FA Premier League 2001-02
Encyclopedia
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard
, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling
. The title race turned into a battle between four different sides – Arsenal
, Manchester United
, Liverpool
and Newcastle United
.
Arsenal clinched the title on 8 May 2002 after a convincing win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, in the penultimate game of the season. This new attacking Arsenal side had won the FA Cup
five days before and made history by accomplishing their third double, their second under the reign of Arsène Wenger
, who showed his commitment by signing a new four-year deal with Arsenal.
The season started from 18 August 2001 and ended on 11 May 2002.
contesting at the top of the table along with the usual likes of Arsenal and Manchester United. Newcastle, after back-to-back away wins at Arsenal and Leeds during the Christmas period, confirmed themselves as genuine title challengers and led the league at the turn of the year. Leeds had topped the table at Christmas prior to losing at Elland Road to Newcastle.
Despite being top of the table at the start of December – eleven points clear of Manchester United – Liverpool underwent a severe slump, falling to fifth place, five points behind United. Would-be contenders Chelsea
, Newcastle United and Leeds United had by this point disappeared into the chasing pack.
January saw Liverpool traveling to both Highbury
and Old Trafford in the space of a fortnight. Liverpool's Danny Murphy scored a late winner to give the Merseyside
club all three points against United, and John Arne Riise
then salvaged a point for Liverpool against Arsenal, allowing Manchester United to top the table for the first time that season.
In March, Arsenal were installed as strong favourites for the championship after Liverpool's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal's April triumph against Bolton Wanderers
brought them to within three points of a second Premier League title under Arsène Wenger.
Fittingly, the championship would be decided at Old Trafford as Arsenal and Manchester United faced one another in a decisive encounter. Arsenal only required a draw to guarantee their second title in five seasons to go with their FA Cup victory against London
rivals Chelsea four days previously; United had to win to take the title race to the last day. In the end, Arsenal emerged victorious as their record signing Sylvain Wiltord
scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal confirmed the championship with a game to spare. Manchester United's disappointment was compounded by Liverpool leapfrogging them into second place by virtue of their victory against Blackburn Rovers
.
On the final day of the season Liverpool confirmed second place by trashing already relegated Ipswich Town
5–0 at Anfield
. Arsenal rounded off their successful league campaign in style, beating Everton
4–3 at Highbury. Manchester United limped to a poor draw against Charlton Athletic
, completing a disappointing campaign for the deposed league champions.
, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. In fact, all three have remained in the Premier League ever since as of June 2011.
Fulham had splashed out £34 million on new players during the close season, their owner Mohamed Al-Fayed
one of the wealthiest benefactors in English football. He even boasted that they would win the Premiership title in 2001–02, and most pundits tipped Fulham, managed by former French international Jean Tigana
, to push for a place in Europe. However, Fulham finished thirteenth, 47 points away from Arsenal.
Bolton Wanderers went top of the Premiership after winning their first three fixtures of the season, causing an upset by beating Gerard Houllier
's Liverpool in the latter stage of the game. Manager Sam Allardyce
was boasting that his side were good enough to win their first ever league title, but Bolton's league form slumped after the first two months of the season and they finished 16th place – their survival confirmed in the penultimate game of the season.
Blackburn Rovers were the most successful of the promoted sides. Graeme Souness
' men beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 in the League Cup final to lift the trophy for the first time, and then climbed from 18th place in the Premiership in late February to finish in a secure 10th place - higher than any other newly promoted team that season. Blackburn secured a UEFA Cup place for 2002–03.
Leicester City
was the first team officially relegated from the Premiership, finishing bottom of table with just five Premiership wins in their last season at 111-year-old Filbert Street
before relocation to the new 32 000-seat Walkers Stadium
. The club went through the regime of two different managers during the season – Peter Taylor was replaced by Dave Bassett
in early October; six months later Bassett joined the club's board to be replaced by former assistant manager Micky Adams
.
Just after the start of the 2002–03 season, Leicester's relegation (which cost them extensive television revenue) and the cost of their new stadium had created debts in excess of £30 million, and the club went into administration before being taken over by a new owner. Despite this setback, Leicester gained promotion back to the Premiership at the first time of asking, although they slipped back down again after just one season and Adams had since resigned to make way for new manager Craig Levein
.
Next to go down were Derby County
, who had been promoted alongside Leicester six years earlier. Manager Jim Smith
was sacked in early October to be replaced by assistant manager Colin Todd
, who was sacked three months later after Derby were knocked out of the FA Cup by Division Three
strugglers Bristol Rovers
.
The last team to be relegated were Ipswich Town
, who had qualified for the UEFA Cup
and earned manager George Burley
the Manager of the Year award the previous season after finishing fith. Ipswich made a terrible start to the season, winning just one of their first 18 Premiership games. They then went on a strong run of form, winning seven out of eight games, which looked to have secured their Premiership survival, but they then suffered another setback which George Burley's men were unable to reverse, and their relegation was confirmed on the final day of the season by a 5–0 thrashing at Liverpool.
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
1Since Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup as FA Cup winners went to Chelsea, who were the FA Cup runners-up
2Blackburn Rovers qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners
3Despite relegation, Ipswich Town qualified for the 2002–03 UEFA Cup Qualifying Round as Fair Play Award winners
final with a 2–0 win over Chelsea; the win at Old Trafford made them only the second team in English football to have won the "double" on three occasions (the other being Manchester United). Unusually, this double was secured in reverse, with the Premiership title won four days after winning the FA Cup against Chelsea.
The end of the season saw Arsenal's two longest-serving players call time on their playing careers. Club captain and centre-half Tony Adams
, approaching 36, announced his retirement after 22 years at the club, including 19 in the senior squad, 14 of which were spent as captain. During that time, he inspired them to no less than ten major trophies. Full-back Lee Dixon
, in his 38th year, decided to hang up his boots after spending 14 years of his 21-year career at Highbury
.
As the season drew to a close, Arsenal's new 60,000-seat stadium
was going through the final stages of planning permission and chairman Peter Hill-Wood
hoped to have it ready for the start of the 2004–05 season, although during the summer of 2002 some businesses were still occupying the facilities on the industrial estate that occupied part of the planned stadium site.
glory that resulted from a 2–1 win over Tottenham on 24 February – they were deep in the relegation mire and occupying third place from bottom. But Graeme Souness
inspired his side, bolstered by the arrival of striker Andy Cole
from Manchester United, to a considerable turnaround in form which saw them climb to 10th place in the final table. UEFA Cup
qualification had already been achieved thanks to the Worthington Cup triumph, but fans were left wondering whether it could have been achieved automatically had it not been for the club's dismal first half of the season.
The end of the season also marked the end of one of the most illustrious playing careers in British football. Striker Mark Hughes
, 39 later this year, hung up his boots after a playing career spanning 22 years that had yielded two league titles, four FA Cup
s, a Cup Winners' Cup and three League Cups
.
was boasting (tongue-in-cheek) that his side were capable of winning their first-ever league title, but the strong start to the season was not followed up and in the end they finished 16th, just enough to avoid relegation.
. They were in with a real chance of UEFA Cup
qualification as late as March, but a failure to win any of their final 10 league games dragged them down to 14th.
was controversial in his summer spending. In an attempt to reduce the average age of the squad, he showed the door to many ageing Chelsea favourites, including 33-year-old Uruguayan midfielder Gustavo Poyet
who joined Tottenham and was replaced by West Ham United's promising young England midfielder Frank Lampard
for £11 million. Many fans and pundits thought this was a dangerous price for a player that was just 22 years of age, but Ranieri's decision would become well justified in the future. French World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf
was sold to Olympique de Marseille
in a swap deal that saw 23 year old French defender William Gallas
come to Stamford Bridge
, while, to the disappointment of many Chelsea fans, beloved captain Dennis Wise
was sold to Leicester City. Ranieri also bolstered his squad with the acquisition of the experienced Barcelona and France midfielder Emmanuel Petit
, but the signing that excited most Chelsea fans was the £7.5 million capture of Netherlands
's exciting winger Boudewijn Zenden, also from Barcelona. Chelsea were a more than competent force in the Premiership during the 2001–02 season, but, even with the strength of their squad, the team was as inconsistent as ever and few people ever rated them as serious title challengers. Their best hope of success came in the FA Cup
, where they reached the final; but their chances of silverware were finished by a 2–0 win for Arsenal.
rejected the offer to become Director of Football and resigned on 7 October after more than six years at the helm. His assistant Colin Todd
, who won two league titles with the club in the 1970s, was promoted to the manager's seat, but by this stage the Rams were deep in relegation trouble. A shock 3–1 home defeat against Division Three
strugglers Bristol Rovers
in the FA Cup
third round proved the final straw and Todd was sacked days later after a mere three months in charge. By the end of the month, John Gregory had taken over at Pride Park
just six days after quitting Aston Villa. Two quick wins and a draw against Manchester United suggested that Gregory might be Derby's saviour, but seven defeats from their final eight games condemned Derby to relegation.
when they sacked him on 13 March. Preston
boss David Moyes
was named as his successor, and did a good job of steering Everton clear of the drop zone – though they finished 15th in the table.
and Edwin van der Sar
failed to bring anything more than a 13th place finish in the final table, and an FA Cup
exit in the semi-finals put paid to any chances they may have had of qualifying for the UEFA Cup
. Speculation that Al Fayed would be signing England
captain David Beckham
quickly fizzled out as Fulham failed to achieve anywhere near as much as most people had expected them to, though they had guaranteed European football through application of the Intertoto Cup, which they went on to win in the summer.
after two years among the elite. A dismal start to the season saw their UEFA Cup
dream end in the third phase of the competition, while, after 18 games, they were still bottom of the Premiership with just one win. A turnaround then followed and seven wins from eight games pulled Ipswich up to 12th, but another slump set in and this time they were unable to halt it. Any lingering hopes of survival were ended on the final day of the season by a 5–0 defeat against Liverpool.
Despite losing their Premiership status, the Tractor Boys still had European action to look forward to, having attained UEFA Cup
qualification via UEFA's fair play league.
campaign - this in spite of the wealth of options available to manager David O'Leary
. Leeds never looked the same team after their FA Cup third round exit to Division Two mid-table side Cardiff City, and at the end of the season chairman Peter Ridsdale
decided that enough was enough and sacked manager David O'Leary after four years and tens of millions of pounds in new signings had failed to translate into silverware. In came former England manager Terry Venables
as his successor.
Plans were unveiled on 5 September for a new 50,000-seat stadium at Stourton
to replace Elland Road
, with chairman Peter Ridsdale
hoping to have it ready by the summer of 2004. In fact, Ridsdale was aware that millions of pounds had been staked on Champions League qualification – by not qualifying in successive years, the club was heading for financial meltdown.
named as his replacement, with Micky Adams
joining as assistant manager. For a while, it looked as though Bassett was capable of keeping the Foxes in the Premiership, but a four-month winless run beginning in December killed their survival hopes and they were relegated on 6 April after losing 1–0 at home to Manchester United.
Just before relegation was confirmed, Bassett became Director of Football and Adams was promoted to the manager's seat, with former Cardiff
boss Alan Cork
being named as his assistant.
On 12 May 2002, Leicester played their final game at Filbert Street
before moving into their new 32 000-seat home
. They ended up beating Tottenham 2–1 to attain some satisfaction from winning the final game at their 111-year-old home - only their fifth league win of the season. The cost of relocation combined with the money lost from relegation plunged Leicester into a serious financial crisis. The priority for next season would be to secure the club's future financially, before thinking about a promotion challenge.
saw his Liverpool side finish second in the table, one better than he predicted; it was their highest position since 1991. Champions League
football would be back at Anfield for a second season, and there was more of a buzz that the Frenchman would deliver the title back to Anfield
. John Arne Riise
was the only major signing that Liverpool brought in at the start of the season, prompting questions from the press about Houiller's desire to spend big.
The season started fairly well for the side, defeating Manchester United in the Charity Shield and beating West Ham United
at the start of the season. However, dramatic news unfolded at Anfield in October. Gérard Houllier underwent emergency heart surgery after complaining about "uncomfortable chest pains" during the match against Leeds United. He was advised to take rest and assistant manager Phil Thompson
took charge for a temporary basis.
Thompson's first major decision was whether or not to sell striker Robbie Fowler
. Great interest was brewing from rival teams such as Chelsea, Aston Villa and Arsenal, but Fowler was eventually sold to Leeds United on a five year, £11 million deal.
After a list of greetings and get-well messages, most notably from David Beckham
, David O'Leary
, Arsène Wenger
and Elton John
, Houllier eventually arrived back at Liverpool in March, and took charge against Roma in their final must-win Champions League
group game. The Reds won the match 2–0 and qualified for the knock-out stages, where they were eventually beaten in the quarter-finals by eventual runners-up Bayer Leverkusen
.
and Ruud van Nistelrooy
, United failed to win a fourth title in four consecutive seasons.
Sir Alex Ferguson
was on course to retire following the season and had his sights set on the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final
in Hampden Park
, Scotland, but United went out in the semi-finals on the away goal ruling to Bayer Leverkusen
.
United ended up finishing third in the table – the lowest in Ferguson's reign since the formation of the Premiership - behind Liverpool and Arsenal, who both beat Manchester United home and away. Ferguson eventually decided to stay with Manchester United.
's management career – suggested that Middlesbrough were in for another season of relegation struggle, but they progressed well during the second half of the campaign, and a top-10 finish looked within their reach. They also challenged in the FA Cup
, reaching the semi-final before their dream was ended by Arsenal. This was followed by a succession of four Premiership defeats that put paid to their hopes of a top-10 finish and dragged them down to 12th – still an improvement on last season's 14th place finish.
and Laurent Robert
meant that Newcastle were soon looking like unlikely contenders for the Premiership title. Comeback victories in thrillers away to fellow title contenders Arsenal and Leeds sent the club top of the table at Christmas time, and further results brought renewed hope for the club after four seasons of struggle. In the end Newcastle couldn't quite win the title that the club had coveted since 1927, but a late resurgence meant they secured fourth place – their highest since 1997. This brought them Champions League football for only the second time in their history.
was seen as the way forward for Southampton after 103 years at the dilapidated Dell, but a terrible start to the season saw relegation looking certain, and cost manager Stuart Gray
his job after barely six months in charge. His successor was Gordon Strachan
, who had left Coventry
a short time after their relegation. Strachan quickly turned Southampton's fortunes round, and they gradually climbed to a secure 11th place in the final table.
The end of 2001–02 also marked the end of Matthew Le Tissier
's playing career. "Le God" decided to hang up his boots after 16 years firing in goals for the Saints; he would remain at the club as a coach.
terraces for the final weeks of the campaign, and manager Peter Reid
responded by delving into the transfer market and signing Marcus Stewart
and Tore Andre Flo
to bolster his attack for next season.
's return to White Hart Lane
as manager was seen by many as the revival of Tottenham after many seasons of mediocrity, and an early lead in Worthington Cup Final
saw Spurs fans filled with hope that Hoddle's comeback would result in instant success, but Blackburn then turned the tables to win 2–1 and Tottenham's silverware bid was ended. Unremarkable Premiership form ended their UEFA Cup
hopes and they had to settle for ninth place in the final table.
after a dismal start to the season left the inexperienced manager's West Ham side in danger of relegation, but an impressive run of form during the second half of the season saw them climb to seventh and head the teams who had failed to qualify for Europe – though they were still 12 points behind the sixth-placed side, and were left wondering what they might have achieved had they performed well all season.
Barclaycard
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, is a global payment business. The Barclaycard was the first credit card introduced in the UK, coming into service in 1966. It enjoyed a monopoly until the introduction of the Access card in 1972....
, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, 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...
. The title race turned into a battle between four different sides – 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...
, 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...
, 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...
and 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...
.
Arsenal clinched the title on 8 May 2002 after a convincing win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, in the penultimate game of the season. This new attacking Arsenal side had won the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
five days before and made history by accomplishing their third double, their second under the reign of Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
, who showed his commitment by signing a new four-year deal with Arsenal.
The season started from 18 August 2001 and ended on 11 May 2002.
Race for the title
At the start of 2002 the title race was wide open, with the likes of Newcastle United and Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
contesting at the top of the table along with the usual likes of Arsenal and Manchester United. Newcastle, after back-to-back away wins at Arsenal and Leeds during the Christmas period, confirmed themselves as genuine title challengers and led the league at the turn of the year. Leeds had topped the table at Christmas prior to losing at Elland Road to Newcastle.
Despite being top of the table at the start of December – eleven points clear of Manchester United – Liverpool underwent a severe slump, falling to fifth place, five points behind United. Would-be contenders 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...
, Newcastle United and Leeds United had by this point disappeared into the chasing pack.
January saw Liverpool traveling to both 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...
and Old Trafford in the space of a fortnight. Liverpool's Danny Murphy scored a late winner to give the Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
club all three points against United, and John Arne Riise
John Arne Riise
John Arne Semundseth Riise is a Norwegian footballer who currently plays as a left wing-back for Fulham and the Norwegian national team. Riise spent seven years playing for Premier League side Liverpool before moving to Roma in 2008...
then salvaged a point for Liverpool against Arsenal, allowing Manchester United to top the table for the first time that season.
In March, Arsenal were installed as strong favourites for the championship after Liverpool's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal's April triumph against 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....
brought them to within three points of a second Premier League title under Arsène Wenger.
Fittingly, the championship would be decided at Old Trafford as Arsenal and Manchester United faced one another in a decisive encounter. Arsenal only required a draw to guarantee their second title in five seasons to go with their FA Cup victory against London
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...
rivals Chelsea four days previously; United had to win to take the title race to the last day. In the end, Arsenal emerged victorious as their record signing Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Claude Wiltord is a French footballer who currently plays for FC Nantes. With the French national team, Wiltord has won Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup....
scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal confirmed the championship with a game to spare. Manchester United's disappointment was compounded by Liverpool leapfrogging them into second place by virtue of their victory against 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....
.
On the final day of the season Liverpool confirmed second place by trashing already relegated 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....
5–0 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...
. Arsenal rounded off their successful league campaign in style, beating 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...
4–3 at Highbury. Manchester United limped to a poor draw against 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,...
, completing a disappointing campaign for the deposed league champions.
Promotion and relegation
For the first time in the history of the Premier League, all three promoted teams avoided relegation – FulhamFulham 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...
, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. In fact, all three have remained in the Premier League ever since as of June 2011.
Fulham had splashed out £34 million on new players during the close season, their owner Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English Premiership football team Fulham Football Club, Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods Department Store, Knightsbridge...
one of the wealthiest benefactors in English football. He even boasted that they would win the Premiership title in 2001–02, and most pundits tipped Fulham, managed by former French international Jean Tigana
Jean Tigana
Jean Amadou Tigana is a manager and former French international footballer, having played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and 1 goal for the France national football team during the 1980s.-Playing career:Tigana started his...
, to push for a place in Europe. However, Fulham finished thirteenth, 47 points away from Arsenal.
Bolton Wanderers went top of the Premiership after winning their first three fixtures of the season, causing an upset by beating Gerard Houllier
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
's Liverpool in the latter stage of the game. Manager Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce
Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....
was boasting that his side were good enough to win their first ever league title, but Bolton's league form slumped after the first two months of the season and they finished 16th place – their survival confirmed in the penultimate game of the season.
Blackburn Rovers were the most successful of the promoted sides. 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,...
' men beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 in the League Cup final to lift the trophy for the first time, and then climbed from 18th place in the Premiership in late February to finish in a secure 10th place - higher than any other newly promoted team that season. Blackburn secured a UEFA Cup place for 2002–03.
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...
was the first team officially relegated from the Premiership, finishing bottom of table with just five Premiership wins in their last season at 111-year-old Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
before relocation to the new 32 000-seat Walkers Stadium
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
. The club went through the regime of two different managers during the season – Peter Taylor was replaced by Dave Bassett
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
in early October; six months later Bassett joined the club's board to be replaced by former assistant manager Micky Adams
Micky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
.
Just after the start of the 2002–03 season, Leicester's relegation (which cost them extensive television revenue) and the cost of their new stadium had created debts in excess of £30 million, and the club went into administration before being taken over by a new owner. Despite this setback, Leicester gained promotion back to the Premiership at the first time of asking, although they slipped back down again after just one season and Adams had since resigned to make way for new manager Craig Levein
Craig Levein
Craig William Levein is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager of the Scotland national team. During his playing career he played for Cowdenbeath and Heart of Midlothian...
.
Next to go down were 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...
, who had been promoted alongside Leicester six years earlier. Manager Jim Smith
Jim Smith (footballer)
James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the...
was sacked in early October to be replaced by assistant manager Colin Todd
Colin Todd
Colin Todd is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town, and also played in the North American Soccer League...
, who was sacked three months later after Derby were knocked out of the FA Cup by Division Three
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...
strugglers 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....
.
The last team to be relegated were 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....
, who had qualified for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
and earned manager George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
the Manager of the Year award the previous season after finishing fith. Ipswich made a terrible start to the season, winning just one of their first 18 Premiership games. They then went on a strong run of form, winning seven out of eight games, which looked to have secured their Premiership survival, but they then suffered another setback which George Burley's men were unable to reverse, and their relegation was confirmed on the final day of the season by a 5–0 thrashing at Liverpool.
European qualification
| Team | League Position | Competition | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 1 | UEFA Champions League 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... |
Champions |
| Liverpool | 2 | UEFA Champions League | Runners up |
| Manchester United | 3 | UEFA Champions League | Position |
| Newcastle | 4 | UEFA Champions League | Position |
| Leeds United | 5 | 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... |
Position |
| Chelsea | 6 | UEFA Cup | Runners up of the FA Cup/position |
| Blackburn Rovers | 10 | UEFA Cup | Winners of the Worthington Cup Worthington cup Worthington Cup may refer to:* The Football League Cup, an English professional football trophy, known by this name when sponsored by the Worthington brand of beer between 1998 and 2003.* The Worthington Trophy, a Canadian military award.... |
| Fulham | 13 | UEFA Cup | Winners of the UEFA Intertoto Cup UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued... |
| Ipswich Town | 18 | UEFA Cup | UEFA Fair Play Draw. |
Managerial changes
- Aston Villa manager John Gregory resigned in January and was replaced by Graham Taylor.
- Derby County sacked Jim SmithJim Smith (footballer)James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the...
in October and replaced him with former Bolton WanderersBolton 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....
boss Colin ToddColin ToddColin Todd is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town, and also played in the North American Soccer League...
. Todd lasted 18 games before being replaced by John Gregory. - Everton sacked Walter SmithWalter SmithWalter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...
and replaced him with Preston'sPreston 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...
David MoyesDavid MoyesDavid William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...
. - Leeds United sacked David O'LearyDavid O'LearyDavid Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
after a four-year spell as manager had failed to land a trophy despite a £100 million outlay on new players. He was replaced by Terry VenablesTerry VenablesTerence 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...
. - Leicester City sacked Peter Taylor in early October and replaced him with Dave BassettDave BassettDavid Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
. Following the confirmation of their relegation, Micky AdamsMicky AdamsMichael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
became manager for the last three games of the season. - Liverpool manager Gerard HoullierGérard HoullierGérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
was forced to take most of the season off due to a major heart problem. Assistant Phil ThompsonPhil ThompsonPhilip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions...
took charge in his absence. - Middlesbrough parted company with joint Coaches Bryan RobsonBryan RobsonBryan 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...
and Terry Venables. Manchester United assistant boss Steve McClarenSteve McClarenStephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
took over at the Riverside. - Southampton sacked Stuart Gray in October; he was replaced by Gordon StrachanGordon StrachanGordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
. - West Ham appointed former first team coach Glenn RoederGlenn RoederGlenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions...
as permanent manager following a spell as caretaker the previous season, after parting company with Harry RedknappHarry RedknappHenry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
.
Scoresheet
Final league table
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 38 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 79 | 36 | 43 | 87 | UEFA Champions League 2002–03 First group stage |
| 2 | Liverpool | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 67 | 30 | 37 | 80 | |
| 3 | Manchester United | 38 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 87 | 45 | 42 | 77 | UEFA Champions League 2002–03 Third qualifying round |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 74 | 52 | 22 | 71 | |
| 5 | Leeds United | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 66 | [UEFA Cup 2002-03#First round|UEFA Cup 2002–03 First round]]1 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 38 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 66 | 38 | 28 | 64 | |
| 7 | West Ham United | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 48 | 57 | −9 | 53 | |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 46 | 47 | −1 | 50 | 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 49 | 53 | −4 | 50 | |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 51 | 4 | 46 | [UEFA Cup 2002-03#First round|UEFA Cup 2002–03 First round]]2 |
| 11 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 45 | |
| 12 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 45 | |
| 13 | Fulham | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 36 | 44 | −8 | 44 | 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup Second round |
| 14 | Charlton Athletic | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 38 | 49 | −11 | 44 | |
| 15 | Everton | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 45 | 57 | −12 | 43 | |
| 16 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 44 | 62 | −18 | 40 | |
| 17 | Sunderland | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 29 | 51 | −22 | 40 | |
| 18 | le="color:red;">3 | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 41 | 64 | −23 | 36 | Relegation to Football League First Division 2002–03 |
| 19 | Derby County | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 33 | 63 | −30 | 30 | |
| 20 | Leicester City | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 30 | 64 | −34 | 28 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
1Since Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup as FA Cup winners went to Chelsea, who were the FA Cup runners-up
2Blackburn Rovers qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners
3Despite relegation, Ipswich Town qualified for the 2002–03 UEFA Cup Qualifying Round as Fair Play Award winners
Arsenal
Arsenal were in the title race for much of the season, but in the end they won it by a comfortable margin by winning their final 13 games of the campaign and securing the title in the penultimate game of the season with a 1–0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on 8 May. Four days earlier, they had triumphed in the FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final with a 2–0 win over Chelsea; the win at Old Trafford made them only the second team in English football to have won the "double" on three occasions (the other being Manchester United). Unusually, this double was secured in reverse, with the Premiership title won four days after winning the FA Cup against Chelsea.
The end of the season saw Arsenal's two longest-serving players call time on their playing careers. Club captain and centre-half Tony Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
, approaching 36, announced his retirement after 22 years at the club, including 19 in the senior squad, 14 of which were spent as captain. During that time, he inspired them to no less than ten major trophies. Full-back Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon
Lee Michael Dixon is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once....
, in his 38th year, decided to hang up his boots after spending 14 years of his 21-year career at 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...
.
As the season drew to a close, Arsenal's new 60,000-seat stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
was going through the final stages of planning permission and chairman Peter Hill-Wood
Peter Hill-Wood
Peter Denis Hill-Wood is a British businessman and the current chairman of Arsenal Football Club.-Biography:Hill-Wood was born in Kensington, London. His father, three uncles and grandfather all played first-class cricket for Derbyshire CCC. He attended Eton College where he was a classmate of...
hoped to have it ready for the start of the 2004–05 season, although during the summer of 2002 some businesses were still occupying the facilities on the industrial estate that occupied part of the planned stadium site.
Aston Villa
John Gregory announced his resignation after four years as Villa manager on 24 January. A host of names were linked with the vacancy, but in the end it was Graham Taylor, who took them to promotion in 1988 and second place in the league in 1990, who was appointed manager. Villa were some way behind the leading pack when Gregory left and Taylor was unable to bring anything better than an eighth place. This was hardly amazing, but it at least meant that Villa would be finishing in the top 10 for the seventh year in succession.Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn had little time to savour their Worthington CupFootball 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...
glory that resulted from a 2–1 win over Tottenham on 24 February – they were deep in the relegation mire and occupying third place from bottom. But 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,...
inspired his side, bolstered by the arrival of striker 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...
from Manchester United, to a considerable turnaround in form which saw them climb to 10th place in the final table. 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...
qualification had already been achieved thanks to the Worthington Cup triumph, but fans were left wondering whether it could have been achieved automatically had it not been for the club's dismal first half of the season.
The end of the season also marked the end of one of the most illustrious playing careers in British football. Striker 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....
, 39 later this year, hung up his boots after a playing career spanning 22 years that had yielded two league titles, four 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...
s, a Cup Winners' Cup and three League Cups
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...
.
Bolton Wanderers
Three wins from their first three Premiership games put newly-promoted Bolton on top of the table, and manager Sam AllardyceSam Allardyce
Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....
was boasting (tongue-in-cheek) that his side were capable of winning their first-ever league title, but the strong start to the season was not followed up and in the end they finished 16th, just enough to avoid relegation.
Charlton Athletic
Despite being without several key players for long periods of time due to injury, Charlton did well in their 11th season under the management of Alan CurbishleyAlan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....
. They were in with a real chance of 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...
qualification as late as March, but a failure to win any of their final 10 league games dragged them down to 14th.
Chelsea
Chelsea manager Claudio RanieriClaudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
was controversial in his summer spending. In an attempt to reduce the average age of the squad, he showed the door to many ageing Chelsea favourites, including 33-year-old Uruguayan midfielder Gustavo Poyet
Gustavo Poyet
Gustavo Augusto Gus Poyet Domínguez is a former Uruguay international footballer and current manager of English side Brighton & Hove Albion.During his playing career, Poyet featured for teams including Real Zaragoza, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur....
who joined Tottenham and was replaced by West Ham United's promising young England midfielder Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
for £11 million. Many fans and pundits thought this was a dangerous price for a player that was just 22 years of age, but Ranieri's decision would become well justified in the future. French World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf
Frank Leboeuf
Franck Alain James Leboeuf or Lebœuf is a former French international footballer who played as a defender...
was sold to Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
in a swap deal that saw 23 year old French defender William Gallas
William Gallas
William Eric Gallas is a French footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur.Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006...
come to Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, while, to the disappointment of many Chelsea fans, beloved captain Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
was sold to Leicester City. Ranieri also bolstered his squad with the acquisition of the experienced Barcelona and France midfielder Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit is a retired French footballer, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea...
, but the signing that excited most Chelsea fans was the £7.5 million capture of 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...
's exciting winger Boudewijn Zenden, also from Barcelona. Chelsea were a more than competent force in the Premiership during the 2001–02 season, but, even with the strength of their squad, the team was as inconsistent as ever and few people ever rated them as serious title challengers. Their best hope of success came in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, where they reached the final; but their chances of silverware were finished by a 2–0 win for Arsenal.
Derby County
Derby manager Jim SmithJim Smith (footballer)
James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the...
rejected the offer to become Director of Football and resigned on 7 October after more than six years at the helm. His assistant Colin Todd
Colin Todd
Colin Todd is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town, and also played in the North American Soccer League...
, who won two league titles with the club in the 1970s, was promoted to the manager's seat, but by this stage the Rams were deep in relegation trouble. A shock 3–1 home defeat against Division Three
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...
strugglers 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....
in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
third round proved the final straw and Todd was sacked days later after a mere three months in charge. By the end of the month, John Gregory had taken over at Pride Park
Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium located on the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. It is the current home of Football League Championship club Derby County, who moved to the stadium from the Baseball Ground upon its opening in 1997...
just six days after quitting Aston Villa. Two quick wins and a draw against Manchester United suggested that Gregory might be Derby's saviour, but seven defeats from their final eight games condemned Derby to relegation.
Everton
The Everton directors finally lost patience with Walter SmithWalter Smith
Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...
when they sacked him on 13 March. Preston
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...
boss David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...
was named as his successor, and did a good job of steering Everton clear of the drop zone – though they finished 15th in the table.
Fulham
Fulham's return to the top flight after a 33-year exile saw chairman Mohammed Al Fayed boasting that his team could win the Premiership title, but a hefty outlay on foreign stars such as Steve MarletSteve Marlet
Steve Marlet is a French footballer who is currently playing for amateur club CM Aubervilliers. The forward was capped 23 times and scored six goals for the French national team....
and Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...
failed to bring anything more than a 13th place finish in the final table, and an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
exit in the semi-finals put paid to any chances they may have had of qualifying for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. Speculation that Al Fayed would be signing 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...
captain David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
quickly fizzled out as Fulham failed to achieve anywhere near as much as most people had expected them to, though they had guaranteed European football through application of the Intertoto Cup, which they went on to win in the summer.
Ipswich Town
A year after finishing fifth in the Premiership, Ipswich dropped back into Division OneFootball 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....
after two years among the elite. A dismal start to the season saw their 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...
dream end in the third phase of the competition, while, after 18 games, they were still bottom of the Premiership with just one win. A turnaround then followed and seven wins from eight games pulled Ipswich up to 12th, but another slump set in and this time they were unable to halt it. Any lingering hopes of survival were ended on the final day of the season by a 5–0 defeat against Liverpool.
Despite losing their Premiership status, the Tractor Boys still had European action to look forward to, having attained 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...
qualification via UEFA's fair play league.
Leeds United
Leeds topped the Premiership for much of the first half of the season, but they gradually fell out of touch during the final weeks and ended up finishing fifth, having to settle for another UEFA CupUEFA 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...
campaign - this in spite of the wealth of options available to manager David O'Leary
David O'Leary
David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
. Leeds never looked the same team after their FA Cup third round exit to Division Two mid-table side Cardiff City, and at the end of the season chairman Peter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale is an English businessman who is currently the Chairman of Football Operations at League Two club Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United, Barnsley and Cardiff City.-History:...
decided that enough was enough and sacked manager David O'Leary after four years and tens of millions of pounds in new signings had failed to translate into silverware. In came former 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...
as his successor.
Plans were unveiled on 5 September for a new 50,000-seat stadium at Stourton
Stourton, West Yorkshire
Stourton is a mainly industrial area of the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.The area is 2 miles to the south east of Leeds city centre and lies between Hunslet, the M1 motorway and Cross Green in the LS10 postcode area....
to replace Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
, with chairman Peter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale is an English businessman who is currently the Chairman of Football Operations at League Two club Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United, Barnsley and Cardiff City.-History:...
hoping to have it ready by the summer of 2004. In fact, Ridsdale was aware that millions of pounds had been staked on Champions League qualification – by not qualifying in successive years, the club was heading for financial meltdown.
Leicester City
A terrible start to the season saw Peter Taylor sacked at the end of September and Dave BassettDave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
named as his replacement, with Micky Adams
Micky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
joining as assistant manager. For a while, it looked as though Bassett was capable of keeping the Foxes in the Premiership, but a four-month winless run beginning in December killed their survival hopes and they were relegated on 6 April after losing 1–0 at home to Manchester United.
Just before relegation was confirmed, Bassett became Director of Football and Adams was promoted to the manager's seat, with former Cardiff
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...
boss Alan Cork
Alan Cork
Alan Cork is an English former professional football player. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon and has held a number of managerial and coaching posts since his retirement from playing. Cork is a member of the Wimbledon Old Players Association...
being named as his assistant.
On 12 May 2002, Leicester played their final game at Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
before moving into their new 32 000-seat home
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
. They ended up beating Tottenham 2–1 to attain some satisfaction from winning the final game at their 111-year-old home - only their fifth league win of the season. The cost of relocation combined with the money lost from relegation plunged Leicester into a serious financial crisis. The priority for next season would be to secure the club's future financially, before thinking about a promotion challenge.
Liverpool
Gérard HoullierGérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
saw his Liverpool side finish second in the table, one better than he predicted; it was their highest position since 1991. Champions League
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...
football would be back at Anfield for a second season, and there was more of a buzz that the Frenchman would deliver the title back to Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. John Arne Riise
John Arne Riise
John Arne Semundseth Riise is a Norwegian footballer who currently plays as a left wing-back for Fulham and the Norwegian national team. Riise spent seven years playing for Premier League side Liverpool before moving to Roma in 2008...
was the only major signing that Liverpool brought in at the start of the season, prompting questions from the press about Houiller's desire to spend big.
The season started fairly well for the side, defeating Manchester United in the Charity Shield and beating 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...
at the start of the season. However, dramatic news unfolded at Anfield in October. Gérard Houllier underwent emergency heart surgery after complaining about "uncomfortable chest pains" during the match against Leeds United. He was advised to take rest and assistant manager Phil Thompson
Phil Thompson
Philip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions...
took charge for a temporary basis.
Thompson's first major decision was whether or not to sell striker Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
. Great interest was brewing from rival teams such as Chelsea, Aston Villa and Arsenal, but Fowler was eventually sold to Leeds United on a five year, £11 million deal.
After a list of greetings and get-well messages, most notably from David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, David O'Leary
David O'Leary
David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
, Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Houllier eventually arrived back at Liverpool in March, and took charge against Roma in their final must-win Champions League
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...
group game. The Reds won the match 2–0 and qualified for the knock-out stages, where they were eventually beaten in the quarter-finals by eventual runners-up Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
.
Manchester United
Manchester United endured a trophyless season for the first time since 1998. Having spent nearly £45 million on the likes of Juan Sebastián VerónJuan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División....
and Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
, United failed to win a fourth title in four consecutive seasons.
Sir 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...
was on course to retire following the season and had his sights set on the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final
2002 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2002 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The show-piece event was contested between Bayer Leverkusen of Germany and Real Madrid of Spain at the Hampden Park in Glasgow, on Wednesday, 15 May 2002, to...
in Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, Scotland, but United went out in the semi-finals on the away goal ruling to Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
.
United ended up finishing third in the table – the lowest in Ferguson's reign since the formation of the Premiership - behind Liverpool and Arsenal, who both beat Manchester United home and away. Ferguson eventually decided to stay with Manchester United.
Middlesbrough
A slow start to the season – and Steve McClarenSteve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
's management career – suggested that Middlesbrough were in for another season of relegation struggle, but they progressed well during the second half of the campaign, and a top-10 finish looked within their reach. They also challenged in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, reaching the semi-final before their dream was ended by Arsenal. This was followed by a succession of four Premiership defeats that put paid to their hopes of a top-10 finish and dragged them down to 12th – still an improvement on last season's 14th place finish.
Newcastle United
Sir Bobby Robson felt that his side could aim for eighth place in the final table as the season began, but the form of a team boasting the pace and creativity of new signings Craig BellamyCraig Bellamy
Craig Douglas Bellamy is a Welsh footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool and the Welsh national team. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy was the captain of the Welsh national side for four years after taking over from Ryan Giggs in 2007, but stood down in January 2011 due to constant injuries...
and Laurent Robert
Laurent Robert
Laurent Robert is a former French footballer. He was a left winger, and has played for the French national football team....
meant that Newcastle were soon looking like unlikely contenders for the Premiership title. Comeback victories in thrillers away to fellow title contenders Arsenal and Leeds sent the club top of the table at Christmas time, and further results brought renewed hope for the club after four seasons of struggle. In the end Newcastle couldn't quite win the title that the club had coveted since 1927, but a late resurgence meant they secured fourth place – their highest since 1997. This brought them Champions League football for only the second time in their history.
Southampton
The move to St Mary's StadiumSt Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
was seen as the way forward for Southampton after 103 years at the dilapidated Dell, but a terrible start to the season saw relegation looking certain, and cost manager Stuart Gray
Stuart Gray (footballer born 1960)
Stuart Gray is an English former footballer and manager, who is the former manager of Football League Two side Northampton Town. On 30th December 2010 he was appointed the caretaker manager of Burnley following the sacking of Brian Laws, reverting to his role as first team coach when Eddie Howe...
his job after barely six months in charge. His successor was Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
, who had left Coventry
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...
a short time after their relegation. Strachan quickly turned Southampton's fortunes round, and they gradually climbed to a secure 11th place in the final table.
The end of 2001–02 also marked the end of 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...
's playing career. "Le God" decided to hang up his boots after 16 years firing in goals for the Saints; he would remain at the club as a coach.
Sunderland
A shortage of goals hindered Sunderland's progress after two successive seventh-placed finishes, and a season that many people had envisaged as a chase for Europe ended up being a battle against relegation. Luckily, they put their survival beyond all doubt on the final day of the season with a draw against already-doomed Derby. There were continued chants of "Reid out" on the Stadium of LightStadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
terraces for the final weeks of the campaign, and manager 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...
responded by delving into the transfer market and signing Marcus Stewart
Marcus Stewart
William Marcus Paul Tubb) known as Marcus Stewart is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward from 1991 until 2011...
and Tore Andre Flo
Tore André Flo
Tore André Flo is a Norwegian football striker, who plays for the Norwegian club Sogndal. He initially retired after being released by the Milton Keynes Dons in 2009, but announced his comeback in March 2011. His brothers Jostein Flo and Jarle Flo, and cousin Håvard Flo are also professional...
to bolster his attack for next season.
Tottenham Hotspur
Glenn HoddleGlenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
's return to White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
as manager was seen by many as the revival of Tottenham after many seasons of mediocrity, and an early lead in Worthington Cup Final
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...
saw Spurs fans filled with hope that Hoddle's comeback would result in instant success, but Blackburn then turned the tables to win 2–1 and Tottenham's silverware bid was ended. Unremarkable Premiership form ended their 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...
hopes and they had to settle for ninth place in the final table.
West Ham United
The knives were out for Glenn RoederGlenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions...
after a dismal start to the season left the inexperienced manager's West Ham side in danger of relegation, but an impressive run of form during the second half of the season saw them climb to seventh and head the teams who had failed to qualify for Europe – though they were still 12 points behind the sixth-placed side, and were left wondering what they might have achieved had they performed well all season.
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
 Arsène WengerArsène Wenger Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996... |
Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City.... |
Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area... |
Dreamcast |
| 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... |
 Graham Taylor |
Steve Staunton Steve Staunton Stephen "Steve" Staunton is an Irish association football manager and former professional footballer, who was most recently manager of Darlington... |
Diadora Diadora Diadora is an Italian football, tennis, running, cycling, rugby, athletic shoe, clothing, and fashion accessory manufacturer with locations in Italy, the United States, and Hong Kong.-History:... |
NTL Virgin Media Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom... |
| 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.... |
 Graeme SounessGraeme 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,... |
Garry Flitcroft Garry Flitcroft Garry William Flitcroft is an English football manager and former footballer. Since May 2010 he has been the manager of Northern Premier League team Chorley.-Playing career:... |
Kappa Kappa (company) Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:... |
Time Time Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects.... |
| 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.... |
Sam Allardyce Sam Allardyce Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United.... |
 Guðni BergssonGuðni Bergsson Guðni Bergsson , is a former Icelandic football player who is best known for his time spent with Bolton Wanderers.-Club career:... |
Reebok Reebok Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle... |
Reebok Reebok Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle... |
| 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,... |
Alan Curbishley Alan Curbishley Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player.... |
 Mark FishMark Fish Mark Anthony Fish is a retired South African footballer.-Club career:Fish started his career in his native South Africa under the guidance of renowned coach Steve Coetsee, playing for Arcadia Shepherds, an amateur team based at the Caledonian Stadium in Pretoria... |
Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif is a French company producing sports equipment such as shoes, shorts, and T-shirts. It was founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset, but the first clothing items branded with the rooster appeared in 1948... |
Redbus Redbus Redbus or Red Bus refer to:Corporate* Redbus Investments, formed by Cliff Stanford in the United Kingdom** Redbus Interhouse, a data-centre colocation operator in Europe*** Redbus Internet Exchange, formerly operating between Interhouse's data centres... |
| 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... |
 Claudio RanieriClaudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St... |
Marcel Desailly Marcel Desailly Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000... |
Umbro Umbro Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment... |
Fly Emirates |
| 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... |
John Gregory |
 Darryl PowellDarryl Powell Darryl Anthony Powell is an English-born former professional footballer who made more than 350 appearances in the Football League and Premier League and played international football for the Jamaican national team... |
Erreà Erreà Erreà is a sportswear trademark founded in 1988, in Torrile... |
Pedigree |
| 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... |
David Moyes David Moyes David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year... |
David Weir David Weir David Weir is a Scottish association footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League club Rangers and is a Scottish internationalist, as a centre back.... |
Puma PUMA AG Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two... |
One 2 One T-Mobile (UK) T-Mobile UK is a mobile network and mobile broadband operator in the United Kingdom. It is owned and operated by Everything Everywhere, the UK's largest mobile network.- Company history :... |
| 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... |
Jean Tigana Jean Tigana Jean Amadou Tigana is a manager and former French international footballer, having played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and 1 goal for the France national football team during the 1980s.-Playing career:Tigana started his... |
 Andy MelvilleAndy Melville Andrew Roger Melville is a former Wales international footballer. In the early years of his career, he played in midfield. He was later converted into a central defender.... |
adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport... |
Pizza Hut Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread.... |
| 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.... |
George Burley George Burley George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps... |
 Matt HollandMatt Holland Matthew Rhys "Matt" Holland is a former English-born Irish footballer, who represented Republic of Ireland at international level... |
Punch | TXU Energy |
| Leeds United | 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... |
Lucas Radebe Lucas Radebe Lucas Valeriu Radebe is a former Leeds United and South African football player. During his career, Radebe was renowned for being a world-class centre back and a great ambassador for the sport.... |
Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area... |
Strongbow |
| 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... |
Micky Adams Micky Adams Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five... |
Robbie Savage Robbie Savage Robert William "Robbie" Savage is a football pundit and former Welsh professional footballer who played predominantly as a midfielder. During his career he captained Derby County, and also played for the Welsh national team. He now presents 606 on BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday evenings alongside... |
Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif is a French company producing sports equipment such as shoes, shorts, and T-shirts. It was founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset, but the first clothing items branded with the rooster appeared in 1948... |
LG |
| 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... |
Gérard Houllier Gérard Houllier Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season.... |
 Sami HyypiäSami Hyypiä Sami Tuomas Hyypiä is a retired European Cup winning Finnish footballer who played in the centre back position. He last played for German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen and was the captain of the Finland national football team. He joined Leverkusen in summer 2009, ending a ten year spell at... |
Reebok Reebok Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle... |
Carlsberg |
| 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... |
Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986... |
Roy Keane Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland.... |
Umbro Umbro Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment... |
Vodafone Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of... |
| 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... |
Steve McClaren Steve McClaren Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season... |
Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate in Crawley, West Sussex is a retired English footballer and ex-manager. He is known as the "Penalty Misser of '96." He served as manager of Middlesbrough from June 2006, until he was dismissed in October 2009... |
Erreà Erreà Erreà is a sportswear trademark founded in 1988, in Torrile... |
Dial-a-Phone Dial-a-Phone Dialaphone is an independent mobile phone retailer in the United Kingdom. It was established in February 1995 as a direct marketer and supplier of mobile phones and mobile phone accessories. The e-commerce website went online in September 2000... |
| 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... |
Sir Bobby Robson |
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... |
Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport... |
NTL Virgin Media Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom... |
| 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... |
Gordon Strachan Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,... |
Jason Dodd Jason Dodd Jason Robert Dodd is an English former footballer and manager, who spent most of his playing career with Southampton, where he was briefly First-Team Coach... |
Saints | Friends Provident Friends Provident Friends Provident was an organisation offering life insurance based in the United Kingdom. It was founded as a mutual Friendly Society for Quakers, although it was demutualised in 2001 and became a publicly listed company, no longer linked with the Religious Society of Friends... |
| Sunderland | 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... |
Michael Gray |
Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area... |
Reg Vardy Reg Vardy Evans Halshaw is a chain of car dealerships with around 180 showrooms, predominantly in Northern England. It is a subsidiary of Pendragon PLC.-Pendragon PLC:... |
| 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.... |
Glenn Hoddle Glenn Hoddle Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England.... |
Teddy Sheringham Teddy Sheringham Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester... |
Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport... |
Holsten |
| 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... |
Glenn Roeder Glenn Roeder Glenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions... |
Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio is a Italian former professional footballer and current manager of League Two side Swindon Town. Di Canio made over 500 league appearances and scored over 100 league goals as a player.... |
Fila Fila (company) Fila is one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies. Founded in 1911 in Italy, Fila has been owned and operated from South Korea since a takeover in 2007. Headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon, Fila now has offices in 11 countries worldwide.... |
Dr. Martens Dr. Martens Dr. Martens is a traditional British footwear brand, which also makes a range of accessories – shoe care products, clothing, luggage, etc. In addition to Dr. Martens, they are known as Doctor Martens, Doc Martens, Docs or DMs... |
Top scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thierry Henry Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and... |
Arsenal | 24 |
| 2 |  Jimmy Floyd HasselbainkJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Jerrel Hasselbaink usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team. He scored more than 200 career goals... |
Chelsea | 23 |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy Ruud van Nistelrooy Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals... |
Manchester United | 23 | |
| Alan Shearer Alan Shearer Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team... |
Newcastle United | 23 | |
| 5 | Michael Owen Michael Owen Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997... |
Liverpool | 19 |
| 6 |  Ole Gunnar SolskjærOle Gunnar Solskjær Ole Gunnar Solskjær is the manager of Norwegian first division side Molde. He is better known as a former footballer who spent most of his career playing for Manchester United. Often dubbed "the baby-faced assassin," he played 366 times for the Red Devils and scored 126 goals during a very... |
Manchester United | 17 |
| 7 | Robbie Fowler Robbie Fowler Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United.... |
Liverpool/Leeds | 15 |
| 8 | Eiður Guðjohnsen Eiður Guðjohnsen Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for AEK Athens F.C. in the Superleague Greece. He has previously played for Premier League club Chelsea and FC Barcelona of Spain, having made his name with Bolton Wanderers. He was the captain of the Iceland national team until... |
Chelsea | 14 |
 Marian PaharsMarian Pahars Marians Pahars is a Latvian former footballer, currently the manager of Skonto FC. He spent most of his career as a striker at Southampton in the Premier League and with Skonto in Latvia.... |
Southampton | 14 | |
| 10 | Andrew Cole |
Manchester United/Blackburn Rovers | 13 |
Most assists
| Rank | Assistant | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurent Robert Laurent Robert Laurent Robert is a former French footballer. He was a left winger, and has played for the French national football team.... |
Newcastle United | 16 |
| 2 | Robert Pires Robert Pirès Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04... |
Arsenal | 15 |
| 3 | 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... |
Manchester United | 13 |
| 4 | Dennis Bergkamp Dennis Bergkamp Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level... |
Arsenal | 11 |
 Nolberto SolanoNolberto Solano Nolberto Albino "Nobby" Solano Todco is a Peruvian footballer who plays for Hartlepool United. He has spent much of his career in the English Premier League and also played 95 times for Peru between 1994 and 2009... |
Newcastle United | 11 | |
| 6 | David Beckham David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C... |
Manchester United | 8 |
Monthly awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month Premier League Player of the Month The Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month... |
|---|---|---|
| August | Sam Allardyce Sam Allardyce Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United.... (Bolton Wanderers) |
Louis Saha Louis Saha Louis Laurent Saha is a French footballer of Guadelupian origin who currently plays as a forward for Everton FC in the Premier League and the France national team. A former scholar at the Clairefontaine football academy, he started his career at Metz before playing on loan at Newcastle United... (Fulham) |
| September | John Gregory (Aston Villa) |
 Juan Sebastián VerónJuan Sebastián Verón Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División.... (Manchester United) |
| October | Glenn Hoddle Glenn Hoddle Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England.... (Tottenham Hotspur) |
Rio Ferdinand Rio Ferdinand Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team... (Leeds United) |
| November | Phil Thompson Phil Thompson Philip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions... (Liverpool) |
Danny Murphy (Liverpool) |
| December | 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.... (Newcastle United) |
Ruud van Nistelrooy Ruud van Nistelrooy Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals... (Manchester United) |
| January | Gordon Strachan Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,... (Southampton) |
Marcus Bent Marcus Bent Marcus Nathan Bent is an English football striker who plays for Indonesian club Mitra Kukar. A former England under-21 international, the journeyman striker has played for fourteen different clubs, playing over 570 games and scoring 110 goals in the process.A England under-21 international, he... (Ipswich Town) |
| February | 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.... (Newcastle United) |
Ruud van Nistelrooy Ruud van Nistelrooy Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals... (Manchester United) |
| March | Gérard Houllier Gérard Houllier Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season.... & Phil ThompsonPhil Thompson Philip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions... (Liverpool) |
Dennis Bergkamp Dennis Bergkamp Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level... (Arsenal) |
| April | Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996... (Arsenal) |
 Freddie Ljungberg (Arsenal) |