
The Second Division triumph was followed up with an excellent third place finish in the league and a run to the FA Cup Final. It was the first time in thirteen years that the club reached the Final but they would lose 1-0 to Second Division side Southampton at Wembley.
Docherty helped to guide the club to a second successive FA Cup Final the following season and they would beat Liverpool 2-1. Liverpool were already League champions and had also won the European Cup earlier in the month. It was Manchester United’s first trophy in nine years.
On 4th July 1977, Docherty was sacked after news came out that he was having an affair with the wife of club physio Laurie Brown. He would join Derby County two months later where he would spend two years before taking charge of Queens Park Rangers.
‘The Doc’ coached in Austalia in between spekks at Preston North End and Wolverhampton Wanderers and finally ended his managerial career at non-league Altrincham.
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