From the top 6 clubs of the Belgian league, three belonged to the bulk of league in their performance: a bit stronger than most, but playing no role in the race for the title. There was a small gap of 3 points between the 7th and the 6th placed, but 6 points divided the 4th from the 3rd. The clear mark was in the number of matches lost: this trio had double the number the top three had, going into 2-digit numbers, like most of the league. But the three almost belonging to the leaders clubs had no similarities between themselves.
Lierse finished 6th with 40 points from 18 wins, 4 ties, and 12 losses. They had the third best scoring strikers in the league, though – 72 goals. High scoring strikers, but leaky defense. Not only the worst defensive record among the top 6, but also worse than Waterschei’s and Waregem’s. It looked like Lierse played all or nothing and the approach worked.
Good season, if not exceptional, for Lierse, but the make-up of the team was not promising. They looked exactly like most Belgian clubs: no big names here. Some relatively strong veterans: the goalkeepers Carl Engelen and the former national team player Frans Janssens, 35 years old. Not many foreigners either: only the Dutch striker Ronny van Poucke, who was a reserve of Anderlecht not long ago. But unlike many of his countrymen in the Belgian league van Poucke was young. And so were the local talents Erwin van den Bergh and Walter Ceulemans. Lierse had vastly experienced coach – the West German Ernst Kunnecke, unrecognizable name, but he worked in Belgium since 1969 and knew Belgian football perfectly. With his knowledge and having ambitious young strikers, seemingly he decided to let them run free and score as much as they could, hoping to prevail over most of the teams by scoring more than the opposition. It worked, but it was also rather lucky run, one year wonder – unless the squad was reinforced with few stronger players. To a point, Lierse did not belong the the best and confirming that, they finished at the bottom of the stronger group.
If Lierse were perhaps lucky, the team above them was unlucky. More than unlucky, actually – Anderlecht had disastrous season, finishing 5th, just a point better than Lierse.
Terrible season and even inexplicable, considering what Anderlecht was internationally after 1975 and in in Belgian football – ever. One of the most exciting European teams, the biggest club in Belgium… and true to that, they had the stronger and the deepest squad, as long as names mean anything: Rensenbrink and Haan led the pack. A big group of top Belgian players: Francois van der Elst, Hugo Broos, Frank Vercauteren, Gilbert van Binst, Ludo Coeck. Dutch national team defender Johnny Dusbaba. Danish international Benny Nielsen. A new goalkeeper – the Austrian highly respected national team regular Friedl Koncilia. Speaking of internal competition, the Belgian national team prospect – and future regular – Jacky Munaron was just a back-up of Koncilia this year. And another new recruit, perhaps a bit exotic and not well known in Europe, but coming as South American champions on both national team and club level – the Paraguayan star striker Enrique Villalba. Why Anderlecht underperformed this season, then? It looked like that even if this team played at 50% of their abilities, they should have been champions, but they were not even among the title contenders. It may have been a bad choice of coach – Urbain Braems was an old hand and even coached Anderlecht before, but he was not well known name and most of his career went with smaller clubs. Perhaps he was not the right man for the job and there was no chemistry between him and the star-studded squad. Perhaps it was the squad itself… as great as Anderlecht appeared on paper, it was very familiar team for the rest of the league. Everybody knew this line for years, knew how they play, their weak points – the whole league was well adjusted to this formation, which was getting older not much as individual players, but as a team and playing philosophy. Morally old. Rensenbrink, van Binst, Broos were leading Anderlecht from the beginning of the 1970s. Haan, Coeck, van der Elst, Vercauteren were also around for many years. Some were getting long in the tooth: van Binst – 29, Rensenbrink – 33, Nielsen – 29, Haan – 32, Broos – 28. Add Koncilia, who at 32 was not exactly at his last legs as a goalkeeper, but he was winner for so many years in Austria, to be really hungry for success. Anderlecht tried to do what many wealthy clubs did, falling into their own trap eventually: they tried to replace old players gradually with young talent, and usually the scheme worked well for awhile, long enough to be satisfying and thus blinding the club to the need of general shake-up and building of entirely new team. Ajax and Bayern already suffered from this concept, agonizing and losing their leadership after 1975. It was clear from aside – as long as Haan and Rensenbrink were the key players, the team will be build around them. But they over 30 and their presence was no longer fresh – if anything, they prevented the emerging of new leaders. The newcomers, as a rule ,were not at the level of the big stars, but slightly lower and not on key positions. But how to let go players like Haan and Rensenbrink… until the team led by them really falls apart. Only then heads roll down in mass.
KSC Lokeren finished 4th , a point ahead of Anderlecht. Lokeren enjoyed strong years pretty much since 1974 when the Polish star Lubanski joined the club – they were never title contenders, but normally not below 8th place, one of the consistently strong Belgian clubs, yet not favourites. Not lucky like Lierse, not suddenly underperforming like Anderlecht, but holding their position year after year.
Lokeren had either more money or better recruiting vision than most clubs in the league – they had a good group of strong players, more than normally smaller clubs had, yet, fewer than the big clubs. This gave them the edge to stay among the best without matching the strongest. To a point, Lokeren made a wild bet, which paid off – when they signed Vlodzimierz Lubanski, it was not expected that he will be even able to play, let alone restoring his form, so severe was his injury. But not only he played, but returned to excellent form so much so, that he became the first Polish playing abroad to be invited to the national team and appeared at the 1978 World Cup finals. Lokeren benefited greatly from him, including his loyalty, for he stayed with the club which gave him a chance in a hopeless situation. Now 33 years old, he perhaps was not as dangerous as he was was, but inspirational leader nevertheless. Around him a good bunch was gathered – may be not first rate players, but not journeymen either: former national team player Bob Dalving (30 years old), current members of the national team Rene Verheyen (28) and Raymond Mommens (22), experienced Dutch goalkeeper Bob Hoogenboom (31), and three young and more than promising strikers – Scottish James Bett (21), the Islandic national team player Arnor Gudjohnson (19), and big Danish centre-forward – Preben Elkjer-Larsen (23). A strong skeleton, covering every line and quite versatile – Mommens could play in either defense or attack, for instance. Elkjer-Larsen was particularly good addition – his climb to international fame really started with Lokeren. He was already West German champion with 1. FC Koln, but without making any impression – he was a reserve and moved to Lokeren right after Koln won the title. Lokeren simply had more strong players than other clubs, but most importantly, it was good mix of experienced veterans and bright and ambitious youngsters. Of course, Lokeren faced the usual problem of any smaller club: there was no way to keep young stars for long, so they had to be constantly looking for suitable replacement and staying among the best depended on their ability to spot and recruit new players. But so far – so good.
And at the very top and apart from the rest of the league were three clubs, which battled for the title. Eventually, the champions pulled ahead and finished with comfortable lead, but trio left the league far behind – Lokeran finished with 42 points and the team ahead of them with 48 points. A second club of the same city inevitably was much weaker than the their neighbour, but there was a difference in Bruxelles: of course, RWD Molenbeek could not compete with Anderlecht, but they benefited from their formidable rival like no other Belgian club in similar situation. The 1970s were the greatest years of RWD Molenbeek and they were still running strong. Strong enough to finish with bronze medals, missing silver by a point.
Molenbeek lacked enough class to be real title contenders, but they were strong. Thanks to Anderlecht, in a way: players, no longer needed by the giant, often moved to Molenbeek – a better option than going to smaller provincial towns. Thus, Jan Ruiter (34 years old) was between the goalposts and Maurice Martens (33) in defense. Ruiter was not the only Dutch in the team – add Johan Boskamp (32) , Nico Jansen (28), and newly arrived from Ajax Hans Erkens (28). Erkens was the only Dutch in the team who never played for the national team of Holland. Molenbeek two very interesting defenders too – the Belgian Michel de Wolf (22), who was soon to be part of the exciting Belgian national team, and a player, who became even greater star in the 1980s: Morten Olsen (31), the great Danish libero. One thing Molenbeek was able to do so far was precisely that: getting enough solid players to maintain strong position. They feared less than most Belgian clubs – since their best players were either already discarded by Anderlecht, or were too old to attract the interest of the big clubs, they could simply depend on new recruits of the same kind and stay among the best, for most of the league was not able to do anything similar.
Silver medals were clinched by Standard (Liege) – they edged Molenbeek by a point, but ended well below the champions. Up and coming club, the most promising Belgian team at the moment. Standard came back after the decline in the first half of the 1970s, but were still not at their peak – they had to fight for the second place, yet, were rather easily outrun by more experienced team in the race for the title.
Standard had everything in place by now: Ernst Happel was the coach and, as usual, he delivered quickly. Of course, he had the players needed for success: Michel Preud’homme (21 years old) between the goalposts, Eric Gerets (26) and Michel Renquin (25) in defense, Gerard Plessers (21) and the Islandic national team regular Asgeir Sigurvinsson (25) in midfield, the Swedish centre-forward Ralf Edstrom (28) and the Austrian winger Alfred Riedl (31) in attack. Add sometimes Belgian national team player Willy Wellens (26), the West German veteran Helmut Graf (34), the promising young striker Eddy Voordeckers (20), the solid center-back Theo Poel (29), and the former Belgian Junior national team center-forward, listed still as a Portuguese, Luis Norton de Matos (27). It was a good selection, mixing experience and young talent. In 1980 Renquin and especially Gerets became international stars. Sigurvinsson was steadily on the road of becoming more than well respected player in the 1980s, Edstrom revived his career, after a slump, leading him back to Sweden. The team was till a bit row, still a bit unfinished, not at its peak, but it was clearly a team to reckon with and there was no doubt that second place was only for the moment.
Standard was the future, but the presence belonged to FC Brugge. Confident victory this year: 24 wins, 5 ties, 5 losses, 76-31 goal-difference, 53 points. 4 more than Standard earned. Second-best scoring record and second-best defensive record. FC Brugge was solid and experienced, the edge they had over Standard.
Confident winners, confirming once again that FC Brugge had not just few strong years, but established firmly itself as the third big Belgian club and there was no way back. Easy victory, but it was not up and coming team, like Standard – it was a bit stagnated team, familiar for years, way too experienced to win a title now, but it was not going to be easy in the future. In very near future… stability was dangerous, the team was getting old. Birger Jensen was 29, Georges Leekens – 31, Walter Meeuws – 29, Jos Volders – 31, Rene Vandereycken – 27, Paul Courant – 31, Raoul Lambert – 36. Some were no longer called to play for the national team and clearly nearing the end of their careers. They were strong enough to win the title, but the policy of FC Brugge was somewhat dangerous – having old players, they looked for more of the same kind: the English striker Ray Clarke arrived from Ajax (Amsterdam) – he was 28. Laszlo Balint, the strong Hungarian center-defender, was a good addition of course, but he was already 32. Practically, players for the future were only the Danish midfielder Jan Soerensen (25) and particularly the fantastic Belgian attacking midfielder Jan Ceulemans (23). The problem was how long FC Brugge could run on experience – sooner than later the veterans were going to retire. Anderlecht underperformed this year, but they had much deeper squad than FC Brugge, and Standard was clearly to reach its peak in year or two – in a long run, FC Brugge appeared quite limited compared to the competition. But they won the title! Again. Their 4th since 1975, missing only 1978-79 – this was much, much better than Anderlecht, which won domestic trophy for the last time in 1976 and it was the Cup. Anderlecht did not win a title since 1974, Standard – much longer.