1990-91 in English football
Encyclopedia
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England
.
, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager Kenny Dalglish
. Ronny Moran was appointed caretaker manager, but was unable to bring a major trophy to Anfield
. Third place in the league went to Crystal Palace
, who occupied their highest-ever finish, but were denied qualification for the UEFA Cup
due to Liverpool being readmitted to European competition a year earlier than anticipated.
Newly promoted Leeds United had a good season back in the First Division as they finished fourth but never really looked like challenging for the title. They did, however, reach the semi-finals of the League Cup
, where they lost to Manchester United.
Down at the bottom end of the table, Derby County
went down in bottom place with just five wins all season despite the 17 league goals of Welsh
striker Dean Saunders
, who was then sold to Liverpool. The final relegation place went to Sunderland
on the last day of the season.
On 1 November, Everton
had sacked manager Colin Harvey
after three-and-a-half years at the helm. Manchester City's
Howard Kendall
returned to Everton for his second spell as manager, with Harvey returning as assistant.
15 November saw two First Division clubs appoint player-managers. Peter Reid
, 34, stepped up to the manager's seat at Manchester City. Terry Butcher
, still only 31, was recruited from Rangers
to take over from John Sillett
at Coventry City
, making him the youngest manager in the Football League.
Bobby Campbell quit his managerial duties at Chelsea
at the end of his fourth season in charge, becoming personal assistant to chairman Ken Bates
and handing over managerial duties to Ian Porterfield.
Jimmy Ryan
was sacked by Luton Town
just after achieving a second successive last-day escape from relegation. He was replaced by David Pleat
, who had previously been at Kenilworth Road
from 1978 to 1986.
Jozef Venglos
left Aston Villa
after one season to be succeeded by Sheffield Wednesday's
Ron Atkinson
, who himself was succeeded by Trevor Francis
. Villa struggled in the league and were able to finish in 17th place; in the UEFA Cup, they were eliminated by eventual winners Inter Milan
in the second round.
Queen's Park Rangers sacked Don Howe at the end of the season, replacing him with Gerry Francis
from Bristol Rovers
.
Southampton's
Chris Nicholl
was dismissed at the end of his sixth season with the club, being replaced by Crystal Palace
coach Ian Branfoot
.
's cavalier Oldham Athletic side dramatically won the Second Division championship – an injury-time penalty completing a 3–2 come-from-behind win against Sheffield Wednesday in their final game, edging them the title from previous leaders West Ham United
, who would be promoted as runners-up. Joining them were League Cup
winners Sheffield Wednesday
, who finished in third place. Neil Warnock
guided Notts County
to a second successive victory in the promotion playoffs.
Hull City
struggled throughout the 1990–91 season and not even the appointment of new manager Terry Dolan could save their Second Division status. They were joined on the last day of the season by West Bromwich Albion
, who went down to the Third Division for the first time in their history. Leicester City
were saved from suffering the same humiliation by winning their final game of the season. Albion had sacked player-manager Brian Talbot
in January following an FA Cup
exit at the hands of non-league Woking
, but his successor Bobby Gould
was unable to save Albion from the dreaded drop.
Newly promoted Bristol Rovers
attained their highest league finish in years, finishing 13th. But manager Gerry Francis
then resigned to take over at Queen's Park Rangers, handing over the reins to Martin Dobson
, who was just weeks into his job as Northwich Victoria
manager.
Jim Smith
left Newcastle United
in March after more than two years at the helm, making a swift return to management with Portsmouth
as successor to Frank Burrows
, while Ossie Ardiles was the new man in charge on Tyneside
after leaving Swindon Town
. 33-year-old Glenn Hoddle
was named as Swindon's new manager.
Colin Todd
departed from Middlesbrough
after their failure to succeed in the playoffs, being replaced by Lennie Lawrence
who called time on nine years with Charlton Athletic
, who appointed Alan Curbishley
and Steve Gritt
as joint player-managers.
David Pleat
was sacked by Leicester City
in February, with Gordon Lee
taking charge until the end of the season and being replaced by Brian Little
.
, runners-up Southend United
and third-placed Grimsby Town
occupied the automatic promotion places and all achieved second successive promotions. The fourth promotion place went to playoff winners Tranmere Rovers
, who ended a 53-year absence from the Second Division and made it clear they were prepared to stay there when they signed ex-Liverpool striker John Aldridge
.
Going down to the Fourth Division were Crewe Alexandra
, Rotherham United
and Mansfield Town
.
Dave Mackay was sacked by Birmingham City
in January, with Lou Macari
taking over until the end of the season before replacing Alan Ball at Stoke City
. Birmingham then turned to Exeter's
Terry Cooper, who replaced him with Alan Ball.
Reading
sacked Ian Porterfield after 18 months in charge, and signed Newcastle striker Mark McGhee
as player-manager.
Leyton Orient
manager Frank Clark stepped up to the role of Managing Director at the end of the season, with Peter Eustace
being appointed Head Coach.
's Darlington
won the Fourth Division championship to earn a second successive promotion, while the other four promotion places went to Stockport County
, Hartlepool United
, Peterborough United
and Torquay United
. Torquay were the eventual winners, beating Blackpool
in a penalty shootout, the first time the system had been used in the Football League.
Wrexham finished bottom of the league but they avoided relegation into the Conference.
Brian Little left Darlington just after their promotion success, taking over at Leicester City, leaving Frank Gray
to pick up the pieces at the Feethams
.
Manager Cyril Knowles
departed from Hartlepool on sick leave three months before their promotion, with player-coach Alan Murray
overseeing the final stages of the campaign. Murray took over on a permanent basis when Knowles confirmed that he would be unable to return to the club following brain surgery.
compensated for a slump in form during the second half of the 1990–91 league campaign by beating Nottingham Forest
2–1 in the F.A Cup final, although their triumph was overshadowed by a knee injury to star midfielder Paul Gascoigne
in the opening 15 minutes. In the previous round at Wembley against arch-rivals Arsenal
, Gascoigne had scored a tremendous free-kick in a surprise 3–1 win against the champions elect.
's Sheffield Wednesday
earned a shock 1–0 victory over his old club Manchester United thanks to a goal from John Sheridan – a self-confessed Manchester City supporter.
First Division
Note: Arsenal deducted two points for on-field brawl and Manchester United deducted one point also for on-field brawl.
Second Division
Third Division
Fourth Division
Mark Hughes
, whose prolific goalscoring included two goals in United's Cup Winners Cup triumph over Barcelona
.
The FWA Player of the Year was experienced Leeds United midfielder Gordon Strachan
, who helped his newly promoted side reach a creditable fourth place in the First Division.
The PFA Young Player of the Year
was Manchester United's 19-year-old winger Lee Sharpe
, who collected a Cup Winners Cup medal in his first season as a regular player.
Welsh
striker Dean Saunders
scored 24 league goals for Derby County
but couldn't save them from relegation and was sold to Liverpool for a British record fee of nearly £3million.
Despite a succession of injuries, powerful Sunderland
striker Marco Gabbiadini
managed 12 goals in 28 games to earn himself a reputation as one of the league's top strikers, but couldn't save his side from relegation.
Halifax Town striker Steve Norris was the Football League's top goalscorer with 32 Fourth Division goals.
Alex Ferguson took Manchester United to glory in the European Cup Winners Cup in the first season back in Europe for English clubs after the Heysel Disaster.
Terry Venables ended Tottenham's seven-year trophy drought with an F.A Cup triumph at the expense of Nottingham Forest.
Joe Royle won the Second Division championship for Oldham Athletic to end their 68-year absence from the First Division.
Ron Atkinson took Sheffield Wednesday to glory in the League Cup and promotion to the First Division.
Brian Little achieved a second successive promotion with Darlington, who finished top of the Fourth Division a year after they had topped the Conference.
Neil Warnock guided Notts County to a unique second successive playoff triumph as they climbed from the Third Division to the First Division with back-to-back promotions.
John Beck completed back-to-back promotions with Cambridge United, who were Third Division champions and F.A Cup quarter finalists a year after being Fourth Division playoff winners.
Barry Fry took Barnet into the Football League as Conference champions.
John King guided Tranmere Rovers into the Second Division for the first time since the late 1930s.
Danny Bergara gained promotion to Division 3 with Stockport County and started their 90's success.
entrants for the European Cup
.
Runners-up Liverpool were England's representatives for the UEFA Cup 1991-92
.
Holders Manchester United and FA Cup
winners Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the 1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup.
suffered a serious knee injury in Tottenham's victorious F.A Cup final clash with Nottingham Forest, putting on hold a proposed transfer to Lazio of Italy. He was ruled out for the entire 1991–92 season.
Tottenham's cup triumph capped a great season for London clubs with Arsenal as league champions, Tottenham as F.A Cup winners, West Ham winning promotion to the First Division while Crystal Palace finished third in the top tier – their highest finish ever.
, 24, collapsed and died on 8 September in a Fourth Division fixture at Bootham Crescent. The inquest revealed that he suffered from a rare heart condition.
was appointed player-manager of Coventry City to replace John Sillett
. On the same day, 34-year-old Peter Reid
replaced Howard Kendall
(who had returned to Everton) as manager of Manchester City.
, 20-year-old Watford
goalkeeper, makes his debut in the opening game of the Second Division season as Watford lose 2–1 at home to Millwall
.
28 August 1990: Roy Keane
, 19-year-old Irish
midfielder, makes his debut for Nottingham Forest
in their 2–0 league defeat at Liverpool.
9 October 1990: Darren Anderton
, 18-year-old Portsmouth
winger, makes his debut for the club in their Football League Cup
second round second leg tie against Cardiff City
at Fratton Park
.
15 December 1990: Steve McManaman
, 18-year-old Liverpool
midfielder who has already been capped by England at under-21 level, makes his debut for the club in their 2–0 league win over Sheffield United
.
2 March 1991: Ryan Giggs
, 17-year-old winger, makes his Manchester United debut in their 2–0 home defeat by Everton
in the league.
23 April 1991: Gareth Southgate
, 20-year-old midfielder, features in Crystal Palace's
3–0 league defeat by Liverpool.
4 May 1991: Chris Sutton
, 18-year-old striker, makes his debut for Norwich City
in their 1–0 home win over Queen's Park Rangers in the league.
11 May 1991: Andrei Kanchelskis
, 22-year-old Soviet
winger, makes his debut for Manchester United
in their 3–0 league defeat at Crystal Palace.
joins newly promoted Leeds United from Arsenal in a £1 million deal.
20 June 1990 – Manchester United sign Republic of Ireland
defender Denis Irwin
from Oldham Athletic for £625,000.
21 June 1990 – A Mark Wright goal gives England a 1–0 win over Egypt in their final group game and they go through to the last 16 of the World Cup.
26 June 1990 – David Platt scores in the final minute of extra time to give England a 1–0 win over Belgium in the World Cup second round.
1 July 1990 – England beat Cameroon 3–2 in extra time (Gary Lineker
scoring twice and David Platt once) to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1970.
3 July 1990 – Chelsea
pay a club record £1.6 million for Wimbledon
winger Dennis Wise
.
4 July 1990 – Arsenal pay Norwich City
£1.25 million for defender Andy Linighan
. On the international scene, England's World Cup dream ends when they lose on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Paul Gascoigne
famously weeps after receiving the booking that would have ruled him out of the final had England qualified, while Stuart Pearce
and Chris Waddle
miss the crucial penalties for England.
7 July 1990 – England lose 2–1 to Italy in the World Cup third place playoff, David Platt scoring their only goal of their last game under Bobby Robson's management.
10 July 1990 -FIFA
confirms that the behaviour of English fans at the World Cup was of a high enough standard for English teams to be re-admitted to European competitions after a five-year ban. Manchester United, last season's FA Cup winners, will enter the European Cup Winners' Cup. However, there will initially be just one UEFA Cup place for English clubs, this season going to league runners-up Aston Villa. There will be no English representation in the European Cup, however, as league champions Liverpool are set to serve an extra year of the ban as they were the team present at the Heysel Stadium disaster
which led to the ban.
17 July 1990 – Everton pay £800,000 for Manchester City defender Andy Hinchcliffe
, as Neil Pointon
goes in the opposite direction for £700,000.
19 July 1990 – England striker Mark Hateley
returns to the United Kingdom
after six years overseas in a £500,000 move to Rangers F.C.
from AS Monaco of France
.
20 July 1990 – Manchester City pay a club record £1 million for Watford
goalkeeper Tony Coton
.
23 July 1990 – Graham Taylor accepts the Football Association's offer to take charge of the England national football team, with Czech
national coach Jozef Venglos
(the first foreign manager in the First Division) succeeding him at Aston Villa.
31 July 1990 – Aldershot
are wound up in the High Court
, condemned as "hopelessly insolvent" with debts of £495,000.
1 August 1990 – The Football League confirms that it will revert to a 22-club First Division for the 1991–92 season, while total league membership will be increased to 94 clubs for the 1992–93 season, with the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions all having 24 clubs each by then. Departing from the English league is Sheffield Wednesday striker Dalian Atkinson
, who signs for Real Sociedad
of Spain
for £1.7 million.
6 August 1990 – Arsenal
sign Sweden
winger Anders Limpar
from Italian
side Cremonese for £1 million.
7 August 1990 – Aldershot
are saved from closure by a £200,000 rescue package put together by 19-year-old property developer Spencer Trethewy
.
15 August 1990 – Wimbledon
and Wales
defender Eric Young
signs for Crystal Palace
in an £850,000 deal.
19 August 1990 – Liverpool and Manchester United share the Charity Shield
after a 1–1 draw at Wembley.
23 August 1990 – Oldham Athletic, preparing for a Second Division promotion challenge, pay a club record £460,000 for Nottingham Forest striker David Currie
. Leeds United are warned that they could ultimately face expulsion from the Football League if measures aimed by the Football Association at curbing incidents of hooliganism involving the clubs fans fail.
24 August 1990 – Everton sign Irish
midfielder Mike Milligan
from Oldham Athletic for £1 million.
25 August 1990 – Walsall
move into their new Bescot Stadium
and draw 2–2 with Torquay United
in the Fourth Division in their first competitive game at the new stadium.
27 August 1990: BBC Radio 5
(later known as BBC Radio 5 Live
) came on air, greatly expanding coverage of football and sport in general with discussion programmes, features and phone-ins previously not heard on BBC Radio 2
31 August 1990 – The first month of the English league season ends with Liverpool as leaders after just two games. The Second Division leaders are Oldham Athletic.
1 September 1990 – Newly promoted First Division side Sunderland achieve a shock 2–1 league win over FA Cup holders Manchester United at Roker Park
.
12 September 1990 – England
win 1–0 against Hungary
in a friendly at Wembley, the nation's first game under Graham Taylor's management.
13 September 1990 – Midfielder Vinny Jones moves from Leeds United to fellow newly promoted side Sheffield United for £700,000.
16 September 1990 – Peter Beardsley
scores a hat-trick for Liverpool in their 4–0 league win over Manchester United at Anfield
.
25 September 1990 – Ian Wright
and Mark Bright
both score hat-tricks for Crystal Palace in their 8–0 home win over Southend United in the League Cup second round first leg at Selhurst Park
.
26 September 1990 – Paul Gascoigne scores four goals for Tottenham in their 5–0 win over Hartlepool United (managed by former Tottenham defender Cyril Knowles
) in the second round first leg at White Hart Lane
.
30 September 1990 – Liverpool, with a 100% record after seven games, are First Division leaders for the end of September. The bottom two places are occupied by Sheffield United and Derby County, who have both yet to win a league game this season. In the Second Division, Oldham Athletic lead the way with 20 points from their opening eight games. The other two automatic promotion places are occupied by Sheffield Wednesday
and Notts County
, and the playoff zone is occupied by West Ham United
, Bristol City
(in contention for a second successive promotion), Swindon Town
and Brighton
.
3 October 1990 – Sheffield Wednesday sign American midfielder John Harkes
from North Carolina University for £70,000.
5 October 1990 – Peter Taylor
, former managerial partner of Brian Clough
, dies in the Canary Islands
aged 62 after a long illness.
6 October 1990 – In the biggest Second Division win of the season, West Ham United beat Hull City 7–1 at Upton Park
.
12 October 1990 – West Ham United
strengthen their promotion bid with a £600,000 move for Luton Town defender Tim Breacker
.
17 October 1990 – England open their Euro 92 qualifying campaign with a 2–0 win over Poland
at Wembley.
20 October 1990 – 21 of the 22 players on the pitch brawl in Arsenal's 1–0 league win over Manchester United at Old Trafford
. In their ninth league game of the season, Liverpool drop points for the first time when Norwich City hold them to a 1–1 draw at Carrow Road
.
27 October 1990 – The Manchester derby
at Maine Road
ends in a 3–3 draw between City and United.
31 October 1990 – Everton
sack manager Colin Harvey
after their worst start to a league season leaves them third from bottom in the First Division
. Below them are Derby County (one win) and winless Sheffield United, while Liverpool remain top with nine wins from their opening 10 games. Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Manchester United are their nearest contenders. The month also ends with Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace undefeated in the league. Three lower division clubs – Oldham Athletic, West Ham United and Torquay United have still yet to lose a league game. The Second Division promotion race is heating up, with Oldham Athletic still top of the table and West Ham United
having crept up to second place. Sheffield Wednesday occupy the third and final automatic promotion place. Millwall
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
, Barnsley
and Middlesbrough
have all climbed into the relegation zone this month. Charlton Athletic's
hopes of an immediate return to the First Division appear to be over as they occupy second from bottom place in the Second Division with eight defeats from their opening 13 games.
1 November 1990 – Spencer Trethewy is dismissed from the Aldershot board of directors just three months after saving the club from closure, after it is revealed that he was unable to pay back the £200,000 he borrowed to keep the Hampshire
based club afloat.
7 November 1990 – Howard Kendall
leaves Manchester City
to begin his second spell as Everton manager. Colin Harvey, sacked as manager a week earlier, rejoins the club as Kendall's assistant in the manager-coach partnership that previously ran from 1981 to 1987. 34-year-old midfielder Peter Reid
is put in temporary charge of Manchester City.
12 November 1990 – Arsenal are deducted two points and Manchester United lose one point as punishment for last month's player brawl. Notts County end talk of relocating to a new stadium by announcing that they will start rebuilding of Meadow Lane
into an all-seater stadium next summer.
14 November 1990 – Coventry City
sack manager John Sillett
after four-and-a-half years in charge. On the same day, England draw 1–1 with Republic of Ireland
at Lansdowne Road
in their second Euro 92 qualifying game.
15 November 1990 – Manchester City
appoint 34-year-old midfielder Peter Reid
as their new player-manager. Coventry City
agree a 350,000 deal with Rangers
to appoint 31-year-old centre-back Terry Butcher
as their new manager.
17 November 1990 – The first round of the FA Cup sees Scarborough and Reading both eliminated by non-league opposition (Leek Town
and Colchester United
respectively).
20 November 1990 – Cardiff City become the latest team to fall victim to non-league giant-killers when Hayes
defeat them 1–0 in the first round replay.
28 November 1990 – 19-year-old winger Lee Sharpe
scores a hat-trick for Manchester United in their 6–2 win at Arsenal in the fourth round of the League Cup final.
30 November 1990 – Liverpool remain unbeaten and top of the First Division as November draws to a close, four points ahead of an Arsenal side who are also unbeaten. Sheffield United, in contrast, are still looking for their first league win of the season after 14 games, while Derby County have climbed out of the relegation zone at the expense of Queens Park Rangers. In the Second Division, West Ham United have taken over from Oldham Athletic as Second Division leaders, while Sheffield Wednesday occupy third place. The playoff zone is occupied by Middlesbrough, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Millwall and Notts County. Newly promoted Bristol Rovers
stand just two points outside the playoff zone in 10th place, sparking hopes that manager Gerry Francis
could soon deliver First Division football to the club for the first time ever.
13 December 1990 – Southampton
pay £1million for a player for the first time in their history by signing midfielder Alan McLoughlin
from Swindon Town
.
19 December 1990 – Arsenal
captain Tony Adams
is sentenced to four months in prison and banned from driving for two years after being found guilty of drink-driving relating to a road accident on 6 May this year.
22 December 1990 – Sheffield United
finally win a First Division
game at the 18th attempt, but remain bottom of the table.
31 December 1990–1990 draws to a close with Arsenal, still unbeaten, as First Division leaders ahead of a Liverpool side whose unbeaten run finally came to an end this month. Newly promoted Leeds United are looking like contenders for the title as they occupy third place and are just seven points off the top of the league, while Sheffield United have managed their first two league wins of the season but are still bottom of the table. West Ham United stand top of the Second Division, followed in second place by Oldham Athletic and in third place by Sheffield Wednesday. Middlesbrough, Notts County, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bristol City occupy the playoff zone. Newcastle United, who began the season among the favourites for promotion, occupy a lowly 16th place and are just four points above the relegation zone that threatens them with Third Division football for the first time.
4 January 1991 – Crystal Palace sign 20-year-old striker Stan Collymore
from GM Vauxhall Conference side Stafford Rangers for £100,000.
9 January 1991 – West Bromwich Albion
sack manager Brian Talbot
after their 4–2 home defeat against non-league Woking
in the FA Cup Third Round. Albion are also in danger of being relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history.
10 January 1991 – Viv Anderson
joins Second Division promotion chasers Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer from Manchester United.
15 January 1991 – Chelsea
are fined £105,000 by the Football Association for making illegal payments to players. On the same day, 17-year-old midfielder Jamie Redknapp
joins Liverpool from AFC Bournemouth for £350,000.
17 January 1991 – Sheffield United continue to get their season back on track with a club record £450,000 for Crystal Palace midfielder Glyn Hodges
.
23 January 1991 – Mark Hughes
scores a hat-trick as Manchester United beat Southampton
3–2 in the League Cup quarter-final.
27 January 1991 – Woking's FA Cup dream comes to an end in the fourth round when they lose 1–0 to Everton at Goodison Park
.
29 January 1991 – David Pleat
is sacked after three years as manager of Leicester City
, the Second Division strugglers. His assistant Gordon Lee
, the former Everton manager, is placed in temporary charge.
31 January 1991 – Arsenal remain leaders of the First Division despite having been deducted two points (while fifth placed Manchester United have been deducted one) for a 21-player brawl at Old Trafford
on 20 October. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are emerging as contenders for a first-ever league title, while Sheffield United remain bottom with just three wins so far this season. West Ham United, Oldham Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday continue to occupy the top three places in the Second Division. Notts County, Middlesbrough, Brighton and Millwall occupy the playoff zone.
1 February 1991 – Paul Birch
leaves Aston Villa
after 10 years and joins Wolverhampton Wanderers
for £400,000.
2 February 1991 – Arsenal suffer their first league defeat of the season in their 24th game, going down 2–1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
.
7 February 1991 – Lou Macari
, who quit as West Ham United
manager last season to concentrate on clearing his name in connection with financial irregularities at Swindon Town
, makes his return to football management with Birmingham City
. He replaces Dave Mackay
as manager of the mid table Third Division club, who were in the First Division just five years ago.
9 February 1991 – The Merseyside derby
at Anfield
sees David Speedie
score his first two goals for Liverpool in their 3–1 win over Everton.
12 February 1991 – Aston Villa sign defender Neil Cox from Scunthorpe United for £400,000 – a record fee for a Fourth Division player.
15 February 1991 – Tony Adams
is released from prison after serving half of his 4-month prison sentence for drink-driving offences.
20 February 1991 – Sheffield Wednesday sign 19-year-old striker Gordon Watson
from Charlton Athletic
for £250,000.
21 February 1991 – Wimbledon
pay Conference leaders Barnet
£250,000 for striker Andy Clarke
, breaking the record fee for a non-league player.
22 February 1991 – Kenny Dalglish
shocks the football world by announcing his resignation as Liverpool
manager. Long-serving coach Ronnie Moran
, 54, is appointed caretaker manager but insists that he does not want the job on a permanent basis.
28 February 1991 – February draws to a close with Arsenal now ahead of Liverpool at the top of the First Division on goal difference, while Crystal Palace have edged closer to them. At the other end of the table, Sheffield United are now six points clear of bottom-placed Derby County but remain in the other relegation place – bracketed together on goal difference with Coventry City, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers. West Ham United, Oldham Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday continue to lead the way in the Second Division. Middlesbrough, Notts County, Brighton and Millwall occupy the playoff zone, with Bristol City continuing to turn up the heat on them in their bid for a second successive promotion.
1 March 1991 – Liverpool are reported to be interested in appointing their former player John Toshack
as manager, on the same day that long serving club captain Alan Hansen
announces his retirement after nearly a year out of action due to injury.
2 March 1991 – Ryan Giggs makes his professional debut for Manchester United in their 2–0 home defeat against Everton in the First Division.
8 March 1991 – Aston Villa, struggling in the First Division after finishing second last season, beef up their attack with a £1million move for Watford
striker Gary Penrice
. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Terry Venables
denies media speculation that Paul Gascoigne
is a transfer target for Lazio
of Italy
.
10 March 1991 – Tottenham Hotspur move closer a record eighth FA Cup triumph by beating Notts County 2–1 in the quarter-final at White Hart Lane
. Everton's dream of silverware in Howard Kendall's "comeback season" are ended with a 2–1 defeat at West Ham United. Nottingham Forest move closer to a long-awaited first FA Cup triumph for Brian Clough
as they defeat Norwich City 1–0 at Carrow Road
. Arsenal move closer to a unique second double by overcoming Cambridge United 2–1 in their opposition's second successive FA Cup quarter-final.
20 March 1991 – Swindon Town sell defender Paul Bodin
to Crystal Palace for £550,000.
22 March 1991 – West Ham United, chasing promotion from the Second Division and also in the FA Cup semi-finals, boost their quest for glory by signing Northern Irish striker Iain Dowie
from Luton Town for £480,000.
26 March 1991 – Jim Smith
resigns after two-and-a-half years as manager of Newcastle United
, whose Second Division promotion challenge is collapsing.
28 March 1991 – The 90-day inquest into the Hillsborough disaster
records a verdict of accidental death on the 95 Liverpool fans who died as a result of their injuries at the FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989.
30 March 1991 – Manchester United centre-back Steve Bruce
scores twice in a 3–0 away league win over his old club Norwich City, becoming the first defender to score 10 league goals this season.
31 March 1991 – March draws to a close with Arsenal now leading Liverpool by two points, and Crystal Palace's title challenge fading fast as they are now seven points behind Arsenal who have played a game less than them. Sheffield United's incredible revival has continued as they now stand 12th in the table having not won in the league until 22 December. Derby County now need something little short of a miracle to avoid relegation, as they are now 12 points adrift of safety, while Sunderland now occupy the other relegation place. Oldham Athletic and West Ham United lead the Second Division level on 70 points, with Brighton, Middlesbrough, Millwall and Bristol City occupying the playoff zone. Ossie Ardiles becomes manager of Newcastle United, who are just six points outside the playoff zone with two games in hand.
3 April 1991 – Arsenal take a step closer to the title with a 5–0 home win over Aston Villa
, in which Kevin Campbell
and Alan Smith both score twice, with Paul Davis
adding a further goal.
13 April 1991 – Liverpool's title challenge is kept alive with a thrilling 5–4 away win over Leeds United.
14 April 1991 – Tottenham Hotspur end Arsenal's hopes of a unique double and boost their own hopes of an eighth FA Cup triumph with a 3–1 win in the first FA Cup semi-final to be played at Wembley. The game is most memorable for a goal scored from 40 yards by Paul Gascoigne. Nottingham Forest win the other semi-final, crushing West Ham United 4–0 at Villa Park
.
16 April 1991 – Graeme Souness
is named as Liverpool's new manager, departing from Rangers F.C.
where he is succeeded by Walter Smith.
20 April 1991 – Nottingham Forest record the biggest First Division win of the season by beating Chelsea 7–0 at the City Ground
.
21 April 1991 – Sheffield Wednesday
, chasing promotion to the First Division
, achieve a 1–0 win over Manchester United
in the Football League Cup
Final to end their 56-year trophy drought.
28 April 1991 – Graham Taylor appoints Gary Lineker
as captain of the England team.
30 April 1991 – April draws to a close with Arsenal looking all set for title glory, while any hope that Crystal Palace, Leeds United, Manchester United or Manchester City might have had of leapfrogging them has now been completely extinguished. Derby County remain bottom and almost certain of relegation, while second-from-bottom Sunderland along with Southampton, Sheffield United, Aston Villa (last season's league runners-up) and Luton Town are still fighting to avoid the drop.
1 May 1991 – England beat Turkey
1–0 in Izmir
in the fourth Euro 92 qualifying game, with 24-year-old Chelsea
midfielder Dennis Wise
scoring the first international goal of his career.
4 May 1991 –
6 May 1991 – Arsenal
are crowned champions before kicking off their home game over Manchester United
, which ends in a 3–1 win for the North London
side. Alan Smith scores three goals in the game, becoming the first Arsenal player to score a league hat-trick this season.
Their title status was confirmed an hour before the kick-off, when their last remaining challengers Liverpool were beaten 2–1 by Nottingham Forest
. Bari
of Italy
make a £4 million bid for Aston Villa
midfielder David Platt.
11 May 1991 – The Second Division campaign ends with Oldham Athletic as champions (ending 68 years outside the First Division), West Ham United second and Sheffield Wednesday third. Notts County, Millwall, Brighton and Middlesbrough. Hull City's relegation was confirmed last weekend, while West Bromwich Albion are relegated alongside them to fall into the Third Division for the first time in their history. Arsenal end their championship campaign in style with a 6–1 demolition of Coventry City at Highbury, with Anders Limpar
scoring a hat-trick.
12 May 1991 – Despite having secured Luton Town's First Division survival for two seasons in a row, Jim Ryan
is sacked as manager. It is rumoured that David Pleat, who served the club from 1978 to 1986, will return to Kenilworth Road
for a second spell as Luton manager.
14 May 1991 – Wimbledon
reach an agreement to ground-share with Crystal Palace
at Selhurst Park
from the start of next season, as Plough Lane
is deemed too confined a site to sustain an all-seater stadium for a top division club. However, it is the club's long-term ambition to build a new all-seater stadium in the London Borough of Merton
.
15 May 1991 – Manchester United
mark a stylish return to European football by English clubs with a 2–1 win over Barcelona
in the European Cup Winners' Cup final in Rotterdam
. Mark Hughes
scores both goals.
18 May 1991 – Paul Gascoigne
suffers cruciate knee ligament damage in Tottenham Hotspur
's 2–1 FA Cup final victory over Nottingham Forest, meaning that he is likely to miss most or even all of next season (and possibly even Euro 92). His proposed £8.5million move to Italian
club Lazio
is put on hold.
22 May 1991 – English football is plunged into mourning by the death of former Blackpool
and England
centre forward Stan Mortensen
, who dies four days before what would have been his 70th birthday.
30 May 1991 – Brian Little
, whose Darlington
side have just secured their second successive promotion and won the Fourth Division title, is appointed as Leicester City's new manager.
2 June 1991 – Notts County
beat Brighton
3–1 in the Second Division playoff final to earn a return to the First Division after seven years away.
6 June 1991 – David Pleat is appointed Luton Town manager for the second time.
7 June 1991 – Ron Atkinson accepts an improved offer from Aston Villa to become their new manager. On the same day, Leeds United look to build on their impressive return of fourth place in the First Division by boosting their squad with the £1.6million signing of Southampton
striker Rod Wallace
and the £1.3 million acquisition of Chelsea
defender Tony Dorigo
.
11 June 1991 – Ian Branfoot
is named as the new manager of Southampton
as successor to Chris Nicholl
.
25 June 1991 – Blackburn Rovers
, bankrolled by new chairman Jack Walker
who is determined to bring top division football back to the club next year for the first time since 1966, pay a club record £700,000 for Barnsley
midfielder Steve Agnew
.
27 June 1991 – Former Oldham Athletic
goalkeeper Andy Goram
, who was born in Lancashire
but represents Scotland
at international level due to his ancestry, becomes Scotland's first £1million goalkeeper in a move from Hibernian
to Rangers
.
28 June 1991 – 17 of the 22 clubs competing in next season's First Division sign a contract to break away from the Football League if the Football Association's plan to form a new Premier League fails. Norman Whiteside, who managed just two games for Everton this season, retires from playing at the age of 26 after admitting defeat in his attempt to overcome a serious knee injury.
had a successful season, winning a mini-tournament against the CIS
and Argentina
, progressing steadily in qualification for the 1992 UEFA European Championship and conducting a tour to South-East Asia and Oceania in which they won all four games.
----
----
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
.
First Division
Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by LiverpoolLiverpool 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...
, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager 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...
. Ronny Moran was appointed caretaker manager, but was unable to bring a major trophy to Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. Third place in the league went to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, who occupied their highest-ever finish, but were denied qualification 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...
due to Liverpool being readmitted to European competition a year earlier than anticipated.
Newly promoted Leeds United had a good season back in the First Division as they finished fourth but never really looked like challenging for the title. They did, however, reach the semi-finals of 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...
, where they lost to Manchester United.
Down at the bottom end of the table, 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...
went down in bottom place with just five wins all season despite the 17 league goals of Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
striker Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
, who was then sold to Liverpool. The final relegation place went to 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...
on the last day of the season.
On 1 November, 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...
had sacked manager Colin Harvey
Colin Harvey
Colin Harvey is a retired English footballer who is best known for his time as a player, coach and manager with Everton. He is married to Maureen and lives in Aughton, Lancashire.- Playing career :...
after three-and-a-half years at the helm. Manchester City's
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
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....
returned to Everton for his second spell as manager, with Harvey returning as assistant.
15 November saw two First Division clubs appoint player-managers. Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
, 34, stepped up to the manager's seat at Manchester City. Terry Butcher
Terry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
, still only 31, was recruited from 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...
to take over from John Sillett
John Sillett
John Charles Sillett is a former football player and manager.His father Charlie Sillett was a footballer with Southampton between 1931 and 1938. He is the younger brother of Peter Sillett, also a footballer.Sillett played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle...
at 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...
, making him the youngest manager in the Football League.
Bobby Campbell quit his managerial duties at 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...
at the end of his fourth season in charge, becoming personal assistant to chairman Ken Bates
Ken Bates
Kenneth William Bates is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman and now owner of Leeds United AFC, Bates was previously chairman and majority shareholder of Chelsea FC from 1982 until 2003....
and handing over managerial duties to Ian Porterfield.
Jimmy Ryan
Jimmy Ryan
Jimmy Ryan may refer to:* Jimmy Ryan , 19th-century baseball player* Jimmy Ryan , mandolin player* Jimmy Ryan , former football player, currently the Director of Youth Football at Manchester United F.C....
was sacked by Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
just after achieving a second successive last-day escape from relegation. He was replaced by David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
, who had previously been at Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
from 1978 to 1986.
Jozef Venglos
Jozef Vengloš
Dr. Jozef Vengloš is a former Czechoslovak football player and coach. He has a Doctorate in Physical Education, as well as specialising in Psychology...
left 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...
after one season to be succeeded by Sheffield Wednesday's
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...
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...
, who himself was succeeded by Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
. Villa struggled in the league and were able to finish in 17th place; in the UEFA Cup, they were eliminated by eventual winners Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in the second round.
Queen's Park Rangers sacked Don Howe at the end of the season, replacing him with Gerry Francis
Gerry Francis
Gerald Charles James Francis is an English former footballer and manager, now working as First Team coach at Stoke City.-Playing career:Francis made his debut for Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool in March 1969...
from Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
.
Southampton's
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...
Chris Nicholl
Chris Nicholl
Christopher John "Chris" Nicholl is an English-born former Northern Ireland international footballer.-Playing career:Nicholl was born in Macclesfield...
was dismissed at the end of his sixth season with the club, being replaced by Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
coach Ian Branfoot
Ian Branfoot
Ian Grant Branfoot is an English former footballer and manager.He played as a defender, and after starting at Gateshead joined Sheffield Wednesday, making his Football League debut in 1965. After 42 senior appearances for the club he left in 1969-70 for Doncaster Rovers...
.
Second Division
Joe RoyleJoe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
's cavalier Oldham Athletic side dramatically won the Second Division championship – an injury-time penalty completing a 3–2 come-from-behind win against Sheffield Wednesday in their final game, edging them the title from previous leaders 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...
, who would be promoted as runners-up. Joining them were 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...
winners 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...
, who finished in third place. Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
guided Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
to a second successive victory in the promotion playoffs.
Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
struggled throughout the 1990–91 season and not even the appointment of new manager Terry Dolan could save their Second Division status. They were joined on the last day of the season by West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, who went down to the Third Division for the first time in their history. 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...
were saved from suffering the same humiliation by winning their final game of the season. Albion had sacked player-manager Brian Talbot
Brian Talbot
Brian Ernest Talbot is an English football manager and former player. His son is Daniel Talbot.-Playing career:...
in January following an 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...
exit at the hands of non-league Woking
Woking F.C.
Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. They are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.-Promotion to the...
, but his successor Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
was unable to save Albion from the dreaded drop.
Newly promoted Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
attained their highest league finish in years, finishing 13th. But manager Gerry Francis
Gerry Francis
Gerald Charles James Francis is an English former footballer and manager, now working as First Team coach at Stoke City.-Playing career:Francis made his debut for Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool in March 1969...
then resigned to take over at Queen's Park Rangers, handing over the reins to Martin Dobson
Martin Dobson
Martin Dobson, popularly known as "Sir Dobbo", was born on 14 February 1948 in Rishton, England. He is a former professional footballer and England international who played as a midfielder....
, who was just weeks into his job as Northwich Victoria
Northwich Victoria F.C.
Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
manager.
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...
left 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...
in March after more than two years at the helm, making a swift return to management with Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
as successor to Frank Burrows
Frank Burrows
Frank Burrows is a Scottish soccer manager, and former player.-Biography:Frank Burrows began his football career at Scottish club Raith Rovers. In 1965 he moved south to England and joined Scunthorpe United. Impressive performances as a defender for Scunthorpe led to him being signed by Swindon...
, while Ossie Ardiles was the new man in charge on Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
after leaving Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
. 33-year-old 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....
was named as Swindon's new manager.
Colin Todd
Colin Todd
Colin Todd is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town, and also played in the North American Soccer League...
departed from 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 their failure to succeed in the playoffs, being replaced by Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
who called time on nine years with 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 appointed Alan Curbishley
Alan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....
and Steve Gritt
Steve Gritt
Stephen John "Steve" Gritt is a former English football player and manager. His playing career included spells at Charlton Athletic, Bournemouth and Walsall.-Playing career:...
as joint player-managers.
David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
was sacked by 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...
in February, with Gordon Lee
Gordon Lee (footballer)
Gordon Francis Lee is a former English footballer and football manager.A right-back during his playing days, he moved from Hednesford Town to Aston Villa in 1955...
taking charge until the end of the season and being replaced by 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,...
.
Third Division
Champions Cambridge UnitedCambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
, runners-up Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
and third-placed Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
occupied the automatic promotion places and all achieved second successive promotions. The fourth promotion place went to playoff winners Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, who ended a 53-year absence from the Second Division and made it clear they were prepared to stay there when they signed ex-Liverpool striker John Aldridge
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
.
Going down to the Fourth Division were Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
and Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
.
Dave Mackay was sacked by Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in January, with Lou Macari
Lou Macari
Luigi "Lou" Macari is a Scottish former footballer and football manager of Italian descent.-Playing career:...
taking over until the end of the season before replacing Alan Ball at Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. Birmingham then turned to Exeter's
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
Terry Cooper, who replaced him with Alan Ball.
Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
sacked Ian Porterfield after 18 months in charge, and signed Newcastle striker Mark McGhee
Mark McGhee
Mark Edward McGhee is a former Scottish professional football player. McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and spent spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, IK Brage and Reading...
as player-manager.
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
manager Frank Clark stepped up to the role of Managing Director at the end of the season, with Peter Eustace
Peter Eustace
Peter Eustace is an English former football player and manager. As a player, he made 340 appearances in the Football League representing Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham United, Rotherham United and Peterborough United...
being appointed Head Coach.
Fourth Division
Brian LittleBrian 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,...
's Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
won the Fourth Division championship to earn a second successive promotion, while the other four promotion places went to Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
, Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
, Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
and Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
. Torquay were the eventual winners, beating Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
in a penalty shootout, the first time the system had been used in the Football League.
Wrexham finished bottom of the league but they avoided relegation into the Conference.
Brian Little left Darlington just after their promotion success, taking over at Leicester City, leaving Frank Gray
Frank Gray
Francis Tierney 'Frank' Gray is a Scottish football manager and former footballer.Gray has previously managed Darlington, Farnborough Town, Grays Athletic and Woking....
to pick up the pieces at the Feethams
Feethams
Feethams is a cricket ground and the former home of Darlington F.C. for 120 years, from 1883 to 2003, until the club moved into a new stadium on the outskirts of Darlington.- History :...
.
Manager Cyril Knowles
Cyril Knowles
Cyril Barry Knowles was a footballer who played full-back for Tottenham Hotspur and England. He was the brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Knowles.- Early career :...
departed from Hartlepool on sick leave three months before their promotion, with player-coach Alan Murray
Alan Murray (footballer)
Alan Murray is a former footballer, coach and manager.- Biography :Murray spent the first years of his playing career at Middlesbrough, gradually honing his coaching skills as he struggled to break into the first team...
overseeing the final stages of the campaign. Murray took over on a permanent basis when Knowles confirmed that he would be unable to return to the club following brain surgery.
FA Cup
Tottenham HotspurTottenham 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....
compensated for a slump in form during the second half of the 1990–91 league campaign by beating 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...
2–1 in the F.A Cup final, although their triumph was overshadowed by a knee injury to star midfielder Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
in the opening 15 minutes. In the previous round at Wembley against arch-rivals 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...
, Gascoigne had scored a tremendous free-kick in a surprise 3–1 win against the champions elect.
League Cup
Ron AtkinsonRon 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...
's 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...
earned a shock 1–0 victory over his old club Manchester United thanks to a goal from John Sheridan – a self-confessed Manchester City supporter.
Biggest rise
Oldham Athletic won the Second Division championship to return to the First Division after a 68-year absence.Biggest fall
West Bromwich Albion fell into the Third Division for the very first time, 11 years after reaching the UEFA Cup quarter finals and 12 years after missing the league championship by just two places.First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | W | D | L | GF | GA | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 51 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 23 | 8 | 74 | 18 | + 56 | 83 | European Cup 1991–92 First round |
|||
| 2 | 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 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 42 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 35 | 27 | 77 | 40 | + 37 | 76 | UEFA Cup 1991–92 First round |
|||
| 3 | Crystal Palace Crystal Palace F.C. Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in... |
38 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 26 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 24 | 24 | 50 | 41 | + 9 | 69 | additional places to the UEFA Cup. The teams that missed out on this competition due to UEFA regulations are marked here with grey. | |||
| 4 | Leeds United | 38 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 46 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 24 | 65 | 47 | + 18 | 64 | ||||
| 5 | Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
38 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 29 | 28 | 64 | 53 | + 11 | 62 | ||||
| 6 | 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 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 28 | 58 | 45 | + 13 | 59 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991–92 First round |
|||
| 7 | 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 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 28 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 25 | 24 | 53 | 46 | + 7 | 56 | ||||
| 8 | 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 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 42 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 23 | 29 | 65 | 50 | + 15 | 54 | ||||
| 9 | 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 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 31 | 50 | 46 | + 4 | 51 | ||||
| 10 | 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 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 35 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 28 | 51 | 50 | + 1 | 49 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991–92 Qualifying round |
|||
| 11 | 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 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 33 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 25 | 44 | 58 | 69 | – 11 | 49 | ||||
| 12 | Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
38 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 31 | 44 | 53 | – 9 | 46 | ||||
| 13 | Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production... |
38 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 23 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 32 | 36 | 55 | – 19 | 46 | ||||
| 14 | 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 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 33 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 25 | 47 | 58 | 69 | – 11 | 45 | ||||
| 15 | Norwich City Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... |
38 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 27 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 32 | 43 | 64 | – 21 | 45 | ||||
| 16 | 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 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 33 | 42 | 49 | – 7 | 44 | ||||
| 17 | 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 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 29 | 25 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 33 | 46 | 58 | – 12 | 41 | ||||
| 18 | Luton Town Luton Town F.C. Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was... |
38 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 22 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 20 | 43 | 42 | 61 | – 19 | 37 | ||||
| 19 | Sunderland | 38 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 44 | 38 | 60 | – 22 | 34 | ||||
| 20 | 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 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 12 | 39 | 37 | 75 | – 38 | 24 |
Note: Arsenal deducted two points for on-field brawl and Manchester United deducted one point also for on-field brawl.
| Key |
|---|
| Qualified for European Cup |
| Qualified for UEFA Cup |
| Qualified for Cup Winners' Cup |
| Relegated to Division Two |
Second DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | W | D | L | GF | GA | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 55 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 28 | 32 | 83 | 53 | + 30 | 88 | ||||
| 2 | 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... |
46 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 41 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 19 | 16 | 60 | 34 | + 26 | 87 | ||||
| 3 | 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... |
46 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 43 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 37 | 28 | 80 | 51 | + 29 | 82 | ||||
| 4 | Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
46 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 45 | 28 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 27 | 76 | 55 | + 21 | 80 | ||||
| 5 | Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 43 | 28 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 23 | 70 | 51 | + 19 | 73 | ||||
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.... |
46 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 37 | 31 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 26 | 38 | 63 | 69 | – 6 | 70 | ||||
| 7 | 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... |
46 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 36 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 30 | 30 | 66 | 47 | + 13 | 69 | ||||
| 8 | Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 39 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 24 | 32 | 63 | 48 | + 15 | 69 | ||||
| 9 | Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 44 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 24 | 43 | 68 | 71 | – 3 | 67 | ||||
| 10 | Oxford United Oxford United F.C. Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The... |
46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 41 | 29 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 69 | 66 | + 3 | 61 | ||||
| 11 | 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... |
46 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 24 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 34 | 49 | 56 | – 7 | 59 | ||||
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at... |
46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 45 | 35 | 2 | 13 | 8 | 18 | 28 | 63 | 63 | ± 0 | 58 | ||||
| 13 | Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers F.C. Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city.... |
46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 29 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 27 | 39 | 56 | 59 | – 3 | 58 | ||||
| 14 | Ipswich Town Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02.... |
46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 32 | 28 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 28 | 40 | 60 | 68 | – 8 | 57 | ||||
| 15 | Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
46 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 24 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 40 | 56 | 64 | – 8 | 57 | ||||
| 16 | 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,... |
46 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 25 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 30 | 36 | 57 | 61 | – 4 | 56 | ||||
| 17 | Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 43 | 58 | 70 | – 12 | 53 | ||||
| 18 | Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
46 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 36 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 18 | 48 | 54 | 78 | – 24 | 53 | ||||
| 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.... |
46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 26 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 25 | 39 | 51 | 66 | – 15 | 52 | ||||
| 20 | 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... |
46 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 21 | 27 | 45 | 59 | – 14 | 51 | ||||
| 21 | Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 30 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 34 | 43 | 65 | 73 | – 7 | 50 | ||||
| 22 | 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... |
46 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 41 | 33 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 19 | 50 | 60 | 83 | – 23 | 50 | ||||
| 23 | West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
46 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 26 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 26 | 40 | 52 | 61 | – 9 | 48 | ||||
| 24 | Hull City Hull City A.F.C. Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football... |
46 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 35 | 32 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 22 | 53 | 57 | 85 | – 28 | 45 |
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division One |
| Qualified for the promotion playoff (not promoted) |
| Relegated to Division Three |
Third DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | W | D | L | GF | GA | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge United Cambridge United F.C. Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League... |
46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 42 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 28 | 75 | 50 | + 25 | 86 | ||||
| 2 | Southend United Southend United F.C. Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had... |
46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 34 | 23 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 33 | 28 | 67 | 51 | + 16 | 85 | ||||
| 3 | Grimsby Town Grimsby Town F.C. Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town... |
46 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 42 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 21 | 66 | 34 | + 32 | 83 | ||||
| 4 | Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001.... |
46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 31 | 32 | 64 | 50 | + 14 | 83 | ||||
| 5 | Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 25 | 64 | 46 | + 18 | 78 | ||||
| 6 | Brentford Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.... |
46 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 22 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 29 | 25 | 59 | 47 | + 12 | 76 | ||||
| 7 | Bury Bury F.C. Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the... |
46 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 28 | 26 | 59 | 47 | + 12 | 76 | ||||
| 8 | Bradford City | 46 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 36 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 26 | 32 | 62 | 54 | + 8 | 70 | ||||
| 9 | Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899.... |
46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 37 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 21 | 38 | 58 | 58 | ± 0 | 70 | ||||
| 10 | Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
46 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 40 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 31 | 34 | 61 | 54 | + 7 | 69 | ||||
| 11 | Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One... |
46 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 23 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 57 | 51 | + 6 | 67 | ||||
| 12 | Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... |
46 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 21 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 28 | 45 | 49 | – 4 | 65 | ||||
| 13 | Leyton Orient Leyton Orient F.C. Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63... |
46 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 35 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 39 | 55 | 58 | – 3 | 64 | ||||
| 14 | Stoke City Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
46 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 55 | 59 | – 4 | 60 | ||||
| 15 | Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship... |
46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 34 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 19 | 38 | 53 | 66 | – 13 | 59 | ||||
| 16 | Exeter City Exeter City F.C. Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003... |
46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 35 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 23 | 36 | 58 | 52 | + 6 | 57 | ||||
| 17 | Preston North End Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One... |
46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 33 | 29 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 38 | 54 | 67 | – 13 | 56 | ||||
| 18 | Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town F.C. Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football... |
46 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 32 | 46 | 61 | 68 | – 7 | 52 | ||||
| 19 | Chester City Chester City F.C. Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the... |
46 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 27 | 27 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 31 | 46 | 58 | – 14 | 51 | ||||
| 20 | Swansea City | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 33 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 39 | 49 | 72 | – 23 | 48 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991–92 First round |
|||
| 21 | Fulham Fulham F.C. Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season... |
46 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 27 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 34 | 41 | 56 | – 15 | 46 | ||||
| 22 | Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra F.C. Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club... |
46 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 35 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 27 | 45 | 62 | 80 | – 8 | 44 | ||||
| 23 | Rotherham United Rotherham United F.C. Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history... |
46 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 31 | 38 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 19 | 49 | 50 | 87 | – 37 | 42 | ||||
| 24 | Mansfield Town Mansfield Town F.C. Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910... |
46 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 27 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 19 | 36 | 42 | 63 | – 21 | 38 |
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division Two |
| Qualified for the promotion playoff (not promoted) |
| Relegated to Division Four |
| Qualified for Cup Winners' Cup as Welsh Cup winners |
Fourth DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | W | D | L | GF | GA | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington Darlington F.C. Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003... |
46 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 36 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 32 | 24 | 68 | 38 | + 30 | 83 | ||||
| 2 | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
46 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 54 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 28 | 84 | 47 | + 37 | 82 | ||||
| 3 | Hartlepool United Hartlepool United F.C. Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season... |
46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 32 | 33 | 67 | 48 | + 19 | 82 | ||||
| 4 | Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is... |
46 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 38 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 29 | 30 | 67 | 45 | + 22 | 80 | ||||
| 5 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
46 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 55 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 30 | 78 | 47 | + 31 | 79 | ||||
| 6 | Burnley Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888... |
46 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 46 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 24 | 35 | 70 | 51 | + 19 | 79 | ||||
| 7 | Torquay United Torquay United F.C. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley... |
46 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 37 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 34 | 64 | 47 | + 17 | 72 | ||||
| 8 | Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United F.C. Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One.... |
46 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 51 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 42 | 71 | 62 | + 9 | 71 | ||||
| 9 | Scarborough Scarborough F.C. Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season... |
46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 35 | 59 | 56 | + 3 | 69 | ||||
| 10 | Northampton Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... |
46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 34 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 23 | 37 | 57 | 58 | – 1 | 67 | ||||
| 11 | Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers F.C. Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in... |
46 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 36 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 24 | 56 | 46 | + 20 | 65 | ||||
| 12 | Rochdale | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 29 | 22 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 50 | 53 | – 3 | 62 | ||||
| 13 | Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 26 | 23 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 31 | 43 | 54 | – 11 | 60 | ||||
| 14 | Lincoln City Lincoln City F.C. Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League.... |
46 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 32 | 27 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 34 | 50 | 61 | – 11 | 59 | ||||
| 15 | Gillingham Gillingham F.C. Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium... |
46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 35 | 27 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 57 | 60 | – 3 | 54 | ||||
| 16 | Walsall Walsall F.C. Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second... |
46 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 25 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 23 | 34 | 48 | 51 | – 3 | 53 | ||||
| 17 | Hereford United Hereford United F.C. Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',... |
46 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 32 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 21 | 39 | 53 | 58 | – 5 | 53 | ||||
| 18 | Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
46 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 33 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 36 | 47 | 62 | – 15 | 53 | ||||
| 19 | Maidstone United Maidstone United F.C. Maidstone United Football Club is an English football team from Maidstone, Kent.The current club is a continuation of the old Maidstone United, which was a member of the Football League between 1989 and 1992. The club was forced out of the league by financial ruin but the youth squad formed the... |
46 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 42 | 34 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 24 | 37 | 66 | 71 | – 5 | 51 | ||||
| 20 | Carlisle United Carlisle United F.C. Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.... |
46 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 30 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 17 | 59 | 47 | 89 | – 42 | 48 | ||||
| 21 | York City York City F.C. York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions... |
46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 24 | 34 | 45 | 57 | – 12 | 46 | ||||
| 22 | Halifax Town | 46 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 34 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 25 | 50 | 59 | 79 | – 20 | 46 | ||||
| 23 | Aldershot Aldershot F.C. Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable... |
46 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 38 | 43 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 23 | 58 | 61 | 101 | – 40 | 41 | ||||
| 24 | Wrexham | 46 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 33 | 34 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 15 | 40 | 48 | 74 | – 26 | 40 |
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division Three |
| Qualified for the promotion playoff (not promoted) |
Successful players
The PFA Player of the Year was Manchester United strikerStriker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
, whose prolific goalscoring included two goals in United's Cup Winners Cup triumph over Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
.
The FWA Player of the Year was experienced Leeds United midfielder 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,...
, who helped his newly promoted side reach a creditable fourth place in the First Division.
The PFA Young Player of the Year
PFA Young Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
was Manchester United's 19-year-old winger Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...
, who collected a Cup Winners Cup medal in his first season as a regular player.
Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
striker Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
scored 24 league goals for 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...
but couldn't save them from relegation and was sold to Liverpool for a British record fee of nearly £3million.
Despite a succession of injuries, powerful 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...
striker Marco Gabbiadini
Marco Gabbiadini
Marco Gabbiadini is an English former footballer whose career lasted 18 years from 1985 to 2003. He totalled nearly £3 million in transfer fees and played for 12 different clubs, scoring a total of 226 league goals.-York City:...
managed 12 goals in 28 games to earn himself a reputation as one of the league's top strikers, but couldn't save his side from relegation.
Halifax Town striker Steve Norris was the Football League's top goalscorer with 32 Fourth Division goals.
Successful managers
George Graham guided Arsenal to their second league title in three years after they lost just one out of 38 league games.Alex Ferguson took Manchester United to glory in the European Cup Winners Cup in the first season back in Europe for English clubs after the Heysel Disaster.
Terry Venables ended Tottenham's seven-year trophy drought with an F.A Cup triumph at the expense of Nottingham Forest.
Joe Royle won the Second Division championship for Oldham Athletic to end their 68-year absence from the First Division.
Ron Atkinson took Sheffield Wednesday to glory in the League Cup and promotion to the First Division.
Brian Little achieved a second successive promotion with Darlington, who finished top of the Fourth Division a year after they had topped the Conference.
Neil Warnock guided Notts County to a unique second successive playoff triumph as they climbed from the Third Division to the First Division with back-to-back promotions.
John Beck completed back-to-back promotions with Cambridge United, who were Third Division champions and F.A Cup quarter finalists a year after being Fourth Division playoff winners.
Barry Fry took Barnet into the Football League as Conference champions.
John King guided Tranmere Rovers into the Second Division for the first time since the late 1930s.
Danny Bergara gained promotion to Division 3 with Stockport County and started their 90's success.
European qualifiers
League champions Arsenal were England's first post-HeyselHeysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
entrants for 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...
.
Runners-up Liverpool were England's representatives for the UEFA Cup 1991-92
UEFA Cup 1991-92
The UEFA Cup 1991–92 was won by Ajax on away goals over Torino.Although this was the second season since the ban on English clubs in European competitions was lifted, only one English club was entered into the 1991–92 UEFA Cup...
.
Holders Manchester United and 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...
winners Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the 1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup.
Dalglish cracks under the pressure
Kenny Dalglish resigned as Liverpool manager on 22 February 1991, blaming the pressures of the job on his decision to quit. He was replaced by interim manager Ronny Moran who was unable to stop Arsenal from beating Liverpool to the league title.Arsenal and United penalised for brawl
Arsenal were deducted two points and Manchester United were deducted one point after a brawl between players on both sides in an October fixture at Old Trafford. But the blow didn't have much damage on either team, as Arsenal went on to win the league title and Manchester United won the Cup Winners Cup.Graham's gunners grab title
Despite the two-point deduction imposed for the Old Trafford fracas, and the absence of captain Tony Adams for eight weeks in mid-season while he served a prison sentence for drink-driving, Arsenal cruised to the league title with a seven-point margin over runners-up Liverpool and just one defeat on the way.Gazza's injury agony sours Tottenham's joy
Paul GascoignePaul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
suffered a serious knee injury in Tottenham's victorious F.A Cup final clash with Nottingham Forest, putting on hold a proposed transfer to Lazio of Italy. He was ruled out for the entire 1991–92 season.
Tottenham's cup triumph capped a great season for London clubs with Arsenal as league champions, Tottenham as F.A Cup winners, West Ham winning promotion to the First Division while Crystal Palace finished third in the top tier – their highest finish ever.
York plunged into mourning by Longhurst tragedy
York City striker David LonghurstDavid Longhurst
David John Longhurst was an English footballer. During his career, he played for Nottingham Forest, Halifax Town, Northampton Town, Peterborough United and York City. He died on the pitch during a match for York City against Lincoln City in 1990.-Career:Longhurst was a pacy striker who began his...
, 24, collapsed and died on 8 September in a Fourth Division fixture at Bootham Crescent. The inquest revealed that he suffered from a rare heart condition.
Liverpool readmitted to Europe
Liverpool were re-admitted to European competition, having served an extra year after the ban on English clubs in Europe arising from the Heysel Disaster was lifted one year early – Crystal Palace were the club who lost out through this. They qualified for the UEFA Cup as league runners-up.Butcher moves into management
On 15 November, a month before his 32nd birthday, Rangers and England defender Terry ButcherTerry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
was appointed player-manager of Coventry City to replace John Sillett
John Sillett
John Charles Sillett is a former football player and manager.His father Charlie Sillett was a footballer with Southampton between 1931 and 1938. He is the younger brother of Peter Sillett, also a footballer.Sillett played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle...
. On the same day, 34-year-old Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
replaced 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....
(who had returned to Everton) as manager of Manchester City.
Wednesday's trophy drought ends after 55 years
Sheffield Wednesday won the League Cup for the first time in their history with a 1–0 win over Manchester United – manager Ron Atkinson's old club. John Sheridan, the scorer of their winning goal, was a self-confessed Manchester United supporter. It was also Wednesday's first major trophy for 55 years. This is currently the last occasion any team out of the top flight has won a major English trophy and set Wednesday up for a fantastic few years.Aldershot saved by 19-year-old investor
Aldershot were saved from closure in August 1990 after 19-year-old "property developer" Spencer Trethewy signed an affidavit for around £200,000 which saw off a winding-up order; however, other parties paid the money on his behalf, and within three months he was dismissed from the club's board of directors when he failed to repay the sums he had borrowed.Albion sink to their lowest ebb
West Bromwich Albion were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history, little over a decade after they had almost won the league title. This disappointment came at the end of a season during which they had been knocked out of the F.A Cup by non-league Woking.Sheringham tops the goalscoring charts
Millwall striker Teddy Sheringham was the leading goalscorer in England with 38 goals in all competitions, but was put on the transfer list after his club failed to navigate the Second Division playoffs. After the season was over, he joined Nottingham Forest in a £2 million deal.Notable debutants
25 August 1990: David JamesDavid James (footballer)
David Benjamin James is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bristol City.On 14 February 2009, he achieved the all-time Premier League appearance record with 536 appearances, overtaking Gary Speed. He held this record until being overtaken by Ryan Giggs on the 14th May 2011...
, 20-year-old 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...
goalkeeper, makes his debut in the opening game of the Second Division season as Watford lose 2–1 at home to Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
.
28 August 1990: 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....
, 19-year-old Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
midfielder, makes his debut for 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...
in their 2–0 league defeat at Liverpool.
9 October 1990: Darren Anderton
Darren Anderton
Darren Robert Anderton is a retired English footballer who spent most of his career with Tottenham Hotspur as a midfielder. He played 30 times for the England national football team, scoring 7 goals.-Career:...
, 18-year-old Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
winger, makes his debut for the club in their Football 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...
second round second leg tie against Cardiff City
Cardiff city
Cardiff City may refer to:* Cardiff city centre* Cardiff City Council* Cardiff City F.C.* Cardiff City L.F.C.* Cardiff City Stadium...
at Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...
.
15 December 1990: 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...
, 18-year-old 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...
midfielder who has already been capped by England at under-21 level, makes his debut for the club in their 2–0 league win over Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
.
2 March 1991: Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
, 17-year-old winger, makes his Manchester United debut in their 2–0 home defeat by 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...
in the league.
23 April 1991: 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...
, 20-year-old midfielder, features in Crystal Palace's
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
3–0 league defeat by Liverpool.
4 May 1991: Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
, 18-year-old striker, makes his debut for Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
in their 1–0 home win over Queen's Park Rangers in the league.
11 May 1991: Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...
, 22-year-old Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
winger, makes his debut for 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...
in their 3–0 league defeat at Crystal Palace.
Third Division
- Brett AngellBrett AngellBrett Ashley Mark Angell is an English association football coach and former player, now coaching in New Zealand. His brother Darren also played football professionally....
(Southend United)/Tony PhilliskirkTony PhilliskirkAnthony "Tony" Philliskirk is a former English footballer. He played as a striker for 11 different clubs between 1983 and 1998.-Playing career:...
(Bolton Wanderers) – 26 goals
Retirements
- Tommy HutchisonTommy HutchisonThomas "Tommy" Hutchison is a Scottish former footballer.-Club career:Beginning his professional career with Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Second Division, being spotted by Archie McPherson...
, 43-year-old midfielder with one of the highest appearance records of any player in English football, played his final game for Swansea City on 12 March 1991 against Southend UnitedSouthend United F.C.Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
in the Third Division. - Jim BeglinJim BeglinJames Martin "Jim" Beglin is a former Irish professional footballer.- Life and career :Beglin played schoolboy football in his native city with Bolton and Waterford Bohs before joining Shamrock Rovers in 1980...
, 27-year-old Leeds UnitedLeeds 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...
and Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland national football teamThe Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
left-back formerly with LiverpoolLiverpool 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...
, retires after failing to overcome a long-term knee injury. - Alan HansenAlan HansenAlan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...
, 35-year-old Liverpool captain and former ScotlandScotland national football teamThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
international, retires after a year out of action with injury. - Norman WhitesideNorman WhitesideNorman Whiteside is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in two World Cups.He appeared for Manchester United and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985...
, 26-year-old 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...
and Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national football teamThe Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
attacking midfielder, formerly of Manchester United, due to a knee injury.
Diary of the season
14 June 1990 – John LukicJohn Lukic
Jovan "John" Lukic is an English former football goalkeeper who was a member of Football League championship sides with two different clubs and played at the highest level of English football in four separate decades.-Childhood and early life:Lukic was born in Chesterfield to Yugoslavian parents;...
joins newly promoted Leeds United from Arsenal in a £1 million deal.
20 June 1990 – Manchester United sign Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
defender Denis Irwin
Denis Irwin
Denis Joseph Irwin is a former Irish football player who is best known for his long and successful stint at Manchester United, where he established himself as one of the most important players in the United team that won a host of domestic and European trophies in his time there between 1990 and...
from Oldham Athletic for £625,000.
21 June 1990 – A Mark Wright goal gives England a 1–0 win over Egypt in their final group game and they go through to the last 16 of the World Cup.
26 June 1990 – David Platt scores in the final minute of extra time to give England a 1–0 win over Belgium in the World Cup second round.
1 July 1990 – England beat Cameroon 3–2 in extra time (Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
scoring twice and David Platt once) to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1970.
3 July 1990 – 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...
pay a club record £1.6 million for 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...
winger Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
.
4 July 1990 – Arsenal pay Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
£1.25 million for defender Andy Linighan
Andy Linighan
Andrew "Andy" Linighan is a former English football player.Linighan was born in Hartlepool into a footballing family – his brothers David and Brian were also professional footballers. He first played for his local side, Hartlepool United, before spells at Leeds United , Oldham Athletic and...
. On the international scene, England's World Cup dream ends when they lose on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
famously weeps after receiving the booking that would have ruled him out of the final had England qualified, while Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
and Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland "Chris" Waddle is a former footballer from England. He played for a number of clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday in England, and Olympique de Marseille in France...
miss the crucial penalties for England.
7 July 1990 – England lose 2–1 to Italy in the World Cup third place playoff, David Platt scoring their only goal of their last game under Bobby Robson's management.
10 July 1990 -FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
confirms that the behaviour of English fans at the World Cup was of a high enough standard for English teams to be re-admitted to European competitions after a five-year ban. Manchester United, last season's FA Cup winners, will enter the European Cup Winners' Cup. However, there will initially be just one UEFA Cup place for English clubs, this season going to league runners-up Aston Villa. There will be no English representation in the European Cup, however, as league champions Liverpool are set to serve an extra year of the ban as they were the team present at the Heysel Stadium disaster
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
which led to the ban.
17 July 1990 – Everton pay £800,000 for Manchester City defender Andy Hinchcliffe
Andy Hinchcliffe
Andrew George "Andy" Hinchcliffe is a former English footballer. Formerly of Manchester City, Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, he played as a left sided defender or wing back....
, as Neil Pointon
Neil Pointon
Neil Geoffrey Pointon, born November 28, 1964 in Church Warsop, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, is a former professional football player...
goes in the opposite direction for £700,000.
19 July 1990 – England striker Mark Hateley
Mark Hateley
Mark Wayne Hateley is a retired English football player who played as a centre-forward. He was capped 32 times for the English national team , and played in top-level football leagues in England, Italy, France and Scotland...
returns to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after six years overseas in a £500,000 move to Rangers F.C.
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...
from AS Monaco of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
20 July 1990 – Manchester City pay a club record £1 million for 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...
goalkeeper Tony Coton
Tony Coton
Anthony Philip "Tony" Coton is an English former footballer who made 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing as a goalkeeper for Birmingham City, Watford, Manchester City and Sunderland...
.
23 July 1990 – Graham Taylor accepts the Football Association's offer to take charge of the England national football team, with Czech
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
national coach Jozef Venglos
Jozef Vengloš
Dr. Jozef Vengloš is a former Czechoslovak football player and coach. He has a Doctorate in Physical Education, as well as specialising in Psychology...
(the first foreign manager in the First Division) succeeding him at Aston Villa.
31 July 1990 – Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
are wound up in the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
, condemned as "hopelessly insolvent" with debts of £495,000.
1 August 1990 – The Football League confirms that it will revert to a 22-club First Division for the 1991–92 season, while total league membership will be increased to 94 clubs for the 1992–93 season, with the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions all having 24 clubs each by then. Departing from the English league is Sheffield Wednesday striker Dalian Atkinson
Dalian Atkinson
Dalian Robert Atkinson is an English former footballer who played as a striker in the Football League and Premier League for Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Manchester City, in La Liga for Real Sociedad, in Ligue 1 for Metz, in the Turkish Super League for Fenerbahçe, in Saudi...
, who signs for Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
for £1.7 million.
6 August 1990 – 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...
sign Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
winger Anders Limpar
Anders Limpar
Anders Erik Limpar is a Swedish former footballer of Hungarian origin, who played as a winger...
from Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
side Cremonese for £1 million.
7 August 1990 – Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
are saved from closure by a £200,000 rescue package put together by 19-year-old property developer Spencer Trethewy
Spencer Trethewy
Spencer Trethewy was a 19-year-old self-proclaimed property developer, who saved Aldershot Football Club from closure in August 1990 with a £200,000 signed affidavit...
.
15 August 1990 – 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...
and Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
defender Eric Young
Eric Young (footballer)
Eric Young is a Welsh retired footballer, who was a strong, commanding centre half nicknamed "Ninja" due to his ever-present brown headband....
signs for Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in an £850,000 deal.
19 August 1990 – Liverpool and Manchester United share the Charity Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
after a 1–1 draw at Wembley.
23 August 1990 – Oldham Athletic, preparing for a Second Division promotion challenge, pay a club record £460,000 for Nottingham Forest striker David Currie
David Currie (footballer)
David Norman Currie was a professional footballer who played as a striker for Middlesbrough, Darlington, Barnsley, Nottingham Forest, Oldham Athletic, Rotherham United, Huddersfield Town, Carlisle United and Scarborough.-References:...
. Leeds United are warned that they could ultimately face expulsion from the Football League if measures aimed by the Football Association at curbing incidents of hooliganism involving the clubs fans fail.
24 August 1990 – Everton sign Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
midfielder Mike Milligan
Mike Milligan (footballer)
Michael Milligan is a former English footballer of Irish descent.He left school in 1983 and signed for Oldham Athletic, establishing himself as a regular midfielder in the later part of the 1980s and helping them reach the FA Cup semi-final and Football League Cup final in the 1989-90...
from Oldham Athletic for £1 million.
25 August 1990 – Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
move into their new Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium, also known as the Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989-90 by GMI Construction with a reported build cost of £4.5m...
and draw 2–2 with Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
in the Fourth Division in their first competitive game at the new stadium.
27 August 1990: BBC Radio 5
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
(later known as BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
) came on air, greatly expanding coverage of football and sport in general with discussion programmes, features and phone-ins previously not heard on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
31 August 1990 – The first month of the English league season ends with Liverpool as leaders after just two games. The Second Division leaders are Oldham Athletic.
1 September 1990 – Newly promoted First Division side Sunderland achieve a shock 2–1 league win over FA Cup holders Manchester United at Roker Park
Roker Park
Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small...
.
12 September 1990 – England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
win 1–0 against Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
in a friendly at Wembley, the nation's first game under Graham Taylor's management.
13 September 1990 – Midfielder Vinny Jones moves from Leeds United to fellow newly promoted side Sheffield United for £700,000.
16 September 1990 – Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
scores a hat-trick for Liverpool in their 4–0 league win over Manchester United at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
.
25 September 1990 – Ian Wright
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
and Mark Bright
Mark Bright
Mark Abraham Bright is a former English footballer who is now a sports pundit and BBC London's sport presenter, as well as a coach at Crystal Palace....
both score hat-tricks for Crystal Palace in their 8–0 home win over Southend United in the League Cup second round first leg at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
.
26 September 1990 – Paul Gascoigne scores four goals for Tottenham in their 5–0 win over Hartlepool United (managed by former Tottenham defender Cyril Knowles
Cyril Knowles
Cyril Barry Knowles was a footballer who played full-back for Tottenham Hotspur and England. He was the brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Knowles.- Early career :...
) in the second round first leg at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
.
30 September 1990 – Liverpool, with a 100% record after seven games, are First Division leaders for the end of September. The bottom two places are occupied by Sheffield United and Derby County, who have both yet to win a league game this season. In the Second Division, Oldham Athletic lead the way with 20 points from their opening eight games. The other two automatic promotion places are occupied by 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...
and Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, and the playoff zone is occupied by 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...
, Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
(in contention for a second successive promotion), Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
and Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
.
3 October 1990 – Sheffield Wednesday sign American midfielder John Harkes
John Harkes
John Harkes is an American former soccer player. Harkes was the first American ever to play in the English Premier League, and the second American to score at Wembley Stadium. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He appeared in two FIFA World Cup tournaments, and won two MLS Cup...
from North Carolina University for £70,000.
5 October 1990 – Peter Taylor
Peter Thomas Taylor
Peter Thomas Taylor was an English football goalkeeper and more notably, a football manager. His name is closely associated with that of Brian Clough, with whom he served as assistant manager at various clubs in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.Playing twenty years of professional football, he started...
, former managerial partner of Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
, dies in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
aged 62 after a long illness.
6 October 1990 – In the biggest Second Division win of the season, West Ham United beat Hull City 7–1 at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
.
12 October 1990 – 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...
strengthen their promotion bid with a £600,000 move for Luton Town defender Tim Breacker
Tim Breacker
Tim Breacker is an ex-footballer and now football coach with a UEFA Pro A licence.Tim started his career as an apprentice at Luton Town. He eventually graduated to the first team where he had a long and successful spell accumulating 210 appearances...
.
17 October 1990 – England open their Euro 92 qualifying campaign with a 2–0 win over Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
at Wembley.
20 October 1990 – 21 of the 22 players on the pitch brawl in Arsenal's 1–0 league win over Manchester United at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
. In their ninth league game of the season, Liverpool drop points for the first time when Norwich City hold them to a 1–1 draw at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
.
27 October 1990 – The Manchester derby
Manchester derby
The Manchester derby is the name given to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United. The local derby centres on the City of Manchester and Greater Manchester with approximately four miles separating the clubs with City based in east Manchester at the City of Manchester Stadium...
at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
ends in a 3–3 draw between City and United.
31 October 1990 – 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...
sack manager Colin Harvey
Colin Harvey
Colin Harvey is a retired English footballer who is best known for his time as a player, coach and manager with Everton. He is married to Maureen and lives in Aughton, Lancashire.- Playing career :...
after their worst start to a league season leaves them third from bottom in the 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....
. Below them are Derby County (one win) and winless Sheffield United, while Liverpool remain top with nine wins from their opening 10 games. Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Manchester United are their nearest contenders. The month also ends with Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace undefeated in the league. Three lower division clubs – Oldham Athletic, West Ham United and Torquay United have still yet to lose a league game. The Second Division promotion race is heating up, with Oldham Athletic still top of the table and 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...
having crept up to second place. Sheffield Wednesday occupy the third and final automatic promotion place. Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
and 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...
have all climbed into the relegation zone this month. Charlton Athletic's
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,...
hopes of an immediate return to the First Division appear to be over as they occupy second from bottom place in the Second Division with eight defeats from their opening 13 games.
1 November 1990 – Spencer Trethewy is dismissed from the Aldershot board of directors just three months after saving the club from closure, after it is revealed that he was unable to pay back the £200,000 he borrowed to keep the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
based club afloat.
7 November 1990 – 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....
leaves Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
to begin his second spell as Everton manager. Colin Harvey, sacked as manager a week earlier, rejoins the club as Kendall's assistant in the manager-coach partnership that previously ran from 1981 to 1987. 34-year-old midfielder Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
is put in temporary charge of Manchester City.
12 November 1990 – Arsenal are deducted two points and Manchester United lose one point as punishment for last month's player brawl. Notts County end talk of relocating to a new stadium by announcing that they will start rebuilding of Meadow Lane
Meadow Lane
Not to be confused with The Meadow, home of Southern Football League Premier Division football team Chesham UnitedThe Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England...
into an all-seater stadium next summer.
14 November 1990 – 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...
sack manager John Sillett
John Sillett
John Charles Sillett is a former football player and manager.His father Charlie Sillett was a footballer with Southampton between 1931 and 1938. He is the younger brother of Peter Sillett, also a footballer.Sillett played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle...
after four-and-a-half years in charge. On the same day, England draw 1–1 with Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
at Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
in their second Euro 92 qualifying game.
15 November 1990 – Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
appoint 34-year-old midfielder Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
as their new player-manager. 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...
agree a 350,000 deal 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...
to appoint 31-year-old centre-back Terry Butcher
Terry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
as their new manager.
17 November 1990 – The first round of the FA Cup sees Scarborough and Reading both eliminated by non-league opposition (Leek Town
Leek Town F.C.
Leek Town Football Club is an English football club based in Leek, Staffordshire, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South...
and Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
respectively).
20 November 1990 – Cardiff City become the latest team to fall victim to non-league giant-killers when Hayes
Hayes F.C.
Hayes F.C. was an English football club based in Hayes, in Greater London. The club started out as Botwell Mission in 1909 taking its present name in 1929. The team nickname, The Missioners was a salute to the history of the team. The club played in the Conference South for their last few seasons...
defeat them 1–0 in the first round replay.
28 November 1990 – 19-year-old winger Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...
scores a hat-trick for Manchester United in their 6–2 win at Arsenal in the fourth round of the League Cup final.
30 November 1990 – Liverpool remain unbeaten and top of the First Division as November draws to a close, four points ahead of an Arsenal side who are also unbeaten. Sheffield United, in contrast, are still looking for their first league win of the season after 14 games, while Derby County have climbed out of the relegation zone at the expense of Queens Park Rangers. In the Second Division, West Ham United have taken over from Oldham Athletic as Second Division leaders, while Sheffield Wednesday occupy third place. The playoff zone is occupied by Middlesbrough, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Millwall and Notts County. Newly promoted Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
stand just two points outside the playoff zone in 10th place, sparking hopes that manager Gerry Francis
Gerry Francis
Gerald Charles James Francis is an English former footballer and manager, now working as First Team coach at Stoke City.-Playing career:Francis made his debut for Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool in March 1969...
could soon deliver First Division football to the club for the first time ever.
13 December 1990 – 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...
pay £1million for a player for the first time in their history by signing midfielder Alan McLoughlin
Alan McLoughlin
Alan Francis McLoughlin is a former Irish coach, and former professional footballer, playing as a midfielder.-Career:...
from Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
.
19 December 1990 – 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...
captain Tony Adams
Tony 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...
is sentenced to four months in prison and banned from driving for two years after being found guilty of drink-driving relating to a road accident on 6 May this year.
22 December 1990 – Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
finally win a 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....
game at the 18th attempt, but remain bottom of the table.
31 December 1990–1990 draws to a close with Arsenal, still unbeaten, as First Division leaders ahead of a Liverpool side whose unbeaten run finally came to an end this month. Newly promoted Leeds United are looking like contenders for the title as they occupy third place and are just seven points off the top of the league, while Sheffield United have managed their first two league wins of the season but are still bottom of the table. West Ham United stand top of the Second Division, followed in second place by Oldham Athletic and in third place by Sheffield Wednesday. Middlesbrough, Notts County, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bristol City occupy the playoff zone. Newcastle United, who began the season among the favourites for promotion, occupy a lowly 16th place and are just four points above the relegation zone that threatens them with Third Division football for the first time.
4 January 1991 – Crystal Palace sign 20-year-old striker Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore
Stanley Victor "Stan" Collymore is an English football pundit and former footballer, who played from 1990 until 2001. He held the British transfer record when he moved from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5 million in 1995 and was capped three times at senior level by the England...
from GM Vauxhall Conference side Stafford Rangers for £100,000.
9 January 1991 – West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
sack manager Brian Talbot
Brian Talbot
Brian Ernest Talbot is an English football manager and former player. His son is Daniel Talbot.-Playing career:...
after their 4–2 home defeat against non-league Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
in the FA Cup Third Round. Albion are also in danger of being relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history.
10 January 1991 – Viv Anderson
Viv Anderson
Vivian Alexander "Viv" Anderson MBE is an English football player and coach, who played for clubs including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970s and 1980s...
joins Second Division promotion chasers Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer from Manchester United.
15 January 1991 – 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...
are fined £105,000 by the Football Association for making illegal payments to players. On the same day, 17-year-old midfielder Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
joins Liverpool from AFC Bournemouth for £350,000.
17 January 1991 – Sheffield United continue to get their season back on track with a club record £450,000 for Crystal Palace midfielder Glyn Hodges
Glyn Hodges
Glyn Hodges , is a Welsh football manager and former player. He played 18 times for the Welsh national side, scoring twice.-Football career:...
.
23 January 1991 – Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
scores a hat-trick as Manchester United beat 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...
3–2 in the League Cup quarter-final.
27 January 1991 – Woking's FA Cup dream comes to an end in the fourth round when they lose 1–0 to Everton at 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...
.
29 January 1991 – David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
is sacked after three years as manager of 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...
, the Second Division strugglers. His assistant Gordon Lee
Gordon Lee (footballer)
Gordon Francis Lee is a former English footballer and football manager.A right-back during his playing days, he moved from Hednesford Town to Aston Villa in 1955...
, the former Everton manager, is placed in temporary charge.
31 January 1991 – Arsenal remain leaders of the First Division despite having been deducted two points (while fifth placed Manchester United have been deducted one) for a 21-player brawl at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
on 20 October. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are emerging as contenders for a first-ever league title, while Sheffield United remain bottom with just three wins so far this season. West Ham United, Oldham Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday continue to occupy the top three places in the Second Division. Notts County, Middlesbrough, Brighton and Millwall occupy the playoff zone.
1 February 1991 – Paul Birch
Paul Birch (footballer)
Paul Birch was an English footballer who played as a midfielder, making over 150 appearances for both Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers during the 1980s and 1990s.-Career:...
leaves 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...
after 10 years and joins Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
for £400,000.
2 February 1991 – Arsenal suffer their first league defeat of the season in their 24th game, going down 2–1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
.
7 February 1991 – Lou Macari
Lou Macari
Luigi "Lou" Macari is a Scottish former footballer and football manager of Italian descent.-Playing career:...
, who quit as 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...
manager last season to concentrate on clearing his name in connection with financial irregularities at Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, makes his return to football management with Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. He replaces Dave Mackay
Dave Mackay
David Craig Mackay is a Scottish former football player and manager. Mackay is best remembered for a highly successful playing career with Heart of Midlothian, the Double winning Tottenham Hotspur side of 1961, and winning the league with Derby County as a manager. He also represented Scotland 22...
as manager of the mid table Third Division club, who were in the First Division just five years ago.
9 February 1991 – The Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
sees David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
score his first two goals for Liverpool in their 3–1 win over Everton.
12 February 1991 – Aston Villa sign defender Neil Cox from Scunthorpe United for £400,000 – a record fee for a Fourth Division player.
15 February 1991 – Tony Adams
Tony 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...
is released from prison after serving half of his 4-month prison sentence for drink-driving offences.
20 February 1991 – Sheffield Wednesday sign 19-year-old striker Gordon Watson
Gordon Watson
Gordon William George Watson is a retired English football player whose career was almost ended when he suffered a double fracture in the right leg in a tackle with Huddersfield Town defender Kevin Gray on 1 February 1997....
from 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,...
for £250,000.
21 February 1991 – 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...
pay Conference leaders Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
£250,000 for striker Andy Clarke
Andy Clarke
Andrew Weston Clarke is an English former footballer who played for Barnet, Wimbledon and Peterborough United as a striker.-Playing career:...
, breaking the record fee for a non-league player.
22 February 1991 – 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...
shocks the football world by announcing his resignation as Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
manager. Long-serving coach Ronnie Moran
Ronnie Moran
Ronnie Moran is a former Liverpool captain and coach, who has twice served as caretaker manager...
, 54, is appointed caretaker manager but insists that he does not want the job on a permanent basis.
28 February 1991 – February draws to a close with Arsenal now ahead of Liverpool at the top of the First Division on goal difference, while Crystal Palace have edged closer to them. At the other end of the table, Sheffield United are now six points clear of bottom-placed Derby County but remain in the other relegation place – bracketed together on goal difference with Coventry City, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers. West Ham United, Oldham Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday continue to lead the way in the Second Division. Middlesbrough, Notts County, Brighton and Millwall occupy the playoff zone, with Bristol City continuing to turn up the heat on them in their bid for a second successive promotion.
1 March 1991 – Liverpool are reported to be interested in appointing their former player John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
as manager, on the same day that long serving club captain Alan Hansen
Alan Hansen
Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...
announces his retirement after nearly a year out of action due to injury.
2 March 1991 – Ryan Giggs makes his professional debut for Manchester United in their 2–0 home defeat against Everton in the First Division.
8 March 1991 – Aston Villa, struggling in the First Division after finishing second last season, beef up their attack with a £1million move for 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...
striker Gary Penrice
Gary Penrice
Gary Kenneth Penrice is a former professional footballer. He played for Bristol Rovers, Watford, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers as a striker.-Early life:...
. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
denies media speculation that Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
is a transfer target for 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...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
10 March 1991 – Tottenham Hotspur move closer a record eighth FA Cup triumph by beating Notts County 2–1 in the quarter-final at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
. Everton's dream of silverware in Howard Kendall's "comeback season" are ended with a 2–1 defeat at West Ham United. Nottingham Forest move closer to a long-awaited first FA Cup triumph for Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
as they defeat Norwich City 1–0 at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
. Arsenal move closer to a unique second double by overcoming Cambridge United 2–1 in their opposition's second successive FA Cup quarter-final.
20 March 1991 – Swindon Town sell defender Paul Bodin
Paul Bodin
Paul John Bodin is a former Wales international footballer. A left-back, Bodin's domestic career is probably best remembered for his two spells at Swindon Town.-Career:...
to Crystal Palace for £550,000.
22 March 1991 – West Ham United, chasing promotion from the Second Division and also in the FA Cup semi-finals, boost their quest for glory by signing Northern Irish striker Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
from Luton Town for £480,000.
26 March 1991 – 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...
resigns after two-and-a-half years as manager of 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...
, whose Second Division promotion challenge is collapsing.
28 March 1991 – The 90-day inquest into the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
records a verdict of accidental death on the 95 Liverpool fans who died as a result of their injuries at the FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989.
30 March 1991 – Manchester United centre-back Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
scores twice in a 3–0 away league win over his old club Norwich City, becoming the first defender to score 10 league goals this season.
31 March 1991 – March draws to a close with Arsenal now leading Liverpool by two points, and Crystal Palace's title challenge fading fast as they are now seven points behind Arsenal who have played a game less than them. Sheffield United's incredible revival has continued as they now stand 12th in the table having not won in the league until 22 December. Derby County now need something little short of a miracle to avoid relegation, as they are now 12 points adrift of safety, while Sunderland now occupy the other relegation place. Oldham Athletic and West Ham United lead the Second Division level on 70 points, with Brighton, Middlesbrough, Millwall and Bristol City occupying the playoff zone. Ossie Ardiles becomes manager of Newcastle United, who are just six points outside the playoff zone with two games in hand.
3 April 1991 – Arsenal take a step closer to the title with a 5–0 home win over 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...
, in which 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 Alan Smith both score twice, with Paul Davis
Paul Davis (footballer)
Paul Vincent Davis is an English former footballer.Born in Dulwich, London, Davis signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1977 and turned professional the following year...
adding a further goal.
13 April 1991 – Liverpool's title challenge is kept alive with a thrilling 5–4 away win over Leeds United.
14 April 1991 – Tottenham Hotspur end Arsenal's hopes of a unique double and boost their own hopes of an eighth FA Cup triumph with a 3–1 win in the first FA Cup semi-final to be played at Wembley. The game is most memorable for a goal scored from 40 yards by Paul Gascoigne. Nottingham Forest win the other semi-final, crushing West Ham United 4–0 at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
.
16 April 1991 – Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
is named as Liverpool's new manager, departing from Rangers F.C.
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...
where he is succeeded by Walter Smith.
20 April 1991 – Nottingham Forest record the biggest First Division win of the season by beating Chelsea 7–0 at the City Ground
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 ....
.
21 April 1991 – 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...
, chasing promotion to the 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....
, achieve a 1–0 win over 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...
in the Football 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...
Final to end their 56-year trophy drought.
28 April 1991 – Graham Taylor appoints Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
as captain of the England team.
30 April 1991 – April draws to a close with Arsenal looking all set for title glory, while any hope that Crystal Palace, Leeds United, Manchester United or Manchester City might have had of leapfrogging them has now been completely extinguished. Derby County remain bottom and almost certain of relegation, while second-from-bottom Sunderland along with Southampton, Sheffield United, Aston Villa (last season's league runners-up) and Luton Town are still fighting to avoid the drop.
1 May 1991 – England beat Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
1–0 in Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
in the fourth Euro 92 qualifying game, with 24-year-old 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...
midfielder Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
scoring the first international goal of his career.
4 May 1991 –
-
- – BarnetBarnet F.C.Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
seal promotion to the Football League by clinching the Conference title.- – In the Manchester derbyManchester derbyThe Manchester derby is the name given to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United. The local derby centres on the City of Manchester and Greater Manchester with approximately four miles separating the clubs with City based in east Manchester at the City of Manchester Stadium...
at Old Trafford, Ryan Giggs scores his first senior goal (in only his second appearance) in a 1–0 win for United.- – In Wimbledon's last game at Plough LanePlough LanePlough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace. Both clubs' reserve teams...
, they lose 3–0 to Crystal Palace in the league, with Ian WrightIan WrightIan Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
scoring all of Palace's goal.
- – In Wimbledon's last game at Plough Lane
- – In the Manchester derby
- – Barnet
6 May 1991 – 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...
are crowned champions before kicking off their home game over 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...
, which ends in a 3–1 win for the North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
side. Alan Smith scores three goals in the game, becoming the first Arsenal player to score a league hat-trick this season.
Their title status was confirmed an hour before the kick-off, when their last remaining challengers Liverpool were beaten 2–1 by 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...
. Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
make a £4 million bid for 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...
midfielder David Platt.
11 May 1991 – The Second Division campaign ends with Oldham Athletic as champions (ending 68 years outside the First Division), West Ham United second and Sheffield Wednesday third. Notts County, Millwall, Brighton and Middlesbrough. Hull City's relegation was confirmed last weekend, while West Bromwich Albion are relegated alongside them to fall into the Third Division for the first time in their history. Arsenal end their championship campaign in style with a 6–1 demolition of Coventry City at Highbury, with Anders Limpar
Anders Limpar
Anders Erik Limpar is a Swedish former footballer of Hungarian origin, who played as a winger...
scoring a hat-trick.
12 May 1991 – Despite having secured Luton Town's First Division survival for two seasons in a row, Jim Ryan
Jim Ryan
Jim Ryan may refer to:*Jim Ryan , former player for the Denver Broncos*Jim Ryan , president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd*Jim Ryan , former Welsh football player...
is sacked as manager. It is rumoured that David Pleat, who served the club from 1978 to 1986, will return to Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
for a second spell as Luton manager.
14 May 1991 – 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...
reach an agreement to ground-share with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
from the start of next season, as Plough Lane
Plough Lane
Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace. Both clubs' reserve teams...
is deemed too confined a site to sustain an all-seater stadium for a top division club. However, it is the club's long-term ambition to build a new all-seater stadium in the London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
.
15 May 1991 – 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...
mark a stylish return to European football by English clubs with a 2–1 win over Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in the European Cup Winners' Cup final in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
scores both goals.
18 May 1991 – Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
suffers cruciate knee ligament damage in 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....
's 2–1 FA Cup final victory over Nottingham Forest, meaning that he is likely to miss most or even all of next season (and possibly even Euro 92). His proposed £8.5million move to Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
club 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...
is put on hold.
22 May 1991 – English football is plunged into mourning by the death of former Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
centre forward Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
, who dies four days before what would have been his 70th birthday.
30 May 1991 – 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,...
, whose Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
side have just secured their second successive promotion and won the Fourth Division title, is appointed as Leicester City's new manager.
2 June 1991 – Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
beat Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
3–1 in the Second Division playoff final to earn a return to the First Division after seven years away.
6 June 1991 – David Pleat is appointed Luton Town manager for the second time.
7 June 1991 – Ron Atkinson accepts an improved offer from Aston Villa to become their new manager. On the same day, Leeds United look to build on their impressive return of fourth place in the First Division by boosting their squad with the £1.6million signing of 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...
striker Rod Wallace
Rod Wallace
Rodney Seymour "Rod" Wallace is a retired English footballer.Wallace played predominantly as a striker or part of an attacking forward line. He started his career at Southampton in 1988 playing 128 league games scoring 45 goals. This form earned him a transfer to Leeds where he won the first...
and the £1.3 million acquisition of 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...
defender Tony Dorigo
Tony Dorigo
Anthony Robert Dorigo is a retired English football player who played for Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leeds United and the England national side as a left-back.-Career:...
.
11 June 1991 – Ian Branfoot
Ian Branfoot
Ian Grant Branfoot is an English former footballer and manager.He played as a defender, and after starting at Gateshead joined Sheffield Wednesday, making his Football League debut in 1965. After 42 senior appearances for the club he left in 1969-70 for Doncaster Rovers...
is named as the new manager of 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...
as successor to Chris Nicholl
Chris Nicholl
Christopher John "Chris" Nicholl is an English-born former Northern Ireland international footballer.-Playing career:Nicholl was born in Macclesfield...
.
25 June 1991 – 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....
, bankrolled by new chairman Jack Walker
Jack Walker
Jack Walker was a British industrialist and businessman, from Blackburn, Lancashire. Walker invested tens of millions of pounds in Blackburn Rovers football club after amassing a personal fortune of £600 million...
who is determined to bring top division football back to the club next year for the first time since 1966, pay a club record £700,000 for Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
midfielder Steve Agnew
Steve Agnew
Stephen Mark "Steve" Agnew is a retired English footballer and current first team coach of Middlesbrough.-Club career:...
.
27 June 1991 – Former Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
goalkeeper Andy Goram
Andy Goram
Andrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie"...
, who was born in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
but represents Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
at international level due to his ancestry, becomes Scotland's first £1million goalkeeper in a move from Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
to 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...
.
28 June 1991 – 17 of the 22 clubs competing in next season's First Division sign a contract to break away from the Football League if the Football Association's plan to form a new Premier League fails. Norman Whiteside, who managed just two games for Everton this season, retires from playing at the age of 26 after admitting defeat in his attempt to overcome a serious knee injury.
National team
The England national football teamEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
had a successful season, winning a mini-tournament against the CIS
CIS national football team
The CIS national football team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up of the Soviet Union between 1990 and early 1992...
and Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, progressing steadily in qualification for the 1992 UEFA European Championship and conducting a tour to South-East Asia and Oceania in which they won all four games.
Asian tour
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Deaths
- 9 August 1990 – Joe MercerJoe MercerJoseph 'Joe' Mercer, OBE was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer, also named Joe. Joe Mercer senior died, following health problems resulting from a gas attack...
, 76, former England player, died on his birthday after suffering a stroke. Was manager of Manchester City when they won four trophies in three seasons starting in 1968. - 8 September 1990 – David LonghurstDavid LonghurstDavid John Longhurst was an English footballer. During his career, he played for Nottingham Forest, Halifax Town, Northampton Town, Peterborough United and York City. He died on the pitch during a match for York City against Lincoln City in 1990.-Career:Longhurst was a pacy striker who began his...
, 25, York CityYork City F.C.York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
striker, collapsed and died of a heart attack on 8 September during a Fourth Division fixture at Bootham Crescent. - 4 October 1990 – Peter TaylorPeter Thomas TaylorPeter Thomas Taylor was an English football goalkeeper and more notably, a football manager. His name is closely associated with that of Brian Clough, with whom he served as assistant manager at various clubs in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.Playing twenty years of professional football, he started...
, 62, long-term assistant manager to Brian CloughBrian CloughBrian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
who helped him win the league championship with 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...
in 1972. He later returned to Derby as manager but was sacked in 1984 after their relegation to the Third Division. - 22 December 1990 – Robin FridayRobin FridayRobin Friday was an English association football player who played professionally as a forward for Reading and Cardiff City during a career that lasted four years in the mid-1970s. Born and raised in Acton, west London, Friday was scouted, but not retained, by four professional clubs during his...
, 38, popular centre forward with ReadingReading F.C.Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
and Cardiff CityCardiff City F.C.Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
during the 1970s, was found dead at his London flat on Christmas EveChristmas EveChristmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
1990. He had suffered a heart attack. - 22 May 1991 – Stan MortensenStan MortensenStanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
, 69, former BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
and England striker who was one of the league's most exciting strikers in the immediate post-war years. Scored a hat-trick in the 1953 FA Cup final, to date the only player to do so.