1983–84 Football League

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, with home and away statistics separated.

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

15th English title Notts County Wolverhampton Wanderers Nottingham Forest Queens Park Rangers Southampton Tottenham Hotspur (as defending champions) (32 goals) (28 April 1984) (12 February 1984) (28 April 1984) Queens Park Rangers Manchester United Ipswich Town Notts County Liverpool won the league title for a third successive season, although it was a much closer contest than the previous season. They also lifted a fourth consecutive League Cup and also their fourth European Cup in eight seasons to become the first English team to win three major trophies in the same season.

Their biggest rivals in the title race were Manchester United, who led the table at several stages of the season before dropping points in several crucial games later in the season to finish fourth. Southampton enjoyed their best league season to date with a second place finish, while Nottingham Forest finished third and also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. Queens Park Rangers, newly promoted, finished top of all the London clubs with a fifth place final position - which saw manager Terry Venables offered the job as manager of FC Barcelona, which he duly accepted. Tottenham Hotspur were unable to sustain a title challenge but lifted the UEFA Cup in Keith Burkinshaw's final season as manager.

Luton Town were surprise title contenders during the first half of the season before a dismal second half of the season saw them finish 16th.

Watford, the previous season's runners-up, began the season struggling near the foot of the table, before manager Graham Taylor brought Scottish striker Mo Johnston to the club as successor to Luther Blissett, and his new signing scored 20 goals as Watford climbed to a secure 11th place finish.

Everton were in the bottom half of the table and fans were calling for manager Howard Kendall to be sacked in November 1983, but the board kept the faith in their manager and gave him the green light to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers' striker Andy Gray, who revived Everton's season as they climbed up to seventh place in the final table and ended their 14-year wait for a major trophy by beating Watford 2–0 in the final of the FA Cup. Gray was cup-tied for Everton's League Cup fixtures, but they still reached the final and took Liverpool to a replay before losing 1–0.

Just one season after winning promotion back to the First Division, Wolves went straight back down to the Second Division in bottom place. Notts County were next to go down, having survived for three seasons in the First Division. The final relegation place went to Birmingham City.

Final table

First Division results

Managerial changes

First Division maps

Arsenal Tottenham Queens Park Rangers Watford West Ham

Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham Coventry Everton Ipswich Town Leicester City Liverpool Luton Town Manchester United Norwich City Nottingham Forest Notts County QPR Southampton Stoke Sunderland Tottenham Watford West Bromwich Albion West Ham Wolverhampton Wanderers

Second Division

Sheffield Wednesday Newcastle United Swansea City Cambridge United (28 goals)

Results

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|match_CAM_B&HA=3–4

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Second Division maps

Charlton Athletic Chelsea Crystal Palace Fulham

Barnsley Brighton & Hove Blackburn Rovers Cambridge Utd Cardiff City Carlisle United Charlton Chelsea Crystal Palace Derby County Fulham Grimsby Town Huddersfield Leeds United Manchester City Middlesbrough Newcastle Oldham Portsmouth Sheffield Wednesday Shrewsbury Swansea City

[[Football League Third Division|Third Division]]

Wimbledon Port Vale Scunthorpe United Southend United

Results

• On the 27th of December 1983, Wimbledon were leading Millwall 4-2 when Wimbledon full-back Wally Downes took a direct free-kick and chipped the ball over goalkeeper Dave Beasant and into the net. As Beasant had not touched the ball, Law 13 states that the goal should have been disallowed and Millwall awarded a corner kick. Instead referee John E Martin incorrectly awarded the goal. Wimbledon hung on to win 4-3.

Third Division maps

Brentford Orient Millwall Wimbledon

Bolton Bournemouth Bradford City Brentford Bristol Rovers Burnley Exeter City Gillingham Hull Orient Lincoln City Millwall Oxford Newport County Plymouth Argyle Port Vale Preston North End Rotherham Scunthorpe United Sheffield United Southend Walsall Wigan Athletic Wimbledon

[[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]]

Doncaster Rovers Reading

Results

Fourth Division maps

Bristol City --|position=right}} Chester --|position=right}} Colchester United--|position=right}} Crewe Alexandra--|position=right}} Halifax Town --|position=right}}

Aldershot Blackpool Bristol City Bury Chester City Chesterfield Colchester Crewe Alexandra Darlington Doncaster Halifax Town Hartlepool Hereford United Mansfield Town Northampton Town Peterborough Reading Rochdale Stockport Swindon Torquay Tranmere Wrexham York City

Election/Re-election to the Football League

As champions of the Alliance Premier League, Maidstone United won for the second time the right to apply for election to the Football League, to replace one of the four bottom teams in the 1983–84 Football League Fourth Division. The vote went as follows:

Hence, all four Football League teams were re-elected, and Maidstone United were again denied membership of the League.

Attendances

Source:

Division One

Division Two

Division Three

Division Four

References

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

References

1. "England 1983–84". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
2. Ian Laschke: ''Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79''. Macdonald and Jane's, London & Sydney, 1980.
3. "English League Leading Goalscorers".
4. (2010). "Football's Strangest Matches: Extraordinary but true stories from over a century of football". Portico.
5. https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/eng/aveeng1984.htm