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1996-97 in English football
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The 1996-1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.
Division One
Bolton Wanderers returned to the Premiership in superb fashion, hitting 100 goals and taking 98 points.
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Encyclopedia
The 1996-1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.
Overview
Premier League
Manchester United won their second consecutive title, despite a spell in the autumn where they lost three games and conceded 13 goals. They won the title by seven points, as Newcastle, Arsenal and Liverpool fell away in the closing weeks.
Newcastle United finished second again and qualified for the Champions League preliminary stages, while Arsenal, Liverpool and Leicester City (League Cup winners) qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Going down were Sunderland, Middlesbrough (after a three-point deduction) and Nottingham Forest.
Division One
Bolton Wanderers returned to the Premiership in superb fashion, hitting 100 goals and taking 98 points. Barnsley were promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history, while Crystal Palace returned after a two-year absence by winning the play-offs.
The decline of Oldham Athletic continued, falling into the third tier for the first time in 23 years, and just three years after being in the Premiership. Grimsby Town and Southend United joined them in relegation to Division Two.
Division Two
Bury won their second consecutive promotion, taking the Division Two title, Stockport County joined them in automatic promotion, and play-off winners Crewe Alexandra completed the trio moving up.
Going down were Peterborough United, Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United and Notts County. County had been in the top division just five years earlier.
Division Three
Wigan Athletic won the Division Three title on goal difference from Fulham. Carlisle United and play-off winners Northampton Town also won promotion to Division Two.
Hereford United were the first club for four years to be relegated to the Conference after finishing bottom. Conference champions Macclesfield Town replaced Hereford (two years after Town had been denied entry to Division Three). In December, Brighton & Hove Albion were 11 points adrift at the bottom of Division Three, having had 2 points deducted for a pitch invasion. However a draw in their final game at Hereford kept Brighton in the league, and sent United down.
Events
Keegan quits Newcastle
On 5 January 1997, Newcastle United were hit with perhaps the biggest shock in their history: Kevin Keegan had resigned as manager. His reason for quitting was that he felt he had taken the club as far as he could. And during his five years at St James's Park, Keegan had overseen a revolution in Newcastle's fortunes. On his appointment in February 1992, Newcastle had been second from bottom in the old Second Division and looked favourites for relegation. But he kept them in the Second Division and they were founder members of the new Division One in 1992-93. A superb run of form kept them at the top of the division all season and they went up to the Premiership as Division One champions. Third and sixth place finishes followed before Newcastle led the Premiership for most of 1995-96, only to be overhauled by Manchester United in the final weeks of the season. He had walked out on Newcastle as they looked well place to challenge for a league title.
Kenny Dalglish was appointed manager of Newcastle in Keegan's place - ironically Dalglish had replaced Keegan as Liverpool's main striker 20 years earlier!
United wrap up Premiership title number 4
Manchester United collected their fourth Premiership title in five seasons despite a testing season which saw them lose their 40-year unbeaten home record in Europe against a Turkish Club Fenerbahçe, suffer elimination from the F.A Cup at the hands of Wimbeldon, and concede 13 goals in 3 Premiership games during late October. Alex Ferguson had built on the success of the previous season's double winning team thanks largely to two new signings - Norwegians Ronny Johnsen (central defender) and Ole-Gunnar Solskjær (striker). The two Norwegians were little known outside their homeland when they arrived at Old Trafford. Johnsen proved himself as one of the Premiership's best defenders, while Solskjær made the headlines as he topped the club's goalscoring charts with 18 Premiership goals.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old midfielder David Beckham progressed further by collecting the PFA Young Player of the Year award as credit for his brilliant performances.
Au revoir, Cantona
On 18 May, Eric Cantona dropped a bombshell on Manchester United by announcing his retirement from playing. The news hit football like a tidal wave. Cantona was one of the most idolised footballers of his day, despite his fiery temper which saw him sidelined for eight months in 1995 after he kicked a spectator. Cantona wowed the footballing world with his talents and the way he bounced back from his long suspension won him even more admirers. In five seasons at Old Trafford, he had won four Premiership titles and two F.A Cups as well being voted PFA Player of the Year in 1994 and FWA Player of the Year in 1996. He had ironically been part of the Leeds United team which pipped Alex Ferguson's men to the league title in 1992, and proved himself to be one of the biggest bargains in Premiership football when he moved to Old Trafford the following November for little over £1million.
Boro go down in dramatic fashion
Middlesbrough were relegated from the Premiership after experiencing a unique season. They were on the losing side in both domestic cup finals and were relegated from the Premiership in 19th place, and had managed to finish in the last two of all three major English tournaments. But they would have avoided relegation had it not been for a 3-point deduction imposed in January as punishment for postponing a fixture against Blackburn Rovers within 24 hours of the scheduled kick-off. Chairman Steve Gibson had appealed against the ruling, protesting that too many players were ill or injured for the club to field a full team. But their appeal was rejected.
The 3-point deduction on Middlesbrough also preserved Coventry City's top flight status for the 31st season running.
Brighton survive in relegation decider
Brighton & Hove Albion had a traumatic season, the debt-ridden club propping up the League for virtually the entire season. Their precarious financial position had forced the club's directors to sell the Goldstone ground. Yet on the penultimate day of the season they moved above Hereford United, another club with major financial problems, and the final day of the season saw the two clubs battle it out in a relegation-decider at Edgar Street. Hereford needed to win while Brighton only needed a draw to survive. At half time the score was 1-0 to Hereford but Brighton equalised in the second half against the run of play. The match finished 1-1 and, with the teams level on points, the Seagulls stayed up on goals scored while the Bulls were relegated to the Conference.
Chesterfield reach the FA Cup semi-final
Chesterfield, playing in the third tier of English football, reached the FA Cup semi-final. On the way to the semi-final they beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 and Bolton Wanderers 3-2, with a hat trick from a young Kevin Davies. In the semis they met Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. After going 2-0 up Boro bought it back to 2-2, but not after controversy when Jonathan Howard's shot hit the underside of the crossbar and clearly crossed the line, but was waved off by the referee despite the linesman calling it in, as the referee had blown several seconds earlier for a deliberate foul. The match finished 3-3 AET and Chesterfield went on to lose the replay 3-0.
Successful managers
Alex Ferguson guided Manchester United to their fourth Premiership title in five seasons.
Arsène Wenger took Arsenal to third place in the Premiership in his first season as manager.
Martin O'Neill defied the odds with newly-promoted Leicester City, who achieved an impressive ninth place finish in the Premiership as well as winning the League Cup.
Ruud Gullit had a massively successful first season as Chelsea manager by guiding them to glory in the F.A Cup. He ended their 26-year trophy drought as well as becoming the first foreign manager to win a major trophy with an English club.
Danny Wilson guided Barnsley to runners-up spot in Division One and delivered Premiership football to a club who had never played in the top flight before.
Steve Coppell won promotion to the Premiership with Crystal Palace, just weeks after beginning his third spell as the club's manager.
Colin Todd took Bolton back into the Premiership as Division One champions with 98 points and 100 goals.
Stan Ternent achieved a surprise second successive promotion with Bury, who were crowned Division Two champions.
John Deehan enjoyed the first success of his management career by winning the Division Three title with Wigan Athletic.
Micky Adams took Fulham into Division Two, a huge step up from one and a half years earlier, when they were 23rd in the division, 91st in the whole Football League.
Ian Atkins completed his three-year rebuilding programme at Northampton Town by guiding them to glory in the Division Three playoffs.
Dave Jones took Stockport County to the semi finals of The League Cup, shocking Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Southampton along the way. He also guided them to automatic promotion from League Two.
Successful players
22-year-old Manchester United midfielder David Beckham received the PFA Young Player of the Year award as well as collecting a Premiership title medal.
Chelsea's talismanic Italian striker Gianfranco Zola was voted both
PFA Player of the Year and FWA Player of the Year as well as collecting an F.A Cup winner's medal.
Alan Shearer finished as the Premiership's top scorer with 25 goals in 31 games.
Dion Dublin's 18 Premiership goals almost single-handedly saved Coventry City from relegation.
19-year-old striker Emile Heskey was recognised as one of the Premiership's hottest young talents after helping Leicester City win the League Cup and finish in the top half of the league.
Honours
English national team
League tables
FA Premier League
| Key |
|---|
| Qualified for the Champions League | | Qualified for the UEFA Cup | | Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup | | Relegated to Division One |
Nationwide League Division One
See also: Play-off results
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to the Premier League | | Qualified for the promotion playoff | | Relegated to Division Two |
NB In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference
Nationwide League Division Two
See also: Play-off results
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division one | | Qualified for the promotion playoff | | Relegated to Division Three |
NB In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference
Nationwide League Division Three
See also: Play-off results
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division Two | | Qualified for the promotion playoff | | Relegated to the Conference |
NB In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference
- - Brighton & Hove Albion 2 points deducted for failure to control spectators
Transfer deals
30 July 1996 - Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United, £15m
For subsequent transfer deals see 1997-98 in English football.
Diary of the season
4 July 1996 - Middlesbrough pay a club record £7million for Juventus and Italy striker Fabrizio Ravanelli.
11 July 1996 - Keith Wiseman succeeds Sir Bert Millichip as chairman of the Football Association.
20 July 1996 - Manchester United pay Slavia Prague £3.5million for winger Karel Poborsky, who helped Czech Republic reach the final of Euro 96.
30 July 1996 - Newcastle United break the world transfer record by paying Blackburn Rovers £15million for Alan Shearer.
10 August 1996 - Lee Sharpe leaves Manchester United after eight years and joins Leeds United. Bruce Rioch is sacked after one year as Arsenal manager following a dispute with the club's board, with his assistant Stewart Houston being installed as caretaker manager.
11 August 1996 - Manchester United beat Newcastle United 4-0 to win the Charity Shield.
17 August 1996 - David Beckham scores a late goal from the halfway line in Manchester United's 3-0 away win over Wimbledon on the opening day of the season.
18 August 1996 - Speculation mounts that Frenchman Arsene Wenger will take over as manager at Arsenal, who sacked Bruce Rioch earlier this month.
24 August 1996 - Lincoln City manager John Beck is arrested by police in an investigation concerning Customs and Excise.
31 August 1996 - The first month of the league season ends with Sheffield Wednesday as Premier League leaders after winning their first three games of the season. Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester United complete the top five, following by newly-promoted Sunderland in sixth place. Wimbledon prop up the top flight, with Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City completing the bottom three.
7 September 1996 - A Saudi consortium is reported to be in the process of taking over Manchester City in a £70million deal.
9 September 1996 - Leeds United sack Howard Wilkinson, their manager since 1988, the day after they lost 4-0 at home to Manchester United in a Premier League game.
28 September 1996 - Arsenal appoint 46-year-old Frenchman Arsène Wenger as their new manager.
30 September 1996 - September ends with Liverpool as Premier League leaders, Arsenal second, Manchester United (defending champions) third, underdogs Wimbledon fourth, and last season's runners-up Newcastle United fifth. Blackburn Rovers, champions two seasons ago, are bottom of the Premier League having failed to win any of their opening eight games. Coventry City occupy second from bottom place, while Southampton occupy the final relegation place and Nottingham Forest and Leeds United occupy the two places directly above the drop zone.
6 October 1996 - Steve Coppell is appointed manager of Manchester City following the resignation of Alan Ball.
20 October 1996 - Newcastle United beat Manchester United 5-0 in a FA Premier League fixture, which end's the division's longest unbeaten start to the season.
22 October 1996 - Chelsea director Matthew Harding, 42, is killed with four other people in a helicopter crash in Cheshire on his journey home from the club's League Cup defeat against Bolton Wanderers.
25 October 1996 - Ray Harford resigns as manager of Blackburn Rovers, bottom of the FA Premier League just 18 months after being champions, and coach Tony Parkes takes over until the end of the season.
26 October 1996 - Manchester United endure another heavy defeat, this time a 6-3 crushing at Southampton in which Norwegian striker Egil Østenstad scores a hat-trick.
30 October 1996 - Manchester United, unbeaten since they first played in Europe 40 years ago, finally suffer a home defeat in a European fixture when they lost 1-0 at home to Fernebahce of Turkey in their fourth group game of the Champions League.
31 October 1996 - Arsenal end their first month under Arsene Wenger's management as Premier League leaders on goal difference ahead of Newcastle United, while Wimbledon are close behind in third, Liverpool are fourth (with two games in hand over the top three) and Manchester United are now fifth after two successive hefty league defeats. Sheffield Wednesday's excellent start has ebbed away and they now occupy eighth place just two months after leading the league. Blackburn Rovers are still bottom of the table and winless after 11 games, while they and Coventry City are now joined by Nottingham Forest in the relegation zone after Southampton climbed to a secure 14th place with the 6-3 win over Manchester United playing a big part in their recent improvement.
2 November 1996 - Manchester United's two-year unbeaten FA Premier League home run is ended by a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea.
7 November 1996 - Tommy Lawton, the former Everton and England forward, dies of pneumonia at the age of 77.
8 November 1996 - Steve Coppell resigns after 33 days as manager of Manchester City.
14 November 1996 - Robbie Fowler scores four times as Liverpool crush Middlesbrough 5-1 at Anfield.
22 November 1996 - Conference side Woking shock Division Two Millwall in the FA Cup third round replay at The Den which followed a 2-2 draw in the first game.
26 November 1996 - Another FA Cup first round replay upset sees Brighton & Hove Albion (currently bottom of Division Three only six seasons after they almost won promotion to the top flight) lose at home on penalties to non-league Sudbury Town after a 1-1 draw at the Goldstone Ground. However, Whitby Town aren't so lucky as they crash to a Duane Darby double hat-trick in the 8-4 defeat to Hull City that followed a goalless draw in the original game.
30 November 1996 - Arsenal remain top of the league as November draws to a close, with Newcastle United, Liverpool, Wimbledon and Manchester United not far behind. Nottingham Forest are now bottom with still only one win from their opening 15 games, while Coventry City join them in the bottom three along with a Blackburn Rovers side who this month finally recorded their first two wins of the league campaign. A Middlesbrough side featuring some of the country's most expensively signed players are just above the relegation zone as midway point approaches during a season where they had been expected to challenge much higher in the table.
7 December 1996 - Woking's FA Cup adventure continues with another giant-killing feat, this time a 2-0 win against Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium. On the same day, Hednesford Town eliminate Leyton Orient from the competition with a 2-1 win at Brisbane Road.
19 December 1996 - Frank Clark steps down after three-and-a-half years as manager of Nottingham Forest, with 34-year-old defender Stuart Pearce being appointed player-manager on a temporary basis.
30 December 1996 - 11 days after leaving Nottingham Forest, Frank Clark is named as manager of Manchester City.
31 December 1996 - 1996 draws to a close with Liverpool now leading the Premier League, while a mere five points separate the next six highest clubs - Manchester United, Arsenal, Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Chelsea. Nottingham Forest are still bottom with a mere two wins so far this season, while Blackburn Rovers remain in the drop zone along with Southampton who have slipped into the bottom three that has been vacated by an improving Coventry City side.
5 January 1997 - Newcastle United are rocked by the resignation of manager Kevin Keegan, who explains "I feel I have taken this club as far as I can".
13 January 1997 - York City, who knocked Everton out of the League Cup this season and Manchester United last season, find themselves on the receiving end of a giant-killing feat when Hednesford Town knock them out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win at Keys Park.
15 January 1997 - Kenny Dalglish is named as Newcastle United's new manager.
25 January 1997 - A major upset in the FA Cup third round replay sees Wrexham win 1-0 against West Ham United at Upton Park after drawing the first game 1-1 at the Racecourse Ground. However, Hednesford Town's luck finally runs out when they lose 3-2 to Middlesbrough in the fourth round clash at the Riverside Stadium, while a late equaliser for Wimbledon forces a replay for Manchester United.
26 January 1997 - Liverpool's bid for a second double is ended as they are defeated 4-2 by Chelsea in the fourth round replay at Stamford Bridge.
31 January 1997 - January ends with Manchester United now top of the Premier League and unbeaten in it since early November. Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United are their nearest contenders, while Wimbledon have endured a slight setback but have two games in hand to muscle in on the top four. Middlesbrough's three-point deduction for cancelling a league fixture in December leaves them bottom of the table, while caretaker-manager Stuart Pearce has guided Nottingham Forest out of the drop zone with three wins this month, Southampton remain in the bottom three, and Blackburn Rovers have finally climbed clear of the drop zone at the expense of West Ham United.
4 February 1997 - Manchester United lose their defence of the FA Cup with a 1-0 fourth round replay defeat to Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. Robbie Earle gave Wimbledon the lead, and Peter Schmeichel looked to have saved United with a last-minute goal, but it was ruled offside. This means that United will not be playing in the FA Cup final for the first time since 1993.
15 February 1997 - The latest FA Cup upset sees Premier League Nottingham Forest eliminated 1-0 by Division Two Chesterfield at Saltergate, while on the same day fellow Premier League club Leeds United suffer a 3-2 embarrassment at home to Division One Portsmouth, and Division One Birmingham City's FA Cup hopes are ended with a 3-1 home defeat by Division Two surprise package Wrexham.
27 February 1997 - Dave Bassett leaves Crystal Palace to take over as manager at Nottingham Forest.
28 February 1997 - Steve Coppell is appointed as Crystal Palace manager for the third time since 1984.
28 February 1997 - February ends with Manchester United still top of the Premier League and Liverpool now their nearest contenders, while Newcastle United, Arsenal and Aston Villa complete the top five. The bottom three main unchanged from the last month-end.
8 March 1997 - Middlesbrough move closer to a first-ever FA Cup final by winning 2-0 at Derby County in the quarter-final.
9 March 1997 - In a rare occurrence of an FA Cup quarter-final being contested between two third-tier clubs, Chesterfield run out 1-0 winners over Wrexham at Saltergate. On the same day, Wimbledon move closer to FA Cup glory by winning 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday, while the end is in sight for Chelsea's 26-year trophy drought as they crush Portsmouth 4-1 at Fratton Park.
26 March 1997 - Middlesbrough fail in an appeal to restore 3 points that were docked in early January as penalty for failing to fulfill a fixture against Blackburn Rovers.
31 March 1997 - Manchester United continue to lead the Premier League for third month-end running, with Liverpool still their nearest challengers. Southampton are now bottom of the Premier League, while Nottingham Forest have slipped back into the drop zone along with Coventry City. Blackburn Rovers continue to move closer to what once seemed like an almost impossible survival as they stand 12th with a six-point advantage over the bottom three and a game in hand.
13 April 1997 - Chelsea beat Wimbledon 3-0 in the FA Cup semi-final at Highbury to reach their first FA Cup final in 26 years. However, the biggest hype is surrounding the other FA Cup final between Middlesbrough and Chesterfield. Two early Chesterfield goals look to have put them on course to become the first third-tier side to reach an FA Cup final, but Middlesbrough fight back to claim a 3-3 draw and force a replay.
16 April 1997 - Leicester City beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the League Cup final replay at Hillsborough thanks to a Steve Claridge goal.
22 April 1997 - Middlesbrough reach their first-ever FA Cup final thanks to a 2-0 win in the semi-final replay against Division Two side Chesterfield.
30 April 1997 - Manchester United look assured of their fourth league title in five seasons, as they finish April top of the league by a five-point margin over Arsenal and Liverpool - and with a game in hand. Newcastle United's challenge is all but over, while Aston Villa's hopes are now completely dead, and the midlanders are now facing a threat of being pipped to even a UEFA Cup place - by Sheffield Wednesday. The relegation battle is still wide open, with West Ham United, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest occupying the bottom three, and several other teams also fighting to avoid the drop.
4 May 1997 - Manchester United win their fourth FA Premier League title in five seasons after the nearest rivals Newcastle United and Liverpool drop points.
11 May 1997 - The FA Premier League season ends with Manchester United as champions and Newcastle United as runners-up, with both teams entering the European Cup after UEFA decided to give England a second place in the competition. Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Leicester City enter the UEFA Cup, while Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest are relegated. Middlesbrough would have stayed up had it not been for a 3-point deduction imposed in January after they cancelled a FA Premier League fixture against Blackburn Rovers due to an injury crisis. The lucky side who escaped relegation at Middlesbrough's expense was Coventry City, who were guaranteed a 31st successive season of top flight football.
12 May 1997 - Aston Villa pay a club record £7million for Liverpool striker Stan Collymore.
17 May 1997 - Chelsea end their 26-year wait for a major trophy, and Ruud Gullit becomes the first foreign manager to win one, with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup final.
18 May 1997 - Manchester United are left shocked after their iconic striker Eric Cantona announces his retirement from football six days before his 31st birthday. Cantona, who won four league titles and two FA Cups in five seasons at the club, explained that he had always intended to retire while still at the top.
23 June 1997 - Former Everton striker Andy Gray rejects an offer to return to the club as manager, preferring to stay in his current role as a football pundit with Sky Sports.
25 June 1997 - Howard Kendall leaves Sheffield United to take charge of Everton for the third time since 1981.
27 June 1997 - Manchester United sign Teddy Sheringham from Tottenham for £3.5million.
Famous Debutants
Deaths
- 22 October 1996 – Matthew Harding, 42, vice chairman of Chelsea, died in a helicopter crash with four other people in Cheshire as they flew home from a game at Bolton.
- 6 November 1996 – Tommy Lawton, 77, who scored 22 times in 23 games for England between the late 1930s and early 1950s. At club level turned out for Everton, Chelsea and Notts County.
- 23 April 1997 – Denis Compton, 78, footballer and cricketer, played as a winger for Arsenal when they won the league championship in 1948 and the F.A Cup in 1950. Was president of Middlesex CCC for the final six years of his life.
- 24 January 1997 – Roy Sproson, 66, who died of cancer, spent his whole career as a centre-half with Port Vale and played 837 times for them. After retiring as a player in 1972 he later served the club as coach and manager.
- 20 February 1997 – Stan Pearson, 78, who died in February 1997, made more than 300 league appearances for Manchester United either side of the second world war. The forward also represented England, Bury and Chester, where he later became manager.
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