1993-94 in English football
Encyclopedia
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England
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...

.

Overview

From the start of this season, the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

 would be sponsored by Carling
Carling
Carling brands are currently owned by the Molson Coors Brewing Company. In South Africa it is distributed by SABMiller.Carling Black Label is the name of a brand of Canadian lager in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and South Africa...

 Breweries - an association which would last for eight years. The premier league was without a sponsor for the previous season.

Keane joins United in record breaking deal

Manchester United broke the English transfer record before the start of the season by paying relegated Nottingham Forest £3.75million for promising young midfielder 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....

. The 22-year-old Irishman was signed by Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...

 as a long-term replacement for Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...

, who at 36 was in the twilight of his illustrious Old Trafford career.

Taylor out, Venables in

Graham Taylor resigned as England manager after their failure to qualify for the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

. He was succeeded by 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...

, the former Tottenham manager. Taylor had already been branded a Turnip by the Sun newspaper, after England lost 2-1 to the Swedish team in 1992, with their headline "Swedes 2, Turnip 1".

Sir Matt Busby dies

Sir Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...

 died on 20 January at the age of 84. He had been associated with Manchester United since being appointed manager at the end of the Second World War, and remained at the club as a director after calling time on his glorious managerial career in 1969.

United do the double

Manchester United won the Premiership title and F.A Cup to become only the fourth club this century to be league champions and F.A Cup winners in the same season. Only a 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa in the League Cup final prevented them from winning a unique treble of domestic trophies. They led the Premiership from the fourth game onwards and in the final table had an eight-point lead over second-placed Blackburn Rovers.
French striker Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...

 scored 25 goals in all competitions and was voted PFA Player of the Year. 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...

, 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...

 and 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...

 also hit the headlines with their brilliant form. In the F.A Cup final, United crushed Chelsea 4-0 thanks to two penalties from Eric Cantona and single goals from 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....

 and Brian McClair
Brian McClair
Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell...

.

A sticky time for the Toffees

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....

 resigned three years into his second spell as Everton manager and was replaced by Norwich City's Mike Walker. They looked set for relegation from the Premiership on the final day of the season as they were 2-0 down to Wimbledon - just seven years after they had been league champions - but turned the tables on their opponents to win 3-2 and beat the drop. Sheffield United went down instead.

Swindon's record breaking relegation

Swindon Town, in the top division for the first time, were relegated from the Premiership after collecting just five wins, conceding 100 goals in 42 games. Many fans pointed the finger of blame at the club's directors for giving the manager's job to the inexperienced John Gorman.
Swindon were joined in the crash-out zone by Sheffield United and Oldham Athletic.

Robson quits Old Trafford

Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...

 left Manchester United after 13 years to become player-manager of Middlesbrough F.C.
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...

 in place of 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...

. Robson was impressed by the club's ambitions, which included plans for a new 30,000-seat stadium
Riverside Stadium
The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough F.C. since it opened in 1995...

 on the banks of the River Tees scheduled for completion in the summer of 1995. Robson brought in former Manchester United team-mate 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...

 as his assistant.

Huddersfield move into a new home

Huddersfield Town relocated from Leeds Road to the new Alfred McAlpine
Alfred McAlpine
Alfred McAlpine plc was a British construction firm headquartered in London. It was a major road builder, and constructed over 10% of Britain's motorways, including the M6 Toll...

 Stadium at Kirklees. Their new home was initially a two-sided 15,000-seat stadium, with plans for an eventual capacity of 25,000. It took its name from the world famous building company, with which it had a 10-year sponsorship deal.

Bungs scandal hits Tottenham hard

After the end of the season, Tottenham Hotspur were deducted 5 points and were found guilty of financial irregularities dating back to the 1980s and hit with the most severe punishment handed down on any English club: a £600,000 fine, 12 league points deducted for the 1994-95 season, and a one-year ban from the F.A Cup. The points deduction and F.A Cup were eventually quashed after a series of appeals, although the fine was increased to £1.5million.

Northampton have a close shave

Northampton Town, who spent one season in the top division during the 1960s, finished bottom of Division Three but retained their league status because Conference champions Kidderminster Harriers were unable to meet the Football League's minimum stadium capacity requirements. This was the first time that there had been no exits or arrivals in the Football League since the re-election system was scrapped in 1987.

Famous debutants

15 September 1993: Darren Eadie
Darren Eadie
Darren Malcolm Eadie is a former professional footballer, who made his name as a pacey left-sided midfielder with Norwich City. He later played for Leicester City.-Norwich City:...

, 18-year-old winger, 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 first ever European fixture - 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...

 first round first leg clash with Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem
Vitesse Arnhem
Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse is a Dutch football club from Arnhem, which was founded on 14 May 1892. Vitesse has had considerable success in the Eredivisie, and featured in the UEFA Cup competition, but has never been considered a close competitor of the top three clubs of Netherlands...

.

22 September 1993: Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....

, 18-year-old striker, makes his debut for 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...

 in their 3-1 win at 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...

 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...

 second round first leg.

29 September 1993: Stephen Carr
Stephen Carr
Stephen Carr is an Irish footballer who plays for and captains Birmingham City. He previously played for the Premier League teams Tottenham Hotspur and, for a shorter spell, Newcastle United. He is a former international player with the Republic of Ireland...

, 17-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,...

 defender, makes his debut for 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....

 in a Premier League fixture against 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....

 at Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...

.

3 November 1993: Ade Akinbiyi
Ade Akinbiyi
Adeola Peter Oluwatoyin "Ade" Akinbiyi is a professional footballer.Akinbiyi has had a much-travelled career with many different clubs with transfer fees totalling more than £11.5 million during his career, including being Leicester City's record signing .Born in England, Akinbiyi qualifies to...

, 19-year-old London-born
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 striker of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

n descent, makes his debut as a substitute for Norwich City in their UEFA Cup second round second leg fixture with Bayern Munich 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....

, which ends in a 1-1 draw.

4 May 1994: Michael Duberry
Michael Duberry
Michael Wayne Duberry is an English footballer who plays for League Two club Oxford United. He started his career with Premier League side Chelsea and also played for Leeds United, Reading, Stoke City, Bournemouth and St...

, 17-year-old defender, played in Chelsea's
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...

 final Premier League game of the season - a 2-1 home defeat by 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...

.

Division Three

  • Tony Ellis
    Tony Ellis
    Anthony Joseph "Tony" Ellis is an English former professional footballer who commanded combined transfer fees of nearly £750,000 and scored 185 league goals in 518 league games during a sixteen-year Football League career....

     (Preston North End) - 26 goals

http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/engtops.html

Honours

Competition Winner
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...

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...

 (8*)
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...

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...

 (4*)
FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

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...

 (9/2*)
Football League 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....

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...

Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

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...

Football League Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...

Shrewsbury
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...



Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour (First Division & Premier League). Number after slash is Premier League only. * indicates new record for competition

English national team

Date Opposition Venue Competition Result Score
8 September 1993 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...

Wembley World Cup Qualifier Won 3-0
13 October 1993 Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

Rotterdam World Cup Qualifier Lost 0-2
17 November 1993 San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...

Bologna World Cup Qualifier Won 7-1
9 March 1994 Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...

Wembley Friendly Won 1-0
17 May 1994 Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...

Wembley Friendly Won 5-0
22 May 1994 Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

Wembley Friendly Drew 0-0


Even with the 7-1 victory over San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...

 (in which Davide Gualtieri
Davide Gualtieri
Davide Gualtieri is a retired Sammarinese footballer.He is most well-remembered for scoring the fastest ever goal in FIFA World Cup qualification history. He achieved the record in a qualifier that took place on 17 November 1993...

 scores the fastest goal in World Cup history) England fail to qualify for the finals of the 1994 World Cup and manager Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (football manager)
Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...

 resigns within days of the defeat. 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...

 is appointed as his replacement.

Qualifying Group Final Positions

Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Points
Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

10 7 2 1 25 5 16
Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

10 6 3 1 29 9 15
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...

10 5 3 2 26 9 13
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...

10 3 2 5 10 15 8
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...

10 3 1 6 11 19 7
San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...

10 0 1 9 2 46 1

FA Carling Premiership

  • For more detail on the Premiership this season see FA Premier League 1993-94
    FA Premier League 1993-94
    -New league sponsors:From the start of the 1993-94 season, the FA Premier League was sponsored by Carling Breweries.-Promoted teams:Newcastle United and West Ham were promoted to the Premier League from the First Division as champions and runners-up respectively. The last promotion place was won by...

    Pos. Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
    1. Manchester United
    Manchester United F.C.
    Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

    42 27 11 4 80 38 92
    2. 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....

    42 25 9 8 63 36 84
    3. 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...

    42 23 8 11 82 41 77
    4. 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...

    42 18 17 7 53 28 71
    5. Leeds United
    Leeds United A.F.C.
    Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

    42 18 16 8 65 39 70
    6. 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...

    42 18 11 13 56 53 65
    7. 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...

    42 16 16 10 76 54 64
    8. 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...

    42 17 9 16 59 55 60
    9. 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...

    42 16 12 14 62 61 60
    10. 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...

    42 15 12 15 46 50 57
    11. 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...

    42 14 14 14 43 45 56
    12. 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...

    42 12 17 13 65 61 53
    13. 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...

    42 13 13 16 47 58 52
    14. 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...

    42 13 12 17 49 53 51
    15. 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....

    42 11 12 19 54 59 45
    16. 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...

    42 9 18 15 38 49 45
    17. 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...

    42 12 8 22 42 63 44
    18. 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...

    42 12 7 23 49 66 43
    19. 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....

    42 9 16 17 35 58 43
    20. 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...

    42 8 18 16 42 60 42
    21. 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...

    42 9 13 20 42 68 40
    22. 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...

    42 5 15 22 47 100 30

Endsleigh League Division One

Alan Smith kicked off his management career by guiding Crystal Palace to the Division One title and regaining their Premiership place at first time of asking. Frank Clark began Nottingham Forest's post Brian Clough era by helping them finish second in Division One and achieve promotion back to the Premiership. They were joined by playoff winners Leicester City who beat unlucky John King's Tranmere Rovers then local rival Derby County in the final which they finally made Premiership after two successive playoff final defeats.

Oxford United's decline since losing their top flight status in 1988 continued as they slid into Division Two, along with Peterborough United (who had finished a strong 10th in the previous season, their first in the second tier) and Birmingham City.
Pos. Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
1. 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...

46 27 9 10 73 46 90
2. 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...

46 23 14 9 74 49 83
3. 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 19 17 10 58 49 74
4. 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 19 16 11 72 59 73
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 21 9 16 69 53 72
6. 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...

46 20 11 15 73 68 71
7. 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 20 8 18 65 69 68
8. 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 17 17 12 60 47 68
9. Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

46 18 13 15 66 54 67
10. 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 18 13 15 57 59 67
11. 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 19 8 19 61 58 65
12. Sunderland 46 19 8 19 54 57 65
13. 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 16 16 14 47 50 64
14. 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 15 14 17 63 64 59
15. 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 17 8 21 63 67 59
16. 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 13 20 13 52 47 59
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 15 13 18 52 58 58
18. 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 16 7 23 55 67 55
19. 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 15 9 22 66 80 54
20. 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...

46 14 11 21 56 60 53
21. 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 13 12 21 60 69 51
22. 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 13 12 21 52 69 51
23. 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 13 10 23 54 75 49
24. 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 8 13 25 48 76 37

Endsleigh League Division Two

Mark McGhee won the Division Two championship for Reading after their first successful season in years. They were joined by John Rudge's Port Vale in second place. Burnley triumphed in the Division Two playoffs to come within one division of the top flight just seven years after they had almost gone down to the Conference.

Going down to Division Three were Fulham (who would be in the league's lowest tier for the first time in their history), Hartlepool United, Exeter City and Barnet.
Pos. Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
1. 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 26 11 9 81 44 89
2. 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 26 10 10 79 46 88
3. 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 25 10 11 88 56 85
4. 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 24 13 9 74 44 85
5. 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 21 12 13 64 40 75
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 21 10 15 79 58 73
7. Bradford City 46 19 13 14 61 53 70
8. 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 20 10 16 60 59 70
9. 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 18 14 14 62 54 68
10. 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 19 9 18 79 73 66
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 17 14 15 58 61 65
12. Wrexham
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...

46 17 11 18 66 77 62
13. Swansea City 46 16 12 18 56 58 60
14. 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 15 14 17 60 67 59
15. 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 15 13 18 63 66 58
16. 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 13 19 14 57 55 58
17. 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 15 17 51 59 57
18. 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 14 14 18 57 71 56
19. 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 13 15 18 66 79 54
20. 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 16 5 25 63 75 53
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 14 10 22 50 63 52
22. 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 11 12 23 52 83 45
23. 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 9 9 28 41 87 36
24. 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....

46 5 13 28 41 86 28

Endsleigh League Division Three

Shrewsbury Town, Chester City and Crewe Alexandra occupied the three promotion places in Division Three, while Martin O'Neill's Wycombe Wanderers won the playoffs in their first season of league football.

Northampton Town finished bottom of the league but were saved from demotion because Conference champions Kidderminster Harriers did not meet the league's stadium capacity requirements.
Pos. Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
1. 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...

42 22 13 7 63 39 79
2. 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...

42 21 11 10 69 46 74
3. 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...

42 21 10 11 80 61 73
4. Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...

42 19 13 10 67 53 70
5. 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...

42 18 13 11 79 60 67
6. 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...

42 17 16 9 64 56 67
7. 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....

42 18 10 14 57 42 64
8. 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...

42 16 14 12 55 48 62
9. Rochdale 42 16 12 14 63 51 60
10. 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...

42 17 9 16 48 53 60
11. 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....

42 15 14 13 64 56 59
12. 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...

42 15 10 17 53 62 55
13. 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...

42 14 11 17 55 56 53
14. 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...

42 15 8 19 55 61 53
15. 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...

42 14 10 18 44 57 52
16. 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...

42 12 15 15 44 51 51
17. 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....

42 13 10 19 56 71 49
18. 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....

42 12 11 19 52 63 47
19. 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...

42 11 12 19 51 70 45
20. 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',...

42 12 6 24 60 79 42
21. 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...

42 10 11 21 42 64 41
22. Northampton Town
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...

42 9 11 22 44 66 38

Successful players

Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...

 received the PFA Player of the Year award after his 25 goals in all competitions were the key force in Manchester United's
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...

 double glory.

Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...

 was voted FWA Player of the Year after returning from injury to score 31 Premier League goals for runners-up 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....

.

Andy Cole
Andy Cole
Andrew Alexander Cole is a retired English footballer. He is most well known by the name Andy Cole , but in 2000, he reputedly asked to be known as Andrew Cole...

 was voted 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...

 after finishing top scorer in the Premier League with 34 goals for newly promoted 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...

, who finished third and qualified for Europe
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...

 for the first time since the 1970s.

Cole's veteran partner 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...

 scored 25 league goals in his first season back 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...

.

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....

 was once again a consistent goalscorer 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...

, who dipped to 10th in the league a year after finishing runners-up, but booked themselves another UEFA Cup campaign thanks to glory in 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...

.

21-year-old striker 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...

 attracted huge attention from England's
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...

 top clubs before his record-breaking transfer from 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...

 to Blackburn Rovers.

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...

 established himself as one of the country's top marksmen as he powered 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...

 back into the Premier League at the first attempt.

Veteran 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...

 striker Jimmy Quinn
Jimmy Quinn (Northern Irish footballer)
James Martin "Jimmy" Quinn is a former Northern Ireland international footballer and was manager of Bournemouth.-Club:...

 scored 35 league goals to lead his side to the Division Two title.

Successful managers

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...

 and Nottingham Forest gained promotion to the Premiership in their first season under the respective management of Alan Smith and Frank Clark.

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,...

 finally got it right with Leicester City as he helped them win promotion to the Premiership.

Jimmy Mullen inspired Burnley's second promotion in two seasons as they won the Division Two playoffs.

Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...

 helped Wycombe Wanderers gain their second successive promotion and earn a place in Division Two.

Notable debutants

26 September 1993: Stephen Carr
Stephen Carr
Stephen Carr is an Irish footballer who plays for and captains Birmingham City. He previously played for the Premier League teams Tottenham Hotspur and, for a shorter spell, Newcastle United. He is a former international player with the Republic of Ireland...

, 17-year-old defender, makes his debut for 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....

 in a 2-2 Premier League draw with 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....

 at Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...

.

Retirements

21 January 1994: Mel Sterland
Mel Sterland
Melvyn "Mel" Sterland is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United and in the Scottish Football League Premier Division for Rangers, and was capped once for England.-Playing career:Sterland's career is distinctly in two...

, 32-year-old Leeds United defender, retires after failing to overcome an achilles injury suffered more than a year ago.

2 May 1994: Frank Stapleton
Frank Stapleton
Francis Anthony "Frank" Stapleton is an Irish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his time at Arsenal, Manchester United and as a pivotal player for the Republic of Ireland...

, 38-year-old former 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...

 and 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...

 striker, retires from playing after being dismissed as player-manager by Division Two club Bradford City.

9 May 1994: Paul Elliott, 30-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...

 central defender, retires from playing 20 months after suffering a serious knee injury for which he is about to begin a legal challenge against 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....

, the former 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...

 striker who collided with him when he was injured.

31 May 1994: Kevin Moran, 38-year-old 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....

 central defender, announces his retirement as a player but will not retire completely until the end of the Republic of Ireland's
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....

 World Cup campaign.

Diary of the season

1 July 1993 - 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...

 appoint 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...

 defender 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...

 as their player-manager to succeed Mel Machin
Mel Machin
Melvyn "Mel" Machin is an English former footballer and manager.A midfielder, he started his career at Port Vale in 1962, before he moved on to Gillingham four years later. He made his name at the club from 1966 to 1971, before he transferred to Bournemouth for a three year spell...

.

5 July 1993 - Gordon Cowans
Gordon Cowans
Gordon Sidney Cowans is an English retired football player and coach.Cowans started his career at Aston Villa as an apprentice in 1974, and signed as a professional in 1976...

 begins his third spell at 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 joining them on a free transfer from 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....

, while 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...

 pay £2million for 22-year-old 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...

 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...

.

14 July 1993 - After Lee Chapman
Lee Chapman
Lee Chapman is an English former footballer who scored almost 200 first-team goals as a striker. He was best known for his spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United...

 departs to 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...

 on a free transfer, Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

 replace him with record signing Brian Deane
Brian Deane
Brian Christopher Deane is an English former footballer.Signed for £40,000 from Doncaster Rovers in the close season of 1988, Deane first played and scored for Sheffield United in an 8–1 victory against Skegness Town...

 from Sheffield United for £2.9million, while England midfielder David Platt is transferred for the third year running when he leaves Juventus in a £5.2million move to Italian Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 rivals Sampdoria.

16 July 1993 - 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...

 returns to 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 a £1.4million move from 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...

, six years after he left 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...

 for 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...

.

17 July 1993 - The domestic transfer record is broken when 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....

 signs for Manchester United from 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 a £3.75million deal.

20 July 1993 - For the first time in more than 40 years, the British transfer fee record is broken by a Scottish club rather than an English one, when 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...

 sign Dundee United striker Duncan Ferguson
Duncan Ferguson
Duncan Cowan Ferguson is a Scottish former footballer. He was notorious for his "hardman" image and nicknamed "Big Dunc" and "Duncan Disorderly"....

 for £4million.

26 July 1993 - Aston Villa 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....

 midfielder Andy Townsend
Andy Townsend
Andrew "Andy" David Townsend is a former professional footballer, who played in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland and is now a television and radio pundit....

 from 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...

 for £2.1million.

29 July 1993 - Former Manchester United, Everton and Wales winger Mickey Thomas, 39, is sentenced to 18 months in prison for producing and distributing forged banknotes. This comes just eight days after he was in court to see two men sent to prison for assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...

ing him.

1 August 1993 - Guy Whittingham
Guy Whittingham
Guy Whittingham is a retired professional footballer with over 450 appearances for a number of English clubs, after leaving the British Army. He is currently serving as joint caretaker manager of Portsmouth together with Stuart Gray...

, whose 42 Division One goals weren't quite enough to get Portsmouth promoted to the Premier League last season, is transferred to Aston Villa for £1.2million. In Division Three, 37-year-old Keith Alexander
Keith Alexander (footballer)
Keith Alexander was a Saint Lucian footballer and manager. Born in Nottingham, England, he was the manager of League Two side Macclesfield Town at the time of his death, in a career that included international appearances for Saint Lucia. Alexander played for a whole host of lower league football...

 becomes the first black manager of a Football League club when he takes over at 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....

.

4 August 1993 - John Smith
John Smith (UK politician)
John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...

, leader of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

, opens Millwall's
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...

 New Den
The New Den
The Den , is a football stadium and the home of Millwall FC. It is situated in South Bermondsey, South East London, almost directly adjacent to the railway line between London Bridge and New Cross Gate, plus the SELCHP incinerator. It is under a quarter of a mile away from original Den...

, a 20,000-seat stadium, which sees its first action in a friendly with Sporting Clube de Portugal that ends in a 2-1 win for the visitors. The stadium was first planned in 1990 in the wake of the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...

 and was initially going to have a capacity of 25,000, but these plans were downsized as Millwall could not meet the cost.

7 August 1993 - Frank Clark is named as manager of Nottingham Forest, replacing 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...

, who retired earlier in the summer after 18 years at the helm. His first task is to guide Forest back into the Premier League after last season's relegation.

12 August 1993 - Chelsea buy midfielder Gavin Peacock
Gavin Peacock
Gavin Keith Peacock is a former English professional football player who played primarily in midfield but often as a striker...

 from Newcastle United for £1.2million, while Everton's
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...

 longest-serving player Kevin Ratcliffe
Kevin Ratcliffe
Kevin Ratcliffe is a former Welsh footballer who spent most of his career playing for Everton. He was born in Mancot, near Queensferry in North Wales.-Club career:...

 leaves 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...

 after 15 years and joins 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...

 on a free transfer.

14 August 1993 - On the opening day of the Premier League season, Coventry City pull off a major surprise by beating Arsenal 3-0 in the first game at the new all-seater Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...

, with Micky Quinn
Micky Quinn
Michael "Micky" Quinn is a former footballer. He was predominantly a centre forward during a career in which he scored 228 goals from 515 games in the Football League.- Club career :...

 scoring all three goals. Swindon Town's first top division game ends in a 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United.

15 August 1993 - Manchester United's defence of the Premier League title begins with a 2-0 away win over Norwich City, last season's third placed side.

17 August 1993 - 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...

 pay a club record fee £2.7million for QPR midfielder Andy Sinton
Andy Sinton
Andrew "Andy" Sinton born 19 March 1966 in Cramlington, Northumberland, is an English former professional footballer and current manager of A.F.C. Telford United...

.

19 August 1993 - Tony Barton, who managed 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...

 to 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...

 glory in 1982, dies of a heart attack aged 56.

21 August 1993 - Manchester United are held to a 1-1 home draw with newly promoted Newcastle United, allowing Everton (who beat Sheffield United 4-2, with Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee
Anthony Richard "Tony" Cottee is a former football player who now works as a television football commentator...

 scoring a hat-trick) to go top of the Premier League after three games.

23 August 1993 - 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 twice as Manchester United beat last season's runners-up Aston Villa 2-1 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...

, allowing United to go top of the Premier League - they will not be headed all season.

25 August 1993 - Swindon Town's dismal Premier League debut continues as they are crushed 5-1 at Southampton.

26 August 1993 - 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 sacked by 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...

, who have lost three of their four opening FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

 games.

27 August 1993 - Brian Horton
Brian Horton
Brian Horton is an English former footballer and manager, who is working as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End.Horton played for Hednesford Town, Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Hull City as a midfielder...

 leaves 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...

 to become the new manager of 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...

. He takes charge of his second game later in the day, as the Blues draw 1-1 at home to Coventry City in the Premier League.

31 August 1993 - The first month of the league season ends with defending champions Manchester United top of the Premier League with Liverpool, Arsenal, Norwich City and Ipswich Town completing the top five. Meanwhile, Swindon Town have gained just one point from their first-ever five top division games, and prop up the table. Completing the bottom three are Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday, who had been largely expected to compete near the top of the table this season. The first month of the Division One campaign has seen 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...

 and 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,...

 take a joint lead at the top of the table with 12 points. 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...

, Wolverhampton Wanderers, 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 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...

 occupy the playoff places.

3 September 1993 - Paul Warhurst
Paul Warhurst
Paul Warhurst is an English former football player. He was primarily as a defender, but has also played in midfield or as a striker at various points in his career...

 moves from Sheffield Wednesday to 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....

 in a £2.75million deal - the fifth highest fee between English clubs.

8 September 1993 - 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...

 put their World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...

 qualification hopes back on track with a 3-0 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.

11 September 1993 - 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...

 scores a hat-trick in Arsenal's 4-0 home league win over Ipswich Town.

15 September 1993 - Manchester United beat Honved
Budapest Honvéd FC
Budapest Honvéd FC |football]] team. "Honved" means the Homeland Defense. Originally formed as Kispest AC, they became Kispest FC in 1926 before reverting to their original name in 1944. The team enjoyed a golden age during the 1950s when it was renamed Budapest Honvéd SE and became the Hungarian...

 of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 3-2 away in their first 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...

 fixture for 25 years.

16 September 1993 - After two months at Portsmouth, Lee Chapman
Lee Chapman
Lee Chapman is an English former footballer who scored almost 200 first-team goals as a striker. He was best known for his spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United...

 returns to the Premier League with newly promoted 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...

 for £250,000.

17 September 1993 - 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...

 sign 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...

 defender Julian Dicks
Julian Dicks
Julian Andrew Dicks , is a retired football player and manager, last attached to Isthmian League Division One North club Grays Athletic.-Playing career:...

 for £1.5million, with Mike Marsh
Mike Marsh (footballer)
Mike Marsh is a footballer and now a coach, who came through the ranks at Liverpool and was part of their 1992 FA Cup-winning side.-Professional career:...

 and David Burrows
David Burrows (footballer)
David Burrows is an English former footballer. During his career he played for West Bromwich Albion, Liverpool, West Ham United, Everton, Coventry City, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday as well as the England Under-21 and B teams...

 going to 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:...

 in exchange.

22 September 1993 - Mark Stein scores twice for 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...

 in their surprise 2-1 over Manchester United in the first leg of the Coca-Cola Cup second round at the Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground may refer to:*Victoria Ground, the former name of Hartlepool United’s ground Victoria Park.*Victoria Ground, Stoke City’s ground from 1878 to 1997.*Victoria Ground, current home of Bromsgrove Rovers...

. South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n born Stein, 27, is a target for several Premier League clubs.

25 September 1993 - Everton, fourth in the Premier League, suffer a 5-1 defeat at home to 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 one of the most thrilling league games so far this season. Norwich striker Efan Ekoku
Efan Ekoku
Efangwu Goziem "Efan" Ekoku is an English-born Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker.- Playing career :...

 scores four goals in the game - the first player to score four goals in a Premier League game.

30 September 1993 - September draws to a close with Manchester United still top of the table, leading by three points over Arsenal. Aston Villa, Leeds United, Norwich City and Wimbledon are just some of the many other clubs currently in strong contention. Liverpool, meanwhile, have slumped to 13th place after a disappointing month, mounting the pressure upon 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,...

. Swindon are still bottom of the table and looking for their first-ever top division win after nine games, being level on points with a Southampton side who have lost eight of their first nine games, while Oldham Athletic have fallen into the relegation zone as well. In the race to win promotion to the Premier League, Crystal Palace top Division One on goal difference ahead of 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...

. The playoff zone is occupied by Leicester City, Charlton Athletic, Middlesbrough and Southend United.

1 October 1993 - Former Manchester City player-manager Peter Reid signs a short-term playing contract with 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...

, while Everton striker Mo Johnson returns to his homeland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 after agreeing a contract with Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

.

2 October 1993 - Gary Speed
Gary Speed
Gary Andrew Speed, MBE was a Welsh football player and manager. He was captain of the Wales national football team until he retired from international football in 2004 and he remains the most capped outfield player for Wales and the second overall, having appeared 85 times at senior level between...

 and Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...

 both score twice from midfield in a 4-0 home league win for Leeds United against Wimbledon.

4 October 1993 - Jim Holton
Jim Holton
James Alan "Jim" Holton was a Scottish football player.Born in Lesmahagow, South Lanarkshire, Holton began his playing career with West Bromwich Albion in 1968, but left three years later without having played a first-team game. He spent a season at Shrewsbury Town before making the big move to...

, who played for Manchester United at centre-half in the 1970s, dies from a heart attack at the wheel of his car. He was 42 years old.

7 October 1993 - 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...

 manager Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....

 rules him out of the running to take over as England manager if Graham Taylor's reign is ended by failure to qualify for the World Cup.

13 October 1993 - 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...

 are left with little hope of qualifying for the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...

 after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Holland
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 in their penultimate qualifying game.

18 October 1993 - Lou Macari
Lou Macari
Luigi "Lou" Macari is a Scottish former footballer and football manager of Italian descent.-Playing career:...

 walks out on 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...

 to succeed Liam Brady
Liam Brady
Liam Brady is a former Irish association football player, and former assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team....

 as manager of Glasgow Celtic.

26 October 1993 - 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....

 pay Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

 £2.75million for midfielder David Batty
David Batty
David Batty is an English retired professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder....

.

30 October 1993 - 18-year-old Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....

 scores a hat-trick in a 4-2 home league win over Southampton.

31 October 1993 - Manchester United end October as Premier League leaders with an 11-point margin over their nearest rivals Norwich City, Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa who are all bracketed together on points. Swindon are still bottom of the league and their winless run has now stretched to 13 games, while Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday are still in the relegation zone. Liverpool have improved after last season's wobbles to occupy seventh place. Charlton Athletic are top of Division One, with Leicester City occupying second place. The playoff zone is occupied by Crystal Palace, Tranmere Rovers, Middlesbrough and 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...

. Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who both began the season in promotion form, have slipped into the bottom half of the table.

3 November 1993 - Manchester United are eliminated from the European Cup on away goals by Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 side Galatasaray
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club based in Istanbul, most notable for its football section, also known as Galatasaray S.K.. It also fields teams in Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair basketball, Volleyball, Water polo, Swimming, Rowing, Sailing, Judo, Bridge, Equestrian, Handball,...

, while Arsenal progress to the next stage of the European Cup Winners' Cup with a 7-0 away victory over Standard Liege
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....

 of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

.

4 November 1993 - 34-year-old goalkeeper Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...

 joins Southampton from Chelsea in a £300,000 deal, while the national record fee for a goalkeeper (a record of which Beasant was once a holder) is broken when Tim Flowers
Tim Flowers
Timothy David "Tim" Flowers is an English former football goalkeeper and the former manager of Conference North team Stafford Rangers.-Club career:...

 exits The Dell from Blackburn Rovers.

5 November 1993 - Tim Flowers
Tim Flowers
Timothy David "Tim" Flowers is an English former football goalkeeper and the former manager of Conference North team Stafford Rangers.-Club career:...

 becomes the most expensive goalkeeper in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 when he moves from 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...

 to 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....

 for £2.4million.

7 November 1993 - 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...

 sees City take a 2-0 lead in the first half with two goals from Niall Quinn
Niall Quinn
Niall John Quinn honorary MBE is a former Irish international footballer, and the ex-chairman of Sunderland AFC. He still works at the club as an overseas manager. He is also heavily involved in the management side of horse racing...

, only for Eric Cantona (twice) and Roy Keane to overturn City's lead and win the game 3-2 for United.

17 November 1993 - 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...

 beat San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...

 7-1 in their final World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 qualifying game, but fail to qualify for the finals because of Holland
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

's victory over Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

. Media reports suggest that manager Graham Taylor is likely to resign or be sacked imminently.

20 November 1993 - Alan Shearer scores both of Blackburn's goals in their 2-0 home league win over his old club Southampton.

24 November 1993 - Graham Taylor announces his resignation as 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...

 manager after being vilified by the media (notably The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...

newspaper, who branded him a "turnip") for failing to achieve qualification for the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...

. On the same day, 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...

 finally win a Premier League game at the 16th attempt in their first-ever top division campaign.

27 November 1993 - QPR 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...

 rules himself out of the running to become the next England manager. Manchester City striker Niall Quinn
Niall Quinn
Niall John Quinn honorary MBE is a former Irish international footballer, and the ex-chairman of Sunderland AFC. He still works at the club as an overseas manager. He is also heavily involved in the management side of horse racing...

 suffers a knee injury against 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...

.

29 November 1993 - Peter Swales resigns as 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...

 chairman after 20 years.

30 November 1993 - November draws to a close with Manchester United now leading by 14 points ahead of their nearest rivals Leeds United and Arsenal, while newly-promoted Newcastle United are starting to give the top five a run for their money. Swindon Town finally managed to win a league game at the 16th attempt, but are still bottom of the division with a mere nine points from their opening 17 games, while Oldham Athletic remain second from bottom and Chelsea have slipped into the relegation zone after Southampton climbed out of it on goal difference. Charlton Athletic remain top of Division One, with Tranmere Rovers occupying second place. Southend United's resurgence in form has seen them rise to third place in the league, with the playoff zone being completed by Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Millwall. Niall Quinn's knee injury is diagnosed as cruciate ligament damage, and he is warned that he is likely to miss the rest of the English league season as well as next summer's World Cup. Jimmy Armfield
Jimmy Armfield
James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back...

, the former England international, is selected by the Football Association as the man with the task of finding the national side's next manager.

4 December 1993 - 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....

 resigns after three years in his second spell as charge of Everton, who have fallen into the bottom half of the Premier League table after topping it in the first month of the season. Curiously, his resignation comes within hours of Everton's 1-0 home league win over Arsenal.

7 December 1993 - 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...

 deny rumours 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 due to return to English football in a move to either Leeds United or Manchester United.

10 December 1993 - Former England manager Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....

 resigns as manager of Portugese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 club Sporting Lisbon, sparking media speculation that he will be offered the Everton job.

27 December 1993 - Kevin Campbell scores his second league hat-trick of the season as Arsenal beat Swindon Town 4-0 at the County Ground
County Ground, Swindon
The County Ground is a stadium located near the town centre of Swindon, England. It is home to Swindon Town Football Club and has been for over a century.The current capacity is 15,728, all-seated...

. Meanwhile, Arsenal's underperforming 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...

 rivals Tottenham are beaten 3-1 at home by a Norwich City side with two goals coming from prolific 20-year-old striker 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...

.

30 December 1993 - Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy MBE is a retired English football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton Football Club...

, 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...

 manager from 1973 to 1985 and until last month assistant manager of the England team since 1990, returns to The Dell as Director of Football, working alongside under-fire manager 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...

.

31 December 1993 - 1993 draws to a close with Manchester United still top of the table with a 14-point lead over nearest rivals Blackburn Rovers, who have a game in hand. Leeds United, Arsenal and Newcastle United complete the top five, while at the other end of the table Swindon Town remain bottom with Oldham Athletic and Chelsea now out of the relegation zone at the expense of Southampton and Sheffield United. Crystal Palace are now leaders of Division One, with the other automatic promotion place currently being occupied by Tranmere Rovers. Charlton Athletic, Leicester City and Southend United completing the top six. Nottingham Forest are catching up with the leading pack and are now just one point and two places outside the playoff zone.

4 January 1994 - After taking a 3-0 lead in the first half, Manchester United are held to a 3-3 draw by Liverpool in the league 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...

.

5 January 1994 - It is reported in the media that the former 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...

 will take over as manager of the England team.

8 January 1994 - The FA Cup third round sparks some major upsets. Bristol City hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw, while an identical scoreline occurs for Everton at Bolton Wanderers. Queens Park Rangers are defeated by Stockport County, but the big shock comes when Division One Birmingham City lose 2-1 at home to GM Vauxhall Conference leaders Kidderminster Harriers.

11 January 1994 - 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...

 resigns after two and a half years as manager of Southampton, with former England manager Graham Taylor rumoured to be on the shortlist of possible successors.

13 January 1994 - Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...

 sells his son, midfielder Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson is a Scottish football manager and former player, currently in his second spell as the manager of Peterborough United...

, from Manchester United to 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 £250,000.

14 January 1994 - Mike Walker, the manager who took 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...

 to a club best of third place in the Premier League last season, departs 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....

 to take over at 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...

.

16 January 1994 - Mike Walker starts on a high at Everton, guiding them to a 6-2 home win over Premier League basement club Swindon Town, in which Tony Cottee scores his second league hat-trick of the season.

20 January 1994 -
    • - Legendary former 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...

       manager Sir Matt Busby dies at the age of 84.

      • - Alan Ball is appointed manager of Southampton, who pay £100,000 to release him from his contract as manager of 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...

        .

        • - 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 :...

          , who has been at Everton since joining them as a player 30 years ago, leaves the Goodison Park
          Goodison Park
          Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

           club. He had worked under Howard Kendall as a coach during his two spells as manager, and was also manager of the club from June 1987 to October 1990 between Kendall's two spells.


28 January 1994 -
    • - The Football Association's two-month search for a successor to Graham Taylor ends with the appointment of Terry Venables.

      • - 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,...

         quits as 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...

         manager after their shock 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 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...

        . He is succeeded by long-serving coach Roy Evans
        Roy Evans
        Roy Evans CBE was a Liverpool football player who eventually rose through the coaching ranks to become team manager.-Career:...

        . Neighbouring Everton are also reeling from a third round replay exit in the FA Cup at the hands of a much smaller club, in their case Bolton Wanderers.


29 January 1994 - Kidderminster Harriers claim another Football League scalp when they triumph 1-0 at home to Preston North End in the FA Cup fourth round. Other surprise results include Manchester City's 1-0 defeat at Cardiff City.

31 January 1994 - Manchester United finish January as leaders with a 16-point margin, though Blackburn Rovers in second place have three games in hand. Arsenal, Newcastle United and a resurgent Liverpool side undaunted by the FA Cup shock and change of manager complete the top five. Swindon Town remain bottom, while Oldham Athletic occupy the next lowest position, though Sheffield United have climbed out of the relegation zone at the expense of Manchester City. In Division One, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic lead the race for promotion to the Premier League. The playoff zone is occupied by Millwall, Leicester City, Tranmere Rovers and Nottingham Forest. Wolverhampton Wanderers are on the comeback trail after a run of dismal form before Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

, and are now just two points and two places outside the playoff zone.

2 February 1994 - Newcastle United pay a club record £2.5million for Norwich City winger Ruel Fox
Ruel Fox
Ruel Adrian Fox is an English former professional football player of Montserratian and Antiguan descent who played for Norwich City, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Bromwich Albion from 1986 to 2002...

.

5 February 1994 - Having scored only one league goal all season before now, Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 striker Jan Age Fjortoft scores a hat-trick for Swindon Town (still bottom of the Premier League) in their 3-1 home win over Coventry City.

9 February 1994 - The FA Cup fourth round replays witness some of the most surprising results ever seen in the competition. Holders 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...

 lose 3-1 at home to Division One underdogs 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....

. Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

, chasing a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 place in the Premier League, lose 3-2 at home to an 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...

 side who are battling against relegation to Division Two. 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...

, another team in the race for a European place, lose 2-0 at another Division One struggling side - 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...

. This means that a mere seven of the 16 clubs in the FA Cup fifth round will be Premier League members.

12 February 1994 - 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....

 scores a hat-trick for Aston Villa in their 5-0 home league win over Swindon Town.

14 February 1994 - Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...

 scores a hat-trick for Southampton in their 4-2 home league win over Liverpool.

16 February 1994 - 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 have never played in an FA Cup or 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, move closer to their Wembley dream with a 3-1 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 the first leg of the League Cup semi-final.

19 February 1994 -
    • - Aston Villa's hopes of achieving a cup double are ended when they are beaten 1-0 by Bolton Wanderers at Burnden Park
      Burnden Park
      Burnden Park was the home of English FA Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games here between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting an FA Cup Final replay it was the scene of one of the greatest disasters in English football and the subject of an L. S...

       in the FA Cup fifth round. Kidderminster Harriers, among the few non-league teams ever to reach this stage of the competition, have dream ended in a 1-0 defeat by West Ham United.
      • - Jan Age Fjortoft's goalscoring surge continues as he scores twice in the league for Swindon against Norwich City, but the East Anglia
        East Anglia
        East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...

        ns still hold out for a 3-3 draw at the County Ground.


23 February 1994 - Andy Cole, 22-year-old Newcastle United striker, scores his first top flight hat trick in a 4-0 home win over Coventry City.

28 February 1994 - February draws to a close with Manchester United still top, though with their lead now cut to seven points, and they have a game in hand over second-placed Blackburn Rovers. Arsenal, Newcastle United and Liverpool complete an unchanged top five at this month end. At the other end of the table, Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town prop up the rest of the Premier League while Manchester City have climbed out of the bottom three at the expense of Sheffield United. Crystal Palace remain top of Division One, with Charlton Athletic second in the table. The playoff zone is occupied by Leicester City, Derby County, Millwall and a 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...

 side who have prospered under new manager Joe Jordan
Joe Jordan (footballer)
Joseph "Joe" Jordan is a Scottish football coach and former player and manager. He is currently first team coach for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, under manager Harry Redknapp....

 since the departure of Lou Macari
Lou Macari
Luigi "Lou" Macari is a Scottish former footballer and football manager of Italian descent.-Playing career:...

 to Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

 in October and mounted a serious challenge for a second successive promotion.

2 March 1994 - Manchester City sign German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 striker Uwe Rosler
Uwe Rösler
Uwe Rösler is a German football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Brentford.Rösler was previously a successful player who played for several clubs, most notably Manchester City , where he was the leading goalscorer for three consecutive seasons from 1995–96 to 1997–98, and 1...

 from Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...

 for £750,000.

5 March 1994 - Arsenal heap misery upon Ipswich Town once again, this time with a 5-1 league win at Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...

 in which Ian Wright scores a hat-trick. Meanwhile, Manchester United suffer their first home league defeat since October 1992 when they lose 1-0 to Chelsea 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:...

.

7 March 1994 - New England 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...

 announces that David Platt, who currently plays for Sampdoria 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...

, will be the captain of the national team.

9 March 1994 - England beat Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...

 1-0 in a friendly at Wembley in their first game under Terry Venables.

10 March 1994 - Division One leaders 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...

 prepare for their inevitable return to the Premier League with a £1.1million 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 Bruce Dyer
Bruce Dyer
Bruce Antonio Dyer is an English former footballer who played as a striker.His career started in 1993 with Watford, before he became the country's first £1 million-teenager when he joined Crystal Palace in 1994. He spent five years with Palace, playing more than 100 games, and then another...

.

12 March 1994 - The biggest win of the Premier League season so far sees Newcastle United beat Swindon Town 7-1 at St James's Park. 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...

, Rob Lee
Rob Lee
Robert Martin "Rob" Lee is a retired English footballer who played the majority of his career for Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United.-Charlton Athletic:...

 and Steve Watson
Steve Watson
Steven Craig "Steve" Watson is a former English footballer, who retired after being released by Sheffield Wednesday on 15 May 2009. As of November 13, 2010, he is the Development Coach at Football League One side Huddersfield Town.-Playing career:Watson began his career with Newcastle United,...

 all find the net twice, with Ruel Fox
Ruel Fox
Ruel Adrian Fox is an English former professional football player of Montserratian and Antiguan descent who played for Norwich City, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Bromwich Albion from 1986 to 2002...

 also scoring. The consolation goal comes from John Moncur
John Moncur
John Moncur is an English former footballer. He played in midfield for Tottenham Hotspur, Swindon Town and West Ham United...

.

19 March 1994 - Eric Cantona is sent off for stamping on John Moncur in Manchester United's 2-2 league draw with Swindon Town at the County Ground.

22 March 1994 - Three days after being sent off against Swindon, Eric Cantona is sent off again - also in a 2-2 draw, this time in the league against Arsenal at Highbury.

24 March 1994 - Manchester City sign 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...

 winger Peter Beagrie
Peter Beagrie
Peter Sidney Beagrie is a former English footballer who played as a left-winger. He played for ten different clubs at professional level notably Everton, Manchester City, Bradford City and Scunthorpe United...

 for £1.1million. He is succeeded 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...

 by Arsenal's
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...

 Anders Limpar
Anders Limpar
Anders Erik Limpar is a Swedish former footballer of Hungarian origin, who played as a winger...

 for £1.6million. Meanwhile, Clive Allen
Clive Allen
Clive Darren Allen is a retired English footballer, a prolific scorer for a number of clubs.Allen is the son of ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward Les Allen, who was a member of the legendary team which won the First Division title and FA Cup "double" in 1961...

 leaves 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...

 and signs for Division One promotion chasers Millwall for £75,000, ending talk of a return to 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....

. Meanwhile, Tottenham's quest to sign a new striker in an attempt to stave off relegation ends in failure when their attempts to lure Frenchman
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...

 Jean-Pierre Papin
Jean-Pierre Papin
Jean-Pierre Papin is a former French professional football player who was European Footballer of the Year in 1991.Papin achieved his greatest success while playing for Olympique Marseille between 1986 and 1992...

 from Bayern Munich. Steve Morrow
Steve Morrow
Stephen Joseph "Steve" Morrow is a Northern Irish former football player. He is currently International Partnerships Performance Supervisor at Arsenal Football Club, where he also played for much of the 1990s.-Playing career:...

 is reportedly set for a new Arsenal contract after a proposed move to a Swindon Town side heading for relegation is called off. Another player going nowhere is QPR striker Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand
Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Besiktas J.K., Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England...

, who has been subject to transfer speculation for months. Joining Anders Limpar 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...

 is 20-year-old AFC Bournemouth midfielder Joe Parkinson
Joe Parkinson
Joe Parkinson is a former professional footballer, who played in midfield for Wigan Athletic, A.F.C. Bournemouth and Everton....

, a hot prospect costing £250,000. 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...

 boost their promotion challenge with a £360,000 move for 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...

 midfielder Mark Blake. 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...

 sign 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....

 striker Marcus Gayle
Marcus Gayle
Marcus Anthony Gayle is an English born Jamaican former professional footballer who played as a striker or winger, though towards the end of his career he also played as a central defender...

 for £250,000. Loan moves include Jeroen Boere
Jeroen Boere
Jeroen Willem Boere was a Dutch football player.He was the younger brother of Remco Boere, who played for clubs including Den Haag and Zwolle....

 (West Ham United to Portsmouth), Ian Kilford
Ian Kilford
Ian Kilford is an English former professional footballer who played 263 games as a midfielder in the Football League for Nottingham Forest, Wigan Athletic and Scunthorpe United...

 (Nottingham Forest to Wigan Athletic), Tom Cowan
Tom Cowan
Thomas "Tom" Cowan is a Scottish footballer who played as a defender. He was part of the Huddersfield Town side that gained promotion to the Football League First Division during the 1994–1995 season and is the only player ever for Huddersfield Town F.C...

 (Sheffield United to Huddersfield Town), Scott Marshall
Scott Marshall (footballer)
Scott Roderick Marshall is a former professional footballer, who played as a full back.-Playing career:Marshall is the son of former Hearts and England under-23 goalkeeper Gordon Marshall and the brother of Gordon Jnr. who played in goal for Celtic and Scotland...

 and Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

 (both Arsenal to Oxford United) and Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov is a retired Scottish footballer, turned manager who is currently in charge of League One side Oldham Athletic...

 (Arsenal to Brighton & Hove Albion).

27 March 1994 - 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...

's bid for a unique domestic treble ends when they lost 3-1 to 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 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.

29 March 1994 - Blackburn's hopes of catching Manchester United in the title race are dealt a major blow when they lose 4-1 away to Wimbledon. Andrew Cole becomes the first player to reach the 30-goal mark in the Premier League when he scores in Newcastle's 3-0 home win over Norwich City.

31 March 1994 - Manchester United's treble bid may be over, but they finish March as Premier League leaders by a six-point margin over second-placed Blackburn Rovers. They are also in the FA Cup semi finals. Newcastle United, Arsenal and Leeds United complete the top five. Oldham Athletic, who will soon be competing in the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United, are starting to look set for Premier League survival as they have climbed out of the relegation zone at the expense of Southampton, while Sheffield United and Swindon Town remain there. In Division One, Crystal Palace continue to head the table and have been joined in the automatic promotion places by a Nottingham Forest side who weren't even in the playoff zone a month ago. Leicester City, Millwall, Derby County and Tranmere Rovers occupy the playoff zone.

2 April 1994 - Blackburn Rovers are draw level on points with leaders Manchester United after beating them 2-0 at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...

, three months after United had established a 16-point lead. Alan Shearer scores both of Blackburn's goals. In the relegation battle, Oldham Athletic give themselves a major boost by beating Queen's Park Rangers 4-1 at Boundary Park
Boundary Park
Boundary Park is the main sports stadium of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with the towns of Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively, giving rise to the name Boundary Park....

, while Everton's relegation woes deepen when they lose 5-1 to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...

.

4 April 1994 - Everton are pushed further into the relegation mire with a 3-0 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers, who are kept off the top by Manchester United's thrilling 3-2 home win over Oldham Athletic. Tottenham Hotspur are still in danger of relegation after suffering a 4-1 home defeat to West Ham United.

9 April 1994 - 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...

 beat 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...

 2-0 in the FA Cup semi-final to reach their first FA Cup final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...

 since 1970. In the league, the drama of the day comes as Southampton boost their survival bid with a dramatic 5-4 win over Norwich City 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....

. Matt Le Tissier scores a hat-trick for the Saints, while Chris Sutton scores twice for the Canaries. Everton, meanwhile, give their own survival bid a boost with a 1-0 away win over West Ham United, with Tony Cottee scoring against his old club.

10 April 1994 - A late equaliser by 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....

 forces a replay for Manchester United as they draw 1-1 with Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup semi-final, on the same day that Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...

 (suspended for today's game) is voted PFA Player of the Year - the first foreign player to receive this accolade.

11 April 1994 - Alan Shearer scores his 30th league goal of the season in Blackburn's 1-0 home league win over Aston Villa.

13 April 1994 - Manchester United beat Oldham Athletic 4-1 in the FA Cup semi-final replay 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...

.

23 April 1994 - Eric Cantona returns from his five-match ban in style by scoring both of Manchester United's goals in 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 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:...

, which United win 2-0.

26 April 1994 - A Dean Holdsworth
Dean Holdsworth
Dean Christopher Holdsworth is an English former professional football player, now manager. As a striker he scored 193 goals in 610 league games over a 22 year career. Despite playing for 16 clubs in 19 spells the majority of his goals and appearances came at Brentford, Wimbledon, and Bolton...

 hat-trick gives Wimbledon a 3-0 home league win over Oldham Athletic, who fall further into relegation trouble.

30 April 1994 - April draws to a close with Manchester United still top of the league, though leading by just two points with a game in hand over Blackburn Rovers, the only team who now stand a mathematical chance of catching them. Newcastle United, Arsenal and Leeds United complete the top five, which a resurgent Wimbledon would now be in had it not been for their weaker form earlier on in the season. Swindon Town, meanwhile, have had their relegation confirmed as they occupy bottom place with a mere 27 points and just four wins so far this season. Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United complete the bottom three, while Southampton, Everton, Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are still under threat of relegation. Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest will be playing Premier League football next season after sealing promotion from Division One, a year after relegation. The playoff zone is occupied by Tranmere Rovers, Leicester City, Derby County and Millwall, but there is still a chance of Notts County or Wolverhampton Wanderers ousting Millwall from the playoff places. The last game is played in front of Liverpool's Spion Kop before it is rebuilt as an all-seater stand.

1 May 1994 - 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...

 complete a back-to-back FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

 title triumph after their nearest rivals 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....

 lost 2-1 to 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...

 in their penultimate game of the season. United won 2-1 at relegation-threatened 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....



4 May 1994- Arsenal win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...

 by beating Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....

 1-0. The only goal comes from Alan Smith, who has missed most of this season due to injuries.

7 May 1994 - 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...

 and Oldham Athletic join Swindon Town in the Premier League relegation zone, while 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...

 (league champions just seven years ago) pull off a remarkable escape by beating 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...

 3-2 after being 2-0 down. Sheffield United only needed a point to stay up at the expense of Ipswich Town, but a last-minute goal from Mark Stein gave Chelsea a 3-2 win. Andrew Cole completes the season with 34 league goals (41 in all competitions) for Newcastle United.

14 May 1994 - 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...

 complete the 'double' by beating 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...

 4-0 in the FA Cup final.

20 May 1994 - QPR give a free transfer to 37-year-old midfielder Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...

, the veteran midfielder who played 84 times for England between 1978 and 1986.

24 May 1994 - Matt Le Tissier, who has been linked with a move to several big clubs including Manchester United, signs a new contract to stay at 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...

 until at least 1997.

26 May 1994 - Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...

, 38, leaves Queen's Park Rangers to become player-coach of newly promoted Crystal Palace.

10 June 1994 - Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...

, record goalscorer for both Manchester United and England, receives a knighthood.

14 June 1994 - 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....

 are found guilty of financial irregularities and receive the heaviest punishment ever imposed on an English club. The Football Association fines Tottenham £600,000, bans them from the 1994-95 FA Cup, and deducts them 12 league points from the start of next season.

22 June 1994 - West Ham United sign 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...

 winger Joey Beauchamp for £1million.

Deaths

  • 20 August 1993 – Tony Barton, 56, was manager of Aston Villa when they won the European Cup in 1982. Had taken over from Ron Saunders earlier during the 1981-82 season. He remained in charge for two more seasons at Villa Park and later in his career he managed Northampton Town as well as being assistant manager of Portsmouth and finally Southampton before retiring from football in 1991.
  • 9 December 1993 – Danny Blanchflower
    Danny Blanchflower
    Robert Dennis "Danny" Blanchflower was a former Northern Ireland international footballer and football manager, and journalist who captained Tottenham Hotspur F.C. during its double-winning season of 1961. He was ranked as the greatest player in Spurs history by The Times in 2009...

    , 67, was centre-half and captain of Tottenham Hotspur when they won the double in 1961, F.A Cup in 1962 and Cup Winners Cup in 1963. He retired through injury in 1964. During the late 1970s he managed Chelsea but was unable to sustain himself as a successful football manager, although he did make a successful living.
  • 20 January 1994 – Sir Matt Busby
    Matt Busby
    Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...

    , 84, won F.A Cup as player with Manchester City in 1934. Became one of the most famous names in world football when manager of Manchester United from 1945 to 1969. Built three great teams. The first great team made its name in the postwar years with an F.A Cup victory and a league title. Busby replaced the ageing members of this teams with exciting young players who were known as the 'Busby Babes'. They won two straight league titles before eight players died and two had their careers ended by the Munich Air Disaster in 1958. Busby himself was gravely injured but made a full recovery against all the odds. He then built a third great team for the 1960s which won an F.A Cup and two league titles before reaching its pinnacle with the European Cup in 1968. He retired a year later but remained as a director and later as president until his death, which marked the end of his association with the club which had lasted 49 years.
  • 21 January 1994 – Tony Waddington
    Tony Waddington
    Anthony Waddington was an English football player and manager. He managed Stoke City F.C. from 1960 until 1977 and guided them to their only major trophy - the League Cup in 1972. He later managed his only playing club, Crewe Alexandra, from June 1979 to July 1981...

    , 68, was manager of Stoke City from 1960 to 1977 and guided them to League Cup glory in 1972 - still their only major trophy to date.
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