That 1980s Sports Blog
A blog about anything to do with sport in the 1980s.
Tuesday, 17 January 2023
1984 FA Cup Fourth Round: Brighton v Liverpool
Thursday, 12 January 2023
1979/80: Tottenham v Arsenal
Squad rotation is now sadly a pivotal part of the FA Cup third round experience. Each year most Premier League clubs and those in the Championship striving for a slice of the cash cow make sweeping changes to their starting XIs, with the famous old competition suffering as a consequence.
Of course it wasn't always this way. There are a number of tales from the distant past of marathon seasons, cup replay sagas, and players out on their feet as managers without the luxury of vast squads attempted to drain every drop of energy from their reserves.
Wednesday, 4 January 2023
1986 FA Cup Third Round: Birmingham v Altrincham
It was a fitting chapter in the shambolic story of Birmingham City's 1985/86 season. When Gola League Altrincham visited St Andrew's in the 1986 FA Cup Third Round and left victorious, it says a lot about the state of the First Division side that it was not a huge shock. On and off the pitch, Birmingham City were spiralling out of control.
Manager Ron Saunders had predicted the trouble ahead. After leading the club to promotion in the previous campaign, the former Aston Villa boss urged chairman Keith Coombs to spend some money, otherwise the club faced an instant return to the Second Division.
Thursday, 10 November 2022
1983/84: Wolves v Arsenal
This is an edited version of my original article that appeared in issue 286 of The Gooner.
The 1980s may not have been kind to Arsenal fans, but there was a reason to be cheerful as the summer of 1983 progressed. Optimism and anticipation; hopes and expectations; and all because a certain 21-year-old Scottish centre forward had chosen Highbury as his new home.
It was clear to comprehend why Charlie Nicholas was seen as the hottest property in British football. Scoring 48 goals for Celtic in the previous campaign, it was inevitable that the English vultures would circle. Yet his final destination was far less predictable.
Monday, 17 October 2022
1986/87: Manchester United v Tottenham
Monday, 10 October 2022
1980/81: Leeds United v Arsenal
Wednesday, 5 October 2022
1986/87: Clive Allen
As Erling Haaland threatens to break every goal scoring record that exists, a few questions hang in the air. Can he score over 40 league goals in the season? How many hat-tricks will he score? Will he surpass Dixie Dean's mark of 60 league goals scored in the 1927/28 season? Is he a robot?
Surely even Haaland cannot break Dean's record? But it would not be a complete surprise if the Norwegian manages to exceed the exploits of a notable season in the career of Clive Allen. The 1986/87 campaign would see the Tottenham forward score 49 goals in all competitions, as the club under the new management of David Pleat chased a domestic treble.