1983–84 Arsenal F.C. season

The 1983–84 season was Arsenal Football Club's 58th consecutive season in the top flight of English football.[1][2] Arsenal finished sixth in the Football League First Division.

Arsenal F.C.
1983–84 season
ChairmanPeter Hill-Wood
ManagerTerry Neill (to 16 December)
Don Howe (caretaker manager)
First Division6th
FA CupThird round
League CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague: Tony Woodcock (21)
All: Tony Woodcock (22)

Charlie Nicholas was brought to Arsenal from Celtic. However, he did not immediately perform. Paul Mariner was also bought to bolster the club in the latter half of the season. Tony Woodcock remained Arsenal's top scorer. Graham Rix assumed the captaincy from David O'Leary.[3]

Arsenal were knocked out of the League Cup at home by Walsall. After a run of dismal league results including five losses in six games, manager Terry Neill was sacked on 16 December 1983. He was succeeded by his assistant Don Howe.

Season summary

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The 1983-84 season was Terry Neill’s final season as the Gunners manager. Neill had persuaded Scottish starlet Charlie Nicholas to spurn the advances of Liverpool and move to London in time for the 1983-84 season in a club-record signing from Celtic. Nicholas cost £650,000 and was reportedly the highest paid footballer in Britain.[4] The move wasn’t an immediate success, however, and by December Nicholas had only scored twice.[5]

Arsenal were knocked out of the League Cup at home by Walsall, a repeat of Wallsall's giant-killing act of 1933. Terry Neill, already under pressure due to early losses to Manchester United and Liverpool at home, had overseen a series of inconsistent results in the league. With Arsenal 16th in the table, a 1-0 loss at home to West Bromwich Albion led to "Neill Out" demonstrations by the supporters outside the ground. After Arsenal lost 3-1 away at West Ham, on 16 December 1983 the club did the inevitable and sacked Neill.[6][4]

Don Howe first became caretaker-manager, and became permanent manager after the game against Leicester on 28 April 1984, following a run of five wins and two draws in the last seven games. Arsenal were 6th – the highest position they had held that season after the second match of the season.[7] Howe also brought Paul Mariner to Highbury in February 1984 for £150,000. Mariner scored seven times in the final fifteen games of the season.

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   NIR Pat Jennings
DF   NIR Colin Hill
DF   ENG Kenny Sansom
MF   ENG Brian Talbot
DF   IRL David O'Leary
DF   ENG Tommy Caton
MF   ENG Stewart Robson
MF   ENG Paul Davis
FW   SCO Charlie Nicholas
FW   ENG Tony Woodcock
MF   ENG Graham Rix
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW   ENG Paul Mariner
DF   ENG Chris Whyte
FW   ENG Alan Sunderland
FW   ENG Raphael Meade
MF   ENG Ian Allinson
MF   ENG Brian McDermott
DF   ENG John Kay
FW   ENG David Cork
GK   ENG John Lukic
FW   ENG Lee Chapman
DF   ENG Tony Adams
MF   ENG Dave Madden
DF   ENG Brian Sparrow
MF   IRL Paul Gorman

Top scorers

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First Division

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Results

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First Division

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
4 Manchester United 42 20 14 8 71 41 +30 74 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5 Queens Park Rangers 42 22 7 13 67 37 +30 73
6 Arsenal 42 18 9 15 74 60 +14 63
7 Everton 42 16 14 12 44 42 +2 62 Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
8 Tottenham Hotspur 42 17 10 15 64 65 −1 61 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[b]
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ^ Everton qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1983–84 FA Cup winners.
  2. ^ Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as the 1983–84 UEFA Cup winners.
27 August 1983 1 Arsenal 2–1 Luton Town London
Woodcock
McDermott
Robson (o.g.) Stadium: Highbury
29 August 1983 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–2 Arsenal Wolverhampton
Clarke 3' Nicholas (2) 25', pen 81' Stadium: Molineux
3 September 1983 3 Southampton 1–0 Arsenal Southampton
Baird Stadium: The Dell
6 September 1983 4 Arsenal 2–3 Manchester United London
Woodcock 3', Talbot 88' Moran 8', Stapleton 14', B. Robson 40' Stadium: Highbury
10 September 1983 5 Arsenal 0–2 Liverpool London
Johnston 17'
Dalglish 67'
Stadium: Highbury
17 September 1983 6 Notts County 0–4 Arsenal Nottingham
Rix 1'
Hunt (o.g.) 42'
Talbot 48'
Woodcock 83'
Stadium: Meadow Lane
24 September 1983 7 Arsenal 3–0 Norwich City London
Chapman
Sunderland (2)
Stadium: Highbury
1 October 1983 8 Queen's Park Rangers 2–0 Arsenal London
Gregory
Neill
Stadium: Loftus Road
15 October 1983 9 Arsenal 0–1 Coventry City London
Bamber Stadium: Highbury
22 October 1983 10 Arsenal 4–1 Nottingham Forest London
Sunderland 7'
Hill 23'
Woodcock (2) 66', 76'
Davenport pen 64' Stadium: Highbury
29 October 1983 11 Aston Villa 2–6 Arsenal Birmingham
Morley
Evans pen
Woodcock (5)
McDermott
Stadium: Villa Park
5 November 1983 12 Arsenal 1–2 Sunderland London
Woodcock 59' West 3'
Atkins 56'
Stadium: Highbury
12 November 1983 13 Ipswich Town 1–0 Arsenal Ipswich
Gates Stadium: Portman Road
19 November 1983 14 Arsenal 2–1 Everton London
Sunderland 29'
Robson 35'
King pen 41' Stadium: Highbury
3 December 1983 16 Arsenal 0–1 West Bromwich Albion London
Monaghan Stadium: Highbury
10 December 1983 17 West Ham United 3–1 Arsenal London
Brooking
Whyte (o.g.)
Pike
Whyte Stadium: Upton Park
17 December 1983 18 Arsenal 3–1 Watford London
Meade (3) Johnston Stadium: Highbury
26 December 1983 19 Tottenham Hotspur 2–4 Arsenal London
Roberts 37'
Archibald 50'
Nicholas (2) 26', 49'
Meade (2) 74', 86'
Stadium: White Hart Lane
27 December 1983 20 Arsenal 1–1 Birmingham City London
Nicholas (pen) Hopkins Stadium: Highbury
31 December 1983 21 Arsenal 2–2 Southampton London
Cork
Nicholas pen
Moran (2) Stadium: Highbury
2 January 1984 22 Norwich City 1–1 Arsenal Norwich
Deehan Woodcock Stadium: Carrow Road
14 January 1984 23 Luton Town 1–2 Arsenal Luton
Kay (o.g.) Sansom
Woodcock
Stadium: Kenilworth Road
21 January 1984 24 Arsenal 1–1 Notts County London
Nicholas 16' Chiedozie 57' Stadium: Highbury
28 January 1984 25 Stoke City 1–0 Arsenal Stoke-on-Trent
Maguire (pen) 75' Stadium: Victoria Ground
11 February 1984 27 Liverpool 2–1 Arsenal Liverpool
Kennedy 12'
Neal 78'
Rix 45' Stadium: Anfield
18 February 1984 28 Arsenal 1–1 Aston Villa London
Rix Evans pen Stadium: Highbury
25 February 1984 29 Nottingham Forest 0–1 Arsenal Nottingham
Mariner 88' Stadium: City Ground
3 March 1984 30 Sunderland 2–2 Arsenal Sunderland
Proctor 7'
Rowell pen 89'
Nicholas pen 11'
Woodcock 46'
Stadium: Roker Park
10 March 1984 31 Arsenal 4–1 Ipswich Town London
Mariner (2)
Talbot
Woodcock
Gates Stadium: Highbury
17 March 1984 32 Manchester United 4–0 Arsenal Manchester
Mühren (2) pen 10', 44'
Stapleton 63'
B. Robson 89'
Stadium: Old Trafford
24 March 1984 33 Arsenal 4–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
Woodcock 26'
Rix 34'
Nicholas pen 60'
Robson 84'
McGarvey 71' Stadium: Highbury
31 March 1984 34 Coventry City 1–4 Arsenal Coventry
Bennett Whyte
Robson
Talbot
Mariner
Stadium: Highfield Road
7 April 1984 35 Arsenal 3–1 Stoke City London
Nicholas
Mariner
Woodcock
Chamberlain 70' Stadium: Highbury
9 April 1984 36 Everton 0–0 Arsenal Liverpool
Stadium: Goodison Park
21 April 1984 37 Arsenal 3–2 Tottenham Hotspur London
Robson
Nicholas
Woodcock
Archibald (2) Stadium: Highbury
23 April 1984 38 Birmingham City 1–1 Arsenal Birmingham
Kuhl Woodcock Stadium: St Andrew's
28 April 1984 39 Arsenal 2–1 Leicester City London
Woodcock
Davis
Lineker Stadium: Highbury
5 May 1984 40 West Bromwich Albion 1–3 Arsenal West Bromwich
Thompson Talbot
Mariner
Robson
Stadium: The Hawthorns
7 May 1984 41 Arsenal 3–3 West Ham United London
Talbot
Woodcock
Mariner
Whitton (2)
Hilton
Stadium: Highbury
12 May 1984 42 Watford 2–1 Arsenal London
Johnston
Reilly
Robson Stadium: Vicarage Road

Football League Cup

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4 October 1983 Second round
(1st Leg)
Plymouth Argyle 1–1 Arsenal Plymouth
Stadium: Home Park
25 October 1983 Second round
(2nd Leg)
Arsenal 1–0
(2–1 agg.)
Plymouth Argyle London
Stadium: Highbury
9 November 1983 Third round Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 Arsenal London
Stadium: White Hart Lane
29 November 1983 Fourth round Arsenal 1–2 Walsall 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 Middlesbrough.

7 January 1984 Third round Middlesbrough 3–2 Arsenal Middlesbrough
MacDonald   5'
Sugrue   60'
Baxter   70'
Woodcock   13'
Nicholas   64'
Stadium: Ayresome Park
Attendance: 17,813

References

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  1. ^ James, Josh (18 June 2013). "All-time Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. ^ Ross, James; Heneghan, Michael; Orford, Stuart; Culliton, Eoin (25 August 2016). "English Clubs Divisional Movements 1888–2016". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  3. ^ Kelly, Andy (17 November 2014). "Arsenal's captains from day one". The Arsenal History. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1986). Arsenal 1886-1986: the official centenary history of Arsenal Football Club. Twickenham: Hamlyn. pp. 244–248. ISBN 9780600358718.
  5. ^ "terry-neill-managing-enigma". 1 April 2022.
  6. ^ Gunnerstown 2016.
  7. ^ Spurling, Jon (2001). All Guns Blazing: Arsenal in the 1980's. Aureus Publishing.
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