For the second the season running Logica were looking down from the top at the end of the season. Following on from their Third Division Championship and Cup Double, the team positively thrived at a higher level, and this brilliant side skipped off with the Division Two title without losing a single league match. Indeed, only a narrow semi-final extra time defeat at the hands of Holland Park denied them the opportunity of completing a double Double.
In classic fashion, this outstanding team was built on strength in both attack and defence. Spear-headed by the legendary and lethal SAS strike-force of , and , Logica rattled in 90 goals during the season. And a miserly defence marshalled by and backed by brilliant Scouse stopper , conceded just 13 league goals.
Amidst much talk of Doubles, it was a supreme double-act that would share the Supremo laurels for this season's outstanding success. United by the outstanding on-field results enjoyed by their charges, their management styles were never-the-less somewhat different.
It was who began the season at the helm, and set the foundations for the ultimate triumph. Only handed the reins in the summer when shocked the football world by retiring at the top, quickly set about improving on an already supremely successful squad.
There was a price for previous success, however, and had been tempted by an embryonic J-League, could not be dissuaded from going down under, and the experienced retired to pursue a career in, well..., management. But 's scouting network immediately unearthed more than adequate replacements in and , and with loyal glovemen and nearing the end of their Logica careers, moved decisively to secure the services of .
Having assembled such a rich squad of talent, was determined only to show it off at its best. Thus, if one or two of his crown jewels were unavailable to adorn this regal machine, immediately moved to postpone the upcoming fixture to ensure he always fielded a first-choice team. This reaped dividends in terms of an unbeaten start to the season, but the upshot of only playing six league games before Christmas was to leave a congested fixture legacy for the new year.
Logica started their campaign solidly with a 3-1 home win over Sheen Royals, but then struggled to beat the same outfit in the first round of the Trophy, only going through after a replay. But is was a hard-fought draw away at perennial rivals Sarkpoint that set the season on track. Despite pipping the Point to the Third Division title last time out and beating them memorably in the Memorial Shield Cup Final, Logica's league head-to-head record against their spiky foes was not that impressive, and goals from and the himself yielded a valuable and inspiring point.
The team began to express itself thereafter, racking up three wins and a draw in their last four league games of the Eighties. Thirteen goals were banged in without reply in victories over UDE Eastway, Fulchester and Saracen Crusaders, and was continuing to build on his first season's promising form by bagging seven of these. Against an impressive Holland Park outfit who played some excellent football, Logica battled to gain both another vital point and a good insight into who their main rivals would be this season.
Then, after such a brilliant start, came the bomb-shell. As the players relaxed at home with their families, adorning trees with tinsel and wrapping presents for loved ones, the tabloid headlines screamed the shock news to a disbelieving football public that 'SKIPPY SKIPS OUT!'. After just three months and 8 games at the helm, had resigned.
To this day the real reasons behind this dramatic exit remain unclear. The official reason given at the time, that the felt the need to spend more time at home on DIY pursuits, seemed unlikely. There was much speculation in the media, the most-oft repeated rumour being that the purpled-trousered one's style was simply incompatible with the fashionable outlook of those in charge of the club. And with bucking modern-trends and refusing the financial incentives offered by the ubiquitous kiss-and-tell autobiography, we will probably never know the real truth.
The bookies seemed certain that this startling departure would rail-road Logica's promising campaign, and were busily upping the odds even as the name of 's successor was announced. Many were aghast at the risk that the appointment of represented. The raw striker was only in his second season playing for the club, and the role of player-Supremo seemed very premature.
But would quickly prove the doubters wrong. He was undoubtedly a change of style. Where had been all purple trousers, motivational charm, and legendarily lateral half-time team talks in the Venables mould, was far more cardigans, grim northernness, and interval teacups in the Paisley style. But what both Supremo's shared was a love of the club, a determination to win, and most importantly a squad bulging with talent. And by winning his first ten games on the bounce, gave his detractors absolutely no opportunity to carp.
And those who feared that the new 's form on the pitch would suffer as a result of managerial stress were also quickly availed of any doubts. rattled in 17 goals in those first ten games in charge, and went on to bag an impressive 30 goals in his 22 appearances during the campaign. It was far from being a one man show, but all in all it was a fairly good season for the top-scorer and Championship winning manager.
The new did not restrict his influence to the dressing-room. He was quick to adopt the Paisley philosophy that the best time to add to a squad was when it was winning, and introduced young talent in the form of and , both of whom would go on to make significant marks in the annals of Logica Football Club.
And in the wider sphere, moved quickly to secure the club an impressive new Stadium that looked very much to the future. This move was not without its controversy, for the newly purchased Battersea Astrodome boasted a flat, all-weather surface that many traditionalists despised. If nothing else, this surface proved its immediate worth by enabling Logica to fulfil a large backlog of fixtures built up by the selective appearance approach. From the start of 1990 to the end of April, Logica only enjoyed one free Sunday morning other than Easter, the kind of fixture congestion that today's pampered Supremos would have nightmares about.
After a convincing win over Sheen Royals, 's new charges struck a significant victory in their pursuit of silverware by beating Sarkpoint 2-0 at home. It was who scored the all important opening goal, and the trusty finishing of that wrapped up two vital points.
After another two points from a goal-fest against Churchill, Logica faced their most crucial game of the season when they met fellow title-contenders Holland Park in a quagmire at Gunnersbury. The team showed character as well as skill against high quality opponents, and produced an outstanding display in goal that included a number of vital saves that maintained a hard-earned clean sheet. claimed the game's key goal, and a late strike guaranteed both points.
The next match saw Logica entertain their only other serious challengers at the Astrodome. Gucci proved a very good side in their first West End season, but a brilliant brace from saw Logica run out 3-1 winners in a close match.
Having thus defeated each of their three main title rivals after Christmas, Logica went on to ram home their advantage by winning their last four league games in spectacular style, scoring 24 goals in the process. and filled their boots against Fulchester with four apiece, and the pair also notched a brace each against UDE Eastway.
The Championship was finally confirmed on the last Sunday in April with a 6-1 rout of bottom side Saracen Crusaders and the celebrations could begin. bagged himself his second-hat-trick of the season, and he would finish the campaign with an impressive haul of 23 goals - like the , boasting an average of over a goal a game. also rounded off an impressive first season with two well-taken goals.
With the league pretty well in the bag by mid-March, thoughts turned to the business-end of the Cup competitions. Having engineered an early exit from the Mickey Mouse Divisional Cup, Logica still continued to struggle in the Trophy competition. After that early-season replay win over Sheen, the side scraped a fortunate second round 3-2 win over Relay, a fourth division outfit eager to fill the role of David. Logica were finally put out of their misery by the brilliant Venice Utd, a team they would face in the premier division the following season.
But as holders, it was the prestigious War Memorial Shield that Logica most prized on the Cup front. A difficult group saw them drawn against two First Division sides, whilst a local derby against third division Sema would also not be an easy game. It was a good test for what Logica would have to face in the top flight, and they started with flying colours by disposing of Hampstead SDA by 6-1, and again doing the damage with a hat-trick and brace respectively.
The following week, Logica entertained Cultural Portuguese at the Astrodome. The good news was that Logica acquitted themselves admirably against a team who would go on to finish third in Division One. The bad news was a shambolic last minute equaliser conceded to the visitors that left the Group in the balance. Logica gave themselves every chance of qualifying for the semi-final when they trounced Sema by 7-1 in a bad-tempered derby at the Astrodome, ex-Supremo the hero of the hour with a hat-trick. Although Logica had to wait almost a month for Cultural to play and win their other two Group matches, a vastly superior goal-difference saw Logica through.
With fixture congestion piling up as a result of typical West End League over-egging of the competition pudding, the semi-final was not played until mid-May. It turned out to be another ding-dong battle against Division Two runners-up Holland Park. Despite racing into a 3-1 lead with two classic finishes, some rare sloppy defending allowed Park to take the tie into extra time. At the end of a long and brilliant campaign, one last effort proved just beyond the Champions, and despite a second strike, three goals for the rampant Dutchmen saw them run out 6-4 winners.
The double was not to be, but it was still a brilliant season and the Championship was more than adequate compensation. Nobody would have believed it then, but like a certain other LFC in 1990, this title would prove to be their last ever such success, at least up until the time of writing [2004] – indeed their last trophy of any description.
Such historical perspective merely adds to the legendary status of this brilliant squad of players. Although , and claimed the headlines with a collective 64 goals during the campaign, the strength of this team was their all-round quality in depth. And who better to demonstrate all-round quality than stout Scouse stopper, . The keeper was unanimously voted the Players' Player of the Season after some brilliant displays that regularly did as much as the onion-bag filling at the other end to earn points. As well as bravery bordering on stupidity, had the knack of pulling off vital saves at vital times, not to mention his innate ability at talking opposition forwards out of a game.
The big glove-man was lucky in having a mean back four providing the cover in front of him. The ever-present was the defensive mastermind behind this operation. The first ever cultured libero of the modern era won many of the on-field battles with his lightning quick footballing brain, complemented menacingly with an Adamesque bark. His bite wasn't bad either; any opposing forward having the temerity to beat would often inexplicably suddenly find himself flat on his arse.
's regular partners in crime were either the missilic , or the gentlemanly half-Supremo . earned his nickname with some precision tackling launched from distance: once the sights were locked the ball was as good as his. But he was more than just a destructive element, and was a popular if unlikely winner of the Goal of the Season Award for his spectacular twenty-yard diving header bulleted home against UDE Eastway in October. was as supremely good at centre-half as in any other position, his aerial dominance, strength, balance and natural skill making him the best player of his generation, and a sad loss to DIY. With such a strong central axis, full-backs were almost a luxury. But , and provided added defensive cover as well as dynamic attacking options down both flanks.
And this in turn simply added an extra dimension to an already glittering midfield. was the fulcrum, providing flair, organisation and the occasional stunning strike from distance. And Logica were immensely grateful to the Footballing Gods that they spared the Scotsman the usual spate of serious and minor injuries, enabling him to play 15 games and make a telling contribution. New boy provided a subtle foil. His sublime passing with either foot belied a shrewd footballing brain only slightly impacted by the clutter of an inordinate amount of football trivia, whilst the 6' 7" midfielder could also bamboozle opponents with his complete inability to head the ball. Italian-Scouse dynamo combined his traditional native talents of foot and mouth, to yield a bold and effective utility man who could play anywhere from back to front. And with adding bite and tenacity after Christmas, not to mention and available to slot in when required, Logica had a midfield that was the envy of all.
This was the crux of the squad that ran away with the Championship, and that would continue to challenge for honours in the First Division over the next few seasons. These were players who were legends in their own life-time, some of even trade-marked as such. These were the Lags.
SEASON AT A GLANCE:
Most Appearances: (23+1 out of 24 games max)
Golden Boot: (30 goals in 22 games)
Players' Player of the Year:
Goal of the Season: v UDE Eastway (a)
Biggest Victory: 9-1 v Fulchester (a)
Heaviest Defeat: 0-5 v Gucci (DivCup) (h)
Number of Players used: 23
Goals Scored: 90 goals in 24 games (average 3.75 per game)
Goals Conceded: 36 goals in 24 games (average 1.50 per game)
Clean Sheets: Six in 24 games (average one every 4.00 games)