Arsenal
1969–70 season
ChairmanDenis Hill-Wood
ManagerBertie Mee
First Division12th
FA CupThird round
League CupThird round
Inter-Cities Fairs CupWinners
Top goalscorerLeague:
John Radford (12)
All:
John Radford (19)
Highest home attendance59,498 vs Manchester United (20 September 1969)
Lowest home attendance21,165 vs West Bromwich Albion (7 October 1969)
Average home league attendance35,758

During the 1969–70 English football season, Arsenal F.C. competed in the Football League First Division. Arsenal finished twelfth in the league. However, the team won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, their first European trophy and first silverware in 17 years. Arsenal beat Ajax in the semifinals and Anderlecht in the finals to raise the trophy.

Arsenal were knocked out in the third round of both the FA Cup and the League Cup.

John Radford was again the top scorer in both the league and all competitions.[1] Frank McLintock served as captain.[2]

Season summary

Arsenal began the 1969-70 season by altering their socks from white and blue stripes to red with a white band on the top.[3] Along with minor design changes, Arsenal soon saw the departure of defender Ian Ure as he was sold to Manchester United for ₤80,000.[4] Mee brought in John Roberts as a potential successor.[5] Goalkeeper Geoff Barnett was bought from Everton as well.[6] Bobby Gould was mostly sidelined to the reserves until he was bought by Wolves midway through the season.[7]

The season opener, a 1-0 home defeat to Everton, saw the debut of 18-year-old Charlie George. George saw his first League goal come in the third match at West Brom. 17-year-old Ray Kennedy also began to feature for Arsenal throughout the season.

Arsenal played in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, having finished fourth in the League the previous season (and first out of the London teams). By the time the cup started, Arsenal had played just eight league games, scoring six goals and winning two matches.[5] However, Arsenal made it past Glentoran in their first tie of the Fairs Cup; however, in the first round, second leg of that matchup, George was sent off for dissent. In the next round against Sporting Lisbon, Barnett saved a penalty and Arsenal kept a clean sheet to win 3-0.

Arsenal, now that Graham had moved to midfield and George had been sent down to the reserves after his sending-off, struggled to find a regular goalscorer. The defense also took time to adjust to the loss of Ure, with Terry Neill, John Roberts, and Frank McLintock all featuring in the center. Captain McLintock eventually solidified himself at centre-half, having previously played wing-half.[7] The struggling team went ten matches without a win before winning 5-1 over Crystal Palace.[7]

In the winter, 19-year-old Peter Marinello joined Arsenal for ₤100,000 and scored in his first appearance against Manchester United. It was his only goal in fourteen games.[5] Jimmy Robertson was soon released to Ipswich.[8] Arsenal faced Rouen in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and managed to break through with a late goal from Jon Sammels. Arsenal, playing four games in a week, then faced Blackpool in the FA Cup and lost 3-2 after leading by two at half, the end of that cup run for the season and the last appearance as a player for Terry Neill.[5] Such failure was compounded by a 3-0 defeat at home to Chelsea, a match which featured Ray Kennedy's full debut. However, all Arsenal's focus were on their European campaign. They beat Dinamo Bacau 2-0 away and then slammed then 7-1 at home, with Eddie Kelly finding his feet.[7]

Arsenal faced European Cup winners Ajax in the semi-finals, a tough matchup against a team which included Johan Cruyff and Rudi Krol among their stars. The first match was at home and featured two goals from George: a long-range shot and a converted penalty. Sammels also contributed a goal, leaving the scoreline at 3-0 to Arsenal. Traveling to Amsterdam, Arsenal restricted Ajax to just one goal, meaning Arsenal were through to the finals.[7]

Arsenal faced Anderlecht in the final, their talented forward Jan Mulder a major threat to Arsenal's defense. After going down 3-0 with Mulder scoring twice against goalkeeper Bob Wilson, Kennedy came on for George and managed to nab one back. McLintock, initially extremely disappointed about the possibility of losing yet another cup final, rallied the dressing room. He believed that Arsenal could exploit Anderlecth's vulnerable defense in the home match at Highbury. In the return match, Arsenal performed admirably and with great energy. Kelly scored a valuable first goal before John Radford found space in the air to head Arsenal's second. Arsenal, ahead on the away-goals rule, had no room to rest as Mulder hit the post. Finally, Sammels added a third goal and Arsenal had won their first European trophy and their first trophy in seventeen years.[5][7]

The 1970 World Cup meant that the season was compressed to finish in April. Arsenal finished a distant twelfth, having focused on their run in European competition. Manager Bertie Mee had players returning from injury, and players he could trust to take Arsenal to the next level for the upcoming season.[5] Although the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was an achievement, it was soon to be overshadowed by the Double which was still to come.

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Qualification or relegation
10 Manchester City 42 16 11 15 55 48 1.146 43 Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round[lower-alpha 1]
11 Tottenham Hotspur 42 17 9 16 54 55 0.982 43
12 Arsenal 42 12 18 12 51 49 1.041 42 Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round
13 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 12 16 14 55 57 0.965 40
14 Burnley 42 12 15 15 56 61 0.918 39
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ↑ Manchester City qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1969-70 European Cup Winners' Cup winners.

Results

Arsenal's score comes first[9]

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
9 August 1969EvertonH0–144,364
13 August 1969Leeds UnitedA0–037,164
16 August 1969West Bromwich AlbionA1–032,215George
19 August 1969Leeds UnitedH1–144,923Rice
23 August 1969Nottingham ForestH2–130,290Graham, McNab
25 August 1969West Ham UnitedA1–139,590(o.g.)
30 August 1969Newcastle UnitedA1–347,208Robertson
6 September 1969Sheffield WednesdayH0–028,605
13 September 1969BurnleyA1–014,721Graham
16 September 1969Tottenham HotspurH2–355,280Radford, Robertson
20 September 1969Manchester UnitedH2–259,498Graham, Sammels
27 September 1969ChelseaA0–346,370
4 October 1969Coventry CityH0–128,977
7 October 1969West Bromwich AlbionH1–121,165Radford
11 October 1969Stoke CityA0–025,801
18 October 1969SunderlandA1–117,864Sammels
25 October 1969Ipswich TownH0–022,458
1 November 1969Crystal PalaceA5–134,894Radford (3), Armstrong, Graham
8 November 1969Derby CountyH4–049,763Armstrong, Sammels (2), George
15 November 1969Wolverhampton WanderersA0–226,796
22 November 1969Manchester CityH1–142,923Neill (pen.)
29 November 1969LiverpoolA1–040,295Robertson
6 December 1969SouthamptonH2–224,509Radford, Sammels
13 December 1969BurnleyH3–221,404Armstrong, Radford, Robertson
20 December 1969Sheffield WednesdayA1–117,101Sammels
26 December 1969Nottingham ForestA1–138,915McNab
27 December 1969Newcastle UnitedH0–039,646
10 January 1970Manchester UnitedA1–241,055Marinello
17 January 1970ChelseaH0–351,338
31 January 1970Coventry CityA0–231,661
7 February 1970Stoke CityH0–026,363
14 February 1970EvertonA2–248,564George, Radford
18 February 1970Manchester CityA1–125,508Graham
21 February 1970Derby CountyA2–332,584Radford, Roberts
28 February 1970SunderlandH3–121,826Kennedy, Storey (pen.), Kelly
14 March 1970LiverpoolH2–132,333Radford, Sammels
21 March 1970SouthamptonA2–023,902George, Sammels
28 March 1970Wolverhampton WanderersH2–232,353Graham (2)
30 March 1970Crystal PalaceH2–034,144George, Radford
31 March 1970Ipswich TownA1–225,713George
4 April 1970West Ham UnitedH2–136,218Radford, Kelly
2 May 1970Tottenham HotspurA0–146,969

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R33 January 1970BlackpoolH1–132,210Radford
R3 R15 January 1970BlackpoolA2–324,801Radford, Sammels

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R22 September 1969SouthamptonA1–121,111McNab
R2 R4 September 1969SouthamptonH2–0 (aet)26,362Graham (2)
R324 September 1969EvertonH0–036,102
R3 R30 September 1969EvertonA0–141,140

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R1 L19 September 1969Northern Ireland GlentoranH3–024,292Gould, Graham (2)
R1 L229 September 1969Northern Ireland GlentoranA0–113,000
R2 L129 October 1969Portugal Sporting Clube de PortugalA0–040,000
R2 L226 November 1969Portugal Sporting Clube de PortugalH3–035,253Graham (2), Radford
R3 L117 December 1969France RouenA0–012,093
R3 L213 January 1970France RouenH1–038,018Sammels
QF L111 March 1970Romania Dinamo BacăuA2–020,000Radford, Sammels
QF L218 March 1970Romania Dinamo BacăuH7–135,342George (2), Graham, Radford (2), Sammels (2)
SF L18 April 1970Netherlands AjaxH3–046,271George (2), Sammels
SF L215 April 1970Netherlands AjaxA0–132,000
F L122 April 1970Belgium AnderlechtA1–337,000Kennedy
F L228 April 1970Belgium AnderlechtH3–051,612Kelly, Radford, Sammels

Squad

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 Scotland SCO Bob Wilson
- GK England ENG Geoff Barnett
- GK England ENG Malcolm Webster
- DF Northern Ireland NIR Pat Rice
- DF Scotland SCO Frank McLintock
- DF England ENG Peter Simpson
- DF England ENG Bob McNab
- DF Northern Ireland NIR Sammy Nelson
- DF Northern Ireland NIR Terry Neill
- DF Scotland SCO Ian Ure
- DF Wales WAL John Roberts
No. Pos. Nation Player
- MF England ENG George Armstrong
- MF Scotland SCO George Graham
- MF England ENG Jon Sammels
- MF England ENG Peter Storey
- MF Scotland SCO Eddie Kelly
- MF England ENG David Court
- FW England ENG Ray Kennedy
- FW England ENG John Radford
- FW England ENG Charlie George
- FW England ENG Bobby Gould
- FW Scotland SCO Peter Marinello

References

  1. ↑ Arsenal Official Handbook 1970-71. London: Arsenal. 1969. p. 38.
  2. ↑ Kelly, Andy (17 November 2014). "Arsenal's captains from day one". The Arsenal History. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Arsenal home kit". Arsenal. 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  4. ↑ Attwood, Tony (7 December 2013). "Ian Ure; a player unjustly condemned?". The History of Arsenal. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Attwood, Tony (5 November 2015). "Arsenal in the 70s, part 1: the re-birth of the club. 1969/70". The History of Arsenal. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "Geoff Barnett". Arsenal. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1995). Arsenal: Official History. London: Hamlyn. pp. 133–136. ISBN 0600588262.
  8. ↑ "Jimmy Robertson". ARsenal. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Arsenal results for the 1969-1970 season – Statto.com". Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.