| 1971–72 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Denis Hill-Wood | ||
| Manager | Bertie Mee | ||
| First Division | 5th | ||
| FA Cup | Runners-up | ||
| League Cup | Fourth round | ||
| European Cup | Quarter-finals | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Ray Kennedy (12) All: Ray Kennedy (19) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 63,077Derby County (29 February 1972) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 27,172Southampton (28 March 1972) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 40,500 | ||
The1971–72season wasArsenal Football Club's 46th consecutive season in theFootball League First Division. Arsenal finished fifth in the league.
In Cup play, Arsenal featured for the first time in theEuropean Cup, but went out to defending championsAjax in the quarterfinals. Arsenal were knocked out of theLeague Cup in the fourth round bySheffield United. In theFA Cup, Arsenal reached the final, their fifth cup final in five years. However, the team couldn't follow up on the previous year's victory and lost 1-0 toLeeds United.
Ray Kennedy was the top scorer in both the league and in all competitions.Frank McLintock served as captain.
In June 1971, the club saw the exit ofDon Howe as managerBertie Mee's hands-on coach. He was replaced withSteve Burtenshaw. In December, midfielderAlan Ball joined Arsenal to strengthen the squad.
Following up the1970-71 Double was always going to be difficult. On June 15, that proposition was made even harder by the departure of Don Howe, the hands-on second-in-command to Bertie Mee who was widely considered the originator of the Double. Howe accepted an offer to become the manager of West Brom.[1] Two other Arsenal staff, George Wright and youth coachBrian Whitehouse, also moved to West Brom. Steve Burtenshaw was appointed to Howe's previous position.[2] Arsenal's only other summer transfer news was thatJon Sammels left the club forLeicester City at a price of £100,000.[3]
Arsenal began the season with a convincing win overChelsea, followed up by beatingHuddersfield.[3] The dynamicCharlie George missed the opening of the season with cartilage trouble. However, Arsenal's fortunes soon turned and they were defeated three times in a row, including a loss to newly promotedSheffield United at home, Arsenal's first loss atHighbury in 19 months.[2][3]
Arsenal's inconsistencies prevented them from being serious title contenders. Injuries leftJohn Radford, Charlie George,Peter Marinello, andBob McNab out of the squad for parts of the seasons, and other players such asPeter Simpson andPeter Storey suffered from poor form. In December, Mee paid a Football League record fee of £200,000 forEverton's Alan Ball in order to strengthen the squad.[4] Despite some of these issues, midway through the season, Arsenal went on a 14-match unbeaten run after a dismal 5-1 loss toWolves.[4] The run left them just four points from the top. However, they were to find rather less success with the rest of the season. They still affected the title race, as a 0-0 draw withLiverpool in the penultimate game of the season handed the league championship toDerby County. Arsenal ended the season with a 2-0 home defeat toTottenham and finished fifth.
Arsenal featured in the European Cup for the first time, reaching the quarterfinals. Ball joined the team too late to be eligible for Arsenal's quarterfinal matchup. After beatingStroemsgodset 3-1 in their first game and 4-0 at home in the next, Arsenal facedGrasshopper Club Zurich, winning 5-0 on aggregate.[3] Arsenal faced European Cup holders Ajax in the quarterfinals, playing againstJohan Cruyff and other great young players. They lost 2-1 away, meaning a 1-0 victory at home would take Arsenal to the semifinals. Instead, Arsenal lost 1-0 thanks to aGeorge Graham own goal.[2]
New signing Ball was especially influential in Arsenal's FA Cup run. FacingSwindon in the third round, Ball provided first a goal and assist to help Arsenal ease past their opponents. Arsenal then muddled 2-1 away pastFourth DivisionReading.[5]Derby County in the fifth round took three games. The first was a 2-2 tie away at theBaseball Ground in which George netted twice, the field described as a "bog" and the game extremely tough.[5] Then, the two teams tied 0-0 at Highbury. Arsenal won the second replay with a goal from Kennedy. In the quarterfinals, Arsenal facedOrient and beat them 1-0 away.[2]
Arsenal's semifinal opponents were againStoke City, with Arsenal fielding nearly an unchanged side from the same game the year before. Ball was included in place of Kennedy, all other starters from the previous season remained. After Armstrong opened the scoring, Arsenal's goalkeeperBob Wilson was injured but left on the field. A mistake from Simpson trying to protect his goalkeeper led to an own goal and a tie. Wilson was pulled off the field for Kennedy, and Radford took to the goal to help his team stay in the Cup. Arsenal beat Stoke in the replay with goals from George and Radford, and faced Leeds United in the final. It was a tough match atWembley, in front of theQueen andPrince Philip. Arsenal were outplayed and lost due to a headed goal fromAllan Clarke.[2][5]
Arsenal followed up their stellar Double season with disappointment in a fifth-place league finish and finalists medals in the FA Cup. The FA Cup final had been their fifth Cup final in five years.[2]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 30 | 2.133 | 57 | Qualification for theUEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Manchester City | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 77 | 45 | 1.711 | 57 | |
| 5 | Arsenal | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 58 | 40 | 1.450 | 52 | |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 63 | 42 | 1.500 | 51 | Qualification for theUEFA Cup first round[a] |
| 7 | Chelsea | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 58 | 49 | 1.184 | 48 |
Arsenal's score comes first[6]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 August 1971 | Chelsea | H | 3–0 | 49,174 | Kennedy,McLintock,Radford |
| 17 August 1971 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1–0 | 21,279 | Kennedy |
| 20 August 1971 | Manchester United | A | 1–3 | 27,649 | McLintock |
| 24 August 1971 | Sheffield United | H | 0–1 | 45,395 | |
| 28 August 1971 | Stoke City | H | 0–1 | 37,637 | |
| 4 September 1971 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–0 | 29,922 | Roberts |
| 11 September 1971 | Leeds United | H | 2–0 | 51,196 | Graham,Storey (pen.) |
| 18 September 1971 | Everton | A | 1–2 | 39,710 | Kennedy |
| 25 September 1971 | Leicester City | H | 3–0 | 40,201 | Radford (2),Rice |
| 2 October 1971 | Southampton | A | 1–0 | 23,738 | Simpson |
| 9 October 1971 | Newcastle United | H | 4–2 | 40,509 | Armstrong,Graham,Kennedy,Kelly |
| 16 October 1971 | Chelsea | A | 2–1 | 52,338 | Kennedy (2) |
| 23 October 1971 | Derby County | A | 1–2 | 36,480 | Graham |
| 30 October 1971 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–1 | 39,065 | George, (o.g.) |
| 6 November 1971 | Liverpool | A | 2–3 | 46,929 | Kennedy, (o.g.) |
| 13 November 1971 | Manchester City | H | 1–2 | 47,443 | Nelson |
| 20 November 1971 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–5 | 28,851 | Kennedy |
| 24 November 1971 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 52,884 | Kennedy |
| 27 November 1971 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–1 | 32,461 | Radford,Kelly |
| 4 December 1971 | West Ham United | A | 0–0 | 35,155 | |
| 11 December 1971 | Coventry City | H | 2–0 | 28,597 | Radford (2) |
| 18 December 1971 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–0 | 28,177 | Roberts (2) |
| 27 December 1971 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–1 | 42,750 | Graham |
| 1 January 1972 | Everton | H | 1–1 | 47,031 | Simpson |
| 8 January 1972 | Stoke City | A | 0–0 | 18,965 | |
| 22 January 1972 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–0 | 36,670 | Armstrong |
| 29 January 1972 | Sheffield United | A | 5–0 | 30,778 | George (2),Graham,Kennedy,Simpson |
| 12 February 1972 | Derby County | H | 2–0 | 52,055 | George (2; 1pen.) |
| 19 February 1972 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–0 | 28,657 | George |
| 4 March 1972 | Manchester City | A | 0–2 | 44,213 | |
| 11 March 1972 | Newcastle United | A | 0–2 | 33,907 | |
| 25 March 1972 | Leeds United | A | 0–3 | 45,055 | |
| 28 March 1972 | Southampton | H | 1–0 | 27,172 | Marinello |
| 1 April 1972 | Nottingham Forest | H | 3–0 | 33,895 | George (pen.),Kennedy,Graham |
| 4 April 1972 | Leicester City | A | 0–0 | 27,431 | |
| 8 April 1972 | Wolerhampton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | 38,189 | Graham (2) |
| 11 April 1972 | Crystal Palace | A | 2–2 | 34,384 | Ball,Radford |
| 22 April 1972 | West Ham United | H | 2–1 | 42,251 | Ball (2) |
| 25 April 1972 | Manchester United | H | 3–0 | 49,125 | Kennedy,Radford,Simpson |
| 1 May 1972 | Coventry City | A | 1–0 | 23,509 | McLintock |
| 8 May 1972 | Liverpool | H | 0–0 | 39,289 | |
| 11 May 1972 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–2 | 42,038 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 15 January 1972 | Swindon Town | A | 2–0 | 32,000 | Armstrong,Ball |
| R4 | 5 February 1972 | Reading | A | 2–1 | 25,756 | Rice, (o.g.) |
| R5 | 26 February 1972 | Derby County | A | 2–2 | 39,622 | George (2) |
| R5 R | 29 February 1972 | Derby County | H | 0–0 | 63,077 | |
| R5 2R | 13 March 1972 | Derby County | N | 1–0 | 40,000 | Kennedy |
| R6 | 18 March 1972 | Orient | A | 1–0 | 31,768 | Ball |
| SF | 15 April 1972 | Stoke City | N | 1–1 | 56,576 | Armstrong |
| SF R | 19 April 1972 | Stoke City | N | 2–1 | 38,970 | George,Radford |
| F | 6 May 1972 | Leeds United | N | 0–1 | 100,000 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | 8 September 1971 | Barnsley | H | 1–0 | 27,294 | Kennedy |
| R3 | 6 October 1971 | Newcastle United | H | 4–0 | 34,071 | Graham,Kennedy,Radford (2) |
| R4 | 26 October 1971 | Sheffield United | H | 0–0 | 44,061 | |
| R4 R | 8 November 1971 | Sheffield United | A | 0–2 | 35,461 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 L1 | 15 September 1971 |  Strømsgodset | A | 3–1 | 23,000 | Marinello,Simpson,Kelly |
| R2 L2 | 29 September 1971 | Strømsgodset | H | 4–0 | 27,176 | Armstrong,Kennedy,Radford (2) |
| R3 | 20 October 1971 |  Grasshopper | A | 2–0 | 23,000 | Graham,Kennedy |
| R3 | 3 November 1971 | Grasshopper | H | 3–0 | 31,105 | George,Kennedy,Radford |
| R4 | 8 March 1972 |  Ajax | A | 1–2 | 63,000 | Kennedy |
| R4 R | 22 March 1972 | Ajax | H | 0–1 | 56,155 |
[1]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
