1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
| 1985–86 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Martin Edwards | |||
| Manager | Ron Atkinson | |||
| First Division | 4th | |||
| FA Cup | Fifth Round | |||
| League Cup | Fourth Round | |||
| Football League Super Cup | Group Stage (3rd) | |||
| Charity Shield | Runners-up | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Mark Hughes (17) All: Mark Hughes (18) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 54,575 vs Tottenham Hotspur (16 November 1985) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 20,130 vs Norwich City (11 December 1985) | |||
| Average home league attendance | 42,821 | |||
| ||||
The 1985–86 season was Manchester United's 84th season in the Football League, and their 11th consecutive season in the top division of English football.[1]
Despite having won the FA Cup the previous season, the team was unable to compete in the 1985–86 European Cup Winners' Cup due to the five-year ban on English clubs competing in European competitions that was imposed following the Heysel Stadium disaster at the 1985 European Cup Final. Instead, the clubs who would have qualified for Europe all competed in the Football League Super Cup.
With no European action to distract them, they got off to a 10-match winning start in the league, were unbeaten from their first 15 games, and remained top of the league until the beginning of February, but their dismal post Christmas form dragged them down to a final position of fourth in the league, and there was no success in the cup competitions to fall back on, leading to doubts about the future of Ron Atkinson as manager. He had completed five seasons as manager without them finishing outside the top four and had won two FA Cups, but the wait for a league title was now entering its 20th season.
Media reports linked two managers with a move to Old Trafford: Terry Venables, who had just rejected an offer to return to England from Barcelona to take charge at Arsenal; and Alex Ferguson, whose Aberdeen side had broken the Old Firm dominance of Celtic and Rangers in recent seasons. Despite this speculation, Atkinson remained in charge of United into the following season, but the pressure on him to deliver success to the club remained intense.
The ban on English clubs in European competitions was extended to a second season, meaning that United would not be able to compete in the 1986–87 UEFA Cup.
Mark Hughes was once again United's top scorer, scoring 17 goals in the league and 18 in all competitions. However, he was less prolific during the second half of the season after scoring 11 times before Christmas, and on 21 March 1986 it was announced that he would be leaving United at the end of the season to sign for FC Barcelona of Spain in a £2million deal. United had already signed Nottingham Forest striker Peter Davenport as his successor. United had signed another striker, Terry Gibson from Coventry City, just after the turn of the new year.
United's title challenge was also not helped by the fact that captain Bryan Robson was only available for half of the club's league games this season due to injuries.
Contents
1 FA Charity Shield
2 First Division
3 FA Cup
4 Football League Cup
5 Football League Super Cup
6 Squad statistics
7 References
FA Charity Shield
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 August 1985 | Everton | N | 0–2 | 82,000 |
First Division
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1985 | Aston Villa | H | 4–0 | Whiteside, Hughes (2), Olsen | 49,743 | 1st |
| 20 August 1985 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–0 | Robson | 18,777 | 1st |
| 24 August 1985 | Arsenal | A | 2–1 | Hughes, McGrath | 37,145 | 1st |
| 26 August 1985 | West Ham United | H | 2–0 | Hughes, Strachan | 50,773 | 1st |
| 31 August 1985 | Nottingham Forest | A | 3–1 | Hughes, Barnes, Stapleton | 26,274 | 1st |
| 4 September 1985 | Newcastle United | H | 3–0 | Stapleton (2), Hughes | 51,102 | 1st |
| 7 September 1985 | Oxford United | H | 3–0 | Whiteside, Robson, Barnes | 51,820 | 1st |
| 14 September 1985 | Manchester City | A | 3–0 | Robson (pen.), Albiston, Duxbury | 48,773 | 1st |
| 21 September 1985 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 5–1 | Brazil (2), Strachan, Blackmore, Stapleton | 25,068 | 1st |
| 28 September 1985 | Southampton | H | 1–0 | Hughes | 52,449 | 1st |
| 5 October 1985 | Luton Town | A | 1–1 | Hughes | 17,454 | 1st |
| 12 October 1985 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–0 | Hughes, Olsen | 48,845 | 1st |
| 19 October 1985 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | McGrath | 54,492 | 1st |
| 26 October 1985 | Chelsea | A | 2–1 | Olsen, Hughes | 42,485 | 1st |
| 2 November 1985 | Coventry City | H | 2–0 | Olsen (2) | 46,748 | 1st |
| 9 November 1985 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–1 | 48,105 | 1st | |
| 16 November 1985 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–0 | 54,575 | 1st | |
| 23 November 1985 | Leicester City | A | 0–3 | 22,008 | 1st | |
| 30 November 1985 | Watford | H | 1–1 | Brazil | 42,181 | 1st |
| 7 December 1985 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–0 | Stapleton | 37,981 | 1st |
| 14 December 1985 | Aston Villa | A | 3–1 | Blackmore, Strachan, Hughes | 27,626 | 1st |
| 21 December 1985 | Arsenal | H | 0–1 | 44,386 | 1st | |
| 26 December 1985 | Everton | A | 1–3 | Stapleton | 42,551 | 1st |
| 1 January 1986 | Birmingham City | H | 1–0 | C. Gibson | 43,095 | 1st |
| 11 January 1986 | Oxford United | A | 3–1 | Whiteside, Hughes, C. Gibson | 13,280 | 1st |
| 18 January 1986 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2–3 | Olsen (2; 1 pen.) | 46,717 | 1st |
| 2 February 1986 | West Ham United | A | 1–2 | Robson | 22,642 | 2nd |
| 9 February 1986 | Liverpool | A | 1–1 | C. Gibson | 35,064 | 2nd |
| 22 February 1986 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 3–0 | Olsen (3; 2 pen.) | 45,193 | 2nd |
| 1 March 1986 | Southampton | A | 0–1 | 19,012 | 2nd | |
| 15 March 1986 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–1 | 23,407 | 3rd | |
| 19 March 1986 | Luton Town | H | 2–0 | Hughes, McGrath | 33,668 | 3rd |
| 22 March 1986 | Manchester City | H | 2–2 | C. Gibson, Strachan (pen.) | 51,274 | 3rd |
| 29 March 1986 | Birmingham City | A | 1–1 | Robson | 22,551 | 3rd |
| 31 March 1986 | Everton | H | 0–0 | 51,189 | 3rd | |
| 5 April 1986 | Coventry City | A | 3–1 | C. Gibson, Robson, Strachan | 17,160 | 3rd |
| 9 April 1986 | Chelsea | H | 1–2 | Olsen (pen.) | 45,355 | 3rd |
| 13 April 1986 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 0–2 | 32,331 | 3rd | |
| 16 April 1986 | Newcastle United | A | 4–2 | Robson (pen.), Hughes (2), Whiteside | 31,840 | 3rd |
| 19 April 1986 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–0 | 32,357 | 3rd | |
| 26 April 1986 | Leicester City | H | 4–0 | Stapleton, Hughes, Blackmore, Davenport (pen.) | 38,840 | 3rd |
| 3 May 1986 | Watford | A | 1–1 | Hughes | 18,414 | 4th |
Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | West Ham United | 42 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 74 | 40 | +34 | 84 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 70 | 36 | +34 | 76 |
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 63 | 54 | +9 | 73 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
FA Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 January 1986 | Round 3 | Rochdale | H | 2–0 | Stapleton, Hughes | 40,223 |
| 25 January 1986 | Round 4 | Sunderland | A | 0–0 | 35,484 | |
| 29 January 1986 | Round 4 Replay | Sunderland | H | 3–0 | Whiteside, Olsen (2; 1 pen.) | 43,402 |
| 5 March 1986 | Round 5 | West Ham United | A | 1–1 | Stapleton | 26,441 |
| 9 March 1986 | Round 5 Replay | West Ham United | H | 0–2 | 30,441 |
Football League Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 1985 | Round 2 First leg | Crystal Palace | A | 1–0 | Barnes | 21,507 |
| 9 October 1985 | Round 2 Second leg | Crystal Palace | H | 1–0 | Whiteside | 26,118 |
| 29 October 1985 | Round 3 | West Ham United | H | 1–0 | Whiteside | 32,056 |
| 26 November 1985 | Round 4 | Liverpool | A | 1–2 | McGrath | 41,291 |
Football League Super Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 September 1985 | Group stage | Everton | H | 2–4 | Robson (pen.), Stapleton | 33,859 |
| 6 November 1985 | Group stage | Norwich City | H | 1–1 | Whiteside (pen.) | 20,130 |
| 4 December 1985 | Group stage | Everton | A | 0–1 | 20,542 | |
| 11 December 1985 | Group stage | Norwich City | A | 1–1 | C. Gibson | 15,449 |
| Group 1 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos. | Team | Pld. | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts. |
| 1 | Everton | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 9 |
| 2 | Norwich City | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | –3 | 2 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Squad statistics
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| GK |  Gary Bailey | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| GK | Chris Turner | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| DF |  Arthur Albiston | 37 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 48 | 1 |
| DF |  Clayton Blackmore | 12 | 3 | 2(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20(2) | 3 |
| DF | Mike Duxbury | 21(2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29(2) | 1 |
| DF | Billy Garton | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| DF | John Gidman | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| DF | Mark Higgins | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| DF | Graeme Hogg | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| DF |  Paul McGrath | 40 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 4 |
| DF |  John Sivebæk | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 |
| MF | Mark Dempsey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 2(1) | 0 |
| MF | Colin Gibson | 18 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 6 |
| MF | Kevin Moran | 18(1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26(1) | 0 |
| MF | Remi Moses | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 4(1) | 0 |
| MF | Jesper Olsen | 25(3) | 11 | 3(2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34(5) | 13 |
| MF | Bryan Robson | 21 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 8 |
| MF | Gordon Strachan | 27(1) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 36(2) | 5 |
| MF |  Norman Whiteside | 37 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 51 | 8 |
| FW | Peter Barnes | 12(1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17(1) | 3 |
| FW | Alan Brazil | 1(10) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2(2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6(12) | 3 |
| FW | Peter Davenport | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| FW | Terry Gibson | 2(5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(5) | 0 |
| FW | Mark Hughes | 40 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 49 | 18 |
| FW | Frank Stapleton | 34(7) | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 47(7) | 10 |
| FW | Nicky Wood | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 |
References
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