During the 1966–67 English football season, Arsenal Football Club competed in the Football League First Division. Arsenal finished in seventh place in the league and failed to find success in the FA Cup. It was the team's first season participating in the League Cup and they went out in the third round to West Ham.
Prior to the season, Arsenal physiotherapist Bertie Mee was appointed manager. In the transfer business, he brought both George Graham and Bob McNab into the side. He also saw Peter Simpson become a first team regular.
Graham was the top scorer. Don Howe served as club captain but suffered from a broken leg early in the season, featuring in just one game under Mee.
Season summary Prior to the 1966-67 season, Bertie Mee had served as Arsenal's physiotherapist for six years. He was appointed manager for an initial 12 months, with an agreement he could revert to his previous position if it didn't work out. Mee's first act in charge was to transfer the sometimes erratic George Eastham to Stoke City.
Although Tommy Baldwin scored four goals early in the season in the League Cup, Mee soon swapped him, plus £75,000, for George Graham from Chelsea. Mee then brought in Bob McNab for £50,000 from Huddersfield Town, a then-record for a full back. He went on to be essential in the team for years to come. Mee also purchased Colin Addison from Nottingham Forest, though Addison failed to make an impact. Other players came through the club's own system, such as Peter Simpson who became a first team regular.
Mee's first season in charge began with a 3-1 win over Sunderland before beating West Ham, a team with three World Cup players (Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, and Geoff Hurst), 2-1 at home. Arsenal didn't lose until their fifth match, a 3-1 defeat away to Spurs. Arsenal were inconsistent, at one point dropping to sixteenth place. However, they finished the season out with an unbeaten run of 12 games, eventually finishing seventh.
Arsenal entered the League Cup for the first time as it now featured a Wembley final and automatic entry into the Fairs Cup. However, Arsenal began by tying Third Division Gillingham in their first game. After winning the replay 5-0, Arsenal were knocked out by losing 3-1 at home to West Ham. In the FA Cup, Arsenal beat Bristol Rovers and Bolton before being knocked out by Birmingham City.
Final league table
Results Arsenal's score comes first
Legend WinDrawLoss
Football League First Division DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers 20 August 1966 SunderlandA3–1 23 August 1966West Ham UnitedH2–1 27 August 1966 Aston VillaH1–0 29 August 1966 West Ham UnitedA2–2 3 September 1966 Tottenham HotspurA1–3 6 September 1966 Sheffield WednesdayH1–1 10 September 1966 Manchester CityA1–1 17 September 1966 BlackpoolH1–1 24 September 1966 ChelseaA1–3 1 October 1966 Leicester CityH2–4 8 October 1966 Newcastle UnitedH2–0 15 October 1966 Leeds UnitedA1–3 22 October 1966 West Bromwich AlbionH2–3 29 October 1966 Manchester UnitedA0–1 5 November 1966 Leeds UnitedH0–1 12 November 1966 EvertonA0–0 19 November 1966 FulhamH1–0 26 November 1966 Nottingham ForestA1–2 3 December 1966 BurnleyH0–0 10 December 1966 Sheffield UnitedA1–1 17 December 1966 SunderlandH2–0 26 December 1966 SouthamptonH4–1 27 December 1966 SouthamptonA1–2 31 December 1966 Aston VillaA1–0 7 January 1967 Tottenham HotspurH0–2 14 January 1967 Manchester CityH1–0 21 January 1967 BlackpoolA3–0 4 February 1967 ChelseaH2–1 11 February 1967 Leicester CityA1–2 25 February 1967 Newcastle UnitedA1–2 3 March 1967 Manchester UnitedH1–1 18 March 1967 West Bromwich AlbionA1–0 25 March 1967 Sheffield UnitedH2–0 27 March 1967 LiverpoolA0–0 28 March 1967 LiverpoolH1–1 1 April 1967 Stoke CityA2–2 19 April 1967 FulhamA0–0 22 April 1967 Nottingham ForestH1–1 25 April 1967 EvertonH3–1 29 April 1967 BurnleyA4–1 6 May 1967 Stoke CityH3–1 13 May 1967 Sheffield WednesdayA1–1
FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersR328 January 1967 Bristol RoversA3–0R418 February 1967 Bolton WanderersA0–0R4 R22 February 1967 Bolton WanderersH3–0R511 March 196 Birmingham CityA0–1
League Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersR213 September 1966 GillinghamH1–1R2 R21 September 1966 GillinghamA1–1 (aet)R2 2R28 September 1966 GillinghamH5–0R35 October 1966 West Ham UnitedH1–3
Squad
References