The Hungarian league was distinctly separated - 4 clubs way above the rest and big tight group bellow, more or less equal. Ten points divided the 4th placed Honved from the 5th, Haladas, but the difference between the 5th and relegated 17th club was 11 points. The bottom was occupied by teams normally playing hide and seek with relegation:


Dunaujvaros – 15th, 2 points safe from relegattion.

Top, from left: Andriska Vilmos segédedző, Kerekes, Judik Péter, Horváth Zoltán, Novák Dezső vezetőedző, Paizs János, Szepesi László, Boromissza Lajos, Sulia Ottó gyúró.

Middle row: Mártha Sándor, Staller János, Tóth István, Kántor Sándor, Tímár Dezső, Keller, Fajt László.

Front: Németh György, Formaggini Károly, Badi Miklós, Klement András, Fajkusz László, Bartók István, Szűcs János, Majzlinger Sándor.

Kaposvari Rakoczi finished 14th thanks to better goal difference and for them it was almost a success season.

Top row, from left: Göncz István pályaedző, Németh, Ágfalvi, Zentai, Duschák, Nagy, Kiss László, Mathesz Imre vezetőedző.

In the middle: Horváth, Patyi, Márton, Kováts, Turai, Petrók, Buús.

First row: Éger, Konrád, Földesi, Mater, Varga, Máté, Kanyar.

Szeged perhaps slipped down a bit, but still in their usual zone – 12th.

Top, from left: Himmer István vezetőedző, Lancsa György, Vass Ferenc dr., Nagy István, Hágelmann Endre, Hojszák István, Pataki Tamás pályaedző.

Middle row: Kozma II György., Zámbori Mihály, Kádár Lajos, Wenner Vilmos, Birinyi István, V.Tóth Mihály, Szalay István.

Front: Gyovai Döme Lajos, Hangai ?, Kőműves Mihály, Bencze János, Egervári Sándor, Jerney István, Hegedűs Ferenc.

Zalaegerszeg TE – 11th with 'perfect' goal difference: 47-47.

Top, from left: Szőcs János vezetőedző, Déri László, Szatmári, Péter Zoltán, Mihalecz István, Molnár László, Gáspár Gyula, Bolemányi János.

Middle: Fodor József, Rácz László, Antoni János, Pusztai László, Kelemen Sándor, Kocsis II, Buti, Bognár György gyúró.

Bottom: Csepregi László, Soós István, Józsi György, Bogáti Attila, Szentes Lázár, Tóth Gyula.

MTK – once upon a time mighty club, but now rather ordinary. Not troubled by relegation fears, but nothing special either - 8th place.

The teams above were either going downhill or stayed at their usual zones. But others were going up – it was difficult to distinct them from the rest yet, but the next two were going to make their strong impact in the early 1980s. They were still in making and shaping.

Raba ETO – they were solidly in the first half of the table in the last few years. 7th in 1976-77.

Top row, from left: Baumann J., Magyar L., Gombás, Horváth F., Pásztor F., Pozsgai L., Brandisz M., Pardavi K., Csiszér F., Izsáki L.

Middle row: Füzi G., Stolc J., Horváth L., Miles S., Földes., Somogyi J., Pénzes., Varsányi T.

Bottom: Pocsai, Szokolai L., Varga J., Szabó O., Glázer R., Cs. Kovács L., Hegedüs, Horváth L.

Videoton - 6th this season and similarly to Raba ETO, on the rise and firmly in the top half by now. And another similarity: both Raba ETO and Videoton were 'factory' clubs, so to say, from provincial towns. Backed up by strong industrial complexes, they had the money and therefore able to improve. But their days did come yet – still Budapest ruled.