1976–77 in English football
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1976–77 in English football
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The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.
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Contents
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Overview
The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring. Coloured yellow and red cards were introduced for the first time in domestic English football.
First Division
After a season long neck and neck battle with Manchester City that came down to the final game, Liverpool retained their league championship trophy and won their first European Cup to confirm Bob Paisley as a successful replacement for Bill Shankly in his third season at the helm. Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City's long spells in the First Division came to an end with relegation. Stoke sacked their manager Tony Waddington. On the last day of the season, Coventry City and Bristol City played out a controversial 2–2 draw, with play virtually stopping when it was heard that Sunderland had lost to Everton. Both clubs survived while Sunderland was relegated.
After Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty had admitted his affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist, the club's directors decided that he had broken their moral code and he was sacked.
Second Division
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest gained promotion to the First Division. Brian Clough's Forest would achieve success beyond the dreams of most supporters over the next few seasons. Carlisle United, Plymouth Argyle and Hereford United occupied the three relegation places. Hereford became the first club to finish bottom of the Second Division after winning the Third Division the previous season.
Third Division
Mansfield Town, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace were the three teams promoted to the Second Division. Palace's manager was a certain Terry Venables who would enjoy more success at Palace and elsewhere over the next 20 years. Going down were Reading, Northampton Town, Grimsby Town for admin entrance and York City.
Fourth Division
Cambridge United, Exeter City, Colchester United and Bradford City occupied the four promotion places in the league's lowest division. A terrible season for Workington was compounded by their failure to gain re-election to the Football League, a humiliation which saw them slip into the Northern Premier League. In their place were Southern League champions Wimbledon, who would make amazing progress over the next decade.
The British pop star Elton John took over Fourth Division side Watford and installed Graham Taylor as manager. Former Arsenal manager Bertie Mee came out of retirement to work at Watford as assistant to Graham Taylor. John immediately asserted his ambition by promising to bring First Division football to Watford.
FA Cup
Tommy Docherty guided Manchester United to a 2–1 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup final, but was sacked within weeks after announcing his affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist.
A new competition, the Debenhams Cup, was introduced to reward the two teams from outside the top two divisions to progress furthest in the FA Cup. Chester beat Port Vale in the final but it was only competed for once more.
League Cup
Ron Saunders took Aston Villa to their second League Cup victory in three seasons as the midlanders continued to re-establish themselves as a top club.
Star players
- Aston Villa's exciting young striker Andy Gray finished the season with a League Cup winners medal as well as being voted Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year by the PFA.
- Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes added the FWA Player of the Year award to his league championship and European Cup winners medals.
- Manchester United's FA Cup winners included some promising young players like Steve Coppell, Lou Macari and Arthur Albiston, who all looked set for more success as their careers progressed.
Star managers
- Bob Paisley retained Liverpool's league title and guided them to their first European Cup triumph.
- Tommy Docherty ended Manchester United's 14-year wait for the FA Cup and their first trophy of the post Matt Busby era.
- Ron Saunders delivered another League Cup victory for Aston Villa.
- Brian Clough guided Nottingham Forest to promotion to the First Division, but his greatest successes were yet to come....
Transfers
- Liverpool sold Kevin Keegan to West German side Hamburger SV in a £500,000 deal. They replaced him with Celtic striker Kenny Dalglish, who cost a British record fee of £440,000 and was rated alongside Keegan as one of Europe's top strikers.
Diary of the season
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12 March 1977: The Football League Cup final ends in a 0–0 draw between Aston Villa and Everton at Wembley Stadium.
16 March 1977: The Football League Cup final replay at Hillsborough ends in a 1–1 draw.
20 March 1977: Peter Houseman, who helped Chelsea win the FA Cup in 1970 and the Cup Winners' Cup a year later, dies in a car crash at the age of 31. His wife is among the four people who die in the crash, which takes place near Oxford.
13 April 1977: The Football League Cup final is decided at the third attempt when Aston Villa beat Everton 3-2 in the second replay. A last minute goal from Villa's Brian Little sent the trophy to Villa Park and prevented the game from going to a third replay.
14 May 1977: Liverpool are confirmed champions of the Football League First Division for the second season running and for the tenth time in total.[1]
21 May 1977: Liverpool's treble bid ends when they lose 2–1 to Manchester United in the FA Cup final. It is United's first major trophy since they won the European Cup nine years ago.
25 May 1977: Liverpool win the European Cup for the first time, defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach of West Germany 3-1 Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
28 May 1977: Wimbledon, champions of the Southern League, are elected to the Football League Fourth Division at the expense of Workington, who drop into the Northern Premier League. [2]
1 July 1977: Liverpool sell striker Kevin Keegan for a European record fee of £500,000. [3]
4 July 1977: Just six weeks after managing Manchester United to FA Cup glory, Tommy Docherty is sacked by the United board soon after admitting to having an affair with Mary Brown, the wife of club phsyiotherapist Laurie Brown. [4]
11 July 1977: Don Revie announces his resignation as England national football team manager after three years.
14 July 1977: Dave Sexton announced as the new Manchester United manager.
Deaths
- 22 October 1976 – Willie Hamilton, 38, former Scottish international forward who had played for Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa as well as several Scottish clubs. Died in Canada as a result of a heart attack.
- 20 March 1977 – Peter Houseman, 31, Oxford United midfielder who had previously played for Chelsea when they won the F.A Cup in 1970 and the Cup Winners Cup a year later. Houseman died in a car crash near Oxford. His wife also died in the crash.
- 18 May 1977 - Tony Aveyard, 21, Scarborough winger, died in hospital after collapsing as a result of a head injury in a Northern Premier League fixture two days earlier.[2]
Honours
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
League table
First Division
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 62 | 33 | +29 | 57 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 42 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 60 | 34 | +26 | 56 |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 66 | 39 | +27 | 52 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 76 | 50 | +26 | 51 |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 64 | 49 | +15 | 49 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 47 |
| 7 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 45 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 64 | 59 | +5 | 43 |
| 9 | Everton | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 62 | 64 | −2 | 42 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 42 |
| 11 | Leicester City | 42 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 47 | 60 | −13 | 42 |
| 12 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 41 |
| 13 | Birmingham City | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 63 | 61 | +2 | 38 |
| 14 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 47 | 52 | −5 | 38 |
| 15 | Derby County | 42 | 9 | 19 | 14 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 37 |
| 16 | Norwich City | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 47 | 64 | −17 | 37 |
| 17 | West Ham United | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 46 | 65 | −19 | 36 |
| 18 | Bristol City | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 35 |
| 19 | Coventry City | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 48 | 59 | −11 | 35 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 34 |
| 21 | Stoke City | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 28 | 51 | −23 | 34 |
| 22 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 48 | 72 | −24 | 33 |
Second Division
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 84 | 45 | +39 | 57 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 42 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 73 | 53 | +20 | 55 |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 52 |
| 4 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 75 | 54 | +21 | 51 |
| 5 | Blackpool | 42 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 58 | 42 | +16 | 51 |
| 6 | Luton Town | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 48 |
| 7 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 71 | 58 | +13 | 48 |
| 8 | Notts County | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 65 | 60 | +5 | 48 |
| 9 | Southampton | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 72 | 67 | +5 | 44 |
| 10 | Millwall | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 43 |
| 11 | Sheffield United | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 54 | 63 | −9 | 40 |
| 12 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 39 |
| 13 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 52 | 64 | −12 | 38 |
| 14 | Hull City | 42 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 45 | 53 | −8 | 37 |
| 15 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 53 | 68 | −15 | 37 |
| 16 | Burnley | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 46 | 64 | −18 | 36 |
| 17 | Fulham | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 54 | 61 | −7 | 35 |
| 18 | Cardiff City | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 56 | 67 | −11 | 34 |
| 19 | Orient | 42 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 37 | 55 | −18 | 34 |
| 20 | Carlisle United | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 49 | 75 | −26 | 34 |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 46 | 65 | −19 | 32 |
| 22 | Hereford United | 42 | 8 | 15 | 19 | 57 | 78 | −21 | 31 |
Third Division
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 78 | 42 | +36 | 64 |
| 2 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 83 | 40 | +43 | 61 |
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 68 | 40 | +28 | 59 |
| 4 | Rotherham United | 46 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 69 | 44 | +25 | 59 |
| 5 | Wrexham | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 80 | 54 | +26 | 58 |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 54 |
| 7 | Bury | 46 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 64 | 59 | +5 | 54 |
| 8 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 65 | 55 | +10 | 53 |
| 9 | Lincoln City | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 77 | 70 | +7 | 52 |
| 10 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 65 | 59 | +6 | 47 |
| 11 | Swindon Town | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 68 | 75 | −7 | 45 |
| 12 | Gillingham | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 55 | 64 | −9 | 44 |
| 13 | Chester | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 48 | 58 | −10 | 44 |
| 14 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 51 | 53 | −2 | 43 |
| 15 | Walsall | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 57 | 65 | −8 | 41 |
| 16 | Peterborough United | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 55 | 65 | −10 | 41 |
| 17 | Oxford United | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 55 | 65 | −10 | 39 |
| 18 | Chesterfield | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 38 |
| 19 | Port Vale | 46 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 47 | 71 | −24 | 38 |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 53 | 70 | −17 | 36 |
| 21 | Reading | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 49 | 73 | −24 | 35 |
| 22 | Northampton Town | 46 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 60 | 75 | −15 | 34 |
| 23 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 33 |
| 24 | York City | 46 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 50 | 89 | −39 | 32 |
Administration entrance= Grimsby Town
Fourth Division
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge United | 46 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 87 | 40 | +47 | 65 |
| 2 | Exeter City | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 70 | 46 | +24 | 62 |
| 3 | Colchester United | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 59 |
| 4 | Bradford City | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 78 | 51 | +27 | 59 |
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 92 | 68 | +24 | 58 |
| 6 | Barnsley | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 62 | 39 | +23 | 55 |
| 7 | Watford | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 67 | 50 | +17 | 51 |
| 8 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 71 | 65 | +6 | 51 |
| 9 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 50 |
| 10 | Southend United | 46 | 15 | 19 | 12 | 52 | 45 | +7 | 49 |
| 11 | Darlington | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 59 | 64 | −5 | 49 |
| 12 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 47 | 60 | −13 | 49 |
| 13 | Bournemouth | 46 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 54 | 44 | +10 | 48 |
| 14 | Stockport County | 46 | 13 | 19 | 14 | 53 | 57 | −4 | 45 |
| 15 | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 77 | 76 | +1 | 43 |
| 16 | Torquay United | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 59 | 67 | −8 | 43 |
| 17 | Aldershot | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 49 | 59 | −10 | 43 |
| 18 | Rochdale | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 38 |
| 19 | Newport County | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 42 | 58 | −16 | 38 |
| 20 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 49 | 73 | −24 | 37 |
| 21 | Halifax Town | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 36 |
| 22 | Hartlepool | 46 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 47 | 73 | −26 | 32 |
| 23 | Southport | 46 | 3 | 19 | 24 | 33 | 77 | −44 | 25 |
| 24 | Workington | 46 | 4 | 11 | 31 | 41 | 102 | −61 | 19 |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
References
- ^ Entertainment & Sports Agency Limited. "Liverpool FC News – LFC Online". Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. http://www.liverpool-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadgen.asp?Day=14&Month=May&ssnno=106&teamno=342. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
- ^ [1]
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