FA Premier League 1998-99
Encyclopedia
The 1998–99 FA Premier League season was the seventh season of the Premier League, the top division of English football, since its establishment in 1992. The season will always be remembered as the one in which Manchester United
won a unique treble of the league title, the FA Cup
and the European Cup
. They secured their fifth league championship in seven seasons after losing just three league games all season.
Arsenal, who failed to regain their title, despite having the same points tally as last season 78 points, and had at one point looked as though they were on the brink of winning the title, after beating fellow rivals Tottenham Hotspur
, while Manchester United had drawn against Liverpool
, 2–2. However, Manchester United pushed on and took advantage of Arsenal's 1–0 defeat at Leeds United in the penultimate match of the season and despite going 1–0 down against Tottenham on the final day, came back to win 2–1 and clinch the title. Should they have failed to win, Arsenal would have been crowned champions once more.
In order to achieve their success, the Manchester United playing squad had been altered substantially during the close season. A total of more than £28 million had been spent on Dwight Yorke
, Jaap Stam
and Jesper Blomqvist
, while several older players left the club; Gary Pallister
returned to Middlesbrough
after nine years for £2.5 million, while Brian McClair
returned to Motherwell
on a free transfer. In December, however, McClair was back in the Premier League as Brian Kidd
's assistant at Blackburn Rovers
.
and third placed Chelsea
would be playing in the following season's Champions League. There would only be one automatic UEFA Cup
place from the league – taken by fourth-placed Leeds United. Fifth-placed West Ham United
qualified for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup
. Also qualifying were Newcastle United
via the FA Cup
final, and Tottenham Hotspur via the League Cup
.
, who suffered their third relegation in seven seasons. One notable low for Forest this season was an 8–1 drubbing at home, by Manchester United. Second from bottom came Blackburn Rovers, who just four seasons earlier had been Premiership champions. The final relegation place went to Charlton Athletic
, who went down at the end of their first spell in the top flight for nine seasons. The only newly promoted club to survive was Middlesbrough, who finished in a respectable ninth place.
None of the teams relegated from the Premiership the previous season regained their top division status in 1999, although First Division
champions Sunderland
regained their Premiership place after a two-year exile. The other two relegation places went to long-term absentees from the top division. Playoff winners Watford
regained their top division place after an absence of 11 years, but runners-up Bradford
had been outside of the top division for 77 years. These two promotion winners surprised the observers more than any other Division One side during 1998–99.
to work alongside manager Roy Evans
at the start of the season, but Evans resigned in November to leave Houllier in sole charge.
Tottenham Hotspur sacked Christian Gross
in September after less than a year in charge. His replacement was George Graham
of Leeds United, who was himself replaced by former assistant David O'Leary
.
Newcastle United sacked Kenny Dalglish
just after the start of the season and replaced him with Ruud Gullit
.
Everton appointed Walter Smith
as Howard Kendall's successor.
Blackburn Rovers sacked Roy Hodgson
in November, with the club bottom of the table. Manchester United assistant Brian Kidd
replaced him. Ironically relegation was confirmed in the penultimate game of the season against Kidd's former club.
Nottingham Forest sacked Dave Bassett
in January and put Ron Atkinson
in charge until the end of the season. Atkinson retired after failing to save Forest from relegation and former England captain David Platt, 33, was name as player-manager.
Wimbledon manager Joe Kinnear
was effectively forced to step down due to health problems in March, and did not return to the club. Coaches Mick Harford
and Terry Burton
took charge until the end of the season, when Norwegian coach Egil Olsen
was appointed manager.
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
1 Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners
2 As Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the losing finalists
. United won 2–1 and clinched the title, making Arsenal's last-day victory meaningless and condemning the Gunners to a trophyless end to a season in which they had conceded just 17 Premiership goals.
The sale of young forward Nicolas Anelka
to Real Madrid
made the following season's task all the more difficult.
to Manchester United
seemed to rule out Villa's chances of challenging for a UEFA Cup
place, but new signings Dion Dublin
and Paul Merson
soon revitalised the attack and spent much of the first half of the season top of the league. By Christmas Villa were top of the Premiership, though eventually the challenge from Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea
was too strong and bad form which included 10 games without a win, Villa's season capitulated, tailing off into sixth place – this season it wasn't even enough for a UEFA Cup place.
were Premiership champions. Just one year earlier, they had qualified for the UEFA Cup
. They were among some people's outsiders for a title challenge.
But it all went wrong for Blackburn, who were soon in the depth of a relegation battle. Manager Roy Hodgson
paid with his job in November, and Manchester United assistant Brian Kidd
was named as his replacement. But Kidd was unable to steer Rovers to safety, and their relegation was confirmed in the penultimate day of the season, when they failed to beat United at Ewood Park
. They were condemned to a place in Division One
, but managed to hold on to many key players and approached the new season as most people's favourites for an immediate return to the elite.
made a good start to the Premiership campaign and Alan Curbishley
was voted Manager of the Month for August. Their form soon dipped, but they were never completely outclassed by the rest of the Premiership sides. In the end, they were the last team to make the drop following a late revival by Southampton
. But Curbishley's job was still safe, as the board had every confidence in his ability to regain a hard-earned place among the elite for the Addicks.
recent revival continued, after a solid 4th place finish, European and League Cup
success the previous season, Chelsea really felt that they could challenge for the title this season, The Blues made yet more big name signings, most notably French
World Cup
winning Defender Marcel Desailly
from A.C. Milan
, Spanish
International Right-Back Albert Ferrer from F.C. Barcelona and breaking the clubs transfer record by paying £5.4 million for Italian
International Stiker Pierluigi Casiraghi from S.S. Lazio
, unfortunately Casiraghi's season and career was cut short by a knee injury, Gianfranco Zola
had arguably the best season of his career, leading Chelsea to a serious title challenge, scoring 13 league goals, 15 in all competitions, and setting up many other goals for his team-mates.
The European Super Cup
was the only trophy that they had to show for their excellence. Their defence of the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup ended in the semi-finals, while their title challenge was ended in early May when they just couldn't get the better of Manchester United or Arsenal. But a third place finish in the league booked them a third successive European campaign, and was another triumph for their excellent young manager Gianluca Vialli
, who at 35 announced his retirement as a player to concentrate on his managerial duties.
finished 15th in the Premiership – four places lower than last season
– but were never in any real danger of being relegated, despite the loss of key striker Dion Dublin
to local rivals Aston Villa.
The biggest news of Coventry's season was the announcement of a move to a new 45,000-seat stadium
at Foleshill
, which was anticipated to be ready by 2002. Manager Gordon Strachan
then signed Moroccan international football star Mustapha Hadji
, knowing that it would be important to have a top quality team to match the forthcoming new home.
had another solid season in the Premiership, going one better than last season's finish to come eighth in the final table. They were in with a chance of a UEFA Cup
place right up to the beginning of May, but once again they couldn't quite make it. They still had the satisfaction of finishing well above more fancied sides including Tottenham
, Newcastle
and Blackburn
; not to mention finishing one place behind Liverpool
.
continued to look a shadow of their former selves after Howard Kendall
made way for new manager Walter Smith
, though their 14th place finish was a three-place improvement upon last season's near miss with relegation. With Smith having achieved so much success north of the border with Rangers
, he had been expected to bring some success to the blue half of Merseyside after two seasons of misery, but there was little for the Goodison Park
faithful to shout about.
when manager George Graham
walked out on Leeds
to take charge of Tottenham in early October, and Martin O'Neill
seemed certain to take over the reins. But it was a shock to many when O'Neill turned his back on Leeds, and Graham's former assistant David O'Leary
was appointed instead. He quickly worked wonders with a predominantly young, inexperienced side, and they managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup in fourth place – their highest finish since winning the title seven years earlier. The acquisition of brilliant young striker Michael Bridges
from Sunderland
at the end of the season gave Leeds fans hope of more success – and preferably silverware – next time round.
repeated the previous season's 10th place in the Premiership, earning Martin O'Neill more credit for achieving strong finishes on a relatively limited budget. But the club's best chance of a UEFA Cup
place was blown in late March when they lost to Tottenham in the Worthington Cup
final. At least City fans had the satisfaction of holding on to the highly-rated O'Neill, who had seemed certain to desert the club for Leeds early in the season.
as joint manager alongside Roy Evans
was seen as Liverpool's best chance of making a title challenge, but Evans did not think the partnership was working and quit in November to leave Houllier in sole charge. Despite Michael Owen's
brilliant form, Liverpool were unable to mount anything like a title challenge and seemed to be a side in transition following the appointment of their new coach and adapting to a new style, including facing the imminent break up of their Spice Boys
squad with transfers in (Rigobert Song
) and out (Jason McAteer
, Stig Bjornebye, etc). By January, the side was reshuffled but the failure of the club to retain the services of Steve McManaman
, transferred to Real Madrid
in a deal labelled as the Bosman
scandal of the season, hurt the club financially. Performance wise, their seventh place finish was not enough to attain even a UEFA Cup place – as well as being the club's lowest finish for five years.
twice broke the club's transfer record by signing Dutch defender Jaap Stam
and then Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke, as well as bolstering his attacking options by signing Jesper Blomqvist
from Parma
. They overcame an early challenge from Aston Villa to mount a three-horse title challenge with Arsenal and Chelsea, and a 2–1 win over Tottenham – Andy Cole netting the winner – on the final day of the season confirmed their status as champions for the fifth time in seven seasons. The following weekend, they took on Newcastle in the FA Cup final to win 2–0 at Wembley and become the first English team to win three "doubles" – they did so with no fewer than four key players remaining from the 1994 double winning side. That double would eventually become a Treble
, as United were also the winners of the UEFA Champions League 1998-99
, defeating Bayern Munich 2–1 in the final at the Nou Camp.
were the only newly-promoted side to avoid relegation from the Premiership in 1998–99. They attained an impressive ninth place finish in the final table. Way too high for relegation, but not quite high enough for a UEFA Cup place. Still, it was their highest finish for more than 20 years, and a step in the right direction for manager Bryan Robson
– who had come close to European qualification (via the cup competitions) in the previous two campaigns.
Just after the season started, Kenny Dalglish
paid for Newcastle's sub-standard league performances with his job. The task was given to Ruud Gullit
to turn things round, on the now-infamous promise of delivering 'sexy football' to Tyneside. But he could not improve on the club's previous league finish of 13th and a second successive cup final appearance was just not enough. A dismal league position put them below local rivals Middlesbrough as well as other unfancied sides including Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday
.
, top scorer in Forest's promotion-winning 1997–98 campaign, went AWOL before the start of the season following the sale of strike partner Kevin Campbell
and it appeared that he would never play for the club again. He returned in October, but Forest were already deep in relegation trouble and it was too late to save manager Dave Bassett's
job. Ron Atkinson
made what appeared to be his final return to management, but was unable to save Forest from relegation in bottom place – the third time in seven years that they had endured this fate. With just 7 wins and 30 points all season, they had never really looked like beating the drop, due to embarrassing results like the 8–1 beating at home to Manchester United. Relegation was confirmed by a defeat to Aston Villa with three games left, which also seemingly guaranteed that Forest would be relegated with the worst record in the history of the Premier League, but the club avoided this by winning all three of their remaining games (including a 2-1 away victory at Blackburn which effectively dragged them down into Division One with Forest), which gave fans some hope that they might make another immediate return to the top-flight.
When Atkinson's contract was not renewed, Brian Little
, Glenn Hoddle
and Roy Evans
were just some of the many high profile names linked with the manager's job, but in the end it was 33-year-old former England captain David Platt who took on the role as player-manager.
as manager saw them begin the season among the favourites for relegation of many pundits. But they performed reasonably well throughout the season – being one of just three sides to beat treble winners Manchester United – and finished 12th at the end of a campaign during which they had never faced any serious threat of going down. The only major concern at the club was a growing mountain of debts which would have been even more of a worry had the Owls suffered relegation.
on the banks of the River Itchen
, knowing that they would only have to play two more seasons at their dilapidated century-old Dell before making the long-awaited move to a capacious new home.
lose his job as Tottenham manager less than a year after taking over. There were a few raised eyebrows when the job went to George Graham
– who had achieved so much success during his reign at Tottenham's deadly rivals Arsenal. But the appointment brought instant success. Though Tottenham were unable to progress beyond 11th place in the final Premiership table, they triumphed in the Carling Cup to attain only their second European campaign of the post-Heysel era.
finally achieved European qualification for the first time since 1980 thanks to a fifth place finish. Although star striker John Hartson
was sold to Wimbledon
in March (a record fee for West Ham), manager Harry Redknapp
held on to Rio Ferdinand
and ensured that West Ham would be with their finest asset in their next big challenge. The season also saw the arrival of Paolo Di Canio
from Sheffield Wednesday. The season also saw the breakthrough of many current England internationals into the first team. Frank Lampard
made a vital contribution to the season and Joe Cole
made his debut.
dipped one place to finish 16th in the final Premiership table, bringing them to a new low in their 13th season of top flight football.
In March, when Wimbledon were still in the top half of the table with a UEFA Cup
spot still within reach, striker John Hartson
joined the club in a record £7.5million move from West Ham United, but his arrival coincided with a decline in form that dragged the club to the wrong end of the table.
Manager Joe Kinnear
resigned at the end of the season after seven years in charge, to be succeeded by former Norwegian national coach Egil Olsen
.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
won a unique treble of the league title, the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. They secured their fifth league championship in seven seasons after losing just three league games all season.
Arsenal, who failed to regain their title, despite having the same points tally as last season 78 points, and had at one point looked as though they were on the brink of winning the title, after beating fellow rivals Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, while Manchester United had drawn against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, 2–2. However, Manchester United pushed on and took advantage of Arsenal's 1–0 defeat at Leeds United in the penultimate match of the season and despite going 1–0 down against Tottenham on the final day, came back to win 2–1 and clinch the title. Should they have failed to win, Arsenal would have been crowned champions once more.
In order to achieve their success, the Manchester United playing squad had been altered substantially during the close season. A total of more than £28 million had been spent on Dwight Yorke
Dwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
, Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam
Jakob "Jaap" Stam is a retired Dutch football player who was twice voted best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. He played for several European clubs like PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, S.S. Lazio, A.C. Milan and AFC Ajax before retiring in October 2007...
and Jesper Blomqvist
Jesper Blomqvist
Lars Jesper Blomqvist is a Swedish football player.Most recently he has been the playing assistant manager of Superettan side Hammarby from December 2009 to November 2010...
, while several older players left the club; Gary Pallister
Gary Pallister
Gary Andrew Pallister is an English former footballer, most noted for his nine-year spell at Manchester United from 1989 until 1998...
returned to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
after nine years for £2.5 million, while Brian McClair
Brian McClair
Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell...
returned to Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
on a free transfer. In December, however, McClair was back in the Premier League as Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd is an English football coach and former player, who is currently Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City....
's assistant at Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
.
European qualifiers
At the end of 1998–99, the Premiership would have three Champions League places. As well as Manchester United, runners-up ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and third placed Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
would be playing in the following season's Champions League. There would only be one automatic UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place from the league – taken by fourth-placed Leeds United. Fifth-placed West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
qualified for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
. Also qualifying were Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
via the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final, and Tottenham Hotspur via the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
.
Going down...
Bottom of the Premiership in the final table came Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, who suffered their third relegation in seven seasons. One notable low for Forest this season was an 8–1 drubbing at home, by Manchester United. Second from bottom came Blackburn Rovers, who just four seasons earlier had been Premiership champions. The final relegation place went to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, who went down at the end of their first spell in the top flight for nine seasons. The only newly promoted club to survive was Middlesbrough, who finished in a respectable ninth place.
None of the teams relegated from the Premiership the previous season regained their top division status in 1999, although First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
champions Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
regained their Premiership place after a two-year exile. The other two relegation places went to long-term absentees from the top division. Playoff winners Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
regained their top division place after an absence of 11 years, but runners-up Bradford
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
had been outside of the top division for 77 years. These two promotion winners surprised the observers more than any other Division One side during 1998–99.
Personnel and kits
(as of 16 May 1999)| Team | Manager1 | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal |  Arsène WengerArsène Wenger Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996... |
 Tony AdamsTony Adams (footballer) Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends... |
Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area... |
JVC JVC , usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927... |
| Aston Villa | John Gregory |
Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate in Crawley, West Sussex is a retired English footballer and ex-manager. He is known as the "Penalty Misser of '96." He served as manager of Middlesbrough from June 2006, until he was dismissed in October 2009... |
Reebok Reebok Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle... |
LDV Vans |
| Blackburn Rovers | Brian Kidd Brian Kidd Brian Kidd is an English football coach and former player, who is currently Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City.... |
Tim Sherwood Tim Sherwood Timothy "Tim" Sherwood is an English former professional footballer who was captain of Blackburn Rovers' Premiership title-winning side... |
Uhlsport Uhlsport Uhlsport is a manufacturer of football equipment. Based in Germany and founded in 1948, the company's products include goalkeeper gloves, football boots, shin pads, footballs, training clothes, and kits.... |
CIS The Co-operative Insurance The Co-operative Insurance, formally Co-operative Insurance Society Ltd, is a large insurance company based in Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two main constituents of Co-operative Financial Services, which is in turn owned by Co-operative Group Ltd, formerly the Co-operative... |
| Charlton Athletic | Alan Curbishley Alan Curbishley Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player.... |
Mark Kinsella Mark Kinsella Mark Anthony Kinsella is an Irish former professional footballer and current football coach. He played as a central midfielder for most of his career.... |
Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif is a French company producing sports equipment such as shoes, shorts, and T-shirts. It was founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset, but the first clothing items branded with the rooster appeared in 1948... |
Mesh Computers Mesh Computers MESH Computers is a computer company based in London, England, owned by Mehdi Sherafati. As well as being a PC manufacturer, the company also sells a number of peripherals and components through their website.... |
| Chelsea |  Gianluca VialliGianluca Vialli Gianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia.... |
Dennis Wise Dennis Wise Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United.... |
Umbro Umbro Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment... |
Autoglass Autoglass Autoglass is a car-windscreen repair company based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.-History:In 1971, Windshields was formed in Bedford, and operated across southern England doing mobile repairs. In 1973 the Doulton Group launched Autoglass, which operated across northern England... |
| Coventry City |  Gordon StrachanGordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,... |
Gary McAllister Gary McAllister Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20... |
Le Coq Sportif | Subaru Subaru ; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as... |
| Derby County | Jim Smith Jim Smith (footballer) James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the... |
 Igor ŠtimacIgor Štimac Igor Štimac is a retired Croatian football player. He is now a football agent and a manager... |
Puma PUMA AG Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two... |
EDS Electronic Data Systems HP Enterprise Services is the global business and technology services division of Hewlett Packard's HP Enterprise Business strategic business unit. It was formed by the combination of HP's legacy services consulting and outsourcing business and the integration of acquired Electronic Data Systems,... |
| Everton | Walter Smith Walter Smith Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at... |
Dave Watson Dave Watson David "Dave" Watson is an English former professional footballer who made 12 appearances for the English national team. He is now the youth team coach at Newcastle United.-Playing career:... |
Umbro | One2One |
| Leeds United | David O'Leary David O'Leary David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai... |
David Hopkin David Hopkin David Hopkin is a Scottish former professional football player who is assistant manager at .-Club career:Hopkin started his career at Morton before earning a move to Premier League side Chelsea in 1992... |
Puma | Packard Bell Packard Bell Packard Bell is a Dutch computer manufacturer and a subsidiary of Acer. The name was previously used by Packard Bell, an American radio manufacturer founded in 1926. In 1986, Israeli investors bought the name for a newly formed personal computer manufacturer. Originally the company produced... |
| Leicester City |  Martin O'NeillMartin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham... |
Steve Walsh Steve Walsh (footballer) Steven Walsh is a former professional footballer, who spent most of his career at Leicester City. He also played for Wigan, Norwich, Tamworth and Coventry City, over a career lasting 21 years. He was a defender and an occasional striker... |
Fox Leisure | Walkers Walkers (snack foods) Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer operating mainly in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and to a lesser extent on the European continent. They are best known for manufacturing crisps. They hold 47 per cent of the British crisp market... |
| Liverpool | Gérard Houllier Gérard Houllier Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season.... |
Paul Ince Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town... |
Reebok | Carlsberg |
| Manchester United | Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986... |
Roy Keane Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland.... |
Umbro | Sharp Sharp Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first... |
| Middlesbrough | Bryan Robson Bryan Robson Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008... |
Andy Townsend Andy Townsend Andrew "Andy" David Townsend is a former professional footballer, who played in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland and is now a television and radio pundit.... |
Erreà Erreà Erreà is a sportswear trademark founded in 1988, in Torrile... |
Cellnet O2 (United Kingdom) Telefónica UK Limited is a telecommunications, internet and financial services provider in the United Kingdom owned by Telefónica, forming part of its Telefónica Europe division... |
| Newcastle United |  Ruud GullitRuud Gullit OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the... |
Rob Lee Rob Lee Robert Martin "Rob" Lee is a retired English footballer who played the majority of his career for Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United.-Charlton Athletic:... |
adidas | Newcastle Brown Ale Newcastle Brown Ale Newcastle Brown Ale is a beer produced by Heineken International. It was introduced in 1927 by Newcastle Breweries. In 2005, brewing was moved out of Newcastle upon Tyne for the first time, to Dunston on the other side of the River Tyne, and in 2010 moved entirely to Tadcaster, North Yorkshire... |
| Nottingham Forest | Ron Atkinson Ron Atkinson Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits... (caretaker) |
Steve Chettle Steve Chettle Stephen "Steve" Chettle is an English former footballer who currently works as the U13 team coach at Nottingham Forest. He is best known for his time as a player at Forest... |
Umbro | Pinnacle Systems Pinnacle Systems Pinnacle Systems, Inc. is a California-based American manufacturer of digital video hardware and software for the consumer and broadcast markets. The company was founded in 1986 by Ajay Chopra, Mirek Jiricka and Randall Moore.... |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Danny Wilson |
Peter Atherton Peter Atherton Peter Atherton , is an English former professional English footballer who plays as both a defender and a midfielder... |
Puma | Sanderson |
| Southampton | Dave Jones |
Matt Le Tissier |
Pony Pony International Pony International, commonly referred to as simply Pony, is an American brand of footwear and other apparel. Founded in 1972 on Madison Avenue in New York, Pony was created by industry veteran Roberto Mueller, along with financing provided by adidas Chairman Horst Dassler . Pony became one of the... |
Sanderson |
| Tottenham Hotspur | George Graham George Graham (footballer) George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:... |
Sol Campbell Sol Campbell Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's... |
Pony | Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including... |
| West Ham United | Harry Redknapp Harry Redknapp Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur.... |
Steve Lomas Steve Lomas Stephen "Steve" Lomas is the football manager of St Johnstone and a former Northern Ireland international player. He played for Manchester City, West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers and Gillingham, finishing his playing career at United Counties Football League Premier Division club St Neots Town... |
Pony | Dr. Martens Dr. Martens Dr. Martens is a traditional British footwear brand, which also makes a range of accessories – shoe care products, clothing, luggage, etc. In addition to Dr. Martens, they are known as Doctor Martens, Doc Martens, Docs or DMs... |
| Wimbledon | Terry Burton Terry Burton Terry Burton is an English football manager and coach who is currently on garden leave at Cardiff... Mick HarfordMick Harford Michael Gordon "Mick" Harford , is an English former football player turned manager. He is former manager of Rotherham and Luton Town and has also been caretaker manager of Nottingham Forest and QPR... (caretakers) |
 Robbie EarleRobbie Earle Robert Fitzgerald "Robbie" Earle MBE is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals.... |
Lotto Lotto Sport Italia Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut... |
Elonex Elonex Elonex is a computer hardware and related IT services company based in Birmingham, UK, that develops eBook Readers, Android eTouch Tablets, and other consumer electronics.The Elonex brand was founded in 1986, in London.... |
Managerial changes
Liverpool brought in former French national coach Gérard HoullierGérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
to work alongside manager Roy Evans
Roy Evans
Roy Evans CBE was a Liverpool football player who eventually rose through the coaching ranks to become team manager.-Career:...
at the start of the season, but Evans resigned in November to leave Houllier in sole charge.
Tottenham Hotspur sacked Christian Gross
Christian Gross
Christian Gross is a professional football coach and former player who currently manages Young Boys Bern. Before that he managed VfB Stuttgart until his dismissal in October 2010. He was manager of FC Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009.-Playing career:Gross began his playing career at...
in September after less than a year in charge. His replacement was George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
of Leeds United, who was himself replaced by former assistant David O'Leary
David O'Leary
David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
.
Newcastle United sacked Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
just after the start of the season and replaced him with Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
.
Everton appointed Walter Smith
Walter Smith
Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...
as Howard Kendall's successor.
Blackburn Rovers sacked Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
in November, with the club bottom of the table. Manchester United assistant Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd is an English football coach and former player, who is currently Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City....
replaced him. Ironically relegation was confirmed in the penultimate game of the season against Kidd's former club.
Nottingham Forest sacked Dave Bassett
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
in January and put Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
in charge until the end of the season. Atkinson retired after failing to save Forest from relegation and former England captain David Platt, 33, was name as player-manager.
Wimbledon manager Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
was effectively forced to step down due to health problems in March, and did not return to the club. Coaches Mick Harford
Mick Harford
Michael Gordon "Mick" Harford , is an English former football player turned manager. He is former manager of Rotherham and Luton Town and has also been caretaker manager of Nottingham Forest and QPR...
and Terry Burton
Terry Burton
Terry Burton is an English football manager and coach who is currently on garden leave at Cardiff...
took charge until the end of the season, when Norwegian coach Egil Olsen
Egil Olsen
Egil Roger Olsen , nicknamed Drillo, is a Norwegian association football manager and former Norwegian football player. He is best known as a highly successful coach of the Norwegian national football team. He has since been coach of the Iraqi national football team, his departure from which caused...
was appointed manager.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
38 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 80 | 37 | 79 | 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League First group stage | |
| 2 | Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
38 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 59 | 17 | 78 | ||
| 3 | Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... |
38 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 57 | 30 | 75 | 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round | |
| 4 | Leeds United Leeds United A.F.C. Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system... |
38 | 18 | 13 | 7 | 62 | 34 | 67 | 1999–2000 UEFA Cup First round | |
| 5 | West Ham United West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... |
38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 46 | 53 | −7 | 57 | 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round |
| 6 | Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 51 | 46 | 55 | ||
| 7 | Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 68 | 49 | 54 | ||
| 8 | Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 52 | |
| 9 | Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889... |
38 | 12 | 15 | 11 | 48 | 54 | −6 | 51 | |
| 10 | Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 40 | 46 | −6 | 49 | |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.... |
38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 47 | 1999–2000 UEFA Cup First round1 |
| 12 | Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 41 | 42 | −1 | 46 | |
| 13 | Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger... |
38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 48 | 54 | −6 | 46 | 1999–2000 UEFA Cup First round2 |
| 14 | Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 47 | −5 | 43 | |
| 15 | Coventry City Coventry City F.C. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry... |
38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 42 | |
| 16 | Wimbledon Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football... |
38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 40 | 63 | −23 | 42 | |
| 17 | Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 37 | 64 | −27 | 41 | |
| 18 | Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 41 | 56 | −15 | 36 | Relegated to 1999–2000 Football League First Division |
| 19 | Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.... |
38 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 38 | 52 | −14 | 35 | |
| 20 | Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 35 | 69 | −34 | 30 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
1 Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners
2 As Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the losing finalists
Results
Arsenal
By the final day of the season, Manchester United were top of the Premiership and were facing Arsenal's local rivals TottenhamTottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. United won 2–1 and clinched the title, making Arsenal's last-day victory meaningless and condemning the Gunners to a trophyless end to a season in which they had conceded just 17 Premiership goals.
The sale of young forward Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...
to Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
made the following season's task all the more difficult.
Aston Villa
The early-season sale of Dwight YorkeDwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
seemed to rule out Villa's chances of challenging for a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place, but new signings Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...
and Paul Merson
Paul Merson
Paul Charles Merson is a retired English football player, and former player-manager of Walsall. His playing career has included spells at Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and finishing his playing career at Tamworth. He also played for England 21 times...
soon revitalised the attack and spent much of the first half of the season top of the league. By Christmas Villa were top of the Premiership, though eventually the challenge from Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
was too strong and bad form which included 10 games without a win, Villa's season capitulated, tailing off into sixth place – this season it wasn't even enough for a UEFA Cup place.
Blackburn Rovers
Four years earlier, Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
were Premiership champions. Just one year earlier, they had qualified for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. They were among some people's outsiders for a title challenge.
But it all went wrong for Blackburn, who were soon in the depth of a relegation battle. Manager Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
paid with his job in November, and Manchester United assistant Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd is an English football coach and former player, who is currently Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City....
was named as his replacement. But Kidd was unable to steer Rovers to safety, and their relegation was confirmed in the penultimate day of the season, when they failed to beat United at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
. They were condemned to a place in Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, but managed to hold on to many key players and approached the new season as most people's favourites for an immediate return to the elite.
Charlton Athletic
Back in the top flight after an eight-year exile, Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
made a good start to the Premiership campaign and Alan Curbishley
Alan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....
was voted Manager of the Month for August. Their form soon dipped, but they were never completely outclassed by the rest of the Premiership sides. In the end, they were the last team to make the drop following a late revival by Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
. But Curbishley's job was still safe, as the board had every confidence in his ability to regain a hard-earned place among the elite for the Addicks.
Chelsea
Chelsea'sChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
recent revival continued, after a solid 4th place finish, European and League Cup
League Cup
In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
success the previous season, Chelsea really felt that they could challenge for the title this season, The Blues made yet more big name signings, most notably French
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
winning Defender Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
from A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, Spanish
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
International Right-Back Albert Ferrer from F.C. Barcelona and breaking the clubs transfer record by paying £5.4 million for Italian
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
International Stiker Pierluigi Casiraghi from S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, unfortunately Casiraghi's season and career was cut short by a knee injury, Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola, OBE, Ufficiale OMRI is a retired Italian footballer and manager, who most recently managed West Ham United from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21 under Pierluigi Casiraghi...
had arguably the best season of his career, leading Chelsea to a serious title challenge, scoring 13 league goals, 15 in all competitions, and setting up many other goals for his team-mates.
The European Super Cup
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
was the only trophy that they had to show for their excellence. Their defence of the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup ended in the semi-finals, while their title challenge was ended in early May when they just couldn't get the better of Manchester United or Arsenal. But a third place finish in the league booked them a third successive European campaign, and was another triumph for their excellent young manager Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia....
, who at 35 announced his retirement as a player to concentrate on his managerial duties.
Coventry City
Coventry CityCoventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
finished 15th in the Premiership – four places lower than last season
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
– but were never in any real danger of being relegated, despite the loss of key striker Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...
to local rivals Aston Villa.
The biggest news of Coventry's season was the announcement of a move to a new 45,000-seat stadium
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
at Foleshill
Foleshill
Foleshill is a suburb in the north of Coventry in the West Midlands of England.Longford. Courthouse Green and Rowley Green are to its north and Keresley is to its west.- History :...
, which was anticipated to be ready by 2002. Manager Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
then signed Moroccan international football star Mustapha Hadji
Mustapha Hadji
Mustapha Hadji in Ifrane, Souss-Massa-Draâ, Morocco is a former Moroccan footballer.-Early life:Hadji was born in Ifrane, Morocco. He immigrated with his family to France.-Club career:Mustapha Hadji began playing football there...
, knowing that it would be important to have a top quality team to match the forthcoming new home.
Derby County
Derby CountyDerby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
had another solid season in the Premiership, going one better than last season's finish to come eighth in the final table. They were in with a chance of a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place right up to the beginning of May, but once again they couldn't quite make it. They still had the satisfaction of finishing well above more fancied sides including Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, Newcastle
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
; not to mention finishing one place behind Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
.
Everton
EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
continued to look a shadow of their former selves after Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall is an English football manager and former player. He is most famous for his connection to Everton, a club that he both played for and managed. His uncle Harry Taylor played for Newcastle United and Fulham in the 1950s....
made way for new manager Walter Smith
Walter Smith
Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...
, though their 14th place finish was a three-place improvement upon last season's near miss with relegation. With Smith having achieved so much success north of the border with Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, he had been expected to bring some success to the blue half of Merseyside after two seasons of misery, but there was little for the Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
faithful to shout about.
Leeds United
Shockwaves were sent around Elland RoadElland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
when manager George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
walked out on Leeds
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
to take charge of Tottenham in early October, and Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
seemed certain to take over the reins. But it was a shock to many when O'Neill turned his back on Leeds, and Graham's former assistant David O'Leary
David O'Leary
David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
was appointed instead. He quickly worked wonders with a predominantly young, inexperienced side, and they managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup in fourth place – their highest finish since winning the title seven years earlier. The acquisition of brilliant young striker Michael Bridges
Michael Bridges
Michael Bridges is an English football striker who currently plays for A-League club, Newcastle Jets. Bridge has previously played over 200 Premier League games.-Sunderland:...
from Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
at the end of the season gave Leeds fans hope of more success – and preferably silverware – next time round.
Leicester City
Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
repeated the previous season's 10th place in the Premiership, earning Martin O'Neill more credit for achieving strong finishes on a relatively limited budget. But the club's best chance of a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place was blown in late March when they lost to Tottenham in the Worthington Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final. At least City fans had the satisfaction of holding on to the highly-rated O'Neill, who had seemed certain to desert the club for Leeds early in the season.
Liverpool
The appointment of former French national coach Gérard HoullierGérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
as joint manager alongside Roy Evans
Roy Evans
Roy Evans CBE was a Liverpool football player who eventually rose through the coaching ranks to become team manager.-Career:...
was seen as Liverpool's best chance of making a title challenge, but Evans did not think the partnership was working and quit in November to leave Houllier in sole charge. Despite Michael Owen's
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
brilliant form, Liverpool were unable to mount anything like a title challenge and seemed to be a side in transition following the appointment of their new coach and adapting to a new style, including facing the imminent break up of their Spice Boys
Spice Boys (footballers)
The Spice Boys was a media term used to describe a group of Liverpool F.C. footballers in the mid-late 1990s, seen typically as being composed of Jamie Redknapp, David James, Phil Babb, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Stan Collymore and Jason McAteer...
squad with transfers in (Rigobert Song
Rigobert Song
Rigobert Song Bahanag is a former Cameroonian footballer who is currently a main consultant for the famous sports channel 'Orange sports'. Although receiving many propositions from top clubs, Song declined. Song played for Kosovo super league club KF Drenica, when his contract after season 2010/12...
) and out (Jason McAteer
Jason McAteer
Jason Wynne McAteer is a retired Irish footballer, who represented the Republic of Ireland at international level. He announced his retirement from professional football on 12 June 2007,...
, Stig Bjornebye, etc). By January, the side was reshuffled but the failure of the club to retain the services of Steve McManaman
Steve McManaman
Steven McManaman is a retired English footballer who played as a midfielder, winger and playmaker. Having spent his playing career at two of European football's most successful clubs of the 20th century, Liverpool and Real Madrid, as well as a spell at Manchester City, McManaman is the most...
, transferred to Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in a deal labelled as the Bosman
Bosman
Bosman is a Dutch surname, and may refer to:* Dick Bosman , American baseball player* Herman Charles Bosman , South African writer and journalist* Jean-Marc Bosman , Belgian footballer...
scandal of the season, hurt the club financially. Performance wise, their seventh place finish was not enough to attain even a UEFA Cup place – as well as being the club's lowest finish for five years.
Manchester United
Determined not to endure a repeat of last season's disappointing, trophyless season, Alex FergusonAlex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
twice broke the club's transfer record by signing Dutch defender Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam
Jakob "Jaap" Stam is a retired Dutch football player who was twice voted best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. He played for several European clubs like PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, S.S. Lazio, A.C. Milan and AFC Ajax before retiring in October 2007...
and then Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke, as well as bolstering his attacking options by signing Jesper Blomqvist
Jesper Blomqvist
Lars Jesper Blomqvist is a Swedish football player.Most recently he has been the playing assistant manager of Superettan side Hammarby from December 2009 to November 2010...
from Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
. They overcame an early challenge from Aston Villa to mount a three-horse title challenge with Arsenal and Chelsea, and a 2–1 win over Tottenham – Andy Cole netting the winner – on the final day of the season confirmed their status as champions for the fifth time in seven seasons. The following weekend, they took on Newcastle in the FA Cup final to win 2–0 at Wembley and become the first English team to win three "doubles" – they did so with no fewer than four key players remaining from the 1994 double winning side. That double would eventually become a Treble
The Treble
The term treble or Treble is used in association football to refer to a team winning three trophies in a single season. Honours usually considered to contribute to a treble are the top-tier domestic league competition, domestic cup competitions, and continental tournaments; although this depends to...
, as United were also the winners of the UEFA Champions League 1998-99
UEFA Champions League 1998-99
The 1998–99 UEFA Champions League was the seventh season of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club football tournament, since it was renamed from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The competition was won by Manchester United, coming back from a goal down in the last...
, defeating Bayern Munich 2–1 in the final at the Nou Camp.
Middlesbrough
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
were the only newly-promoted side to avoid relegation from the Premiership in 1998–99. They attained an impressive ninth place finish in the final table. Way too high for relegation, but not quite high enough for a UEFA Cup place. Still, it was their highest finish for more than 20 years, and a step in the right direction for manager Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
– who had come close to European qualification (via the cup competitions) in the previous two campaigns.
Newcastle United
Newcastle's season was an almost carbon copy of the one before. They finished 13th in the Premiership but reached the FA Cup final, and entered Europe (this time into the UEFA Cup due to the discontinuation of the Cup Winners' Cup) because the winning side had already qualified for the European Cup.Just after the season started, Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
paid for Newcastle's sub-standard league performances with his job. The task was given to Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
to turn things round, on the now-infamous promise of delivering 'sexy football' to Tyneside. But he could not improve on the club's previous league finish of 13th and a second successive cup final appearance was just not enough. A dismal league position put them below local rivals Middlesbrough as well as other unfancied sides including Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
.
Nottingham Forest
Pierre Van HooijdonkPierre van Hooijdonk
Petrus Ferdinandus Johannes "Pierre" van Hooijdonk is a retired Dutch football player who played as a striker. His last spell was at Feyenoord Rotterdam. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch national team, scoring 21 goals, and played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004...
, top scorer in Forest's promotion-winning 1997–98 campaign, went AWOL before the start of the season following the sale of strike partner Kevin Campbell
Kevin Campbell (footballer)
Kevin Joseph Campbell is an English former football player who played as a striker.-Playing career:Campbell began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1985...
and it appeared that he would never play for the club again. He returned in October, but Forest were already deep in relegation trouble and it was too late to save manager Dave Bassett's
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
job. Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
made what appeared to be his final return to management, but was unable to save Forest from relegation in bottom place – the third time in seven years that they had endured this fate. With just 7 wins and 30 points all season, they had never really looked like beating the drop, due to embarrassing results like the 8–1 beating at home to Manchester United. Relegation was confirmed by a defeat to Aston Villa with three games left, which also seemingly guaranteed that Forest would be relegated with the worst record in the history of the Premier League, but the club avoided this by winning all three of their remaining games (including a 2-1 away victory at Blackburn which effectively dragged them down into Division One with Forest), which gave fans some hope that they might make another immediate return to the top-flight.
When Atkinson's contract was not renewed, Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...
, Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
and Roy Evans
Roy Evans
Roy Evans CBE was a Liverpool football player who eventually rose through the coaching ranks to become team manager.-Career:...
were just some of the many high profile names linked with the manager's job, but in the end it was 33-year-old former England captain David Platt who took on the role as player-manager.
Sheffield Wednesday
Danny Wilson's return to HillsboroughHillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
as manager saw them begin the season among the favourites for relegation of many pundits. But they performed reasonably well throughout the season – being one of just three sides to beat treble winners Manchester United – and finished 12th at the end of a campaign during which they had never faced any serious threat of going down. The only major concern at the club was a growing mountain of debts which would have been even more of a worry had the Owls suffered relegation.
Southampton
Southampton were in the relegation zone all season long until April, and then a late run of good form saved the Saints from relegation at the expense of Charlton Athletic. Winning their final game of the season was a double delight, not only because they had attained survival. It also meant that they would be able to press ahead with a move to a new 32,000-seat stadiumSt Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
on the banks of the River Itchen
River Itchen, Hampshire
The River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water below the Itchen Bridge in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing,...
, knowing that they would only have to play two more seasons at their dilapidated century-old Dell before making the long-awaited move to a capacious new home.
Tottenham Hotspur
A dismal start to the season saw Christian GrossChristian Gross
Christian Gross is a professional football coach and former player who currently manages Young Boys Bern. Before that he managed VfB Stuttgart until his dismissal in October 2010. He was manager of FC Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009.-Playing career:Gross began his playing career at...
lose his job as Tottenham manager less than a year after taking over. There were a few raised eyebrows when the job went to George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
– who had achieved so much success during his reign at Tottenham's deadly rivals Arsenal. But the appointment brought instant success. Though Tottenham were unable to progress beyond 11th place in the final Premiership table, they triumphed in the Carling Cup to attain only their second European campaign of the post-Heysel era.
West Ham United
After narrowly missing out on a UEFA Cup place in 1997–98, West HamWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
finally achieved European qualification for the first time since 1980 thanks to a fifth place finish. Although star striker John Hartson
John Hartson
John Hartson is a former Welsh international footballer who played as a striker, best known for his spells with West Ham and Celtic. Hartson also featured prominently for Wales, earning 51 caps until his international retirement in 2006...
was sold to Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
in March (a record fee for West Ham), manager Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
held on to Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...
and ensured that West Ham would be with their finest asset in their next big challenge. The season also saw the arrival of Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio is a Italian former professional footballer and current manager of League Two side Swindon Town. Di Canio made over 500 league appearances and scored over 100 league goals as a player....
from Sheffield Wednesday. The season also saw the breakthrough of many current England internationals into the first team. Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
made a vital contribution to the season and Joe Cole
Joe Cole
Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003...
made his debut.
Wimbledon
WimbledonWimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
dipped one place to finish 16th in the final Premiership table, bringing them to a new low in their 13th season of top flight football.
In March, when Wimbledon were still in the top half of the table with a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
spot still within reach, striker John Hartson
John Hartson
John Hartson is a former Welsh international footballer who played as a striker, best known for his spells with West Ham and Celtic. Hartson also featured prominently for Wales, earning 51 caps until his international retirement in 2006...
joined the club in a record £7.5million move from West Ham United, but his arrival coincided with a decline in form that dragged the club to the wrong end of the table.
Manager Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
resigned at the end of the season after seven years in charge, to be succeeded by former Norwegian national coach Egil Olsen
Egil Olsen
Egil Roger Olsen , nicknamed Drillo, is a Norwegian association football manager and former Norwegian football player. He is best known as a highly successful coach of the Norwegian national football team. He has since been coach of the Iraqi national football team, his departure from which caused...
.
Top scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Jerrel Hasselbaink usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team. He scored more than 200 career goals... |
Leeds United | 18 |
| Michael Owen Michael Owen Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997... |
Liverpool | 18 | |
 Dwight YorkeDwight Yorke Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland... |
Manchester United | 18 | |
| 4 | Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Anelka Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team... |
Arsenal | 17 |
| Andy Cole |
Manchester United | 17 | |
| 6 |  Hamilton RicardHamilton Ricard Hámilton Ricard Cuesta is a Colombian footballer who plays for Colombian team Deportes Quindío as a striker, and has played for Deportivo Cali, Middlesbrough, CSKA Sofia, Independiente, Emelec, Shonan Bellmare, APOEL, Numancia, Danubio and Concepción over the course of his career.-Career:Ricard... |
Middlesbrough | 15 |
| 7 | Dion Dublin Dion Dublin Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an... |
Aston Villa | 14 |
| Robbie Fowler Robbie Fowler Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United.... |
Liverpool | 14 | |
| Julian Joachim Julian Joachim Julian Jostin Joachim is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Coalville Town Football Club.... |
Aston Villa | 14 | |
| Alan Shearer Alan Shearer Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team... |
Newcastle United | 14 |
Monthly awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month Premier League Player of the Month The Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month... |
|---|---|---|
| August | Alan Curbishley Alan Curbishley Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player.... (Charlton Athletic) |
Michael Owen Michael Owen Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997... (Liverpool) |
| September | John Gregory (Aston Villa) |
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team... (Newcastle United) |
| October | Martin O'Neill Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham... (Leicester City) |
Roy Keane Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland.... (Manchester United) |
| November | Harry Redknapp Harry Redknapp Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur.... (West Ham United) |
Dion Dublin Dion Dublin Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an... (Aston Villa) |
| December | George Graham George Graham (footballer) George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:... (Tottenham Hotspur) |
Paul Scholes Paul Scholes Paul Scholes is a retired English footballer, a one-club man who played his entire professional career for Manchester United.Born in Salford, but later moving to Langley, Scholes excelled in both cricket and football in school. He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being... (Manchester United) |
| January | Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986... (Manchester United) |
Dwight Yorke Dwight Yorke Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland... (Manchester United) |
| February | Alan Curbishley Alan Curbishley Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player.... (Charlton Athletic) |
Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Anelka Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team... (Arsenal) |
| March | David O'Leary David O'Leary David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai... (Leeds United) |
Ray Parlour Ray Parlour Raymond "Ray" Parlour , is a retired English footballer. He spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but... (Arsenal) |
| April | Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986... (Manchester United) |
Kevin Campbell Kevin Campbell (footballer) Kevin Joseph Campbell is an English former football player who played as a striker.-Playing career:Campbell began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1985... (Everton) |