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1966–67 Arsenal F.C. season

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Arsenal
1966–67 season
ChairmanDenis Hill-Wood
ManagerBertie Mee
First Division7th
FA CupFifth Round
League CupThird Round
Top goalscorerLeague:
George Graham (11)

All:
George Graham (12)
Highest home attendance63,563 vs Manchester United (3 March 1967)
Lowest home attendance20,482 vs Sunderland A.F.C. (26 December 1966)

During the 1966–67 English football season, Arsenal Football Club competed in the Football League First Division. Arsenal finished in seventh place in the league and failed to find success in the FA Cup. It was the team's first season participating in the League Cup and they went out in the third round to West Ham.

Prior to the season, Arsenal physiotherapist Bertie Mee was appointed manager. In the transfer business, he brought both George Graham and Bob McNab into the side. He also saw Peter Simpson become a first team regular.

Graham was the top scorer.[1] Don Howe served as club captain but suffered from a broken leg early in the season, featuring in just one game under Mee.[2]

Season summary

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Prior to the 1966-67 season, Bertie Mee had served as Arsenal's physiotherapist for six years. He was appointed manager for an initial 12 months, with an agreement he could revert to his previous position if it didn't work out. Mee's first act in charge was to transfer the sometimes erratic George Eastham to Stoke City.[3][2]

Although Tommy Baldwin scored four goals early in the season in the League Cup, Mee soon swapped him, plus £75,000, for George Graham from Chelsea.[4] Mee then brought in Bob McNab for £50,000 from Huddersfield Town, a then-record for a full back. He went on to be essential in the team for years to come.[5] Mee also purchased Colin Addison from Nottingham Forest, though Addison failed to make an impact.[2][6] Other players came through the club's own system, such as Peter Simpson who became a first team regular.[7]

Mee's first season in charge began with a 3-1 win over Sunderland before beating West Ham, a team with three World Cup players (Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, and Geoff Hurst), 2-1 at home. Arsenal didn't lose until their fifth match, a 3-1 defeat away to Spurs. Arsenal were inconsistent, at one point dropping to sixteenth place. However, they finished the season out with an unbeaten run of 12 games, eventually finishing seventh.[2]

Arsenal entered the League Cup for the first time as it now featured a Wembley final and automatic entry into the Fairs Cup.[8] However, Arsenal began by tying Third Division Gillingham in their first game. After winning the replay 5-0, Arsenal were knocked out by losing 3-1 at home to West Ham.[2] In the FA Cup, Arsenal beat Bristol Rovers and Bolton before being knocked out by Birmingham City.

Final league table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Qualification or relegation
5 Liverpool 42 19 13 10 64 47 1.362 51 Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round
6 Everton 42 19 10 13 65 46 1.413 48
7 Arsenal 42 16 14 12 58 47 1.234 46
8 Leicester City 42 18 8 16 78 71 1.099 44
9 Chelsea 42 15 14 13 67 62 1.081 44
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results

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Arsenal's score comes first[9]

Legend

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Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

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Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
20 August 1966 Sunderland A 3–1
23 August 1966 West Ham United H 2–1
27 August 1966 Aston Villa H 1–0
29 August 1966 West Ham United A 2–2
3 September 1966 Tottenham Hotspur A 1–3
6 September 1966 Sheffield Wednesday H 1–1
10 September 1966 Manchester City A 1–1
17 September 1966 Blackpool H 1–1
24 September 1966 Chelsea A 1–3
1 October 1966 Leicester City H 2–4
8 October 1966 Newcastle United H 2–0
15 October 1966 Leeds United A 1–3
22 October 1966 West Bromwich Albion H 2–3
29 October 1966 Manchester United A 0–1
5 November 1966 Leeds United H 0–1
12 November 1966 Everton A 0–0
19 November 1966 Fulham H 1–0
26 November 1966 Nottingham Forest A 1–2
3 December 1966 Burnley H 0–0
10 December 1966 Sheffield United A 1–1
17 December 1966 Sunderland H 2–0
26 December 1966 Southampton H 4–1
27 December 1966 Southampton A 1–2
31 December 1966 Aston Villa A 1–0
7 January 1967 Tottenham Hotspur H 0–2
14 January 1967 Manchester City H 1–0
21 January 1967 Blackpool A 3–0
4 February 1967 Chelsea H 2–1
11 February 1967 Leicester City A 1–2
25 February 1967 Newcastle United A 1–2
3 March 1967 Manchester United H 1–1
18 March 1967 West Bromwich Albion A 1–0
25 March 1967 Sheffield United H 2–0
27 March 1967 Liverpool A 0–0
28 March 1967 Liverpool H 1–1
1 April 1967 Stoke City A 2–2
19 April 1967 Fulham A 0–0
22 April 1967 Nottingham Forest H 1–1
25 April 1967 Everton H 3–1
29 April 1967 Burnley A 4–1
6 May 1967 Stoke City H 3–1
13 May 1967 Sheffield Wednesday A 1–1

FA Cup

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Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
R3 28 January 1967 Bristol Rovers A 3–0
R4 18 February 1967 Bolton Wanderers A 0–0
R4 R 22 February 1967 Bolton Wanderers H 3–0
R5 11 March 196 Birmingham City A 0–1

League Cup

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Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
R2 13 September 1966 Gillingham H 1–1
R2 R 21 September 1966 Gillingham A 1–1 (aet)
R2 2R 28 September 1966 Gillingham H 5–0
R3 5 October 1966 West Ham United H 1–3

Squad

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[1] 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 Jim Furnell
- DF England ENG David Court
- DF Scotland SCO Ian Ure
- DF England ENG Peter Simpson
- DF Northern Ireland NIR Terry Neill
- DF England ENG Don Howe
- DF England ENG Peter Storey
- DF England ENG Bob McNab
- MF Scotland SCO Frank McLintock
- MF England ENG Alan Tyrer
- MF England ENG George Armstrong
- MF England ENG Jon Sammels
No. Pos. Nation Player
- MF Scotland SCO John Woodward
- MF Scotland SCO Jimmy McGill
- MF Wales WAL Tom Walley
- MF England ENG Alan Skirton
- FW Scotland SCO George Graham
- FW England ENG John Radford
- FW England ENG Colin Addison
- FW England ENG Micky Boot
- FW England ENG David Jenkins
- FW Scotland SCO Gordon Neilson
- FW England ENG Tommy Baldwin
- FW Scotland SCO Tommy Coakley

References

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  1. ^ Arsenal Official Handbook 1967-68. London: Arsenal. 1967. p. 38.
  2. ^ a b c d e Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1995). Arsenal: Official History. London: Hamlyn. pp. 128–130. ISBN 0600588262.
  3. ^ Lawrence, Gary (18 February 2018). "Highbury Hero George Eastham – the Playmaker with the Midas Touch". Gunnerstown. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  4. ^ Attwood, Tony (30 September 2013). "George Graham: the centre forward who became a stroller". The History of Arsenal. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  5. ^ Attwood, Tony (20 July 2012). "Bob McNab: happy birthday to one of Mee's key men". The History of Arsenal. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Colin Addison". Arsenal. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Peter Simpson". Arsenal. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  8. ^ Inglis, Simon (1988). League football and the men who made it. London: Harper Collins. p. 242. ISBN 978-0002182423.
  9. ^ "Arsenal 1970-1971 Results – statto.com". Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2017.