1974–75 in English football

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The 1974–75 season was the 95th season of competitive football in England.

Contents

Overview [edit]

First Division [edit]

Dave Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four seasons having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough in a title race which went right to the wire. Everton lost just eight games during the season, the fewest of any side in the league that season, but a poor run of form at the end of the season cost Billy Bingham's league glory.

It was Liverpool's first season under the management of Bob Paisley, who had been promoted to the manager's seat from the coaching staff following Bill Shankly's retirement a month before the start of the season.[1]

Carlisle United, in the First Division for the first time, topped the league three games into the season but were unable to keep up their winning ways and were relegated in bottom place. Joining the Cumbrians in the drop zone were Luton Town and Chelsea.

Brian Clough was named as Don Revie's successor at Leeds United but was sacked after just 44 days in charge. He was replaced by Jimmy Armfield.

Second Division [edit]

Manchester United kept faith in manager Tommy Docherty after their relegation to the Second Division, and he rewarded them with the championship. They were joined in promotion by Aston Villa and Norwich City. FIFA finally lifted George Best's worldwide ban from football, but Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty was not prepared to give him another chance at Old Trafford, and he joined Stockport County F.C. on a free transfer.

Millwall, Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to the Third Division.

Third Division [edit]

Blackburn Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Charlton Athletic occupied the promotion places in the Third Division.

Going down were Bournemouth, Tranmere Rovers, Watford and Huddersfield Town. This meant that Huddersfield would be playing Fourth Division football for the first time in their history (the first former English champions to do so) during the 1975–76 season, just three years after they had been in the First Division.

Fourth Division [edit]

Mansfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United and Chester occupied the promotion places in the Fourth Division. Chester finally managed promotion after 44 years of league membership, narrowly edging out Lincoln on goal average.

Scunthorpe United, who had narrowly missed out on top division football during the 1960s, found themselves bottom of the league but retained their league status after being re-elected along with the three clubs placed above them.

FA Cup [edit]

John Lyall kicked off his management career in style by guiding West Ham United to FA Cup glory over Fulham at Wembley. A key player in West Ham's triumph was 19-year-old goalkeeper Mervyn Day, who was credited with the PFA Young Player of the Year award for his achievements. On the losing Fulham side was former West Ham captain Bobby Moore.

League Cup [edit]

Ron Saunders guided Aston Villa to League Cup success against Norwich in the only final of the competition between two Second Division teams. Both clubs were also promoted to the First Division.

Fourth Division Chester reached the semi-finals after accounting for top-flight giants Leeds United and Newcastle United. They lost the semi-final to Aston Villa 5–4 on aggregate. Manchester United lost the other semi-final, so none of the semi-finalists were from the First Division.

European football [edit]

1973–74 League champions Leeds United reached the European Cup final at the Parc des Princes in Paris, where they lost 2–0 to Bayern Munich. Leeds fans ran riot following the match, in which Peter Lorimer had a goal disallowed, and the club was banned from European competition for four years, later reduced to two on appeal.[2]

Star players [edit]

  • Colin Todd added the PFA Player of the Year award to the league championship medal he collected with Derby County.
  • 19-year-old West Ham goalkeeper Mervyn Day collected the PFA Young Player of the Year award along with an FA Cup winners medal.
  • Liverpool's experienced midfielder Ian Callaghan was voted Player of the Year by the FWA, despite failing to win any major honours with his club.

Star managers [edit]

Top goalscorers [edit]

First Division [edit]

Second Division [edit]

Third Division [edit]

Fourth Division [edit]

Diary of the season [edit]

4 July 1974: Don Revie accepts the offer from the Football Association to become the new manager of the England national football team, ending 13 years as manager of Leeds United, the defending league champions.[4]

12 July 1974: Bill Shankly stuns Liverpool by announcing his retirement after 15 years as manager. He is to be succeeded by 55-year-old coach Bob Paisley.[5]

30 July 1974: Leeds United's search for a new manager ends with the appointment of Brian Clough, who had managed Third Division side Brighton & Hove Albion since November after his controversial dismissal from Derby County, the side he managed to title glory in 1972.[6] However, he is not joined at Elland Road by his long serving assistant Peter Taylor, who is promoted to the manager's seat at the Goldstone Ground.[7]

10 August 1974: This year's FA Charity Shield is played at Wembley Stadium between league champions Leeds United and FA Cup holders Liverpool, both sides having appointed new managers for the first time in over a decade. The match ends in a 1–1 draw and Liverpool win 6–5 on penalties, but it is marred by the dismissal of Leeds captain Billy Bremner and Liverpool striker Kevin Keegan.[8]

17 August 1974: The First Division season begins with Brian Clough's first League match in charge of Leeds United ending in a 3–0 defeat to Stoke City. Carlisle United, in the First Division for the first time in their history, win 2–0 at Chelsea, and Manchester City beat West Ham United 4–0.[3] Manchester United play their first game outside the top flight since 1938, beating Orient 2–0 at Brisbane Road in the opening Second Division fixture.[9]

24 August 1974: Carlisle United move to the top of the league after winning their opening three games of the season.[10] In the Second Division, Old Trafford hosts its first Second Division game in 36 years as Manchester United beat Millwall 4–0, with Gerry Daly scoring a hat-trick and Stuart Pearson scoring the other goal.[11]

31 August 1974: At the end of August, 1973 champions Liverpool lead the First Division, one point ahead of Ipswich Town, Everton and Manchester City, whose 2–1 defeat of Leeds United leaves the champions just one point ahead off the bottom.[3]

12 September 1974: Brian Clough is sacked after 44 days and six league matches in charge of Leeds United, who have won just once in the league and stand 19th of 22 clubs in the First Division. He receives a pay-off in the region of £98,000.[12]

14 September 1974: Leeds United lose 2–1 to Burnley in their first match after the departure of Brian Clough.[3]

30 September 1974: With eight wins from their first ten games, Ipswich Town top the First Division table at the end of September. They lead Manchester City by two points. At the bottom, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Leeds United are level on points.[3]

4 October 1974: After nearly a month, Leeds United finally appoint a successor to Brian Clough by naming Jimmy Armfield of Bolton Wanderers as their new manager.[13]

5 October 1974: Leeds United beat Arsenal 2–0 at Elland Road to send the Gunners, who have been in the First Division since 1919, to the bottom of the table.[3]

30 October 1974: England beat Czechoslovakia 3–0 at Wembley in a European Championship qualifier, Don Revie's first match as manager.[14]

31 October 1974: Liverpool have regained top spot in the First Division at the end of the month, one point ahead of Manchester City. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur continue to struggle in the relegation zone, where they have been joined by Luton Town.[3]

9 November 1974: Manchester City take over at the top of the First Division as Liverpool lose 3–1 at home to Arsenal.[3]

20 November 1974: England are held to a goalless draw by Portugal in their second 1976 European Championship qualifier.[14]

30 November 1974: Stoke City beat Leicester City 1–0 to move to the top of the First Division, but just three points separate the top nine clubs. Carlisle United's early form has deserted them, and they now lie in the relegation zone with Luton Town and Chelsea.[3]

18 December 1974: Fourth Division Chester reach the semi-finals of the Football League Cup after beating Newcastle United 1–0 in a replay. Middlesbrough lose 3–0 to Manchester United, leaving no First Division clubs in the competition.[15]

31 December 1974: At the end of the year, the race for the First Division title remains remarkably close, with five points separating the top thirteen teams. Ipswich Town lead the table, alongside last year's Second Division champions Middlesbrough. Chelsea have moved out of the relegation zone at the expense of Leicester City.[3]

4 January 1975: Isthmian League Leatherhead reach the fourth round of the FA Cup by beating Brighton & Hove Albion 1–0. They are joined by Wimbledon, who win 1–0 away to First Division Burnley. Non-league Altrincham and Wycombe Wanderers hold First Division opponents, Everton and Middlesbrough respectively, to draws.[16]

18 January 1975: Everton, who have lost just three League games so far, take over leadership of the First Division with a 3–0 win over Birmingham City. Ipswich Town and Burnley are one point behind.[3]

22 January 1975: Aston Villa and Norwich City complete aggregate victories in their League Cup semi-finals over Chester and Manchester United respectively.[15]

25 January 1975: Wimbledon hold Leeds United to a 0–0 draw at Elland Road in the FA Cup fourth round. Leatherhead's run comes to an end with a 3–2 defeat to Leicester City. FA Cup holders Liverpool are knocked out of this season's competition 1–0 by Ipswich Town.[16]

10 February 1975: Wimbledon's fairytale FA Cup run finally ends with a 1–0 defeat to Leeds United in the fourth round replay.[16]

28 February 1975: At the end of February, the destination of the League title is no clearer, as five points separate the top half of the First Division, which Everton lead by one point from Stoke City and Burnley. Carlisle United have dropped to last place, one point behind Luton Town and Leicester City.[3]

1 March 1975: Aston Villa beat Norwich City 1–0 in the all-Second Division final of the League Cup at Wembley.[15]

8 March 1975: Second Division Fulham beat Carlisle United 1–0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals. West Ham United and Birmingham City join them in the last four.[16]

12 March 1975: England beat world champions West Germany 2–0 in a friendly in their 100th international at Wembley.[14]

15 March 1975: Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Chelsea 7–1 in the biggest win of the First Division season. Ipswich Town beat Newcastle United 5–4, but Everton now lead the table by three points from Burnley with a game in hand.[3]

27 March 1975: After three draws, Ipswich Town beat Leeds United 3–2 in the third replay of their FA Cup quarter-final at Filbert Street.[16]

29 March 1975: Everton suffer a 3–0 defeat away to bottom-places Carlisle United, and relinquish top spot in the First Division to Liverpool.[3]

31 March 1975: Everton beat Coventry City 1–0 to move back to the top of the table, as Liverpool lose 2–0 to Stoke City. They lead Liverpool and Stoke by one point with a game in hand, and have just five matches remaining, but Ipswich Town, Derby County and Middlesbrough also remain in contention. Tottenham Hotspur have slipped back into the relegation zone alongside Carlisle United and Luton Town.[3]

5 April 1975: Both FA Cup semi-finals, Birmingham City versus Fulham and Ipswich Town versus West Ham United, require replays after ending in draws.[16]

9 April 1975: Everton lose 2–1 to relegation-threatened Luton Town, and Derby County take advantage by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 to move two points clear at the top of the table with three matches left.[3] West Ham United and Fulham reach the FA Cup final after narrow victories in their semi-final replays.[16]

12 April 1975: Stoke City's title challenge ends with defeat to Sheffield United, leaving Derby County, Liverpool, Everton and Ipswich Town as the remaining contenders. Carlisle United are relegated after losing at Anfield.[3]

16 April 1975: Malcolm Macdonald scores all five goals as England beat Cyprus 5–0 in a European Championship qualifier. He is the first England player for 37 years to achieve this feat.[14]

19 April 1975: Liverpool, Everton and Ipswich Town all lose to hand the initiative in the title race to Derby County. Although the Rams can only draw with Leicester City, only Ipswich can now prevent them from winning their second title in four seasons. At the bottom, Tottenham Hotspur beat Chelsea 2–0 in a vital relegation clash.[3]

23 April 1975: Derby County win the title after Ipswich Town can only draw 1–1 with Manchester City.[3]

26 April 1975: Derby County lie two points clear at the top at the end of the season after drawing their last match against Carlisle United. Liverpool finish ahead of Ipswich Town in second on goal average, with Everton fourth. Chelsea's 1–1 draw with Everton sees them relegated, and Tottenham Hotspur slip into the relegation zone after losing the North London derby to Arsenal. They must take a point from their final match to stay in the division.[3]

28 April 1975: Tottenham Hotspur beat Leeds United 4–2 to survive in the First Division and relegate Luton Town one year after promotion.[3]

3 May 1975: West Ham United win the FA Cup at the end of their first season under the management of John Lyall, beating Fulham 2–0 at Wembley in the final with two goals from Alan Taylor.[17]

11 May 1975: England beat Cyprus 1–0 to move three points clear at the top of their European Championship qualifying group.[14]

24 May 1975: England win the Home Championship by thrashing Scotland 5–1 at Wembley.[14]

28 May 1975: Leeds United are beaten 2–0 by West German side Bayern Munich in the final of the European Cup in Paris. Peter Lorimer has a goal disallowed, which sparks a furious pitch invasion and riot by a section of Leeds fans.[18]

Honours [edit]

Competition Winner Runner-up
First Division Derby County (2) Liverpool
Second Division Manchester United Aston Villa
Third Division Blackburn Rovers Plymouth Argyle
Fourth Division Mansfield Town Shrewsbury Town
FA Cup West Ham United (2) Fulham
League Cup Aston Villa (2*) Norwich City
Charity Shield Liverpool Leeds United
Home Championship  England  Scotland &  Northern Ireland

Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition

League table [edit]

First Division [edit]

Pos Club P W D L F A GA Pts
1 Derby County 42 21 11 10 67 49 1.367 53
2 Liverpool 42 20 11 11 60 39 1.538 51
3 Ipswich Town 42 23 5 14 66 44 1.500 51
4 Everton 42 16 18 8 56 42 1.333 50
5 Stoke City 42 17 15 10 64 48 1.333 49
6 Sheffield United 42 18 13 11 58 51 1.137 49
7 Middlesbrough 42 18 12 12 54 40 1.350 48
8 Manchester City 42 18 10 14 54 54 1.000 46
9 Leeds United 42 16 13 13 57 49 1.163 45
10 Burnley 42 17 11 14 68 67 1.015 45
11 Queens Park Rangers 42 16 10 16 54 54 1.000 42
12 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 14 11 17 57 54 1.056 39
13 West Ham United 42 13 13 16 58 59 0.983 39
14 Coventry City 42 12 15 15 51 62 0.823 39
15 Newcastle United 42 15 9 18 59 72 0.819 39
16 Arsenal 42 13 11 18 47 49 0.959 37
17 Birmingham City 42 14 9 19 53 61 0.869 37
18 Leicester City 42 12 12 18 46 60 0.767 36
19 Tottenham Hotspur 42 13 8 21 52 63 0.825 34
20 Luton Town 42 11 11 20 47 65 0.723 33
21 Chelsea 42 9 15 18 42 72 0.583 33
22 Carlisle United 42 12 5 25 43 59 0.729 29

Second Division [edit]

Pos Club P W D L F A GA Pts
1 Manchester United 42 26 9 7 66 30 2.200 61
2 Aston Villa 42 25 8 9 79 32 2.469 58
3 Norwich City 42 20 13 9 58 37 1.568 53
4 Sunderland 42 19 13 10 65 35 1.857 51
5 Bristol City 42 21 8 13 47 33 1.424 50
6 West Bromwich Albion 42 18 9 15 54 42 1.286 45
7 Blackpool 42 14 17 11 38 33 1.152 45
8 Hull City 42 15 14 13 40 53 0.755 44
9 Fulham 42 13 16 13 44 39 1.128 42
10 Bolton Wanderers 42 15 12 15 45 41 1.098 42
11 Oxford United 42 15 12 15 41 51 0.804 42
12 Orient 42 11 20 11 28 39 0.718 42
13 Southampton 42 15 11 16 53 54 0.981 41
14 Notts County 42 12 16 14 49 59 0.831 40
15 York City 42 14 10 18 51 55 0.927 38
16 Nottingham Forest 42 12 14 16 43 55 0.782 38
17 Portsmouth 42 12 13 17 44 54 0.815 37
18 Oldham Athletic 42 10 15 17 40 48 0.833 35
19 Bristol Rovers 42 12 11 19 42 64 0.656 35
20 Millwall 42 10 12 20 44 56 0.786 32
21 Cardiff City 42 9 14 19 36 62 0.581 32
22 Sheffield Wednesday 42 5 11 26 29 64 0.453 21

Third Division [edit]

Pos Club P W D L F A GA Pts
1 Blackburn Rovers 46 22 16 8 68 45 1.511 60
2 Plymouth Argyle 46 24 11 11 79 58 1.362 59
3 Charlton Athletic 46 22 11 13 76 61 1.246 55
4 Swindon Town 46 21 11 14 64 58 1.103 53
5 Crystal Palace 46 18 15 13 66 57 1.158 51
6 Port Vale 46 18 15 13 61 54 1.130 51
7 Peterborough United 46 19 12 15 47 53 0.887 50
8 Walsall 46 18 13 15 67 52 1.288 49
9 Preston North End 46 19 11 16 63 56 1.125 49
10 Gillingham 46 17 14 15 65 60 1.083 48
11 Colchester United 46 17 13 16 70 63 1.111 47
12 Hereford United 46 16 14 16 64 66 0.970 46
13 Wrexham 46 15 15 16 65 55 1.182 45
14 Bury 46 16 12 18 53 50 1.060 44
15 Chesterfield 46 16 12 18 62 66 0.939 44
16 Grimsby Town 46 15 13 18 55 64 0.859 43
17 Halifax Town 46 13 17 16 49 65 0.754 43
18 Southend United 46 13 16 17 46 51 0.902 42
19 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 16 10 20 56 64 0.875 42
20 Aldershot 46 14 11 21 53 63 0.841 38
21 Bournemouth 46 13 12 21 44 58 0.759 38
22 Tranmere Rovers 46 14 9 23 55 57 0.965 37
23 Watford 46 10 17 19 52 75 0.693 37
24 Huddersfield Town 46 11 10 25 47 76 0.618 32

Fourth Division [edit]

Pos Club P W D L F A GA Pts
1 Mansfield Town 46 28 12 6 90 40 2.250 68
2 Shrewsbury Town 46 26 10 10 80 43 1.860 62
3 Rotherham United 46 22 15 9 71 41 1.732 59
4 Chester 46 23 11 12 64 38 1.684 57
5 Lincoln City 46 21 15 10 79 48 1.646 57
6 Cambridge United 46 20 14 12 62 44 1.409 54
7 Reading 46 21 10 15 63 47 1.340 52
8 Brentford 46 18 13 15 53 45 1.178 49
9 Exeter City 46 19 11 16 60 63 0.952 49
10 Bradford City 46 17 13 16 56 51 1.098 47
11 Southport 46 15 17 14 56 56 1.000 47
12 Newport County 46 19 9 18 68 75 0.907 47
13 Hartlepool 46 16 11 19 52 62 0.839 43
14 Torquay United 46 14 14 18 46 61 0.754 42
15 Barnsley 46 15 11 20 62 65 0.954 41
16 Northampton Town 46 15 11 20 67 73 0.918 41
17 Doncaster Rovers 46 14 12 20 65 79 0.823 40
18 Crewe Alexandra 46 11 18 17 34 47 0.723 40
19 Rochdale 46 13 13 20 59 75 0.787 39
20 Stockport County 46 12 14 20 43 70 0.614 38
21 Darlington 46 13 10 23 54 67 0.806 36
22 Swansea City 46 15 6 25 46 73 0.630 36
23 Workington 46 10 11 25 36 66 0.545 31
24 Scunthorpe United 46 7 15 24 41 78 0.526 29

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points

References [edit]

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine/features/120918/arsenal-leeds-and-biggest-and-best-clubs-never-win-champions-league-181213
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 134. ISBN 1859832148. 
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ [3]
  6. ^ [4]
  7. ^ [5]
  8. ^ [6]
  9. ^ [7]
  10. ^ [8]
  11. ^ [9]
  12. ^ [10]
  13. ^ [11]
  14. ^ a b c d e f Payne, Mike (1993). England: The Complete Post-War Record'. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 1873626398. 
  15. ^ a b c Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 255. ISBN 1859832148. 
  16. ^ a b c d e f g Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. pp. 230–1. ISBN 1859832148. 
  17. ^ [12]
  18. ^ [13]
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