| Club: | Arsenal |
| Season: | 1975–76 |
| Manager: | Bertie Mee |
| Chairman: | Denis Hill-Wood |
| League: | First Division |
| League Result: | 17th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Third round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Second round |
| League Topscorer: | Brian Kidd (11) |
| Season Topscorer: | Brian Kidd (11) |
| Prevseason: | 1974–75 |
| Nextseason: | 1976–77 |
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The 1975–76 season was Arsenal Football Club's 50th consecutive season in the Football League First Division. Arsenal finished seventeenth in the league, one position worse than the previous season, their worst finish since Herbert Chapman became manager of the club in 1925.[1] Arsenal failed to find success in either the FA Cup or League Cup.
Manager Bertie Mee retired at the end of the season.
Bob McNab and Charlie George both departed Arsenal prior to the beginning of the season. McNab left on a free transfer to Wolves[2] while George nearly joined manager Terry Neill at Tottenham but was tempted last-minute by Derby for £90,000.[3] Alan Ball also requested a transfer but did not receive it. He was instead dropped for the opening games of the season and Eddie Kelly became the captain.[4] This became a source of tension as many of the players still looked to Ball for leadership.
Arsenal were knocked out of the League Cup at home by Everton and soon after, exited the FA Cup thanks to a loss to Wolves. Arsenal's season quickly became a fight against relegation.
Youngsters Frank Stapleton and David O'Leary both featured regularly in the first team.[5] Within the team, morale was low. In March, Peter Storey walked out for ten days and faced a club suspension. Bertie Mee soon announced his own retirement at the end of the season.
Arsenal's season neared the end with an essential game in the battle for regulation between the 17th place Gunners and the 19th place Wolves. Terry Mancini's only first-team goal against Wolves ensured Arsenal stayed up that season, despite three consecutive losses closing out the season.
See main article: 1975–76 Football League First Division.
Arsenal's score comes first[6]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 August 1975 | Burnley | A | 0–0 | |||
| 19 August 1975 | Sheffield United | A | 3–1 | Rice, Kidd, Brady | ||
| 23 August 1975 | Stoke City | H | 0–1 | |||
| 26 August 1975 | Norwich City | H | 2–1 | Kelly, Ball | ||
| 30 August 1975 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | |||
| 6 September 1975 | Leicester City | H | 1–1 | Stapleton | ||
| 13 September 1975 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | |||
| 20 September 1975 | Everton | H | 2–2 | Stapleton, Kidd | ||
| 27 September 1975 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–0 | |||
| 4 October 1975 | Manchester City | H | 2–3 | Ball, Cropley | ||
| 11 October 1975 | Coventry City | H | 5–0 | Ball, Cropley (2), Kidd (2) | ||
| 18 October 1975 | Manchester United | A | 1–3 | Kelly | ||
| 25 October 1975 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–1 | Cropley, Hornsby | ||
| 1 November 1975 | Newcastle United | A | 0–2 | |||
| 8 November 1975 | Derby County | H | 0–1 | |||
| 15 November 1975 | Birmingham City | A | 1–3 | Ball | ||
| 22 November 1975 | Manchester United | H | 3–1 | Ball, Armstrong, Greenhoff o.g. | ||
| 29 November 1975 | West Ham United | A | 0–1 | |||
| 2 December 1975 | Liverpool | A | 2–2 | 47,751 | Ball, Kidd | |
| 6 December 1975 | Leeds United | H | 1–2 | Brady | ||
| 13 December 1975 | Stoke City | A | 1–2 | Armstrong | ||
| 20 December 1975 | Burnley | H | 1–0 | Radford | ||
| 26 December 1975 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–2 | |||
| 27 December 1975 | Queen's Park Rangers | H | 2–0 | Ball, Kidd | ||
| 10 January 1976 | Aston Villa | H | 0–0 | |||
| 17 January 1976 | Leicester City | A | 1–2 | Ross | ||
| 31 January 1976 | Sheffield United | H | 1–0 | Brady | ||
| 7 February 1976 | Norwich City | A | 1–3 | Kidd | ||
| 18 February 1976 | Derby County | A | 0–2 | |||
| 21 February 1976 | Birmingham City | H | 1–0 | Brady | ||
| 24 February 1976 | Liverpool | H | 1–0 | Radford | ||
| 28 February 1976 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–0 | Radford | ||
| 13 March 1976 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | Powling | ||
| 16 March 1976 | Newcastle United | H | 0–0 | |||
| 20 March 1976 | West Ham United | H | 6–1 | Armstrong, Ball (2), Kidd (3) | ||
| 27 March 1976 | Leeds United | A | 0–3 | |||
| 3 April 1976 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–2 | |||
| 10 April 1976 | Everton | A | 0–0 | |||
| 13 April 1976 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | Cropley, Mancini | ||
| 17 April 1976 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–2 | 26,659 | Stapleton | |
| 19 April 1976 | Queen's Park Rangers | A | 1–2 | Kidd | ||
| 24 April 1976 | Manchester City | A | 1–3 | Armstrong |
See main article: 1975-76 FA Cup.
| R3 | 3 January 1976 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–3 |
See main article: 1975–76 Football League Cup.
| R2 | 9 September 1975 | Everton | A | 2–2 | Cropley, Stapleton | ||
| R2R | 23 September 1975 | Everton | H | 0–1 |
http://www.11v11.com/teams/arsenal/tab/players/season/1977
Football League First Division[7]