Five Favourite Wins Against - Arsenal Away

Continuing the series where I look back at my five favourite wins the Liverpool’s next opponents.  This weekend Liverpool travel to The Emirates Stadium to meet top of the table, Arsenal and here are my five favourite wins from past League encounters

10^th September 1983

ARSENAL   (0)   0  

LIVERPOOL   (1)   2   (Johnston 17, Dalglish 67)

ARSENAL: Jennings; Robson, O’Leary, Hill, Sansom; Davis, Talbot, Rix; Nicholas, Sunderland, Woodcock

LIVERPOOL: Grobbelaar; Neal, Lawrenson, Hansen, Kennedy; Lee, Souness, Johnston; Rush, Robinson, Dalglish

This was Liverpool’s first season after the retirement of Bob Paisley.  They were defending Champions and unbeaten at the start of the season when they visited Highbury in September, although they hadn’t score more than once in their 4 matches to date.  Arsenal had splashed the cash on the goalscoring sensation from North of the Border, Charlie Nicholas but despite winning their opening two games they’d just lost to both Southampton and Manchester United.  In the Liverpool side was new signing, Michael Robinson still looking for his first goal for his new club.

This game really showed which side was more settled as Liverpool confidently passed Arsenal off the pitch.  One such move lead to the opening goal.  Whelan intercepted the ball just inside the Arsenal half as Sunderland had overrun it, and he made progress towards the Arsenal goal.  As runners came from all directions the Arsenal defence was pulled apart.  Whelan chose Dalglish, who’d taken up a good position wide on the right.  Dalglish turned inside and played it to Rush on the edge of the area, but his shot was deflected and it fell to Robinson.  The former Brighton striker looked as if he might score as he chested it down and volleyed straight at Jennings, who could only parry the ball to Johnson, who finished off the move for a 1-0 lead to the visitors.

In the second half Liverpool extended their lead with a goal voted goal of the month.  This particularly emphasised their passing dominance.  The move began on the left as Hansen found Rush in the left-wing position.  He turned back inside and then spread the play out to the other flank where Sammy Lee was unmarked.  Lee then played the ball to Dalglish on the edge of the area, who knocked it back to Lee.  This was the cue for Robinson to make his run to the right of the box, taking Robson with him.  As Robinson got to the ball he back-heeled it to Dalglish.  Dalglish turned back to his left foot and then curled a great shot wide of Jennings right hand into the top corner of the net.

It was a great move and Robinson could be pleased with his contribution, although it would take him 9 games before he got his first goal for Liverpool.  Liverpool went onto retain their League title with Southampton finishing second.  Arsenal finished in 6^th.  Liverpool also retained their League Cup title as well as winning their 4^th European Cup.  Not a bad first season in charge for Joe Fagan.

15^th August 1987

ARSENAL   (1)   1   (Davis 17)

LIVERPOOL   (1)   2   (Aldridge 9, Nicol 88)

ARSENAL: Lukic; Thomas, O’Leary, Adams, Sansom; Rocastle (Groves), Williams, Davis; Nicholas, Smith, Hayes

LIVERPOOL: Grobbelaar; Nicol, Gillespie, Hansen, Venison; Johnston, McMahon, Whelan; Beardsley (Walsh), Aldridge, Barnes

The opening game of the 1987-88 season saw Liverpool travel to Highbury to meet the team which had beaten them in the previous season’s League Cup Final.  Liverpool had finished 2^nd in the league that year with Arsenal 4^th.  After Liverpool had lead the table up to March only to lose the title to Everton, manager Kenny Dalglish decided changes were needed.  He entered the transfer market and bought John Barnes and Peter Beardsley, who made their debuts in this match.

Early in the game Beardsley and Barnes combined on the left where Barnes cross was headed in by Aldridge for the opening goal of the season.  Within ten minutes the home side had levelled things up.  Charlie Nicholas, with some good work on the left wing, sent in a right-foot cross for Alan Smith to nod down and Paul Davis was on hand to head the ball past Grobbelaar.  Both teams were fairly well matched but Liverpool weren’t prepared to settle for a point and with just two minutes remaining on the clock they had a free-kick down on the left-wing.  John Barnes floated the ball in and it was only partly cleared before Steve Nicol headed the ball in past Lukic for the winning goal.

Arsenal needed have felt too disappointed by the defeat as it wouldn’t be until the end of March before Liverpool finally lost a league match.  Liverpool won the league by 9pts.  Arsenal finished 6^th in the table, 24pts behind the Champions.

24^th March 1997

ARSENAL   (0)   1   (Wright 78)

LIVERPOOL   (0)   2   (Collymore 51, McAteer 65)

ARSENAL: Seaman; Dixon (Parlour), Keown, Adams, Marshall (Garde), Winterburn; Platt, Vieira, Hughes (Shaw); Bergkamp, I. Wright

LIVERPOOL: James; McAteer, Kvarme, M. Wright, Harkness, Bjornebye; McManaman, Redknapp, Barnes; Fowler (Thomas), Collymore

A  Monday night in March and the season was hotting up.  Liverpool were in second with Arsenal in third and both sides on the same points separated by 1 goal.  Manchester United were 6pts clear having won at the weekend.

This game will forever be remembered for one moment during the second half.  It was the Fowler penalty incident.  After a goalless first half it was the visitors who broke the deadlock soon after the break.. Bjornebye’s fierce shot was saved by Seaman, but the Arsenal keeper failed to hold onto it and Collymore arrived to slot the ball home.  But the game’s seminal moment came midway through the half.

Mark Wright played a long ball from the back and Robbie Fowler was clear of the defence.  As he reached the area, David Seaman had come off his line and Fowler was there just in time to push the ball past his right hand.  Fowler jumped over Seaman’s outstretched arm but went to ground as the ball ran out for a goal-kick.  Referee Gerald Ashby had no hesitation in pointing to the spot for a penalty.  Seaman seemed incensed but it was Fowler’s actions which caught the eye.  He was signalling to Ashby that the referee had got it wrong.  Replays showed there hadn’t been any contact although it appeared Fowler had been expecting it but he certainly didn’t make a claim for a foul.  Ashby even walked past Fowler as he went to take up his position for the kick with the Liverpool striker still protesting Seaman’s innocence, to no avail.

The next irony was that it would Fowler himself, who would take the penalty.  He stepped up and put it low to Seaman’s left but the kick was weak and parried away only for Jason McAteer to be first on the scene and he put the rebound away to extend Liverpool’s the lead.  It seemed a rare act of sportsmanship within an increasingly cynical sport and Fowler was to be congratulated for it.  Whether he made a genuine attempt to score the penalty he felt he didn’t deserve, is a matter for debate but McAteer certainly wasn’t having any feelings of sentiment.  Fowler would later deny he tried to miss the penalty but word of his honesty soon travelled round the world and he won UEFA’s Fair Play award for his actions.

Ian Wright clipped the ball over David James after a Bergkamp header to give Arsenal some hope with 12 minutes to go, but Liverpool were able to repel the onslaught to give themselves a precious win.  They were only able to win 3 further matches that season to finish 4^th as Newcastle, Arsenal and Liverpool all finished on 68pts, 7 behind United.

30^th November 1997

ARSENAL   (0)   0

LIVERPOOL   (0)   1   (McManaman 55)

ARSENAL: Seaman; Dixon, Keown, Adams, Winterburn; Platt, Petit (Grimandi), Hughes (Wreh), Overmars; Wright, Bergkamp

LIVERPOOL: James; McAteer, Kvarme, Matteo, Carragher, Bjornebye; McManaman, Leonhardsen, Redknapp; Riedle, Owen (Murphy)

When these two met in November, Liverpool were in considerably worse shape than they had been in March.  Back in 9^th they just been humiliated by Barnsley at Anfield the previous week, and had just one win away from home all season.  Arsenal were unbeaten at home, sitting in 5^th place 4pts behind the leaders, Manchester United.

Arsenal dominated the early stages and even Tony Adams managed to get forward to show a decent bit of skill by bringing the ball down on his chest but then hitting his fierce shot straight at James.  Bergkamp began to pull the strings and he put Overmars away on the right but his cross was blasted over by Stephen Hughes.  Hughes then had another chance soon after as Adams won a header in the area but the young midfielder couldn’t convert the chance.  Arsenal certainly deserved to be in front at the break but had been far too profligate.  In the second period Overmars brought out a good save from James.  Hughes again had a chance in the area as the ball failed to run for him and he scuffed his shot wide.

Ten minutes into the second half saw Bjornebye take a throw-in on the left wing for Liverpool and he found McManaman, who’d been given far too much room on the edge of the area.  As the ball bounced McManaman hit it first time right-footed and it looped over Seaman for a terrific goal.  Arsenal had, had the better of the chances but they were paying for their carelessness.  Riedle and Leonhardsen both went close soon after as Liverpool were galvanised by their lead.

In the end McManaman’s goal was worthy of the win as Arsenal suffered their 2^nd defeat in a week, their 3^rd in 4 matches.  Liverpool were now up to 7^th.  In the end the result did Arsenal no harm as they won the title with Liverpool finishing in 3^rd place.

20^th August 2011

ARSENAL   (0)   0  

LIVERPOOL   (0)   2   (Ramsey og 78, Suarez 90)

ARSENAL: Szczesny; Jenkinson, Koscielny (Ignasi), Vermaelen, Sagna; Walcott (Bendtner), Nasri, Frimpong, Ramsey; van Persie, Arshavin (Lansbury)

LIVERPOOL: Reina; Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Enrique; Henderson, Lucas, Adam, Downing; Kuyt (Meireles), Carroll (Suarez)

Second weekend of the season after both clubs had drawn their opening fixtures.  Arsene Wenger handed debuts to Jenkinson and Frimpong and within 15 minutes he was adding a third to Ignasi who came on for Koscielny who injured his back.  It wasn’t an auspicious outing for Frimpong as a clumsy challenge on Agger and then some boorishness in impeding a throw saw him shown a yellow card and then his lunge on Lucas in the second half was enough to earn a straight red.  Kenny Dalglish immediately brought on Suarez and Meireles and they both had a hand in the destination of the points.  As the final ten minutes loomed Liverpool attacked and Suarez was making a nuisance of himself in the area, forcing Ingasi into a desperate clearance which hit Aaron Ramsey and bounced over the keeper to give the visitors the lead.  Then in the 90^th minute Meireles was in on the right hand side of the area and as Szczesny came out, he squared the ball for Suarez to tuck it away and Liverpool had made the win certain.  It was their first win at Arsenal since February 2000 and their first ever at The Emirates.

Arsenal finished 3^rd in the table behind both Manchester clubs and Liverpool finished 8^th in the League but won yet another League Cup and were beaten FA Cup Finalists.

HEAD TO HEAD at Arsenal

Matches: 94

Liverpool win: 21

Arsenal win: 41

Draws: 32

Liverpool goals: 84

Arsenal goals: 136

Can We Have our Ball Back?

I think it’s time we changed an unwritten rule in football.  Unwritten rules are, by their very nature, hard to clarify as often only a few people truly know the full details, leaving others to make up these rules as they go on.  But there exists in football an unwritten rule about putting the ball out when your opponents have a man down injured.  No one really knows where this rule came from, or who indeed instigated it, but we all know it is there.

The rule was highlighted this weekend by the actions of Leroy Fer of Norwich City against Cardiff City.  The game was near the end when Norwich midfielder Alex Tettey was injured in a challenge in the centre-circle.  The ball eventually ended up in the hands of Cardiff goalkeeper, David Marshall.  Marshall then kicked the ball to the sidelines to give Norwich a throw.  Norwich striker, Ricky van Wolfswinkel wanted to take the throw quickly as Cardiff were still pushed up.  It looked like one of his teammates told him to throw it back to the visitors but he just threw the ball petulantly back onto the pitch in the direction of Fer, who passed the ball first time into the empty net.  Marshall had waited in his 6-yard area to receive the ball back and so had no chance of stopping Fer’s perfectly weighted pass.  This was the cue for Cardiff players to get very hot under the collar and an ugly melee ensued.  Eventually the referee blew the whistle and denied Norwich a goal.  Both sets of coaching staff were at one with the decision, although presumably they were just happy with a point.  Clearly, as the game was in its final minutes, this was an easy offering on behalf of Chris Hughton.  Had it been in the first minute of the game, or perhaps a cup match then it remains to be seen whether he would’ve been quite so generous.  The referee’s explanation was also perplexing as he said he disallowed the goal as he hadn’t signalled for play to continue.  But the referee doesn’t need to signal for a throw to be taken and he hadn’t stopped the game for the physio to come on, and so this would add more confusion to the whole episode.

Personally I think it’s about time we got rid of this ‘rule’ about kicking the ball out.  Generally, it is often fans of the side whose player is injured, who will boo the opposition to kick the ball out, but why should a team give away possession like that?

The actual rules state that if a player is down injured he should go off the pitch to receive treatment, resulting in the often farcical instance of a player who has feigned injury coming straight back on once he has crossed the side line.  If the player is genuinely injured then he will leave the pitch for treatment and the team will be down to 10 men anyway.  So what difference does it make for the other team to play on whilst the player is down?

It seems remarkable to me, in an age of so much showmanship and feigning of injuries that todays players are quite happy to believe the player is actually injured and so hurry on the physio.  To illustrate the point by the time van Wolfswinkel took the throw, Tettey was back on his feet.  There was another incident in the Chelsea v Manchester City when Aguero went down after a challenge in the back from John Terry.  The Manchester City fans were screaming for the ball to be put out of play and when it was, Aguero was already on his feet too.

If the injury is clearly a bad one, such as blow to the head, then there is a good reason to hold up play, but other than that, if the referee hasn’t deemed it to be a foul then why stop the game?  Of course, Steve Bruce is to blame for all this.  In 1999 his Sheffield United side were at Highbury playing Arsenal in an FA Cup Fifth Round tie.  A Sheffield United player went down injured and one of his teammates kicked the ball out so he could get attention from the physio.  Arsenal took the throw-in and Kanu received possession, ran clear of the defence and squared for Overmars to score.  The Sheffield United players were incensed believing the ball should’ve been thrown back to them.  Eventually, Bruce ordered his players from the pitch.  Kanu said he misread the situation and didn’t realise the United player needed treatment.  Arsene Wenger then offered to play the game again, which Arsenal won 2-1.

Ever since then we have had numerous incidents each season and all around the world.  Things came to a head in a recent Capital One Cup match between Yeovil and Birmingham City.  Late in the game a Birmingham player went down injured.  They were leading 2-1 at the time and in possession, so they kicked the ball out to allow the player to receive treatment.  But the player was soon back on his feet and Yeovil decided to keep the ball and went onto score.  Birmingham were incensed accusing Yeovil of unsporting behaviour.  Yeovil couldn’t see what they had done wrong as there is nothing in the rules which states you must return the ball to the opposition.

FIFA needs to act and re-affirm the power of the referee.  One of the things you are first taught as a kid when playing football is to play to the whistle.  If the referee hasn’t deemed it necessary to stop play then the players shouldn’t try and run the game themselves.

Some may call for the last vestiges of sportsmanship being held sacred but actually this can often be an attempt to disrupt the play and slow it down.  Since the abolition of the back pass rule and the introduction of multiple balls on the side lines, the game is rarely held up unless for an injury.  These days players admit to the accusation of being willing to take any advantage they possibly can to win a game, and as FIFA has tried to cut down on time wasting then feigning injury is the modern footballers’ only tool for stopping the game. Well, that and scoring.

A Moment in Time - 1976-77 When Tottenham were Relegated

The season was 1976-77.  Tottenham had won the League Cup in 1971 & 1973, the UEFA Cup in 1972 and finished losing finalists in 1974.  They’d become the first English club to play in three major European finals.  They had not been out of the top division since they came up in 1950.  They had not suffered relegation since 1935.

In the previous season (1975-76) they finished 9^th, but in 1974-75 they stayed up by just 1pt.

Manager, Terry Neill resigned from the club and made the short journey to Highbury, during the summer.  The club appointed Keith Burkinshaw, who was then First Team Coach.

Squad

Keepers

Pat Jennings (age 31) (Played in 23 matches).  Joined Spurs in 1964, left for Arsenal in summer 1977

Barry Daines (age 25) (Played in 19 games).  Made his debut in 1971, became the regular choice once Jennings left

Defenders

Jimmy Holmes (age 22) Left Back (Played in 8 matches).  Irishman, spent 7 years at Coventry before joining Spurs

Terry Naylor (age 27) Centre-back, (Played in 40 matches).  Joined Spurs in 1969 and stayed until 1979 when he moved to Charlton

Keith Osgood  (age 21) Centre-back.  (Played in 42 matches) 3^rd top scorer with 7 goals, 6 of which came from the spot.   Joined Spurs in 1972 and left at the end of this season.

Steve Perryman (age 24) Full-back/Midfield.  (Played in 42 matches).  Joined the club in 1969 and eventually left in 1986.  Made a club record 854 appearances during his career.

Don McAllister (age 23) Centre-back/ Full back.  (Played 10 matches).  Spent 5 years at Bolton before joining Spurs in 1975.

Willie Young (age 24) Centre-back.  (Played 19 matches).  Bought from Aberdeen in 1975, after spending 5 years there.  He then joined Arsenal in 1977. 

John Gorman (age 27) Left-back.  (Played in 15 matches).  Started at Celtic, playing just 1 match, then moved to Carlisle.  Joined Spurs in 1976 and stayed for 3 years.  He later went on to be Assistant to Glen Hoddle as England manager.

Andy Keeley (age 20) Defender.  (Played in 5 matches).  Joined Tottenham in 1974 and left at the end of this season.

Mick Stead (age 19) Full-back.  (Played in 8 matches).  Joined Spurs in 1974 and left at the end of this season.

Midfield

Alfie Conn (age 24) Midfield.  (Played in 12 matches).  Scottish player who spent 6 years at Rangers before moving to Spurs in 1974.  Following this season he moved back up to Celtic.

Glenn Hoddle (age 19) Midfield.  (Played in 39 matches)  Scored 4 goals.  Joined Spurs as a schoolboy apprentice in 1974.  Went on to play 377 games for Spurs during an 8 year career.

John Pratt (age 28) Midfield.  (Played in 30 games)  Scored 4 goals.  Joined the club in 1965, and went on to make 331 appearances up to 1979 when he moved to USA.

Ralph Coates (age 30) Midfield/Winger.  (Played in 28 matches), scored 3 goals.  Spent 7 years at Burnley before joining Spurs in 1971.  Had a 7 year career at White Hart Lane, before moving to Leyton Orient in 1978.

Jimmy Neighbour (age 25) Winger.  (Played in 7 matches).  Joined the club as an apprentice in 1966.  He moved to Norwich in September 1976.

Neil McNab (age 19) Midfield.  (Played in 10 matches).  Moved to Spurs from Morton in 1974.  Spent 4 years there before moving to Bolton.

Strikers

Gerry Armstrong (age 22) Striker.  (Played in 20 matches)  Scored 3 goals.  Northern Ireland international, joined Spurs in 1975.  Made 84 appearances in 5 seasons.

Chris Jones (age 20) Striker.  (Played in 30 matches)  Top scorer with 9.  Joined as an apprentice in 1973 and spent 9 years at the Lane, before moving to Man City and then Crystal Palace.

Peter Taylor (age 23) Winger.  (Played in 31 matches)  Scoring 8 goals.  Began his career at Southend in 1970, before moving to Crystal Palace.  Joined Tottenham in 1976.  Spent 4 years there before joining Leyton Orient in 1980.

Ian Moores (age 22) Striker.  (Played in 16 matches), scoring 2 goals.  Began his career at Stoke in 1974, before moving to Spurs in 1976.  Only spent 2 years there, before moving to Leyton Orient and then Bolton.

John Duncan (age 27) Striker.  (Played in just 9 matches), scoring 4 goals.  Played for Dundee for 7 years before joining Spurs in 1975.  Scored 53 goals in 103 appearances before moving to Derby in 1979.

August

The season started badly with a 1-3 loss at Portman Road against Ipswich.

4 days later they were beaten at home 0-2, by Newcastle.  The following weekend they were again goalless in a 0-0 draw at home to Middlesbrough.  Oddly enough, they were unlikely to be too concerned with 1pt from 3 games, as the team immediately below them was QPR, who’d missed out on the title by 1pt barely three months earlier.

September

The following weekend, Spurs were involved in a ‘Match of The Day’ classic against Manchester United.  0-2 down at half-time, Ian Moores, Ralph Coates and John Pratt gave them a famous 3-2 victory at Old Trafford

This was followed by a 1-0 home win against Leeds.  Only 5 games in and 13^th place didn’t seem too bad.  However, they were to win just once in the next 10 matches.

0-2 defeat to Liverpool and 2-4 defeat to West Brom came either side of a 1-1 home draw with Norwich, along with a humiliating loss to Third Division Wrexham, 2-3 at White Hart Lane in the League Cup.  Then came their worst nightmare.

October

Derby v Spurs, 16^th October 1976

Derby County, twice winners of the title during the previous 6 seasons, had yet to register a win in this particular season.  They’d been in the running for the title the year before, yet had only managed to find the net 7 times in 8 matches.  Derby went 2-0 up early on but Spurs pulled things back as Osgood scored from the spot and Steve Perryman grabbed another, and they went in at half-time just 2-3 down.  But in the second half, Derby ran riot as Bruce Rioch scored 4 goals in an 8-2 win.  Derby manager Dave Mackay felt almost embarrassed as the goals went in, especially being an ex-Spurs man with one of his friends, Pat Jennings, conceding so many.

Remarkably, Spurs bounced back to beat Birmingham at home, 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Keith Osgood, but picked up just 1pt from the next five matches.  Some of the results during that period were significant.  They lost at home 0-1 to Coventry, and drew 3-3 at home to Everton, where Osgood again scored from the spot with McAllister and Pratt finding the net. 

But the next three results hurt the most.

November

West Ham, Bristol City and Sunderland were all in the bottom four, along with Spurs.  Spurs lost all three matches.  3-5 to West Ham, 0-1 to Bristol City and 1-2 to Sunderland.  They were lying 2^nd from bottom, with just 9pts from 15 matches (only 2pts for a win in those days).  The signs weren’t good as they’d conceded 34 goals already.

The West Ham game was a classic as goals from Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson, Trevor Brooking, Billy Jennings, Billy Bonds and Alan Curbishley helped the home side race into a 5-1 lead, before Hoddle and yet another penalty from Osgood

December

During December they mounted a recovery, losing just once in five matches.  Manchester City visited White Hart Lane and two goals from Peter Taylor gave the home side a 2-goal lead.  His first was a fine individual goal, the second a tap-in after Corrigan parried Willie Young’s shot.  In the second half, Brian Kidd pounced on a mistake by Jennings before Paul Power took advantage of poor defence to earn a 2-2 draw. 

Ralph Coates goal at Leicester wasn’t enough to stop them losing 1-2 but they managed to grab a point in the North London derby as John Duncan and Willie Young cancelled out two Malcolm MacDonald goals in a 2-2 draw in front of the biggest crowd of the season at White Hart Lane.

At the end of 1976, Tottenham were 3^rd from bottom, just behind Bristol City on goal difference and 1pt behind QPR.

Spurs problems centred mainly around Terry Neill’s insistence on selling off the family jewels.  Mike England, Martin Peters Alan Gilzean and Martin Chivers had all left.  Yet, players like Keith Osgood, Jimmy Neighbour, John Duncan and Ian Moores just weren’t good enough.  One of the benefits of this clear-out, though, was that it allowed young players like Glenn Hoddle and Chris Jones to emerge.

January

1977 didn’t bring the turnaround they’d been hoping for, although it started promisingly enough as Duncan and an Osgood penalty saw them gain revenge on West Ham with a 2-1 win. 

The FA Cup may have seemed to be a welcome distraction as they travelled to Ninian Park to meet a Cardiff City side placed in the bottom half of Division Two.  Peter Sayer scored the only goal of the game, which was recently voted 2^nd best goal scored by Cardiff in the FA Cup

Back in the league a trip to Loftus Road ended in a 1-2  defeat to QPR, before a Peter Taylor goal gave them a 1-0 win at home to Ipswich.  They were now unbeaten in 5 games at home and this was probably their best result of the season as Ipswich were one point off the top at the time.  At the end of January Spurs were still in the bottom four and knew February would be crucial

February

Spurs had four matches in February and lost them all.  After beating Manchester United in September they had lost all 10 of their subsequent away games and looked incapable of turning things around.  Two David Mills goals gave Middlesbro a 2-0 win at the beginning of the month and then Manchester United gained revenge with a 3-1 win at White Hart Lane.  Lou Macari gave the visitors the lead as Spurs defensive frailties were again in evidence.  McIlroy scored the second as United attacked at will.  Spurs got a goal back before half-time when a Glenn Hoddle shot was deflected in by Chris Jones.  If the home fans were hoping for a comeback in the second half it never materialised as Gordon Hill completed the scoring.

Gerry Armstrong scored his first goal of the season in a 1-2 defeat at Leeds and with Bristol City and West Ham winning, Spurs dropped to 2^nd from bottom.  Worse was to follow as Sunderland, bottom of the table with just 9 goals at home all season, beat West Brom, 6-1 sending Spurs to the foot of the table.  They then visited Newcastle and were beaten 0-2 and ended the month propping up the table.  It was tight at the bottom with 2pts separating 5 clubs.

March

Into March and suddenly an away win to cheer, as goals from John Pratt, Gerry Armstrong and Peter Taylor saw them win 3-1 at Norwich, ending a run of 10 successive away defeats.  This was well timed as Sunderland again hit six, beating fellow strugglers West Ham, 6-0.  Derby suffered their 5^th successive defeat to see them consigned to the bottom, a sorry demise for a club who were Champions in 1975.  Bristol City also lost as Spurs were back up to 4^th from bottom as 1pt separated the bottom five. 

They then recorded their finest win of the season when a Ralph Coates goal beat the league leaders, Liverpool 1-0.  They’d now beaten the top two sides at White Hart Lane and were now up to 18^th.  They couldn’t replicate this form three days later as West Brom came to White Hart Lane and won 2-0, but they were able to go to Birmingham and win 2-1 as Jones and Hoddle scored.  Then came a crucial relegation battle as Derby County were the visitors.  Derby, 2pts behind Spurs had yet to win away all season yet had that remarkable 8-2 win over Tottenham back in August to remember.  The game ended 0-0 which didn’t really do much for either side.  Tottenham were then thumped 0-4 at Goodison Park as Everton won comfortably and they ended March still 5^th from bottom but having played more games than all but one of the sides below them.

April

Into the penultimate month and things were getting very tense.  April began with a trip to Coventry, who were ahead of Tottenham only on goal difference.  Peter Taylor scored in a 1-1 draw.  By the time of their next match, they’d dropped a place as Derby began to pick up some points.  QPR were the visitors, and were a shadow of the side which had almost won the title the year before.  Tottenham swept them aside as Chris Jones bagged two goals and Peter Taylor another one in a 3-0 win.  It propelled them up to 17^th but the teams around them still had games in hand so there was still much work to do. 

They embarked on a critical week with three games, two of them against sides battling relegation.  Easter Monday saw the North London derby where Malcolm MacDonald scored the only goal of the game to give Arsenal a 1-0 win.  It was a bad day for Tottenham in more ways than losing to their nearest rivals, as Sunderland and West Ham both won and with Coventry and QPR playing out a 1-1 draw, Spurs had now dropped to 21^st.  But before they could re-group they had to visit the side immediately below them, Bristol City.  A tight, nervous match comes to life right at the end when Terry Naylor brings down Clive Whitehead in the area and Peter Cormack converts the penalty to give City a vital 1-0 win.  Tottenham were one of 5 clubs on 27pts with Bristol City just 2pts behind, but there was still the worry of the games their rivals had in hand, as well as the poor goal difference.

The weekend saw the arrival of Sunderland to White Hart Lane.  Sunderland were on of the five clubs on the same points as Tottenham and Chris Jones was again on the scoresheet but the game ended 1-1.  It was a useful result for both clubs as everyone else around them lost, except QPR who won at Middlesbro.  Tottenham were now up to 19^th on 28pts with Sunderland and Derby.  Coventry and West Ham were 1pt behind with Bristol City back on 25pts.

Tottenham had just 5 games to save their First Division future.  A midweek trip to Aston Villa ended in a 1-2 defeat on the same night that Derby and Bristol City both drew.  With Coventry also picking up a point the night before, Spurs were now back in 20^th and again one of 4 clubs on 28pts.  They next travelled to Stoke City, who themselves were not completely safe, and a 0-0 draw definitely didn’t suit the visitors.  Sunderland and Derby both drew and Tottenham now had fewer matches left than any other team around them.  Things were getting serious

The following Monday, Coventry beat Derby to drop Tottenham back into the bottom three.  The next night Bristol City were at QPR and managed a 1-0 win and West Ham drew at Leeds to pour further bad news on Spurs.  Seven clubs were now separated by just 3pts and still Tottenham had fewer chances to add to their tally.

West Ham then further enhanced their survival chances when they were away again and drew 1-1 at Middlesbro to push Spurs down to 2^nd from bottom.  The weekend fixtures would be crucial.  Saturday 30^th April was an exciting day in the season as 33 goals were scored in 10 matches, and there were some strange results.  Coventry beat Stoke, 5-2, Sunderland went to West Brom and won 3-2 and Derby beat 2^nd placed Manchester City, 4-0.  Tottenham were at home to Aston Villa, who were pushing for a European place in 5^th.  Andy Gray missed an easy chance early on but then John Deehan headed Villa into the lead and the home crowd went very quiet.  Just before half-time, 19-year old Glenn Hoddle started to build his reputation for free-kicks when he curled one round the wall to equalise.  Hoddle was in inspired form as he was unlucky not to score two more before Chris Jones scored a fine goal after a tight turn.  The crowd were now in full voice as Spurs surged forward, and substitute, Peter Taylor, rounded off the scoring with a volley from the edge of the area.  Tottenham won 3-1 and it was a welcome relief during a disappointing season.

Tottenham now moved one place but had only two matches left to improve on this.

The following Tuesday Derby drew at Arsenal to give them a decent chance on staying up.  24 hours later West Ham won an important game against Coventry to lift them out of the relegation zone.  The following weekend saw Tottenham have to go to Maine Road to meet a Manchester City who still had an outside chance of winning the league.  Tommy Booth headed City into the lead in the first half from a Peter Barnes corner.  In the second period, Barnes was provider again when his header was fired in by Dennis Tueart.  Barnes then got on the scoresheet himself as Owen helped on a Booth long-ball and Barnes was at his impudent best by beating one man and then toying with Jennings as he sold him a dummy before chipping the ball into the net.  Minutes later City had another corner, again taken by Barnes and Asa Hartford volleyed home for City’s 4^th.  The rout was complete as Spurs gave the ball away and Tueart broke free to play a simple pass for Brian Kidd to finish and City won 5-0.

News then came in of the other clubs around them with Bristol City gaining a vital point in a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United.  QPR also earned a 1-1 draw against leaders Liverpool, West Ham drew 2-2 at home to Derby and Stoke were held 0-0 at home to Norwich.  Sunderland had the best day with a 1-0 win at home to Birmingham.

Tottenham were now in a parlous state with only goal difference able to save them, and even then they needed to overturn a 5-goal deficit from their final game.  They were taken apart by City and had now conceded over 50 goals away from home which seemed to sum up their plight.  Spurs fans now looked for West Ham, Stoke, Coventry and Sunderland to keep on losing otherwise their final match of the season would be meaningless.

The following Tuesday, Coventry picked up a point by holding Liverpool to a 0-0 draw.  On the same night Bristol City beat Leeds United 1-0 to give them some hope, and send Tottenham to the foot of the table.  The next night, Derby won an important game against QPR, 2-0 and Stoke earned a vital point in a 3-3 draw with Manchester United.

Realistically, Tottenham’s fate was in West Ham’s hands.  They were unable to overhaul Sunderland’s goal difference but stood an outside chance of beating The Hammers.  West Ham needed a point to consign Spurs to Division Two regardless of how they Spurs got on in their final game of the season at home to Leicester.  West Ham’s last two matches were at Anfield and at home to Man Utd, so Spurs had some hope.

Goals from John Pratt and Jimmy Holmes gave Tottenham an important 2-0 win against Leicester.  The home crowd had an anxious wait to find out that West Ham had gained an impressive 0-0 draw at Liverpool and so Spurs were relegated.  This triggered incredible scenes as fans streamed onto the pitch.  There were banners of defiance, such as ‘We Will Return’ and the mood was fairly upbeat.  QPR won at Leeds, Bristol City drew at Middlesbro and Sunderland drew at Norwich.  It was a bleak day for Tottenham Hotspur.  They were to sit out the final 10 days of the season knowing it would make no difference to the future whatsoever.

The following Monday Bristol City pulled off a famous 2-1 win against the Champions, Liverpool and West Ham beat Manchester United, 4-2 with QPR beating Ipswich, 1-0.  With Stoke losing at Aston Villa, they joined Tottenham in going down and now three clubs were on 34pts going into the final match, with two of those sides, Bristol City and Coventry, playing each other.

Thursday 19^th May saw a remarkable finish to a league season where the idea of the final day of the season hadn’t been invented.  Sunderland lost at Everton which rendered the 2-2 draw between Coventry and Bristol City irrelevant.

For Spurs fans the story improved from there.  They came straight back up and then won the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982 and the UEFA Cup in 1982.

Another significant factor about this league season was who Tottenham were replaced by in the First Division.  Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, but we’ll leave that story for another day.

Another remarkable aspect of this period is that Tottenham went down and came back up again with the same manager, and largely the same team.  How times have changed

Differences - The top division was called the First Division and consisted of 22 teams.  2pts were awarded for a win.