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| 1980-81 |
John Bond quits to take over
as manager at Manchester City. His long-time assistant Ken Brown
takes over at Carrow Road. Though inheriting a struggling side
he almost saves them from relegation, only for a shock 3-2 home
defeat at the hands of already-doomed Leicester to seal their
fate on the final day of the season. A 6-0 FA Cup defeat to
Bond’s new charges at Maine Road is hard to take, as is
the home defeat against Ipswich in a League Cup third round
replay.
Finished: 19th out of 22 in Division One |
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| 1981-82 |
Norwich City come from nowhere
to bounce straight back up to Division One, courtesy of 10 wins
in 11 matches at the end of the season. They can even afford
to lose their last game at Sheffield Wednesday. John Deehan
is signed for £175,000 while Martin O’Neill returns
for a second spell at the club. This was the first season of
three, rather than two, points for a win – and it made
a difference. Under the old system the Owls would have taken
the third place instead. A wonder-strike from West Brom striker
Cyrille Regis ends hopes of an FA Cup run.
Finished: 3rd out of 22 in Division Two |
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| 1982-83 |
 Robert
Chase is elected to the board. City string together a good run
of late results to finish 14th in the table with John Deehan
(pictured) contributing 21 goals to the cause. An excellent
FA Cup run ends in the quarter-finals at Brighton, where a controversial
Jimmy Case goal settles the issue.
Finished: 14th out of 22 in Division One |
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| 1983-84 |
Two good cup runs
prove the highlight of the season but City lose
fifth round ties at Derby in the FA Cup and at home
to Aston Villa in the League Cup. Ken Brown’s
team again finish 14th in Division One, the highlight
being a 6-1 thrashing of Watford that sees John
Deehan score four.
Finished: 14th out of 22 in Division One |
| 1984-85 |
A real up and down
campaign sees City win the Milk Cup – only
to be relegated a few months later. The 1-0 victory
over Sunderland at Wembley seems like a distant
memory as Coventry win their last three games, after
City have completed their fixtures, to condemn them
to the drop. If that isn’t bad enough City
are denied a UEFA Cup place as English clubs are
banned from Europe in the aftermath of the Heysel
tragedy. Fire badly damages the main stand at Carrow
Road.
Finished: 19th out of 22 in Division One |
| 1985-86 |
Board resigns in
row involving the building of new stand and Robert
Chase takes over as chairman. On the pitch City
turn on the style, winning 10 games on the trot
at one stage as they win the Division Two title
by seven points. Promotion is achieved with a 2-0
win at Bradford City’s temporary Odsal Stadium
home. There’s a crushing 5-0 defeat at Liverpool
in the FA Cup third round and City also lose to
the Reds in the semi-finals of the European substitute,
the Screen Sport Super Cup.
Finished: 1st out of 22 in Division Two |
| 1986-87 |
A great season back
in the top flight sees City finish in fifth place,
their best finish yet with Kevin Drinkell weighing
in with 21 goals. Wigan end FA Cup hopes for another
year while City just miss out on a Wembley appearance
in the new Full Members Cup as Charlton win a dramatic
semi-final in extra-time.
Finished: 5th out of 22 in Division One |
| 1987-88 |
 Ken
Brown (pictured) is sacked after a 2-0 defeat at
Charlton leaves City with just three wins in their
first 15 games. An extra-ordinary meeting is called
to propose a vote of no confidence in chairman Chase
but this is defeated. In the meantime Dave Stringer
takes over as manager and guides the Canaries to
mid-table respectability. City lose to Swindon in
a FA Cup third round replay.
Finished: 14th out of 21 in Division One |
| 1988-89 |
Incredibly, a League
and Cup double is still on for Dave Stringer’s
team until mid-April. In the end City lose 1-0 to
Everton in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park on
the day of the Hillsborough disaster and slip to
fourth in the league – still their best ever
finish at that time – after picking up just
two points in six matches in April. Apart from one
short break City had been top of the table from
August until the early part of the New Year. Again,
City would have qualified for the UEFA Cup but for
the blanket ban on English clubs.
Finished: 4th out of 20 in Division One |
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| 1989-90 |
A steady season sees Dave Stringer’s
men finish 10th in the league after going unbeaten through
the first 11 games. They subsequently bank £2.4m
by selling Andy Townsend and Andy Linighan to Chelsea
and Arsenal respectively. John Polston, Paul Blades and
Colin Woodthorpe are recruited to fill the gaps. Liverpool
beat City 3-1 in an FA Cup fourth round replay. One of
the highlights is a 4-4 draw with Southampton which featured
the ITV ‘goal of the season’ from Robert Rosario.
Finished: 10th out of 20 in Division One |
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