Picture of the day – May 24
It was the day Don Revie’s appointment as England manager didn’t seem such a bad idea after all.
Two goals in the opening seven minutes paved the way for England to thump Scotland 5-1 at Wembley in 1975 and win the British Home Championship in considerable style.
Moreover, it brought an impressive end to Revie’s first full season of charge, erasing some lingering doubts over team selection, and seemingly setting England up for a successful Euro 76 qualifying campaign.
Gerry Francis rocketed home England’s opener and full-back Kevin Beattie quickly added a second before Colin Bell made it 3-0 five minutes before half-time.
Bruce Rioch pulled a goal back for the Scots but Francis was in superb form, making it 4-1 midway through the second half before David Johnson completed the scoring with a follow-up after Kevin Keegan crashed his shot against the bar.
Of course, things swiftly turned sour. England failed to qualify for either the Euros or the 1978 World Cup and Revie quit in July 1977 to become manager of the United Arab Emirates.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
‘Maybe I’ll be signed by Wrexham, who knows? English football would suit me – if an offer came, I wouldn’t think twice, I’d go immediately’ Euro 2024 cult hero reveals his UK dream
‘Managing Leeds? It was an option that appeared, but it wasn’t the right timing. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to leave the club I was at mid-season’: Premier League boss admits to turning down opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch in 2023