The 76/77 season is an unforgetable seson in the history of the Club. He arrives at the Cup final, and Betis defeats Athletic in penalties. He obtains the third place in the League too. But the most important fact is that Athletic arrives at one European final for the first time, at the UEFA Cup final. After eliminating consecutivelly to Ujpest Dosza, F.C. Basel, Milán, F.C. Barcelona and Racing White, the final against Juventus is contended. The first leg is contended in Turín and Athletic is defeated by one goal to nil, goal of Tardelli.
The second leg with San Mamés plenty, will always be unforgetable. Athletic wins the match by 2 goals to 1, but the double value of goals out of home, in case of draw gives the title to the Vechia Signora.
Carlos and Irureta were the goalers of this match, and for Juventus scored Bettega. The technician, was Koldo Agirre, and that team is remembered with admiration by the whole fans from Bilbao. After this succesful season, the team starts a bad patch of playing, that the managing tries to drive with the signed of the Austrian, Helmut Senekowitsch, but results aren't the expected.
The play is bad, and results, even worst. In the League make nothing remarkable, and in the Cup is defeated by a team of "segunda", the Castilla, filial of Real Madrid. At the beginning of the 80/81 season, Athletic visits the Bernabéu, and is defeated by 7 goals to 1. This involves the dismission of Senekowitsch as Athletic's coach. Iñaki Sáez is the elected one to substitute him, and while the great team that subsequently would give big triumphs to the red and white Club was gestating. The year 1980, is very important in the history of Athletic too, since San Mamés, that has been elected as one of the locations for the World Cup of 82, starts his repairs.
The 81/82 season is the key in the future of Athletic. Beti Duñabeitia, decides to give the control of the first team, to Javier Clemente, till that moment coach of the filial team, and who had to stop practising football, due to a serious injury. The play of the team is exciting. Young players of the quarry begin to be importants in the team, as Urkiaga, Liceranzu, De Andrés, Urtubi, Argote, Zubizarreta...these players with the help of veteran men as Dani or Goikoetxea, begin to form a team that nearly converted in invicible. The first year gets ending in fourth position, this lets them the right to take part in the UEFA Cup.
The 82/83 season, achieves being champion of the League again, after 27 years without winning. The championship is a fight against Real Madrid and Athletic, that is decided in the last match, where the victory of Athletic in the Insular of Las Palmas and the defeat of Real Madrid in Valencia, 1 - 0, goal of Tendillo, gives the title to Athletic and one million of persons go out to the street to celebrate the triumph.
Athletic goes along Nervión in a "gabarra" baptized with the name of Athletic, receiving the tribute of the whole Bizkaia, that stays in both sides of Nervión, clapping and cheering their idols without stopping.
The next season, the succes in the League is repeated again, and besides he achieves to be champion of the Cup defeating FC Barcelona by 1 goal to 0, goal scored by Endika.
At the end of the match, the pitch of the game converted in a pitched battle, due to the behaviour of Diego Armando Maradona who attacks wildly Miguel Sola. These incidents couldn't get misty the obtained triumphs and the whole Bilbao and the whole Bizkaia is a festival again.
The next season, the results in the League aren't as good as were expected, but in the Cup, achieved to arrive at the final again, although a horrifying arbitration of the referee Miguel Pérez, makes impossible the triumph of Athletic.
After this season there is a new time of transition again. The team that achieved the triumphs, begins to break, and the new values of the quarry of Lezama begin to join, as Patxi Ferreira, Luis Fernando, Alkorta..., and the Club makes signations of another clubs, being the most important the one of Lorenzo Juarros, Loren, for whom Athletic pays the 300 millions that appear in his clause of cancellation, and obtaining the record in the quantity paid for a national player.
For this new project is elected Howard Kendall, a new British technician who had triumphed in Everton, he had achieved that this team had proclaimed champion of the League, Cup and Cup Winners Cup. The results weren't as good as it was expected, but on the other side with the British technician, make their debut in "primera" men as important as Josu Urrutia, Ander Garitano, or Ritxi Mendiguren.
After dismissing Howard Kendall, the managing gives the running of the team to Txetxu Rojo. Rojo finished the season, but the arrival of a new board of management at the Club, takes with itself the change of the coach. The elected one by José Julián Lertxundi is Javier Clemente, who starts the nineties again as maximum technical responsible of the Club. The return is negative, and is ceased at half season, due to the bad results. His substitute was Iñaki Sáez. The situation of the year 86 was repeating again, but this time, the club put still the confidence in Sáez and he had the responsability of directing to the team in the 91/92 season. The results are still bad, and Iñaki Sáez is ceased as technician of Athletic too. This time Txutxi Aranguren substitutes him, till that moment general manager of the Club.
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