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1981–82 in English football

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The 1981-82 season was the 102nd season of competitive football in England.

1 Overview
2 Successful players
3 Successful managers
4 Diary of the season
5 National team
6 Deaths
7 Honours
8 League table

[edit] Overview

[edit] First Division

Three points for a win was introduced for the first time in England. Liverpool made up for the previous season's slip in league form by winning the league championship for the 13th time in their history, fighting off competition from Ipswich Town, Manchester United and Spurs. Liverpool also won the Football League Cup for the second season in succession. The league triumph was made all the more significant by the fact that they had occupied 10th place on Christmas Day.

Their season of triumph was overshadowed, however, by the death of legendary former manager Bill Shankly, 67, following a heart attack in late September.

Middlesbrough and Wolves were relegated as financial problems at both clubs began to mount. They were joined by Leeds United, who had gradually fallen apart in the eight years since Don Revie's departure.

West Bromwich Albion felt the loss of manager Ron Atkinson and key players Bryan Robson and Remi Moses as they slumped to 19th in the league and narrowly avoided relegation. This was just the beginning of a sharp decline for a club who three seasons earlier had reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals and almost won the league title.

Swansea City were tipped for relegation by most observers as they reached the First Division for the first time in their history, having just completed their third promotion in four seasons. But John Toshack's men had a brilliant first game in the top flight, crushing Leeds United 5-1 and setting the tone for a season which would end with Leeds going down. Swansea, meanwhile, were the most unlikely title contenders, topping the league at several stages of the season before finishing sixth in the final table.

Manchester United paid a British record fee of £1.75million for West Bromwich Albion's 24-year-old England midfielder Bryan Robson. Robson's record-breaking move reflected on how the size of transfer fees had risen dramatically in a relatively short period of time. Less than four years earlier, the British record fee had been the £516,000 that West Bromwich Albion had paid for David Mills. In such a short amount of time, the British record had more than tripled.

Despite Robson's fee the transfer market saw a significant drop in fees as the general economic recession hit the game. Players such as Brian Greenhoff and Len Cantello who had commanded six-figure fees three years earlier were given free transfers to reduce the wage bill when their contracts came to an end. Bristol City were only saved from extinction when eight senior players still on contract from their First Division days agreed to have them terminated.

Everton, who had struggled in the league for the past few seasons, turned to their former player Howard Kendall and appointed him as manager in hope of restoring the club to its former glory.

[edit] Second Division

Luton Town ended their long absence from the top flight by winning promotion from the Second Division. Luton's local rivals Watford, owned by Elton John and managed by Graham Taylor, were runners-up and would begin 1982-83 as First Division members for the first time in their history. Also promoted were third placed Norwich City, who ensured an instant return to the First Division.Cardiff City, Wrexham and Orient were the unfortunate three clubs to lose their Second Division status at the end of the 1981-82 season.

[edit] Third Division

Burnley, Carlisle United and Fulham enjoyed some success after a string of disappointments by winning promotion to the Second Division.

Going down were Wimbledon, Swindon Town, Bristol City and Chester. Bristol had completed a unique succession of three relegations, while Swindon had been League Cup winners little over a decade earlier. Wimbledon, meanwhile, would not be enduring any more disappointing season for many years after 1982.

Joe Royle, the 33-year-old former Everton striker, began his managerial career at Oldham Athletic.

[edit] Fourth Division

Sheffield United began the first phase of their revival by winning the Fourth Division championship, which marked a superb start to the management career of Ian Porterfield. Also promoted were Bradford City, Wigan Athletic and Bournemouth.

Crewe Alexandra endured a terrible season and propped up the league with just 27 league points, but the other league members voted in their favour and they maintained their league status.

[edit] FA Cup

Tottenham Hotspur retained the trophy, drawing 1-1 with QPR (managed by former Tottenham player Terry Venables) in the first game before winning the replay 1-0.

In the semi-final against Leicester City, Argentine midfielder Ossie Ardiles was booed whenever he touched the ball and after the game returned to his homeland, missing the final along with fellow Argentine Ricardo Villa.[1]

[edit] League Cup

Liverpool added to their league title triumph by retaining the League Cup, with a 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

[edit] European football

Defending champions Aston Villa were disappointing in the 1981-82 First Division campaign, and manager Ron Saunders stepped down in February, seemingly thinking that Villa were incapable of salvaging something from their supposedly failing season. But they were still in the European Cup. And his assistant Tony Barton stepped up to the manager's seat and guided Villa to the final, where they beat Bayern Munich thanks to a Peter Withe goal and were crowned champions of Europe to make it six European Cup wins in a row for English clubs.

[edit] Successful players

Southampton striker Kevin Keegan marked his return to English football by scoring more goals than any other player in the Football League and being voted Player of the Year by the PFA.
Tottenham's Steve Perryman added to his FA Cup winners medal with the FWA Player of the Year award.
Southampton's promising youngster Steve Moran was elected Young Player of the Year by the PFA.
Peter Withe scored the only goal of the European Cup final to give Aston Villa victory over Bayern Munich.
Bryan Robson gave some strong performances for Manchester United to help justify his English record fee of £1.75million.
Bruce Grobbelaar, a 24-year-old Zimbabwian, became Liverpool's new goalkeeper in place of Ray Clemence, who was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur.

[edit] Successful managers

Bob Paisley retained the League Cup and won the league title for Liverpool.
Tony Barton kicked off his management career by winning the European Cup for Aston Villa.
Keith Burkinshaw helped Tottenham win the FA Cup for the second year running.
Ron Atkinson ended his first season as Manchester United manager with a third place league position and qualification for the UEFA Cup.
David Pleat ended Luton Town's absence from the top flight by guiding them to the Second Division title.
John Toshack helped Swansea City finish a remarkable sixth in their first season as a top division club.
Bobby Robson continued his success with Ipswich Town by guiding them to runners-up spot in the league for the second year in succession. He was then appointed manager of the England team.
Graham Taylor took Watford into the First Division for the first time in their history.
Terry Venables guided Second Division Queens Park Rangers to runners-up spot in the F.A Cup.
Don Megson took Bournemouth in the Third Division after they finished fourth in the Fourth Division.

[edit] Diary of the season

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (December 2008)

27 September 1981: Legendary former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, 67, is admitted to hospital on Merseyside after suffering a heart attack, but doctors treating him are confident that he will make a full recovery.

29 September 1981: Bill Shankly dies in hospital after suffering a second heart attack.

1 October 1981: Manchester United pay a national record fee of £1.5million for West Bromwich Albion midfielder Bryan Robson.

18 November 1981: England seal qualification for the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Hungary at Wembley in their final qualifying game.

9 February 1982: Ron Saunders announces his resignation as manager of defending league champions Aston Villa and is succeeded by assistant [[Tony Barton.

18 February 1982: Nine days after walking out on Aston Villa, Ron Saunders makes a surprise return to management with their local rivals Birmingham City.

22 May 1982: The FA Cup final ends in a 1-1 draw between Tottenham and QPR, with Tottenham's line-up not featuring Argentinians Ricardo Villa and Ossie Ardiles who have withdrawn from first-team action due to hostility aimed at them by fans in relation to the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina.

26 May 1982: Aston Villa lift the European Cup when a Peter Withe goal gives them victory over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam.

27 May 1982: Tottenham retain the FA Cup thanks to a penalty from Glenn Hoddle in the replay.

16 June 1982: England open their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over France.

20 June 1982: England seal qualification to the next stage of the World Cup by defeating Czechoslovakia 2-0.

25 June 1982: England complete their successful first stage of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Kuwait.

29 June 1982: England draw 0-0 with West Germany in the first game of the second stage of the World Cup.

5 July 1982: England are eliminated from the World Cup after only managing a goalless draw with host nation Spain. As planned, Ron Greenwood retires as national team manager, and is succeeded by Ipswich's Bobby Robson.

[edit] National team

Ron Greenwood, 61, retired as England manager after the 1982 World Cup. He was succeeded by the Ipswich manager Bobby Robson.

[edit] Deaths

Dave Clement, 34, former QPR and England full-back who committed suicide after breaking his leg. At the time of his death, he was registered as a player for Wimbledon.
Bill Shankly, 68, the former Liverpool manager who transformed the Reds into one of Europe's top footballing sides, died of a heart attack on 29 September 1981. Shankly had taken Liverpool into the First Division in 1962, and over the next 12 years they were league champions three times, FA Cup winners twice and UEFA Cup winners once.

[edit] Honours

Competition	Winner	Runner-up
First Division	Liverpool	Ipswich Town
Second Division	Luton Town	Watford
Third Division	Burnley	Carlisle United
Fourth Division	Sheffield United	Bradford City
FA Cup	Tottenham Hotspur	Queens Park Rangers
League Cup	Liverpool	Tottenham Hotspur
Charity Shield	Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur (shared)
Home Championship	England	Scotland