The 1971/72 season was for Manchester United the 70th season in the Football League and the 27th consecutive season in the top division of the championship of England [1] .
 Manchester United | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| general information | ||||
| Season | 1971/1972 | |||
| Trainer |  Frank O'Farrell | |||
| The chairman | Louis Edwards | |||
| Captain | Bobby charlton | |||
| Stadium | Old Trafford | |||
| Competition | ||||
| First division | 8th | |||
| FA Cup | 6 round | |||
| League Cup | 4 round | |||
| Top scorer | ||||
| League |  George Best (18) | |||
| Total | George Best (26) | |||
| Home attendance | ||||
| The largest | 56,362 against Manchester City (April 12, 1972) | |||
| Smallest | 23,146 against West Bromwich Albion (August 23, 1971) | |||
| Average | 47 177 | |||
| The form | ||||
| ||||
At the end of the previous season, Acting Head Coach Matt Busby left his post. The club wanted to invite Jock Stein to the vacated seat, but he refused to leave Celtic . On June 8, 1971, Frank O'Farrell , who previously headed the Leicester City , was appointed United's head coach. Matt Busby remained on the club’s board of directors.
Before the start of the season, United played in the Watney Cup , in which the teams that scored the most goals in each of the Football League divisions of the previous season and who did not take part in European competitions took part [2] .
For the first two home matches in the championship, Old Trafford Stadium was disqualified. This was the sanction of the Football Association, imposed because in one of the matches at the end of the previous season, hooligans at Old Trafford threw knives into the guest sector. These two home games were played at Anfield and Victoria Ground [3] .
The first season of O'Farrel at United began successfully: by Christmas the team was in first place in the championship. The leader of the team in the first half of the season was George Best , who made hat tricks at the gate of West Ham on September 18 and Southampton on November 27. On October 2, Best scored a goal against Sheffield United, before dribbling four defenders. However, after the new year, Best began to have problems with discipline. So, in January, he was absent from training for a week, spending time with Miss UK 1971, Carolyn Moore. Then the club began a series of seven losses in a row, and as a result, United finished the season only in 8th place [4] .
Watney Cup
| date | Round | Rival | D / AT | Score | United Goalscorers | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 31, 1971 | Round 1 | Halifax Town | AT | 1: 2 | Best | 19,765 |
First Division
| date | Rival | D / AT | Score | United Goalscorers | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 14, 1971 | Derby County | AT | 2: 2 | Bowling low | 35 386 |
| August 18, 1971 | Chelsea | AT | 3: 2 | Charlton , Kidd , Morgan | 54 663 |
| August 20, 1971 | Arsenal | D | 3: 1 | Charlton , Gowling , Kidd | 27 649 |
| August 23, 1971 | West Bromwich Albion | D | 3: 1 | Best (2), Gowling | 23,146 |
| August 28, 1971 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | AT | 1: 1 | Best | 46,479 |
| August 31, 1971 | Everton | AT | 0: 1 | 52,151 | |
| September 4, 1971 | Ipswich Town | D | 1-0 | Best | 45,656 |
| September 11, 1971 | Crystal Palace | AT | 3: 1 | Low (2), Kidd | 43 720 |
| September 18, 1971 | West Ham United | D | 4: 2 | Best (3), Charlton | 53,339 |
| September 25, 1971 | Liverpool | AT | 2: 2 | Charlton low | 55 642 |
| October 2, 1971 | Sheffield United | D | 2-0 | Best , Gowling | 51 758 |
| October 9, 1971 | Huddersfield Town | AT | 3-0 | Best , Charlton , Low | 33,458 |
| October 16, 1971 | Derby County | D | 1-0 | Best | 53,247 |
| October 23, 1971 | Newcastle United | AT | 1-0 | Best | 55 603 |
| October 30, 1971 | Leeds United | D | 0: 1 | 53,884 | |
| November 6, 1971 | Manchester city | AT | 3: 3 | Gowling , Kidd , McIlroy | 63 326 |
| November 13, 1971 | Tottenham Hotspur | D | 3: 1 | Low (2), McIlroy | 54 058 |
| November 20, 1971 | Leicester City | D | 3: 2 | Low (2), Kidd | 48,764 |
| November 27, 1971 | Southampton | AT | 5: 2 | Best (3), Kidd , McIlroy | 30 323 |
| December 4, 1971 | Nottingham forest | D | 3: 2 | Kidd (2), Low | 45 411 |
| December 11, 1971 | Stoke City | AT | 1: 1 | Low | 33,875 |
| December 18, 1971 | Ipswich Town | AT | 0: 0 | 29,213 | |
| December 27, 1971 | Coventry City | D | 2: 2 | James low | 52,035 |
| January 1, 1972 | West Ham United | AT | 0: 3 | 41,990 | |
| January 8, 1972 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | D | 1: 3 | Mackilroy | 47,626 |
| January 22, 1972 | Chelsea | D | 0: 1 | 55 927 | |
| January 29, 1972 | West Bromwich Albion | AT | 1: 2 | Kidd | 46,992 |
| February 12, 1972 | Newcastle United | D | 0: 2 | 44,993 | |
| February 19, 1972 | Leeds United | AT | 1: 5 | Burns | 45 399 |
| March 4, 1972 | Tottenham Hotspur | AT | 0: 2 | 54,814 | |
| March 8, 1972 | Everton | D | 0: 0 | 38,415 | |
| March 11, 1972 | Huddersfield Town | D | 2-0 | Best , Storey-Moore | 53,581 |
| March 25, 1972 | Crystal Palace | D | 4-0 | Charlton , Gowling , Lowe , Storey Moore | 41,550 |
| April 1, 1972 | Coventry City | AT | 3: 2 | Best , Charlton , Storey-Moore | 37,870 |
| April 3, 1972 | Liverpool | D | 0: 3 | 54,000 | |
| April 4, 1972 | Sheffield United | AT | 1: 1 | Sadler | 45 045 |
| April 8, 1972 | Leicester City | AT | 0: 2 | 35,649 | |
| April 12, 1972 | Manchester city | D | 1: 3 | Buoy | 56 362 |
| April 15, 1972 | Southampton | D | 3: 2 | Best , Kidd , Storey-Moore | 38 437 |
| April 22, 1972 | Nottingham forest | AT | 0: 0 | 35,063 | |
| April 25, 1972 | Arsenal | AT | 0: 3 | 49 125 | |
| April 29, 1972 | Stoke City | D | 3-0 | Best , Charlton , Storey-Moore | 34 959 |
Final standings
| No. | Club | M | AT | N | P | MH | MP | CM | ABOUT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Chelsea | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 58 | 49 | 1,184 | 48 |
| eight | Manchester United | 42 | nineteen | ten | 13 | 69 | 61 | 1,131 | 48 |
| 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | eleven | 13 | 65 | 57 | 1,140 | 47 |
FA Cup
| date | Round | Rival | D / AT | Score | United Goalscorers | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 15, 1972 | Round 3 | Southampton | AT | 1: 1 | Charlton | 30 190 |
| January 19, 1972 | Round 3. Replay | Southampton | D | 4: 1 | Best (2), Sadler , Aston | 50 966 |
| February 5, 1972 | Round 4 | Preston North End | AT | 2-0 | Bowling (2) | 27,025 |
| February 26, 1972 | Round 5 | Middlesbrough | D | 0: 0 | 53 850 | |
| February 29, 1972 | Round 5. Replay | Middlesbrough | AT | 3-0 | Morgan , Best , Charlton | 39,683 |
| March 18, 1972 | Round 6 | Stoke City | D | 1: 1 | Best | 54,226 |
| March 22, 1972 | Round 6. Replay | Stoke City | AT | 1: 2 | Best | 49 192 |
League Cup
| date | Round | Rival | D / AT | Score | United Goalscorers | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7, 1971 | Round 2 | Ipswich Town | AT | 3: 1 | Morgan , Best (2) | 28,143 |
| October 6, 1971 | Round 3 | Burnley | D | 1: 1 | Charlton | 44,600 |
| October 18, 1971 | Round 3. Replay | Burnley | AT | 1-0 | Charlton | 27,511 |
| October 27, 1971 | Round 4 | Stoke City | D | 1: 1 | Bowling | 47,062 |
| November 8, 1971 | Round 4. Replay | Stoke City | AT | 0: 0 | 40 805 | |
| November 15, 1971 | Round 4. Second replay | Stoke City | AT | 1: 2 | Best | 42,249 |
Player Stats
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | ||
| VR | John Connoton | 3 | −6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | −6 |
| VR | Alex Stepney | 39 | −55 | 7 | −5 | 6 | −5 | 52 | −65 |
| Defense | Martin Bucken | 13 | one | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | one |
| Defense | Francis burns | 15 + 2 | one | five | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 + 2 | one |
| Defense | Tony dunn | 34 | 0 | four | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Defense | Paul Edwards | four | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Defense | Steve james | 37 | one | five | 0 | 6 | 0 | 48 | one |
| Defense | Tommy O'Neill | 37 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| Defense | David sadler | 37 | one | 6 | one | 6 | 0 | 49 | 2 |
| Defense | Tony young | 5 + 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 + 2 | 0 |
| PP | John Aston Jr. | 2 + 7 | 0 | 0 + 1 | one | 2 + 2 | 0 | 4 + 10 | one |
| PP | George Best | 40 | 18 | 7 | five | 6 | 3 | 53 | 26 |
| PP | Bobby charlton | 40 | eight | 7 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 53 | 12 |
| PP | John Fitzpatrick | one | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | one | 0 |
| PP | Sammy McIlroy | 8 + 8 | four | 1 + 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 + 10 | four |
| PP | Willie Morgan | 35 | one | 7 | one | 6 | one | 48 | 3 |
| PP | Carlo Sartori | 0 + 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | one | 0 | 1 + 2 | 0 |
| Nap | Alan Gowling | 35 + 2 | 6 | 6 + 1 | 2 | 6 | one | 47 + 3 | 9 |
| Nap | Brian Kidd | 34 | ten | four | 0 | five | 0 | 43 | ten |
| Nap | Denis Lowe | 32 + 1 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 + 1 | 13 |
| Nap | Ian Storey-Moore | eleven | five | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | eleven | five |
In the column “Games” the exits in the starting lineup are indicated, after the + sign the exits for replacement are indicated. In the "Goals" column after the sign - the goals conceded are indicated (for goalkeepers).
The Watney Cup match is not included in the statistics.
Notes
- ↑ Manchester United Season 1971/72 . StretfordEnd.co.uk.
- ↑ United in the Watney Cup . StretfordEnd.co.uk.
- ↑ Roughley, Gregg The forgotten story of ... When Anfield was Manchester United's home ground . The Guardian (March 17, 2010).
- ↑ Frank O'Farrell: I felt Matt Busby's presence everywhere at Manchester United . The Telegraph (December 8, 2011).
Links
- Season 1971/72 on StretfordEnd.co.uk