The only major transfer was the purchase of Bobby Gould in February. George Graham was again the top scorer in both the league and all competitions.[1]Frank McLintock served as captain.[2]
Season summary
The 1967-68 season was the second of Bertie Mee's tenure as manager. From the beginning, Mee was looking to purchase a striker, as Arsenal had relied heavily on goals from midfielders. However, he did not make a purchase until midway through the season. In February 1968, Arsenal bought the hardworking goalscorer Bobby Gould for £90,000 from Coventry.[3]Dave Sexton also departed from Arsenal's staff to manage Chelsea and Don Howe was promoted from reserve coach to chief coach.[4]
Arsenal found their best form of the season in the League Cup. They easily reached the quarterfinals against Burnley. Interestingly, they faced the same team in the league just three days later, and as the League Cup tie required a replay, it meant Arsenal played Burnley three times in six days. After going 2-0 down in the first match, Arsenal responded admirably with goals from two George Graham and one from Frank McLintock, going ahead 3-2 by half. Arsenal went down to ten men when Bob McNab was sent off twelve minutes into the second half and Burnley equalized, leading to a replay.[4] Tensions continued to boil in their league matchup and Arsenal finished the 0-1 loss with nine men. In the League Cup replay, McNab was replaced with Pat Rice. After squeaking past Huddersfield Town 3-2 in the home semifinal match, Arsenal beat them 3-1 away.[4] They were headed to Wembley for the first time in sixteen years.[5]
Arsenal faced Leeds United in the League Cup final. Leeds had won both their semifinal matchups and were twice recent-runners up of the First Division. They had also lost to Liverpool in the 1965 FA Cup Final. Arsenal, however, were to come in second on this occasion thanks to a Terry Cooper volley following a corner.[6] Arsenal players protested as two of Leeds tallest players restricted Arsenal goalkeeper Jim Furnell by engaging in what Mee called "basketball." Arsenal were unable to respond to the Leeds goal due to their strong defense and lost 1-0 in the first major Cup final of the Mee era.[4]
Following the League Cup final, Arsenal faced Birmingham City in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Arsenal lost the replay due to poor performance from goalkeeper Bob Wilson, letting in a last-minute goal.[4]
Arsenal's form in the league was intermittent. However, they did end the season with five consecutive victories, securing a ninth place finish.[4]
Source: World Football Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored Notes:
^West Bromwich Albion qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1967-68 FA Cup winners.
^Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were ineligible to participate in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as Chelsea had already qualified. Under the rules of the cup, only one team per city could participate. Newcastle United took their place as the highest-ranked team that hadn't already qualified for a European competition.
[1]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
