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1977–78 Arsenal F.C. season

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Arsenal F.C.
1977–78 season
ChairmanDenis Hill-Wood
ManagerTerry Neill
First Division5th
FA CupFinalists
League CupSemi-Finalists
Top goalscorerLeague:
Malcolm Macdonald (15)

All:
Malcolm Macdonald (26)

The 1977–78 season was Arsenal Football Club's 52nd consecutive season in the Football League First Division. It was Terry Neill's second season as manager. Arsenal finished fifth in the league. In cup play, Arsenal reached the semi-finals in the League Cup, losing to the previous season's league and European champions Liverpool. Arsenal were also in the finals of the FA Cup, the first of three consecutive FA Cup finals that Arsenal would reach under Neill. They lost 1-0 to Ipswich.

In the transfer business, Pat Jennings joined the club from Tottenham Hotspur. He would go on to make over two-hundred appearances for Arsenal. Alan Sunderland joined Arsenal at centre forward where he would remain an important player for several seasons. Neill also brought in Don Howe as an assistant.

Malcom Macdonald was again Arsenal's top scorer.

Season summary

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Beginning with a difficult pre-season tour in Singapore and Australia, Terry Neill struggled with Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Hudson and disciplined them due to poor behavior. Arsenal had relied heavily especially on Macdonald in previous seasons and the management was hoping to strengthen team play, which Macdonald found difficult at times.[1]

After an eighth place finish in Neill's first season, the manager was looking to improve the squad. First, he brought in former Arsenal player and coach Don Howe for £40,000 as his assistant.[2] Neill then looked to improve Arsenal's goalkeeping in the transfer market. Jimmy Rimmer, a solid performer in the 1975-76 season as Arsenal fought relegation, moved to Aston Villa. In came Pat Jennings at age 32 after spending thirteen years at Tottenham.[3] Arsenal also brought in striker Alan Sunderland from Wolves for £70,000.[1] Outgoing players included left-back Wilf Rostron,[4] and midfielder (and former academy player) Trevor Ross.[5]

Arsenal began the season with a 1-0 loss to Ipswich while playing in a hailstorm in what would be an echo of the FA Cup final later in the season. Arsenal, though performing better than the previous season, struggled with the squad depth to challenge for the league championship. They ended up fifth in league play.[1]

In the League Cup, Arsenal beat Hull and Southampton at Highbury before going to a second game against Manchester City in the quarterfinals. Macdonald won a penalty which was put in by Liam Brady, who at that point had scored a goal every round. Arsenal then faced Liverpool, English and European Champions, in the semifinals. Arsenal lost 2-1 at Anfield, followed by a goalless draw at Highbury.[1]

In the FA Cup, Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-2 in the second-round tie at Highbury. They then faced Walsall who had knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup 45 years previous, beating them 4-1 soon after their semifinal loss to Liverpool in the League Cup. Arsenal beat Wrexham 3-2 in the next round before clearing Orient 3-0 in the semifinal. Arsenal was to face Bobby Robson's Ipswich in the final. Arsenal struggled with injury problems,[6] with Sunderland recovering from a broken foot, Macdonald requiring a knee operation, and Brady being carried off with an injured ankle versus Liverpool. All of them featured in the game. Roger Osborne scored the only goal for Ipswich. Macdonald went into surgery three days later, the beginning of the end of his career.[1]

Squad

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
- GK Northern Ireland NIR Pat Jennings
- DF Northern Ireland NIR Pat Rice
- DF Northern Ireland NIR Sammy Nelson
- MF England ENG David Price
- DF Republic of Ireland IRL David O'Leary
- DF Scotland SCO Willie Young
- MF Republic of Ireland IRL Liam Brady
- FW England ENG Alan Sunderland
- FW England ENG Malcolm Macdonald
- FW Republic of Ireland IRL Frank Stapleton
- MF England ENG Graham Rix
No. Pos. Nation Player
- MF England ENG Alan Hudson
- MF England ENG Trevor Ross
- DF England ENG Peter Simpson
- MF England ENG John Matthews
- DF England ENG Richie Powling
- DF Republic of Ireland IRL John Devine
- MF England ENG Mark Heeley
- DF England ENG Steve Walford
- MF Northern Ireland NIR Jim Harvey

[7]

Results

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First Division

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
3 Everton 42 22 11 9 76 45 +31 55 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Manchester City 42 20 12 10 74 51 +23 52
5 Arsenal 42 21 10 11 60 37 +23 52
6 West Bromwich Albion 42 18 14 10 62 53 +9 50
7 Coventry City 42 18 12 12 75 62 +13 48
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
20 August 1977 1 Ipswich Town 1–0 Arsenal Ipswich
Stadium: Portman Road
23 August 1977 2 Arsenal 1–0 Everton London
Stadium: Highbury
10 September 1977 5 Aston Villa 1–0 Arsenal Birmingham
Stadium: Villa Park
17 September 1977 6 Arsenal 2–1 Leicester City London
Stadium: Highbury
24 September 1977 7 Norwich City 1–0 Arsenal Norwich
Stadium: Carrow Road
1 October 1977 8 Arsenal 3–0 West Ham United London
Stadium: Highbury
4 October 1977 9 Arsenal 0–0 Liverpool London
Stadium: Highbury
22 October 1977 12 Bristol City 0–2 Arsenal Bristol
Stadium: Ashton Gate
29 October 1977 13 Arsenal 1–1 Birmingham City London
Stadium: Highbury
12 November 1977 15 Arsenal 1–1 Coventry City London
Stadium: Highbury
26 November 1977 17 Arsenal 1–3 Derby County London
Stadium: Highbury
10 December 1977 19 Arsenal 1–1 Leeds United London
Stadium: Highbury
17 December 1977 20 Coventry City 1–2 Arsenal Coventry
Stadium: Highfield Road
26 December 1977 21 Arsenal 3–0 Chelsea London
Stadium: Highbury
31 December 1977 23 Everton 2–0 Arsenal Liverpool
Stadium: Goodison Park
2 January 1978 24 Arsenal 1–0 Ipswich Town London
Stadium: Highbury
4 February 1978 27 Arsenal 0–1 Aston Villa London
Stadium: Highbury
25 February 1978 29 West Ham United 2–2 Arsenal London
Stadium: Upton Park
28 February 1978 30 Arsenal 0–0 Norwich City London
Stadium: Highbury
18 March 1978 32 Arsenal 4–1 Bristol City London
Stadium: Highbury
27 March 1978 35 Chelsea 0–0 Arsenal London
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
22 April 1978 39 Leeds United 1–3 Arsenal Leeds
Stadium: Elland Road
25 April 1978 40 Liverpool 1–0 Arsenal Liverpool
Stadium: Anfield
29 April 1978 41 Arsenal 1–0 Middlesbrough London
Stadium: Highbury

Football League Cup

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30 August 1977 Second round Arsenal 3–2 Manchester United London
Stadium: Highbury
25 October 1977 Third round Arsenal 2–0 Southampton London
Stadium: Highbury
29 November 1977 Fourth round Arsenal 5–1 Hull City London
Stadium: Highbury
18 January 1978 Quarter-final Manchester City 0–0 Arsenal Manchester
Stadium: Maine Road
24 January 1978 Quarter-final
replay
Arsenal 1–0 Manchester City London
Stadium: Highbury
7 February 1978 Semi-final
1st leg
Liverpool 2–1 Arsenal Liverpool
Stadium: Anfield
14 February 1978 Semi-final
2nd leg
Arsenal 0–0 Liverpool London
Stadium: Highbury

FA Cup

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Arsenal entered the FA Cup in the third round proper, in which they were drawn to face Sheffield United.

7 January 1978 Third round Sheffield United 0–5 Arsenal Sheffield
Stadium: Bramall Lane
28 January 1978 Fourth round Arsenal 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
Stadium: Highbury
18 February 1978 Fifth round Arsenal 4–1 Walsall London
Stadium: Highbury
11 March 1978 Sixth round Wrexham 2–3 Arsenal Wrexham
Stadium: Racecourse Ground
8 April 1978 Semi-Final Arsenal 3–0 Orient London
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
6 May 1978 Final Arsenal 0–1 Ipswich Town London
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 100,000

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1995). Arsenal: Official History. London: Hamlyn. pp. 190–194. ISBN 0600588262.
  2. ^ "Don Howe, 1935-2015". Arsenal. 23 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  3. ^ Hocking, Tom (5 September 2022). "Focus On Pat Jennings: Spurs' goalkeeper legend who took his safe hands to Arsenal". When Saturday Comes. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Wilf Rostron". ARsenal. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Trevor Ross". Arseal. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  6. ^ Kelly, Andy (27 May 2015). "Arsenal's Complete FA Cup Final Record – updated with all 14 Wins". The Arsenal History. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  7. ^ "All Arsenal players: 1978". 11 v 11. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023.
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