The English clubs dominated Europe and the premier league was still attractive, but there was something new: it was becoming similar to the continental leagues. There were outsiders. And there was a dominant club. The big question was who would challenge Liverpool. However, there was no match so far – one or another club had a strong season, but the next year it was someone else. The English did not particularly like that – it was boring and similar to the Continental championships, which were always looked down. To become like them meant only one thing: degrading. But concerns had little to do with battles on the pitch.
Since 1976-77 every season had outsiders and this one only continued the trend.
Bolton Wanderers were last with 25 points. Like Chelsea the previous season and Leicester City in 1977-78, the last team in the league won only 5 matches.
Derby County finished 21st with 30 points. Hardly a surprise – Derby County was sinking since 1975.
With 31 points Bristol City settled at the 20th place. It was quite clear that neither Bristol City, nor Bolton Wanderers were going to play first division football any time soon – if at all. Derby County was not expected to come back quickly either. The last 3 teams in the league were obviously weaker than the rest: Everton, 19th this season, finished 4 points ahead of Bristol. There was a gap between the outsiders and the better clubs consistently after 1976-77.
The group of declining clubs was also familiar by now: Manchester City – 17th and Leeds United – 11th, but Woolverhamton Wanderers had a strong year. Stoke City, coming back from relegation, was also in this group – by now, they were only fighting to stay in the league. Tottenham Hotspur was still shaky, but trying to build a new team and promising one too. However, so far a team good only for mid-table position. No new promising team emerged in 1979-80 – rather, the teams noticed in the previous years as going up continued their climb, with the caveat that none was going to match Liverpool. To a point, the group of West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, and Ipswich Town reached its peak: all to be second-best. Nottingham Forest apparently reached its peak too and it was not particularly high: occasional success, but not building a dynasty. Manchester United was hoped to deliver more than they actually did. Arsenal was perhaps the best example of strong English clubs at that time: they consistently maintained a place among the best in the league. This year – 4th. But they were unable to compete for the title. Looking ahead, only two clubs seemed promising:
Tottenham Hotspur – 14th this year, but there was strong skeleton already formed: Osvaldo Ardiles, Glenn Hoddle, Mark Falco, Ricardo Villa. With some additional good players, Tottenham had a future.
Southampton took different road. They finished 8th and looked ambitious.
Unlike Tottenham, Southampton did not appear making a strong team from scratch. They preferred to hire famous veterans. The old players got a spark in a new club – at least for a season or two. Then new veterans replaced them. Mike Channon was pretty much the only true member of Southampton – he was playing for them for years. Alan Ball and Charlie George were the old stars of this year, but they were not going to last. Ivan Golac, one of the first successful foreigners in England, and Phil Boyer were seemingly going to stay longer. So far, so good – it all depended on new recruits for the next season. Seemingly, Southampton was making a team for one season at the time. How long they would be able to gamble successfully was anybody’s guess, but so far the approach worked.
From this perspective, the top of the league appeared a bit suspect.
Nottingham Forest finished 5th with 48 points. They clinched the top place of a group of rather similarly strong clubs – that is, not very strong. Far behind the really strong. Apparently, Nottingham was not to be a great club and already were falling down to the bulk of competitive upper-mid-table teams. Tony Woodcock went to play in West Germany. It was not sure that Trevor Francis, Garry Birtles, and Viv Anderson will stay with Nottingham for a long time. Brian Clough was brilliant, but his approach was peculiar – depending largely on well-known oldish players, no longer needed by their former clubs. But those were players getting older and no better – no wonder the team was already slipping down the table. The great season of 1977-78 was more and more looking like one-time wonder. The gap was opening – Arsenal finished 4 points ahead of them.
Arsenal fought with Ipswich for the bronze and lost the race by a point. Strong team, but not a title contender. May be the attempt to keep a balanced squad was the reason why – too many old players. Brady, Stapleton and O’Leary were running the show, but it was not exactly a team built around them: with the exception of Pat Jennings, Arsenal had a bunch of likely counter-productive veterans – Sammy Nelson, Malcolm Macdonald, Pat Rice, and John Hollins. They were no winners, unfortunately. Not hungry anymore.
Perhaps the reason why Ipswich Town bested Arsenal, if only by a point.
Younger and hungrier team. It was not Mick Mills and Kevin Beattie running the team, but Mariner, Brazil, Osman, Butcher, Burley, Wark. The foreign recruits were well chosen – Arnold Muhren and Frans Thijssen were not only solid professionals, but players eager to prove themselves after years of playing second-fiddle in their native Holland. They blended perfectly. Of course, Bobby Robson was the coach and he wanted success too. So far, bronze medals was the best his team was able of.
And good as they were, Ipswich were entirely outside the race for the title. With 53 points they finished 5 points behind the silver medalists. The battle for the title was between two teams – Liverpool and Manchester United. The opponents run together to the end, but the Red Devils lost the title by 2 points. Liverpool won one more game and that was that.
Back row: K Moran, J Nicholl, G McQueen, P Roche, G Bailey, S Paterson, A Grimes, J Jordan;
Middle row: L Brown (Physio), S McIlroy, A Ritchie, M Duxbury, T Connell, J Greenhoff, S Houston, T Cavanagh (Asst. Manager), D Sexton (Manager);
Front row: M Thomas, T Sloan, L Macari, M Buchan, R Wilkins, S Coppell and A Albiston
It looked like Manchester United were finally restoring their leadership and once again were ready to win and even dominate. A bit familiar, though… United had a squad, which judged by names should have been champion, like most of the 1970s. At a glance, 14 former, current, and future national team players. Great veterans – Macari, McIllroy, Buchan, current major stars – Jordan, McQueen, Wilkins, Coppel. Players, expected to be big stars very soon – Bailey, Nicholl. Typical Manchester United, but now the key players were clearly from newer generation, not stigmatized by the unfortunate first half of the 1970s. If anybody was going to challenge the dominance of Liverpool, it was this squad – or so it looked. They came close, they appeared ready – the next year, surely.
Liverpool were used to it by now – there was a challenger every year, but every year it was a different one too. None lasted longer – seemingly, confident Liverpool was able to destroy every opponent. One run was deadly enough – the challenger was gone, licking wounds after that. Liverpool did not dominate the league entirely, matched by Manchester United, but the two leaders left the rest far behind. At the end, Liverpool won by a small margin. Small, but it was there. 25 wins, 10 ties, 7 losses, 81-30 goal-difference. The scoring record reveals Liverpool’s supremacy: they outscored the rest of the league by far – the next best strikers, Ipswich, managed only 58 goals; and had the best defense also by far – Manchester United, with the next best defense, allowed 35 goals. Liverpool had everything – class, experience, confidence.
It was useless to count Liverpool’s titles by now. It was pointless to list the stars – the squad was world famous. The magic was working – and it was in fantastic ability of the club and its managers to recruit new players. Nothing major, hardly ever a famous player – just two or three, largely unknown guys, every year. And similar number of great aging stars were released. Liverpool sold Keegan without a second thought. Emelyn Hughes was also gone – other club perhaps would linger and keep a legendary player, but Liverpool was braver: it was time, there were new movers and shakers in the team, development required those belonging to the past to be out. And they were replaced by ‘suspect’ youngsters – a strange import from Israel – Avi Cohen (Since when Israel has football players?), Frank McGarvey (Who?), Sammy Lee (Huh?). Well, they blended well – not starters, of course, but promising support. It was familiar by now – Fairclough, Alan Hansen, Allan Kennedy, most recently – David Johnson. Every one of them was unknown at first. Liverpool managers never made a mistake, thus ensuring great future without sacrificing the great present. Perfect squad. True champions. And to the disgust of the rest of England, Liverpool established itself as a Continental great club: head and shoulders above the other English clubs in every respect, dominating the league and certainly going to dominate it. Leaders even in new trends – perhaps they were the club least needing cash, but they signed with Hitachi and presented the sponsor’s add on their shirts.
Liverpool collected one more title. Meantime observers cried out that English transfers went insane…
Lots of money spent… and Liverpool was unbeatable.