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1998-99 in English football
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The 1998-1999 season was the 119th season of competitive football in England.
lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m6342199",this)' onMouseout='hide("m6342199")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Manchester_United_F.C.">Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30million which netted Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke, Parma winger Jesper Blomqvist and PSV defender Jaap Stam.
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Encyclopedia
The 1998-1999 season was the 119th season of competitive football in England.
Overview
Premier League
Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30million which netted Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke, Parma winger Jesper Blomqvist and PSV defender Jaap Stam. They went on to win a unique treble of the Premiership title, FA Cup and European Cup, which gained manager Alex Ferguson a knighthood.
Nottingham Forest went down to Division One just one season after winning promotion. They had started the season terribly after manager Dave Bassett was sacked and Dutch striker Pierre van Hooijdonk went AWOL. Experienced Ron Atkinson was brought in on a temporary contract but could not stave off relegation. Joining Forest in the Premiership drop zone were Blackburn Rovers (Premiership champions just four years earlier) and Charlton Athletic. Southampton were the lucky team to avoid relegation on the last day of the season, and their remarkable survival also signalled the go-ahead for a new stadium which would be in use for the 2001-02 season.
Division One
Sunderland were crowned Division One champions with 105 points, then a record, having lost just three games all season, to prove right the many pundits who tipped them for promotion. The two other promotion places were secured by two of the division's least fancied sides - runners-up Bradford City (back in the top division for the first time in 77 years) and playoff winners Watford (who had won their second successive promotion during Graham Taylor's second spell as manager).
Bury, Oxford United and Bristol City occupied the three relegation places in Division One. Oxford's dismal season was mainly down to £10 million debts which were putting the club in real danger of closure, and had also resulted in the suspension of construction of their new stadium near the Blackbird Leys estate.
Division Two
Kevin Keegan completed his spell as Fulham manager before taking the England job by guiding the Cottagers to the Division Two championship with a staggering 101 points. Following them up were runners-up Walsall and playoff winners Manchester City.
Going down were York City, Northampton Town, Lincoln City and Macclesfield Town. Narrowly avoiding the drop to Division Three were Oldham Athletic, who just five years earlier had been a Premiership side who came within a whisker of reaching the FA Cup final.
Division Three
Brentford, Cambridge United, Cardiff City and Scunthorpe United occupied the four promotion places in Division Three.
Carlisle United kept their league status in remarkable fashion. They entered the final game of the season in bottom place, and with 90 minutes on the clock in their home game against Plymouth Argyle they were drawing 1-1 and needed a win to stay up. The referee then allowed 4 minutes of stoppage time and with just seconds to go, goalkeeper Jimmy Glass came upfield and scored from a rebounded corner to preserve his club's place in the league which had been held since 1928. Scarborough, who had only joined the league in 1987, were relegated instead. Glass, 25, had been signed on loan from Swindon Town after the transfer line because an injury crisis had left Carlisle without a goalkeeper for the final few games of the season.
FA Cup
Manchester United beat Newcastle United 2-0 to secure their third double triumph in six seasons and completed the second part of their treble glory.
League Cup
Tottenham Hotspur finally had something to shout about as their new manager George Graham guided them to League Cup glory at the expense of Leicester City.
Successful players
Tottenham's classy French midfielder David Ginola was voted PFA Player of the Year and FWA Player of the Year after helping his employers win the League Cup.
19-year-old Arsenal and France striker Nicolas Anelka was voted PFA Young Player of the Year after his exciting form almost saw his employers repeat their double triumph of the previous season.
Despite having his first-team opportunities limited by the arrival of Dwight Yorke, 33-year-old Teddy Sheringham was able to get into the Manchester United line-up for the FA Cup final to score one of his side's two goals. Four days later he scored an injury time equaliser in the European Cup final followed two minutes later by a last-gasp winner scored by Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who had maintained his reputation as a top class goalscorer despite being included as a substitute for most of United's games during the season.
David Seaman proved himself as (statistically) the most successful goalkeeper in English league history after conceding just 17 league goals in a season with Arsenal.
Kevin Phillips had another prolific season with Sunderland, who won promotion to the Premiership as Division One champions.
Successful managers
Alex Ferguson was knighted after guiding Manchester United to a unique treble of the Premiership title, FA Cup and European Cup.
George Graham gave Tottenham their first good season for almost a decade by guiding them to League Cup glory.
Peter Reid took Sunderland into the Premiership as Division One champions on 105 points.
Harry Redknapp guided West Ham United to fifth place in the Premiership to secure their first European qualification for nearly 20 years.
Paul Jewell ended Bradford City's 77-year wait for a return to the top division.
Graham Taylor took Watford into the Premiership as they won the Division One playoffs and secured their second successive promotion.
Kevin Keegan finished his spell as Fulham manager by guiding them to the Division Two title with 101 points, before quitting to concentrate on his role as England manager.
Ray Graydon pulled of a major surprise in his first season as Walsall manager by gaining promotion to Division One.
Steve Cotterill, 35, guided Cheltenham Town into the Football League as Conference champions.
Brian Laws took Scunthorpe United out of the league's basement division for the first time in more than a decade after they won the Division Three playoffs.
Biggest rise
Bradford City finished as Division One runners-up and reached the Premiership to end a 77-year absence from the top flight.
Biggest fall
Blackburn Rovers were relegated to Division One just four years after being Premiership champions. They crossed paths with Bradford City, who had narrowly avoided the Division Two drop zone during Blackburn's championship season.
Events
Ferguson knighted after United's treble glory
Manchester United completed a unique treble of the Premiership title, FA Cup and European Cup.
Part one of United's treble was completed when they beat Tottenham 2-1 on the last day of the season to ensure that Arsenal did not retain the Premiership title. A week later they completed the second part of the treble with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the FA Cup final.
United's treble dream looked dead on 26 May as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes in the European Cup final at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium, with Bayern Munich leading 1-0. Referee Periluigi Collina allowed 3 minutes of stoppage time and within the first minute substitute Teddy Sheringham forced an equaliser and an enormous wave of relief flooded among the United fans. Sheringham's goal looked to have forced extra time, but with the last kick of the game Ole-Gunnar Solskjær scored a winner and United fans and players went wild. Alex Ferguson later questioned whether the spirit of Sir Matt Busby, who would have turned 90 on the day of the triumph, had influenced the outcome of the game.
On 12 June, Alex Ferguson received a knighthood in recognition for his services to football - making him the seventh knight of English football and the third knight to be associated with Manchester United, the others being Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton.
Manchester City mirror United's comeback
Manchester City, who had been favourites to win Division Two, had to settle for a Play-Off Final appearance against Gillingham at Wembley on May 31, 1999. With 80 minutes played Carl Asaba scored for Gillingham, and when Bob Taylor scored a second in the 87th minute it looked like they would be promoted. However in the 90th minute Kevin Horlock scored, and referee Mark Halsey signalled for 5 minutes of stoppage time. In the last of these minutes Paul Dickov scored an equaliser. Ironically, the Gillingham goalkeeper Vince Bartram and Dickov were great friends, both having been the other's Best Man at his wedding. No more goals were scored in extra-time, so the match went to penalties. Manchester City won 3-1. City 'keeper Nicky Weaver saved two of Gillingham's penalties and famously ran around Wembley Stadium in celebration. Paul Dickov, having scored in normal time, watched his penalty hit both posts and rebound out to him. He and Bartram swapped shirts at the end of the match.
Hoddle ousted
On 2 February, the FA terminated Glenn Hoddle's contract as England manager after he appeared in The Times newspaper and suggested that disabled people were being punished for sins in previous lives. His comments had sparked outrage amongst the disabled community to such an extent that the FA felt they had no option but to sack him.
The hunt began for his successor. A month later, former Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan agreed to take charge of the England team but stayed on as Fulham manager until the end of the season in order to oversee their Division Two title glory.
New arrivals in Premiership
A year after their dramatic playoff final defeat to Charlton Athletic in a penalty shoot-out, Peter Reid's Sunderland returned to the Premiership after winning the Division One championship with a record 105 points. Sunderland, who had moved into their classy new home - the Stadium of Light - two years earlier, were most people's favourites for promotion to the top flight. But the other two promoted teams were perhaps the most unlikely bet that anyone could have made.
Bradford City, managed by 34-year-old Paul Jewell, had been outside the top division since 1922. Their only claim to fame had been an FA Cup triumph in 1911. But the inexperienced Jewell surprised all the observers by putting together a strong Bradford side who cruised to second place in Division One and booked their place in the Premiership.
The third and final place in the Premiership went to playoff winners Watford, managed by Graham Taylor for the second time (he had previously been in charge from 1976 until 1987). Taylor had finally achieved some success the previous year in form of the Division Two championship, having endured a torrid time with England and then Wolves. But the playoff triumph of 1999 was more than even Taylor could have expected just a few months earlier.
Glass's last gasp goal keeps Carlisle in league
Carlisle United went into the final game of the 1998-99 Division Three campaign knowing that they had to beat Plymouth Argyle to hang on to the Football League place they had held since 1928. In April, an injury crisis had forced Carlisle to bring in goalkeeper Jimmy Glass on loan from Swindon and the Football League gave permission for the transfer to go ahead despite the transfer deadline having already passed.
With 90 minutes on the clock for Carlisle's home fixture against Plymouth, the referee allowed 3 minutes of stoppage time which gave the Cumbrians hope of survival.
10 seconds before the end of stoppage time, Jimmy Glass ran upfield after a corner was given and slammed the ball into the back of the net to keep Carlisle in the league and send Scarborough down to the Conference.
Blackburn go down
Blackburn Rovers, Premiership champions in 1995, were relegated from the Premiership in 1999 with a side which had been rendered of almost all of its title winning players. Roy Hodgson had arrived as manager in 1997 and achieved UEFA Cup qualification in his first season as manager, only to be sacked the following November as Blackburn found themselves caught up in a relegation battle. Manchester United's successful assistant manager Bryan Kidd was brought in as his successor, and for a while things were looking up. But Blackburn's relegation fight was finally lost after they drew 0-0 at home to Manchester United in the penultimate game of the season.
Chairman Jack Walker was now faced with finding the funds to build a side that could win promotion back to the Premiership, 12 months after he handed an open cheque book to Roy Hodgson in hope of winning the league.
League tables
FA Premier League
| Key |
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| Qualified for the Champions League | | Qualified for the UEFA 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 1 | | Qualified for the promotion playoff | | Relegated to Division 3 |
NB In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference
Nationwide League Division Three
Diary of the season
19 July 1998 - Manchester United deny reports that they will be joining a proposed European Super League of up to 32 clubs.
9 August 1998 - Arsenal claim their third trophy of 1998 with a 3-0 win over Manchester United in the Charity Shield.
27 August 1998 - Kenny Dalglish is sacked after 19 months as manager of Newcastle United.
31 August 1998 - Newcastle Ruud Gullit as their new manager, the day before his 36th birthday. The first month of the league season ends with newly promoted Charlton Athletic top of the Premier League, but the end-of-month table has little significance as only two games have been played so far.
5 September 1998 - Christian Gross is sacked after nine months as manager of Tottenham Hotspur.
9 September 1998 - An inquest records a verdict of suicide on former Norwich City and Nottingham Forest striker Justin Fashanu, who was found hanged at a lock-up garage in London four months ago.
9 September 1998 - Manchester United accepts a £623.4million takeover bid from BSkyB.
30 September 1998 - September ends with Aston Villa as Premier League leaders, while second-placed Derby County are putting up a surprise title challenge after being predicted by many to struggle in the battle against relegation. Manchester United, Liverpool and Wimbledon complete the top five. Southampton prop up the top flight with one point from their opening six games, while Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers completing the relegation zone.
1 October 1998 - George Graham quits Leeds United after two years as manager to take over at Tottenham Hotspur.
31 October 1998 - Ron Reeves, a 55-year-old steward, is killed outside Highfield Road stadium after being crushed by the Arsenal team coach just before a game with Coventry City. The month ends with Aston Villa still top, a point ahead of second placed Manchester United, while Arsenal are close behind in third place. A wide gap is beginning to open up between the top three and the rest of the division, with Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Chelsea, Leicester City and West Ham United putting up the nearest competition. Southampton, still only with one win to their name, occupy bottom place and are joined in the relegation zone by Coventry City and Nottingham Forest.
12 November 1998 - Peter Schmeichel, goalkeeper of Manchester United since 1991, announces his intention to leave the club at the end of this season.
14 November 1998 - Colchester United fall victim to arguably the biggest upset of the FA Cup fourth round when they are crushed 4-1 by non-league Bedlington Terriers. Other Football League clubs to be eliminated by non-league counterparts include Barnet, Southend United and Shrewsbury Town.
30 November 1998 - November draws to a close with Aston Villa still leading Manchester United by a single point, but a surprise title challenge is creeping upon them from a West Ham United side with no previous top division titles to their name, and who haven't finished in the top five for more than a decade. Arsenal and Chelsea complete the top five. Blackburn Rovers now prop up the top flight, having started the season among the teams tipped by many to challenge for the title. Southampton and Nottingham Forest remain in the drop zone.
4 December 1998 - Brian Kidd steps down as Manchester United assistant manager to succeed Roy Hodgson as manager of Blackburn Rovers.
31 December 1998 - 1998 draws to a close with Aston Villa still leading the Premier League, but with Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds United and West Ham United all posing a fairly close threat. Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Charlton Athletic occupy the bottom three places.
4 January 1999 - Arsenal began their defence of the FA Cup by beating Preston North End 2-0 in the third round at Deepdale, while last year's runners-up Newcastle United win 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace. Manchester United, many people's favourites for the trophy, get off to a good start in the competition by beating Middlesbrough 3-1 at Old Trafford. However, Leeds United are held to a goalless draw at Conference side Rushden and Diamonds.
13 January 1999 - Leeds United avoid what would have been one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of modern times and beat Rushden and Diamonds 3-1 in the third round replay at Elland Road.
23 January 1999 - Aston Villa suffer a shock FA Cup exit at home to Division Two leaders Fulham in the fourth round.
24 January 1999 - Two late goals see Manchester United overturn Liverpool's 1-0 lead and win 2-1 in the fourth round tie at Old Trafford.
25 January 1999 - Cash-strapped Division One strugglers Oxford United hold Chelsea to an impressive 1-1 draw at the Manor Ground.
28 January 1999 - Steve McManaman agrees to sign for Real Madrid from Liverpool at the end of the season.
30 January 1999 - Glenn Hoddle appears in an interview in the Sunday Times, in which he suggests that disabled people are paying for their sins in a previous life.
31 January 1999 - January ends with Manchester United now top of the Premier League, but former leaders Aston Villa still only a point behind bracketed on points with Chelsea. Arsenal, meanwhile, have crept into the title frame and now stand fourth - just two points off the top. West Ham United's challenge has crumbled and they now stand ninth, with 11 points separating them from top spot. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, have gone from bad to worse and now prop up the table. They are joined in the drop zone by Southampton and Charlton Athletic after Brian Kidd guided Blackburn Rovers out of the bottom three.
2 February 1999 - Glenn Hoddle is sacked as England manager two days after his controversial remarks.
3 February 1999 - Oxford United's luck in the FA Cup runs out when they crash 4-2 to Chelsea in the fourth round replay at Stamford Bridge.
28 February 1999 - February draws to a close with Manchester United now top of the Premier League four points, although nearest rivals Chelsea have a game in hand. Arsenal, Aston Villa and Leeds United complete the top five. Nottingham Forest remain bottom and are now 10 points adrift of safety, while Southampton remain in the bottom three but Charlton Athletic have jumped clear at the expense of Blackburn Rovers.
7 March 1999 - Manchester United draw 0-0 with Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford, with Paul Scholes being sent off for United and Roberto Di Matteo for Chelsea in a game which kicked off just hours after the death was announced of legendary former United striker Dennis Violett from cancer at the age of 65.
10 March 1999 - Dwight Yorke keeps Manchester United in line for the treble as he scores both their goals in the 2-0 quarter-final replay win at Chelsea.
16 March 1999 - Barnsley, the only non Premier League team to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals, bow out at Oakwell when David Ginola scores the only goal of the game for Tottenham Hotspur, who remain in contention for a cup double.
17 March 1999 - The Monopolies and Mergers Commission vetoes BSkyB's takeover of Manchester United.
21 March 1999 - Tottenham Hotspur end their eight-year wait for a major trophy (and European qualification) thanks to a 1-0 win over Leicester City in the League Cup final.
31 March 1999 - March ends with Manchester United still top of the Premier League by a four-point margin, with Arsenal and Chelsea as their nearest contenders. Leeds United, occupying fourth place, are still within a shout of the league title. West Ham United complete the top five, competing with most of the rest of the "safe" Premier League teams for a UEFA Cup place. Nottingham Forest's dreadful run of form has continued and they now need a miracle to escape relegation. Charlton Athletic and Southampton complete the bottom three.
11 April 1999 - Manchester United and Arsenal, competing head to head for both the Premier League title and the FA Cup, draw 0-0 at Villa Park in the FA Cup semi-final. In other semi-final, at Old Trafford, two goals in extra time from Alan Shearer send Newcastle United through to the final for the second year running and spell an end to Tottenham's hopes of a cup double.
14 April 1999 - One of the most thrilling games so far this season sees Manchester United beat Arsenal 2-1 in extra time in the FA Cup semi-final replay. United had taken the lead after 17th minutes thanks to David Beckham, only for Dennis Bergkamp to equalise after 69 minutes. Bergkamp could have won the game for Arsenal with just a minute remaining, but Peter Schmeichel saved his penalty shot and forced extra time, in which Ryan Giggs won it for United with a spectacular 109th minute goal.
30 April 1999 - April draws to a close with Arsenal now leading the Premier League, but Manchester United are a point behind with a game in hand. Chelsea and Leeds United remain in distant contention, while the final European place is being contested by Aston Villa, West Ham United, Middlesbrough, Derby County, Liverpool and Leicester City. Nottingham Forest's inevitable relegation has now been confirmed, with Southampton, Charlton Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City, Everton and Sheffield Wednesday all in the battle of avoid going down as well.
6 May 1999 - Blackburn Rovers are relegated to Division One just four years after being Premier League champions.
8 May 1999 - On-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored an injury-time winner for Carlisle United on the final day of the season to save their Football League status, and relegate Scarborough to the Conference.
16 May 1999 - Manchester United clinch their fifth Premier League title in seven seasons after beating Tottenham 2-1 at home on the final day of the season.
22 May 1999 - Manchester United complete a unique third 'double' of the league title and FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United at Wembley. Paul Scholes opens the scoring in the 11th minute and Teddy Sheringham adds to United's tally in the 53rd minute.
26 May 1999 - Two late goals (the equaliser from Teddy Sheringham and the winner from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer) save Manchester United from the jaws of defeat and they beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the European Cup final at the Nou Camp to complete a unique treble.
31 May 1999 - Two late goals save Manchester City from the jaws of defeat as they pull Gillingham F.C. back to 2-2 in the Division Two Play-Off Final at Wembley. They go on to win 3-1 on penalties to attain their first promotion in 10 years.
12 June 1999 - Alex Ferguson receives a knighthood just over two weeks after guiding Manchester United to the treble.
Famous Debutants
The season saw several future England players make their first-team debuts.
- Steven Gerrard, 18, appears as a late substitute for Liverpool in their win over Blackburn Rovers in November 1998, starting a long career at the heart of the Reds first-team.
- Future England defender Wayne Bridge makes his first-team debut for Southampton in their 2-1 home loss to Liverpool in August 1998.
- 19-year old Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson enjoys several first-team appearances, the first being a goalless draw with Chelsea in October 1998.
- Robinson's Leeds team-mate Alan Smith, 18, made an immediate impact at Liverpool the following month, coming off the bench to score almost instantly.
- Jonathan Woodgate, 18, plays for Leeds in their 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest in October 1998 and ends the season as part of the England side.
- Defender John Terry, 17, plays for Chelsea for the first time in the final minutes of a Football League Cup win over Aston Villa in October 1998.
- Midfielder Joe Cole comes on for West Ham United as a much hyped 17-year old as they draw 1-1 with Swansea City in the FA Cup third round in January 1999, a week before his Premier League debut.
Deaths
- 7 November 1998: John Osborne, 57, who died of cancer, kept goal for West Bromwich Albion in their 1968 FA Cup triumph. He began his career with Chesterfield and after reaching the pinnacle of his career with Albion he wound up with Walsall.
- 25 December 1998: John McGrath, 60, was manager of Preston North End when they won promotion to the Third Division in 1987. As a player he was centre-half for clubs including Newcastle United and Southampton. He died of a heart attack on Christmas Day, six years after leaving his final managerial post at Halifax Town.
- 28 April 1999: Sir Alf Ramsey, 79, managed England to their finest moment - World Cup glory in 1966. Had played for Tottenham and England during the postwar years and had proved himself as a club manager by winning the league title for Ipswich Town in 1962 - at the end of their first season as a top division club. Remained at the helm with England until 1974, and later had a brief spell as manager of Birmingham City.
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