Author: Vesselin

Second Division attracted little interest outside Italy perhaps of the nature of the clubs playing there – it was a large league, 20 team strong, most of which played in the First Division often. Of all 1977-78 second division clubs perhaps only Rimini and Sambenedettese never played top flight. The rest moved up and down frequently, most never making any strong impression. Two names were interesting – Cagliari and Sampdoria. Some hard luck, some unwise decisions, may be money problems. Sampdoria was not exactly famous club yet, but still one normally to be found in the first league. As for Cagliari… they were champions of Italy at the down of the decade. The great Riva led them. The national team included quite a large group of his teammates. But… it was already in the past. The club gradually went down, finally to second division. Sampdoria finished 8th this season, but Cagliari was way down – 12th and only 4 points above relegation zone. As for relegation itself, in a league consisting of small clubs, it was equally possible some playing first division football only a few seasons ago to be really weak by now and vice versa. Modena was the absolute outsider this year, finishing last with 20 points – 11 points less than the 19th placed Como. Como lagged three points behind Cremonese, which was the only club trying to escape relegation to the end. The drama of the second division was relative parity – there was no great point difference between neighbours. Practically 8 clubs fretted over relegation and at the end Cremonese got the short stick by a point, but curiously went down with better goal-difference than 5 clubs above them. Cagliari also finished with curious goal-difference: they managed to escape relegation, which itself does not speak for great performance, yet, they finished with positive goal-difference and were the second highest scoring team in the league. Unfortunately, second they were in the other department too – only Modena allowed more goals in their net than Cagliari.

The drama of second division football is specific anywhere, simply because there are not really great teams playing there, but in Italy it is almost impossible to grasp it: the long tradition of defensive football made it both simple and difficult to judge – clearly, the ‘philosophy’ was aim at winning at home and try for a tie on the road. But this was the general approach of the whole Italian football for almost 20 years, so unlike other countries, here it can’t be easily said how good or bad were the clubs. The number of the draws can safely tell one thing only: a team with less than 10 ties would be either at the very top or at the very bottom. Only two clubs ended with fewer than 10 ties this year: Modena, dead last, and Ascoli, first. And both clubs built vast chasm between themselves and the rest – Modena 11 points behind the next weakest club; Ascoli 7 points above the second placed team. Everybody else had plenty of ties – from 10 (Pistoiese, 16th) to 17 (Brescia, 14th) – but there was not a single club with 50% or more of their games ending in a tie. Which may have been a tiny sign of changing the dreadful catenaccio mentality. Fierce competition, however: from the 11th placed at the end, half of the league had a chance for winning promotion – 6 points divided the 11th (Taranto, 38 points, ending there because of worse goal-difference) and second placed Catanzaro with 44 points (also getting their place thanks to goal-difference, but better one). Since the number of ties was pretty much equal, the difference came from numbers of wins and losses – no matter how defensive one’s game was, still wins counted most. Monza and Ternana won 14 matches each and finished just outside promotion zone – 4th and 5th, each with 42 points. The lucky ones also had equal points – 44. Avellino got the third place – they had 15 victories and second-best record of losses – only 9 – but weak goal-difference: 34-29. Avellino scored less than a goal per game on average – only in Italy a team with so weak striking record can be a winner. Let’s face it – out of 20 clubs, only 5 scored a goal per match or more this year.

But they clinched promotion spot, although the only teeth they had were on their logo.

Nobody worth mentioning in the squad, but they went to Serie A and it was great. The fans did not care for criticism – they were happy.

That was the day! Avellino got promotion for Serie B in 1973 for the first time. Five years later they went even higher!

Similar was the mood in Catanzaro, the small town in Calabria.

Second place after grueling season, thanks to 16 wins – the second best number in the league. Third best attack, but rather weak defense – 5th worst! But winning and scoring propelled them up, edging Avellino at the end.

So far, the greatest season ever for Catanzaro was 1965-66, when they reached the Italian Cup final. Their first promotion to First Division came in 1971 after play-off with Bari. Did not last long in Serie A… just a season. Bounced back up in 1976, but were relegated again. This time they came back right away, hoping to stay a little longer among the best at their third attempt.

The best of all were Ascoli.

No luck, no questions, no doubts – Ascoli were clearly supreme. 26 wins was astonishing number – the next best record was 16! Ascoli lost only 3 matches – the next best was Catanzaro with 9. They also tied only 9 games – it was clearly attacking team, well prepared and head and shoulders above the competition. The strikers scored 73 goals – 21 more than the second best attack, Cagliari. The defense was not exceptional, yet not bad at all – they allowed 30 goals in 38 championship games. Five clubs had better record than the champions, but it did not matter at all – the strength of h team was lethal attack. With 61 points, Ascoli left the nearest clubs 7 points behind.

One more small club trying to fit in Serie A. This was their second attempt – they debuted in 1974, but were relegated in 1976. To date, 1977-78 was their most successful year – winning Serie B for the first time ever. Small clubs have little to brag about, so second division champions was great success. A trophy at last.

Happy winners, although it was clear that the promoted clubs were not going to be great addition to the top league. Fighting for survival was their future – but it was future. Presently, it was just bliss.

Third rank goes to Italy. Perhaps the Italian football was still not all that great – but Spanish was not either at the time. The strength of Italian football was really Juventus, the most interesting club in terms of adapting elements of total football, and the national team, which became one of the best surprises at the 1978 World Cup. Not much… the Italian clubs were still miserable in the European tournaments, Milan and Inter were clearly in decline, goal-scoring was minimal as ever. Nevertheless, there was a great surprise this season – which may be interpreted two ways: as a sign of the general decline of the big clubs, which suddenly made them equal to the small fry or as a sign of improvement, bringing more clubs to the fight on top, if they had young talent at hand. So it may had been at the time, but later it turned out to be just a momentary surprise and nothing more. Certainly not a big reshaping of the football map of the country. Which, from the outside, was one and the same – the First Division. Second level was known largely as a final table and what was beyond was foggy assumption that, of course, other leagues existed. How many and what for perhaps was never wondered about, but there were those playing somewhere in the fog. Clubs which used to be familiar names years ago and barely remembered by the late 1970s.

Triestina, for instance. Third division? Most likely. Never really great, they used to play First Division in earlier decades. There were even formerly old strong clubs like Pro Patria. There were also the entirely unknown, the bulk.

Parma – one of the ‘bulk’. Everybody knows Parma today – thanks to their great exploits in the 1990s – but back in the 1970s it was unheard of club. First division was well beyond the scope of their dreams – the dream was Second Division and as almost all dreams it was just a dream… may be in some distant future… one day, if lucky… third level was the familiar surrounding. Nice kit, though. Otherwise, only a reminder that such club existed back then for those unable to find a trace of it. Admittedly, third division football is almost entirely different sport, but lower levels are the true backbone of the sport – down there new talent emerges and builds character. Could be said that the more clubs play in the lower divisions, the better is the football at the top – Italy had many leagues, going down to seventh level. Speaking of passion for the game. A little tribute to those countless clubs playing down is very much needed now and then.

And it was not all – before winning the title, Nottingham won another trophy. Now, this was really their first victory ever. Nottingham reached the final of the League Cup , where they faced Liverpool. Nottingham was quite confident in the ½ final, where they won both legs against Leeds United – 3-1 and 4-2. Liverpool had it tougher against Arsenal – 2-1 and 0-0. The final opposed the mavericks against the strongest team in Europe. Attacking vs defensive style. Stars vs wannabees and oldish second-raters. Paisley vs Clough. At Wembley, in front of 100 000 fans, nobody scored and after the overtime a replay was scheduled. Which produced nothing too… mean Foresters’ defense killed Liverpool’s efforts, but in the same time Nottingham was not able to penetrate the opposition. It was tactical game, perhaps not to the taste of almost 55 000-strong crowd at Old Trafford. The first half ended painfully familiar – 0-0. Then in the second half Phil Thompson committed professional foul (the term was already becoming familiar, although really menaced the 1980s) against John O’Hare. The referee’s call was disputed immediately, debated for a long time, probably still is objected: it looked like the foul was outside the penalty area. Replays on TV were convincing… depending on what one wishes to be convinced of. Pat Partridge called a penalty. Suspect call, but in the same time it appeared to be the only way to break the tie. Nottingham’s defensive style did not provide for many scoring opportunities for either side. John Robertson stepped in and scored.

 

Ray Clemence guessed where the ball will go, but was unable to reach it – Robertson (#11) scored. It was practically the end of the match... fair-unfair, the Italians won trophies for years that way and no matter what, victory is decided exactly by the difference between scoring and no scoring. Liverpool did not score and lost. Nottingham lifted a trophy for the first time in their history.
Game over and two heroes look more exhausted than happy – Brian Clough and John Robertson. 

 Things improved soon, at least for the players... Kenny Burns all smiles with the Cup. 'The uggliest player I ever signed', quipped Brian Clough, but footballers are not recruited for looks. 



Cup winners – victory at last! In retrospect, Nottingham deserves more appreciation, despite their unattractive style: Liverpool was in full force, fielding all their stars. Not so the Foresters – their captain McGovern had to be substituted in the first match and did not appear at all in the replay. Gemmill did not play at all. And Shilton was absent too – Chris Woods, 18-years old and without a single championship match, played both final matches. Nottingham were underdogs, compared to Liverpool – but they won. The Scots in the team – Burns, O'Hare, and Robertson distinguished themselves. Too bad the other too missed the glorious moment – may be too bad for McGovern more than Gemmill, who at least had his greatest moment a few months later, when he scored his fantastic goal against Holland in the World Cup finals. Too bad for Shilton too, but great for Woods! When two months later Nottingham won the championship, their trophies not only became two, but became legendary – not many clubs won championships immediately after promotion anywhere in the world. Even fewer ended with a double. Fewer still won trophies for the first time in their history right after promotion. A double? Well, it was really a triple, for Nottingham won the FA Charity Shield as well. And since inevitably time passed, their success remains even more important now – so far, no other club did the same after 1978. Legendary stuff, only to become bigger soon. 

At the top of the table was where the real action was, of course. The English league, tough, exciting, and unpredictable as ever, was still as every other league – outsiders, bulk of middle of the road teams, and few really strong and ambitious. West Bromwich Albion was still rising and finished 6th, a place better than the previous year. Arsenal kept strong performance, good enough for 5th place. Arsenal were strange – they tried to build strong team, but somehow failed to really shape a squad. Yet, unlike the rest of London’s clubs, Arsenal was not going down, but up – this season was their best since 1972-73. They had Liam Brady really blossoming and they added a great goalkeeper – Pat Jennings. But they did not look as potential champion – there was something missing, hard to put a finger on what exactly the missing thing was, but ‘it’ was there. A place above them finished Manchester City. They were hailed before the start of the season:

 

Of course, they were considered ‘challengers’ because of their excellent 1976-77 season, when they finished second, with a single point less than Liverpool. They looked mighty by names, but, to a point, the team was running strong on inertia. It was aging squad, with players already pass their peak. Colin Bell, Mike Doyle, Gary Owen, Tommy Booth, and Joe Corrigan were the last remains of the great team from the late 1960s. All were nearing retirement and surely were no longer national team material. Brian Kidd somewhat never fulfilled the great promise he was around 1970 – he moved from club to club after that, but did not improve really and certainly did not become the superstar he was expected to be. Dennis Tueart, Asa Hartford, Joe Royle, and Willie Donachie were slowly getting older without really becoming great – it looked like their best years were already behind them. Dave Watson, although a regular national team player by now and one of the best central defenders in the country, seemingly reached the top of its potential – reliable, hearty, strong, uncompromising defender, but hardly extraordinary one. Peter Barnes was the great promise for the future, but… there were already signs that probably he was to be only a promise and nothing more. Yet, the squad looked mighty on paper and the former defender Tony Book seemed effective as a manager. Hard to object the facts – Manchester City finished second the previous year, they were strong in the Cups… may be they were possible contenders. But they were not – rather, they were on their way down. This year was pretty much their last hurray.

Third place was won by Everton. Great season for Everton, yet somewhat strange. They challenged their neighbours Liverpool and came close, very close, but… two points behind. Liverpool was flying high and to come close to them was a sign of improvement, not simply of wounded pride. But Everton was no Liverpool…

 

Everton somehow never made big news. Solid may be, steady, but hardly trend-setting club. And in the shadow of their great neighbours since 1970 , when they won their last title. Even as champions they were not considered a great team and even less so by 1977-78: the current big stars were elsewhere, most of them playing for Liverpool. The biggest transfer news came from other clubs too. The brightest youngsters were not Everton players either. Everton depended on somewhat fading players… Bob Latchford, Mike Pejic, Martin Dobson – respected names, but gone were the years when the trio was called to play in the national team. Mick Buckley, Roger Kenyon, Day Davies, Jim Pearson, Mick Lyons… solid, but no stars. Duncan McKenzie was of the ilk of Latchford, Dobson, and Pejic… he just came back from Anderlecht (Belgium), where he failed to impress. Bruce Rioch was perhaps the best player they had. Hardly a squad of champions, but experienced and proud enough for occasional burst. A team really for mid-table place, but this was their year, something clicked, Everton played strong season, came close to Liverpool, and finished with bronze medals. Which was wonderful in itself. On the other hand, it was clear Everton was not a contender even when playing strong – at third place, they were 9 points behind the champions. As a compensation, Everton ended with the best striking record in the league – 76 goals. Mighty Liverpool scored only 65.

Liverpool finished second – not really troublesome performance, considering the nature of the English league and their great European season. Was not even a slip – after all, in England there was still no way one and the same club to win every year. The only strange thing was the point difference between Liverpool and champions – Liverpool was 7 points behind, not really in the race for the title. It was strange not that much because of Liverpool’s weaknesses, but because of the champions.

Now, this was unusual even in England – the champions were newcomers, just promoted to First Division. It was also a club which was relegated in 1972 and since then appeared comfortably settling in Second Division – so much so, that their promotion in 1976-77 looked almost a temporary mistake. It was not spectacular promotion – this club barely clinched third place in the Second Division, the last promotional spot, only a single point better then the next candidate and not exactly challenging the better two clubs above. It was modest club without great history. But to everybody’s surprise the new boys not only played fantastic season, but gradually built big advance and were out of even Liverpool’s reach. Unexpected, unusual champions. Who would have considered Nottingham Forest champions back in 1977?

Third row, from left: Ian Bowyer, Viv Anderson, Tony Woodcock, Kenny Burns

Middle row: Jimmy Gordon (coach),Frank Clark, Larry Lloyd, Chris Woods, Peter Shilton, Colin Barrett, Brian Clough (manager)

Sitting: Peter Withe, David Needham, John McGovern (captain), Martin O´Neill, John Robertson

First time ever champions! Always fantastic for a club, always great for football. Even better when nobody saw it coming. Nottingham’s victory is one of those making history of football exciting – legends are built on such events. It was unlikely winner in almost every aspect. Brian Clough is a legend, of course, but he made ‘weird’ decision back in 1972 – he just made Derby County champions and generally made the team which stayed strong for the next 3-4 years, and… left. Clough was not an easy man, yet, leaving the top club for the moment and going to modest Second Division club is more than rare. Clough was considered the best man to coach the national team of England by many, but he went to Second Division instead. And there he stayed until 1977, seemingly not improving the club. To a point, when Nottingham returned to top flight, the squad did not attract atttention. Some not really great players, already over the hill – Larry Lloyd, John McGovern, John Robertson, Martin O’Neill, John O’Hare. Getting Peter Withe from Newcastle did not look as big improvement either. Youngsters like Viv Anderson, Tony Woodcock, and Ian Bowyer nobody heard of yet. One big purchase – Peter Shilton from Stoke City. Impressive, yet, not all that much – Stoke was just relegated and it looked natural the second-best goalkeeper of England to be eager to move. It was also understandable that Stoke would be keen to sell. The purchase made news, but Shilton so far played for small clubs (Leicester and Stoke City) and once again he did attracted mighty club. It looked like Nottingham Forest was aiming at survival… somewhat competent and experienced squad, hoping on some safe place above relegation zone, but hardly, even with luck, ending among the top 8. On the other hand, it was typical Cloughie selection – workers, not stars, experienced, loyal. Clough brought to Nottingham some of his former Derby County players – O’Hare, McGovern, and Archie Gemmill. And his faithful assistant Peter Taylor, naturally. He knew what he wanted, but it did not look very promising to outsiders. The strange team delivered – Clough was right. Clough was great – this team finished with the title, high above the best team in Europe. And it was not all – the winners played un-English football. Seemingly outdated… based on defense. It was careful, dull, defensive team, looking Italian in its approach. No doubt, Nottingham surprised every opponent, for English clubs were used to open, fast, attacking game, but Nottingham was slow, closed, defensive, saturating midfield with fighters, no open space for speedy attacks, patiently waiting for mistakes, and striking back with counter-attacks. English teams were comfortable with such tactics, they did not what to do, and Forest was winning match after match by one goal. As for Clough, perhaps this was the evidence how really great coach he was – his Derby County played very different, open and attacking game. Using deliberately different tactics is rare – but a testimony of great coaching abilities. Clough utilized the players he had, creating a tactic suitable for their limited skills, but great discipline, experience, and endurance. The scheme worked perfectly – Nottingham lost only 3 matches. Less than that achieved Leeds United in 1968-69! Liverpool always finished with more lost matches than that, but it was remarkable record in the all-time history of the league – only two clubs finished with less lost matches in a season: Leeds United – 2 losses in 1968-69, and Preston North End – 0 in 1888-89, the very first championship. As for the virtues of Nottingham’s defense, there was nothing to compare with: they allowed only 24 goals in their net during the season. Only ones a team finished with fewer goals – Preston North End allowed 18 in 1888-89, but almost 100 years ago the league had only 12 members. Preston allowed 18 goals in 22 matches; Notthingham – 24 in 42 games! With defense like that, scoring in the opposite net was not the prime concern – Nottingham did not score a lot, but enough to win. Still, they ended with 69 goals – forth best record in the league this year, but better than Liverpool’s. Nobody was really excited with Nottingham’s kind of play, but it was effective. Like in Italian football, stiff defensive strategy opened opportunities for strikers – and the talent of Bowyer and especially Woodcock was quickly noticed. So were the skills of right full-back Viv Anderson. New stars emerged – and stayed! Clough obviously had great eye for talent. Extraordinary champions in every sense. Beloved? No… they were so un-English. But who can criticize winners? Results speak for themselves. And no matter what, a new champion is always great. Brian Clough had no intention to stop with this victory either. The competition had to figure out how to stop Nottingham, which meant thinking of new tactics, enlarging horizons. But the sweetest part of all this was for the fans – champions at last. Unbelievable!

The bulk of the league performed more or less as expected – traditional mid-table clubs like Middlesbrough, Birmingham City, Norwich City, Coventry City, mixed with teams at different stages of decline – Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea, Derby County, Leeds United – occupied the vast space between 7th and 19th place. Grey area, difficult to judge, because seasonal performance is not a clear indication of long-term stability, improvement, or decline. Aston Villa was slowly rising, for instance, but still was at mid-table level. They finished 8th, and just behind them because of worse goal-difference was slowly sinking Leeds United, still having enough inertia from the good years to stay away from real trouble. Others underperformed a bit – more was expected from Manchester United, but they finished 10th. The most difficult team to judge was Ipswich Town – they had the best and worst in a single year. After years of climbing up and establishing themselves among the top clubs, they suddenly plummeted down. Since the team was pretty much the same as before and not old at all, it did not look right. Was it a case of a team reaching its limits and inevitably sinking? After all, Ipswich played well, but did not become a real title contender. Besides, they had terrible year in the league, but in the same time achieved their greater triumph this very same season too, winning the FA Cup. Tough case… Ipswich did not just drop a few places: they barely escaped relegation. They finished 18th , only 3 points away from relegation zone. Their attack was terrible – only 4 clubs ended scoring less goals than Ipswich. They lost even the battle for 17th place – lowly Bristol City edged them with better goal-difference.

Bristol City came to First Division in 1976 and finished 18th in their first season with 35 points. In 1977-78 they earned again 35 points and finished 17th. Clearly, the only concern of the modest club was hanging in the league, mere survival. It was equally clear they were not going to last for long. And now Ipswich Town was at that level, compared to Bristol? Finishing lower than Bristol…

Yet, Ipswich had much better squad – 18th place looked unreal. And it was – what Ipswich Town suffered was fairly common: a good team, still rising, but getting perhaps too experienced before time and temporarily slipping down. As a reminder, in a sense, that the job was not done yet, that greatness is still out of reach and work is needed. In real time – impossible to be sure of that: after all, Ipswich came dangerously close to relegation – but they recovered quickly. And the season was not lost after all , but what a rollercoaster.

Of course, First Division was the most interesting. There was the novelty of the brown kit, unforgettable forever.

What were Admiral, the makers of the kit, thinking is irrelevant – the brown second kit of Coventry City was hated, ridiculed, and… with time passing, the atrocity became a cult. As for those wearing it, they mostly played in their usual colours.

Little brown here, but Coventry were hardly remembered for anything else – they finished 7th, more or less, as usual. Nothing great, no worries about relegation, just solid mid-table performance. Everybody was used to that for years.

Others had to worry: Leicester City, gradually losing the players of their good early-70s team, inevitably sunk to the bottom.

May be survival was an issue in the first half of the season, but hardly in the spring – the only concern was whether the team will be last or a place above. Goal-difference was not in Leicester’s favour and ended 22nd. No wonder – the team won the least matches in the division: only 5. They also had hard time scoring – measly 26 goals in 42 games! The next weakest attack still scored a goal per game on average. No wonder… by now Leicester was nothing. Mainly, the team depended on three very suspect players – Chris Garland, who never fulfilled expectations in Chelsea; Jeff Blockley, who also was promising years back, but nothing came out that promise; and mercurial Frank Worthington, huge talent, but… loving fast life and his drink too much. Wasted talent already, no matter the legends and fan’s admiration. One of the long line of players who were expected to be superstars, but chose the bottle and other things instead – George Best, Rodney Marsh, Alan Hudson… by 1977-78 it was absolutely clear that Worthington was not the man leading the team up, but down. And down they went. As for Worthington, he was already gone – to Bolton Wanderers.

Just above Leicester finished Newcastle United. A big slump for them – in 1976-77 they finished 5th! Such is the English league – high place one year does not mean anything and may be followed by disaster. Newcastle have been typical mid-table club for many seasons and such clubs normally go down, not up, at some point. Newcastle had long stretch in the middle of First Division – since their promotion in 1964-65. They even had European success, but never became a force in English football. The fall was inevitable, it was just a matter of time – and the crash came in 1977-78.

 

Looking at the squad, it was not surprising they finished 21st. The selection was more typical for Second Division club. The team photo is suspect on top of everything – more likely the squad of 1976-77 than 1977-78, contrary to what Football Magazine said. Peter Withe was not Newcastle player in 1977-78 – but his presence here is a fine example of Newcastle’s troubles. True, the bearded striker achieved a lot – English champion twice, European champion, national team player. But he was never a star and in fact had shaky career – he moved from club to club almost every year and did not last anywhere. Ordinary player at best, may be even less, for no club so far cared to keep him. He did not last in Newcastle either and if the club based hopes on him, they were quickly disappointed. The rest of the team was not much better – journeymen, not a single star, and hardly anybody with some leadership potential. Newcastle were reduced to competing with Leicester… for the 21st place in the league table. They won it… 10 points behind the 20th team.

There was fierce – may be fierce – battle for the last safe place in the league, the 19th, between Queen’s Park Rangers and West Ham United. It was more than just too teams trying to avoid relegation – London clubs suffered greatly since 1974, most of them declining either because of inability of replacing strong, but aging, squads made in the 1960s, or suffering financial troubles. Chelsea was relegated, followed by Tottenham Hotspur, and now it was time for West Ham United. And QPR, who escaped relegation by a point, were going down – if not this year, surely soon (soon it was – the next season).

As for unlucky Hammers, they were not all that unlucky – they were far cry from the great team of the 1960s. Once again, transition went wrong and good new team was not built. Some players failed to develop, as hoped – like the very promising a few years ago goalkeeper Marvin Day. Trevor Brooking was there, true, but he was more or less alone, and although the best English midfielder, he was not enough for saving the Hammers. Instead, the club joined the dubious fame of Second Division clubs providing key players for the national team – practically unprecedented situation, but it was becoming a tradition in the 1970s. As for Hammers fans… blame the unusual kit their club used.

Blackpool, Mansfield Town, and Hull City lost their places in Second Division. Blackpool tried hard to escape relegation – 8 clubs finished with 38 points, Blackpool was unlucky with 37. If they got one more point, they would have been safe – especially with their amusing for relegated club goal-difference of -1 goal: 59-60. There was no club with 38 points with even close goal-difference. One point – the whole difference between life and death. Mansfield Town and Hull City had no bite and took 21st and 22nd places in the final table.

 

Dead last, Hull City distinguished themselves as the only second-division club finishing with less than 10 wins in the league – their measly 8 victories were precisely three times less than the wins of the league champion.

The season was harsh for almost every team in the league – 18 clubs were more concerned with survival than easy life. At the end 8 points divided Blackburn Rovers, 5th, and the relegated Blackpool, 20th. Blackburn ended with negative – and worse than Blackpool’s – goal-difference. In fact, Blackpool had better goal-difference than 13 clubs, 11 of which were better placed at the end. Of the bulk, only three teams finished with positive goal-difference – Sunderland, 6th, Stoke City, 7th, and Crystal Palace, 9th. Fulham, 10th, finished with neutral record – 49-49. Adding the clubs at the very top, only 8 clubs – 1/3 of the total – finished the season on the positive side. With most of the league fighting for survival, only four clubs were concerned with promotion – they were high above the rest: their was 12-point chasm between 4th and 5th at the end. The battle for promotion was fierce – 2 points divided 1st from 4th, and goal-difference decided who was to go up and who was to stay for another year down. Brighton & Hove Albion were the losers, although they had the second-best defensive record in the league. Scoring was not their forte, however, and they finished 4th. Lucky were Tottenham Hotspur – relegated the previous year, the Londoners stayed only a single season in Second Division.

Tottenham obviously were determined to return to their usual place among the best, but it was not easy – to the last moment promotion was not secured. The team lost only 6 matches – the least in the league – and scored the most goals – 83 – but their defense was leaky. They allowed 49 goals in their net – 10 more than the rest of the top clubs and the only top-4 team receiving more than a goal per match on average. The photo is not really the squad of the year, although normally is given as ‘1977-78 picture’ – here is Pat Jennings, who left after the disastrous 1976-77 season and joined Arsenal. Tottenham was one more victim of the eternal problem of replacing great, but inevitably aging team – the transition was not smooth and the club suffered. Three players of the great early-70s squad still remained – Terry Naylor, Steve Perryman, and Ralph Coates – but the manager Keith Burkinshaw was still trying and hardly had even a small group of new players with strong potential. More or less, he had only Glenn Hoddle – 20-years old and at his third season in professional football. No wonder Tottenham barely qualified for promotion, but still they did.

At second place finished Southampton – with a point more than the Spurs, but also a point less than the champions. Southampton was relegated in 1973-74 and so far was unable to reach promotional finish. It was strange, for unlike other relegated clubs Southampton did not lose its stars – Mike Channon in particular, who was essential national team player. Nor they had declining team like Chelsea or Tottenham. Yet, Southampton seemed settled in Second Division – but this year they finally were on the move up. Successfully too.

The winners of the championship were a surprise – Bolton Wanderers.

Bolton missed promotion by a hair in 1975-76 and 1976-77 – both seasons they finished 4th, one point short of the coveted third promotional place. Obviously performing well and getting ambitious – third time lucky – but really the club was climbing up since 1972-73, when they won the Third Division and moved to Second. As for top flight, the last time Bolton played in First Division was 1963-64, when they finished second to last and were relegated. By now they were more or less forgotten and it was even a bit strange they were to play with the best.

 

Although Bolton won most matches during the season – 24 – and had the best defensive record, allowing only 33 goals, they did not look like a team able of surviving in First Division. Three fading by now stars – Willie Morgan (formerly of Manchester United), Peter Thompson (formerly of Liverpool), and the 36-years old Irishman Tony Dunne, formerly of the great Manchester United squad of the 1960s – and hardly anything else. Thompson, 35-years old by now, actually retired after the end of the season. Dunne did not last either, except in ManUnited history, where he still is one of leading players with 414 matches for the team. Frank Worthington arrived from Leicester City and scored important goals, but… he was Worthington: women and booze were more important to him than football. Sam Allardyce perhaps rings some bells today, but that is the name of the coach, not of the player. Allardyce had no fame in his playing days. For the sake of diversity, it was great to see a modest club going up, but winning Second Division was clearly to be their major success – Bolton had no strength to survive in the First. Not for long anyway. But hope dies last, especially for devoted fans – it was great so far and may be better in the future.

Elton John going up to replace Port Vale, Hereford United, Bradford City, Portsmouth in Third Division. The foursome tried to escape relegation as much as they could, but gave up at the end. No big loss even for third-level football, save the fans of the unlucky clubs. Up the table 13 clubs were more or less satisfied with their mid-table status. May be Gilingham, two points above the best of those lacking ambitions, was more like them than as well. Six teams fought for three promotional spots – at the end, Walsall, 6th, trailed 8 points behind the champions, but only 3 points behind the third placed. Goal-difference decided third place – Peterborough United and Preston North End finished with 56 points each, mirroring each other in wins, ties, and losses, but Preston North End scored a lot and thanks to that ended with better goal-difference. Up they went, Peterborough United took 4th place cursing their luck – or their strikers.

One can’t tell much about a third division club, but Preston is familiar name because the club is so old and among the original founders of the English league. Good days ended also many years ago… by 1977-78 the club was just happy to reach second league.

So were Cambridge United, clinching second place. The University is famous, but not the football club – same with Oxford United. Going up to second division was just about the best happening to CU.

Champions of Third Division were Wrexham. Looking just at the final table, they appear comfortable champions – 3 points above Cambridge United. But it was not overwhelming victory, but one achieved largely at the end of the season – the race was tight.

For what it is worth, Wrexham was the only promoted club with some promise – more or less, they were on the rise. True, Welsh clubs played minor role in English football, but Wrexham won the Welsh Cup and participated in the Cup Winners Cup – they did not last in Europe, but still it was unique achievement: a third division club playing in European tournament. This also suggested some strength and may be improvement, and may even bigger ambitions. So far – up to Second.

Of course, no big names here. Not even familiar ones. Perhaps the players with Polish names – Cegielski and Niedzwiecki – appear strange, but they were not imports, just local boys. Immigrants settled in Wales, working in the mines, and as a result their kids often played for Welsh clubs. Think Peter Rodriguez, Giorgio Chinaglia… and add these two to number of Welshmen with foreign names.

England – may be not the strongest league anymore, but still the most unpredictable. Still entertaining too. Something happened down at the very bottom of professional football, which was not noticed at first – after all, 4th division football is not trend-setting. Also, momentary success hardly tells anything about future developments. In retrospect, it was the beginning of meteoric rise of not one, but two clubs . Four teams were promoted to the Third Division, the honours contested by 8 clubs. None was impressive club – may be Barnsley was the only one of some sort of faded glory, but they finished 7th. The 4th, clinching the last promotional spot was Brentford.

Old boys, founded in 1889, and nothing more.

Second finished Southend United.

Cute logo, many swords, just like Brentford’s, but no cutting edge really. The lobster is nice…

Third finished Swansea City, one of the few Welsh clubs in the English leagues. Which was good for novelty and amusement, for Welsh Cup winners played in the European Cup Winners Cup and thus were constant representatives of low divisions. Often lower than Second Division.

The Swans knew better days, but they were long gone. Climbing to Third Division was quite a success.

First finished Watford.

Another club which had nothing to brag about and may be happy to move a tiny bit up. As a London-based club, they had no chance of catching the eye, but they did in 1973 – Elton John, a life-long fan, became the President of the club. Thanks to his fame, the club was mentioned now and then – Elton John went not only to Watford’s matches.

Two rock-stars crazy about football – Elton John and Rod Stewart training with Watford. Look in better shape then the players at the left… Such novelties were the biggest news about Watford for awhile. In 1876 Elton John became more ambitious and was elected Chairman of the club. Now with real power in his hands, he immediately made a big signing – not a famous and inevitably aging player, but a coach.

 

Graham Taylor and Elton John, all smiles and promising victory. Wise move – the new manager was good and quickly turned around the small club. It was hard to tell what the idea was at first: on one hand Elton John did not invest money in players – which probably angered some fans. A manager without a team did no mean much, may be just a cheap move for a year or two. On the other hand getting a good coach may bring some positive results in a long term. Which was Elton John’s idea, it seems – Taylor changed the team immediately: Watford had strong season and finished first, 11 points ahead of Southend United. They lost only 5 matches – there was no other club in the 24-team division with less than 10 losses. Watford distinguished themselves in winning too – they won 30 out of their 46 championship games. Southend United trailed behind with 25 wins. Strong season by all means – and Watford was going to play 3rd Division football next year.

Nice – Elton John leading Watford to the pitch. Leading by example, so to say. Nice, but… take away the rockstar and there was nothing else. Or so it appeared back in 1977-78. It was different a few years after, when Watford was playing not only in the First Division, but in the European Cups too. They climbed up very quickly – but not as quickly as Swansea City did. Both clubs went together at first, but the meteoric rise of the Swans was faster. And all started in 1977-78, when both clubs won promotions. The beginning of fantastic climbs up, and up, and up. As for Elton John… usually running a football club is difficult job, causing the loss of hair. He went the other way – growing hair. Anyway, 4th division smiles so far.