When Norwich dreamed of Europe but settled for promotion

By -

Norwich have been brilliant this season but their promotion to the top flight in 1986 takes some beating for drama

By Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog

As spring turned to summer in 1985, Norwich fans must have been emotionally drained. In March, the football Gods shone on them as they beat local rivals Ipswich in the League Cup semi-finals and then won the final against Sunderland to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history. But all that glory and hope would be taken away by the end of May.

Norwich’s league form collapsed after their big day out at Wembley, with a run of eight defeats in nine games sending them towards the relegation zone. Their season was in danger of falling apart but a win at Chelsea in their final game left them on 49 points, surely enough to keep them up. They just had to hope that Coventry, who still had three games to play, didn’t win them all.

Continue reading...

from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/that-1980s-sports-blog/2019/apr/30/norwich-city-europe-promotion-season

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Newcastle’s transformation and reconnection testament to Howe’s coaching | Andy Brassell

By -
Club’s supporters’ minds will start to wander to potential trips next season after long-awaited return to Champions League The roar at kick-off, the roar that had been there in most of the previous 18 home games of this season, was maybe given a few extra decibels here. Added to renewed hope, present all season, was a touch of yes, this really is happening. Then came the moment, with fireworks being wedged into the tops of milk bottles, at the beginning of stoppage time, when Nick Pope was finally forced into some sort of movement to deny Timothy Castagne, to make sure it did happen. It came after one of the Newcastle keeper’s slowest days of the season, after what had often resembled a half-pitch, beat-the-packed-defence training exercise against a Leicester team largely too meek to threaten Geordie dreams. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/may/22/newcastle-champions-league-eddie-howe
Read more

Richarlison’s first Tottenham goals punish Marseille for Mbemba’s red card

By -
There was the obligatory pre-match footage of Lucas Moura’s winner at Ajax and then the declaration on the big screen at Tottenham’s magnificent stadium, one that is built to stage these kind of Champions League nights. “We’re back.” For so long, it appeared that the grand return after a two-season absence would fall flat, even when Marseille were reduced to ten men in the 47th minute following Chancel Mbemba’s last-man foul on Son Heung-min. It was a dreadful misjudgment by the former Newcastle centre-half. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/sep/07/tottenham-marseille-champions-league-group-d-match-report
Read more

Super Eagles player, William Troost-Ekong shows off his girlfriend on IG as she turns a year older today

By -
Image
Super Eagles and FK Haugesund defender William Troost Ekong took to his Instagram account this morning to wish happy birthday to his beautiful girlfriend. " HBD to my girl. Wish I could be there".  The 22 year old half Dutch, half Nigerian is in Nigeria for the Super Eagles 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Tanzania holding in Akwa Ibom state on Saturday.
Read more