Losing to Stoke at home on opening day boded poorly for the season. In January, goalkeeper Pat Jennings was injured and George Wood took his place. Arsenal also performed poorly in cup competitions, losing to rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the FA Cup and to Belgian semi-professional team KFC Winterslag in the UEFA Cup.
Alan Sunderland was Arsenal's top scorer. However, he only slightly improved on his previous goalscoring form, and Arsenal continuously suffered from a lack of goals.
JVC were the team's first shirt sponsor, the first time Arsenal had ever had the name of a sponsor on their shirts.
The start of the 1981/82 season went poorly for Arsenal manager Terry Neill. After losing Liam Brady in the summer of 1980, Frank Stapleton was the next star to leave Highbury, joining Manchester United in August 1981. Arsenal received only £1.5 million for the departure of their two stars, making it difficult to find replacements.[1] Captain Pat Rice also left the club, departing for Watford.[2] David O'Leary became the captain.[3]
Terry Neill made several purchases but could not fill the team's absences. John Hawley joined Arsenal from Sunderland for £51,000 and scored 3 goals in 20 games, but he was soon sent on consecutive loans to Leyton Orient and Hull City.[4] Hawley's former strike partner Ray Hankin briefly joined Arsenal from the Vancouver Whitecaps, but he appeared only twice (both times as a substitute in the League Cup) and no permanent move ensued.[5]
This season was the first season that Arsenal bore the name of a sponsor on their shirts. The Japan Victor Company, or JVC as they’re better known, had the honour of being Arsenal’s first shirt sponsor.
A third-place finish during the previous campaign had seen Neill’s men go through the season unbeaten at home. But alarm bells immediately chimed when Stoke left Highbury victorious on the opening day of the 81/82 season. Five defeats in their first twelve League matches indicated that all was not well, and more worryingly the team had scored just eight goals in the process of slumping to 14th place in the table.
There was a welcome distraction in the UEFA Cup. Two wins against Panathinaikos, saw the club go through to the next round. And when Belgian part-timers Winterslag were paired with Arsenal in the draw for the second round, it looked as if Neill could at least look forward to another European trip in the last 16 of the competition. But again, Arsenal would pay for their wastefulness in front of goal. Arsenal won the second leg 2-1, but went out on the away goals rule and they were stunned when Winterslag went through. In fairness to Neill, the team did respond well after the Winterslag debacle. Five straight league wins, and just six defeats in the remaining 30 matches saw the club finish fifth in the League.
On 2 January 1982 Pat Jennings found himself on the treatment table, after a disappointing FA Cup third round exit, 0-1 against Tottenham Hotspur after an error by Jennings, and a groin injury forced him to limp off with 15 minutes to go. Due to substitution rules at the time, Peter Nicholas (beset by his own injury problems throughout the season) took to the goal. Scottish keeper George Wood assumed the No 1 spot until the end of the season. [6][7][8][9]
Squadedit
[10]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
^Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (1986). Arsenal 1886-1986: the official centenary history of Arsenal Football Club. Twickenham: Hamlyn. p. 244. ISBN9780600358718.
^. Arsenal. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
^. Arsenal. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
^. Arsenal. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
^Kelly, Andy (27 December 2013). . The Arsenal History. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
^Pye, Steven (6 October 2016). . TheGuardian.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022.
^Arsenal and Man United in hunt for Germany U-21 ace. "Arsenal FC - Kader 1980/1981". Worldfootball.net. Retrieved 19 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External linksedit
Arsenal 1981–82 on statto.com
December 20, 2023
1981, arsenal, season, 1981, season, arsenal, football, club, 56th, consecutive, season, flight, english, football, club, ended, their, campaign, fifth, football, league, first, division, after, losing, liam, brady, 1980, arsenal, lost, frank, stapleton, arsen. The 1981 82 season was Arsenal Football Club s 56th consecutive season in the top flight of English football The club ended their campaign fifth in the Football League First Division After losing Liam Brady in 1980 Arsenal lost Frank Stapleton Arsenal s 1980 81 top scorer to Manchester United Pat Rice also departed Arsenal for Watford and David O Leary assumed the captaincy Losing to Stoke at home on opening day boded poorly for the season In January goalkeeper Pat Jennings was injured and George Wood took his place Arsenal also performed poorly in cup competitions losing to rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the FA Cup and to Belgian semi professional team KFC Winterslag in the UEFA Cup Alan Sunderland was Arsenal s top scorer However he only slightly improved on his previous goalscoring form and Arsenal continuously suffered from a lack of goals JVC were the team s first shirt sponsor the first time Arsenal had ever had the name of a sponsor on their shirts Arsenal F C 1981 82 seasonChairmanDenis Hill WoodManagerTerry NeillFirst Division5thFA CupThird RoundLeague CupFourth RoundUEFA CupSecond RoundTop goalscorerLeague Alan Sunderland 11 All Alan Sunderland 12 Home coloursAway colours 1980 811982 83 Contents 1 Season summary 2 Squad 3 Results 3 1 First Division 3 2 Football League Cup 3 3 FA Cup 3 4 UEFA Cup 4 Top scorers 4 1 First Division 5 References 6 External linksSeason summary editThe start of the 1981 82 season went poorly for Arsenal manager Terry Neill After losing Liam Brady in the summer of 1980 Frank Stapleton was the next star to leave Highbury joining Manchester United in August 1981 Arsenal received only 1 5 million for the departure of their two stars making it difficult to find replacements 1 Captain Pat Rice also left the club departing for Watford 2 David O Leary became the captain 3 Terry Neill made several purchases but could not fill the team s absences John Hawley joined Arsenal from Sunderland for 51 000 and scored 3 goals in 20 games but he was soon sent on consecutive loans to Leyton Orient and Hull City 4 Hawley s former strike partner Ray Hankin briefly joined Arsenal from the Vancouver Whitecaps but he appeared only twice both times as a substitute in the League Cup and no permanent move ensued 5 This season was the first season that Arsenal bore the name of a sponsor on their shirts The Japan Victor Company or JVC as they re better known had the honour of being Arsenal s first shirt sponsor A third place finish during the previous campaign had seen Neill s men go through the season unbeaten at home But alarm bells immediately chimed when Stoke left Highbury victorious on the opening day of the 81 82 season Five defeats in their first twelve League matches indicated that all was not well and more worryingly the team had scored just eight goals in the process of slumping to 14th place in the table There was a welcome distraction in the UEFA Cup Two wins against Panathinaikos saw the club go through to the next round And when Belgian part timers Winterslag were paired with Arsenal in the draw for the second round it looked as if Neill could at least look forward to another European trip in the last 16 of the competition But again Arsenal would pay for their wastefulness in front of goal Arsenal won the second leg 2 1 but went out on the away goals rule and they were stunned when Winterslag went through In fairness to Neill the team did respond well after the Winterslag debacle Five straight league wins and just six defeats in the remaining 30 matches saw the club finish fifth in the League On 2 January 1982 Pat Jennings found himself on the treatment table after a disappointing FA Cup third round exit 0 1 against Tottenham Hotspur after an error by Jennings and a groin injury forced him to limp off with 15 minutes to go Due to substitution rules at the time Peter Nicholas beset by his own injury problems throughout the season took to the goal Scottish keeper George Wood assumed the No 1 spot until the end of the season 6 7 8 9 Squad edit 10 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 nbsp SCO George Wood DF nbsp ENG John Hollins DF nbsp ENG Kenny Sansom MF nbsp ENG Brian Talbot DF nbsp IRL David O Leary DF nbsp ENG Chris Whyte MF nbsp ENG Stewart Robson MF nbsp ENG Paul Davis FW nbsp ENG Alan Sunderland MF nbsp WAL Peter Nicholas MF nbsp ENG Graham Rix No Pos Nation Player GK nbsp NIR Pat Jennings FW nbsp ENG John Hawley DF nbsp IRL John Devine DF nbsp SCO Willie Young MF nbsp ENG Brian McDermott FW nbsp ENG Paul Vaessen FW nbsp ENG Raphael Meade MF nbsp IRL Paul Gorman FW nbsp ENG Ray HankinResults editFirst Division edit Main article 1981 82 Football League First Division Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation3 Manchester United 42 22 12 8 59 29 30 78 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round4 Tottenham Hotspur 42 20 11 11 67 48 19 71 Qualification for the Cup Winners Cup first round a 5 Arsenal 42 20 11 11 48 37 11 71 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round6 Swansea City 42 21 6 15 58 51 7 69 Qualification for the Cup Winners Cup preliminary round b 7 Southampton 42 19 9 14 72 67 5 66 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first roundSource World FootballRules for classification 1 Points 2 Goal difference 3 Goals scoredNotes Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup first round as the 1981 82 FA Cup winners Swansea City qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup preliminary round as the 1982 Welsh Cup winners Arsenal v Stoke City 29 August 1981 1Arsenal0 1Stoke CityLondonStadium Highbury West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal 2 September 1981 2West Bromwich Albion0 2ArsenalWest BromwichStadium The Hawthorns Liverpool v Arsenal 5 September 1981 3Liverpool2 0ArsenalLiverpoolStadium Anfield Arsenal v Sunderland 12 September 1981 4Arsenal1 1SunderlandLondonStadium Highbury Leeds United v Arsenal 19 September 1981 5Leeds United0 0ArsenalLeedsStadium Elland Road Arsenal v Birmingham City 22 September 1981 6Arsenal1 0Birmingham CityLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v Manchester United 26 September 1981 7Arsenal0 0Manchester UnitedLondonStadium Highbury Notts County v Arsenal 3 October 1981 8Notts County2 1ArsenalNottinghamStadium Meadow Lane Swansea City v Arsenal 10 October 1981 9Swansea City2 0ArsenalSwanseaStadium Vetch Field Arsenal v Manchester City 17 October 1981 10Arsenal1 0Manchester CityLondonStadium Highbury Ipswich Town v Arsenal 24 October 1981 11Ipswich Town2 1ArsenalIpswichStadium Portman Road Arsenal v Coventry City 31 October 1981 12Arsenal1 0Coventry CityLondonStadium Highbury Aston Villa v Arsenal 7 November 1981 13Aston Villa0 2ArsenalBirminghamStadium Villa Park Nottingham Forest v Arsenal 21 November 1981 14Nottingham Forest1 2ArsenalNottinghamStadium City Ground Arsenal v Everton 28 November 1981 15Arsenal1 0EvertonLondonStadium Highbury West Ham United v Arsenal 5 December 1981 16West Ham United1 2ArsenalLondonStadium Upton Park Stoke City v Arsenal 20 January 1982 17Stoke City0 1ArsenalStoke on TrentStadium Victoria Ground Southampton v Arsenal 23 January 1982 18Southampton3 1ArsenalSouthamptonStadium The Dell Arsenal v Brighton amp Hove Albion 26 January 1982 19Arsenal0 0Brighton amp Hove AlbionLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v Leeds United 30 January 1982 20Arsenal1 0Leeds UnitedLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 February 1982 21Arsenal2 1Wolverhampton WanderersLondonStadium Highbury Sunderland v Arsenal 6 February 1982 22Sunderland0 0ArsenalSunderlandStadium Roker Park Arsenal v Notts County 13 February 1982 23Arsenal1 0Notts CountyLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v Middlesbrough 16 February 1982 24Arsenal1 0MiddlesbroughLondonStadium Highbury Manchester United v Arsenal 20 February 1982 25Manchester United0 0ArsenalManchesterStadium Old Trafford Arsenal v Swansea City 27 February 1982 26Arsenal0 2Swansea CityLondonStadium Highbury Manchester City v Arsenal 6 March 1982 27Manchester City0 0ArsenalManchesterStadium Maine Road Arsenal v Ipswich Town 13 March 1982 28Arsenal1 0Ipswich TownLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion 16 March 1982 29Arsenal2 2West Bromwich AlbionLondonStadium Highbury Coventry City v Arsenal 20 March 1982 30Coventry City1 0ArsenalCoventryStadium Highfield Road Arsenal v Aston Villa 27 March 1982 31Arsenal4 3Aston VillaLondonStadium Highbury Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal 29 March 1982 32Tottenham Hotspur2 2ArsenalLondonStadium White Hart Lane Wolverhapton Wanderers v Arsenal 3 April 1982 33Wolverhapton Wanderers1 1ArsenalWolverhamptonStadium Molineux Brighton amp Hove Albion v Arsenal 10 April 1982 34Brighton amp Hove Albion2 1ArsenalBrightonStadium Goldstone Ground Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur 12 April 1982 35Arsenal1 3Tottenham HotspurLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v Nottingham Forest 17 April 1982 36Arsenal2 0Nottingham ForestLondonStadium Highbury Everton v Arsenal 24 April 1982 37Everton2 1ArsenalLiverpoolStadium Goodison Park Arsenal v West Ham United 1 May 1982 38Arsenal2 0West Ham UnitedLondonStadium Highbury Birmingham City v Arsenal 4 May 1982 39Birmingham City0 1ArsenalBirminghamStadium St Andrew s Middlesbrough v Arsenal 8 May 1982 40Middlesbrough1 3ArsenalMiddlesbroughStadium Ayresome Park Arsenal v Liverpool 11 May 1982 41Arsenal1 1LiverpoolLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v Southampton 15 May 1982 42Arsenal4 1SouthamptonLondonStadium Highbury Football League Cup edit Main article 1981 82 Football League Cup Sheffield United v Arsenal 6 October 1981 Second round 1st Leg Sheffield United1 0ArsenalSheffieldStadium Bramel Lane Arsenal v Sheffield United 27 October 1981 Second round 2nd Leg Arsenal2 0 2 1 agg Sheffield UnitedLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v Norwich City 10 November 1981 Third roundArsenal1 0Norwich CityLondonStadium Highbury Arsenal v Liverpool 1 December 1981 Fourth roundArsenal0 0LiverpoolLondonStadium Highbury Liverpool v Arsenal 8 December 1981 Fourth round replayLiverpool3 0 aet ArsenalLiverpoolStadium Anfield FA Cup edit Main article 1981 82 FA Cup Arsenal entered the FA Cup in the third round proper in which they were drawn to face Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal 2 January 1982 Third roundTottenham Hotspur1 0ArsenalLondonStadium White Hart Lane UEFA Cup edit Main article 1981 82 UEFA Cup Panathinaikos nbsp v nbsp Arsenal 16 September 1981 First round 1st Leg Panathinaikos nbsp 0 2 nbsp ArsenalAthensStadium Leoforos Stadium Arsenal nbsp v nbsp Panathinaikos 30 September 1981 First round 2nd Leg Arsenal nbsp 1 0 4 0 agg nbsp PanathinaikosLondonStadium Highbury FC Winterslag nbsp v nbsp Arsenal 21 October 1981 Second round 1st Leg FC Winterslag nbsp 1 0 nbsp ArsenalGenkStadium Winterslag Stadium Arsenal nbsp v nbsp FC Winterslag 3 November 1981 Second round 2nd Leg Arsenal nbsp 2 1 2 2 agg nbsp FC WinterslagLondonStadium HighburyTop scorers editFirst Division edit nbsp Alan Sunderland 11 nbsp Graham Rix 9 nbsp Brian Talbot 7References edit Soar Phil Tyler Martin 1986 Arsenal 1886 1986 the official centenary history of Arsenal Football Club Twickenham Hamlyn p 244 ISBN 9780600358718 Pat Rice Arsenal Archived from the original on 22 May 2017 Retrieved 27 October 2023 David O Leary Arsenal Archived from the original on 28 January 2023 Retrieved 27 October 2023 John Hawley Arsenal Archived from the original on 12 January 2014 Retrieved 27 October 2023 Kelly Andy 27 December 2013 The Arsenal Legend Who Only Played 110 Minutes The Arsenal History Archived from the original on 8 December 2022 Retrieved 27 October 2023 Pye Steven 6 October 2016 Great goalkeeping gaffes from John Lukic to Erik Thorstvedt via Pat Jennings TheGuardian com Archived from the original on 7 November 2022 The Gooner Magazine issue 270 Soar Phil 2003 The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal Hamlyn thearsenalhistory 10 April 2022 Arsenal and Man United in hunt for Germany U 21 ace Arsenal FC Kader 1980 1981 Worldfootball net Retrieved 19 August 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link External links editArsenal 1981 82 on statto com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1981 82 Arsenal F C season amp oldid 1182149110, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
