1983–84 Arsenal F.C. season

Arsenal F.C.
1983–84 season
Chairman	Peter Hill-Wood
Manager	Terry Neill (to 16 December) ; Don Howe (caretaker manager)
First Division	6th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Fourth round
Top goalscorer	League: Tony Woodcock (21); All: Tony Woodcock (22)
Home colours	Away colours
	← 1982–83 1984–85 →

The 1983-84 season was Arsenal Football Club's 58th consecutive season in the top flight of English football.^[1]^[2]

Season summary

The 1983-84 season was Terry Neill’s final season as the Gunners manager. Neill had persuaded Scottish starlet Charlie Nicholas to spurn the advances of Liverpool and move to London in time for the 1983-84 season in a club-record signing from Celtic.The move wasn’t a success, however, and by December Nicholas had only scored twice.^[3]

When Arsenal got knocked out of the League Cup at home by Walsall, it really turned the fans against Terry Neill, Arsenal were 16th in the table, then lost at home to West Bromwich Albion 1-0. There were angry demonstrations by the supporters outside the ground afterwards. Many fans wanted Neill out and after Arsenal lost 3-1 away at West Ham, on 16 December 1983 the club did the inevitable and sacked Neill.^[4] Don Howe first became caretaker-manager, and became permanent manager after the game against Leicester on 28 April 1984, following a run of five wins and two draws in the last seven games. Arsenal were 6th – the highest position they had held that season after the second match of the season.^[5] Howe also brought Paul Mariner to Highbury in February 1984 for £150,000.

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.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	NIR	Pat Jennings
—	DF	NIR	Colin Hill
—	DF	ENG	Kenny Sansom
—	MF	ENG	Brian Talbot
—	DF	IRL	David O'Leary
—	DF	ENG	Tommy Caton
—	MF	ENG	Stewart Robson
—	MF	ENG	Paul Davis
—	FW	SCO	Charlie Nicholas
—	FW	ENG	Tony Woodcock
—	MF	ENG	Graham Rix


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	ENG	Paul Mariner
—	DF	ENG	Chris Whyte
—	FW	ENG	Alan Sunderland
—	FW	ENG	Raphael Meade
—	MF	ENG	Ian Allinson
—	MF	ENG	Brian McDermott
—	DF	ENG	John Kay
—	FW	ENG	David Cork
—	GK	ENG	John Lukic
—	FW	ENG	Lee Chapman
—	DF	ENG	Tony Adams
—	MF	ENG	Dave Madden
—	DF	ENG	Brian Sparrow
—	MF	IRL	Paul Gorman

Top scorers

First Division

Results

First Division

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
4	Manchester United	42	20	14	8	71	41	+30	74	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5	Queens Park Rangers	42	22	7	13	67	37	+30	73	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
6	Arsenal	42	18	9	15	74	60	+14	63
7	Everton	42	16	14	12	44	42	+2	62	Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round^[a]
8	Tottenham Hotspur	42	17	10	15	64	65	−1	61	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round^[b]

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:

^ Everton qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1983–84 FA Cup winners.
^ Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as the 1983–84 UEFA Cup winners.

27 August 1983 1	Arsenal	2–1	Luton Town	London
				Stadium: Highbury

29 August 1983 2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–2	Arsenal	Wolverhampton
				Stadium: Molineux

3 September 1983 3	Southampton	1–0	Arsenal	Southampton
				Stadium: The Dell

6 September 1983 4	Arsenal	2–3	Manchester United	London
				Stadium: Highbury

10 September 1983 5	Arsenal	0–2	Liverpool	London
				Stadium: Highbury

17 September 1983 6	Notts County	0–4	Arsenal	Nottingham
				Stadium: Meadow Lane

24 September 1983 7	Arsenal	3–0	Norwich City	London
				Stadium: Highbury

1 October 1983 8	Queen's Park Rangers	2–0	Arsenal	London
				Stadium: Loftus Road

15 October 1983 9	Arsenal	0–1	Coventry City	London
				Stadium: Highbury

22 October 1983 10	Arsenal	4–1	Nottingham Forest	London
				Stadium: Highbury

29 October 1983 11	Aston Villa	2–6	Arsenal	Birmingham
				Stadium: Villa Park

5 November 1983 12	Arsenal	1–2	Sunderland	London
				Stadium: Highbury

12 November 1983 13	Ipswich Town	1–0	Arsenal	Ipswich
				Stadium: Portman Road

19 November 1983 14	Arsenal	2–1	Everton	London
				Stadium: Highbury

26 November 1983 15	Leicester City	3–0	Arsenal	Leicester
				Stadium: Filbert Street

3 December 1983 16	Arsenal	0–1	West Bromwich Albion	London
				Stadium: Highbury

10 December 1983 17	West Ham United	3–1	Arsenal	London
				Stadium: Upton Park

17 December 1983 18	Arsenal	3–1	Watford	London
				Stadium: Highbury

26 December 1983 19	Tottenham Hotspur	2–4	Arsenal	London
				Stadium: White Hart Lane

27 December 1983 20	Arsenal	1–1	Birmingham City	London
				Stadium: Highbury

31 December 1983 21	Arsenal	2–2	Southampton	London
				Stadium: Highbury

2 January 1984 22	Norwich City	1–1	Arsenal	Norwich
				Stadium: Carrow Road

14 January 1984 23	Luton Town	1–2	Arsenal	Luton
				Stadium: Kenilworth Road

21 January 1984 24	Arsenal	1–1	Notts County	London
				Stadium: Highbury

28 January 1984 25	Stoke City	1–0	Arsenal	Stoke-on-Trent
				Stadium: Victoria Ground

4 February 1984 26	Arsenal	0–2	Queen's Park Rangers	London
				Stadium: Highbury

11 February 1984 27	Liverpool	2–1	Arsenal	Liverpool
				Stadium: Anfield

18 February 1984 28	Arsenal	1–1	Aston Villa	London
				Stadium: Highbury

25 February 1984 29	Nottingham Forest	0–1	Arsenal	Nottingham
				Stadium: City Ground

3 March 1984 30	Sunderland	2–2	Arsenal	Sunderland
				Stadium: Roker Park

10 March 1984 31	Arsenal	4–1	Ipswich Town	London
				Stadium: Highbury

17 March 1984 32	Manchester United	4–0	Arsenal	Manchester
				Stadium: Old Trafford

24 March 1984 33	Arsenal	4–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	London
				Stadium: Highbury

31 March 1984 34	Coventry City	1–4	Arsenal	Coventry
				Stadium: Highfield Road

7 April 1984 35	Arsenal	3–1	Stoke City	London
				Stadium: Highbury

9 April 1984 36	Everton	0–0	Arsenal	Liverpool
				Stadium: Goodison Park

21 April 1984 37	Arsenal	3–2	Tottenham Hotspur	London
				Stadium: Highbury

23 April 1984 38	Birmingham City	1–1	Arsenal	Birmingham
				Stadium: St Andrew's

28 April 1984 39	Arsenal	2–1	Leicester City	London
				Stadium: Highbury

5 May 1984 40	West Bromwich Albion	1–3	Arsenal	West Bromwich
				Stadium: The Hawthorns

7 May 1984 41	Arsenal	3–3	West Ham United	London
				Stadium: Highbury

12 May 1984 42	Watford	2–1	Arsenal	London
				Stadium: Vicarage Road

Football League Cup

4 October 1983 Second round (1st Leg)	Plymouth Argyle	1–1	Arsenal	Plymouth
				Stadium: Home Park

25 October 1983 Second round (2nd Leg)	Arsenal	1–0 (2–1 agg.)	Plymouth Argyle	London
				Stadium: Highbury

9 November 1983 Third round	Tottenham Hotspur	1–2	Arsenal	London
				Stadium: White Hart Lane

29 November 1983 Fourth round	Arsenal	1–2	Walsall	London
				Stadium: Highbury

FA Cup

Arsenal entered the FA Cup in the third round proper, in which they were drawn to face Middlesbrough.

7 January 1984 Third round	Middlesbrough	3–2	Arsenal	Middlesbrough
	MacDonald 5' Sugrue 60' Baxter 70'		Woodcock 13' Nicholas 64'	Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 17,813

References

^ James, Josh (18 June 2013). "All-time Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
^ Ross, James; Heneghan, Michael; Orford, Stuart; Culliton, Eoin (25 August 2016). "English Clubs Divisional Movements 1888–2016". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
^ "terry-neill-managing-enigma". 1 April 2022.
^ Gunnerstown 2016.
^ Spurling, Jon (2001). All Guns Blazing: Arsenal in the 1980's. Aureus Publishing.

External links

Arsenal 1983–84 on statto.com Archived 8 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine

[table_note_res_CWC1R0.71822729414246-6] Everton qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1983–84 FA Cup winners.

[table_note_res_UC1RC0.71822729414246-7] Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as the 1983–84 UEFA Cup winners.

[1] James, Josh (18 June 2013). "All-time Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.

[2] Ross, James; Heneghan, Michael; Orford, Stuart; Culliton, Eoin (25 August 2016). "English Clubs Divisional Movements 1888–2016". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.

[3] "terry-neill-managing-enigma". 1 April 2022.

[4] Gunnerstown 2016.

[5] Spurling, Jon (2001). All Guns Blazing: Arsenal in the 1980's. Aureus Publishing.

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