Glory Hunting Tossers

1982/83 was a bloody awful season all round. We reached the semi final of the FA Cup, knocked out by Manchester United, and the semi final of the league cup, knocked out by Manchester United. In the second half of the season the faithful dwindled and the only league game to attract over 25,000 was Swansea City on New Year's Day.

Stoke City 19,428
Brighton 17,972
Forest 21,698
Luton 23,987
Ipswich 17,639
Southampton 24,911
Coventry 19,152
Man City 16,810

By the time we played United for the 4th time that season everyone was well and truly fed up with what was going on...or not and just 23,602 turned up for the team sitting 3rd. Yep, Luton and Southampton attracted more to Highbury than the biggest club in the world (trademark).

Against this  backdrop the club decided to increase admission prices! The team was going nowhere, the fans were staying away and Arsenal, in their infinite wisdom decided fans who wanted to stand would have to pay an extra 20p to watch their mid table heroes while seat prices ranged from 3.50 to 6.50.

Obviously the manager Terry Neill was aware something needed to be done. His splurge in the transfer market the previous summer had not been successful with only Tony Woodcock doing the business on a regular basis. Lee Chapman had become a target for the boo boys in record quick time while Vladimir Petrovic had taken a long time to arrive but departed pretty sharpish.

Neill returned to the transfer market at the end of the season, signing Ian Allinson, John Lukic and Charlie Nicholas and the fans responded with the opening three games of 1983/84 averaging around 40,000.