User:DaveJB/1980–81 Newcastle United F.C. season

Newcastle United's 1980-81 season is noted primarily for being the season in which Newcastle registered their lowest-ever goals scored tally, scoring just thirty league goals.

A dismal end to the previous season had left manager Bill McGarry under increasing pressure, and things did not improve at the start of this season, with Newcastle losing their first three league matches before suffering a humiliating League Cup elimination at the hands of Third Division opponents Bury. McGarry was sacked in the aftermath of the League Cup exit and former manager Joe Harvey returned as caretaker manager. Under Harvey's management the side earned two successive wins, leading for fan calls for him to return as manager permanently; at the age of 62 however, Harvey felt his time as a manager had passed, though he expressed his willingness to stay on as an adviser for the new manager. That new manager would turn out to be Arthur Cox, formerly of Chesterfield.

The side seemed to respond positively to the managerial change, going undefeated (albeit with three goalless draws) in Cox's first five games. After that however, Newcastle struggled to find the net for the remainder of the season, and the hoped-for promotion push never materialised. Fortunately the side were able to grind out a lot of draws and 1-0 victories, meaning that while they rarely rose above mid-table they were never seriously involved in the relegation battle. However, they also had their share of humiliating results (such as a 6-0 thumping by Chelsea early in the campaign) and somewhat paradoxically they defeated fellow Second Division sides Sheffield Wednesday and Luton Town in the FA Cup, only to suffer a 4-1 thumping by Third Division Exeter City in the round that followed.

Despite the distinct lack of entertainment on offer (including an entire month without a single league goal being scored), Cox escaped much criticism, with some of the blame being aimed at former manager McGarry, but far moreso at the club's board, led by chairman Bob Rutherford and majority shareholder (and previous chairman) Lord Westwood. The turning point came near the end of the season, when Westwood resigned from the club's board after a dispute with some of the other directors. This led to the remaining board members openly revolting against Rutherford within days, and the beleaguered chairman tendered his resignation shortly thereafter, as it became obvious that he could not hope to hold onto his position for much longer. Stan Seymour, Jr., son of legendary former manager Stan Seymour was named as the new chairman, and promised to begin rebuilding the club and make money available for Cox to rebuild the team.