# 1975–76 Football League First Division

Statistics of Football League First Division in the 1975–76 season.

## Overview

Liverpool won the First Division title for the ninth time in the club's history that season and the first under manager Bob Paisley. They won the title on their last game of the season on 4 May, 1976, beating relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 at Molineux. Had they lost, Queens Park Rangers would have been champions, having beaten Leeds United 2–0 at Loftus Road in their last game. Despite that, QPR still managed to finish in their highest ever position of runners-up and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Sheffield United's relegation was confirmed on 27 March after losing 5–0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Burnley went down on 19 April after a 1–0 loss at home to Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers went down on the final day of the campaign after their 3–1 loss to Liverpool.

## League standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 23 | 14 | 5 | 66 | 31 | 2.129 | 60 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 67 | 33 | 2.030 | 59 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Manchester United | 42 | 23 | 10 | 9 | 68 | 42 | 1.619 | 56 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Derby County | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 75 | 58 | 1.293 | 53 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Leeds United | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 65 | 46 | 1.413 | 51 | |
| 6 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 54 | 48 | 1.125 | 46 | |
| 7 | Leicester City | 42 | 13 | 19 | 10 | 48 | 51 | 0.941 | 45 | |
| 8 | Manchester City | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 64 | 46 | 1.391 | 43 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 63 | 63 | 1.000 | 43 | |
| 10 | Norwich City | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 58 | 58 | 1.000 | 42 | |
| 11 | Everton | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 60 | 66 | 0.909 | 42 | |
| 12 | Stoke City | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 48 | 50 | 0.960 | 41 | |
| 13 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 46 | 45 | 1.022 | 40 | |
| 14 | Coventry City | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 47 | 57 | 0.825 | 40 | |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 71 | 62 | 1.145 | 39 | |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 51 | 59 | 0.864 | 39 | |
| 17 | Arsenal | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 47 | 53 | 0.887 | 36 | |
| 18 | West Ham United | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 48 | 71 | 0.676 | 36 | |
| 19 | Birmingham City | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 57 | 75 | 0.760 | 33 | |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 51 | 68 | 0.750 | 30 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 21 | Burnley (R) | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 43 | 66 | 0.652 | 28 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | Sheffield United (R) | 42 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 33 | 82 | 0.402 | 22 | Relegation to the Second Division |

## Results

| Home \ Away | ARS | AST | BIR | BUR | COV | DER | EVE | IPS | LEE | LEI | LIV | MCI | MUN | MID | NEW | NWC | QPR | SHU | STK | TOT | WHU | WOL |
| Arsenal | | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 6–1 | 2–1 |
| Aston Villa | 2–0 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 |
| Birmingham City | 3–1 | 3–2 | | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–5 | 0–1 |
| Burnley | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 4–4 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–5 |
| Coventry City | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Derby County | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | | 1–3 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 3–2 |
| Everton | 0–0 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 2–0 | | 3–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Ipswich Town | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–6 | 1–0 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 3–0 |
| Leeds United | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–2 | 1–0 | | 4–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Leicester City | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 |
| Liverpool | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 5–3 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Manchester City | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 |
| Manchester United | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–0 |
| Middlesbrough | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | | 3–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Newcastle United | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 4–3 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–4 | 1–1 | | 5–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 5–1 |
| Norwich City | 3–1 | 5–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | | 3–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 |
| Sheffield United | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–4 |
| Stoke City | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 0–0 | 5–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 5–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| West Ham United | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | | 0–0 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |

## Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Newcastle United | Joe Harvey | Sacked | 11 June 1975 | Pre-season | Gordon Lee | 17 June 1975 |
| Birmingham City | Freddie Goodwin | Resigned | 18 September 1975 | 21st | Willie Bell | 18 September 1975 |
| Sheffield United | Ken Furphy | Sacked | 6 October 1975 | 22nd | Jimmy Sirrel | 8 October 1975 |
| Burnley | Jimmy Adamson | Resigned | 6 January 1976 | 20th | Joe Brown | 6 January 1976 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Bill McGarry | Sacked | 1 May 1976 | 20th | Sammy Chung | 1 May 1976 |

## Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Ted MacDougall | Norwich City | 23 |
| 2 | John Duncan | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 |
| 3 | Malcolm Macdonald | Newcastle United | 19 |
| 4 | Trevor Francis | Birmingham City | 17 |
| = | John Richards | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 17 |
| 5 | Charlie George | Derby County | 16 |
| = | John Toshack | Liverpool | 16 |
| = | Alan Gowling | Newcastle United | 16 |
| = | Duncan McKenzie | Leeds United | 16 |