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Upon reflection, there could be two schools of thought regarding the actions of Derek Dougan in January 1976. Firstly, he could be held solely responsible for dragging football out of the dark ages. One could argue he singlehandedly made it possible for clubs at all levels to make much needed extra money through marketing. Or, he could be referred to as some kind of unknowing satan’s assistant. For it was he who started the process of soulless globalisation in football.Either way, Derek Dougan has a lot to answer for.Dougan was a gifted footballer who made his name with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and won over forty caps for Northern Ireland. He ended his playing days with non-league Kettering Town and somehow balanced the roles of Player/Manager and Chief Executive for the 1975/76 season. Dougan was also Chairman of the PFA at the time, and as such, not afraid of a little bit of conflict with the Football Association.Ever innovative, flamboyant and not afraid of a risk, he once recorded his own EP which included a cover of Kaleidoscope’s, ‘A Dream for Julie’, with the lyrics changed to tribute his teammates. He was also an open advocate of the UK’s psychedelic music scene, and one of the first footballers to shave their heads. As a TV pundit in the early 70’s, he also had regular verbal tussles with Brian Clough.
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Since taking over as Chief Executive at Kettering, Dougan had been making a deal with local company, Kettering Tyres Ltd, to have their name embroidered on the front of Kettering’s shirts. Kettering Tyres Ltd would pay the club a four-figure sum for the privilege. The exact amount has never been revealed.January 21st 1976, Kettering Town v Bath City in the Southern League. The match itself was a rather drab affair, played out by two mediocre mid-table sides. However, the words emblazoned on the home sides shirts caused quite the stir. The inevitable letter from the Football Association came just four days later, and it ordered the removal of the company name. ‘The Doog‘, not wanting to accept defeat, simply had new shirts embroidered with ‘Kettering T’ and claimed the ‘t’ stood for town, not tyres. The FA were unamused but scratched their heads on the matter for a few months. In April 1976, their response came with the threat of a £1000 fine if the text wasn’t removed right away. Not wanting to pay a fine, Dougan and Kettering Town did as they were told. “I find it inconceivable that these petty minded bureaucrats have only this to worry about”, Dougan is reported to have said.