1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season

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]

Manchester United
1985–86 season
ChairmanMartin Edwards
ManagerRon Atkinson
First Division4th
FA CupFifth Round
League CupFourth Round
Football League Super CupGroup stage
Charity ShieldRunners-up
Top goalscorerLeague:
Mark Hughes (17)

All:
Mark Hughes (18)
Highest home attendance54,575 vs Tottenham Hotspur (16 November 1985)
Lowest home attendance20,130 vs Norwich City (11 December 1985)
Average home league attendance42,821

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. They were unbeaten from their first 15 games with 41 points as at 2 November with 13 wins and 2 draws. The size of their lead at that point helped them stay top of the league until the beginning of February despite taking only 35 points from their last 27 games finishing fourth in the league on 76 points, 12 points behind champions Liverpool. 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.

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 Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Everton 42 26 8 8 87 41 +46 86 FA Cup runners-up, excluded from Cup Winners' Cup[lower-alpha 1]
3 West Ham United 42 26 6 10 74 40 +34 84 Excluded from UEFA Cup
4 Manchester United 42 22 10 10 70 36 +34 76
5 Sheffield Wednesday 42 21 10 11 63 54 +9 73
6 Chelsea 42 20 11 11 57 56 +1 71
Source:
Notes:
  1. Everton were the runners-up in the FA Cup, and Liverpool having won the Double, they should have claimed a place in the 1986–87 European Cup Winners' Cup.

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.
1Everton 430163+39
2Norwich City 41213305
3Manchester United 402247–32

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 250204030340
GK Chris Turner 170300020220
DF Arthur Albiston 371503030481
DF Clayton Blackmore 1232(2)0204020(2)3
DF Mike Duxbury 21(2)130302029(2)1
DF Billy Garton 100100010120
DF John Gidman 240201030300
DF Mark Higgins 6020000080
DF Graeme Hogg 170002020210
DF Paul McGrath 403404150534
DF John Sivebæk 2(1)00000002(1)0
MF Mark Dempsey 1000001(1)02(1)0
MF Colin Gibson 185400021246
MF Kevin Moran 18(1)030401026(1)0
MF Remi Moses 4000000(1)04(1)0
MF Jesper Olsen 25(3)113(2)2303034(5)13
MF Bryan Robson 217302021288
MF Gordon Strachan 27(1)550103(1)036(2)5
MF Norman Whiteside 374514251518
FW Peter Barnes 12(1)200312017(1)3
FW Alan Brazil 1(10)3002(2)0306(12)3
FW Peter Davenport 111000000111
FW Terry Gibson 2(5)00000002(5)0
FW Mark Hughes 40173120404918
FW Frank Stapleton 34(7)752404147(7)10
FW Nicky Wood 0(1)00000000(1)0

References

  1. "Manchester United Season 1985/86". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
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