1974–75 in English football

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

Contents

Overview

First Division

Dave Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Manchester City, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough in a title race which went right to the wire, Everton lost just eight games during the season, which was the fewest of any side in the league that season, Billy Bingham's men were red hot favourites to be crowned champions, but a disappointing end of season run in cost the Toffees 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]

There was disappointment at Bramall Lane after Sheffield United's title challenge ended in a failure without even a UEFA Cup place, but this would be as good as it got for the Blades as a sharp decline soon set in and six years later they were relegated into the Fourth Division. It would not be until 1990 that they would play first division football again.

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

Manchester United's directors kept faith in Tommy Docherty after their relegation to the Second Division, and he rewarded them with the Second Division championship to return them to the top flight. They were joined by Aston Villa (who also won the League Cup) and Norwich City. Docherty had built a new-look team containing players like Jim Holton, Stuart Pearson and Steve Coppel ( Greenhoff didn't join until Christmas of 1976). 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 the three unlucky clubs who were unable to escape the Second Division drop zone. In the space of a few years, Sheffield Wednesday had slumped to the Third Division having previously been a strong First Division side.

Third Division

Blackburn Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Charlton Athletic occupied the three 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 champion to do so) during the 1975–76 season, just three years earlier they had been in the First Division and 50 years earlier they had been one of the strongest sides in England.

Fourth Division

Mansfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United and Chester occupied the four promotion places in the Fourth Division. Chester had 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

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 side was Bobby Moore.

League Cup

Ron Saunders guided Aston Villa to League Cup success against Norwich in the same season they won promotion to the First Division, their first success after seasons of trauma which had seen the club slide in to the Third Division.

The League Cup campaign is perhaps best remembered for the remarkable exploits by Fourth Division Chester, who reached the semi-finals after accounting for top-flight giants Leeds United and Newcastle United. They lost an enthralling semi-final to Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate but had won many friends along the way.

Remarkably, none of the semi-finalists were in the top division. Besides Chester's superb achievements, Manchester United were in their solitary post-war season in the Second Division, a division they shared with their conquerors Norwich City and Aston Villa. Perhaps even more incredibly, all four clubs won promotion at the end of the season.

European football

When Peter Lorimer's goal against Bayern Munich in the European Cup final was disallowed, Leeds United fans ran riot in the Parc des Princes in Paris and left a trail of destruction behind them. The incident, which was another example of the hooliganism problem that gave English fans a bad name during the 1970s, saw Leeds United banned from European competition for three years.

Diary of the season

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.[2]

12 July 1974: Bill Shankly stuns Liverpool F.C. by announcing his retirement after 15 years as manager. He is to be succeeded by 55-year-old coach Bob Paisley.[3]

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.[4]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.[5]

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.[6]

17 August 1974: 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.[7]

24 August 1974: Carlisle United, in the First Division for the first time in their history, are top of the league after winning their opening three games of the season.[8]Meanwhile, 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.[9]

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 received a pay-off in the region of £98,000.[10]

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.[11]

26 April 1975: Derby County seal their second First Division title in four seasons with a goalless home draw against Carlisle United, who go down after one season in the top flight after failing to maintain their strong early season form (which saw them briefly top the league in late August).[12]

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 with two goals from Alan Taylor.[13]

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 had a goal disallowed by the referee, which sparked a furious pitch invasion and riot by a section of Leeds fans.[14]

13 June 1975: UEFA places a two-year ban on Leeds United from European competitions due to the behaviour of their fans at last month's European Cup final.[15]

30 June 1975: Leeds United's two-year ban from European competitions is reduced to one year on appeal by a UEFA panel in Zurich, Switzerland.[16]

Star players

Star managers

Honours

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

First Division

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

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

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

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
1974–75 in English football
 « 1973–74
1975–76 » 
FA competitions
FA Cup (Qualifying Rounds, Final) • Charity Shield
Football League
Lower leagues
Northern Premier League · Southern Football League · Isthmian League
European competitions
Related to national team
Club seasons
First Division
Arsenal · Birmingham City · Burnley · Carlisle United · Chelsea · Coventry City · Derby County · Everton · Ipswich Town · Leeds United · Leicester City · Liverpool · Luton Town · Manchester City · Middlesbrough · Newcastle United · Queens Park Rangers · Sheffield United · Stoke City · Tottenham Hotspur · Wolverhampton Wanderers
Second Division
Aston Villa · Blackpool · Bolton Wanderers · Bristol City · Bristol Rovers · Cardiff City · Fulham · Hull City · Leyton Orient · Manchester United · Millwall · Norwich City · Nottingham Forest · Notts County · Oldham Athletic · Oxford United · Portsmouth · Sheffield Wednesday · Southampton · Sunderland · West Bromwich Albion · West Ham United · York City
Third Division
Aldershot · Blackburn Rovers · Bournemouth · Brighton & Hove Albion · Bury · Charlton Athletic · Chesterfield · Colchester United · Crystal Palace · Gillingham · Grimsby Town · Halifax Town · Hereford United · Huddersfield Town · Peterborough United · Plymouth Argyle · Port Vale · Preston North End · Southend United · Swindon Town · Tranmere Rovers · Walsall · Watford · Wrexham
Fourth Division
Barnsley · Bradford City · Brentford · Cambridge United · Chester · Crewe Alexandra · Darlington · Doncaster Rovers · Exeter City · Hartlepool United · Lincoln City · Mansfield Town · Newport County · Northampton Town · Reading · Rochdale · Rotherham United · Scunthorpe United · Shrewsbury Town · Southport · Stockport County · Swansea City · Torquay United · Workington

References

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  16. ^ [16]