The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.
Diary of the season 1 July 1986 – After one season at Everton, Gary Lineker departs to Barcelona of Spain in a £2.75 million deal, where he will play alongside former Manchester United striker Mark Hughes in a side managed by Terry Venables. Ian Rush agrees a £3.2 million transfer to Juventus of Italy in a record fee for a British player, but will remain at Liverpool on loan for a season.
2 July 1986 – Rangers sign Norwich City goalkeeper Chris Woods for £600,000.
3 July 1986 – Coventry City sign striker Keith Houchen from Scunthorpe United for £60,000.
7 July 1986 – Two big First Division clubs buy young players from smaller clubs as they prepare to build for the future. Everton sign 20-year-old winger Neil Adams from Stoke City for £150,000, while Tottenham Hotspur sign 21-year-old defender Mitchell Thomas from Luton Town for £233,000.
18 July 1986 – Sir Stanley Rous, chairman of The Football Association from 1934 to 1961, dies aged 91.
25 July 1986 – Ipswich Town, relegated to the Second Division at the end of last season, sell England international defender Terry Butcher to Rangers, managed by former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness, in a £700,000 deal – a record for a Scottish club.
29 July 1986 – Middlesbrough are wound up in the High Court due to debts in excess of £1million, but have yet to be expelled from the Football League and may yet be included in the first round draw for the Football League Cup.
30 July 1986 – Wolverhampton Wanderers win a High Court appeal against their winding-up order, enabling them to compete in the Fourth Division campaign – the first time they have played at this level. Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are also reprieved, but the bailiffs have locked them out of Ayresome Park and they are expected to play at least one home game at Hartlepool United's ground.
31 July 1986 – Liverpool pay £200,000 for Sunderland defender Barry Venison.
1 August 1986 – Aston Villa sign midfielder Neale Cooper from Aberdeen for £350,000.
5 August 1986 – Wolverhampton Wanderers are saved from bankruptcy after Wolverhampton Council and the Asda supermarket chain agree to pay off the club's £3million debts.
7 August 1986 – David Seaman, goalkeeper at relegated Birmingham City, opts to remain in the First Division and signs for Queens Park Rangers for £225,000.
8 August 1986 – Rival gangs of Manchester United and West Ham United hooligans are involved in violence on a Sealink ferry bound for Amsterdam, resulting in dozens of arrests, sparking fears that the ongoing ban on English football clubs in European competition could be extended to friendlies between English and foreign clubs.
11 August 1986 – Sheffield Wednesday pay £200,000 for 18-year-old Barnsley striker David Hirst.
16 August 1986 – The first Merseyside derby of the season finishes honours even, in the 1986 FA Charity Shield at Wembley Stadium.
20 August 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sign Dundee United and Scotland defender Richard Gough for £700,000.
21 August 1986 – Everton pay a club record £1million to sign the 24-year-old Norwich City defender Dave Watson.
23 August 1986 – On the first day of the First Division season, Wimbledon's first match in the top division ends in a 3–1 defeat to Manchester City. Southampton record the biggest win of the day, 5–1 against Queens Park Rangers. Champions Liverpool beat Newcastle United 2–0, and Arsenal beat Manchester United 1–0. Colin Clarke scores a hat-trick for Southampton on his debut in a 5–1 home win over QPR.
25 August 1986 – West Ham United win 3–2 at Manchester United, with Frank McAvennie scoring twice.
27 August 1986 – Luton Town ban away fans from the club's Kenilworth Road ground.
30 August 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur go top of the First Division on goal difference with a 1–0 home win over Manchester City. They are level on points with Liverpool, who beat Arsenal 2–1 at Anfield, and West Ham United, who are held to a goalless draw at Oxford United. Manchester United are still looking for their first point of the season after losing 1–0 at home to Charlton Athletic.
31 August 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur finish August as First Division leaders under new manager David Pleat, level on points with Liverpool and West Ham United, while the bottom two places in the league are occupied by Manchester United and Aston Villa, who have yet to gain a point this season. Birmingham City and Hull City occupy the top two places in the Second Division, while the next three places are occupied by Oldham Athletic, Crystal Palace and Blackburn Rovers.
2 September 1986 – Wimbledon, Football League members for just 10 seasons, go top of the league with a 1–0 away win over Charlton Athletic. Oldham Athletic go top of the Second Division with a 1–0 win over Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
4 September 1986 – Watford sign Everton midfielder Kevin Richardson for £225,000.
6 September 1986 – Manchester United, bottom of the table, claim their first point of the First Division campaign with a 1–1 draw at Leicester City. Liverpool beat West Ham United 5–2 at Upton Park. Wimbledon stay on top with a 1–0 win at Watford. In the Second Division, Blackburn Rovers climb into second place with a 6–1 win over Sunderland at Ewood Park.
9 September 1986 – England under-21s draw 1–1 with Sweden, with Arsenal defender Tony Adams scoring their goal.
13 September 1986 – Bryan Robson makes his first league appearance since April when he returns from a shoulder injury to help Manchester United record their first league win of the season at the fifth attempt as they beat Southampton 5–1 at Old Trafford and climb off the bottom of the First Division. Nottingham Forest go top with a 6–0 home win over Aston Villa.
14 September 1986 – Aston Villa sack manager Graham Turner after just over two years at the helm.
16 September 1986 – Gordon Hill, the 32-year-old former Manchester United and England winger, becomes a high-profile new signing for Conference side Northwich Victoria, managed by former United striker Stuart Pearson.
20 September 1986 – Leeds United hooligans overturn and immolate a fish and chip van at Odsal Stadium, the temporary home of Bradford City. Nottingham Forest score six for the second League match in succession when they thrash Chelsea 6–2 at Stamford Bridge. Nigel Clough and Garry Birtles both scores hat-trick. Newly promoted Norwich City go second with a 4–1 win at Aston Villa. A nine-goal thriller at Leeds Road sees Huddersfield Town beat Oldham Athletic 5–4 in the Second Division.
21 September 1986 – The pressure mounts on Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson after a 3–1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park, with his side still second from bottom with one win and four points from their first seven league games.
22 September 1986 – Luton Town are banned from this season's League Cup for refusing to lift their ban on away fans. Meanwhile, Aston Villa appoint Billy McNeill as manager from Manchester City, who replace him with Jimmy Frizzell.
23 September 1986 – Liverpool defeat Fulham 10–0 in the first leg of their second round tie in the League Cup.
24 September 1986 – When Nottingham Forest play Brighton & Hove Albion in a second round League Cup match, Forest defender Stuart Pearce's brother Ray was one of the linesmen. Pearce had no idea that his brother was officiating until he saw him at the start of the match..
27 September 1986 – Aston Villa's first league match under Billy McNeill ends in a 3–3 draw with Liverpool at Anfield after the hosts come from behind twice to equalise. Nottingham Forest remain top with a 1–0 win over Arsenal at the City Ground.
28 September 1986 – Manchester United's dismal start to the season continues as they lose 1–0 at home to Chelsea in the league at Old Trafford – their sixth defeat from their opening eight games. After Kerry Dixon gives Chelsea an early lead, the home side have two penalties saved by goalkeeper Tony Godden.
30 September 1986 – Nottingham Forest are First Division leaders at the end of September, two points ahead of surprise contenders Norwich City and four ahead of Liverpool and Coventry City. Aston Villa still occupy bottom place and Manchester United are second from bottom with just four points so far this campaign. In the Second Division, Oldham Athletic and Portsmouth lead the way, followed by Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Sheffield United.
3 October 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sign Belgian striker Nico Claesen from Standard Liège for £600,000.
4 October 1986 – Sheffield Wednesday go fourth in the First Division with a 6–1 home win over Oxford United. An all-London clash at Selhurst Park sees Crystal Palace go top of the Second Division with a 2–1 win over Millwall.
6 October 1986 – Luton Town lose an appeal against their expulsion from the League Cup.
11 October 1986 – Newly promoted Norwich City top the league after a 0–0 away draw with Luton Town. Nottingham Forest fall into second after a 3–1 defeat to East Midlands rivals Leicester at Filbert Street. West Ham go fourth with a 5–3 home win over Chelsea. Portsmouth go top of the Second Division with a 2–0 win over Birmingham at Fratton Park.
14 October 1986 – Manchester United sign 18-year-old Irish midfielder Liam O'Brien from Shamrock Rovers for £60,000.
15 October 1986 – England open their 1988 European Championship qualifying campaign with a 3–0 win over Northern Ireland at Wembley.
16 October 1986 – Queens Park Rangers put defender Terry Fenwick on the transfer list at his own request. The former Everton goalkeeper Ted Sagar dies aged 76.
18 October 1986 – Nottingham Forest return to the top of the First Division with a 1–0 home win over Queens Park Rangers. Norwich City surrender top position with a 1–1 draw at home to West Ham United. Liverpool keep up the pressure on the leading pair with a 4–0 home win over Oxford United.
21 October 1986 – Out of favour Manchester United defender John Gidman joins neighbours City on a free transfer.
23 October 1986 – Norwich City sign 22-year-old goalkeeper Bryan Gunn for £150,000 from Aberdeen.
25 October 1986 – Mike Newell, a former Liverpool trainee, scores a hat-trick in Luton Town's 4–1 league win over the double winners at Kenilworth Road. Colin Clarke scores his second hat-trick for Southampton in a 3–2 away win over Leicester City. Nottingham Forest remain top despite losing 2–1 to Oxford United at the Manor Ground as both Norwich City and Liverpool lose, while Everton go third with a 3–2 home win over Watford.
26 October 1986 – The only competitive action of the day is the Manchester derby at Maine Road, which ends in a 1–1 draw. City climb off the bottom of the table on goal difference at the expense of Newcastle United.
29 October 1986 – In the third round of the League Cup, Fourth Division club Cardiff City upset First Division Chelsea while Second Division Ipswich Town are knocked out by Fourth Division team Cambridge United.
31 October 1986 – October ends with Nottingham Forest back on top of the First Division, one point ahead of Norwich City and two ahead of Everton and Arsenal. Manchester United and Aston Villa have both climbed out of the bottom two, ahead of Newcastle United, Manchester City and Chelsea. Portsmouth are now leaders of the Second Division, a point ahead of Oldham Athletic. Leeds United, Plymouth Argyle and Sunderland occupy the playoff places.
1 November 1986 – Paul Walsh scores a hat-trick for Liverpool in their 6–2 home league win over Norwich City. Nottingham Forest remain top of the table with a 3–2 home win over Sheffield Wednesday. Arsenal go second with a 2–0 away win over Charlton Athletic. Manchester United draw 1–1 at home to Coventry City and remain fourth from bottom. Wimbledon's return to form continues with a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.