| 1981-82 In English Football |
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OVERVIEW First Division Liverpool made up for the previous season's slip in league form by winning the league championship for the 13th time in their history, fighting off competition from Ipswich Town , Manchester United and Spurs . Surprise contenders for the league title were Swansea City , in the First Division for the first time in their history. They topped the league at several stages throughout the season before finishing in a still impressive sixth place. Middlesbrough and Wolves were relegated as financial problems at both clubs began to mount. They were joined by Leeds United , who had gradually fallen apart in the eight years since Don Revie 's departure. West Bromwich Albion felt the loss of manager Ron Atkinson and key players Bryan Robson and Remi Moses as they slumped to 19th in the league and narrowly avoided relegation. This was just the beginning of a sharp decline for a club who had been UEFA Cup quarter finalists the previous season. Swansea City were tipped for relegation by most observers as they reached the First Division for the first time in their history. But John Toshack's men had a brilliant first game in the top flight, crushing Leeds United 5-1 and setting the tone for a season which would end with Leeds going down. Swansea, meanwhile, were the most unlikely title contenders, topping the table at several stages of the season before finishing sixth in the final table. Manchester United paid a British record fee of £1.75million for West Bromwich Albion's 24-year-old England midfielder Bryan Robson . Robson's record-breaking move reflected on how the size of transfer fees had risen dramatically in a relatively short period of time. Less than four years earlier, the British record fee had been the £516,000 that West Bromwich Albion had paid for David Mills. In such a short amount of time, the British record had more than tripled. Everton, who had struggled in the league for the past few seasons, turned to their former player Howard Kendall and appointed him as manager in hope of restoring the club to its former glory. Second Division Luton Town and Norwich City ended their long absences from the top flight by winning promotion from the Second Division. They were joined by Watford , owned by Elton John and managed by Graham Taylor , who would begin 1982-83 as First Division members for the first time in their history. Cardiff City , Wrexham and Orient were the unfortunate three clubs to lose their Second Division status at the end of the 1981-82 season. Third Division Burnley , Carlisle United and Fulham enjoyed some success after a string of disappointments by winning promotion to the Second Division. Going down were Wimbledon , Swindon Town , Bristol City and Chester . Bristol had completed a unique succession of three relegations, while Swindon had been League Cup winners little over a decade earlier. Wimbledon, meanwhile, would not be enduring any more disappointing season for many years after 1982. Joe Royle began his managerial career at Oldham Athletic . Fourth Division Sheffield United began the first phase of their revival by winning the Fourth Division championship. Also promoted were Bradford City , Wigan Athletic and Bournemouth . Crewe Alexandra endured a terrible season and propped up the league with just 27 league points, but the other league members voted in their favour and they maintained their league status. FA Cup Tottenham Hotspur retained the FA Cup by beating Terry Venables ' Second Division QPR in a replay after drawing the first match. League Cup Liverpool added to their league title triumph by retaining the League Cup. European football Defending champions Aston Villa were disappointing in the 1981-82 First Division campaign, and manager Ron Saunders stepped down in February, seemingly thinking that Villa were incapable of salvaging something from their supposedly failing season. But they were still in the European Cup. And his assistant Tony Barton stepped up to the manager's seat and guided Villa to the final, where they beat Bayern Munich thanks to a Peter Withe goal and were crowned champions of Europe to make it six European Cup wins in a row for English clubs. SUCCESSFUL PLAYERS
SUCCESSFUL MANAGERS
NATIONAL TEAM Ron Greenwood , 61, retired as England manager after the 1982 World Cup. He was succeeded by the Ipswich manager Bobby Robson . DEATHS
HONOURS LEAGUE TABLE First Division Second Division Third Division Fourth Division P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points |
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