# 1972–73 Arsenal F.C. season

The 1972–73 season was Arsenal Football Club's 47th consecutive season in the Football League First Division. Arsenal were runners-up to Liverpool in the league. They were knocked out of the League Cup in the quarterfinals by Norwich and the FA Cup in the semifinals by Sunderland.
John Radford was the top scorer in both the league and in all competitions. Frank McLintock served as captain.
1972-73 was the last season under manager Bertie Mee in which Arsenal challenged for silverware.

## Season summary

In the summer of 1972, double-winners Charlie George and Eddie Kelly were put on the transfer list. Though neither left the club, it represented some of the internal struggles of the club at the time, as George and Kelly felt under-rewarded compared to more senior players. Dressing room tensions continued throughout the season, as Mee saw captain Frank McLintock's influence over the dressing room as a challenge to his own authority. Mee also continued to struggle with the absence of Don Howe who had left the previous season to manage West Brom.
Mee made one major purchase in October 1972, buying centre-back Jeff Blockley from Coventry for £200,000. Blockley, who received his first cap for England days after his move to Highbury, was considered the long-term replacement for McLintock. However, this view was not shared by McLintock himself or most of the Arsenal dressing room.
In league play, Mee attempted to respond to the regular criticism that "boring old" Arsenal failed to entertain. Mee attempted to make stylistic changes to play "total football," a style far from their regular long-ball game and unsuited to the English Game. Alan Ball, a player comfortable with possession and who wanted more midfield involvement, was essential to such an approach. However, instead of success, the style led to a 5-0 loss to Derby in the league and a 0-3 home defeat to Norwich, knocking Arsenal out of the League Cup. Returning to their standard tactics, Arsenal went 15 games without defeat. By early 1973, they were nearing Liverpool in the title race. However, they ended up finishing three points behind the league leaders.
In the FA Cup, Arsenal progressed over Leicester City, Bradford City, Carlisle United, and Chelsea before being drawn against Second Division Sunderland in the semifinals. Mee chose to start the dynamic George over the hardworking John Radford. Sunderland scored thanks to a Blockley mistake; he was then roundly criticized for his poor performance, as he played without being fully fit. He was then substituted at half for Radford. Although Arsenal hoped to recover in the second half, Sunderland doubled their lead through Billy Hughes. Arsenal's sole consolation came in the 85th minute from George. Out of the FA Cup, Arsenal lost the third place match 1-3 to Wolves.
After the season's lackluster results, Mee was convinced he had to rebuild Arsenal and let several key players go at the end of the season, including McLintock and George Graham. The 1972/73 season was the beginning of the end for Mee as Arsenal began to descend into mediocrity.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 72 | 42 | 1.714 | 60 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Arsenal | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 57 | 43 | 1.326 | 57 | |
| 3 | Leeds United | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 71 | 45 | 1.578 | 53 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 55 | 45 | 1.222 | 48 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 66 | 54 | 1.222 | 47 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |

## Results

Arsenal's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| 12 August 1972 | Leicester City | A | 1–0 | 28,003 |
| 15 August 1972 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 5–2 | 38,524 |
| 19 August 1972 | Stoke City | H | 2–0 | 42,146 |
| 22 August 1972 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | 24,670 |
| 26 August 1972 | Manchester United | A | 0–0 | 48,108 |
| 29 August 1972 | West Ham United | H | 1–0 | 43,802 |
| 2 September 1972 | Chelsea | H | 1–1 | 46,675 |
| 9 September 1972 | Newcastle United | A | 1–2 | 23,878 |
| 16 September 1972 | Liverpool | H | 0–0 | 47,597 |
| 23 September 1972 | Norwich City | A | 2–3 | 32,273 |
| 26 September 1972 | Birmingham City | H | 2–0 | 30,003 |
| 30 September 1972 | Southampton | H | 1–0 | 34,694 |
| 7 October 1972 | Sheffield United | A | 0–1 | 24,478 |
| 14 October 1972 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–0 | 34,196 |
| 21 October 1972 | Crystal Palace | A | 3–2 | 35,865 |
| 28 October 1972 | Manchester City | H | 0–0 | 45,536 |
| 4 November 1972 | Coventry City | H | 0–2 | 33,699 |
| 11 November 1972 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 3–1 | 25,988 |
| 18 November 1972 | Everton | H | 1–0 | 35,738 |
| 25 November 1972 | Derby County | A | 0–5 | 31,034 |
| 2 December 1972 | Leeds United | H | 2–1 | 39,108 |
| 9 December 1972 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–1 | 47,505 |
| 16 December 1972 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–1 | 30,199 |
| 23 December 1972 | Birmingham City | A | 1–1 | 32,721 |
| 26 December 1972 | Norwich City | H | 2–0 | 39,038 |
| 30 December 1972 | Stoke City | A | 0–0 | 24,586 |
| 6 January 1973 | Manchester United | H | 3–1 | 56,194 |
| 20 January 1973 | Chelsea | A | 1–0 | 36,292 |
| 27 January 1973 | Newcastle United | H | 2–2 | 37,906 |
| 10 February 1973 | Liverpool | A | 2–0 | 49,898 |
| 17 February 1973 | Leicester City | H | 1–0 | 42,047 |
| 28 February 1973 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–1 | 29,308 |
| 3 March 1973 | Sheffield United | H | 3–2 | 33,346 |
| 10 March 1973 | Ipswich Town | A | 2–1 | 34,636 |
| 24 March 1973 | Manchester City | A | 2–1 | 32,031 |
| 26 March 1973 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–0 | 41,879 |
| 31 March 1973 | Derby County | H | 0–1 | 45,217 |
| 14 April 1973 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–1 | 50,863 |
| 21 April 1973 | Everton | A | 0–0 | 42,888 |
| 23 April 1973 | Southampton | A | 2–2 | 23,919 |
| 28 April 1973 | West Ham United | A | 2–1 | 37,366 |
| 9 May 1973 | Leeds United | A | 1–6 | 25,088 |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| R3 | 13 January 1973 | Leicester City | H | 2–2 | 36,433 |
| R3 R | 17 January 1973 | Leicester City | A | 2–1 | 32,973 |
| R4 | 3 February 1973 | Bradford City | H | 2–0 | 40,407 |
| R5 | 24 February 1973 | Carlisle United | A | 2–1 | 23,922 |
| R6 | 17 March 1973 | Chelsea | A | 2–2 | 37,685 |
| R6 R | 20 March 1973 | Chelsea | H | 2–1 | 62,746 |
| SF | 7 April 1973 | Sunderland | N | 1–2 | 55,000 |
| 3rd | 18 August 1973 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–3 | 21,038 |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| R2 | 5 September 1972 | Everton | H | 1–0 | 35,230 |
| R3 | 3 October 1972 | Rotherham United | H | 5–0 | 25,241 |
| R4 | 31 October 1972 | Sheffield United | A | 2–1 | 20,128 |
| QF | 21 November 1972 | Norwich City | H | 0–3 | 37,671 |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | GK | SCO | Bob Wilson |
| - | GK | ENG | Geoff Barnett |
| - | DF | NIR | Pat Rice |
| - | DF | SCO | Frank McLintock |
| - | DF | ENG | Peter Simpson |
| - | DF | ENG | Bob McNab |
| - | DF | NIR | Sammy Nelson |
| - | DF | WAL | John Roberts |
| - | DF | ENG | Brendon Batson |
| - | DF | ENG | Jeff Blockley |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | MF | ENG | George Armstrong |
| - | MF | SCO | George Graham |
| - | MF | ENG | Peter Storey |
| - | MF | ENG | Alan Ball |
| - | MF | SCO | Eddie Kelly |
| - | FW | ENG | Ray Kennedy |
| - | FW | ENG | John Radford |
| - | FW | ENG | Charlie George |
| - | FW | SCO | Peter Marinello |

## Top scorers

First Division
* John Radford - 15
* Alan Ball - 10
* Ray Kennedy - 9
Football League Cup
* John Radford - 3
* Peter Storey - 2
* Charlie George - 2
FA Cup
* Alan Ball - 4
* Bob McNab - 2