[Lord Snooty]

December 1:

Born in Sheffield in 1948, it's a happy 74th birthday today to our 26th permanent manager, Neil Warnock. Can you believe we've had 19 permanent managers since? Incredible turnaround in such a space of time.

Well what can one write about such a famous footballing character that isn't well known already? Well I can tell you how I thought it was a terrible appointment at the time after the Board had let Ian Ross and his assistant Mick Buxton leave through lack of ambition. Where've we heard that before?

His first season with us was dire, losing the first game under his management 3-0 at home to Reading in the 3rd Division. We were one place above the drop zone at Christmas, having had some diabolical performances, notably a home defeat to bottom club Barnet, a home defeat to Exeter and a 3-0 loss away at Billy Bantam's Circus.

I'd written articles about him in Hanging On The Telephone which were very derogatory and by now I'd made my own personal claim to fame by coming up with the anagram of his name which went into common football speak or what they now call "viral". Even Gary Lineker referred to him as Colin on MOTD.

But of course, I was made to swallow a whole bakery full of Humble Pie when he got us promoted in the next season. 

Never doubted you for a minute, Colin.

But then, no sooner had I put my apologies down in the fanzine, then the gormless pillock went and quit, preferring Plymouth Argyle instead.

Ken Willingham of Huddersfield Town and England was born on this date in 1912, also in Sheffield. He joined Town from Worksop as a 17 year old in 1930 and made his debut in 1932 away at Everton. He kept the number 4 shirt and became the regular right half right up to the start of the war, playing in the three abandoned games of the 39/40 season.

Before that, he had played in the 1938 FA Cup Final and in 1935 he scored the quickest goal in Huddersfield Town history, just ten seconds into the home match with Sunderland, a game we won 1-0.

Ken also had a good England career. Illness forced him to miss his first England cap when he had to withdraw from the squad in 1933 and didn't get a recall until 1937. He scored on his England debut, scoring the 7th goal of the game as the Three Lions won against Finland in Helsinki by a score of 8-0.

That was his only goal for the country, but he was involved with a 7-0 win against Ireland during his career of 12 caps. The most famous, or infamous, match of those 12 came in Berlin in 1938. I've mentioned it before, the 6-3 victory over Hitler's Germany when they were forced into doing that salute.

During the war, our Ken worked in the steel works in Sheffield and continued to turn out for the Town in the Wartime Leagues and also represented England in seven wartime internationals.

After the war, he signed for Sunderland, then went as player/coach to Leeds, before hanging up his boots to become a pub landlord in Hunslet. He briefly came back into the game as coach at Halifax Town.

Ken died in Dewsbury in 1975, aged 62.

Talking of England v Germany. On this date in 1954, England took on West Germany at Wembley and a Huddersfield Town player was in the England team. That was Ron Staniforth at right back, against the Germans who were the World Cup winners in the summer just gone.

England won this one, a friendly match, 3-1 with goals from Roy Bentley of Chelsea, Ronnie Allen of West Brom and Len Shackleton of Sunderland, the great entertainer of the time with the nickname the Clown Prince of Football.

The German goal came from Alfred Beck, scoring in his only international. Another player in the team was making the 3rd of 74 caps for West Germany and that was Uwe Seeler, who played in four World Cups and scored the goal in 1970 that knocked England out in Mexico.

Now then. On this date in 2018, Town were in the Premier League and were quickly turning things around after a poor start to the season. We were on a three match unbeaten run following a win and a draw at home to Fulham and West Ham and then last week's brilliant win at Wolverhampton. Today's opponents were Brighton at home, but the biggest opponent turned out to be the referee, Michael Oliver who gave the worst refereeing performance ever in the whole history of football.

We took the lead in the first minute with Zanka scoring a header from a corner and looked comfortable throughout the first 30 minutes. But then Mr Oliver took centre stage. Steve Mounié went for a 50/50 ball with Brighton's Yves Bissouma. The Brighton lad won the ball, which big Steve realised he wasn't getting it and so pulled his foot away. On doing so, he slightly tickled the shin of his opponent, which the cheat made such a meal of it was embarrassing to watch. The blind man in the middle thought it was a dangerous high challenge and showed Mounie the red card.

If that was a bad decision, the one not to award us a penalty just before half time was preposterous. Pascal Gross had Alex Pritchard in a headlock just as he was about to tap in our second goal. Look at the picture below and tell me that's not a penalty.

To make matters worse, the Seagulls equalised in the 4th minute of first half injury time through Shane Duffy. They then went ahead when Florin Andone scored in the 69th minute. But before the game was over, Oliver once again got a major decision wrong when Erik Durm was scythed down by substitute Leon Balogun and only a yellow card was given.

David Wagner was upset after the match and was very critical of the officiating. It was the start of the downturn in form, with every decision going against us, like there had been a directive from the FA that the Premier League don't want the likes of Hudderfield Town in there.

I can't imagine how Neil Warnock would've reacted.

Just over a month later, Wagner was gone. The revolution was over and this match was the catalyst.

Go on. Tell me this isn't a penalty!