FOOTBALL IN THE 80S
Richard Crooks reflects
FOR football it was a decade like For many it was no doubt the darkest decade for the game. Liverpool team and their seven First 1988/89 season and Arsenal’s added to snatch the league championship from the hosts.
Argentinian Ricky Villa’s mazy dribble to score the memorable winner for Tottenham against Manchester City in famous win against the same club in 1987 and the biggest cup shock of all in the 1980s - Wimbledon’s deserved win over mighty Liverpool in the 1988 FA
The League Cup provided success for several less fancied clubs – notably
The European Cup saw great success whilst Ipswich and Tottenham had notable triumphs in the UEFA Cup.
On the international stages there was the decade saw the emergence of the great French national team adorned by the rest.
On the world stage there were players that would grace any era – Diego ting his phenomenal footballing ability.
But there was a darker side to the game in the 80s – the scourge of a weekend went by without the grisly headlines attached to the latest major outbreak of violence across the country.
The televised 1980 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park – Celtic v Rangers – to restore order between the two sets of fans on the pitch.
And more besides – not least the televised midweek FA Cup sixth round Luton Town v Millwall.
Hordes of visiting supporters invaded the siles in the direction of the police. be remembered primarily for three tragedies – the Bradford Fire in 1985 at Bradford City’s Valley
Parade Ground – were injured. supporters died in the wake of charging supporters and the collapse of a wall at the crumbling ground that was designated to hold the European pool and Juventus. And Hillsborough - April 1989 – the disaster 96 Liverpool supporters lost their lives as a result of the terrifying crush in the central pen of the Leppings Lane terraces.
The impact on the game was immense – key safety requirements and
capacities reduced, all-seater stadiums in the top two divisions. English clubs banned from Europe following the Heysel disaster.
All this at a time when the game had seen a massive reduction in attendance their lowest post-war total. Average attendances at Liverpool and Manchester United were in the 30,000s. Many clubs were struggling to survive.
Wolves and Charlton were rescued from the brink of extinction. Wolves, Leeds and Preston sold their ground to the local council for much-needed income. Charlton and Bristol Rovers had to leave their grounds to groundshare - with Crystal Palace and Bath City respectively.
Others sold land to developers. There was real concern that Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge would be lost for building development – ‘Save the Bridge’ a rallying call for the club’s supporters.
The Robert Maxwell inspired initiative to form Thames Valley Royals – combining Reading and Oxford United – of the decade.
Bigger clubs looked at other options stock exchange as part of a holding company, greater commercialisation with a coming into the game.
As the decade came to a close there was the high Manchester United by Michael Knighton - a takeover which ultimately came to nought.
And from the perspective of today, there was the incredible position of television turning its back on football – there was no deal with the clubs and the television companies were quite comfortable in having football-less tv screens for months in 1985/86. Football was not that important to them. For those who were there and lived through the 1980s, this will stir all the memories. For those who don’t remember those times, it will seem like an environment quite alien to the carefully cultivated brand of Premier League football and all that surrounds it. There’s no doubt about it. For a variety of reasons, the 1980s was a key decade for football. Richard Crooks’ new book, What was Football like in the 1980s?, (Pitch Publishing) is out now.