BIG MAL DOFFED HIS
UP in the Stamford Bridge stand Malcolm Allison doffed his fedora hat watching on as Crystal Palace were on their way to a shock FA Cup victory against Chelsea.
In 1976, Big Mal – whose flamboyance off the pitch with his trademark headwear, luxurious sheepskin coat and giant cigars matched his on-field prowess as a coach – was in charge of the Third Division Eagles.
Chelsea had been relegated from Division One, but still boasted big names like Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris, Charlie Cooke and Ray Wilkins.
An FA Cup run to the fifth round had galvanised the Chelsea fans and 54,407 packed into the Bridge on February 14th expecting to witness a Valentine’s Day massacre against their humble visitors.
But Allison and his assistant, former Chelsea favourite Terry Venables, had other ideas especially with an up-andcoming mercurial wing wizard Peter Taylor in their ranks. Taylor, who would later find fame with Tottenham and