The 1951–52 season was Fussball Club Basel 1893's 58th season in their existence. It was their sixth season in Nationalliga A the top flight of Swiss football following their promotion from the Nationalliga B in the season 1945–46. Basel played their home games in the Landhof, in the Quarter Kleinbasel. Jules Düblin was the club's chairman for the sixth successive season.
| 1951–52 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Jules Düblin |
| Manager | Ernst Hufschmid |
| Ground | Landhof, Basel |
| Nationalliga A | 4th |
| Swiss Cup | Semi-final |
| Top goalscorer | League: Josef Hügi (24) All: Josef Hügi (32) |
| Highest home attendance | 10,000 on 23 September 1951 vs Lugano and on 7 October 1951 vs Grasshopper Club |
| Lowest home attendance | 3,000 on 9 December 1951 vs Bellinzona and on 30 March 1952 vs Locarno |
| Average home league attendance | 6,292 |
Overview
editErnst Hufschmid, who had functioned as player-coach the previous four seasons, continued as team manager this season. Basel played a total of 42 games in this season. Of these 26 games were in the domestic league, five games were in the Swiss Cup and eleven were test games. The test games resulted with four victories, two were drawn and five ended with defeats. In total, including the test games and the cup competition, they won 22 games, drew five and lost 15 times. In the 42 games they scored 123 and conceded 87 goals.[1]
The newly built stadium Landhof was opened on the weekend of 18 and 19 August 1951. There were larger spectator stands, new meeting rooms, changing rooms and a brand new restaurant. The buildings had cost 700,000 Swiss Francs and had taken two years to complete, during this time the team had to play all their games at the Stadion Schützenmatte. The pitch had been newly laid out and its opening was accompanied by a two-day international football tournament, competed by Austrian team First Vienna, French team Sochaux-Montbéliard and Swiss teams Grasshopper Club Zürich. On both days there were over six thousand people celebrating the big party, even though their team lost 2–3 against Vienna and even 1–7 against Sochaux. It was a big hope that these new conditions would also change the fortunes of the club to the better, because nearly 60 years had passed since the club's foundation without a championship. The Basel fans were becoming frustrated, because 36 of the first 52 championships had gone to the cities of Zürich, Geneva or Bern. Even small towns such as Aarau, Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Lugano, Bellinzona, Biel/Bienne, Winterthur and St. Gallen had been able to celebrate a championship. The championship had still had never been won by a team from Basel.[2]
As in the previous seasons, there were fourteen teams contesting in the 1951–52 Nationalliga A and the bottom two teams in the league table were to be relegated. Basel played a good start to the season. They won the first six games straight off. But they lost four of the next five games and slipped in the league table. However, winning the last three games before and the first three games after the winter break, they were again in contention for the league championship. Suddenly, towards the end of the season, they lost five games in a row and lost contact to the table top. At the end of the season Basel finished in fourth position, seven points behind the new champions Grasshopper Club. The hopeful fans were again frustrated by this fact. The team Basel had won 14 games, drew three games and were defeated nine times. The team scored 68 goals and conceded 47 as they obtained their 31 points. Josef "Seppe" Hügi was the team's and the league's best goal scorer with 24 league goals. Walter Bannwart was the team's second-best goal getter with 10 goals. Paul Stöcklin scored nine times, René Bader and Hans Hügi both scored seven times.[3]
Basel started in the 3rd principal round of the Swiss Cup on 4 November 1951 with a home game against lower tier Wettingen and won 7–0. In the next round against Nationalliga A team Locarno they won 3–2 and again in the following round against Nationalliga A team Chiasso by three goals to one. In the quarter finals Basel beat Servette and faced Grasshopper Club in the semi-final. The Grasshoppers won this game in the Landhof and progressed to the final, in which they beat Lugano and thus won the double.[4]
Players
editThe following is the list of the Basel first team squad during the season 1950–51. The list includes players that were in the squad on the day that the Nationalliga A season started on 3 September 1950 but subsequently left the club after that date.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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- Players who left the squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Results
editLegend
editWin Draw Loss Postponed
Friendly matches
editPre-season
edit| 4 August 1951 Pre-season | SV Weil  | 2–10 | Basel | Weil am Rhein |
| 17:30 |  (1x) (1x) |
Summary | (3x) Hügi (II) (3x) Weber (1x) Stöcklin (1x) Suter (1x) Thalmann (1x) Wolf |
| 11 August 1951 Pre-season | Eimsbütteler TV | 2–0 | Basel | Hamburg |
| Eckhoff 56' (1:0) Eckhoff 61' (2:0) |
Summary |
| 12 August 1951 Pre-season | Eintracht Braunschweig | 3–4 | Basel | Eintracht-Stadion, Braunschweig |
| Arens (1:2) Welter (2:2)Hirschberg (3:2) |
Summary | (0:1) Bannwart (0:2) Suter (3:3) Bannwart (3:4) Thalmann |
Attendance: 10,000 Referee:  Sherman |
| 14 August 1951 Pre-season | Travemünde | 2–8 | Basel | Travemünde |
| |
Summary | (6x) Hügi (II) (2x) Suter (1x) |
| 18 August 1951 Pre-season | Basel | 2–3 |  First Vienna | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:30 | Hügi (II) 60' (1:2) Bader 70' (2:2) |
Summary | 8' (0:1) Walzhofer 38' (o.g. 0:2) 73' (2:3) Walzhofer |
Referee: von Wartburg Bern |
| 19 August 1951 Pre-season | Basel | 1–7 |  Sochaux-Montbéliard | Landhof, Basel |
| 16:50 | Stöcklin (1x) |
Summary | (4x) Bruat (1x) Salzborn (1x) Gardien (1x) Montagnoli |
Attendance: 6,000 Referee: von Wartburg Bern |
Winter break and mid-season
edit| 10 February 1952 Winter break | Basel | 5–2 | Urania Genève Sport | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Bader 6' (1:1) Hügi (II) (2:1)Hügi (II) (3:1)Hügi (II) 39' (4:1)Stöcklin 83' (5:2) |
Summary | (0:1) Stefano (I) 82' (4:2) Hofstettler |
Attendance: 800 Referee: Stuber Solothurn |
| 9 April 1952 Mid-season | Cantonal Neuchâtel | 2–2 | Basel | Stade de Cantonal, Neuchâtel |
| 20:30 | Willi 35' (1:0) Monnard (2:1) |
Summary | (1:1) Hügi (II) 90' (2:2) Hügi (II) |
Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Merlotti Neuchâtel |
| 30 April 1952 Mid-season | Basel | 1–1 | Preston North End | Landhof, Basel |
| 16:30 | Hügi (II) 18' (1:0) |
Summary | 53' (1:1) Foster |
Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Andres Birsfelden |
| 20 May 1952 Mid-season | Basel | 0–1 | Arsenal | Landhof, Basel |
| 18:30 | Summary | 43' (0:1) Roper |
Attendance: 9,500 Referee: Rapin Lausanne |
| 22 May 1952 Mid-season | VfR Mannheim | 5–3 | Basel | Aumattstadion, Baden-Baden |
| Löttke 4' (1:0) Bassler 37' (2:1)Heinz 44' (3:1)Langlotz 45' (pen. 4:1)Lambert 51' (5:2) |
Summary | 7' (1:1) Thalmann 50' (4:2) Hügi (II) 88' (5:3) Hügi (II) |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Bäzler Baden-Baden |
Nationalliga A
editLeague matches
edit| 26 August 1951 Round 1 | Basel | 6–1 | Young Fellows Zürich | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Stöcklin 5' (pen. 1:0) Hügi (II) 29' (2:1)Hügi (II) 52' (3:1)Bader 58' (4:1)Hügi (II) 61' (5:1)Thalmann 77' (6:1) |
Summary | 27' (1:1) Ballaman |
Attendance: 4,200 Referee: Scherz Bern |
| 2 September 1951 Round 2 | Basel | 3–2 | Lausanne-Sport | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Bannwart 31' (1:0) Suter 42' (2:1)Hügi (II) 69' (3:1) |
Summary | 40' (1:1) Friedländer 74' (3:2) Friedländer |
Attendance: 7,500 Referee: Armand Merlotti Neuchâtel |
| 9 September 1951 Round 3 | FC Bern | 2–6 | Basel | Neufeld, Bern |
| 15:00 | Wirsching 30' (1:1) Schönmann 46' (2:3) |
Summary | 1' (0:1) Stöcklin 32' (1:2) Hügi (II) 34' (1:3) Bannwart 47' (2:4) Stöcklin 70' (2:5) Bannwart 72' (2:6) Hügi (II) |
Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Josef Gulde St. Gallen |
| 23 September 1951 Round 4 | Basel | 2–0 | Lugano | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Bannwart 4' (1:0) Bannwart 75' (2:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Willy Rufli Bremgarten |
| 30 September 1951 Round 5 | Locarno | 0–2 | Basel | Stadio del Lido, Locarno |
| Summary | 8' (0:1) Hügi (II) 50' (0:2) Bader |
Attendance: 3,000 Referee: von Gunten Bern |
| 7 October 1951 Round 6 | Basel | 2–0 | Grasshopper Club | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Hügi (II) 53' (1:0) Hügi (II) 74' (2:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Armand Merlotti Neuchâtel |
| 21 October 1951 Round 7 | Zürich | 2–0 | Basel | Hardturm, Zürich |
| 15:15 | Rossi 5' (1:0) Lehrieder 62' (2:1)Schneiter 64' (3:1)Lehrieder 70' (4:1) |
Summary | 11' (1:1) Hügi (II) Hügi (II) |
Attendance: 22,000 Referee: M. Baumberger Lausanne |
| 28 October 1951 Round 8 | Basel | 1–5 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Thalmann 33' (1:0) |
Summary | 68' (1:1) Antenen 69' (1:2) Morand 83' (1:3) Morand 86' (1:4) Morand 90' (1:5) Peney |
Attendance: 6,800 Referee: Victor Werrner Schicker Bern |
| 11 November 1951 Round 9 | Servette | 4–1 | Basel | Charmilles Stadium, Geneva |
| 15:00 | Züfle 30' (1:0) Pasteur 36' (pen. 2:0)Fatton 57' (3:0)Züfle 85' (4:1) |
Summary | 60' (3:1) Thalmann |
Attendance: 8,500 Referee: Willy Rufli Bremgarten |
| 18 November 1951 Round 10 | Basel | 3–0 | Young Boys | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Hügi (II) 2' (1:0) Hügi (II) 57' (2:0)Bannwart 74' (3:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 5,700 Referee: Ernst Dörflinger Grenchen |
| 2 December 1951 Round 11 | Chiasso | 1–0 | Basel | Stadio Via Comacini, Chiasso |
| Zanollo 36' (1:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 3,000 Referee: M. Baumberger Lausanne |
| 9 December 1951 Round 12 | Basel | 4–1 | Bellinzona | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Bader 10' (1:0) Stöcklin 21' (pen. 2:0)Hügi (I) 74' (3:1)Thalmann 85' (4:1) |
Summary | 58' (2:1) Pellanda |
Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Bertsche Neuhausen am Rheinfall |
| 16 December 1951 Round 13 | Biel-Bienne | 0–3 | Basel | Gurzelen Stadion, Biel/Bienne |
| 14:30 | Summary | 6' (0:1) Hügi (II) 25' (0:2) 90' (0:3) Stöcklin |
Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Emilio Guidi Bellinzona |
| 24 February 1952 Round 14 | Young Fellows Zürich | 0–2 | Basel | Letzigrund, Zürich |
| 14:30 | Summary | 14' (0:1) Bannwart 44' (0:2) Bannwart |
Attendance: 3,500 Referee: von Wartburg Bern |
| 2 March 1952 Round 15 | Lausanne-Sport | 1–1 | Basel | Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |
| 15:00 | Maurer (1:1) |
Summary | 10' (0:1) Hügi (I) Hügi (I) |
Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Paul Wyssling Zürich |
| 9 March 1952 Round 16 | Basel | 5–1 | FC Bern | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Bannwart 8' (1:0) Hügi (I) 35' (2:1)Bopp 72' (pen. 3:1)Hügi (I) 80' (4:1)Hügi (I) 83' (5:1) |
Summary | 13' (1:1) Just |
Attendance: 4,600 Referee: Fritz Buchmüller Zürich |
| 16 March 1952 Round 17 | Lugano | 0–3 | Basel | Cornaredo, Lugano |
| Summary | 14' (0:1) Hügi (II) 50' (0:2) Hügi (II) 75' (0:3) Stöcklin |
Attendance: 3,000 Referee: von Gunten Bern |
| 13 March 1952 Round 18 | Basel | 5–3 | Locarno | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Bopp 10' (pen. 1:0) Stöcklin 12' (2:0)Hügi (I) 64' (3:0)Hügi (II) 78' (4:2)Bader 81' (pen. 5:2) |
Summary | 65' (3:1) Santini 68' (pen. 3:2) Ernst 85' (o.g. 5:3) |
Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Zutter Bern |
| 6 April 1952 Round 19 | Grasshopper Club | 2–2 | Basel | Hardturm, Zürich |
| 16:00 | Vonlanthen (II) 32' (1:0) Hüssy 38' (2:0) |
Summary | 51' (2:1) Hügi (I) 82' (2:2) Hügi (II) |
Attendance: 18,000 Referee: von Gunten Bern |
| 20 April 1952 Round 20 | Basel | 2–2 | Zürich | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Hügi (II) 7' (1:0) Hügi (II) 63' (2:1) |
Summary | 15' (1:1) Schneiter 81' (2:2) Bosshard |
Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Roger Rapin Lausanne |
| 27 April 1952 Round 21 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | 2–1 | Basel | Stade Charrière, La Chaux-de-Fonds |
| 15:00 | 43' (o.g. 1:1) Sobotka 51' (2:1) |
Summary | 27' (0:1) Hügi (II) |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Fritz Buchmüller Zürich |
| 4 May 1952 Round 22 | Basel | 0–3 | Servette | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Hügi (II)  58' |
Summary | 33' (0:1) Kohli 41' (0:2) Mauron 78' (0:3) Mauron |
Attendance: 7,000 Referee: von Gunten Bern |
| 11 May 1952 Round 23 | Young Boys | 4–3 | Basel | Neufeld, Bern |
| 15:00 | Sing 6' (1:0) Häuptli 14' (2:0)Zaugg 24' (3:0)Meier 52' (4:0) |
Summary | 54' (4:1) Thalmann 60' (pen. 4:2) Bader 64' (4:3) Suter |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Louis Tschopp Delémont |
| 18 May 1952 Round 24 | Basel | 1–2 | Chiasso | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Weber 83' (1:2) |
Summary | 23' (0:1) Bianchi 31' (0:2) 31. Zanollo |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Paul Wyssling Zürich |
| 25 May 1952 Round 25 | Bellinzona | 6–2 | Basel | Stadio Comunale, Bellinzona |
| 15:00 | Sartori 13' (1:0) Erba 15' (2:0)Sartori 29' (pen. 3:0)Erba 56' (4:1)Zanetti 77' (5:2)Sartori 85' (6:2) |
Summary | 36' (3:1) Stöcklin 58' (4:2) Thalmann |
Attendance: 1,700 Referee: Zutter Bern |
| 8 June 1952 Round 26 | Basel | 7–1 | Biel-Bienne | Landhof, Basel |
| 16:15 | Hügi (II) 8' (1:0) Stöcklin 56' (2:1)Bader 63' (3:1)Hügi (II) 65' (4:1)Bader 67' (5:1)Bannwart 71' (6:1)Hügi (II) (7:1) |
Summary | 51' (1:1) Rösch |
Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Musch Geneva |
League standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grasshopper Club Zürich | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 79 | 38 | +41 | 38 | Champions and Swiss Cup winners |
| 2 | FC Zürich | 26 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 61 | 36 | +25 | 37 | |
| 3 | FC Chiasso | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 59 | 49 | +10 | 35 | |
| 4 | FC Basel | 26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 68 | 47 | +21 | 31 | |
| 5 | FC La Chaux-de-Fonds | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 62 | 45 | +17 | 30 | |
| 6 | Servette FC Genève | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 57 | 45 | +12 | 28 | |
| 7 | BSC Young Boys | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 61 | 52 | +9 | 27 | |
| 8 | Lausanne Sports | 26 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 39 | 43 | −4 | 25 | |
| 9 | AC Bellinzona | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 43 | 55 | −12 | 22 | |
| 10 | FC Locarno | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 41 | 66 | −25 | 22 | |
| 11 | FC Lugano | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 21 | |
| 12 | FC Bern | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 47 | 64 | −17 | 19 | |
| 13 | Young Fellows Zürich | 26 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 36 | 71 | −35 | 15 | Relegated |
| 14 | FC Biel-Bienne | 26 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 37 | 71 | −34 | 14 | Relegated |
Swiss Cup
edit| 4 November 1951 Round 3 | Basel | 7–0 | Wettingen | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Hügi (I) 14' (1:0) Suter 19' (2:0)Hügi (II) 22' (3:0) 49' (o.g. 4:0)Hügi (II) 54' (5:0)Stöcklin 57' (6:0)Hügi (II) 75' (7:0) |
Summary | |
Attendance: 1,200 Referee: von Wartburg Bern |
| 23 December 1951 Round 4 | Basel | 3–2 | Locarno | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Hügi (II) 2' (1:0) Hügi (II) 28' (2:1)Bader 84' (3:2) |
Summary | 6' (1:1) Ernst 34' (2:2) Santini |
Attendance: 7,500 Referee: Rapin Lausanne |
| 30 December 1951 Round 5 | Basel | 3–1 | Chiasso | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Hügi (II) 43' (1:0) Bopp 76' (pen. 2:1)Hügi (II) 83' (3:1) |
Summary | 69' (1:1) Busenhart |
Attendance: 8,000 Referee: M. Baumberger Lausanne |
| 17 February 1952 Quarter-final | Basel | 6–5 | Servette | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Bader 9' (1:0) Hügi (II) 12' (2:0)Thalmann 48' (3:4)Bader 62' (4:4)Thalmann 85' (5:5)Suter (6:5) |
Summary | 18' (2:1) Fatton 22' (2:2) Züfle 39' (2:3) Mauron 44' (2:4) Fatton 65' (4:5) Fatton |
Attendance: 9,200 Referee: Rapin Lausanne |
| 23 March 1952 Semi-final | Basel | 0–2 | Grasshopper Club | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Summary | 25' (0:1) Ballaman 28' (0:2) Berbig |
Attendance: 16,000 Referee: Josef Gulde St. Gallen |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. "Bilanz Saison 1951/52". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ Zindel, Josef (2018), "Die ersten 125 Jahre - Historische Meilensteine 1951", Page 48, Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, Basel
- ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. "Statistik 1951–52". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ Erik Garin. "Switzerland 1951/52". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
Sources
edit- Die ersten 125 Jahre. Publisher: Josef Zindel im Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, Basel. ISBN 978-3-7245-2305-5
- The FCB team 1951–52 at fcb-archiv.ch
- Switzerland 1951–52 by Erik Garin at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation