1976–77_Arsenal_F.C._season

1976–77 Arsenal F.C. season

1976–77 Arsenal F.C. season

91st season in existence of Arsenal F.C.

The 1976–1977 season was Arsenal Football Club's 51st consecutive season in the Football League First Division. The first season under new manager Terry Neill, Arsenal finished eighth in the league and reached the quarterfinals of the League Cup.

Quick Facts Chairman, Manager ...

New signing Malcolm Macdonald was Arsenal's top scorer. Long-tenured defender Pat Rice assumed the captaincy. Neill oversaw significant turnover in the side throughout the season, seeing the exodus of players such as Alan Ball and John Radford. Along with Macdonald, Neill brought in players like Willie Young and Alan Hudson.

Season summary

In the 1976–77 season, former Tottenham boss Terry Neill was recruited by the Arsenal board to replace Bertie Mee in the summer.[1] At the age of 34 he became the youngest Arsenal manager to date.[2][3] Neill brought his number two, Wilf Dixon, from Spurs. Bobby Campbell, the previous coach, left the club a few weeks later to become Fulham's coach.[4] Alan Ball, who had favored Campbell to become the next manager, was ousted with a move to Southampton for £60,000 in December.[1][5]

As would become trademark of Neill's management, Neill looked to bring in a big name striker. Newcastle's star Malcom Macdonald was available and Neill got him for £333,333, a British transfer record.[2][6] Macdonald formed a fruitful partnership with Frank Stapleton.[1]

Arsenal started the season well with just two defeats in their first nine league games but their title challenge soon began to fade. Arsenal relied heavily on Macdonald for goals. He rewarded them, scoring hat-tricks against both Newcastle and Birmingham.[1] However, when Macdonald went through a poor run of form, Arsenal followed, finding 8 defeats in 11 league games picking up just 3 points out of the possible 22. The Gunners finished the season in a disappointing 8th place.[1]

In the FA Cup, Arsenal easily beat Notts County and Coventry City. However, their run ended against Middlesbrough in a 4-1 loss.[1] Arsenal penetrated deeper into the League Cup, beating Carlisle United before taking their tie with Blackpool to a second replay before triumphing. Arsenal overcame Chelsea in a 2-1 victory at home in front of a season-record crowd to reach the quarterfinals. They lost 1-2 to Queens Park Rangers, ending their League Cup run.

By the end of the season, only two members of the 1971 Double side remained in the first team: George Armstrong and Pat Rice. Armstrong left for Leicester at the end of the season.[1] There were many other departures. John Radford, having lost his place to Stapleton, left to West Ham in December after 14 years at the club, playing 383 league games.[7] Peter Storey was another player to leave, being unable to hold down a first-team place. He moved to Fulham for £10,000 and retired a few games later. Neill also moved on Eddie Kelly (QPR), Alex Cropley (£135,000 to Aston Villa), and Terry Mancini (Aldershot).[1] He brought in Willie Young who he had known at Spurs,[8] and Alan Hudson in the spring for £200,000 from Stoke.[1][9]

Final league table

Main article: 1976–77 Football League First Division

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. Manchester United qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1976–77 FA Cup winners.

Results

Arsenal's score comes first[10]

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

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FA Cup

Main article: 1976-77 FA Cup
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League Cup

Main article: 1976–77 Football League Cup
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Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

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References

  1. [1]
    Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1995). Arsenal: Official History. London: Hamlyn. pp. 187–190. ISBN 0600588262.
  2. [2]
    "Arsenal History: 1976-1986 - Terry Neill, Don Howe and lots of cup runs". Just Arsenal. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  3. [3]
    "Terry Neill, footballer who became Arsenal's youngest ever captain and later their youngest ever manager – obituary". The Telegraph. 29 July 2022. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. [4]
    Andrews, Mark (28 December 2015). "Bobby Campbell – the Arsenal Obituary 2015". The Arsenal History. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. [5]
    Glanville, Brian (25 April 2007). "Alan Ball obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  6. [6]
    Lawrence, Gary (2 October 2017). "Highbury Hero Supreme, the Swaggering Supermac Malcolm Macdonald". Gunners Town. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  7. [7]
    "John Radford". Arsenal. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  8. [8]
    "Willie Young". Arsenal. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  9. [9]
    Attwood, Tony (21 June 2013). "Alan Hudson, born 21 June 1951". The History of Arsenal. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  10. [10]
    "Arsenal results for the 1976-1977 season – Statto.com". Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
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