Author: Vesselin

The UEFA Cup. West German and English clubs were seen as favourites plus Spanish Valencia with Mario Kempes and Rainer Bonhof. Until the 1/8 finals nothing sensational happened – strong team were eliminated only when paired with equals. Thus, Athletic Bilbao was eliminated by Ajax, Twente by Manchester City, and Torino by Sporting Gijon in the the first round. In the 1/16 finals Standard Liege lost to Manchester City, Hajduk Split to Arsenal and Benfica – to Borussia Moenchengladbach. The only surprise was the elimination of Everton by Dukla Prague. In the third round Milan lost to Manchester City in a battle of equals, but other results were surprising: VfB Stuttgart lost to Dukla Prague after initial 4-1 victory. But Dukla won 4-0 in Prague and went ahead. Ajax was beaten 1-4 by Honved in Budapest and there was no recovery – they won 2-0 at home, but lost by a goal. Arsenal was eliminated by Crvena zvezda – the first match in Belgrade ended well for the Gunners: they lost 0-1 and nobody expected difficulties in the second leg. But Crvena zvezda played tough: 1-1 tie eliminated Arsenal. The biggest surprise was the elimination of Valencia – true, so far they were shaky as visitors, depending entirely on home matches, and the opponent was one of the rising English clubs – West Bromwich Albion – but Valencia was seen as the favourite. WBA tied their away match – 1-1 and won the home game 1-0. Three of the big favourites were gone in this round: Valencia, Arsenal, and Milan. The draw continued to play jokes in the next round too – Manchester City faced Borussia Moenchengladbach and Crvena zvezda – West Bromwich Albion. Borussia comfortably eliminated Manchester City – 1-1 away and 3-0 home victory. Crvena zvezda repeated their clash with Arsenal – 1-0 home victory and 1-1 tie away.

The ½ finalists were interesting group – the supremacy of West German football was confirm: so far, only one – VfB Stuttgart – was eliminated. Three of the last four team in the tournament were West German. Crvena zvezda – bravely beating the odds so far, for they eliminated three strong opponents – Sporting Gijon, Arsenal, and West Bromwich Albion – was the forth semi-finalist. Strangely, the three West German teams had weak season at home. Hertha and MSV Duisburg were trying to avoid relegation at the time of the ½ finals. This was seen as a prime example of the supremacy of West German football – even their lowest teams were way stronger than the clubs of the rest of Europe. One of the finalists was to be West German. Very likely the final would be all German – and it came very close to that. Borussia managed to tie the first match against MSV Duisburg – 2-2 and the second leg was at home. Relatively speaking, for Borussia almost never played international matches at their small stadium in Moenchengladbach. Home match, even when played in another city, is still home match… Borussia won 4-1. Hertha and Crvena zvezda were similar so far – both scored little and depended heavily on away ties, but if Crvena zvezda had tough draws and had to play with strong opponents, Hertha had it easy – Trakia (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) in the first round, then Dinamo (Tbilisi), followed by Esbjerg fB (Denmark), and Dukla (Prague) at the ¼ finals. Hertha were simply lucky so far, but… they were Germans. Crvena zvezda was hosting the first match – for a third time in row and for a third time they won 1-0. And for a third time they were expected to lose in the second leg and eliminated, and for a third time they tied ‘the surely lost’ match 1-1. Alas, no… in West Berlin Hetha won. 2-1. Crvena zvezda went ahead thanks to their away goal.

The final opposed one of the greatest clubs of the 1970s to strong and traditionally respected Yugoslavians. Crvena zvezda was no joke – they eliminated Spanish, two English, and West German teams. There was no favourite at the final. Perhaps Borussia was favoured a bit more than Crvena zvezda – but hardly in the Borussia camp. Fate continued to play its joke – once again the first leg was in Belgrade. In front of 87 000 frenetic fans, predominantly supporting the home team, Crvena zvezda continued to repeat earlier games: they opened the result in the 21st minute. And did not allow Borussia to score equalizer… but the match ended 1-1. Jurisic scored in his own net in the 60th minute.

Final 1st Leg, Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, 9 May 1979, att 87000

 

Red Star (Belgrade) (1) 1 Borussia M’gladbach (0) 1

21′ 1-0 R: Sestic

60′ 1-1 B: Jurisic (OG)

 

Red Star (Belgrade)

Stojanovic; Jovanovic, Miletovic, Jurisic, Jovin; Muslin (Krmpotic),

Petrovic, Blagojevic, Milosavljevic (Milovanovic); Savic, Sestic

Borussia M’gladbach

Kneib; Vogts, Hannes, Schäffer, Ringels; Schäfer, Kulik, Nielsen (Danner),

Wohlers (Gores); Simonsen, Lienen

Nothing was decided yet – two weeks later the foes met again, this time in Dusseldorf and in front of half the crowd attending the first leg. Home advantage was hardly an issue, not only because Borussia played away – huge number of Yugoslavians were working in West Germany and visiting Yugoslavian teams always had massive support. It was to be great battle.

Captains Vladimir Petrovic and Berti Vogts shaking hands before the match – two great players eager to win. But it was not easy… Borussia took early lead – Simonsen scored from a penalty in the 15th minute.

The call was bit dubious – especially to Yugoslav eyes – but there was plenty of time. In which nobody scored again. Crvena zvezda lost the final.

Final 2nd Leg, Rheinstadion, Dusseldorf, 23 May 1979, att 45000

 

Borussia M’gladbach (1) 1 Red Star (Belgrade) (0) 0

15′ 1-0 B: Simonsen (pen)

 

Borussia M’gladbach

Kneib; Vogts, Hannes, Schäffer, Ringels; Schäfer, Kulik (Köppel), Gores,

Wohlers; Simonsen, Lienen

Red Star (Belgrade)

Stojanovic; Jovanovic, Miletovic, Jurisic, Jovin; Muslin, Petrovic,

Blagojevic, Milovanovic (Sestic); Savic, Milosavljevic

Berti Vogts, sporting Crvena zvezda shirt, collected the UEFA Cup. More tired than happy, but winner to the end of his playing days.

The losing finalists became legends instantly.

Crvena zvezda had a strong team, which reached European cup final for the first time in the club’s history. Strong campaign and, from some perspective, they were unbeaten – Borussia really did not score: Jurisic scored own goal in Belgrade and Simonsen scored from suspicious penalty. Almost winners… winners in folklore… legends are made of such stuff. But something is undeniable – internationally, this vintage was the most successful.

The main heroes – legends, without too many stars: Vladimir Petrovic, the only remaining player of the excellent squad of the first half of the 1970s, was the big name. Savic and may be Sestic were coming close to the great players of the previous vintage. The rest were not at the same level – but it was a good team and success may them club legends.

If Crvena zvezda was at its prime, Borussia was another story.

Berti Vogts and company with yet another trophy was one of the most familiar pictures of the time. But it was a swan song this year.

On paper, everything looked great – Borussia won their second UEFA Cup. The names were familiar and dangerous – Lattek at the helm, Heynckes learning the trade as assistant coach,Vogts, Koppel, Kleff, Danner – as alaways, Simonsen – European player of the year, Del’Haye at his prime, strong younger players – Kulik, Klinkhammer, the next Danish talent – Tycosen… Strong, but not as strong as the team of only few years back. One after another, the stars left – either retired or to play in Spain. The clock was ticking dangerously for the last great veterans… Alan Simonsen followed the path of Netzer, Jensen, Stielike, Bonhof right after the end of the season and went to Barcelona. There was nobody of the similar class among the next generation – Del’Haye, as good as he was, was not at all a great star and the others were reliable professionals, but no more. Decline was already taking place, inevitable decline – it was the end of one of the teams defining and revolutionizing football in the decade. They had one more spurt of greatness, but really 1978-79 was year Borussia stepped down – in great style, as winners, fortunately. This was their last international triumph – long decline laid ahead.

 

The change of guard in West Germany was completed with the new cup winners – the previous great generation won nothing this year, its time ended. Fortuna (Dusseldorf) and Hertha (West Berlin) reached the final. Bayern and Borussia (Moenchengladbach) did not reach even the semi-finals. The final in Hannover opposed one of the strongest German clubs of recent years to ambitious project. Which misfired… Hertha had miserable season and there fore was very determined to save the year by winning the cup. And they looked like possible winners on paper.

From left to right: Erich Beer, Diefenbach, Milewski, Grau, Krämer, Sziedat, Rasmussen, Weiner, Sidka, Nigbur, Kliemann.

Unlike other Greman clubs, Hertha seemingly decided to join the best not with talented youngsters, but with well established players. So, the current vintage was defined by Beer, Sidka, Kliemann, and already famous from Schalke 04 national team goalkeeper Nigbur. Experience worked to satisfaction in the previous season, but the key players were getting older and a bit over the hill. Cup tournament was another matter, of course – a single match was suitable for such a team. Players, never winning anything did not need motivation – it was their great chance.

But opposition was equally ambitious and in better shape – Fortuna was still rising, still not at its peak as a team. The clash was strong and nobody prevailed – regular time ended scoreless. A single goal was finally scored in extra-time – in the 116th minute. Aging center-forward scored the golden goal , but it was not Erich Beer – it was his double Wolfgang Seel. Both competed – and not very successfully – for regular position in the national team after Gerd Muller announced his retirement from team West Germany. Both were similar as players too. Both needed a trophy. Seel scored and got it – with Fortuna.

Great victory for Fortuna – first cup and their second trophy ever. Had to wait decades for this one – in 1933 they were champions of Germany and nothing after that. But they played – and lost – the Cup final in 1978. One year later, they won.

Fortuna were one of the better German teams for quite some time, but they were different from the others – it was a team without big stars. Good players, but not even second-rate stars – players like Hainer Baltes, who were respected professionals and no more. Baltes was in the 1972 Olympic team of West Germany – his highest achievement. Even Zewe and Seel, who played for the Bundesteam did not measure up to the great German players of the time. Solid proffessionals – that was Fortuna, good enough to be among the top clubs, but not to win. Yet, team was improving and this very vintage had not only Zewe, Seer, and Baltes, but two very bright strikers – Thomas and Klaus Allofs, the next generation of great players. As a whole, the squad was made of players born after 1952 – precisely the ‘next’ generation, coming to dominate the game. No big surprise they won – it was their time. Fortuna was unusual winner in another aspect: it was entirely German squad (Hertha used two Danes at the final – Ole Rasmussen and Henrik Agerbeck). For years it was very unusual a team to be made only of Germans – especially winning teams. True, Fortuna had a foreign player – the Danish striker Flemming Lund – but with lethal domestic attackers like Seel and the Allofs brothers, Lund rarely played. Anyhow, it was entirely German squad winning the cup. Wonderful victory of a club really fighting the odds and getting better. Their best period was not over yet, the team was just reaching its peak.

 

Bundesliga – the best in Europe again. Fast, competitive, football, high scores, dramatic race for the title. Three matches ended 7-1 and two of them were won by the visiting team! The championship to watch, the championship to play in. But the most important about this season was the change of guard: the next generation asserted itself. It was their year – clubs, based on the next generation soared. They will define German football for the next 5-6 years. The decline of great clubs of the 1970s started a bit earlier, now it was more pronounced. Of course, not everybody was happy…

SV Darmstadt 98 finished dead last. They tried as much as they could, but 21 points was their best.

Third row, from left: Meier, Kalb, Korlatzki, Lindemann, Weiss, Westenberger, Bechtold

Middle row: Trainer Buchmann, Bremer, Drexler, Cestonaro, Hahn, Kleppinger, Frey, Co-Trainer Schlappner

Sitting: Eigl, Weber, Seyffer, Rudolf, Metz, Schabacker, masseur.

Nothing surprising – if there were outsiders, Darmstadt qualified. Weak squad, even heroics would not help – and didn’t.

1. FC Nurnberg finished 17th – and that was no surprise either: usually Nurnberg was considered prime candidate for relegation. Perhaps the only thing to say about them is that the they had the weakest strikers in the league, scoring only 36 goals. In some countries 36 goals scored the champions – in West Germany such record was a disgrace.

And still no surprise – 16th and completing the relegation group was another expected loser: Arminia (Bielefeld).

Like Nurnberg, too strong for second division, but too weak for top flight, Arminia was in and out Bundesliga. When among the best, they were prime always seen as mots likely candidate for relegation. So, nothing new – going down, together with Nurnberg.

Much more interesting was the group just above the unfortunates: MSV Duisburg, 13th with 30 points, was not big surprise – they had their good years in the mid-1970s, but somehow failed to upgrade the team and naturally faced decline. Hertha finished 14th with 29 points and that was big and somewhat unexpected fall: the West Berliners had good previous seasons and looked like building really strong squad. They looked ambitious and were expected to be among the leaders. Instead, they finished dangerously close to relegation zone.

The sense was that Hertha was unable to find the right mixture – good coach, good players, but the chemistry did not work. It was not a decline – it was inability to stay strong.

15th was Schalke 04. Now, here was real decline.

It was detected shortly after 1972 – partly, the bribing scandal was to blame. Incredibly talented and promising team was halted by penalties. They never recovered and with time decline began. By 1978 Schalke 04 had still few big names – Russmann, Fischer, Abramczik – but they were getting older and no better. Perhaps leadership was an issue too – the team was shaky and although they had some better years, the direction was downhill. Instead of fighting for the title, Schalke 04 was fighting for survival – 28 points were good for that, but it was also only 2 points better record than Arminia’s. The future did not look bright.

The future did not look bright for mightier than Schalke 04 club either – Borussia Moenchengladbach finished 10th. Not only that, but with negative goal-difference. The first tremor of coming disaster. Borussia was in difficult position – as a team, they reached their peak around 1975, but most players were still young. So far, the exit of stars – either retiring or going to play in Spain – did not affect the club: the squad was big and talented enough, so reserves successfully filled the empty spots. However, money were always short and the exodus continued. The team was losing its spark, it was clear by now that Simonsen was for sale, Vogts was approaching retirement, and Hannes was not going to play for the national team. The future was Hannes, though…

A greeting looking like farewell. Great Borussia Moenchengladbach was becoming mid-table club. Like the typical example of such clubs: VfL Bochum.

Brave little club… in a bad year they struggled to escape relegation, in a good year they were in mid-table. 1978-79 was good one – VfL Bochum ended 8th with 33 points. One more than Borussia Moenchengladbach – a team without stars finishing above a club still conquering Europe is a strong testimony of great, competitive league and healthy football. But Bochum was not improving and there was no way for them to improve – it was Borussia declining.

In the upper part of the table five clubs were fairly equal: Fortuna (Dusseldorf) finished 7th, continuing their strong years.

Fortuna was curious club – they were rising for some time without big stars in the squad. But now they had three – Zewe and the Allofs brothers. Thomas and Klaus were of the generation stepping in – the new crop of stars, already coming into maturity. 7th place was not bad at all – especially because there was something much better this season.

1.FC Koln and Eintracht (Frankfurt) maintained their leading positions – 6th and 5th – but it was inertia. Eintracht failed to become the third German super-team a few years back and now they were clearly beyond their peak – but having a strong squad helped them to stay among the strongest German teams. Real decline did not happen yet, inertia did – and the only question was for how long. As for 1.FC Koln, good as they were, they were more or less accidental champions the previous season.

Rinus Michels was gone, Hennes Weisweiler was back, but the team was pretty much the same – no great additions to the squad, which was a bit short to begin with. Koln was not in the race for the title at all – 6th place was more or less their rightful spot.

Bayern finished 4th – a questionable place. On one hand, it looked like recovery after two disastrous seasons. On the other – no recovery at all, just the veterans outfoxed most of the opposition. Maier, Muller, Schwarzenbeck… still half of the regulars were painfully familiar names. Too old for anything else, but retirement. Paul Breitner came back – looked like desperate move. Yet, it was the true beginning of the next vintage – based on Breitner and Kalle Rummenigge. Early phase, first steps, only returning to the group of top teams.

Bronze medals were won by the most unpredictable club – 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

Successful season, but Kaiserslautern hardly deserves to be placed under microscope – they were neither rising, nor declining: they were simply true to their tradition of unpredictability – equally able to challenge the best and to be relegated with the same players. One season on top, down to second division the next. Yes, they had a bunch of good players. Yes, they earned their 3rd place. Yes, they were going to play in the European tournaments. But they did not compete for the title. And nobody knew what how they were going to play the next year.

The duel for the title went between two rising teams, representing in earnest the new generation ruling German football. It was fascinating battle between a club rising for some time and one, which was more than mediocre in the first half of the 1970s. One point was at the end the difference between champions and unlucky silver medalists. It was also just difference in a sense.

VfB Stuttgart finished second – unlucky, or not ready yet? Unready… they were second in everything: second in the number of wins, second scorers, second in defense… and second in coming to the grand stage. Second division was still painfully remembered by fans and players – it was not long ago, some of the team experienced it. Perhaps second division was a blessing for Stuttgart – they had insignificant presence in the Bundesliga in the 1960s. Going down perhaps helped them to start building a strong team of youngsters – it was clear that what they had before was good for nothing. So, now Stuttgart had a few solid veterans, playing in every line – the Yugoslav defender Dragan Holcer (b. 1945), the Austrian midfielder Roland Hattenberger (b. 1948), and the former Hamburger SV striker Georg Volkert (b. 1945) – but the strength was the group of young stars: Hansi Muller (b. 1957), Dieter Hoeness (b. 1953), Bernd Forster (b. 1956), and Karlheinz Forster (b. 1958). They were pulling the strings, not the veterans. Add the goalkeeper Helmut Roleder (b. 1953) and Herman Ohlicher (b. 1949). Stuttgart had great core of players nearing their best age. The veterans was clearly in secondary position, so the future was secured – it was a matter of adding few more youngsters, some fine tuning. The team for the future, not ready yet to dominate German football. It was a team to stay among the best, though. And they did.

Hamburger SV prevailed this season – 21 wins, 7 ties, 5 losses, 78:32 goal-difference,49 points. One more than VfB Stuttgart. Difficult victory, but well deserved.

HSV was already a veteran of Bundesliga – one of the original members, not missing a single season. Always considered among the best German clubs, HSV was also odd – never in danger of relegation, but somewhat underperforming. The 1960s ended not only without a title, but on minor note – HSV was seemingly in decline and unable to build really strong team. Things started to change by mid-70s – they finished 4th in 1974-75, 2nd in 1975-76, 6th in 1976-77. They also won the German cup – their only trophy since Bundesliga was formed. It was a positive sign, a club on the rise, but still not ready. The cup was won by a relative old team of well-respected, yet, secondary players. Younger players gradually replaced veterans like Georg Volkert (playing for VfB Stuttgart this season). HSV grabbed the headlines when they bought Kevin Keegan, the best player in Europe. They were clearly detemined to go all the way to the top – but not in the first season with Keegan among them. It was a flop – 9th place in 1977-78 – but it was viewed as only temporary misfortune. The team was ready and 1978-79 was their first great year. Mature team, fighting to the end, and winning – Hamburger SV won their first Bundesliga title. And it was not to be an accidental victory – by now, HSV was complete with younger players of the next generation, the new stars to shine and dominate the coming years. This was a team to stay on top and define German football for awhile, no doubt about it. The long expected third great German team finally arrived. As for ‘the Dinosaur’, as HSV is nicknamed, for they were founded in 1887, it was their 5th title – but their first since 1960, so it was great to restore their place among the top German clubs at last. The long wait was over. They were hungry for more… so far: German Cup in 1976, European Cup Winners Cup in 1977, German title in 1979, not bad, just wetting their appetite.

The triumph came with a new coach – perhaps the missing link so far. The Yugoslav Branko Zebec arrived with great reputation from excellent stint with Eintracht (Braunschweig). He had the players needed for the task and spurred them to action. By now, few of those playing for HSV in 1974-75 remained – Nogly, Reimann, Memering, Eigl. Kargus and Kaltz were also in the team back then, but now they were not just young hopefuls, but stars in their prime, pulling the strings. Kevin Keegan needs no introduction – different country, different language, different football needed adjustment, but after one year in Germany, he was settled, comfortable, and in great form.

Having still unknown outside West Germany Horst Hrubesch in the team most likely helped Keegan – big, burly, English type center-forward, great in the air, no doubt helped Keegan’s style and habits. He would kick a cross from the wing in front of the net and Hrubesch will win the air-battle and score with his deadly header. Perhaps HSV had a bit of English flavour, but it was still playing German football – Kaltz was enourmously dangerous anywhere on the pitch and he scored lots of goals too. The arrival of Ivan Buljan from Haiduk (Split) appeared risky at first, for he was well remembered from 1974 World Cup and 1976 European Championship as modern attacking right full-back. The very position Manfred Kaltz played. But nobody suffered – the team gained instead: both players were versatile and able to play other positions. Nominally, Buljan was moved to mid-field, but he covered for Kaltz when he moved somewhere else. The duo was quite unpredictable and thus very difficult to neutralize. Kargus have been among the best German goalkeepers for some time already, and also never becoming number one German keeper, was perhaps the second best. Young talent was quickly establishing themselves – Hartwig and Wehmeyer – but there was one bound to be a star: Felix Magath.

HSV was already a great team – like all great teams, it was difficult to say who is their biggest star and who runs the show: there were more than one. Keegan, Kaltz, and increasingly Magath were great leaders, anyone of them influencing and conducting the game – similarities with Bayern of the first half of the decade were easily drown. The team perhaps lacked strong reserves, but this was expected to be easily corrected: the team was still rising.

One more look at the regulars of the new champions – better get familiar with them: they were going to stay.

 

The South was stable and more competitive. No clear favourite here and no license problems. Five clubs competed for promotion – at least judging by the final table. At the bottom there were no hopeless outsiders. There was dividing line, however – 5 points separated 9th from 10th placed teams: half of the league was clearly stronger than the lower half. Some ‘exotic’ members, like in the North – they were relegated. FC Hannau 93 (17th), KSV Baunatal (19th). The other two were the former first division member Borussia (Neunkirchen) – last, and FC Augsburg – better known today, but not at all in the 1970s – which finished 18th. Some clubs played a bit of top league football – Kickers (Offenbach), now in decline, was better known, but the only ‘big’ name was TSV 1860 (Munich). There was a league derby – Freiburger FC and SC Freiburg. Neither team was strong.

SC Freiburg – little known in the 1970s, not even dreaming of playing in first division. 15th place, 3 points ahead of relegation zone, and bellow their local rivals Freiburger FC, which ended 13th with 1 point more.

There were also second teams from cities having big clubs in the Bundesliga – FSV Frankfurt and Stuttgarter Kickers.

Stuttgarter Kickers ended the stronger half of the league – 9th with 41 points. Like FSV Frankfurt, they were regular members of 2nd Bundesliga, unable to look higher. Yet, they managed to outdo FSV Frankfurt and play a little among the best – but that was in the future. The 2nd Bundesliga was seemingly designed for clubs like that – too big for semi-professional and amateur regional leagues, but too small for top division. They were just comfortable in the second tier of German football – the two mentioned above, SpVgg Greuther Furth, Wormatia Worms…

Standing from left: Trainer Baldauf, Pankotsch Klump, Bergmann, Kastner, Löwer, Kirschner, Geyer, Heinlein, Vizepräs. Liebold,

Sitting: Schäfer, Rütten, Hinterberger, Grabmeier, Lausen, Bulut, Lambie, Grimm, Heubeck.

SpVgg Greuther Furth finished 4th – good season for them.

Wormatia came even closer to promotion – 3rd place. Three points short from direct promotion, and only 2 points behind the silver medalists. They also had a star player – the former Yugoslavian national team central defender Dragoslav Stepanovic. ‘Stepi’, now 30-years old, came from Eintracht (Frankfurt), where he played well for two years. May be getting too old and going down? May be not – he was key player this season and Manchester City paid 140 000 pounds for him. Still a star – not everyday old players go from second division to the toughest championship in the world. Wormatia, however, would stay in second division.

TSV 1860 Munich won the league – it was not easy, but they did it. A single point more than the closest pursuer. It was nice – after all, they won the Bundesliga back in the 1960s. They were bigger than Bayern once upon a time.

Third row, from left: Alfred Kohlhäufl, Franz Gerber, Klaus Vöhringer, Herbert Scheller, Alfred Herberth, Wunder, Masseur Springer.

Middle row: Trainer Heinz Lucas, Wolfgang Metzler, Hans Fischl, Ahmet Glavovic, Hans Haunstein, Neumann, Beppo Hofeditz, Schneider, Manager Ettlinger.

Sitting: Anton Nachreiner, Dieter Agatha, Willy Bierofka, Manfred Eiben, Bernhard Hartmann, Jan-Hoiland Nielsen, Rudolf Sturz, Georg Metzger.

No stars here, but champions anyhow. Two foreigners, well respected, but not big names – the Yugoslav Ahmet ‘Glavo’ Glavovic, who was part of the strong team of Velez (Mostar) before joining TSV 1860, and the occasional Danish national team midfielder Jan-Hoiland Nielsen. But foreigners were not unusual in any level of West German football and it was not because of them TSV 1860 won. Going up was nice, especially after years of second division football. May be the decline of TSV 1860 was coming to end. Well, they needed stronger new players for that, but at least were returning to top flight.

SpVgg Bayreuth finished second – unusually strong season for practically unknown club. Bayreuth is known for music, not football. May be the spirit of Wagner helped.

The boys missed direct promotion, but had one more chance – the play-off against the second placed team in the Northern league. Their opponents looked like favourites – at least, they had Bundesliga experience. A single season, but still experience. The contest between the runner-ups was tough: the first leg in Bayreuth was 1-1 tie. At home, Bayer 05 prevailed 2-1.

The Aspirins won the last promotion. Experience or money? Does not matter – Bayreuth was not going to taste first division football and Bayer 05 was going to have a second try.

West Germany at the top of European football – exciting championship, almost at the entertaining level of the English league, high scores, money, organization, stadiums, stars, everything. Bundesliga had it all, not so at the second level, but it was going strong on its own right. 40 teams, divided into two leagues in the Second Bundesliga.

2 Bundesliga Nord. Few former members of Bundesliga, none a big name.

Perhaps Rot Weiss (Essen) was the best known club here, already fading into obscurity. 8th this season.

A few entirely unknown clubs, hardly noticed outside Germany and just happy to play professional football for awhile: DSC Wanne-Eickel (13th), Rot Weiss (Ludenscheid) (19th). Most of the league was made of smaller clubs with somewhat recognizable names, but clearly unable of anything bigger than second-tier football. Some eventually disappeared from sight – like Viktoria (Koln).

So far, Koln was a big football centre – 3 teams in the two professional leagues was more than almost any other German city. A local derby was – and is – a German rarity, but Koln had it at the time – Fortuna vs Viktoria. Did not last very long – Viktoria was already sinking down – 16th this season.

Most members of the league were similar in one thing – it was hard to imagine them in the top league.

Alemannia (Aachen) – a typical Second Bundesliga member. 7th this season. Many, many years later they climbed up, but in the 1970s looked like the Second Bundesliga was made for clubs like that – modest professional clubs. Which was even a trouble for Bundesliga Nord: some clubs had difficulties even playing there. Wacker 04 (West Berlin) finished last – nothing surprising, but the three teams just ahead of them were lucky – Westfalia (Herne) had a good season and finished 5th, but money was short… the club voluntarily returned their license for the following season and was relegated. A place bellow Westfalia finished St. Pauli (Hambourg). They tasted Bundesliga football short time ago and seemingly played well… but they also lacked money. The Federation did not grant them license for the next season. Thus, the 5th, the 6th, and the 20th in the final table were relegated to the regional leagues.

The Northern league was problematic since formation – poorer and consequently even the winners were not looked upon with any hope. Few clubs competed for the second place, but there was only one favourite. It was the year of the ‘Aspirins’ – a matter of stable money. Bayer (Uerdingen) finished 2nd with 53 points, 2 more than Preussen (Munster). But they did not challenge the other Bayer , which won the championship with 59 points.

A great success – Leverkusen won 24 matches, tied 11, and lost only 3. Supreme goal-difference too – 87:34. Going up to join the top division for the first time. Their ‘brothers’ from Uerdingen already played a bit of first division football and judging from this experience, perhaps nothing was expected from Leverkusen. But it was only the beginning of great success story – this ‘Aspirins’ did not taste second division football after their victory in 1978-79.

 

 

Traditional English football was alive – thanks to the cup tournaments. Both cup finals were attended by 100 000 fans each and were entertaining. Liverpool did not reach either final. Lowly Woolverhampton Wanderers and 3rd Division Watford played at the semi-finals. Neither was easily eliminated. Southampton and Nottingham Forest apposed each other at the Football League Cup final. Peach and Holmes scored for Southampton. Woodcock and Birtles scored for Nottingham. But Birtles scored 2 goals – and Forest prevailed 3-2.

Southampton was not much – they finished 14th in the championship and were typical English formation: one great veteran – Alan Ball, one or two current or rising stars – Chris Nicholl and Phil Boyer. A ‘continental’ addition,which apparently settled well – Ivan Golac. The Yugoslavian was the first of the new imports to reach a final. Southampton played heartily, but were unable to win the cup.

Nottingham Forest prevailed – it was not an easy victory, but it was theirs. Second League Cup in two years. One more trophy – a club without any just two years ago was quickly building a collection. So far, Brian Clough was more successful with Nottingham than with Derby County early in the decade. His finest years, apparently.

The FA Cup final opposed traditional foes – Arsenal and Manchester United. Both teams looked inferior in the championship, but excelled in the cup, thus actually showing that English traditions were alive. Competitive final too – McQueen and McIllroy scored for ManUnited; Talbot, Stapleton,and Sunderland for Arsenal. 3-2 Arsenal and the Cup was theirs.

Dave Sexton’s United was good team, yet… somewhat unfinished, somewhat transitional. Impressive names, but some were getting too old to lead the team (Buchan, Macari) or failed to become the stars they promised to be few years back (Houston, Brian and Jimmy Greenhoff, Albiston, Pearson). And yet few others were just good, but clearly did not have really big potential (Roche, Thomas). There was a skeleton for the future – McIllroy, McQueen, Jordan, Nicholl, Bailey, Moran, lead by wonderful Steve Coppell – but this skeleton needed shaping and additional players. It was a team in between, rough, uncertain. Reaching a final was more or less the best these squad could do.

Arsenal, compared to Manchester United, was a tad better: Brady, Stapleton, and O’Leary were reaching their peak and were the obvious leaders of the team. Pat Jennings was fine between the posts. Rice, Price and Nelson were the old fading guard, but the team did not depend on them so much. Sunderland, Macdonald, Talbot were strong players – not superstars, but stars on their own right. Graham Rix was rapidly becoming one too. It was already made team, lead by players in their primes. It was not a team depending on aging veterans and searching for young talent to replace famous, but shaky by now feet. Well deserved victory.

Happy – and tired – winners. 5th FA Cup for the Gunners. They waited 8 years for that one. Had to wait 14 years for the next…

 

Apart from the arrival of ‘continentals’, there were other interesting events in England this season. For the first time 1 million pounds were paid for a player – Trevor Francis was the first player costing that much. Nottingham Forest paid the fee to Birmingham City. The announcement was not great moment: annoyed Brian Clough appeared in front of excited journalists in training suit and racquet in his hand – he was on his way to play squash and delayed, he did not appreciate that. To a point, the record transfer was feast in time pf plague – English clubs were getting deeper and deeper in debt. Bankruptcy, not prosperity, was the future… There was also mild feeling that English football was becoming like everybody else’s: a group of desperate outsiders, a few clear favourites, and vast group of clubs in between. Hooliganism was the only thing rising – higher and higher. The newly imported ‘ continentals’ were hardly to be blamed for most of the problems.

Three teams sunk at the bottom of the table. It was sadder more than anything. Chelsea was last with 20 points.

Hardly a surprise… Chelsea was in trouble since the early 1970s. For some reason, players with good names hardly lived up to expectations. With time, their numbers decreased… the team for 1978-79 campaign was obviously weak. And money was short – not something new either… Peter Bonetti left during the season to end his long career with Dundee United. Ray Wilkins went to Manchester United after the end of the disastrous season. Hope? What hope? David Hay and Ron Harris were going downhill for some time and to build a team around Micky Droy and Ian Britton was idea to laugh about.

Chelsea finished with the worst defensive record in the league and Burmingham City with the worst offensive. They got two more points than Chelsea – 22. 21st place in final table, second to last.

Like Chelsea, Birmingham had a big current star – Trevor Francis. They added the world champion Tarantini. But it was weak team for years, may be weaker than most in top flight, and that was no news. Tarantini was no help. As for Francis… he was not even with the team, for he was loaned to Detroit Express, a NASL club. In February 1979 he was sold to Nottingham Forest for a record fee, but even money did not help Birmingham, already at the bottom of the league. Relegation was expected for quite some time, though.

The third outsider was also London-based club – Queens Park Rangers. Only three years ago QPR was one of the brightest teams in England. Now they down – 25 points, only 6 wins, 20th place.

QPR was something between Chelsea and Birmingham – like Birmingham, the stars were not enough to save the club, for there was little quality support. Like Chelsea, the stars were aging and underperforming. Gerry Francis was the leader of the team, but he was no longer called to play for England – a big step down for one, he captained England no long ago. Stan Bowles, the crowd favourite, was getting a bit old and no longer the same, although he was erratic player to begin with. Phil Parkes was also out from the national team, without prospects of returning. Shanks, Clement, Goddard, Gillard… their names were no longer made headlines. Rashid ‘Peter’ Harkouk… young hopeful perhaps, but hardly a star. He was the only one to make news eventually – in 1986 the Chelsea born player became the first non-African born player to play for African national team – for Algeria at the World Cup finals. Nothing to do with the present season, though… QPR went down without much of a fight, and the stars followed the example of the stars of the other relegated teams – like Wilkins, Bonetti, Trevor Francis, and Tarantini, Parkes, Gerry Frances, and Bowles moved to other clubs after the end of the season.

How bad those three were can be seen by the difference between them and the club rigth above them in safety – Derby County finished with 31 points: 6 more than QPR’s.

And it was not just points – Derby County was also in sharp decline. Yet, they were much stronger than the outsiders. Similar to Chelsea… by names, they should have been better: Ron Webster, David Webb, Gordon Hill, Bruce Rioch. And a major star – Roy McFarland. It was clear that the stars of the first half of the 1970s were no longer making a difference… Same was the case of Woolverhampton Wanderers, still keeping a good chunk of their exciting team of four-five years back: they finished 18th. Manchester City, also declining, was 15th. Yet, insignificant clubs managed to play quite well, helped by singular star already over the hill: Bolton Wanderers with Frank Worthington was 17th, Norwich City with Martin Chivers – 16th. Perhaps from the lower half of the league Bristol City was the most pleasant team and prime example of the new kind of English team: two great veterans plus two ‘continentals’ were good mix for 13th place in the final table.

Norman Hunter (b.1943) and Peter Cormack (b. 1946) came in 1976 from Leeds United and Liverpool.With them modest Bristol kept itself in First Division. One Dutch striker – Geert Meijer, from Ajax, and one Finnish player – Pertti Jantunen, from IFK Eskilstuna (Sweden) were added during 1978-79 season. Neither was a star, neither stayed long with Bristol, but both were in their best years and Bristol City was propelled up to their best league achievement in this period. Evidently, a combination of aging stars and ‘continentals’ worked… all four left one after another the next year and Bristol City sunk.

Tottenham Hotspur kept everybody focused on their performance – they made the big news signing ‘continentals’ first.

Critics were perhaps satisfied – with Ardiles and Villa, the Spurs finished 11th. Yet, one has to keep in mind that Tottenham was just coming back from Second Division and did not have strong team – they were just at the beginning of building of new team. Perryman and Naylor remained from the great old team of late 1960s-early 1970s, but their days were numbered. Glen Hoddle was still too young, still only a promise. The rest of the team was not much – new players were needed for sure. However, Ardiles played more than well.

The upper part of table was typical Englsih mix at first glance: Arsenal maintained strong position,without being a real factor – 7th at the end. Aston Villa was 8th – improving team, still raising, and still not ready for something big. Leeds United finished 5th, giving some hopes that decline was over before the club hit rock bottom. It was false impression… the team depended on 8 veterans, but the old team was already years beyond its prime. There was not a single new star. The good season was more or less an accident. So was the 4th place for Everton. Not a bad team, but nothing exceptional either – Bob Latchford, Martin Dobson, Duncan McKenzie, Mike Pejic… well known for years, not getting better, only older. They kept the strong from of their previous season, when they were 3rd, but… came close to relegation in the next season. It was a squad with no future really. Unlike Ipswich Town – they slipped down to 18th place the previous season, but compensated by winning the FA Cup. Ipswich was steadily going up since 1972. Except 1977-78, they were always among the top 5-6 teams – and ended 6th this year.

Ipswich was slowly ripening – perhaps the slower ever team to reach its great peak. The final touch came this season, with the arrival of two Dutch players – Arnold Muhren and Frans Thijssen from Twente (Holland). It was the finest creation of Bobby Robson: Mills, Mariner, Brazil, Burley, Butcher, Beattie, Wark, Osman, Muhren, Thijssen, and reliable Cooper between the goalposts. Still, the best season of this team was yet to come.

But the group of teams above was well behind the top three – there was a 8 points gap between Everton and the bronze medalists, quite unusual for English football. West Bromwich Albion was noticed since they returned to top flight in 1976, playing better and better. This was their best so far – third place with 59 points, leaving the next team 8 points behind, and missing silver medals by a point.

To a point, WBA was similar to Ipswich of the early 1970s – a bunch of excellent youngsters, quickly becoming known and getting better. Yet, there was a slight difference – instead of young talented coach, growing with the team, as was the case of Ipswich with Bobby Robson, WBA had well known and respected coach – Ron Atkinson. They also had a great veteran, famous with another team in his best years – Paddy Mulligan. But the real strength of the team followed the pattern of early Ipswich: young, bright talent. The Scottish striker Willie Johnston, added by two black Englishmen – Laurie Cunningham and Cyrille Regis and the best of them all – Bryan Robson, only 22 years old, but already a star in midfield. It was a team for the future – few additions were needed to make it really stronger, a few more years were needed for the peak… if the young stars stayed with the club, of course. Which was somewhat doubtful… Laurie Cunningham was the first to go – right after the end of this great season, he made unheard of move: went to Madrid, knocked on the door of Real and said he wanted to play for them. He was tested and hired.

Nottingham Forest, the sensation of the previous season, did not disappoint. They were much in the news, indeed. Especially after the new year began. Record transfer fee for the top English striker was more than news and so were the exploits of Forest abroad. However, they finished 2nd in the league, a point ahead of WBA, but 8 points behind the champions. But they were the team losing the least games during the campaign: only 3.

The picture shows the team winner of the League Cup in 1978 – Peter Withe left for Newcastle, but he was not to be forgotten: he just won European fame with another club. The rest were rapidly becoming very well known around the continent. The squad was getting stronger – Brian Clough was determined to make exceptional team and his transfers were huge: Peter Shilton, followed by Trevor Francis, and he had an eye on other big names as well (Stan Bowles arrived in the summer of 1979). Although they finished far behind Liverpool, it was clear that Forest was becoming a mega-club. It was not to everybody’s liking.

Liverpool took big revenge on Nottingham, which left them 7 points behind in 1976-77 – now they left the offenders 8 points behind. The rest of the league did not even count: the 4th placed WBA was 17 points behind! Liverpool scored 85 goals – a record for the decade. More goals were scored in quite distant days – Manchester United scored 89 and Manchester City – 86 in 1967-68. Even more astonishing was their defensive record – 16 goals allowed. One had to flip pages of league statistics to find something similar: yes, there was a better record. Preston North End allowed 15 goals in the very first league season – 1888-89. However, the league was small then – only 12 clubs, 22 seasonal matches total. Liverpool played 42. They reigned supreme.

Any need of introduction? By this time it was easier to count the players who were relatively unknown reserves… a very easy count: Steve Ogrizovic and Kevin Sheedy. The small inserted photos are of yet future players: the Israeli defender Abraham ‘Avi” Cohen and the Scottish striker Frank McGarvey joined Liverpool in the summer of 1979. It was business as usual for Liverpool… 11th title. Routine…

This was perhaps the season when fears that English league was becoming like the dreaded ‘continentals’ were most justified: outsiders, unable to keep pace with the rest and super-clubs dominating the championship. Liverpool was head and shoulders above the league. Nottingham Forest was rapidly becoming like Liverpool. It looked like these two clubs were able to get all the best players . Even their reserves were stars. The rest, lacking money and keeping with traditional ways, were simply unable to compete. The top players were eager to join the winners. It was coming to the point the championship to be a battle between two clubs, like in most European countries and contrary to English traditions. The championship was becoming predictable and that was not fun.

 

Second Division – tough race for promotion and no outsiders. Typical English league season.

Blackburn Rovers finished last with 30 points. 10 wins, 10 draws, and 22 matches lost.

Milwall with 2 points more than Blackburn was 21st.

Rough time for the city famous for its ‘Sheffield steel’ – just like the metalworks, football was down. And out…

One point short of safety… United finished 20th with 34 points and dwon they went. There was to be a Sheffiled derby next year… in 3rd Division.

Down on their luck – or plainly in decline – were Leicester City.

They finished 17th – 3 points ahead of the deadly relegation zone. The exciting players of the early 1970s were all gone. Sitting on the far left is Gary Lineker – unknown youngster.

Ups and downs across the league – mid-table season for Newcastle United (8th) and West Ham United out of the race for promotion (5th), but the battle for three spots lifting teams up to first division was heavy – 4 teams competed. Sunderland left West Ham United behind – far behind, for 5 points were big difference at that time – but at the end they were one point short of the coveted spots. Sunderland was 4th with 55 points.

56 points meant promotion – two clubs shared the same record and goal-difference determined silver and bronze.

Stoke City were 3rd – two seasons in second division were enough. They were returning to where they belonged.

Brighton & Hove Albion finished a place above Stoke City. Back in 1976-77 Stoke City played in first division and Brighton in third. Obviously, a team going up and quickly too. Nice surprise they were – newcomers to top flight.

And a bit ahead of Brighton and Stoke – only a point ahead, but enough to win the championship , were familiar name. Up, down, now up again – Crystal Palace.

‘London’s pride’ they were called in magazines, peddling team posters. May be every London club was tagged with the same moniker, but there was some truth in this case: most London clubs were in bad shape. QPR and Chelsea were just relegated, leaving London with only 2 clubs in first division. Crystal Palace did not win easily, but win they did and up they went. It had been a long time… Crystal Palace did not play first division football since 1972-73.

 

How long it takes to forget? In 1970 Huddersfield Town was a familiar, if not famous name to those excited by English football – a first division club. By 1978 the name was almost unknown exotica… they slipped down to 4th division.

(Back) Buxton (manager), Hanvey, Mellor, Watson, Brown, Starling, Sutton, Taylor, Fletcher, Topping, Haselden (coach).

(Middle) Hart, Gray, Holmes, Sandercock, Armstrong, Gartland, Cowling, Lillis, Branagan.

(Front) Heptinstall, Shepherd, Brook N., Reid, Howey, Brook (D).

And there was no coming back… Huddersfield Town finsihed 9th in 1978-79. The past was already everything they had. As for the future, it belonged to the winners. Those finishing with promotion.

Wimbledon was 3rd .

Grimsby Town – second. Goal-difference determined positions – three clubs finished with 61 points and Barnsley had the worst and the 4th place in the final table. But they also earned promotional spot. Comfortably above all were the winners with 65 points.

Reading – proud champions of 4th Division.

At the bottom of 3rd Division were small clubs – Peterborough United, Walsall, Tranmere Rovers, and Lincoln City dead last. Their near future was 4th division, quite familiar to all of them, but the near future of familiar name was 3rd division:

Sheffield Wednesday, down on their luck, were 14th.

Five clubs competed for promotions – Gillingham and Swindon Town lost the race.

Swansea City finished 3rd and up they went. They had 60 points – one more than Gillingham and one less than the winners. But goal-difference placed them bellow the club of Elton John, also with 60 points.

Not a squad to brag about, but the rise of Watford had began. Better get familiar with this club, for they will play large role in English football by mid-1980s. Hard to imagine it in 1978-79.

Shrewsbury Town were the champions of 3rd Division. 61 points were simply beter than anybody else’s record. For Shrewsbury second division football was perhaps the highest possible level of achievement.

 

England was the big news in the summer of 1978 and the following season was the beginning of a new era. The news was foreign players coming to English clubs. The first to arrive were fresh stars from the 1978 World Cup. The whole affair still baffles and confuses people – many still think that England finally opened its market to foreigners and it was the first time players from outside the British isles arrived in the English league. This was not true – England imported players since the early 20th century, but there were no signings since the 1960s and nobody remembered that the English market was never closed. It was mostly the attitude: the British did not think foreign players, or the ‘continentals’ as foreigners were called disrespectfully, can adapt to the ‘true game’. The other problem – an objective one, but closely linked to attitude – was labour laws. It was very difficult to obtain working permit, so nobody bothered. The third reason was even less known: there was ban on foreign players imposed by the Professional Footballers’ Association – it was in the realm of labour laws and trade unions. It was hardly absolute ban, for English laws are never absolute, but still it was difficult restriction. By 1978 it was in conflict with international regulations – particularly those existing in the early form of the European Union. PFA came under pressure and had to lift the ban – it was related to agreement between UEFA and EEC Commission that outlawed discrimination against the employment of footballers from other EEC countries. Once the door was slightly opened, there was no stopping… the first big imports were not coming from EEC. The whole picture is difficult to paint and perhaps most details are not important. Suffice to say that since technically England had no absolute ban on foreigners – like Italy, for instance – and imported players from outside UK: Irish, Caribians, South Africans, the odd Canadian or Australian, there was sufficient ground to get ‘continentals’ too. Difficult, but not impossible. The real problem was the clubs’ lack of desire.

But Tottenham Hotspur took the risk and signed two fresh world champions. Which was immediately huge news everywhere. Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa arrived in London.

They were introduced to curious and cheering crowd eager to shake hands. Feelings and reactions were mixed: excitement of getting such high profiled players, mixed with curiosity about the ‘exotic’, but also negativity – to a point, the new arrivals were seen as a novelty. Do they speak English? If not – what’s the point of bringing them here? And adapting to English football? The Argentines had different style and they must change it to proper English one – is it possible? And after all, why hiring some people from the other end of the world? Don’t we have good enough guys, who speak the language and know the way to play? Just wait until December and the fancy boys will disappear in the mud! Why, they may not even last until December… if playing at all. Good publicity stunt, but these guys with weird names will stay on the bench for sure. As to prove the conflicting points, Ardiles was regular for Argentina, but Villa was not. Ardiles spoke English, Villa did not. Ardiles was frail, typical weak ‘continental’, but Villa was big and burly looking, like a true British player. No way to judge them clearly… so confusing.

The duo was soon joined by a third world champions – Alberto Tarantini.

He had wonderful world cup tournament, was one of the most talked about players, and clearly the best at his post – full left back. He also appeared British – tall, strong, energetic and tireless. And only 23 years old – young enough to learn and adapt. And he was almost free, for he had no club – true, the reason for this was a bit troublesome: he was without employer because of his disagreement over money with Boca Juniors and refusal to play for the club. After which Boca Juniors imposed a total ban on him in Argentina and he was unable to play for any club. Troublemaker… Luckily, he was in great form at the World Cup, so he was coming to England fit. Birmigham City signed him – another reason for debates and doubts. On one hand, English football was rightly thought the best – world champions were really good only for smallish English clubs, for the bigger ones had superior players already. ‘Continentals’ surely understood their own inferiority ans were glad just to try humbly to adjust and learn. And it was still good argument against foreigners: what they were really good for? If world champions were only good to play for Birmingham City, what was the point of bringing them at all in England? Surely there was a boy or two somewhere in the lower leagues just as capable, if not better. No need to teach him the language and where is the pub. And to a point, international reaction confirmed the English pride: the financial troubles of English clubs were well known and yet they were able to hire easily the top world players. Obviously, money were better than elsewhere. And it was great to see foreigners arriving to the Mecca of football – it was a dream, almost impossible dream, suddenly coming true.

The next to come was a star getting old by now – Kazimierz Deyna, the captain of the excellent Polish team in 1974. He was not so great at the 1978 World Cup and already 31 years old, but still considered a star.

His transfer from Legia (Warszawa) to Manchester City presented different lines of arguments: on one hand it was immediate recognition of the class of the East European football and in terms of money it looked like a snatch. On the other hand – why importing old player seemingly going downhill. Yet, he was one more high-profile player – world stars were moving to England quickly and willingly.

Two other players were hardly noticed at first, dwarfed behind the big transfers.

Arnold Muhren moved from Twente to Ipswich Town. Born in 1951, the younger Muhren was almost forgotten by now – he was known, because he was part of the great Ajax, but his fame was tangential: back in the great days he was reserve and known mostly because of his family name – Gerrie Muhren was indeed the star. When Arnold moved to Twente everybody forgot him instantly and his transfer was hardly noticed.

Same was the case of Partizan (Belgrade) defender Ivan Golac.

Like Arnold Muhren, Golac was not exactly a household name and he was no longer young – born in 1950. He played a little for Yugoslavia, but clearly was second-string player. His moving to Southampton hardly registered.

Few other players eventually went to England, but the number was as whole was small in 1978. The first transfers were highly representative of both negative and positive views about foreigners in England – a 50-50 division. Tarantini had a terrible single season in England. He is remembered allright: as one of the biggest all-time failures. To critics, he was a prime example of how unfit ‘continentals’ were for British football. The fact that Birmigham City had poor team at the time did not help Tarantini at all. Kazimierz Deyna stayed 3 seasons with Manchester City, but appeared in only 38 games, scoring 12 goals. He was plagued by injuries. The fans generally liked him, but saw little of him. Old, constantly injured, rarely playing… ‘continentals’ were clearly just waste of money. Ricardo Villa played for Tottenham Hotspur until 1983 and is considered club legend nowadays. But he adjusted slowly to English football, language was a problem, and was more a novelty than true star. Still,, he played 133 matches, scoring 18 goals for the Spurs. However, he was never called again to play for Argentina after the 1978 World Cup – he was not consistent in London, if not actually something worse.

The other three were clearly a success. Ivan Golac, almost unknown, settled well in Southampton – big, physical, and tough, he not only played 5 years for the Saints, but was a key player. In 1982 he was loaned to Bournemouth, then to Manchester City in 1983. The next season he playd back in Yugoslavia – kind of played: a single appearance for lowly Belasica (Strumica) in 1983-84. Then back to England and Southampton, where he retired in 1986. His English start was difficult and typical: he had problems with obtaining work permit and at first had non-contract status. Arnold Muhren also settled quickly – his adjustment was quick and although his first year was not fantastic, he nevertheless established himself as a key player in Ipswich Town. He was instrumental for the great success of Ipswich in the early 1980s, became one of the top players in the English league, and moved to Manchester United in 1982, where he played three seasons. If Arnold Muhren became a star, Osvaldo Ardiles became a legend. He was the least likely to succeed at first – small, light, technical, fragile looking, he was everything making ‘continentals’ unfit for the true game. But he mesmerized the fans from start, took the reigns of Tottenham, conducting their game and there was just no way to ignore him. Ardiles was the key player of the Spurs for 10 years (save for 1982-83, when Tottenham had to loan him to Paris SG because of the Malvin Islands war between Great Britain and Argentina – despite the war, Ossie returned triumphal and nobody had a grudge against him). Like Golac, Ardiles stayed in England to the end of his career – he retired in 1991, playing his last two years for Swindon Town. Unlike Villa, he was needed for the national team of Argentina and played at the 1982 World Cup finals.

Still, the critics were not satisfied – England was perhaps the toughest country for foreign players. They were placed under constant hostile scrutiny – it was not about expectations of elevating their team or the money they got. Foreign players faced such criticism in other countries, whereas in England the main point was fitting into the game and the culture. The smallest mistake was blown to enormous proportions and the battle cry remained: ‘we don’t need them, they cannot play, they cannot understand our football’. To a point, the initial split shown above determined imports for a long time – South Americans and Southern Europeans were avoided. Yugoslavians and Dutch were the main imported players for a while. It stands to reason: both nations were long time exporters of players, their reputations were good, the Dutch players were especially welcomed in the late 1970s, because they represented leading football. The Dutch had more advantages – traditionally, they respected and knew English football, they had great working ethic, and usually they knew English language well. Eventually, the bulk of foreign players in England consisted largely from Northern Europeans – Dutch and Scandinavians, who were like the Dutch in working ethic and knowledge of language. It was difficult for the ‘continentals’ to survive in the English league and harsh critical voices exist even today, but the gates were opened in 1978 and there was no going back. 1978-79 is remarkable and most important season because of that. The ‘continentals’ have arrived.