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Derby County were preparing to defend their first division championship
title when manager Dave Mackay signed Charlie George from Arsenal for
£100000 in July 1975. Once the new campaign started however his side
looked nothing like champions, winning just one of their opening five
games including a 5-1 home thrashing by Queens Park Rangers. County
eventually improved and finally finished in fourth place seven points
behind Liverpool. Charlie was the clubs top scorer, his sixteen league
goals including double strikes against Manchester United and Coventry
City. That impressive tally was achieved despite a discolated shoulder,
sustained against Stoke City in March 1976, which restricted him to
thirty-five appearances. On a brighter note, George also scored one of
the goals of the season in the European Cup, a stunning half volley
against the Spanish champions Real Madrid at the Baseball Ground; one of
three he scored in a magnificent 4-1 victory. Amazingly, the "Rams"
exited the competition on a 6-5 aggregate when they crashed 5 -1 in the
return game two weeks later at the intimidating Bernabeu Stadium. In
1976/77, Derby picked up just five points from their first eight games.
Mackay resigned and was replaced by reserve team manager Colin Murphy
who guided the club to a fifteenth place finish. Charlie struggled to
regain the form he had displayed the previous season and found himself
in and out of favour throughout the campaign. Although he netted just
five goals in twenty-nine league games, his three FA Cup goals saw
County progress to the sixth round where they lost 2-0 to Everton. That
poor early season form also saw Derby knocked out of the UEFA Cup at the
second round stage. They did, however, establish a club record score in
their first game in that competition; Irish part timers Finn Harps
being thrashed at the Baseball Ground with George netting three of his
sides twelve unanswered strikes. When County failed to win any of their
opening seven games of the 1977/78 campaign Murphy was himself replaced
by Tommy Docherty. A much changed team eventually finished in twelth
place in the table; Charlie's eleven goals including a hat-trick in a
4-2 win against Coventry City. The following season George suffered a
knee injury in a 5-0 defeat at Liverpool on October 14th and was
subsequenly sold, much to many "Rams" followers disappointment, to
Southampton for £350000. And yet like so many other Derby players,
Charlie returned for a brief second spell at the Baseball Ground in
season 1981/82. His eleven games then gave him an overall all
competition total of 147 appearances from which he tallied 56 goals,
including two or more on ten occassions. Although his Derby career was
relatively short Charlie's legacy remains; in his first Baseball Ground
season his shooting, passing and overall vision were the equivalent of
any other player in the British game. (Mike Cockayne)
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