First Division. The usual suspects was among the leaders, but it was not their season. At the opposite end of the table was a club not long ago among the best, but unfortunately unable to sustain even relatively strong position at the present.
R. Beringen FC – last with 23 points and relegated.
RWD Molenbeek (Bruxelles) – 17th with 25 points and also relegated. What a long and painful agony – amalgamations were not able to keep this club afloat and it was going down. The struggle will continue for years and to bitter end.
Beerschot VAV – 16th with 26 points.
KAA Gent – 15th with 28 points. Yet, this was great season for them.
K.Lierse SK – 14th with 29 points.
RFC Liégeois (Liege) – 13th with 29 points.
KV Kortrijk – 12th with 29 points.
KSV Cercle Brugge – 11th with 31 points.
KSC Lokeren – 10th with 31 points.
K.Waterschei SV Thor Genk – 9th with 33 points.
R. Antwerp FC – 8th with 35 points.
KSV Waregem – 7th with 35 points.
KV Mechelen – 6th with 38 points. Top row from left: Raymond Jaspers, Mark Talbut, Bert Cluytens, Geert Deferm, Karel Kesselaers.
Middle row: Leo Canjels, Marc Huysmans, Joachim Benfeld, Filip Benoot, Theo Custers, Mathy Billen, Piet den Boer, Wilfried Dommicent, Herman Fransen.
Sitting: Jan De Cleyn, Yvan Hoste, Willi Reisinger, Benny Asselberghs, Johan Van Arwegen, Jos Volders, Fi Van Hoof .
RFC Sérésien – 5th with 38 points. Good season for a modest club, often known as Seraing.
Standard (Liege) – 4th with 40 points. Had to pay the price for the follies in the previous season. Standing from left: Bourguignont(soigneur), Goethals – coach, Grundel, Delangre,Vandersmissen, Hrubesch, Daerden, Aussens, Wintacq, Meeuws, Plessers, Semmeling.
Sitting: Poel, Tahamata, Hellers, Preud’homme, Bodart, Delbroeck, Bosmans, Jelikic.
Club Brugge KV – or FC Brugge – 3rd with 44 points. Third row from left: Koen Sanders, Willy Carbo, Antoni Szymanowski, Willy Wellens, Luc Beyens, Luc Vanwalleghem, Hugo Broos, Alex Querter.
Middle row: Georg Kessler (coach), Raymond Mertens (assistent-coach), Peter Nilsson, René Verheyen, Johan Renier, Ronald Spelbos, Jan Ceulemans, Eddy Warrinnier (kine), Gilbert Van Binst (assistant-coach).
Front tow: Birger Jensen, Chris Verhulst, Yves Carette, Marc Degryse, Luc Hinderyckx, Guy Dardenne, Philippe Vande Walle.
Anderlecht – or RSC Anderlechtois – 2nd with 47 points. May be paying the price for playing on too many fronts and having too many too many international players. The regular team was made of 10 internationals, playing for Belgium, Denmark, and Yugoslavia. Some of them were getting old – not too old to play great football, but may be age was affecting consistency, for they played on different fronts and traveled quite a lot.
SK Beveren won its 2nd title with 51 points from 22 wins, 7 ties, losing just 5 matches. 59-33 goal-difference was nothing to brag about – Anderelcht scored 80 goals – but modest Beveren depended on its tied defense. Compared to Anderlecht, Standard, and FC Brugge, the squad was insignificant, but this was the strongest period in the history of the club and the team was already very experienced. Of course, Beveren had no money to buy great players, but still managed to reinforce the squad – Marek Kusto, a member of the great 1974 Polish team, was here. Filip de Wilde, unheard of this time, was promising replacement of Jean-Marie Pfaff. May be the bribing scandal helped them a bit, by rattling Standard, may be FC Brugge was not yet fully rebuild, may be Anderlecht was distracted by international football, but Beveren was sturdy and spirited team – their victory was well deserved and enjoyed, for the underdog was not giving up.