Over 1,500,000 less people attended matches than during the last season of the sixties and the Division 1 average fell from 32,074 to 30,205. Trouble, lack of entertainment and too much televised football were seen as the main culprits.
United's average crowd for the League season was 29,672 (32,397 when Cup games included) which was the lowest since United had returned to the top flight and represented a 20% drop on 1969/70.
The crowd had become disillusioned as the Magpies struggled to win or even score goals. The loss of Pop Robson and the failure of replacement Tudor to make an instant impact simply added to their frustration.
The last game of the season was watched by a crowd of only 18,444. The best League crowd of the season was recorded only 18 days before when Leeds (who were regularly the biggest draw at SJP at this time) attracted almost 50,000.
The best turn-outs were for the Fairs Cup games, the Inter Milan match being watched by 56,495.
Despite the fact that a small minority of clubs were beginning to improve their facilities most grounds were in a state of disrepair as was horrifyingly demonstrated in the disaster at Ibrox Stadium where sixty six people lost their life and over 100 were injured when crash barriers collapsed during the Glasgow derby.
On Tyneside ground improvements remained in limbo with the club still at loggerheads with the council over a long-term lease and the development of St James' Park.
The club had rejected the multi-sports stadium proposals drawn up by the Council's architects claiming that it was unaffordable. United asked architects Faulkner Brown to produce a "feasibility report" for improving St. James' and also considered the possibility of moving to Sandy Lane in Gosforth.
There were even "preliminary discussions" about a potential ground-share with Sunderland. Roker Park Estates Limited was a company set up to create a new image for Sunderland and they were considering the construction of a new £2.5 million super stadium on Wearside. They approached United about a possible ground-share (at the new stadium) and had an informal meeting in August, but that was as far as it went.
The Supporters Club were adamant that a compromise had to be reached which did not involve a move. Secretary Alan Robinson stated: "United belong at St James' and that's where we want them to stay". This view was reflected in a deluge of letters into the local media.
After Ibrox Westwood admitted that "the disaster has changed our proposals. We have to be satisfied that the crowd safety factor is absolutely right. Things are going very smoothly but we can make no further plans until we have permission to go ahead". To that end club officials watched the Chelsea home match from the top of a nearby block of flats so they could get a good view of crowd movements before and after the game in particular.
The fans who did keep turning up were not impressed with what was on offer and they let the players know about it. The home defeat to Blackpool was not the only one where a chorus of "we want our money back" was heard.
The disastrous exit to Hungarian minnows Pesci Dozsa in the Fairs Cup particularly enraged the supporters and in the following match (a goalless draw at home to Ipswich) the fans' spleen was vented at many players.
The letters pages of the newspapers were full of fans bemoaning the lack of entertainment, goals and quality signings and many supported Pop Robson's "unprofessional" attack on the club whilst others suggested a change of management was required.
Right from the start of the season there was trouble. United kicked-off against Wolves and immediately after the match hordes of United supporters hurled stones, bottles and bricks at the Midlanders supporters' coaches. The attacks caused £1200 worth of damage and left one supporter hospitalised.
The away supporters got their revenge as they travelled along Bank Street and Redheugh Road in Gateshead as they returned the missiles through the holes where the windows used to be. Pedestrians had to run for cover and the Searle family's tea nearly ended in tragedy as a rock smashed through their window.
The whole episode was splashed across the front page of the Sunday Sun under the sensationalist headline "TERROR KICK-OFF BY SKINHEADS" whilst the punishment handed out to the youngsters involved was community service.
After the League Cup match against Blackpool a group of skinheads were at the Sunday Sun offices claiming that they were being victimised because of their appearance. They were not allowed entry because they were wearing "bovver boots" and refused to remove them.
The worst trouble of the campaign occurred when United and Sunderland met in a friendly on Tyneside. Shockingly this game took place only three weeks after the horrific events at Ibrox. There were fights before, during and after the match and 26 people (including three girls!) were arrested. The police confiscated a number of weapons including a hatchet and a lead-weighted chain. The boys in blue had anticipated trouble and policeman with dogs and horses policed the city centre breaking up fights between rival gangs of hooligans.
The supporters who travelled did not always get to see the match, when United travelled to Blackpool at Easter 20 fans were ejected before the start and 12 of them arrested for a variety of offences. Most were punished for carrying offensive weapons mainly in the form of studded belts.
But there was still major trouble at the seaside and Joe Harvey chose his programme notes to lambast the trouble makers, "it really sickened me to read of the louts who pretend to be Newcastle United supporters leaving a trail of havoc. Let me say here and now these people are not real supporters of Newcastle United or football".
There was more trouble when several fans were ejected from the midnight train from Kings Cross after the Arsenal game. As this was the train used by the Supporters Club they found it necessary to distance their members from the trouble.
Members of the Newcastle United Supporters Club could travel in a "special railway coach", judiciously positioned at the rear of the train.
There was a simple code of conduct for the official Supporters Club: "Don't wear boots and do not bring intoxicating liquor onto the coaches". But hundreds more made their own arrangements.