The 1976–77 season was the 78th completed season of The Football League.

As of this season, goal difference (GD in league tables) was used to separate the clubs finishing level on points. The earlier system, used from the season 1894–95 until the 1975–76 had been the so-called goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded), or more properly put, goal ratio. In case one or more teams had the same positive goal difference, this earlier system favoured those teams who had scored fewer goals. Now the system would favour the teams that had scored more goals, and it was hoped that more goals would be seen as a result of this new system.

The season was also the first in which the referee used the yellow card and the red card, with the yellow to caution the offending player, and the red to show spectators and viewers that the player had been ejected from the game. Writing in The Observer, sportswriter Bob Houston noted that the season opener was "the day the Football League went Continental, arming its referees with those coloured cards we've all learned to watch for in European and World Cup matches.""Football Round-up", by Bob Houston, The Observer (London), 3 October 1976, p. 18

On 2 October 1976, Dave Wagstaffe of Blackburn Rovers became the first player in Football League history to be shown the red card when he was sent off in a 1-0 win over Orient in a Division 2 match."How English football came to love and curse the red card", by Martin Winch, BBC News], 10 August 2013

Overview Liverpool retained their league championship trophy and won their first European Cup to confirm Bob Paisley as a successful replacement for Bill Shankly in his third season at the helm. Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City's long spells in the First Division came to an end with relegation. Stoke sacked their manager Tony Waddington. On the last day of the season, Coventry City and Bristol City played out a controversial 2–2 draw, with play virtually stopping when it was heard that Sunderland had lost to Everton. Both clubs survived while Sunderland was relegated.

After Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty had admitted his affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist, the club's directors decided that he had broken their moral code and he was sacked.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest gained promotion to the First Division. Brian Clough's Forest would achieve success beyond the dreams of most supporters over the next few seasons. Carlisle United, Plymouth Argyle and Hereford United occupied the three relegation places. Hereford became the first club to finish bottom of the Second Division after winning the Third Division the previous season.

Mansfield Town, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace were the three teams promoted to the Second Division. Palace's manager was a certain Terry Venables who would enjoy more success at Palace and elsewhere over the next 20 years. Going down were Reading, Northampton Town, Grimsby Town and York City.

Cambridge United, Exeter City, Colchester United and Bradford City occupied the four promotion places in the league's lowest division. A terrible season for Workington was compounded by their failure to gain re-election to the Football League, a humiliation which saw them slip into the Northern Premier League. In their place were Southern League champions Wimbledon, who would make amazing progress over the next decade.

The British pop star Elton John took over Fourth Division side Watford and installed Graham Taylor as manager. Former Arsenal manager Bertie Mee came out of retirement to work at Watford as assistant to Graham Taylor. John immediately asserted his ambition by promising to bring First Division football to Watford.

Final league tables and results

The tables and results below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79,Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980. with home and away statistics separated.

Beginning with the season 1894–95, clubs finishing level on points were separated according to goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded), or more properly put, goal ratio. In case one or more teams had the same goal difference, this system favoured those teams who had scored fewer goals. The goal average system was eventually scrapped beginning with this season.

Re-election: During the first five seasons of the league, that is, until the season 1893–94, re-election process concerned the clubs which finished in the bottom four of the league. From the 1894–95 season and until the 1920–21 season the re-election process was required of the clubs which finished in the bottom three of the league. From the 1922–23 season on it was required of the bottom two teams of both Third Division North and Third Division South. Since the Fourth Division was established in the 1958–59 season, the re-election process has concerned the bottom four clubs in that division.

First Division

Despite failing to win any of their final four matches, Liverpool retained the First Division title against a strong challenge by Manchester City and went on to win the European Cup for the first time, although their bid for a unique treble was ended when they lost to Manchester United in the final of the FA Cup. Liverpool finished a point ahead of Manchester City in the league. Ipswich Town, Aston Villa and Newcastle United completed the top five. Newly promoted West Bromwich Albion finished seventh.

Tottenham Hotspur went down in bottom place after a 27-year run in the First Division, along with Stoke City who had been in the First Division continuously since 1963. The final relegation place went to Sunderland, just one year after promotion.

Results

Maps

Second Division

Wolverhampton Wanderers achieved an instant return to the First Division as champions of the Second Division, while runners-up Chelsea regained their top flight status two years after losing it. Brian Clough steered Nottingham Forest into the final promotion place, while Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool missed out by a single point.

Hereford United, Plymouth Argyle and Carlisle United went down to the Third Division.

Results

Maps

Third Division

Results

Maps

Fourth Division

Results

Maps

Attendances Source:

Division One # Football club Average attendance 1 Manchester United 53,710 2 Liverpool FC 47,221 3 Manchester City FC 40,058 4 Aston Villa FC 37,903 5 Newcastle United FC 33,599 6 Sunderland AFC 32,943 7 Arsenal FC 32,663 8 Leeds United FC 30,530 9 Tottenham Hotspur FC 30,173 10 Everton FC 30,046 11 Birmingham City FC 28,338 12 Ipswich Town FC 26,672 13 West Ham United FC 26,064 14 Derby County FC 25,008 15 West Bromwich Albion FC 24,525 16 Bristol City FC 23,522 17 Norwich City FC 22,305 18 Middlesbrough FC 21,480 19 Coventry City FC 21,247 20 Queens Park Rangers FC 21,062 21 Stoke City FC 19,027 22 Leicester City FC 18,807

Division Two

# Football club Average attendance 1 Chelsea FC 30,633 2 Bolton Wanderers FC 21,795 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 21,227 4 Southampton FC 19,480 5 Nottingham Forest FC 18,064 6 Sheffield United FC 16,779 7 Fulham FC 14,589 8 Plymouth Argyle FC 13,329 9 Blackpool FC 13,171 10 Cardiff City FC 12,790 11 Burnley FC 12,173 12 Luton Town FC 11,387 13 Charlton Athletic FC 11,057 14 Notts County FC 10,943 15 Millwall FC 10,601 16 Blackburn Rovers FC 10,130 17 Oldham Athletic FC 9,944 18 Bristol Rovers FC 8,431 19 Hull City AFC 7,924 20 Carlisle United FC 7,680 21 Hereford United FC 7,240 22 Leyton Orient FC 6,222

Division Three

# Football club Average attendance 1 Brighton & Hove Albion FC 20,197 2 Crystal Palace FC 16,106 3 Sheffield Wednesday FC 13,688 4 Portsmouth FC 11,564 5 Wrexham AFC 9,328 6 Mansfield Town FC 8,439 7 Preston North End FC 7,987 8 Swindon Town FC 7,846 9 Lincoln City FC 7,145 10 Reading FC 6,761 11 Rotherham United FC 6,682 12 Peterborough United FC 5,996 13 Northampton Town FC 5,750 14 Walsall FC 5,498 15 Gillingham FC 5,444 16 Chesterfield FC 5,322 17 Bury FC 5,299 18 Oxford United FC 5,152 19 Shrewsbury Town FC 4,974 20 Grimsby Town FC 4,738 21 Chester City FC 4,609 22 Port Vale FC 4,357 23 Tranmere Rovers 3,251 24 York City FC 3,005

Division Four

# Football club Average attendance 1 Huddersfield Town AFC 6,148 2 Watford FC 6,035 3 Bradford City AFC 5,630 4 Southend United FC 5,551 5 Barnsley FC 5,529 6 Swansea City AFC 5,311 7 Brentford FC 5,121 8 Colchester United FC 4,651 9 Doncaster Rovers FC 4,631 10 Exeter City FC 4,624 11 Cambridge United FC 4,445 12 AFC Bournemouth 4,035 13 Stockport County FC 3,851 14 Aldershot Town FC 3,631 15 Scunthorpe United FC 3,483 16 Torquay United FC 2,958 17 Darlington FC 2,744 18 Newport County AFC 2,612 19 Crewe Alexandra FC 2,379 20 Halifax Town AFC 2,340 21 Hartlepool United FC 1,911 22 Rochdale AFC 1,745 23 Southport FC 1,438 24 Workington AFC 1,338

See also 1976-77 in English football

References

Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane's, London & Sydney, 1980.