1976-1977, Manchester United season

In 1976-1977, the club won its first major trophy for nine years. After losing at Wembley the previous season, Manchester United defeated Liverpool 2-1 to win the FA Cup (and deny Liverpool a treble). Six weeks later, its successful manager, Tommy Docherty, was sacked.

Docherty began the season playing the same first eleven he had played the previous year. All went well until captain, Martin Buchan, was injured. Buchan’s value to the team was immense and, in his eleven-game absence, the team lost six times and won only twice. Docherty strengthened the team in November by signing Jimmy Greenhoff from Stoke City. Greenhoff brought experience as well as skill and formed a fine forward partnership with Stuart Pearson.

In 1976-1977 the Football League changed the way teams on the same number of points would be separated. ‘Goal average’ was replaced by ‘goal difference’ in the hope of encouraging more attacking play. Manchester United responded by scoring more goals in 1976-1977 than for many years. Gordon Hill, Stuart Pearson, Lou Macari and Jimmy Greenhoff all scored twelve goals or more, with Hill as top scorer on twenty-two. In an unbeaten run of fifteen matches between January and March, the team won twelve and drew three. Unfortunately, the contrasting results in the autumn when Buchan was injured, meant the club could only finish sixth in the League, ten points behind champions, Liverpool.

Following its third-place finish the previous season, Manchester United played again in Europe. It defeated Ajax in the first round of the UEFA Cup, but was knocked-out by Juventus in the second. In the League Cup, Manchester United reached the quarter-finals, before losing to Everton. The League Cup run included a three-match epic against Sunderland and a 7-2 victory over Newcastle United. The cup highlight was the FA Cup. Manchester United won the FA Cup for the first time since 1962-1963, defeating Liverpool 2-1 in the final. The cup run included revenge over Southampton, the team that had beaten them at Wembley the previous year.

A month after the Cup Final, Tommy Docherty announced he was leaving his wife, Agnes, and setting up home with Mary Brown, wife of the club’s physiotherapist. On 4 July, he was sacked. Shortly afterwards, Dave Sexton, manager of Queens Park Rangers, was appointed in his place. It was a finale to the season no one had anticipated.