1983–84 in English football

6 June 1983: Resurgent Portsmouth, newly promoted to the Second Division after winning last season's Third Division title, prepare for their latest challenge by paying a club record £180,000 for Coventry City's 21-year-old striker Mark Hateley.

1 July 1983: Joe Fagan, 62, is appointed as the new manager of Liverpool on a two-year contract following Bob Paisley's retirement after nine years in charge.[1]

1 August 1983: Gerry Francis, former England midfielder, is appointed player-manager of Exeter City.

4 August 1983: Chelsea, who narrowly avoided relegation to the Third Division last season, pay Reading £175,000 for 21-year-old striker Kerry Dixon.

31 August 1983: Notts County, West Ham United, Aston Villa and Arsenal all win their first two matches of the First Division season to lead the table at the end of August. Leicester City, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion lose their first two matches of the season.[2]

3 September 1983: Victory for West Ham against Tottenham preserves the Hammers' 100% record - the only one remaining in the First Division after Arsenal, Aston Villa and Notts County are beaten, by Southampton, Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town respectively.[3]

21 September 1983: England lose 1–0 to Denmark in their European Championship qualifier at Wembley, making qualification for the Finals unlikely.

23 September 1983: Newcastle United boost their Second Division promotion push by signing Peter Beardsley, who was rejected by Manchester United the previous season, in a £150,000 deal from Vancouver Whitecaps.

30 September 1983: With six wins from seven matches, West Ham United are top of the First Division at the end of September, with Manchester United, Southampton, Liverpool and Ipswich Town completing the top five. Leicester City's terrible start to the season sees them prop up the top flight with only a single point from their opening seven games. Wolverhampton Wanderers (winless) and Stoke City (one win) complete the bottom three.[2] Sheffield Wednesday head the race for promotion from the Second Division, followed closely behind by recently relegated Manchester City and a Huddersfield Town side who only won promotion from the Fourth Division four seasons ago. Middlesbrough, Charlton Athletic and Chelsea have also made a good start to the Second Division campaign.[4]

12 October 1983: England keep their faint hopes of European Championship qualification alive by beating Hungary 3–0 in Budapest in their penultimate qualifying game, but Denmark remain top of the group.

20 October 1983: Coventry City sign 21-year-old full-back Stuart Pearce from Alliance Premier League side Wealdstone.

26 October 1983: Giant-killings in the second round of the Football League Cup, as third-tier clubs Oxford United and Wimbledon knock out Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. Elsewhere in round two, Leeds United overcome a 1–0 deficit from the first leg to beat the Football League's basement club Chester City 4–2 on aggregate and Lincoln City win on the night at home to Tottenham Hotspur but lose out on aggregate.[5]

30 October 1983: Strikers Tony Woodcock and Ian Rush each score five as Arsenal and Liverpool crush Aston Villa and Luton Town respectively.[6] Woodcock's haul sets a post-war record at the London club.[7]

31 October 1983: October draws to a close with Manchester United top of the First Division. Liverpool continue their push for a third successive league title as they stand second, while newly promoted Queens Park Rangers occupy third place, level on points with West Ham United, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur. Wolverhampton Wanderers, still without a win after 11 games, remain bottom of the table. Leicester City and Notts County complete the bottom three.[2] Sheffield Wednesday are still top of the Second Division, joined in the top three by Newcastle United and Manchester City. Chelsea, Huddersfield Town and Grimsby Town are pushing them hard for promotion.[8]

1 November 1983: Watford sign 20-year-old striker Mo Johnston from Partick Thistle for £200,000.

16 November 1983: England fail to qualify for the European Championships despite a 4–0 away win over Luxembourg in their final qualifying game, as Denmark win 2–0 in Greece to top the group.

23 November 1983: Watford further boost their ranks with the £150,000 signing of 19-year-old defender David Bardsley from Blackpool.

26 November 1983: Kenny Dalglish scores his 100th competitive goal for Liverpool in a 1-1 league draw against Ipswich Town.[9] Elsewhere, QPR fail to hold on to their lead at fellow Londoners Spurs, who win 3–2 thanks to Mark Falco's double and Steve Archibald's 15th of the season.[10] Meanwhile, in the First Division Notts County beat Aston Villa 5–2, and Burnley are the high scorers of the day, shooting seven without reply in a Division Two match at home to Port Vale.[11]

30 November 1983: Liverpool's bid for a third successive league title is now looking stronger, as they finish November as First Division leaders with a one-point lead over West Ham United and Manchester United. Tottenham Hotspur occupy fourth place, while Luton Town are fifth. Wolverhampton Wanderers, with just one win, are still bottom of the table, with Watford (the previous season's runners-up) and Stoke City completing the bottom three.[2] Sheffield Wednesday are still top of the Second Division, while Newcastle United remain in the top three, with Chelsea overtaking Manchester City to move into third.[12]

1 December 1983: Newcastle United further boost their promotion bid with the £150,000 acquisition of QPR defender Glenn Roeder, while Terry Neill makes a last-ditch attempt to reverse Arsenal's dismal league form by signing 21-year-old Manchester City defender Tommy Caton for £500,000.

10 December 1983: Coventry City achieve one of the most surprising results of the season by defeating league champions Liverpool 4–0 at Highfield Road. Striker Terry Gibson scores a hat-trick.[13]

16 December 1983: Terry Neill is sacked after more than seven years as manager of Arsenal, who occupy 16th place in the First Division.

19 December 1983: Arsenal sell misfit striker Lee Chapman to Sunderland for £200,000.

27 December 1983: Wolves gain their first home win of the season against Everton, while Manchester United throw away a two-goal lead to draw 3–3 with struggling Notts County in a bad-tempered match featuring nine yellow cards for County's cohort.[14]

31 December 1983: The year draws to a close with Liverpool still top of the First Division, with a three-point margin over Manchester United. They are followed by two teams who have never won the league title, West Ham United and Southampton. Nottingham Forest are fifth. At the other end of the table, Wolverhampton Wanderers continue to prop up the top flight having still only achieved three wins this season. Stoke City and Notts County complete the bottom three.[2] Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City occupy the top three places in the Second Division, but Newcastle United are close behind along with surprise promotion contenders Grimsby Town and Carlisle United.[15] At the other end of the table, Leeds United and Derby County, both First Division champions during the 1970s, are hovering just above the relegation zone.[15]

7 January 1984: AFC Bournemouth pull off one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of all time with a 2–0 win over holders Manchester United in the third round. Arsenal, Leicester City and QPR lose to Second Division opponents (Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town respectively), while Manchester City are beaten 2-1 by Fourth Division Blackpool.[16]

29 January 1984: Brighton & Hove Albion knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup for the second season running. In other fourth round ties, Third Division Gillingham hold Everton to a 0-0 draw, Shrewsbury Town beat Ipswich Town 2-1 and Southampton win the South Coast derby against Portsmouth 1-0.[16]

31 January 1984: At the end of January, Liverpool are still top of the First Division, two points ahead of Manchester United, with West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Queens Park Rangers completing the top five. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stoke City and Notts County occupy the bottom three, and Ipswich Town, league runners-up just two seasons earlier, have dropped to 17th. The 1982-83 runners-up Watford have recovered from a poor start to climb to 13th place.[2] Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City continue to lead the way in the Second Division, still pushed hard by Newcastle United, Grimsby Town, Charlton Athletic, Carlisle United and Blackburn Rovers.[17]

14 February 1984: Liverpool reach the final of the Football League Cup for the fourth year in a row after a 4-2 aggregate victory over Third Division Walsall.[18]

18 February 1984: First Division West Bromwich Albion suffer a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Third Division strugglers Plymouth Argyle, who win 1–0 in the fifth round showdown at The Hawthorns.[16]

29 February 1984: England's first international game since their failure to qualify for the European Championship Finals ends in a 2–0 defeat to France in the Parc des Princes. On the club scene, Liverpool continue to top the First Division, with a four-point lead over Manchester United. Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Southampton complete the top five. Wolverhampton Wanderers remain bottom of the table, 13 points adrift of safety with 14 games to go. Notts County are 11 points adrift of safety, and Stoke City complete the bottom three, just behind West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City and Ipswich Town.[2] Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea are level at the top of the Second Division, while Grimsby Town have crept into the top three at the expense of Manchester City.[19]

10 March 1984: Watford and Everton reach the FA Cup semi-finals.[16] Liverpool pay Ipswich Town £450,000 for midfielder John Wark.[20]

14 March 1984: FA Cup surprise package Plymouth Argyle book a semi-final place by beating Derby County 1–0 in the quarter-final replay at the Baseball Ground, four days after the first match ended in a goalless draw at Home Park.[16]

20 March 1984: Southampton become the fourth team to reach the FA Cup semi-finals, thrashing Sheffield Wednesday 5-1 in a quarter-final replay at The Dell.[16]

21 March 1984: Oxford United, heading for promotion glory under Jim Smith in the Third Division, sign high-scoring Newport County striker John Aldridge for £78,000.

25 March 1984: Liverpool and Everton draw 0–0 in the first all-Merseyside Football League Cup final.[18]

28 March 1984: Liverpool win an unprecedented fourth successive Football League Cup by beating Everton 1–0 in the replay at Maine Road.[18]

31 March 1984: Liverpool remain top of the First Division as March draws to a close, but their lead over Manchester United is now just two points. Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Southampton complete the top five. Wolverhampton Wanderers are 14 points adrift of safety, behind Notts County and Ipswich Town, who complete the bottom three. Stoke City and Sunderland are barely clear of the drop zone, while Coventry City, who lost five League matches in March, have also been drawn into the relegation battle.[2] Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United are level at the top of the Second Division on 66 points, six points ahead of Carlisle United.[21]

14 April 1984: Everton defeat Southampton 1–0 at Highbury in the FA Cup semi-finals to reach their first final for 16 years, while Watford reach the FA Cup final for the first time ever with a 1–0 win over giantkilling Plymouth Argyle at Villa Park.[16] Liverpool's lead at the top of the First Division remains at two points as both they and Manchester United suffer surprise defeats, against Stoke City and Notts County respectively.[2]

23 April 1984: Wolverhampton Wanderers' relegation from the First Division is confirmed as they lose 2-0 at Everton.[2]

28 April 1984: Southampton claim the biggest win of the First Division season with an 8-2 thrashing of Coventry City. Liverpool and Manchester United both drop points in draws at home.[2]

30 April 1984: April ends with the First Division title race now virtually a two-horse race between leaders Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool hold a two-point lead with four games remaining. QPR, Southampton and Nottingham Forest complete the top five, ahead of Arsenal and West Ham United. At the other end of the table, Notts County are eight points from safety, and Stoke City, Ipswich Town and out-of-form Birmingham City are amongst the other clubs fighting to avoid relegation alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers.[2] Sheffield Wednesday have sealed their return to the top flight after 14 years away, as have Chelsea after a five-year absence, though the Second Division title has yet to be decided. Newcastle United only need four points from their final three games to be sure of promotion.[22]

7 May 1984: Manchester United's 2–1 defeat by Ipswich Town and Liverpool's 5–0 win over Coventry City give the Anfield club a five-point lead in the First Division with two games left. Notts County draw 0-0 at Sunderland and are relegated, but Stoke City win 1-0 at Luton Town to move level on points with Coventry City and Birmingham City. West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland, Norwich City and Ipswich Town are still not safe from relegation going into the last day of fixtures of the season.[2]

9 May 1984: Tottenham Hotspur draw 1–1 with Anderlecht in the first leg of the UEFA Cup Final in Brussels.

10 May 1984: Ray Wilkins accepts an offer to join AC Milan from Manchester United in a £1.5 million deal.

12 May 1984: Liverpool claim their third successive league title after drawing 0-0 with Notts County. Birmingham City go down as they draw their final match 0-0 with Southampton while Coventry City and Stoke City both win, and join Notts County and Wolverhampton Wanderers in relegation.[2] Newcastle United are promoted to the First Division behind champions Chelsea, and Sheffield Wednesday. Kevin Keegan announces his retirement from playing at the age of 33.[23]

14 May 1984: Alan Mullery departs Crystal Palace, ostensibly "by mutual consent" though Palace players suspect the sack.[24] Meanwhile, Archie Gemmill is one of eight released by Derby County,[25] who will spend their centenary season in the Third Division.[26]

16 May 1984: Nottingham Forest beat Manchester United 2-0 to leapfrog their opponents in second place in the First Division on goal difference.[2]

17 May 1984: In the last match of the First Division season, Southampton beat Notts County 3-1 to finish in second place – the highest finish in their history - while Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and QPR complete the top five and qualify for the UEFA Cup.[2]

19 May 1984: Everton win their first major trophy in 14 years by defeating Watford 2–0 in the FA Cup final with goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray. This given them entry to next season's European Cup Winners' Cup.[27]

21 May 1984: PFA Young Player of the Year Paul Walsh joins Liverpool from Luton Town for £700,000 as manager Joe Fagan lines him up as a potential long-term successor to the 33-year-old Kenny Dalglish.

23 May 1984: Tottenham Hotspur draw 1–1 with Anderlecht in the UEFA Cup final second leg at White Hart Lane, and win 4-3 on penalties to lift the trophy.

25 May 1984: Everton pay Sunderland £425,000 for 22-year-old midfielder Paul Bracewell.

30 May 1984: Liverpool lift the European Cup, beating A.S. Roma 4-2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in Rome. They become the first English team to win three major competitions in the same season.

31 May 1984: Keith Burkinshaw resigns after eight years as manager of Tottenham Hotspur owing to a dispute with the club's board. He is succeeded by Peter Shreeves.

10 June 1984: John Barnes scores a spectacular goal for England in their 2–0 away win over Brazil in a friendly. After Luther Blissett and Mark Chamberlain 18 months previously, he becomes only the third black player to score for the full England team.[28]

12 June 1984: Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness departs for Italian club Sampdoria in a £650,000 deal.

22 June 1984: Coventry City sign 26-year-old goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic from Shrewsbury Town for £72,000.

28 June 1984: AC Milan sign Portsmouth striker Mark Hateley for £915,000.

The England national football team had failed to qualify for Euro 84 but the FA kept faith in manager Bobby Robson. England also performed badly at the 1984 British Home Championship, coming joint second with Wales behind Northern Ireland but only scoring two goals in the process. However, a tour to South America during June instigated to replace the European Championship for the England team was more successful, with a notable victory over Brazil in the Maracana Stadium.

American tour

10 June 1984

Brazil	0–2	England
		John Barnes, Mark Hateley

Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro

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13 June 1984

Uruguay	2–0	England
Luis Acosta (P), Wilmar Cabrera

Centenario Stadium, Montevideo

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17 June 1984

Chile	0–0	England

Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago

Liverpool also won the European Cup, to complete a unique treble of trophies. Keith Burkinshaw resigned after seven years as Tottenham Hotspur manager, and went out on a high after his side won the UEFA Cup.

Everton overcame Watford 2–0 at Wembley to win the FA Cup, with goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray.[27] The biggest shock of the season came in the third round, when AFC Bournemouth beat holders Manchester United 2–0.[16]

Liverpool won their fourth successive League Cup, with a 1–0 win over neighbours Everton in a replay.[18]

The divisional champions of the major non-League competitions were:

• Luton Town's promising young striker Paul Walsh was voted PFA Young Player of the Year, and would soon join Liverpool to team up with Ian Rush – who had been voted both PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.
• Also hitting the headlines were Watford winger John Barnes, Manchester United midfielder Bryan Robson and Everton midfielder Peter Reid.
• Retiring striker Kevin Keegan ended his playing career on a high as he helped Newcastle United gain promotion to the First Division.

• Joe Fagan became the first manager to lead an English club to three major trophies in the same season as he ended his first season as Liverpool manager as league champions, League Cup winners and European Cup winners.
• Howard Kendall won his first major trophy as Everton manager in shape of the FA Cup.
• Keith Burkinshaw resigned from Tottenham at the end of the season but ended his time at the club on a high note by winning the UEFA Cup.
• Lawrie McMenemy guided Southampton to their highest-ever league finish – runners-up in the First Division.
• John Neal guided Chelsea to the Second Division championship with a new-look side, having helped the club narrowly avoid relegation to the Third Division a year earlier.
• Howard Wilkinson brought First Division football back to Sheffield Wednesday just a few seasons after they had narrowly avoided relegation to the Fourth Division.
• Arthur Cox helped Newcastle United return to the First Division before suddenly quitting and moving to fallen giants Derby County in hope of reversing their sharp decline.
• Jim Smith took Oxford United to title glory in the Third Division.
• Dennis Smith took York City to the Fourth Division championship.
• Dave Bassett took Wimbledon into the Second Division in only their seventh season as a Football League club.

29 August 1983: Mark Bowen, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for Tottenham Hotspur in 1–1 draw with Coventry City at White Hart Lane.[30]

12 October 1983: Stuart Pearce, 21-year-old defender, makes his debut for Coventry City in 2–1 win over Queen's Park Rangers at Highfield Road after signing from non-league Wealdstone.[31]

5 November 1983: Tony Adams, 17-year-old defender, makes his debut for Arsenal in a 2-1 home defeat against Sunderland, a month after his 17th birthday.

13 January 1984: Graeme Hogg, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for Manchester United in 1–1 draw with Queen's Park Rangers at Loftus Road.[32]

16 May 1984: Clayton Blackmore, 19-year-old winger/defender, makes his debut for Manchester United in 2–0 defeat by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.[33]

• 31 October 1983: George Smith, 68, played 125 league games at centre-half for Charlton Athletic, Brentford, QPR and Ipswich Town between 1938 and 1950. He was capped once for England and after retirement had spells as manager of four different non-league clubs before serving in the Football League in charge of Crystal Palace and finally a nine-year spell at Portsmouth which ended in 1970. He died at Bodmin, Cornwall.
• 5 December 1983: Les Talbot, 73, played for Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City in the 1930s and finished his playing career in 1947 at Walsall. He then moved to the Netherlands where he managed seven clubs between 1949 and 1972, and stayed there until his death.
• 10 February 1984: Tommy Briggs, 60, scored 256 Football League goals in a 12-year career which began in 1946 and took him from Grimsby Town to Coventry City, and then to Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers before he completed his playing career back at Grimsby.
• 4 April 1984: Frank Mitchell, 61, who was born in Australia but spent his whole playing career in England, made 361 Football League appearances between 1946 and 1958 for Birmingham City, Chelsea and Watford.
• 23 April 1984: Harry Hibbs, 77, kept goal for England 25 times between 1924 and 1939 and also played 358 times for Birmingham City in the Football League. He later managed Walsall for seven years.
• 13 June 1984: Ken Armstrong, 60, wing-half from Chelsea 1955 league title winning team, died in New Zealand, where he had coached the national side for two spells between 1958 and 1980.
• 18 June 1984: Arthur Chandler, 89, was Leicester City's all-time leading goalscorer, finding the net 259 times in the league and 273 in all competitions between 1923 and 1935. He also scored a further 16 league goals for his first club QPR and six for his last club Notts County.