Category: 1979

Italy was optimistic news at the 1978 World Cup, but the following season was anti-climactic. It was return to the stubbornly outdated football – defensive, low-scoring, ruled by ties, pinching points. There was not a single team finishing the season with less than 10 ties. Not a single team came even close to 2 goals per game average. The ‘least’ defensive teams finished with 1/3 of their games tied – Milan and Roma ended with 10. At the same time the record was 2/3 of the total matches tied – 19 out of 30. Verona did not score even a goal per two games : their final record was dismal 14 goals. Yet, the season ended with increadible achievement, alas, unlikely to be repeated – it looked chancy, and a triumph of the old ways. Some clubs were seemingly declining – Lazio and Bologna – but a few more alarmingly appeared comfortable with mid-table position and not developing – Fiorentina, Torino, Napoli, Roma. It was tough season, but Italian football was always tough – it was generally tough, not fearcely competitive : two clubs fought for the title. Two, with a stretch of imagination, for one of them was not really able to win the title.

A clear outsider settled at the bottom of the table – Verona – Hellas Verona, to be exact – was hopelessly bellow the rest of the league.

Standing, from left : Logozzo,Bergamaschi,Guidolin,Superchi,Mascetti,Calloni.

First row: Esposito,Franzot,Vignola,Negrisolo,Spinozzi.

Verona, at the time, was small club just lucky to play occasionally in Serie A. So obscure was the football of this city, that in Italy the name was given simply as ‘Verona’ – years had to pass until the need of qualification emerged : there are two clubs in Verona – Hellas, the one above, and the better known, and Chievo. During the 1970s there was no need even to consider Chievo… the boys above were lowly enough : 2 wins, 11 ties, 17 losses, last with 15 points and returning to their usual second division environment.

The other relegated were not a surprise either – they were clubs of the lowere half of the league and potential candidates for relegation. They tried to survive, figthing with similar clubs, and failed. Tough luck. Atalanta was 15th.

During the years Atalanta meandered up and down, but since there was no way of having famous players, second division, not a title, was the likelier option. Like Verona, they hardly had known names in the team and lost the race for survival. Goal-difference was their enemy – three clubs finished with 24 points, two of them inevitably going down. Atalanta was unlucky.

The third relegated team was a bit different. Lanerossi Vicenza was traditionally one of the prime candidates for relegation, so nothing surprising to see them at the bottom of the table. But they had fantastic season just the previous year… alas, the predicament of small clubs worked against them : acidental strong season changed nothing. Small they were, unable to recruit strong players, and therefore immediatley returning to their usual position.

Standing, from left :Galli,Callioni,Faloppa,Miani, Prestanti.

Crouching: Secondini,Briaschi,Guidetti,Salvi,P. Rossi,Cerilli

However, unlike the clubs bellow them, Vicenca had a star – Paolo Rossi was already the player to watch, the player Italian future depended on. He had wonderful World Cup, was noticed and praised around the world, he was the top Italian goalscorer… but he was alone in Vicenze, surrounded by inferior players. It was clear that the big clubs will snatch him form small Vicenze, yet, curiously, he was still playing with red and white stripes and even more curiously he was going down – Italy did not have too many young stars at the time and perhaps the most promissing among them was going to play in Serie B. Unheard of… if going to be true.

The lucky boys were Bologna.

Standing, from left : Roversi,Memo,Paris,Bachlechner,Cresci, Bellugi.

Crouching : Maselli,Vincenzi,Bordon,Juliano, Castronaro.

Traditionally, stronger club and having superior players than the bottom three – Juliano and Bellugi, for instance. But the stars were aging and fading the the squad was not really much. Bologna ended with 24 points, like Vicenza and Atalanta, and were lucky to survive on goal-difference. Pure luck… the club badly needed changes, new players, something… if wanting to stay in Serie A. One time lucky, but good luck hardly lasts. 13th place sounded ominously.

A place above finished Roma. Another lucky survivor – 26 points were just 2 points ahead the relegated. Serie B was a very present danger during the season for 6 clubs – three of them ended with 26 points, Roma had the worst goal-difference among them.

Judging by the squad, it is a mystery why Roma was so low – they had De Sisti, Pruzzo, Paolo Conti, Di Barolomei… a team seemingly for the top 6. True, De Sisti was old and no longer so great, Pruzzo somehow failed to be the really big star, and Conti was only a promising player, but most teams in the league had inferior squads. Well, Roma played a minor rôle in the 1970s and continued doing so. Coming close to relegation, however, was dangerous sign.

Roma was not the only under-performing club : their local rivals Lazio were fading away.

Standing : Nicoli,Manfredonia,Martini,Cordova,Ammoniaci,Cacciatori.

Crouching: Perrone,Garlaschelli,Giordano,Badiani, Agostinelli.

Nothing was left of the champion team of five years ago – the unruly stars left one after another and no great players replaced them. Lazio had Manfredonia and Giordano, but they were not first rate stars. Slowly, the club was slipping down the table – 8th this season.

A place above them finished Fiorentina.

Standing : Galli,Pagliari,Lelj,Rosi,Amenta, Galdiolo.

Crouching: Sella,Tendi,Antognoni,Restelli, Galbiati.

One expects more from a team lead by Antognoni, but this is superficial – what can be really expected from Antognoni plus some others ? Not a great team, to be sure, and a single superstar can only keep the club in the upper half of the table.

More was expected from Torino.

Graziani, Claudio and Patrizio Sala, Zaccarelli, Pulici, aided by respecable and solid teammates, champions not long ago, Torino looked like a candidate for the title. Yet, they earned only 36 points and finished 6th. The title, as it happened, was 8 points away…

Inter edged Torino and finished 5th on better goal-difference.

Standing : Marini,Scanziani,Fedele,Altobelli,Bordon, Bini.

Crouching: Oriali,Muraro,Chierico,Beccalossi,Baresi.

Inter was rebuilding and not yet ready for anything, so their final place was not bad at all – it was still a team for the future, taking shape. Altobelli, Bordon, Baresi, Oriali, Marini, Bini… it was still half a team, in need of additions. But the players were young and promising, so Inter was perhaps the sole positive sign this year.

Promising season for Inter, but lukewarm one for Juventus. Bronze medals were not satisfying. Finishing a point ahead of Inter was not great. Not even participating in the race for the title was a shame.

Juventus had the best Italian team by far – 12 stars, most of them in their prime, plus some very promising youngsters. Roberto Bettega was arguably the top Italian at the moment. Coached by rapidly becoming famous Giovanni Trapattoni. Winners of the UEFA Cup of the previos year. The wonderful Italian 1978 World Cup selection was based on Juventus… may be this was their undoing. May be tired from all those international matches and the pressure. May be a little over-confident too. Juventus were the top Italian club in the 1970s and, to a point, their slip was not a big deal – every great team has occasional bad year. But Juve was not in the race for the title, and this is usually considered as a disaster by tha fans. The good thing was that there was no sign of decline – Juventus was not over the hill at all.

Yet, Juventus finished behind unlikely team. One which normally was seen at the bottom of the table, if playing first division at all.

AC Perugia, modest club during its history, had terrific season. They did not lose even one match. This was significant record – however strong, even great champions lost some games, but the nobodies finished with a clean sheet. Did it ever happened in Italian football before ? Or after ? Something for posterity. With such a record, it was no surprising Perugia finished above Juventus and 4 points ahead. Alas, Perugia tied most of their games – 19, which is almost 2/3 of the total. With so many ties it was impossible to really compete for the title – they came close, but second place was pretty much the best they could achieve. And second they were – 3 points behind the champions. Nevertheless, it was fantastic season.

Here is the historic team of Perugia. Does not look like winners with the half-painted wall behind them, yet they were the big surprise of the season.

Once again, the modest surroundings do not suggest strong performance, but here are the heroes : standing, from left : Grassi,Vannini,Della Martira,Speggiorin,Casarsa,Frosio.

Crouching: Ceccarini,Bagni,Dal Fiume,Butti, Nappi.

Anonimous squad… Della Martira and Bagni eventually became respected players, but not stars. Evidently, a tied and enthusiastic team and may be taking advantage of relatively weak form of the big clubs. This was the greatest success ever of Perugia, their best – and unmatched so far – season. It was great to see the small club coming close to the title, setting a league record, and leaving mighty Juventus, not to mention Inter, in the dust. Unfortunately, it was also clearly one time wonder… Without strong players, there was simply no way to stay on top – one did not have to look far : Lanerossi Vicenza finished second just the previous year – and were relegated in the next, this very season. And they had Paolo Rossi – Perugia had nobody. Of course, they tried to change their fate, getting (on loan) this very Rossi from Vicenza for the next season. Superstitious people may have chuckled at that… and rightly, if one looks at the final table for 1979-80. But let’s not run ahead of ourselves – this was the greatest season for Perugia. So far – their greatest ever.

However brave, a small club was no match for the status quo – it was a matter of money at the end : big clubs had plenty of cash and the best players as a result. Perugia run ahead of Juventus and Inter, but not from Milan. To say that Milan were great at the time will be wrong : they largely struggled to maintain their leading position. Juventus had superior squad and the only real chance for Milan was a temporary weakness of Juve – which they used. Nils Lidholm, the Swedish great star of the 1950s, was coaching them – on paper looks great, but Lidholm was not exceptional coach. He enjoyed relatively good career in the 1970s, but no more. However, his skills sufficed this season – Milan won 17 matches, the only team in the league winning more than 50% championship games and that was the big difference between Milan and Perugia. At the end, it was Milan comfortably on top, enjoying their 10th title. A record for the club, round 10, not bad at all.

Historic record, but this was not a great team. It was a rather dangerous mix – Rivera, Albertosi, Capello, Bigon, Morini were getting too old. Gianni Rivera played his last season, in fact, and stepped down in style, but with clearly coming to retirement stars future did not look promissing : Baresi and Collovati were the young stars, yet, too young. In the middle were experienced, but not outstanding players like Bet and Maldera. Milan seemed capable of occasional victory – if the opposition was not in great from – and no more. The season is largely remembered for the record breaking title, giving the right to place a star on their shirts, but no more – no great squad, no great playing. Still, champions were not judged harshly. It was a great moment for the fans – their beloved club finally won the title after 10 miserable years. Their first title since 1968, their first – and as it turned, only – title in the 1970s.

Serie B or Second Division. It was the bastion of defensive football, which dragged Italy down in the 1970s. Changes come slow in the second tier, old ways persist – it was and is everywhere, not just in Italy. The 20-team league produced mostly ties – not a single club had less than 10. Only two clubs finished with more wins than ties. Goal scoring was not the aim – only 6 clubs scored more than a goal per game average. Not a single team achieved 2 goals per match, though : the highest average belonged to Udinese – 52 goals in 38 games : 1.37 average… Two of the best scoring teams reached only 39 goals. Defense was king and the strategy : tie the match, get a point, and don’t risk.

Bari were the best at that – they managed to tie 23 of their championship matches. This was good enough for 16th place… that is, barely escaping relegation zone.

Right after them were Taranto – 21 ties. Behind Bari only in terms of ties – in the final table they were a place ahead of Bari : 15th, but thanks only on better goal-difference. The third highest number belonged to Ternana – 20 ties.

Ternana finished with only one point more than Taranto and Bari, but a point meant a lot in such league – Ternana finished 10th. Not bad, when all is over and the danger of relegation is gone : 5 teams finished with 35 points and 3 with 36 – 8 clubs barely survived, yet… the top among them was 9th, respectable mid-table position. If there was a club able to achieve the perfect dream – to tie every match played, such a team would had been 9th this year and two points ahead of half the league. But dreams are not reality and 9th was Sampdoria.

There is strong impression nowadays that Sampdoria is traditionally big Italian club, but it is false : Sampdoria were almost nobodies back in the 1970s and earlier, often found in the second division. The name rings a bell, but one pf their close companions does not :

Sambenedettese, an obscure club on the same level with Sampdoria ? Actually, yes – they were one of the almost constant members of second division. Never strong, so they were not among the leaders, but never too weak either. Mid-table club, like Sampdoria. 11th this year, but behind Sampdoria only on goal-difference.

That was pretty much the bulk occupying the mid-table : mostly clubs, which were no stranger to first division, but either fading away and slowly sinking (Spal, Taranto), or shaky and not ready for another try to stay among the best (Cesena, Genoa, Brescia, Palermo).

Palermo is always worth a glance, because of their rare colours – not many clubs play in pin. Not many clubs play on clay too… But this is now – back in the 1970s it was not unusual, although here Palermo is not lining for championship match – most likely for a friendly, visiting some tiny club. On grass – or partially grassed pitch – they tied 19 games and finished 7th with 41 points. So much for the bulk of the league, the typical clubs.

The last four were relegated – three outsiders and a team which came relatively close to salvation. Two were more or less expected outsiders, the other two were down on their luck.

Varese were last with 24 points. Not a big clubs and familiar with dreaded last place, but familiar with last place in first division. Now they were last in Serie B and going to get aquinted with third division football. A club in decline.

Rimini finished 19th with 24 points, like Varese, but better goal-difference. One of the expected outsiders, so nothing strange they were relegated. Rimini distinguished themselves with 2 seasonal reacords : the won the least matches – measly 3 out of 38 total – and scored the least goals in the league – 17. They also had vaguely familiar player : Massimo Piloni was reserve goalkeeper of Juventus for 8 years in which he played 12 matches, but was 3 times champion nevertheless. He moved to Pescara in 1975 and played regularly for three years, then joined Rimini. The beard he grew after leaving Juventus did not help much… after travelling Europe, he was to get familiar with Italian countryside in third division.

Nocerina ended 18th and nothing surprising for a club which highest dream was reaching second division. No Italian champions like Piloni here, but the modest club tried hard to stay in the league – they finished with 29 points – 5 more than Rimini and Varese. Yet, they were 4 points behind the club immediately above them and did not have a chance surviving.

17th and also relegated were Foggia with 33 points.

All is relative – Foggia is almost always an outsider when in Serie A, but in second division they were ranked high and considered candidates for promotion, not relegation. But since relegation is something so painfully familiar to the club, the pattern continued in a way. Weak they were this season – came close to safety, but only that : two points short, and down they went.

The top of the table somewhat mirrored the bottom – 4 clubs fought for 3 promotional spots. They were divided, just like the bottom four – two teams finished with equal points, far from better two. The best team was without competition. Monza and Pescara finished with 48 points each, Pescara taking the third place on better goal-difference. Since promotion was concerned, play-off was staged.

A strong, even surprising, season for Monza, which was not usually a candidate for promotion. 4th place in the final table, but still having a chance to reach Serie A. A| matter of one match… but they were 4th and 4th they stayed : they lost the play-off 0-2. Unlucky ? Or tradition trumping novelty ?

Pescara finished 3rd in the season, and won the promotional play-off. May be the key was their better atack -they scored more than Monza during the year. They scored in the vital play-off too – the weaker Monza strikers did not. Lucky Pescara, but what an irony : Massimo Piloni left the club before the season and at the end his former teammates were going to play in first division, and he – in third.

Cagliari, down on their luck, finished second. At the start of the decade Cagliari were champions. They had famous squad, studded with stars. Riva was playing for them. But the squad aged, some players moved elsewhere, Riva retired, money was short, perhaps the moment of starting rebuilding was missed, and Cagliari slowly declined until sinking to second division. Which was not a place for them – with some difficulties and struggles, Cagliari managed to finish 2nd , besting Pescara and Monza by a point. At least exile did not last long…

Returning to Serie A, but it was clearly weak team – only Longobucco rings a bell, and he was neither young, nor a star. Cagliari escaped from Serie B, but the future did not look bright.

The champions were the only really raising club – or so it seemed. Dominant and comfident, the most attacking team in the league, having also the best defense. 21 wins – the next best record was 16 – and only 4 losses. 52:22 goal-difference. 6 points ahead of the 2nd placed Cagliari – the winners appeared to be well-rounded team, without weaknesses. It was not exactly a club with familiar name – Udinese did not play much in first division, so their rise was very optimistic news. Something new – and may be different. May be not one-time wonder. And looking like a double of Juventus – the kit is the same – was also a positive sign, if only on superstitious level.

Udinese – supreme champions of Serie B. A double of Juventus ? Well, not fully – their away colours were entirely different.

A rare picture of Udinese in their second kit at the time.

Promissing team, great season, but like every other second division team, Udinese did not have famous players. Not even recognizable names… whatever familiar names played in Serie B, they belonged to other clubs – like the top scorer of the season Damiani, a former Juventus striker, who now scored goals for Genoa. The strength of Udunese apparently was their well-rounded squad, players comfortable with each other, performing well as a whole. Was it enough for Serie A ?

Up to Third Division or Serie C1. Two groups of 18 teams each, the top two promoted and the last four – relegated. Group A and Group B – or properly aid Girone A and Girone B. More familair names pop up here, but names of smallish Italian clubs, which even playing in first division ocassionally, never did more than that. Empoli, Catania, Livorno, Cremonese, Triestina – such clubs. Last four from each group went down, and the top two – up.

Girone B. Paganese last and the three other unfortunates : Lucchese, Latina, and Barletta. Barletta lost the fight for survival on goal-difference. Turris escaped relegation. Up the table :

Livorno ended 9th with 32 points – four other clubs finished also with 32. Livorno was just in the middle of the final table, but relegation was actually a matter of a point or two – 16th Latina had 30 and 15th Barletta – 31. Danger was very near this season for a club which played among the best of the country once.

Salernitana finished 6th – nothing special. Years will pass before traditonally small club soars. Same with the team just above them :

Reggina, just like Salernitana, most often played in 3rd division. At 3rd place finished a club of different history – Catania.

Not a big name, of course, but Catania used to play first division football. Now they were down and tried hard to restore their former place in Italian football. They came close, but 42 points were not good enough. Promotion required 44 points this season – the two best teams ended with equal points.

Pisa took 2nd place on worse goal-difference, but promotion was secured. With this season the little known club started its ascent – all the was to top flight in few years. Nothing hinted of future succes, though – they were second th even less known club :

Matera – champions of Girone B of Serie C1. Great success for the boys and just about the best possible outcome.

Tough life for some former members of the top division in Girone A :

Mantova finished 13th – with 30 points, it was lucky esacpe : 2 points less and 4th division was all theirs. Playing against Juventus and Milan was a distant memory by now… and so was for Modena.

Dead last with 25 points. Modena sunk even deeper than Mantova – they were disappering from sight.

The other releagated were Spezia, Padova, and Trento. Up the table were clubs like Modena and Mantova – with better past than present : Lecco (12th), Alessandria (10th),

Novara (6th). First division was only a memory for them – presently, they were reduced to competing with clubs, whose best achievement was third level. And former top flight members were losing the battle…

Losing the battle to clubs like Biellese – 7th this year.

As for the winners, they were also modest : Parma was 2nd with 44 points, edging Triestina on goal-difference and moving up to second division. Nobody heard of Parma yet – promotion to second division was a big success for this club in 1979. Winning European cups ? It was beyond the wildest dreams.

Como were champions with 50 points – comfortable winner, and perhaps expected one. Not a big club, but not belonging to third division. The upper league was their habitat. More or less.

Italy had her own suprises this season and although football was not very exciting, the crisis of the mid-1970s seemingly was over. 1978 World Cup breezed frsh optimism, young players were popping up. Of course, Italian foorball scene is vast and only the tip of the iceberg internationally visible – the top league and the big clubs. Deep down was terra incognita, populated by unheard of teams. Clubs like

Sulmona. About them – just a note of their existence, for after all football to this day is mostly played by such anonymous clubs everywhere in the world – a true mixture of love and hopes. Love of the game is the prime motivator, and individual hopes for making it to the professional level. Amateur teams mostly.

Above them come the lower leagues, fancied by no one. Serie C2, in the Italian football pyramid, corresponding to 4th division. Nothing exciting, of course, but at least here the first recognizable names appear – a few, playing in the higher levels for a while, like

Messina, or faded clubs, which once upon a time played prominent rôle, like Pro Patria and Pro Vercelli. Serie C2 consisted of four leagues – Group A, Group B, C, and D. 18 teams competed in each group – the top two won promotions. Relegation numbers differed, perhaps depending on money (the lack of it, actually) and infringement of tules by some teams more than actual playing. Two clubs were relegated from Group D, but three in Group C – the last two plus Gallipoli, who were 15th and should not have been relegated on sporting reasons, so it was something else. In Group B 4 teams were relegated – the last three in the table plus Vigevano, 13th and thus sharing the fate of Gallipoli, for it was not performance the reason for going down. In Group A it was normal – the last three were relegated, but it is still strange – three down in this group, but only two in Group D. But who really cares about 4th division ? Pro Vercelli went further down after this season, but the rest of the releagated were not even vaguely familiar. The fate of, say, Ragusa mattered only at home.

Ragusa barely survived – they finished 16th in Group D, four points ahead of the poor relegated teams, and above them thanks to better goal-difference perhaps were Nuova Igea.

Nuova Igea, safe from danger and besting Ragusa this season – 15th.

Few thrills down there, so the best is to mention the winners then ? Well… no fun again : Sanremese and Montevarchi won promotions in Group A, Bergocrema and Sant’Angelo in Group B, Fano and Anconitana in Group C, and finally – Rende and Siracusa in group D. Only Siracusa rings a bell – once upon a time, they played in much higher division. Anonymous winners, but winners.

Rende – proud winners of Group 4 and going all the way up to play in 3rd Division next season. A small success, but success – and local joy. What could be better ?

And a few glimpses of the surprising season :

Paris SG – Strasbourg. Carlos Bianchi and Raymond Domenech.

Angers – Marseille. Patrick Brulez vs Marc Berdoll.

Angers – Nice

Angers – Strasbourg. Patrick Augustin tackled by Leonard Specht.

Nantes – St. Etienne 3-1. Pecout shoots, both teams lose…

Bordeaux – Angers. The Yugoslav Amersek runs away with the ball. Giresse watching… not famous yet.

Marseille – St. Etienne. Didier Six watching Janvion clears the ball – names of champions… who were not champions…

Lyon – Angers : 3-0. The drama of the game… from left : Maroc – Janin – Felci – Valadier – Osman – Chiesa – Le Lamer.

The surpises seemingly had no end in France this season. Strasbourg, Gueugnon… the amateurs not only won the second division, but reached high levels at the Cup tournament, eliminating mighty St. Etienne. Bellow them in Group A of Second Division finished a club nobody knew about – AJ Auxerre. The nobodies finished 4th in Group A, but did better than Gueugnon in the cup – they reached the final. The other finalists were FC Nantes and looked like the big boys would have a walkover…

Standing, from left :Maryan Szeja, Olivier Borel, Lucien Denis, Christian Roque, Gérard Hallet, Jean-Paul Noël, Dominique Cuperly

First row: Philippe Delancray, Jean-Marc Schaer, Serge Mesonès, Paul Brot, André Truffaut, Josef Klose.

Well, anonimous team… Only two players are worth a note – both Polish. Maryan Szeja, aging former national team player, and Josef Close, who not only never played for Poland, but did not even play for a strong club – he arrived from Odra (Opole) in 1978, tha same year his son was born. This, of course, was not a news in real time… the whole fame of Josef Close is in that he is the father of Miroslav Close. As a player, Josef Close perhaps had his best season exactly in his first season with Auxerre – playing at the Cup final. The anonimous team with two not so great Poles tried hard – Nantes was unable to best them. The final went to overtime – and only then the stars of Nantes overcome Auxerre : 4-1.

This was the first real sign of rising AJ Auxerre – not yet ready for anything big, but making their first mark in French football. It looked accidental at the time.

As for the winners, it was more than salvaging the season – FC Nantes never won the Cup before. Their very first.

This is not the winning team, but still a picture of the solid squad Nantes had at the time – Hugo Bargas was clearly stepping down. But it was a team with a future and winning the cup boosted their spirits. They were not going down, no way.

And that was that : new champion, new cup winner, new second division winner, although unallowed to play in first division, rising club, previously unknown – the season of surprises.

The events in the Second Division perhaps were enjoyed at the bottom of First Division – Valenciennes survived. They finished 18th on better goal-difference. If only two clubs were relegated this season, then they were saved by the rules ; if originally three clubs were going down, then Gueugnon’s inability to join the top league saved Valenciennes. Lucky boys no matter the reason.

Standing, from left : Bas, Laitem, Wrazy, Fugalgi, Metsu, Kourichi.

Crouching : Jacques, Vézir, Milla, Piette, Hazam.

Not a team worth another look, except for a small note : the former Polish national player Wrazy is here plus a little known at the time Cameroonian, who became famous many, many years later – Roger Milla. Nothing suggesting legendary status in 1978-79, though… if there was a bit of dancing, it was just because relegation was avoided. Hardly the making of a legend. As for Jan Wrazy, born 1943 in Lvov (Ukraine today), his best days were over long time ago – his last match for Poland was in 1972. The veteran was good enough for the lowly French club, though – he played five years for Valenciennes.

FC Paris were the unlucky club – they finished behind Valenciennes on worse goal-diference and took 19th place in the final table. Relegation…

Standing, from left : Justier, Eo, Huck, Beltramini, Lachi, Bensoussan.

First row : Amorfini, Zlataric, Lech, Mariot, Smereki.

This was perhaps the last effort of FC Paris to keep place among the top French clubs – the administrative troubles lead to the split into two clubs at the beginning of the 1970s. Paris Saint Germain were fine, but FC Paris had no chance. They tried… but small club in a city not exactly crazy about football did not have bright future. Lech was not enough to keep FC Paris in the premier league, Zlataric was an empty promise… tough luck at the end… and FC Paris sealed its fate : to play minor rôle in French football, mostly in third and second division.

The absolute outsider this season was Stade Reims. It was not unusual a club with name and reputation to go down in France, but the downfall was quite interesting anyhow : the great days of Reims ended long ago – practically from the early 1960s the club was declining. By the beginning of the 1970s they were no favorites at all, but one of the mid-table clubs. However slow, the decline continued steadily, finally ending with relegation. Not only Reims finished last, but hopelessly last – they won only 3 matches this season and earned a total of 17 points. FC Paris and Valenciennes finished with 28…

Standing: Buisset, Michelberger, Masclaux, Durand, Garceran, Laudu.

Crouching: Santamaria, Perignon, Polaniok, Gérard, Mathou.

The squad is a testimony of the state of Reims – not a single player of real quality.

The German Franz Michelberger, although young hardly ever played top league football – apart from this singular season in France, he achieved a grand total of 4 Bundesliga matches, all for Bayern (Munich), between 1974 and 1976. The Argentine Jose Santiago Santamaria was a bit better – he arrived in 1974, when he was only 22 years old, and scored quite a lot of goals for Reims – 52 in 170 matches for the club – but he was not a leading player on larger scale. The relegation was enough for him and he returned to Argentina after the end the season. Unlike Michelberger, ‘El Cucurucho’ achieved some fame after leaving France – he played a bit for Argentina, including at the 1982 World Cup. With a team like that Reims was really good only for second division football – too bad a club so great in the past fell into such terrible situtaion, but sentimental laments cannot change reality.

Two other clubs were in decline : OGC Nice and Olympique Marseille. Nice was declining slowly since 1972 ; Marseille – more recently. To a point, Nice was repeating the fate of Reims – a strong club once upon a time unable to adjust to new realities, largely financial realities. Marseille was more puzzling, for they had large support and generally had no problems generating money.

Nice finished 15th – and it was not surprising, judging by the squad : aging Jean-Marc Guillou and Nenad Bjekovic were already declining. Bousdira was the only other classy player – hardly enough for strong season. And the future did not look bright… Guillou left after the end of the season to play in Switzerland ; Fares Bousdira was not going to stay long too, but he was hardly the player around whon to build a team – he played for France only once in 1976 : evidently, not a star.

Olympique Marseille perhaps lacked vision – the club tried to keep a strong team in the first half of the 1970s, but somewhat mechanically. Buying big names, but not really building a team – failures followed : Jairzinho and Paulo Cesar Lima were the most spectacular. Yet, the club stubbornly continued the same, buying one or two high-profiled players in the hope they would be enough. Meantime the French stars either retired or moved to other clubs. By 1978-79 Marseille was a strange team : Bracci and Zvunka were already declining, but the club missed the right time to replace them. The Swedish national team player Linderoth was good, but not a leader. Didier Six was the best the club had, but he was a continuation of a doomed policy – taken from elsewhere in the hope he will bring class alone. Those before him failed, though (Jairzinho, Paulo Cesar Lima, Yazalde, Beretta…). The bulk of the squad was run of the mill – and as a whole Marseille was really a mid-table team.

Standing, from left :Bracci, Zvunka, Bacconnier, Beaulier, Migeon, Fernandez

Crouching : Flores, Buigues, Boubacar, Linderoth, Six.

12th place was the right place for such a team… and it was also clear that without rapid and big changes this team was only to go further down : there was no strong core to keep it afloat.

One more club must be mentioned from the lower half of the league – Paris Saint Germain. Different from OGC Nice and Olympique Marseille case. Paris SG suffered the usual ills of young ambitious clubs – no traditions. They had money and prime location, and wanted to become one of the leading French clubs, but so far nothing worked : Paris SG continually bought big names, but somehow was unable to create competitive team. Names were impressive : French national team players – Dominique Baratelli (b. 1947), Dominique Batheney (b.1954), Jean-Muchel Larque (b. 1947), Jean-Pierre Adams (b. 1948), league stars – Francois M’Pele (Congo Brazaville, b. 1947), Jacky Laposte (b. 1952), Mustapha Dahleb (Algeria, b. 1952), Dominique Lokoli (b. 1952), bright young talent – Luis Fernandez (b. 1959), Jean-Marc Pilorget (b. 1958), big foreign names – the Argentines Carlos Bianchi (b. 1949) and Ramon Heredia (b. 1951). And Velibor Vasovic, the Yugoslavian former captain of great Ajax (Amsterdam) was coaching them. Looked like a champion squad… which did not work. Bianchi was scoring as ever, Baratelli and Bathenay were in the national team, Fernandez was already a regular, Dahleb was going to play at world cup finals… but some players were already fading away (Adams, Heredia, M’Pele) and some never became the stars they were expected to become (Laposte, Lokoli). The mix did not work, may be because all came from other clubs – it was just a big colection of names, not really a carefully made team. Perhaps hiring Vasovic was a mistake – a great name, but as a player. As a coach -not much experience, to say the least. Money were no problem, but money is not everything – Paris SG 31 players this season : astonishing number in the 1970s and thus only a testimony that team was not working. They finished 13th.

One of the not-working versions of Paris SG this season. May be expecting too much too soon, but just buying names was not the solution. So far Paris SG achieved absolutely nothing, but persisted in the wrong approach – some names were gone after the season ended, only to be replaced by other names. And so on and on.

Things worked for clubs with different approach : Monaco and Metz had strong year. Both teams were far behind the title contenders, but still well above the rest of the league. Both finished with 44 points – 4 points ahead of 6th placed Lille, but 10 points behind St. Etienne and Nantes. The two Ms were similar and different at the same time : both depended on attack and had weak defences. Both played ‘all or nothing’ and did not care much for ties. But Monaco was rising and building a strong team, whereas Metz only had a good season and clearly was not going to stay permanently among the best. FC Metz were typical mid-table club, occasionally in danger of relegation, but most often found somewhere safely in the middle of the league. Never a favorite and not in a position of becoming one – a modest club. But they played well this season and finished 5th only because of worse goal-difference.

What worked for Metz was a core of strong players – Andre Rey (b. 1948), Patrick Batiston (b. 1957), Christian Synaeghel (b. 1951), Henryk Kasperczak (Poland, b. 1946), and Wim Suurbier (Holland, b. 1946). The club was especially lucky with the foreigners – both had strong winner mentality. This group of players propelled Metz to the top. Unfortunately, the key players were dangeroulsy aging and were not enough as a group to keep the club on upward course. Also unfortunate was the predicament of the club – a modest club had no chances of keeping young stars for long. It was clear that sooner than later Suurbier, Kasperczak, and Rey will retire and Batiston will go to bigger club. Metz were one-year wonder.

Not so Monaco – their notorious ups and downs made the club unpredicatble, but at the moment it was going up with a good chance of getting better. Finishing 4th was promising better days in the future.

Like Metz, Monaco largely depended on a limited group of players : Dalger, Onnis, Emon, Nogues, Ettori and Petit. Unlike Metz, Monaco was not in danger of losing its stars – they had the money to keep them on one hand. This was important largely about the top Argentine striker Delio Onnis. On the other the stars were different than the top players of Metz. Dalger, Emon, and Petit still had at least 2-3 years to play, but in the same time they were no longer considered players at their prime and were not very interesting to other clubs. The second foreigner – actually, a dual citizen of France and Argentina – Nogues was not even considered a star. Ettori was also safe posession – a promising goalkeeper, but since others were still the top keepers in France, nobody was after him. Unlike Metz, Monaco had a core of players for the next few years and with some additions the team could be getting only stronger. And additions were badly needed, for Monaco was strong in attack (Onnis, Dalger, Emon, and Nogues), barely decent in midfield (thanks to Jean Petit), had improving goalkeeper (Ettori), but was terrible in defense. It clearly showed during this season – Monaco finished with 70:51 goal-difference : second highest scoring team in the league, but hoping to outscore their opponents was big risk.

Perhaps the key to this season was the state of most French clubs – some in decline, others good only for one year, few promissing, but still not ready and fully made. Fate depended on few good players, not on solid squad. And that perhaps determined the race for the title : three clubs competed. Two were more than familiar – St. Eitenne and FC Nantes defined French club football in the 1970s. Both were getting old and tired, however. The third was a club playing in the second division very recently, but, by itself, sudden soaring of a team was not surprising : ups and downs were perhaps more common in France than any other country. The race was tight and was won by seemingly the most conservative team of the trio – the one, which scored least, but minded their own net. The one,which did not rush to win matches, but carefully collected points from ties. St. Etienne won most matches this season – 24. They also scored a lot – 77 goals. But they lost 8 matches and at the end had 54 points. Far ahead of the 4th placed team – 10 points ahead – and tied with FC Nantes. Nantes scored much more goals than St. Etienne, leaving them with bronze medals. Warning signs were detected since 1975 – St. Etienne was strong, had deep squad, new players popped in, but esentially it was the same team for many years. As a team they reached their peak between 1974 and 1976, and were getting old as a whole. Small changes were not the solution – and the signal was clear this year : they were able to stay amnog the best, but now even a pedestrian team was able to oppose them. And bump them aside. There was need of new leaders able to shake and revitalize the team. The club and the coach Robert Herbin got the message : Michel Platini and Johnny Rep were bought after the season ended.

FC Nantes was similar, but a step ahead of St. Etienne : they also felt decline coming with the aging of the squad and started rebuilding around 1976. Like St. Etienne so far, it was not radical change, but gradual. By now few of the squad of the early 1970s were around, but the new team was not fully matured yet : it still depended on Henry Michel (b. 1947) and Hugo Bargas (b. 1946). The veterans were at the end of their playing days, but the new squad was almost ready – almost, but not ripe yet. A team competing for the title, but not able to win it.

Standing, from left : Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes, Patrice Rio, Maxime Bossis, Omar Sahnoun, Henri Michel, Thierry Tusseau.

Crouching : Oscar Muller, Victor Trossero, Eric Pécout, Gilles Rampillon, Loïc Amisse.

Not bad at all : seven former, current, and future French national team players, two sturdy, experienced, but still young professionals (Pecout and Rampillon), two new talented Argentinians – midfielder Oscar Muller (b. 1957) and striker Oscar Trossero (b.1953). Their compatriot Bargas was moved to the bench, where more talent was waiting – Michel Bibard (b. 1958), Bruno Baronchelli (b. 1957), Guy Lacombe (b. 1955). Silver medals this year, but it was a team ready for the future.

The present was not theirs, though. The present belonged to those able to get advantage from the shaky season and problems of the favorites. Small problems, but they made the favorites not better than a team playing bravely. And the surprise happened : Racing Club Strasbourg finished 2 points ahead of St. Etienne and Nantes. Unlikely team… so far, RC Strasbourg had little success. They won the Cup twice – in 1951 and 1966. Never the title and normally were not among potential champions. Two years ago they were in second division. And compared to the favorites, their squad was pitiful. Perhaps they underestimated by the others – it looked very unlikely such a team would stay among the best for long. Perhaps a good run for awhile, but inevitably the lack of strong sqaud would bring them down. But Strasbourg stayed on top, earned point after point, until the season ended with them on top. 22 wins, 12 ties, 4 losses, 68:28 goal-difference, 56 points. Two more than their famous competition.

Brand new champion is always great. Especially a club never winning title before. Particulary a club playing in the lower league just yesterday. But… it was not a spectacular team. It was rather made of experienced second-raters. Some of the players were acquared recently – Raymond Domenech (b. 1952) in 1977, along with two players from Paris SG – Francis Piasecki (b. 1951) and Jacky Novi (b. 1946). In 1978 a former teammate of Novi arrived from OGC Nice – Roger Jouve (b. 1949). The other newcomer was also born in 1949, but hardly ever played top league football – one Arsene Wenger was acquired from the other – and very lowly – club from Strasbourg : Pierrots Vauban. A single foreign player taken from Bordeaux – Tokomon Nambatingue (b. 1952), originally from Chad. The new arrivals did not look even a match for those who departed – Ivica Osim retired and Heinz Schilcher went back to his native Austria to play for Sturm (Graz). Strasbourg had a few more good players – Dominque Dropsy (b. 1951), Leonard Specht (b.1954), and Albert Gemmrich (b. 1955), but as a whole – not a single leading player on national scale. This was not a team coming even close to the squads Nantes and St. Etienne had, but a squad generally for the lower half of the table, unless getting brief inspiration and finishing somewhere between 5th and 10th place. However, another man arrived in the summer of 1978 – the greatest star Strasbourg ever had and one of the best French footballers of the 1960s.

Gilbert Gress was one of the few French players to play abroad back in the 1960s and early 1970s, playing for years in West Germany. When he retired, he went to coaching job in Switzerland, taking the reigns of Xamax. Over there he took also Swiss citizenship and coached well – Strasbourg took him back and he made them champions. He was young and not very experienced, but perhaps that was really his advantage – Herbin was coaching St. Etienne for almost 10 years already. Nantes had a coach from different era – Jean Vincent. Gress was fresh and up to date in football matters. He inspired the team and apparently made the best of the players at hand – none was individually great, but all were competent. Strasbourg was not outstanding team. They were no revelation. They largely took advantage of shaky opponents, making mistakes here and there. A great victory, but clearly it was not a team to stay on top. It was a middle-of-the-road team, a surprise victors, and nothing else. And – so far – this season stands alone as the greatest ever for the club : Strasbourg did not win another title. One time wonder. But it was nice to see them win for a change and what a lesson it was for a club like Paris SG – buying stars one after another, and yet unable to get even a medal. The pedestrian Strasbourg meantime won the championship.

And happy they were – for ever to remember.

 

France had curious 1978-79 season, like many other countries. Not so much in the lower leagues, of course. Six clubs were promoted from third division US Noeux-les-Mines, AC Le Havre, UES Montmorillon, SFC Thionville, US Tavaux Damparis, and CS Thonon. Small, insignificant clubs, which played occasionally in the second division, but did not even dream of playing in the top league. Of the 6 winners only Le Havre was of some importance. Typical third division clubs of any country – hardly noticeable outside their hometowns.

UES Montmorillon – proud winners of 3rd national division, group Centre-West. Next year they were to play in Second Division, Group A. Good luck!

The third division winners were going to take the places of the relegated from second division: SA Epinal, AS Troyes, AC Arles, from group A, and US Boulogne, US Melun, and AC Amiens, from group B – small clubs going down, as usual. Perhaps only the relegation of Troyes is worth mentioning – they were in first division only the previous season, but relegated and continued their downfall with yet another relegation. Second division is interesting only as far as promotions go. Three clubs going up from 2 second division leagues, 18 clubs each. Winners directly promoted and the 2nd placed fighting for the third lucky spot in a play-off. Something like that…

In Group A three clubs should be mentioned:

AJ Auxerre was climbing up – they finished 4th with 42 points. Four points behind the best two teams. Auxerre was slowly rising and although unable to run for promotion yet, was making its first marks on the French football map – already among the favorites in their second division league and even better performing if the cup competition.

For the first place competed two teams – Olympique Avignon and FC Gueugnon. Both finished with 46 points, 3 points ahead of AS Beziers.

Standing, from left: Gallina (captain), Laffont, Bouze, Contesti, Laraignée, Rizzo

Crouching: Razic, “El Toro” Martínez, Ropero, Lanthier, Lendo.

Avignon was perhaps expected favorite – clubs, recently playing top division, usually are considered favorites in the lower one. Of course, Avignon was not much of a team, but nothing strange about it – second division squads are never famous.

Avignon was bested on goal-difference by amusing club – FC Gueugnon.

‘Le Forgerons’ (the Blacksmiths) were formed in 1940 by a merger. Not the best time for starting a club with strong working class roots, but the German invasion was still in the future. Gueugnon enjoyed strong support from the local steelworks area and although modest club they climbed to second division. In 1974 they almost reached the first : lost the promotional play-off to Rouen. And this time there was no mistake- they were first, if only on better goal-difference. It was their best season indeed –apart from the successful championship, they eliminated no other but Saint Etienne in the Cup tournament.

Blacksmiths of course : beating down St. Etienne. And ending as champions :

Here are the champions : true working class heroes. Which was their undoing… FC Gueugnon was amasing club because they were non-professional club. No wonder the players above are unknown – they were amateurs. Amateurs, besting professionals and going up to the top league – but no. The French rules stipulated that first division clubs must have professional status. It was discovered quickly that FC Gueugnon is inable to gain professional status by the start of 1979-80 season. They were not allowed to play in first division… May be both club and supporters were not really unhappy – they wanted the club to stay non-professional and it was ironic event which at last forced FC Gueugnon to get professional status : the steel crisis in the 1980s.

No such problems in Group B. Stade Brestois and freshly relegated Racing Club Lens were above the rest of the league, but heir duel was not as dramatic as the battle for first place in Group A – Stade Brest finished 3 points ahead of RC Lens.

Standing, from left : Guy Boutier, Ambroise Kédié, Yvon Le Roux, Jean-Pierre Guennal, Alain De Martigny, Daniel Bernard.

Sitting : Loulou Floc’h, Denis Goavec, Willem Letemahulu, Patrick Martet, Serge Lenoir, Richard Honorine.

Not exactly strangers to top flight football, bot small and unsuccessful. Going up was just great. Staying in first division was bigger challenge, but still for the future.

As for RC Lens, they seemingly had one more chance to return to first division – the French frequently changed promotional rules : some times only two clubs were relegated-promoted, but some times three clubs moved up and down. Seemingly, three clubs should have changed leagues at the end of this season, so the 2nd placed in the two second division groups were to compete against each other for the third promotion. But… FC Gueugnon was not permitted to join first division. In such occasions usually the second-placed team gets the spot. If three teams were promoted, then there was no need for any play-off : Lens was automatically the third team. They were promoted allright… it is only unclear why and how : only two teams were relegated from first division. This meant Brest as winners and Avignon taking the place of disqualified Gueugnon. Lens was staying in second division, right ? Wrong ! For whatever reason Avignon did not get promotion, so no club from Group A went up. The top two clubs of Group B were promoted instead. Strange, but that happened.

Lucky boys perhaps : second row, from left : PRUVOST – GREVIN – ARGHIRUDIS – LALLEMAND – GALLOU – LECLERCQ – SAB – HEDOIRE – LECLERCQ – MONCHIET – FLAK – MARX – JOLY – LEMERRE – DEFONTAINE

Front row : BOURLOTON – BOURY (Hugues) – VERSTRAETE – FUCHS – WESTERLOPPE – DOUILLET – LOCATELLI – LLORENS – DJEBALI – KRAWCZYK – ZLATARIC – FRANCOISE.

As a squad, RC Lens were the most impressive of the best 4 teams of the two second division groups. Solid professionals like Arghirudis, Krawczyk, Joly , young and promising Zlataric, the member of the exciting 1974 World Cup Polish squad Joachim Marx, and burly looking defender Daniel Leclercq… if names alone win games, Lens must have been champions. In reality they were simply lucky to get promotion. Not very deserving, but going back to first division.

And just to complete confusion, a reshuffling of second division was announced : a group of teams playing in Group A were moved to Group B and the same number from Group B to Group A. That is how it sounds… in reality only two clubs stayed in the leagues they played in 1978-79 : FC Mulhouse remained in Group B and RCFC Besancon in Group A. What was need and the wisdom triggering such massive change of… league names really, is unknown. Hardly geographical precision – it was just Group A named Group B and Group B – Group A, but presented as moving of clubs from one league to another. Ah, enough of that already.

The Cup final was worthy too – none of the championship leaders reached the final. Instead, NK Rijeka, the winners in 1977-78, and Partizan Belgrade met at the final. Lowly clubs this season, more or less equal. For Partizan, it was the chance to save the season – the disgraceful season would be wiped clean by winning the cup. Technically, they had the age – history and reputation were on their side. Wounded pride was sufficient spur, especially against pedestrian opponent.

Partizan 1978-79 – having a chance to win the cup and put some real smiles on their faces. But they still had to win… NK Rijeka had ambition of its own. Partizan was no better team, although more difficult foe than the club they overcome the previous year at the final – Trepca (Kosovska Mitrovica). The opportunity to win the cup for a second time was tempting. It was also tempting to beat hated team from Belgrade – it was a traditional clash between Serbians and Croatians. The schedule did not favoured Rijeka, unfortunately – it was two-leg final and they hosted the opening match. Which they won 2-1. Not a comfortable margin. Looked like Partizan will win the trophy… the first match was played on April 16th, and the next was almost a month later – on May 24th. Plenty of time to get ready, but Rijeka was determined to keep their lead and Partizan was more a name than real force. Names alone do not win trophies – the Croatians managed a 0-0 draw and won the cup. The disastrous year of Partizan was completed.

As for the happy winners, it was significant success: not only they won a second trophy, but did it in two consecutive years – rarely small clubs, even more successful than Rijeka, are able to repeat victory the next year.

Posing with the Cup for a second time.

And a picture for posterity – this is a legendary team, at least at home. No other squad of NK Rijeka came even close to this one – the only winning squad the club ever had. No famous players here, but may be it is even better there were not – a triumph of the small boys with big hearts. It was fantastic back home near the Adriatic sea.

At the end, Croatian teams won everything this season – a triumph over Belgrade. Particularly in the cup tournaments, no club from Belgrade won since 1971 – it was Croatian possession: first Hajduk won it repeatedly until 1978. Then – Rijeka twice. Partizan probably was not even able to remember when they won the Cup… as for Crvena zvezda – they won it in 1971, but had to wait more than 10 years for another cup victory.

 

At the bottom of the Yugoslavian first division some surprises occurred – dead last and the absolute outsider this season was OFK Beograd. It was not a sudden collapse, but one of the longest declines in the world – OFK Beograd lost its leading position by the end of the 1950s, along with its original name. Reduced to the third major club in Belgrade, it was no longer a match for Crvena zvezda and Partizan, but maintained relatively strong upper-mid-table position in the 1960s. The 1970s were steady downhill, ending with relegation at last. 20 years of going downhill… perhaps even the club’s fans were not very upset – they saw it coming and got used to bad news. 22 points were 6 points less than the 17th placed NK Zagreb.

The smaller club of Zagreb was in and out of first division, so their relegation was hardly surprising. It did reduce the strong Croatian presence in the league from 5 to 4 clubs, but nothing else – the Croatian rivalry was between Dinamo and Hajduk, the Zagreb derby was not all that important. NK Zagreb, unlike OFK Beograd, put a fight – they ended with 28 points: the teams all the way to 6th place were not very much ahead and five clubs finished with just a point more, but it was this single point difference plummeting NK Zagreb down to second division.

Seven points were the difference between 7th and 17th – between respectful mid-table and relegation. Radnicki (Nis) ended 7th. With 35 points, they were 3 points ahead of Sloboda (Tuzla) and at the top of vast group of teams closer to relegation zone than medals. Perhaps it was a good season for Radnicki – they were often near the bottom. Sloboda (Tuzla) and FK Sarajevo (Sarajevo) took the next two spots with equal points – 32.

Not a famous squad – rather typical for Sloboda. They edged Zeljeznicar (Sarajevo) on better goal-difference. Bellow were clubs normally dwelling there:

NK Rijeka was 10th.

Borac (Banja Luka) was 11th. And bellow them – the group of 5 clubs, barely escaping relegation with 29 points each. Here were the surprises of the season – two clubs were expected to appear in the lower half of the table, close to relegation zone, but the other three were not supposed to be in this region at all.

NK Osijek – 13th – was not a surprise. Nor Napredak (Krusevac) right under Osijek. Vojvodina (Novi Sad) was leading the group at 12th place, but this was not a club usually finishing that low.

Vojvodina is one of the better known Yugoslavian clubs, traditionally considered one of the favorites. But there was fading during the 1970s – slowly, almost unnoticed, Volvodina transformed into second-rate club. May be decline similar to the long convulsions of OFK Beograd was taking place. May be just temporary decline until better team was built – but 12th place and escaping relegation by a single point did not spell anything good.

Olimpija (Ljubljana) were only slightly similar to Vojvodina – they had ups and downs, but generally were solid mid-table club. Lesser rank than Vojvodina, but not exactly outsiders.

This season they finished 16th, just a place above relegation and with the worst record of the group of 5. Like Vojvodina, they seemingly suffered from inability to build decent team. Their resources were limited – perhaps not money, but quality players. They were more likely to be relegated than Vojvodina in the long run.

And the real big disaster – Partizan (Belgrade) was 15th. This is a season fans prefer not to remember – arguably, the worst season ever. Almost relegated, lucky to stay in the league. A bitter slap in the face – Partizan never finished so low. It was even worse, because the arch-enemy Crvena zvezda had remarkable European season. It was almost unthinkable: Partizan struggling to escape relegation. The only question, of course, was what about the next season? Was it some deep crisis, or it would be enough just to get a few new players and may be a new coach? Presently, it was only shame.

The upper part of the league divided in two distinct groups during the season – 4 teams fighting for third place and two for the title. 3 points were the difference between the 6th and the 3rd at the end. Surprisingly good season for Buducnost (Titograd) – 15 wins, 8 ties,and 11 losses.

Normally lower half dwellers, the boys from Montenegro suddenly went up. Yet, they were not better team than most of the clubs, and their rise was accidental. Just an unexpected stronger than usual year – close they came to medals, but at the end proved they really did not belong to the favorites: ending 6th, because of worse goal-difference. The worst among top six clubs – negative: 33-36. They also scored almost twice less goals than the other top clubs. In fact, 14 of the 18 first league clubs outscored them. Their defense was not good either – 5 teams had better record, including 10th placed Rijeka. As for their home – the city is Podgorica today, the capital of independent Montenegro.

Except Buducnost, the rest of the top group were no accident: Velez (Mostar) finished 5th , thanks to better goal-difference.

Velez were consistently strong during the 1970s. They never had a team able to run for the title, but maintained themselves among the best. They missed bronze medals by 2 points this year, but the future was looking bright: so far they managed to avoid decline – top players left, but talented newcomers took their place. Enver Maric returned from West Germany – he and Vladic were the formidable veterans from the team of the first half of the 1970s. Vukoje, Hadziabdic, Vukicevic, and Okuka were more than respectable players. But the future was guaranteed by two rapidly rising young stars: Sliskovic and Halilhodzic. Velez belonged to the top clubs and was to stay among them.

With a point more, FK Sarajevo finished 4th. Now, this was rising club. It is risky to say with certainty which club representing Sarajevo was the bigger one: the Bosnian rivalry was tricky – Zeljeznicar was more popular, it seems, but both clubs had spotty history: both were occasional champions, but also both clubs had mediocre periods. As a rule of thumb, when one of the rivals was strong, the other was quite weak. Zeljeznicar was better in the first half of the 1970s, now it was other way around.

Sarajevo did not have a team ready to claim the title, but they were going up – Musemic, Hadzic, Pasic, Hodzic, Hadzibegic were strong group. The key man was Safet Susic – rapidly rising major star, may be the best of his generation. The team still needed additional help, a bit of shaping, more experience, it was not yet at its peak. But clearly going up. Sarajevo was perhaps the most promising team at the moment and arguably the best news of the season. The team aimed at winning, their manner was a bit hazardous – depending on attack, and not caring much for defense. It was risky approach – Sarajevo received 53 goals (only three clubs had equal or worse defensive record), but scored only three goals more than received – 56. They needed to improve.

How good or bad Crvena zvezda was in 1978-79 is a matter of opinion. On one hand, this vintage is legendary – they reached the UEFA Cup final. On the other hand Crvena zvezda was not a contender – they were lucky to get bronze medals, besting Sarajevo by 2 points, but did not participate in the race for the title. And when Crvena zvezda is not a contender, it is bad season, even a disaster – only titles count for anything at ‘Mala Maracana’.

Standing, from left: Keri, Stojanovic, Jelikic, Muslin, Krmpotic, Jovin.

Crouching: V. Petrovic, Blagojevic, Borovnica, Sestic, Milosavljevic.

There were few more impressive players – Savic, Jurisic, Jovanovic, Milovanovic. Most of the team were also national team players, pretty much defining the Yugoslavian national team at the time. Crvena zvezda successfully changed generations – only Vladimir Petrovic remained from the strong squad of the early 1970s – and build their next formidable team. But… compared to this very early 70s team, lead by Dragan Dzajic (not to mention older formations), the new squad came short. Yet, they became legends this very season – for the first time in their history Crvena zvezda reached European club final. Swell, but they were not a factor in the championship – perhaps they concentrated on Europe, but finished the season empty-handed… Thus, this vintage became a legend as a team, not as individual players. Sure, Sestic and Savic rank high – but no as high as many other ‘zvezdasi’. Vladimir Petrovic – ‘Pizon’ – remains the greatest star, but he established himself already with the previous vintage. The ‘legends’ finished 9 points behind the top 2 teams this year.

Unlike many countries, Yugoslavia was blessed – or cursed – with various rivalries and derbies. Crvena zvezda vs Partizan is one thing, but there was another almost equal rivalry: Belgrade vs Croatia. And the internal Croatian derby was equal to the other two: Zagreb vs Split, the capital vs the provincials. Long history, no love, explosive atmosphere, yet, not as combustible and full of aggressive hatred as it was in the late 1980s. With Belgrade clubs out of the way, the battle for the title was all Croatian and it was incredibly exciting duel, lasting to the very end of the championship. Hajduk and Dinamo. Both teams finished with 50 points. Dinamo won most games – 21. Hajduk lost the least – 4. Dinamo scored most goals in the league – 67, but Hajduk allowed the least in their net – 28. Goal-difference decided the title – Dinamo lost on that.

Dinamo, the only Yugoslavian club with an European trophy, was in decline in the first half of the 1970s, when Hajduk was winning championships and cups. After 1975 Dinamo was finally coming back to the top of Yugoslavian football – lead by the respected coach Markovic, they had a strong group of players at last: experienced veterans like Mustedanagic and Senzen supported rapidly rising youngsters – Mlinaric, Ivkovic, Kuze, and particularly Zajec. Even younger talent was pushing forward – Krajncar. And a reliable player came from the arch-rivals: Dzoni, a former national team player, originally playing for Hajduk. Dinamo had young, but already experienced squad, ready for the title. They fought for it to the end and did not really lose it – they were equal to Hajduk on everything, except goal-difference. Devastated fans… losing the title on so little and to the hated provincials too. But Dinamo was not accident – they arrived, they were to stay, they were going to win. Soon.

Difficult, but sweet victory for Hajduk – edging the enemy from Zagreb at the very end. Still the best club in the country of the 1970s. One more title.

It was not an easy season, but it ended wonderfully. Hajduk were prime contenders anyway: Tomislav Ivic came back from successful spell with Ajax (Amsterdam) to coach them. One of the top ranking coaches in Europe already, he knew how to win. And he made his name with Hajduk anyway – most players started under him, they knew him well. The club continued its policy of selling players when they had reliable replacement at hand – the change of generations was smooth, Hajduk had a great mixture of established stars at their prime and young talent, rapidly becoming famous. Surjak, Muzinic, and Peruzovic were the prime movers and shakers, helped by two other reliable veterans of the team of the early 1970s – Rozic and Salov. Ivkovic, Cop, Zlatko and Zoran Vujovic were already included in the national team. Gudelj was perhaps the biggest talent, considered the next great star of Yugoslavian football. Those were also the base ensuring strong future of the club – it was clear that Surjak, Muzinic, and Peruzovic were to be sold abroad soon, but the new leaders were already present. Good enough, if not for the big scandal – Slavisa Zungul, technically belonging to the previous great squad, but only 24 old and one of the current top scorers of Yugoslavia, suddenly defected. Given his age, Zungul was not yet for sale. He was rarely called to play for the national team. He was unpaid for months and consequently his relations with the club’s president were bad. He asked to be released and was refused. He did not serve in the army yet and feared that an army call will be not opposed by his club just because they did not wish to pay his wages and once in the army, there will be new excuse, most likley permanent. That was his position. The club’s was growing irritation with his desire to play abroad – they needed him, his time was up yet, he had to follow established rules. Surjak waited patiently, why not Zungul, the lesser star? Zungul went to USA in December 1978 and did not return: he already signed contract not telling anybody. Since the move was illegal, it was not a club from NASL, but form indoor league outside FIFA. Because of the complication with his army service, Zungul had only one option – to defect, a very rare case for Yugoslavian footballers. There was no other way – FIFA rules prevented him from playing in a legal league anywhere. As a consequence, Zungul was lost to big football and did not become the star he was certainly to become if staying out of trouble in Split – he had enormous talent. Yes, he became a legend – but indoor football legend, ‘the Lord of indoors’, as he was called in USA, where he was no longer Slavisa, but Steve. A legend of rogue league of little known variety of football in North America. Lost the world’s game for ever. His defection was troublesome for Hajduk, of course – the club lost a key player in mid-season, and the scandal probably did not stay well in the dressing room, for others wanted to play abroad too and had to wait for years, may be even missing the best opportunities. Zungul showed interesting option… which the club had to stifle quickly… and keep the squad focused and competitive in the same time. Difficult moment, but Hajduk played well without Zungul and won the title at the end. Troubles over. Hajduk was unstoppable.

Exciting season with so close race for the title between two great rivals. A rare occasion.