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2007-08 in English football
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The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.
European competitions
In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool defeated Besiktas 8–0 at Anfield. All four English clubs competing in the Champions League reached the quarter-finals, resulting in three all-English ties during the competition's latter stages.
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Encyclopedia
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.
Club football
European competitions
In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool defeated Besiktas 8–0 at Anfield. All four English clubs competing in the Champions League reached the quarter-finals, resulting in three all-English ties during the competition's latter stages. Liverpool eliminated Arsenal in the quarter-finals, but lost the semi-final to Chelsea, who went on to meet Manchester United in the final in Moscow. United completed the European Double, winning the Premier League two points ahead of Chelsea and winning the UEFA Champions League, again against Chelsea 6–5 on penalties (1–1 after extra time) to lift the European Cup for the third time. This was a unique occurance – the first time two English clubs had met in the final of the European Cup/Champions League. It was also a repeat of the opening game of the season, the FA Community Shield, which also finished 1–1 and saw a United win on penalties, 3–0.
In the UEFA Cup, none of the English teams taking part reached the quarter-final stage. Blackburn Rovers, who had qualified for the competition via the Intertoto Cup, were beaten in the first round by Larissa F.C.. The three other English clubs progressed through the group stages, with Bolton Wanderers losing to Sporting Clube de Portugal, while Tottenham Hotspur and Everton were both eliminated on penalty shootouts in the round of 16, by PSV Eindhoven and Fiorentina respectively. The 2008 UEFA Cup Final was held at the City of Manchester Stadium, the first time that the UEFA Cup Final had been held in England since being reduced to a single match. The event was marred by riots in Manchester city centre prior to the game. In the match itself, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg beat Rangers 2–0 to lift the trophy.
Premier League
Manchester United retained the Premier League title, winning the competition for the tenth time and becoming champions of England for the seventeenth time in all. The title was decided on the final day of the season as United's 2–0 win at Wigan Athletic saw them crowned champions and consigned Chelsea to the runners-up spot regardless of their result at home to Bolton Wanderers. Arsenal and Liverpool qualified for the UEFA Champions League 2008–09 third qualifying round by finishing third and fourth respectively, while Everton's fifth position gave them a place in the UEFA Cup 2008–09 first round. Reading, Birmingham City and Derby County were relegated. Derby became the first team in Premier League history to be relegated before the end of March. They eventually finished on the lowest points tally ever, amassing only 11 points.
The Premier League underwent a major rebranding, changing its sponsored name from the Barclays Premiership to the Barclays Premier League.
Football League
After the disappointment of a play-off final defeat the previous year, West Bromwich Albion won the Football League Championship title and returned to the Premier League. Stoke City secured the other automatic promotion spot, after a twenty-three year absence from the top flight. Hull City followed them by winning the play-off final, beating Bristol City 1–0 at Wembley Stadium in the final to reach the top division of English football for the first time in their 104-year history. It was the first time that Hull had played at either the original or rebuilt Wembley Stadium. Despite impressing on their Championship debut in 2006–07, Colchester United finished bottom this season and were relegated back to League One. Scunthorpe United's first journey into the Championship since the 1960s proved short-lived, and they also went back down. The biggest story however was Leicester City's relegation, as a lack of stability at the club (with no fewer than eight men, including caretakers, occupying the manager's seat over the season) proved their undoing and sent them down to League One for the first time in their history.
In a season mired by controversy and points deductions at both ends of the table, Swansea City were the clear champions in League One. In terms of results, Leeds United were actually the best team behind Swansea, but had started the season on –15 points following their failure to reach an agreement with HM Revenue & Customs on their Creditors Voluntary Arrangement. This was the first time in the league's history that such a penalty had been imposed. Nottingham Forest therefore took the second automatic promotion spot. Doncaster Rovers won promotion to the Championship by beating Leeds United 1–0 at Wembley Stadium in the League One play-off final, thus returning to the top two tiers for the first time since 1958. At the opposite end of the table, Port Vale were in fact the worst team going by results, but Luton Town went into administration and lost 10 points causing them to finish bottom, though they would have been relegated even without this penalty. Bournemouth also received a 10 point deduction for going into administration, and in their case it did prove fatal, sending the club down by to League Two. Gillingham were the other team to suffer relegation. Leeds United played in the third tier of English football for the first time in their history, six years after competing in the Champions League.
Milton Keynes Dons won their first honours as a club, winning the League Two title and the Football League Trophy. The other clubs automatically promoted were runners-up Peterborough United, who had pushed the Dons close for most of the season, and Hereford United, who returned to the third level of English football for the first time in 30 years. Stockport County won promotion to League One by beating Rochdale 3–2 at Wembley Stadium in the League Two play-off final. There was to be no repeat of Wrexham's last day heroics of the 2006–07 season, and this time they finished bottom and went out of the League. Despite a good run late in the season, Mansfield Town joined them. Both Dagenham & Redbridge and Morecambe played in The Football League for the first time, after securing promotion to League Two from the Conference National.
Cup competitions and Community Shield
Portsmouth won the FA Cup with a 1–0 victory over Cardiff City. Tottenham Hotspur won the League Cup, beating the holders Chelsea 2–1 after extra time. It was the first League Cup final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium. MK Dons won the Football League Trophy after beating Grimsby Town 2–0 in the final. Manchester United took the first silverware of the season when they beat Chelsea 3–0 on penalties in the FA Community Shield.
Non-League football
The Conference National became known as the Blue Square Premier upon the announcement of a three year sponsorship deal. The two regional feeder leagues became known as the Blue Square North and South respectively. The deal signalled the end of a nine year association between the Conference and the Nationwide Building Society. Aldershot Town won the Conference National to gain automatic promotion to the Football League, while Exeter City beat Cambridge United 1–0 in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium to secure the other promotion place. Aldershot also won the Conference League Cup, beating Rushden & Diamonds in a penalty shootout after a 3–3 draw. The FA Trophy was won by Ebbsfleet United, who beat Torquay United 1–0 at Wembley.
Events off the field
Deloitte reported in September 2007 that transfer spending by all Premier League and Football League clubs had exceeded £500 million, compared to £300 million spent the season before. Deloitte attributed the rise in spending to the huge increase in broadcasting revenue and new owners buying into Premier League clubs.
Two league clubs moved to new grounds for 2007–08. Shrewsbury Town moved to the New Meadow for the start of this season, after leaving their old stadium, Gay Meadow. Milton Keynes Dons moved to their new 22,000 all seater stadium at Denbigh, Milton Keynes, known as Stadium:mk. The stadium was officially opened on 29 November 2007 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
Sheffield, the world's oldest football club, celebrated their 150th anniversary; events included a friendly match against Inter Milan.
Managerial changes
Promotion and relegation
Playoff winners in bold.
Premier League
- Champions: Manchester United
- Champions League 2008/09 Qualifiers : Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool
- UEFA Cup 2008/09 Qualifiers : Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Manchester City and Portsmouth
- Relegated to The Championship : Derby County, Birmingham City and Reading
Championship
- Champions: West Bromwich Albion
- Promoted: Stoke City
- Playoffs : Hull City, Bristol City, Watford and Crystal Palace
- Relegated: Leicester City, Scunthorpe United and Colchester United
League One
- Champions: Swansea City
- Promoted: Nottingham Forest
- Playoffs : Doncaster Rovers, Leeds United ,Southend United and Carlisle United
- Relegated: AFC Bournemouth, Gillingham, Port Vale and Luton Town
League Two
- Champions: Milton Keynes Dons
- Promoted: Peterborough United, Hereford United
- Playoffs : Stockport County, Rochdale, Darlington and Wycombe Wanderers
- Relegated: Mansfield Town and Wrexham
Conference National
- Champions: Aldershot Town
- Play-offs: Cambridge United, Torquay United, Exeter City and Burton Albion
- Relegated: Altrincham*, Farsley Celtic, Stafford Rangers and Droylsden
- Promoted to: Kettering Town, Lewes, Eastbourne Borough and Barrow
*Altrincham avoided relegation after Halifax Town went into liquidation
National team
The England played their first international match on a synthetic pitch against Russia. England lost the game 2–1 leaving qualification for Euro 2008 out of their hands. England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 after losing 3–2 to Croatia on 21 November 2007. As a result, England manager Steve McClaren was sacked the following day. Fabio Capello was confirmed as the new England manager on 14 December 2007. Capello was unveiled by The FA on 17 December 2007, and took up his new role on 7 January 2008.
Friendly matches
The home team is listed on the left; the visiting one on the right.
Euro 2008 qualifiers
Honours
League Tables
Premier League
Football League Championship
Football League One
* Leeds deducted 15 points for failure to comply with rules on insolvency, Luton and Bournemouth deducted 10 points each for entering administration.
Football League Two
* Deducted 10 points for entering administration
Transfer deals
Retirements
Deaths
- 3 July 2007 – Dave Simmons, 58, former striker who played for Aston Villa, Colchester United, Brentford and Cambridge United. Perhaps best known for scoring the decisive goal in Colchester's upset win against Leeds United in the 1971 FA Cup.
- 20 July 2007 – David Preece, 44, former midfielder, most notably at Luton Town, where he played 11 seasons and won the League Cup in 1988. Began his career at Walsall, and also played for Derby County, Cambridge United and Torquay United.
- 24 July 2007 – Eric Davis, 75, former Plymouth Argyle, Scunthorpe United and Chester City striker.
- 25 July 2007 – Danny Bergara, 65, Uruguayan who was one of the first Football League managers born outside the British Isles, and the first to lead out an English side at Wembley. Managed several clubs in the lower leagues, and most notably won promotion to the old Third Division with Stockport County in 1991.
- 16 August 2007 – Jeroen Boere, 39, Dutch striker who played for West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Southend United in the late 1990s.
- 25 August 2007 – Ray Jones, 18, Queens Park Rangers striker, killed in a car accident.
- 31 August 2007 – Willie Cunningham, 77, former Leicester City defender who played for Northern Ireland in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
- 6 September 2007 – Byron Stevenson, 50, former Leeds United, Birmingham City and Bristol Rovers defender who also won 15 caps for Wales.
- 7 September 2007 – Norman Deeley, 73, former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger who scored twice in the 1960 FA Cup Final, and won two caps for England. Also played for Leyton Orient.
- 11 September 2007 – Ian Porterfield, 61, former Sunderland midfielder who scored the winning goal in the 1973 FA Cup Final. Later became a successful manager, managing Chelsea, Reading, Sheffield United and various other clubs and national teams. Was managing Armenia at the time of his death.
- 14 September 2007 – Malcolm Musgrove, 74, former West Ham United and Leyton Orient winger. Played more than 300 games for the Hammers, and later manager Torquay United and several teams in the United States. Died from Alzheimer's disease.
- 20 September 2007 – Johnny Gavin, 79, former striker who is Norwich City's all-time top goalscorer. Also played for Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and Crystal Palace, and won seven caps for the Republic of Ireland.
- 27 September 2007 – Bill Perry, 77, former Blackpool winger who scored the winning goal in the 1953 FA Cup Final, and played three times for England despite being born in South Africa.
- 15 October 2007 – Jackie Little, 95, former Ipswich Town winger who spent 15 years at Portman Road and played in the club's first-ever league match in 1938.
- 19 October 2007 – Michael Maidens, 20, Hartlepool United midfielder, killed in a car accident.
- 13 November 2007 – John Doherty, 72, former Busby Babe who played as an inside-forward for Manchester United and later Leicester City in the 1950s.
- 18 November 2007 – Joe Shaw, 79, former Sheffield United defender; the club's all-time record appearance holder with 629 league matches for the Blades.
- 19 November 2007 – Ken Leek, 72, former Welsh international striker, who won the 1963 League Cup with Birmingham City; also played for Northampton Town, Leicester City, Newcastle United and Bradford City.
- 19 November 2007 – Graham Paddon, 57, former Norwich City and West Ham United midfielder; 1975 FA Cup winner.
- 2 December 2007 – Les Shannon, 81, played as a winger for Liverpool and Burnley in the 1950s; later managed Bury, Blackpool and several clubs in Greece, most notably Olympiakos.
- 7 December 2007 – John Hollowbread, 73, former Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton goalkeeper.
- 9 December 2007 – Jim Langley, 78, full-back who spent the bulk of his career at Fulham (1957-1965), where he won three England caps. Also played for Leeds United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Queens Park Rangers.
- 11 December 2007 – Ray Goddard, 58, goalkeeper who played for Leyton Orient, Millwall and Wimbledon between 1967 and 1981. Was a member of three promotion-winning sides during his career.
- 13 December 2007 – Harry Kirtley, 77, former Sunderland, Cardiff City and Gateshead forward.
- 15 December 2007 – Jimmy O'Neill, 76, former Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper who played club football for Everton, Stoke, Darlington and Port Vale.
- 25 December 2007 – Tommy Harmer, 79, inside-forward for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1950s. Later played for Watford and Chelsea before moving into coaching.
- 27 December 2007 – Brian Lambert, 71, former Mansfield Town full-back.
- 29 December 2007 – Phil O'Donnell, 35, Motherwell midfielder who spent four seasons at Sheffield Wednesday in the early 2000s. Won one cap for Scotland during his first spell at Motherwell in the early 1990s, and had scored for Motherwell in the 1991 Scottish Cup final. Collapsed on the pitch during a Scottish league match, and died later that evening.
- 9 January 2008 – Paul Aimson, 64, former striker who spent the majority of his career at York City, scoring more than 100 goals.
- 14 January 2008 – Johnny Steele, 91, former inside-forward who spent more than half a century at Barnsley as player, coach, manager, secretary and director. He is Barnsley's longest-serving manager.
- 18 January 2008 – Wally Fielding, 88, former Everton inside-forward who played more than 400 games for the Toffees. At the time of his death he was believed to be the oldest living former Everton player.
- 21 January 2008 – Billy Elliott, 82, former Sunderland winger who won five England caps. Also played for Bradford Park Avenue and Burnley, and later became manager of Darlington. He also managed Norwegian side Brann and the Libyan national team.
- c. 1 February 2008 – Johnny Edgar, 71, former Barnsley, Gillingham, York City, Hartlepool United and Exeter City striker; scorer of York's fastest-ever hat-trick (three goals in six minutes against Accrington Stanley in 1959).
- 7 February 2008 – Frank Wayman, 76, former winger who played briefly at the professional level with Chester City and Darlington. Died after being struck by a motorcycle.
- 14 February 2008 – Len Boyd, 84, former Plymouth Argyle, Birmingham City and England B wing half. Captained Birmingham to 1954–55 promotion and the 1956 FA Cup Final.
- 17 February 2008 – Brian Harris, 72, versatile former Everton, Cardiff City and Newport County player who played at every position on the pitch except goalkeeper during his career; also managed Newport.
- 26 February 2008 – Jimmy Dugdale, 76, former West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and England B defender. Won the FA Cup twice; with WBA in 1954 and with Villa in 1957.
- 2 March 2008 – Carl Hoddle, 40, former Barnet and Leyton Orient midfielder; brother of Glenn Hoddle.
- 5 March 2008 – Derek Dooley, 78, legendary Sheffield Wednesday striker who scored 62 goals in 61 games for the Owls before having his leg amputated in 1953 following a serious injury. He also played for Lincoln City, and later managed Sheffield Wednesday (1971-1973) before joining city rivals Sheffield United where he held a number of jobs, including commercial manager and chairman.
- 8 March 2008 – Les Smith, 80, former Wolverhampton and Aston Villa winger; member of Aston Villa's 1957 FA Cup winning side.
- 24 March 2008 – John Cushley, 65, Scottish defender who spent three seasons at West Ham United in the late 1960s, and also played for Celtic, Dunfermline and Dumbarton north of the border. Worked as a teacher outside football.
- 24 March 2008 – Ray Drinkwater, 76, former Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper.
- 29 April 2008 – Gordon Bradley, 74, former Carlisle United wing-half who later became an American citizen, where he played for a number of teams including the New York Cosmos, and won one cap for the U.S. national team. He also served as head coach of Cosmos and later the Washington Diplomats of the NASL.
- 1 May 2008 – Mark Kendall, 49, former goalkeeper who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Newport County, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Swansea City. Capped by Wales at Under-21 level.
- 6 May 2008 – John Reames, 66, former Lincoln City chairman and manager.
- 15 May 2008 – Tommy Burns, 51, former Scottish international midfielder who served 18 months as Reading manager in the late 1990s. Spent his playing career north of the border, for Celtic and Kilmarnock.
- 19 May 2008 – Nigel Cassidy, 62, former striker who began his professional career at Norwich City, and later played for Scunthorpe, Oxford and Cambridge.
- 20 May 2008 – Lord Tom Burlison, 71, former Hartlepool United wing-half and honorary life president. Also played for Lincoln City and Darlington. After his football career, he became a trade union leader and Labour peer.
- 24 May 2008 – Reg Flewin, 87, former Portsmouth defender, who captained his hometown side to the 1948-49 and 1949-50 league titles, and also won one wartime cap for England.
- 12 June 2008 – Derek Tapscott, 75, former Welsh international striker who played for Arsenal, Cardiff City, Newport County, and several non-league clubs.
- 19 June 2008 – Tim Carter, 40, former goalkeeper at Sunderland, Bristol Rovers, Hartlepool United, Millwall and several other clubs. Was Sunderland's goalkeeping coach at the time of his death.
- 22 June 2008 – Ron Stitfall, 82, former Cardiff City defender who played more than 400 games for the Bluebirds. He also won two caps for Wales.
- 23 June 2008 – Mick Hill, 60, former Sheffield United, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace forward who also played twice for Wales.
See also
2007–08 season
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