The 1975–76 season was Arsenal Football Club's 50th consecutive season in the Football League First Division. Arsenal finished seventeenth in the league, one position worse than the previous season, their worst finish since Herbert Chapman became manager of the club in 1925.[1] Arsenal failed to find success in either the FA Cup or League Cup.
| 1975–76 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Denis Hill-Wood | ||
| Manager | Bertie Mee | ||
| First Division | 17th | ||
| FA Cup | Third round | ||
| League Cup | Second round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Brian Kidd (11) All: Brian Kidd (11) | ||
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Manager Bertie Mee retired at the end of the season.
Season summary
editBob McNab and Charlie George both departed Arsenal prior to the beginning of the season. McNab left on a free transfer to Wolves[2] while George nearly joined manager Terry Neill at Tottenham but was tempted last-minute by Derby for £90,000.[3][1] Alan Ball also requested a transfer but did not receive it. He was instead dropped for the opening games of the season and Eddie Kelly became the captain.[4] This became a source of tension as many of the players still looked to Ball for leadership.[1]
Arsenal were knocked out of the League Cup at home by Everton and soon after, exited the FA Cup thanks to a loss to Wolves. Arsenal's season quickly became a fight against relegation.[1]
Youngsters Frank Stapleton and David O'Leary both featured regularly in the first team.[5] Within the team, morale was low. In March, Peter Storey walked out for ten days and faced a club suspension. Bertie Mee soon announced his own retirement at the end of the season.[1]
Arsenal's season neared the end with an essential game in the battle for regulation between the 17th place Gunners and the 19th place Wolves. Terry Mancini's only first-team goal against Wolves ensured Arsenal stayed up that season, despite three consecutive losses closing out the season.[1]
Final league table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Newcastle United | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 71 | 62 | 1.145 | 39 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 51 | 59 | 0.864 | 39 |
| 17 | Arsenal | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 47 | 53 | 0.887 | 36 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 48 | 71 | 0.676 | 36 |
| 19 | Birmingham City | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 57 | 75 | 0.760 | 33 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
Results
editArsenal's score comes first[6]
Legend
edit| Win | Draw | Loss |
Football League First Division
edit| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 August 1975 | Burnley | A | 0–0 | ||
| 19 August 1975 | Sheffield United | A | 3–1 | Rice, Kidd, Brady | |
| 23 August 1975 | Stoke City | H | 0–1 | ||
| 26 August 1975 | Norwich City | H | 2–1 | Kelly, Ball | |
| 30 August 1975 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | ||
| 6 September 1975 | Leicester City | H | 1–1 | Stapleton | |
| 13 September 1975 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | ||
| 20 September 1975 | Everton | H | 2–2 | Stapleton, Kidd | |
| 27 September 1975 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–0 | ||
| 4 October 1975 | Manchester City | H | 2–3 | Ball, Cropley | |
| 11 October 1975 | Coventry City | H | 5–0 | Ball, Cropley (2), Kidd (2) | |
| 18 October 1975 | Manchester United | A | 1–3 | Kelly | |
| 25 October 1975 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–1 | Cropley, Hornsby | |
| 1 November 1975 | Newcastle United | A | 0–2 | ||
| 8 November 1975 | Derby County | H | 0–1 | ||
| 15 November 1975 | Birmingham City | A | 1–3 | Ball | |
| 22 November 1975 | Manchester United | H | 3–1 | Ball, Armstrong, Greenhoff o.g. | |
| 29 November 1975 | West Ham United | A | 0–1 | ||
| 2 December 1975 | Liverpool | A | 2–2 | 47,751 | Ball, Kidd |
| 6 December 1975 | Leeds United | H | 1–2 | Brady | |
| 13 December 1975 | Stoke City | A | 1–2 | Armstrong | |
| 20 December 1975 | Burnley | H | 1–0 | Radford | |
| 26 December 1975 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–2 | ||
| 27 December 1975 | Queen's Park Rangers | H | 2–0 | Ball, Kidd | |
| 10 January 1976 | Aston Villa | H | 0–0 | ||
| 17 January 1976 | Leicester City | A | 1–2 | Ross | |
| 31 January 1976 | Sheffield United | H | 1–0 | Brady | |
| 7 February 1976 | Norwich City | A | 1–3 | Kidd | |
| 18 February 1976 | Derby County | A | 0–2 | ||
| 21 February 1976 | Birmingham City | H | 1–0 | Brady | |
| 24 February 1976 | Liverpool | H | 1–0 | Radford | |
| 28 February 1976 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–0 | Radford | |
| 13 March 1976 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | Powling | |
| 16 March 1976 | Newcastle United | H | 0–0 | ||
| 20 March 1976 | West Ham United | H | 6–1 | Armstrong, Ball (2), Kidd (3) | |
| 27 March 1976 | Leeds United | A | 0–3 | ||
| 3 April 1976 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–2 | ||
| 10 April 1976 | Everton | A | 0–0 | ||
| 13 April 1976 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | Cropley, Mancini | |
| 17 April 1976 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–2 | 26,659 | Stapleton |
| 19 April 1976 | Queen's Park Rangers | A | 1–2 | Kidd | |
| 24 April 1976 | Manchester City | A | 1–3 | Armstrong |
FA Cup
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 3 January 1976 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–3 |
League Cup
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | 9 September 1975 | Everton | A | 2–2 | Cropley, Stapleton | |
| R2R | 23 September 1975 | Everton | H | 0–1 |
Squad
edit[1] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Top scorers
editFootball League First Division[7]
- Brian Kidd - 11
- Alan Ball - 9
- Liam Brady - 5
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1995). Arsenal: Official History. London: Hamlyn. pp. 186–87. ISBN 0600588262.
- ^ Lawrence, Gary (7 September 2017). "Arsenal's Master Game Reader – Highbury Hero Bob McNab". Gunners Town. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Greatest 50 Players - 9. Charlie George". Arsenal. 31 May 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Andy (17 November 2014). "Arsenal's captains from day one". The Arsenal History. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Arsenal First Team Line-Ups". The Arsenal History. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Arsenal results for the 1976-1977 season – Statto.com". Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ Arsenal Official Handbook 1976-77. London: Arsenal. 1976. p. 37.