The 1967-68 Season

[petrusha]

As it turned out, our win on the Saturday made what United and Liverpool did in their matches irrelevant. But I always used to think that, with United losing, it ought to have been more relaxed at St James's because City could have afforded to have drawn or even lost. Of course, that was untrue because it would have given Liverpool a chance to overhaul us.

Absolutely. That's why it is so frustrating when people writing the history of these clubs and of football focus solely on the City-Utd angle. City's task was much more pressured than that. The City-Utd angle is obviously a good story but downplays City's task that day. The real threat was Liverpool. Had City slipped up the title would have been in their grasp and everyone would have had to wait until their last game. Of course we know now that Liverpool's results wouldn't have brought them the title had City failed, but had we lost or drawn then their final game would probably have gone differently.

Yes, there must be quite a good chance that, knowing any chance of the title had gone, Liverpool lacked an edge in their game at Stoke and lost. Had Liverpool needed a result to have a chance of winning the league, there must be quite a decent prospect that they'd have got one. Especially as Stoke themselves didn't have much to play for having avoided relegation on the Saturday when they drew and Sheffield United lost.

Imagine how nervy Blues would have been had we drawn at Newcastle and known that a 5-0 Liverpool win at Stoke would have denied us the title!

 

[Gary James]

Yes, there must be quite a good chance that, knowing any chance of the title had gone, Liverpool lacked an edge in their game at Stoke and lost. Had Liverpool needed a result to have a chance of winning the league, there must be quite a decent prospect that they'd have got one. Especially as Stoke themselves didn't have much to play for having avoided relegation on the Saturday when they drew and Sheffield United lost.

Imagine how nervy Blues would have been had we drawn at Newcastle and known that a 5-0 Liverpool win at Stoke would have denied us the title!

Something like this happened in 1971-72 with games taking place after City's final game of the season. I've not checked but from memory (and I was only 4 at the time) my dad was pacing up and down hoping results would go City's way for days after our season ended. We'd finished our season but other teams - Liverpool, Derby and maybe Leeds? - still had to play. City were top of the League on the day their season ended but there was still about 12 days left for one of the others and we ended up finishing 4th. City didn't really stand a chance of winning the League on the final day, but if my memory is right that didn't stop my dad thinking it was possible. For me I was just happy to be playing with my Tonka truck.

 

[petrusha]

Yes, there must be quite a good chance that, knowing any chance of the title had gone, Liverpool lacked an edge in their game at Stoke and lost. Had Liverpool needed a result to have a chance of winning the league, there must be quite a decent prospect that they'd have got one. Especially as Stoke themselves didn't have much to play for having avoided relegation on the Saturday when they drew and Sheffield United lost.

Imagine how nervy Blues would have been had we drawn at Newcastle and known that a 5-0 Liverpool win at Stoke would have denied us the title!

Something like this happened in 1971-72 with games taking place after City's final game of the season. I've not checked but from memory (and I was only 4 at the time) my dad was pacing up and down hoping results would go City's way for days after our season ended. We'd finished our season but other teams - Liverpool, Derby and maybe Leeds? - still had to play. City were top of the League on the day their season ended but there was still about 12 days left for one of the others and we ended up finishing 4th. City didn't really stand a chance of winning the League on the final day, but if my memory is right that didn't stop my dad thinking it was possible. For me I was just happy to be playing with my Tonka truck.

I wasn't even 3 years old for that one, so no memory of it here, either, but our last game was against Derby on 22 April 1972. We won 2-0, which left us top, but we were the only team of the top four who didn't have any games to play.

Marsh scored a cracker in that game and won a penalty which Lee smacked in with aplomb for the other goal - see here:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl3sYlpNT_I[/video]

So that night, the table looked as follows (full detail here - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/division-one-old/1971-1972/table/1972-04-22" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.statto.com/football/stats/en ... 1972-04-22</a>):

City, Pld - 42, Pts - 57
Liverpool, Pld - 40, Pts - 56
Derby, Pld - 41, Pts - 56
Leeds, Pld - 40, Pts - 55

But we had a goal average of only 1.71, which was significantly the worst of all the sides involved. And given that Derby had to play Liverpool at the Baseball Ground, it meant that either one of them would win the match and overtake us on points, or they'd draw and both be ahead of us on goal average. So in effect, we were already in a position on 22 April that couldn't realistically have won it.

The results that allowed Derby to win it were:

Leeds 2 Chelsea 0 and Derby 1 Liverpool 0 (both played on 1 May); and then Wolves 2 Leeds 1 and Arsenal 0 Liverpool 0 (both played on 8 May, 48 hours after Leeds had played in the FA Cup final).

In those games on 8 May, a point for Leeds at Molineux would have won them the title ahead of Derby on goal average (and Liverpool as well, had they won at Highbury the same night). Given that Leeds lost, a win for Liverpool at Arsenal would have given them the title ahead of Derby on goal average, but they couldn't get the breakthrough.

It ended up with Derby alone on 58 points (goal average - 2.09). Leeds (GA - 2.35), Liverpool (GA - 2.13) and City (GA - 1.71) all finished on 57 points. Final table here: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/division-one-old/1971-1972/table" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.statto.com/football/stats/en ... 1972/table</a>

So it was a remarkable finish. But City weren't really in it notwithstanding that we beat the eventual champions Derby in our final game.

 

[lancs blue]

You can get the tables here: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/division-one-old/1967-1968/table/1968-05-11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.statto.com/football/stats/en ... 1968-05-11</a>

And fixtures/results here: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1968-05-11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.soccerbase.com/matches/resul ... 1968-05-11</a>

Goinjg into the final Saturday of the league season, City and United had 56 points each, with one game to play. Liverpool had 53, with two games to play: Forest at home on the Saturday and Stoke away the following Wednesday. City had the best goal average, but Liverpool's goal average was superior to United's.

Anyway, while we were beating Newcastle and United were slipping up against Sunderland, Liverpool beat Forest 6-1 at Anfield. By my calculations, had Newcastle snatched a late equaliser so that we'd drawn 4-4 against them, Liverpool could have taken the title with a 5-0 win at Stoke. However, if Stoke had scored, Liverpool would then have needed to score seven to take the title. This is what makes goal average a bonkers system (I'm amazed it survived so long).

As it turned out, our win on the Saturday made what United and Liverpool did in their matches irrelevant. But I always used to think that, with United losing, it ought to have been more relaxed at St James's because City could have afforded to have drawn or even lost. Of course, that was untrue because it would have given Liverpool a chance to overhaul us.

The team that really threw it away that season was Leeds, after we beat Everton at Maine Rd Leeds still had it in their own hands to win the title by winning their last three games - in the event they lost all three, an unusually spectacular collapse from Revie's team.

 

[petrusha]

The team that really threw it away that season was Leeds, after we beat Everton at Maine Rd Leeds still had it in their own hands to win the title by winning their last three games - in the event they lost all three, an unusually spectacular collapse from Revie's team.

I'd never really appreciated this. And they actually lost their last four games, as well.

On 20 April 1968, United beat Sheffield United 1-0 at Old Trafford, Leeds beat WBA 3-1 at Elland Road, we had a goalless draw at Wolves, and Liverpool lost by the only goal at West ham.

The full table after those games is here: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/division-one-old/1967-1968/table/1968-04-20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.statto.com/football/stats/en ... 1968-04-20</a> - but, to summarise, the top four that night were:

Man United, Pld - 39, Pts - 54
Leeds, Pld - 38, Pts - 53
City, Pld -38, Pts - 50
Liverpool, Pld - 37, Pts - 48

So with four games to go, City were definite outsiders for the title. Leeds were in the best position, with the best goal average, but they lost four in a row (away to Stoke, at home to Liverpool, away to Arsenal and then - when the title was beyond them - away to Burnley).

The Monday night of 29 April is often cited as a turning point. That night, Liverpool could only draw at home to Spurs, while we beat Everton 2-0 at Maine Road and United famously lost 6-3 at WBA. It certainly did us a power of good, meaning that those results, the win against Sheffield Wednesday the previous week, and our superior goal average combined to put us above United on goal average and with a three point gap over Liverpool (though they had a game in hand).

However, that night Leeds still had three games left compared to our two and were a point behind us with a marginally better goal average. So it wasn't until we beat Spurs and Leeds lost to Liverpool on the penultimate Saturday of the league season that we were in pole position.

Actually, I hadn't appreciated how similar it was to our two recent title wins in terms of us closing the season with an impressive run of wins (four in that case) to clinch the title after others seemed in a much better position.

 

[Gary James]

However, that night Leeds still had three games left compared to our two and were a point behind us with a marginally better goal average. So it wasn't until we beat Spurs and Leeds lost to Liverpool on the penultimate Saturday of the league season that we were in pole position.

Actually, I hadn't appreciated how similar it was to our two recent title wins in terms of us closing the season with an impressive run of wins (four in that case) to clinch the title after others seemed in a much better position.

Yes, compared with our last 2 though it was rather complex. No 2 horse race in 1967-68 even though that's how many now perceive it. City never like to do anything in the easy way. Now what about 1936-37? - at least we won it with a game spare!

 

[petrusha]

However, that night Leeds still had three games left compared to our two and were a point behind us with a marginally better goal average. So it wasn't until we beat Spurs and Leeds lost to Liverpool on the penultimate Saturday of the league season that we were in pole position.

Actually, I hadn't appreciated how similar it was to our two recent title wins in terms of us closing the season with an impressive run of wins (four in that case) to clinch the title after others seemed in a much better position.

Yes, compared with our last 2 though it was rather complex. No 2 horse race in 1967-68 even though that's how many now perceive it. City never like to do anything in the easy way. Now what about 1936-37? - at least we won it with a game spare!

Yes, true. I suppose last year, Chelsea were within close enough range to have a chance of the title if we and Liverpool slipped, but nothing as involved as the four-horse races we've been talking about in 1967/8 and 1971/2.

I'd be quite happy if one year we could manage to get out in front early on and win the title at a canter! I have no problem with not making it exciting for the neutral! :)

 

[xgorton]

I was on the Kippax the night we beat Everton 2-0 and the rags got beat 6-3 at West Brom,always remember that night Everton fans singing we hope you win league and us singing back we hope you win the cup,they lost the cup final 1-0 West Brom.WBA had a very good team they got the double over us that season 3-2 at the Hawthornes and 2-0 at Maine Rd both games over the xmas period,I was at both games.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

I was on the Kippax the night we beat Everton 2-0 and the rags got beat 6-3 at West Brom,always remember that night Everton fans singing we hope you win league and us singing back we hope you win the cup,they lost the cup final 1-0 West Brom.WBA had a very good team they got the double over us that season 3-2 at the Hawthornes and 2-0 at Maine Rd both games over the xmas period,I was at both games.

Is that the game with the infamous MEN headline ''United in 9 goal thriller!''?

 

[xgorton]

I was on the Kippax the night we beat Everton 2-0 and the rags got beat 6-3 at West Brom,always remember that night Everton fans singing we hope you win league and us singing back we hope you win the cup,they lost the cup final 1-0 West Brom.WBA had a very good team they got the double over us that season 3-2 at the Hawthornes and 2-0 at Maine Rd both games over the xmas period,I was at both games.

Is that the game with the infamous MEN headline ''United in 9 goal thriller!''?

Long long time ago but probably.