1982–83 Football League
The 1982–83 season was the 84th completed season of the English Football League.
Bob Paisley’s last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years.[citation needed] His successor was the club's long-serving coach Joe Fagan. Newly promoted Watford were the shock of the season, finishing in second place in their first season in the top flight.
Queens Park Rangers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City won promotion to the First Division. Rotherham United, Burnley and Bolton Wanderers were relegated to the Third Division. It was another blow for Bolton, who had been relegated from the First Division three years earlier.
Charlton Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers both came within hours of going bankrupt but were both saved by respective new owners.
.Wimbledon were crowned
At the end of the season, Fourth Division strugglers Crewe Alexandra appointed Milan-born ex-Wimbledon manager Dario Gradi as their new manager.
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] with home and away statistics separated.
During the first five seasons of the league, that is, until the season 1893–94, re-election process concerned the clubs which finished in the bottom four of the league. From the 1894–95 season and until the 1920–21 season the re-election process was required of the clubs which finished in the bottom three of the league. From the 1922–23 season on it was required of the bottom two teams of both Third Division North and Third Division South. Since the Fourth Division was established in the 1958–59 season, the re-election process has concerned the bottom four clubs in that division.[2]
First Division
Season | 1982–83 |
---|---|
Champions | Liverpool 14th English title |
Relegated | Manchester City Swansea City Brighton & Hove Albion |
European Cup | Liverpool |
Cup Winners' Cup | Manchester United Swansea City |
UEFA Cup | Aston Villa Nottingham Forest Tottenham Hotspur Watford |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,264 (2.74 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Luther Blissett (27 goals)[3] |
Biggest home win | Watford 8–0 Sunderland (25 September 1982) |
Biggest away win | Notts County 0–6 Ipswich Town (25 September 1982) |
Highest scoring | Luton Town 5–3 Notts County (4 September 1982) Stoke City 4–4 Luton Town (25 September 1982) Watford 8–0 Sunderland (25 September 1982) Watford 5–3 Notts County (12 March 1983) |
Longest winning run | 6 matches Liverpool |
Longest unbeaten run | 19 matches Liverpool |
Longest losing run | 6 matches West Bromwich Albion |
← 1981–82 1983–84 → |
Liverpool were dominant throughout Bob Paisley's final season as manager, retaining the league title and winning a third successive League Cup. Paisley, who had won 21 major trophies in nine seasons as manager, handed over the reins to his assistant Joe Fagan.
Second place in the league went to
For the first time in eight years, there were no English clubs winning European trophies this season.
Final table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 87 | 37 | +50 | 82 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
2 | Watford | 42 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 74 | 57 | +17 | 71 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
3 | Manchester United | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 56 | 38 | +18 | 70 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a] |
4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 65 | 50 | +15 | 69 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
5 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 62 | 50 | +12 | 69 | |
6 | Aston Villa | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 62 | 50 | +12 | 68 | |
7 | Everton | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 66 | 48 | +18 | 64 | |
8 | West Ham United | 42 | 20 | 4 | 18 | 68 | 62 | +6 | 64 | |
9 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 64 | 50 | +14 | 58 | |
10 | Arsenal | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 58 | 56 | +2 | 58 | |
11 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 51 | 49 | +2 | 57 | |
12 | Southampton | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 54 | 58 | −4 | 57 | |
13 | Stoke City | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 53 | 64 | −11 | 57 | |
14 | Norwich City | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 54 | |
15 | Notts County | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 55 | 71 | −16 | 52 | |
16 | Sunderland | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 50 | |
17 | Birmingham City | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 50 | |
18 | Luton Town | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 65 | 84 | −19 | 49 | |
19 | Coventry City | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 48 | 59 | −11 | 48 | |
20 | Manchester City (R) | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 47 | 70 | −23 | 47 | Relegation to the Second Division |
21 | Swansea City (R) | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 51 | 69 | −18 | 41 | Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round and relegation to the Second Division[b] |
22 | Brighton & Hove Albion (R) | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 38 | 68 | −30 | 40 | Relegation to the Second Division |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Manchester United qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1982–83 FA Cup winners.
- ^ Swansea City qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round as the 1983 Welsh Cup winners.
Results
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ipswich Town | Bobby Robson | Signed by England | 30 May 1982 | Pre-season | Bobby Ferguson | 1 June 1982 |
West Bromwich Albion | Ronnie Allen | Became general manager | 1 June 1982 | Ron Wylie | 1 June 1982 | |
Notts County | Jimmy Sirrel | 8 June 1982 | Howard Wilkinson | 8 June 1982 | ||
Brighton & Hove Albion | Mike Bailey | Sacked | 6 December 1982 | 18th | Jimmy Melia | 6 December 1982 |
Manchester City | John Bond | 3 February 1983 | 9th | John Benson | 3 February 1983 |
Maps
Second Division
Season | 1982–83 |
---|---|
Champions | Queens Park Rangers |
Promoted | Queens Park Rangers Wolverhampton Wanderers Leicester City |
Relegated | Rotherham United Burnley Bolton Wanderers |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,244 (2.69 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Gary Lineker (26 goals)[3] |
← 1981–82 1983–84 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Queens Park Rangers (C, P) | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 77 | 36 | +41 | 85 | Promotion to the First Division |
2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (P) | 42 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 68 | 44 | +24 | 75 | |
3 | Leicester City (P) | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 72 | 44 | +28 | 70 | |
4 | Fulham | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 64 | 47 | +17 | 69 | |
5 | Newcastle United | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 75 | 53 | +22 | 67 | |
6 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 60 | 47 | +13 | 63 | |
7 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 14 | 19 | 9 | 64 | 47 | +17 | 61 | |
8 | Leeds United | 42 | 13 | 21 | 8 | 51 | 46 | +5 | 60 | |
9 | Shrewsbury Town | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 48 | 48 | 0 | 59 | |
10 | Barnsley | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 57 | |
11 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 58 | 58 | 0 | 57 | |
12 | Cambridge United | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 42 | 60 | −18 | 51 | |
13 | Derby County | 42 | 10 | 19 | 13 | 49 | 58 | −9 | 49 | |
14 | Carlisle United | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 68 | 70 | −2 | 48 | |
15 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 48 | |
16 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 46 | 67 | −21 | 48 | |
17 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 63 | 86 | −23 | 48 | |
18 | Chelsea | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 51 | 61 | −10 | 47 | |
19 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 45 | 70 | −25 | 47 | |
20 | Rotherham United (R) | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 45 | 68 | −23 | 45 | Relegation to the Third Division |
21 | Burnley (R) | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 56 | 66 | −10 | 44 | |
22 | Bolton Wanderers (R) | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 42 | 61 | −19 | 44 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
Maps
Third Division
Season | 1982–83 |
---|---|
Champions | |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,617 (2.93 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Kerry Dixon (Reading), 26[3] |
← 1981–82 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Portsmouth | 46 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 22 | +33 | 91 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Cardiff City | 46 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 36 | +26 | 86 | Promoted |
3 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 56 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 31 | +35 | 82 | |
4 | Newport County | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 36 | 34 | +22 | 78 | |
5 | Oxford United | 46 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 41 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 30 | +18 | 78 | |
6 | Lincoln City | 46 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 55 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 29 | +26 | 76 | |
7 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 55 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 29 | 37 | +26 | 75 | |
8 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 37 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 24 | 43 | −5 | 65 | |
9 | Brentford | 46 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 50 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 38 | 49 | +11 | 64 | |
10 | Walsall | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 38 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 26 | 44 | +1 | 64 | |
11 | Sheffield United | 46 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 44 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 18 | 44 | −2 | 64 | |
12 | Bradford City | 46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 41 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 27 | 42 | −1 | 61 | |
13 | Gillingham | 46 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 37 | 29 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 30 | −1 | 61 | |
14 | Bournemouth
|
46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 35 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 24 | 48 | −9 | 61 | |
15 | Southend United | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 41 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 25 | 37 | +1 | 59 | |
16 | Preston North End | 46 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 35 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 25 | 52 | −9 | 58 | |
17 | Millwall | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 24 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 23 | 53 | −13 | 55 | |
18 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 35 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 39 | −12 | 54 | |
19 | Exeter City | 46 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 49 | 43 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 61 | −23 | 54 | |
20 | Orient | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 44 | 38 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 20 | 50 | −24 | 54 | |
21 | Reading | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 37 | 28 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 27 | 51 | −15 | 53 | Relegated |
22 | Wrexham | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 40 | 26 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 50 | −20 | 51 | |
23 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 38 | 44 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 19 | 53 | −40 | 38 | |
24 | Chesterfield | 46 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 28 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 40 | −25 | 37 |
Results
Maps
Fourth Division
Season | 1982–83 |
---|---|
Champions | Wimbledon (1st title) |
Promoted | Hull City, Port Vale, Scunthorpe United |
Failed re-election | None |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,502 (2.72 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Steve Cammack (Scunthorpe United), 25[3] |
← 1981–82 1983–84 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wimbledon | 46 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 57 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 39 | 22 | +51 | 98 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Hull City | 46 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 48 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 27 | 20 | +41 | 90 | Promoted |
3 | Port Vale | 46 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 30 | 18 | +33 | 88 | |
4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 41 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 30 | 25 | +29 | 83 | |
5 | Bury | 46 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 26 | +28 | 81 | |
6 | Colchester United | 46 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 51 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 24 | 36 | +20 | 81 | |
7 | York City | 46 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 59 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 29 | 39 | +30 | 79 | |
8 | Swindon Town | 46 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 45 | 27 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 27 | +7 | 68 | |
9 | Peterborough United | 46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 29 | +6 | 64 | |
10 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 32 | 26 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 29 | 44 | −9 | 61 | |
11 | Halifax Town
|
46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 31 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 28 | 43 | −7 | 60 | |
12 | Torquay United | 46 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 38 | 30 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 35 | −9 | 58 | |
13 | Chester City | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 28 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 27 | 36 | −5 | 56 | |
14 | Bristol City | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 32 | 25 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 27 | 45 | −11 | 56 | |
15 | Northampton Town | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 43 | 29 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 22 | 46 | −10 | 54 | |
16 | Stockport County | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 41 | 31 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 19 | 48 | −19 | 54 | |
17 | Darlington | 46 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 30 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 34 | 41 | −10 | 52 | |
18 | Aldershot | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 40 | 35 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 21 | 47 | −21 | 51 | |
19 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 30 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 19 | 42 | −22 | 50 | |
20 | Rochdale
|
46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 38 | 25 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 48 | −18 | 49 | |
21 | Blackpool | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 32 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 23 | 51 | −19 | 49[a] | Re-elected |
22 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 16 | 52 | −30 | 48 | |
23 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 35 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 18 | 39 | −18 | 41 | |
24 | Hereford United | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 23 | 56 | −37 | 41 |
Notes:
Results
Maps
Election/Re-election to the Football League
This year
Club | Final Position | Votes |
---|---|---|
Blackpool | 21st (Fourth Division) | 52 |
Crewe Alexandra | 23rd (Fourth Division) | 49 |
Hereford United | 24th (Fourth Division) | 49 |
Hartlepool United | 22nd (Fourth Division) | 36 |
Maidstone United | 2nd (Alliance Premier League) | 26 |
As a result of this, all four Football League teams were re-elected, and Maidstone United were denied membership of the League.
See also
References
- ^ "England 1982–83". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ^ 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 2010-10-31.