1985-86: The Season Albion’s Fans Would Like to Forget

The 1985-86 season for West Bromwich Albion would go down in history as one they wished to forget. With high hopes and expectations at the start, the season took a devastating turn that saw them face numerous challenges, managerial changes, and ultimately relegation to Division 2. Let’s delve into the key events and stats that shaped Albion’s journey during that fateful campaign.

The Challenging Start

The fixture list seemed favorable, offering West Bromwich Albion the chance for a strong start, with matches against newly promoted teams and familiar opponents. However, after the third game, disaster struck as they faced a humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Watford, leading them to the bottom of the First Division table.

Managerial Changes

As the struggles persisted, Johnny Giles, the manager at the time, departed following a 3-0 defeat at Coventry in September. He handed over the reins to his brother-in-law Nobby Stiles, who took on the challenge. Despite Stiles’ efforts, the situation remained bleak, and he, too, was eventually replaced by Ron Saunders, a former Villa and Birmingham manager, in a last-gasp effort to avoid relegation.

Nightmare Stats

The 1985-86 campaign brought a series of dismal statistics for Albion, making it their worst-ever season in Division One. Some of the records included:

• Fewest League wins: 4, previously 9.
• Record number of defeats: 26, previously 23.
• Least number of away wins: 1, previously 1.
• Fewest home wins in a season: 3, previously 6.
• Most home defeats in a 21-match programme: 10, previously 10.
• Least number of home points gained in a season: 17, previously 22.
• Fewest home League goals scored: 21, previously 22.
• Lowest number of points gained in a 42-match programme: 24, worst 28.
• 9 consecutive League games lost, previous record 8.
• Most players utilized in League & Cup games: 34, previously 33.
• Most home goals conceded by a First Division club in 1985-86: 36.
• Most away League goals conceded by a First Division club in 1985-86: 53.
• Five goalkeepers used during the season in League and Cup competitions.
• Nineteen players made their senior debuts for Albion in 1985-86.

Relegation Struggles

Despite efforts to turn the tide, Albion couldn’t escape the inevitable. The team’s performance saw them languishing at the bottom of the table, and relegation to the Second Division became certain.

Player Signings

Amidst the relegation struggle, the team underwent changes, bringing in players like Garth Crooks and Imre Varadi to replace Garry Thompson, and later, George Reilly arrived from Newcastle. However, none of these additions performed significantly better than the existing players at the club.

The midfield saw numerous changes, with players like Steve Hunt, Mickey Thomas, Tony Grealish, Steve Mackenzie, Martin Dickinson, Andy Thompson, and Darren Bradley all having spells in the team.

Additional signings were made, including Paul Dyson from Stoke City to replace Ally Robertson, who joined Wolves, and goalkeeper Stuart Naylor from Lincoln City, who became Ron Saunders’ first signing. Despite these efforts, Albion faced relegation, and for the first time since 1949, they would start the next season in Division 2.

The 1985-86 season was one of immense struggle and disappointment for West Bromwich Albion. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t overcome the challenges and ended up facing relegation to Division 2. While it was a season fans would rather forget, it also served as a testament to the resilience and passion of Albion’s supporters, who stood by their club through thick and thin.

West Brom Albion’s all games in 1985-1986

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Date	Event	Home	Score	Away
17-08-1985		West Brom	1-1	Oxford
20-08-1985		Everton	2-0	West Brom
24-08-1985		Watford	5-1	West Brom
26-08-1985		West Brom	2-3	Man City
31-08-1985		Chelsea	3-0	West Brom
04-09-1985		West Brom	0-3	Aston Villa
07-09-1985		West Brom	1-2	Ipswich
14-09-1985		Newcastle	4-1	West Brom
21-09-1985		West Brom	1-5	Man Utd
24-09-1985	League Cup 2nd Rd, 1st Leg	West Brom	1-0	Port Vale
28-09-1985		Coventry	3-0	West Brom
05-10-1985		West Brom	1-1	Tottenham
07-10-1985	League Cup 2nd Rd, 2nd Leg	Port Vale	2-2	West Brom
12-10-1985		Leicester	2-2	West Brom
19-10-1985		West Brom	2-1	Birmingham
26-10-1985		Shefield Wed	1-0	West Brom
29-10-1985	League Cup 3rd Rd	Coventry	0-0	West Brom
03-11-1985		Nottingham Forest	2-1	West Brom
06-11-1985	League Cup 3rd Rd, Replay	West Brom	4-3	Coventry
09-11-1985		West Brom	0-1	QPR
16-11-1985		Liverpool	4-1	West Brom
19-11-1985	League Cup 4th Rd	Aston Villa	2-2	West Brom
23-11-1985		West Brom	0-0	Arsenal
26-11-1985	League Cup 4th Rd, Replay	West Brom	1-2	Aston Villa
30-11-1985		West Ham	4-0	West Brom
07-12-1985		West Brom	0-3	Everton
14-12-1985		Oxford	2-2	West Brom
22-12-1985		West Brom	3-1	Watford
26-12-1985		West Brom	1-2	Luton
28-12-1985		Aston Villa	1-1	West Brom
01-01-1986		Southampton	3-1	West Brom
11-01-1986		West Brom	1-1	Newcastle
13-01-1986	FA Cup 3rd Rd	Shefield Wed	2-2	West Brom
16-01-1986	FA Cup 3rd Rd, Replay	West Brom	2-3	Shefield Wed
18-01-1986		West Brom	0-3	Chelsea
01-02-1986		Man City	2-1	West Brom
08-02-1986		Birmingham	0-1	West Brom
22-02-1986		Man Utd	3-0	West Brom
08-03-1986		Tottenham	5-0	West Brom
15-03-1986		West Brom	2-2	Leicester
19-03-1986		West Brom	0-0	Coventry
22-03-1986		Ipswich	1-0	West Brom
29-03-1986		West Brom	1-0	Southampton
01-04-1986		Luton	3-0	West Brom
05-04-1986		West Brom	1-1	Notthingham Forest
12-04-1986		QPR	1-0	West Brom
19-04-1986		West Brom	1-2	Liverpool
22-04-1986		West Brom	1-1	Shefield Wed
26-04-1986		Arsenal	2-2	West Brom
03-05-1986		West Brom	2-3	West Ham

West Brom v West Ham – May 3rd, 1986

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1985-86 Season’s Division 1 Table

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                              P   W  D  L   F   A   W  D  L   F   A  Pts
 1. LIVERPOOL                42  16  4  1  58  14  10  6  5  31  23   88
 2. Everton                  42  16  3  2  54  18  10  5  6  33  23   86
 3. West Ham United          42  17  2  2  48  16   9  4  8  26  24   84
 4. Manchester United        42  12  5  4  35  12  10  5  6  35  24   76
 5. Sheffield Wednesday      42  13  6  2  36  23   8  4  9  27  31   73
 6. Chelsea                  42  12  4  5  32  27   8  7  6  25  29   71
 7. Arsenal                  42  13  5  3  29  15   7  4 10  20  32   69
 8. Nottingham Forest        42  11  5  5  38  25   8  6  7  31  28   68
 9. Luton Town               42  12  6  3  37  15   6  6  9  24  29   66
10. Tottenham Hotspur        42  12  2  7  47  25   7  6  8  27  27   65
11. Newcastle United         42  12  5  4  46  31   5  7  9  21  41   63
12. Watford                  42  11  6  4  40  22   5  5 11  29  40   59
13. Queen's Park Rangers     42  12  3  6  33  20   3  4 14  20  44   52
14. Southampton              42  10  6  5  32  18   2  4 15  19  44   46
15. Manchester City          42   7  7  7  25  26   4  5 12  18  31   45
16. Aston Villa              42   7  6  8  27  28   3  8 10  24  39   44
17. Coventry City            42   6  5 10  31  35   5  5 11  17  36   43
18. Oxford United            42   7  7  7  34  27   3  5 13  28  53   42
19. Leicester City           42   7  8  6  35  35   3  4 14  19  41   42
20. IPSWICH TOWN             42   8  5  8  20  24   3  3 15  12  31   41
21. BIRMINGHAM CITY          42   5  2 14  13  25   3  3 15  17  48   29
22. WEST BROMWICH ALBION     42   3  8 10  21  36   1  4 16  14  53   24

Source: rsssf.com
Info by Stuart Jackson

Featured image from birminghammail.co.uk

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