It is a Christmas tradition up there with eating too much turkey, watching James Bond films, and numerous family rows. Football on Boxing Day may not have always been popular with players in the past, yet for supporters it has often provided the ideal palate cleanser.
So when news broke recently of a distinct lack of top-flight matches on Boxing Day, a gnashing of teeth could be heard up and down the country. Another brick removed from the wall of football tradition, the influence of television and a swelling calendar impacting the beautiful game. Never mind that there is a full Football League and National League fixtures that day, apparently it is the top table people want to feast at.
It hasn't always been this way. In fact there was a time when just like mince pies and chocolates, we overindulged in football at Christmas. The 1983/84 season was a prime example of this. The vast majority of clubs would play on both Boxing Day and December 27, players expected to be disciplined enough to forgo that extra glass of sherry and then perform twice in the space of 24 hours.
A step too far
Matches on consecutive days at Christmas was not unusual at the time. In the distant past, fixtures had even been played on Christmas Day, but the last league match to be played on this date was Blackpool v Blackburn in 1965. Yet news broke in November 1983 that Brentford were hoping to revive this particular tradition.
Who wouldn't want to spend their Christmas Day stood on the terraces at Griffin Park, watching a third division match between Brentford and Wimbledon? Proposing to move the match to 11am, Brentford were hoping to add a few thousand on to their gate that saw an average of just under 5,000 coming through the turnstiles that season.
"It's a bit of a gamble," Brentford official Eric White stated. "But we feel the pros outweigh the cons." Then he delivered a quote that contains language and outdated attitudes that may offend. "We hope to revive the old tradition of the husbands going to football on Christmas Day while the wives cook the turkey."
Ultimately protests from local residents and supporters saw Brentford reverse their decision, with the match switched to 3pm on Christmas Eve. Wimbledon won 4-3, the crowd of 6,689 undoubtedly entertained and equally delighted that they could get home and enjoy their wife's cooking the next day.
Ups and downs
Unsurprisingly, there were inconsistent results. Of the 18 Division One clubs who would play twice over the two days, only Southampton would win both matches. One team though would demonstrate their up and down nature in the space of two days. Jekyll and Hyde had nothing on Arsenal in the mid-80s.
In Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby perfectly summed up the club at the time. "That Arsenal team - full of cliques and overpaid, over-the-hill stars - would never be bad enough to go down, but never good enough to win anything, and the stasis made you want to scream with frustration."
Winning the early kick off at Tottenham on Boxing Day was the perfect late Christmas present for Arsenal fans. Under caretaker manager Don Howe, the visitors were inspired, with Charlie Nicholas and Raphael Meade both scoring twice in a thrilling 4-2 win at White Hart Lane.
But a little over a day later Arsenal fans were brought down to earth with a dreary 1-1 draw against a poor Birmingham team at Highbury. There was a small crumb of comfort - Nicholas scored his first goal at home since his move in the summer - but those two days summed up Arsenal perfectly.
Frustration by Manchester United
Another team that infuriated their supporters was Manchester United. Searching for their first title since 1967, Ron Atkinson's sides would push Liverpool throughout the 1983/84 campaign. But every time Liverpool slipped up, it seemed that United were incapable of taking advantage.
A 1-1 draw at Coventry on Boxing Day was not a bad result for United - Coventry had beaten Liverpool 4-0 two weeks before at Highfield Road and were unbeaten in eight league games - yet the events of December 27 were exasperating.
Comfortably leading 3-1 against a Notts County team that would be relegated, all looked good for the Old Trafford faithful, especially with Liverpool losing 2-0 at home to Leicester. But two late goals from Justin Fashanu earned County a point, and when Liverpool fought back to draw 2-2, Atkinson was understandably fuming.
"If we don't win the title we will need our backsides kicking after a performance like this. We had a good chance of going closer at the top and we blew it. No way should we have allowed County back into the match." For Atkinson and United fans, there would be far too many days like this as the season progressed.
Kendall has the blues
At least there was hope at Old Trafford. For anyone associated with Wolves, the 1983/84 season was a horror show. With just one league win all season - albeit a delicious win over West Brom in November - a 3-1 defeat at Ipswich on Boxing Day continued the abysmal campaign; just eight points gained from 19 matches.
But a day later there was a rare high. Easily beating Everton 3-0 at Molineux in front of a crowd of just 12,791, Wolves then followed this up with a win four days later against Norwich, the club picking up a third of their final total of league victories in the space of four days.
For Everton the defeat at Wolves followed a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park against Sunderland on Boxing Day. When Howard Kendall's team then drew 0-0 at home against Coventry - a fourth consecutive league match without a goal - many in the crowd of 13,659 called for the manager's head. Luckily for Kendall, 1984 would prove a lot happier.
Beefy digs his heels in
Ian Botham had always defied authority. So when the Test and County Cricket Board tried to stop him playing twice for Scunthorpe over the Christmas period, it was fairly obvious what the outcome would be. Reportedly losing 10lbs during his spell with the third division club, Botham was adamant that his fitness levels had been boosted prior to the winter tour of New Zealand.
The TCCB disagreed. "Donald Carr, secretary of the Board, spoke to Ian yesterday and told him that he would be taking an unnecessary and ridiculous risk of being injured," TCCB spokesman Peter Lush announced. But Beefy was not for turning.
"I was so incensed by their heavy-handed treatment that I played on beyond the time when I had originally intended to stop," Botham admitted in his autobiography Don't Tell Kath, before explaining how he marked Hull City centre forward Billy Whitehurst out of the match in a 1-0 loss on Boxing Day.
Beefy didn't go into too many details about Scunthorpe's match on the following day. A 5-1 defeat at home to Preston saw the all-rounder booked, and make a mistake that led to one of the goals in Steve Elliott's hat-trick. That hammering turned out to be a perfect appetiser for the winter Botham and his England team mates were about to experience.
A nightmare after Christmas
The 1983/84 season was generally a dream for both Chelsea and striker Kerry Dixon. Scoring 34 goals in all competitions, Dixon played a huge part in helping John Neal's team win the Division Two title. But sometimes the footballing Gods like to remind players that the game can take as well as give.
Dixon had scored a penalty at Shrewsbury on Boxing Day as Chelsea won 4-2, but a day later his fortunes changed. Conceding a penalty that saw Portsmouth take a 2-1 lead at Stamford Bridge, Dixon's 21st goal of the campaign did at least earn Chelsea a point. But either side of his equaliser, Dixon missed two penalties.
"I don't think he'll take another one," skipper John Hollins revealed. "It will be down to me in the future." Four days later, Dixon took matters into his own hands after he missed another spot kick against Brighton. "That's me finished now. I'm not taking any more penalties."
After gaining promotion, Dixon ignored his own advice and missed two penalties during the 1984/85 season. He was not alone, though. In all Chelsea missed eight penalties, possibly the most memorable being Pat Nevin's pitiful effort against Manchester City with Barry Davies' commentary providing the ideal soundtrack.
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