The League Cup final takes place on Sunday between Liverpool and Manchester City.
It will have been 40 years to the day of the 1976 League Cup final, in which Manchester City defeated Newcastle United 2-1. The retrospective significance of this final was down to the teams involved: for Manchester City, a last trophy for 35 years; and for Newcastle United, a last final for 22 years. For both, it turned out to be a “last for a generation” moment.
Both Manchester City and Newcastle United were no strangers to chaos, not least in terms of managerial changing and chopping. Indeed, “chaos theory” can be said to be de rigeur at St James’ Park to this very day. In 1972, Manchester City, under the management of Malcolm Allison, blew what had seemed like a certain league championship in 1972. After Allison, Johnny Hart and Ron Saunders followed before Tony Book took over in 1974. City were very much a force in a tightly contested First Division.
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While two mid-table seasons followed losing out on the league, the first two seasons under Book would see City finish eighth. In 1974, a Dennis Law backheel in a historic Manchester Derby ended a season where his old club Manchester United were consigned to relegation. With United bouncing straight back up, Manchester Derbies resumed in the 1975-76 season, whereas United would be vying with Liverpool, QPR and Derby County for the title; any challenge by City petered out after Christmas.
The side, under Book, boasted a mix of youth and experience. In goal was Joe Corrigan, who was to become England’s third-choice goalkeeper behind Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton. In front of him were defenders Ged Keegan, Willie Donachie, Mike Doyle and Dave Watson, who would win 65 England caps. In midfield, Colin Bell would be absent through injury and his number eight shirt was occupied by Tommy Booth for a fair part of the season, playing alongside Alan Oakes and Asa Hartford. Joe Royle led the attack, and the wingers were Dennis Tueart and Peter Barnes, the latter winning PFA Young Player of the Year in 1976. Two youngsters who made their City debuts that season were Gary Owen and Paul Power.
Newcastle United were now managed by Gordon Lee, who took over from long-serving Joe Harvey in 1975. Under Harvey, the Toon had won the Second Division championship in 1965 and the Fairs Cup (precursor to the UEFA Cup and Europa League) four years later. Their highest league position under Haevey was seventh in 1969-70 and they reached the FA Cup final four years later.
Since then, a number of key players such as Bobby Moncur, Frank Clark, Terry McDermott and Terry Hibbitt had left the club, but Lee still had a capable squad. He had his share of success at Port Vale and Blackburn Rovers, winning promotion with both. In his first season at St James’ Park, inconsistency in the League continued and the Toon were to finish a lowly-looking 15th but with 39 points were well safe from the drop, and in fact their 71 goals was bettered only by fourth-placed Derby County on 75.
Malcolm Macdonald was partnered up front by Alan Gowling. They were fed by such players as Tommy Craig, Geoff Nulty and Tommy Cassidy in midfield and flanked by Stewart Barrowclough and Micky Burns. The defence included players like Pat Howard and Alan Kennedy, the latter to go on to success with Liverpool, as well as Irving Nattrass and Glenn Keeley. Mike Mahoney had taken over from the long-serving Willie McFaul in goal. If this team had little trouble finding the back of the net, they had a hard time keeping them out, although their defensive record was not even the worst that season.
In the final, it was 19-year-old Peter Barnes who scored the opening goal, cancelled out by Alan Gowling. However, it was right after half time that the winning goal was scored, an outrageous overhead kick by Dennis Tueart. Both of City’s wingers had scored in this game and ensured that Mike Doyle as captain would hold aloft the League Cup – the last City captain to hold any silverware until 2011.
For all the talk about the lack of left-sided players for the England team, the emergence of Peter Barnes must surely have been a godsend. Tommy Craig was Newcastle captain on the day, a fine left-footed midfield player who won one cap for Scotland in a time when they were awash with talent. It is said that Newcastle were hit with a flu bug, yet their performance was considerably better than their FA Cup final capitulation to Liverpool two years earlier. While it was heartbreaking to not win the final, they still could hold their heads high.
The following season, Manchester City would finish runners-up to Liverpool in the league. Peter Barnes made his England debut in 1977 against Italy in a World Cup qualifier where he had to face some tough Italian defending. The return of Malcolm Allison in 1979 would see a strong of decisions made – a fire-sale of players (including Barnes and Owen) and rather pricey signings that did not quite work – that would set the club back for a generation.
For a time, under John Bond, they still held their own and made an FA Cup final, but following his departure during the 1982-83 season there would be a plunge towards relegation. For the remainder of the 20th century, Manchester City lived an up-and-down existence and did not get back on its feet until the 21st century by which time so much had changed, and City have been a part of that change too.
Newcastle United, on the other hand, continued their eminently chaotic trajectory. In the summer of 1976, Malcolm Macdonald was sold to Arsenal yet for the 1976-77 season they were doing more than okay in the league.
Lee left to take over at Everton in February 1977 and the inexperienced Richard Dinnis took over and oversaw an astonishing run that had the Toon close to the top of the league, and a fifth-place finish that was the club’s highest since 1951.
And yet, relegation followed the following season with a six-year stay in the Second Division to follow. The familiar pattern at St James’ Park has been maintained ever since and, as of 2016, a struggle to avoid a third relegation since 1978 is underway.
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