1974–75 Football League
The 1974–75 season was the 76th completed season of
Carlisle United, in the First Division for the first time, topped the league three games into the season but were unable to maintain their good start and were eventually relegated in bottom place. Joining the Cumbrians in the drop zone were Luton Town and Chelsea.
Brian Clough was named as Don Revie's successor at Leeds United but was dismissed after just 44 days in charge. He was replaced by Jimmy Armfield.
Millwall, Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday were the three unlucky clubs who were unable to escape the Second Division drop zone. In the space of a few years, Sheffield Wednesday had slumped to the Third Division having previously been a strong First Division side.
Blackburn Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Charlton Athletic occupied the three promotion places in the Third Division.
Going down were
Mansfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United and Chester occupied the four promotion places in the Fourth Division. Chester had finally managed promotion after 44 years of league membership, narrowly edging out Lincoln City on goal average.
Scunthorpe United, who had narrowly missed out on top-division football during the 1960s, found themselves bottom of the league but retained their league status after being re-elected along with the three clubs placed above them.
Final league tables and results
The tables and results below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website[1] and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79,[2] with home and away statistics separated.
Beginning with the season 1894–95, clubs finishing level on points were separated according to goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded), or more properly put, goal ratio. In case one or more teams had the same goal difference, this system favoured those teams who had scored fewer goals. The goal average system was eventually scrapped beginning with the 1976–77 season.
Since the Fourth Division was established in the 1958–59 season, the bottom four teams of that division have been required to apply for re-election.[2]
First Division
A tight title race saw just five points separating the top seven sides, with Derby County finally winning the title in their first full season under the management of Dave Mackay. Liverpool finished runners-up under Bob Paisley, who had succeeded the legendary Bill Shankly at the start of the season. Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Sheffield United and newly promoted Middlesbrough completed the top seven.
Despite the close nature of the final table; most pundits had dubbed Everton Champions elect going into the closing stages. The Merseysiders had lost just four games all season, topped the table and appeared to have a relatively trouble-free run-in mostly against teams in the bottom half of the table. The pressure of the title being theirs to lose appeared to get to the Toffeemen who inexplicably lost four of their last nine games, three of which, against Luton, Carlisle, who would ultimately be relegated, and Sheffield United in a game they had led 2-0 in at half time, ultimately costing them the title.[4] Liverpool also came within a hair's breadth of the title, with a 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough in the penultimate game of the season proving their undoing.[5]
Leeds United began life without
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Derby County (C) | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 67 | 49 | 1.367 | 53 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
2 | Liverpool | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 60 | 39 | 1.538 | 51 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
3 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 23 | 5 | 14 | 66 | 44 | 1.500 | 51 | |
4 | Everton | 42 | 16 | 18 | 8 | 56 | 42 | 1.333 | 50 | |
5 | Stoke City | 42 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 64 | 48 | 1.333 | 49 | |
6 | Sheffield United | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 58 | 51 | 1.137 | 49 | |
7 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 54 | 40 | 1.350 | 48 | |
8 | Manchester City | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 54 | 54 | 1.000 | 46 | |
9 | Leeds United | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 57 | 49 | 1.163 | 45 | |
10 | Burnley | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 68 | 67 | 1.015 | 45 | |
11 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 54 | 54 | 1.000 | 42 | |
12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 57 | 54 | 1.056 | 39 | |
13 | West Ham United | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 58 | 59 | 0.983 | 39 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round[a] |
14 | Coventry City | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 51 | 62 | 0.823 | 39 | |
15 | Newcastle United | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 72 | 0.819 | 39 | |
16 | Arsenal | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 47 | 49 | 0.959 | 37 | |
17 | Birmingham City | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 53 | 61 | 0.869 | 37 | |
18 | Leicester City | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 46 | 60 | 0.767 | 36 | |
19 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 52 | 63 | 0.825 | 34 | |
20 | Luton Town (R) | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 47 | 65 | 0.723 | 33 | Relegation to the Second Division |
21 | Chelsea (R) | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 42 | 72 | 0.583 | 33 | |
22 | Carlisle United (R) | 42 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 43 | 59 | 0.729 | 29 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- 1974-75 FA Cupwinners.
Results
Maps
Second Division
Biggest home win | Aston Villa 6–0 Hull City (26 April 1975) |
---|---|
Biggest away win | Oxford United 0–4 Southampton (25 September 1974) Sheffield Wednesday 0–4 Aston Villa (23 April 1975) |
Highest scoring | Sheffield Wednesday 4–4 Manchester United (7 December 1974) |
← 1973–74 → |
Tommy Docherty rewarded the loyalty of the Manchester United directors who kept faith in him after their first relegation in nearly 40 years by delivering an instant return to the First Division as his exciting young side were crowned champions of the Second Division. Aston Villa - with arguably an even more exciting side - ended their eight-year absence from the top flight by finishing runners-up, being divisional top scorers and also lifting the League Cup, in the final of which they beat Norwich City, who finished third in the league and so clinched the final promotion place.
Sunderland and Bristol City just missed out on promotion, while ninth placed Fulham partly compensated for a lack of a serious promotion challenge by reaching their
Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history after a terrible season in which they managed only five league wins. They finished 14 points adrift of safety and went down along with Millwall and Cardiff City.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Manchester United (C, P) | 42 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 66 | 30 | 2.200 | 61 | Promotion to the First Division |
2 | Aston Villa (P) | 42 | 25 | 8 | 9 | 79 | 32 | 2.469 | 58 | UEFA Cup first round and promotion to the First Division |
3 | Norwich City (P) | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 58 | 37 | 1.568 | 53 | Promotion to the First Division |
4 | Sunderland | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 65 | 35 | 1.857 | 51 | |
5 | Bristol City | 42 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 47 | 33 | 1.424 | 50 | |
6 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 54 | 42 | 1.286 | 45 | |
7 | Blackpool | 42 | 14 | 17 | 11 | 38 | 33 | 1.152 | 45 | |
8 | Hull City | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 40 | 53 | 0.755 | 44 | |
9 | Fulham | 42 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 44 | 39 | 1.128 | 42 | |
10 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 45 | 41 | 1.098 | 42 | |
11 | Oxford United | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 41 | 51 | 0.804 | 42 | |
12 | Orient | 42 | 11 | 20 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 0.718 | 42 | |
13 | Southampton | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 53 | 54 | 0.981 | 41 | |
14 | Notts County | 42 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 49 | 59 | 0.831 | 40 | |
15 | York City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 51 | 55 | 0.927 | 38 | |
16 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 43 | 55 | 0.782 | 38 | |
17 | Portsmouth | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 44 | 54 | 0.815 | 37 | |
18 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 40 | 48 | 0.833 | 35 | |
19 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 42 | 64 | 0.656 | 35 | |
20 | Millwall (R) | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 44 | 56 | 0.786 | 32 | Relegation to the Third Division |
21 | Cardiff City (R) | 42 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 36 | 62 | 0.581 | 32 | |
22 | Sheffield Wednesday (R) | 42 | 5 | 11 | 26 | 29 | 64 | 0.453 | 21 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
Maps
Third Division
Season | 1974–75 |
---|---|
Champions | Blackburn Rovers |
Promoted | Blackburn Rovers Plymouth Argyle Charlton Athletic |
Relegated | Bournemouth Tranmere Rovers Watford Huddersfield Town |
Cup Winners' Cup | Wrexham |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,427 (2.59 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Dixie McNeil (31 goals)[3] |
← 1973–74 1975–76 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Blackburn Rovers (C, P) | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 68 | 45 | 1.511 | 60 | Promotion to the Second Division |
2 | Plymouth Argyle (P) | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 79 | 58 | 1.362 | 59 | |
3 | Charlton Athletic (P) | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 76 | 61 | 1.246 | 55 | |
4 | Swindon Town | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 64 | 58 | 1.103 | 53 | |
5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 66 | 57 | 1.158 | 51 | |
6 | Port Vale | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 61 | 54 | 1.130 | 51 | |
7 | Peterborough United | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 47 | 53 | 0.887 | 50 | |
8 | Walsall | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 67 | 52 | 1.288 | 49 | |
9 | Preston North End | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 63 | 56 | 1.125 | 49 | |
10 | Gillingham | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 65 | 60 | 1.083 | 48 | |
11 | Colchester United | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 70 | 63 | 1.111 | 47 | |
12 | Hereford United | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 64 | 66 | 0.970 | 46 | |
13 | Wrexham | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 65 | 55 | 1.182 | 45 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
14 | Bury | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 53 | 50 | 1.060 | 44 | |
15 | Chesterfield | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 62 | 66 | 0.939 | 44 | |
16 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 55 | 64 | 0.859 | 43 | |
17 | Halifax Town | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 49 | 65 | 0.754 | 43 | |
18 | Southend United | 46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 46 | 51 | 0.902 | 42 | |
19 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 56 | 64 | 0.875 | 42 | |
20 | Aldershot | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 53 | 63 | 0.841 | 39 | |
21 | Bournemouth (R) | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 58 | 0.759 | 38 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |
22 | Tranmere Rovers (R) | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 55 | 57 | 0.965 | 37 | |
23 | Watford (R) | 46 | 10 | 17 | 19 | 52 | 75 | 0.693 | 37 | |
24 | Huddersfield Town (R) | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 47 | 76 | 0.618 | 32 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
Maps
Fourth Division
Season | 1974–75 |
---|---|
Champions | Mansfield Town (1st title) |
Promoted | Chester, Rotherham United, Shrewsbury Town |
Failed re-election | None |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,407 (2.55 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Ray Clarke (Mansfield Town), 28 [3] |
← 1973–74 1975–76 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mansfield Town (C, P) | 46 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 55 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 35 | 25 | 2.250 | 68 | Promoted to the Third Division |
2 | Shrewsbury Town (P) | 46 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 46 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 34 | 25 | 1.860 | 62 | Promoted to the Third Division |
3 | Rotherham United (P) | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 40 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 31 | 22 | 1.732 | 59 | |
4 | Chester (P) | 46 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 29 | 1.684 | 57 | |
5 | Lincoln City | 46 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 32 | 34 | 1.646 | 57 | |
6 | Cambridge United | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 43 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 1.409 | 54 | |
7 | Reading | 46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 25 | 27 | 1.340 | 52 | |
8 | Brentford | 46 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 38 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 31 | 1.178 | 49 | |
9 | Exeter City | 46 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 33 | 24 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 39 | 0.952 | 49 | |
10 | Bradford City | 46 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 32 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 24 | 30 | 1.098 | 47 | |
11 | Southport | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 19 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 20 | 37 | 1.000 | 47 | |
12 | Newport County | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 43 | 30 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 25 | 45 | 0.907 | 47 | |
13 | Hartlepool
|
46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 40 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 12 | 38 | 0.839 | 43 | |
14 | Torquay United | 46 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 30 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 36 | 0.754 | 42 | |
15 | Barnsley | 46 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 34 | 24 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 28 | 41 | 0.954 | 41 | |
16 | Northampton Town | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 43 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 24 | 51 | 0.918 | 41 | |
17 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 41 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 24 | 50 | 0.823 | 40 | |
18 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 31 | 0.723 | 40 | |
19 | Rochdale | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 35 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 24 | 53 | 0.787 | 39 | |
20 | Stockport County | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 17 | 43 | 0.614 | 38 | |
21 | Darlington | 46 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 38 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 16 | 40 | 0.806 | 36 | Re-elected |
22 | Swansea City | 46 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 31 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 21 | 42 | 0.630 | 36 | |
23 | Workington | 46 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 37 | 0.545 | 31 | |
24 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 27 | 29 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 14 | 49 | 0.526 | 29 |
Results
Maps
See also
References
- ^ "England 1974–75". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ^ a b Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
- ^ a b c d "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ "A strange season: 1974-75| ToffeeWeb | Fan Articles".
- ^ "Liverpool football club match record: 1975". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane's, London & Sydney, 1980.