Chairman John W Smith First Division 2nd FA Cup 4th Round | Manager Bob Paisley Cup Winners' Cup 2nd Round League Cup 4th Round | |
Liverpool F.C. had a trophyless first season under the guidance of Bob Paisley, who took over as manager following the retirement of Bill Shankly after nearly 15 years at the helm. They did finish second in the First Division behind champions Derby County, in a record-tight season that saw the top ten teams separated by less than ten points. A defeat in the penultimate round against newcomers Middlesbrough cost Liverpool a ninth league title.
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It was during this season Liverpool Football Club only took 14 fans to Boleyn Ground stadium for a game against West Ham United (a game which ended 0-0). An article in the Liverpool Echo explained how Lawrenson's Coaches had to cancel coaches a few days before as they had received no bookings. 5 'specials' were put on by railway services, however only one left the station. When it arrived at London for the game only 14 fans left the train to meet the escort. There has often been a debate about why this happened, some blame it being a mid-week game, others talk about it being a protest against how the club were treating Bill Shankly and others claim that the fans were intimidated by the hooligans of West Ham United. [1]
It did however beat the club record for biggest victory, eclipsing Strømsgodset from Norway by 11-0 in the Cup Winners' Cup.