1992/93
THE new football revolution began in August 1992, when the 22 leading clubs in England broke away from the Football league to create the FA Premier League. With a massive new live television deal with BSKYB, bigger sponsors and higher transfer fees, the English game changed forever. The honour of scoring the first ever Premiership goal fell to Sheffield United’s Brian Deane. Deane scored after five minutes in his side’s 2-1 win over Manchester United. Title favourites Arsenal threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Norwich City on the opening weekend, losing 4-2 and only ending a disappointing 10th in the final table. Under Jack Walker’s millions, Blackburn Rovers were a fine 4th in their first season in the top flight, with new English record signing Alan Shearer scoring 15 goals before a serious knee injury on Boxing Day 1992 ended his season prematurely. Top scorer was Teddy Sheringham, who netted Sky’s first live televised goal in Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 opening weekend success over Liverpool. A week later, Sheringham moved to Tottenham and scored another 21 goals and with it, Forest lost all direction and form. The late, great Brian Clough decided to retire from football management, but his legacy was clouded by relegation, after an emotional final home game at the City Ground; Forest beaten 2-0 by Sheffield United on May 1. Afterwards, Clough admitted his side hadn’t been good enough to stay up. Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace also went down, as unfancied Oldham Athletic pulled off a remarkable run of three wins at the end of the season. Joe Royle’s team beat Southampton 4-3 on a dramatic final day to stay afloat. Palace lost 3-0 on the final day at Highbury to drop out of the league, relegated by an Ian Wright hat-trick. Despite their league failings, Arsenal did manage a cup double, beating Sheffield Wednesday in both FA Cup and League Cup finals. It was QPR who ended up as London’s top finishers, winding up a creditable fifth. Fellow London side Chelsea sacked Ian Porterfield in February, after failing to win in 12 matches between December and February. Unfortunately for Porterfield, he became the first manager to lose their job at this level. Another club who struggled were defending champions Leeds United. They sold Eric Cantona to Manchester United in November for £1.2million and proceeded to finish a dire 18th; failing to win an away match all season. At the top, Manchester United held off stiff challenges from Aston Villa and Norwich City to win their first title in 26 years. The title was secured by Villa’s shock 1-0 home loss to Oldham on May 2. One evening later, Old Trafford partied in style with a 3-1 triumph over Blackburn the crowning glory. Alex Ferguson’s men eventually finished ten points clear at the end of the season.
CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2nd: Aston Villa, 3rd: Norwich City, 4th: Blackburn Rovers, 5th: QPR, 6th: Liverpool, 7th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8th; Tottenham, 9th: Manchester City, 10th: Arsenal
RELEGATED: Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest
BIGGEST WIN: Blackburn Rovers 7-1 Norwich City (3 October 1992)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Oldham Athletic 5-3 Nottingham Forest (22 August 1992), Oldham Athletic 6-2 Wimbledon (3 April 1993), Liverpool 6-2 Tottenham (8 May 1993)
TOP SCORERS: Sheringham (Tottenham) 22, Ferdinand (QPR) 20, Holdsworth (Wimbledon) 19, Quinn (Coventry) 17, Shearer (Blackburn) 16, White (Manchester City) 16, Cantona (Manchester United) 15, Wright (Arsenal) 15, Le Tissier (Southampton) 15, Robins (Norwich City) 15
1993/94
AFTER their success in 1992/93, Manchester United went onto dominate the following season, although a mid-season wobble did almost throw away the title. Having signed Roy Keane from Nottingham Forest in the close season, United looked awesome in the first half of the season. Keane’s gritty determination, combined with the pace of Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis and the natural finishing from Mark Hughes and Eric Cantona meant they established a 15 point lead at the turn of the year. Norwich City, Leeds United and Arsenal made sporadic challenges, but the only sustained threat came from Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn Rovers. With Alan Shearer back to full fitness, Blackburn closed United down and capitalised on a dip in form from Ferguson’s side. A 2-0 win at Ewood Park against the champions in April put Blackburn within striking distance. However, a draw at home to QPR and defeats at Southampton and Coventry City ultimately meant the late surge didn’t happen. The defeat at Highfield Road on May 2 ensured back-to-back titles for United, without kicking a ball to do it. They beat Chelsea 4-0 in a one-sided FA Cup final to complete the double. Newcastle United joined the Premiership fold and Kevin Keegan’s entertainers finished an excellent third in the table. Andy Cole was in red hot form all season, finishing top scorer with a stunning 34 league goals. One of Cole’s former sides, Arsenal had a better finish, with Ian Wright once again showing his predator striking class. The Gunners ended the campaign 4th and with the best defence in the league, only shipping 28 goals to opposition teams. Graeme Souness’s miserable reign at Anfield came to an end in January, when he was sacked after a dismal FA Cup defeat at home to lowly Bristol City. Liverpool finished a poor 8th in the table, but did produce the comeback of the season on January 4, recovering from 3-0 down inside 21 minutes at home to Manchester United and rescuing a 3-3 draw. Souness wasn’t the only manager to lose his job this season, with similar fates befalling Peter Reid (Manchester City), Bobby Gould (Coventry City) and Ian Branfoot (Southampton). Swindon Town went straight back down after just one season, conceding a record 100 league goals in the process. Relegation also befell Oldham before the final games, but the final day turned into a relegation dogfight between Everton, Southampton, Ipswich and Sheffield United. Everton stormed back from 2-0 down to beat Wimbledon 3-2 and survive by the skin of their teeth. Ultimately, Mark Stein’s last minute winner for Chelsea against Sheffield United sealed a 3-2 win and sent Dave Bassett’s team down, despite having been as high as 15th, two weeks before the season’s end. However, 93/94 belonged to one team only; Manchester United.
CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2nd: Blackburn Rovers, 3rd: Newcastle United, 4th: Arsenal, 5th: Leeds United, 6th: Wimbledon, 7th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8th; Liverpool, 9th: QPR, 10th: Aston Villa
RELEGATED: Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic, Swindon Town
BIGGEST WIN: Newcastle United 7-1 Swindon Town (11 March 1994)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Norwich City 4-5 Southampton (9 April 1994), Everton 6-2 Swindon Town (15 January 1994), Oldham Athletic 2-5 Manchester United (29 December 1993)
TOP SCORERS: Cole (Newcastle) 34, Shearer (Blackburn) 31, Le Tissier (Southampton) 25, Sutton (Norwich City) 25, Wright (Arsenal) 23, Beardsley (Newcastle) 21, Bright (Sheffield Wednesday) 19, Cantona (Manchester United) 18, Wallace (Leeds) 17, Holdsworth (Wimbledon) 17, Ferdinand (QPR) 16, Cottee (Everton) 16, Campbell (Arsenal) 14, Rush (Liverpool) 14, Sheringham (Tottenham) 14
1994/95
HAVING come close the previous season, Blackburn stated their intentions in pre-season by breaking the English transfer record to sign Chris Sutton from Norwich City. Together with Alan Shearer, the pair formed the deadly SAS partnership which would eventually spearhead Blackburn to their first championship in 81 years and in dramatic circumstances too. Going into the final day, Rovers were two points clear of Manchester United, but were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool at Anfield. A win at Upton Park against West Ham would have been enough for the Red Devils, but some inspired Ludek Miklosko goalkeeping and wasteful finishing meant a 1-1 draw was not enough. So, despite conceding to Jamie Redknapp’s injury time free-kick, Blackburn fans celebrated losing a match! Shearer’s goal tally left him as top scorer and Tim Sherwood lifted the trophy afloat on a glorious May afternoon. The season was to be dogged by many bad headlines which dragged football’s publicity down the gutter. Dennis Wise was jailed for assaulting a taxi driver, Chris Armstrong failed a drugs test, Paul Merson had time off the game after admitting to excessive gambling and cocaine addiction and Eric Cantona was suspended for eight months after his famous kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan at Selhurst Park. The temperament of the fantastic Frenchman had always been questioned and this time, it cost Manchester United. Despite scoring five goals in one match against Ipswich, Andy Cole’s shock £7million move from Newcastle in January turned into an expensive flop for many Manchester United supporters. A match-fixing scandal also gripped the game this season, with Bruce Grobbelaar, Hans Segers and John Fashanu all accused of taking money to fix matches. All three would end up being acquitted. Arsenal manager George Graham was sacked in disgrace in February and banned from the game for a year, after taking illegal transfer bungs for the signature of hopeless Danish midfielder John Jensen. With the Premier League being reduced to 20 clubs from the following season onwards, there was increased pressure on managers throughout the season. Phil Neal (Coventry), Ron Atkinson (Aston Villa) and Mike Walker (Everton) all lost their jobs during the season, due to the intense relegation scrap. Ultimately, it was a miserable season for East Anglia with both Ipswich and Norwich City being relegated. Norwich had started 1995 in 7th position, but only one win in the second half of the season sealed their fate. Crystal Palace and Leicester made instant returns to the Football League, but the other club that came up, Nottingham Forest, finished a brilliant 3rd, having gone 12 games unbeaten at the start of the season. Tottenham fans also had Jurgen Klinsmann to cheer on this season, as he scored on his debut, with a famous celebratory dive against Sheffield Wednesday. Klinsmann guided Tottenham to 7th and won the Football Writers award before returning home to Germany at the end of the season.
CHAMPIONS: Blackburn Rovers, 2nd: Manchester United, 3rd: Nottingham Forest, 4th: Liverpool, 5th: Leeds United, 6th: Newcastle United, 7th: Tottenham, 8th; QPR, 9th: Wimbledon, 10th: Southampton
RELEGATED: Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Leicester City, Ipswich Town
BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich Town (4 March 1995)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich Town (4 March 1995), Aston Villa 7-1 Wimbledon (11 February 1995), Sheffield Wednesday 1-7 Nottingham Forest (1 April 1995)
TOP SCORERS: Shearer (Blackburn) 34, Fowler (Liverpool) 25, Ferdinand (QPR) 24, Collymore (Nottingham Forest) 22, Cole (Newcastle & Manchester United) 21, Klinsmann (Tottenham) 20, Le Tissier (Southampton) 19, Sheringham (Tottenham) 18, Wright (Arsenal) 18, Sutton (Blackburn) 15
1995/96
THE primary title contenders in 1995/96 were Manchester United and Newcastle United. Newcastle topped the table from day one and after beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 on January 19, established a staggering 12 point lead over the men from Manchester United. United started the season poorly, having sold Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis and still missing Eric Cantona through suspension. They lost 3-1 at Aston Villa on the opening day, giving Alan Hansen the chance to say ‘you can’t win anything with kids.’ Defeats at Liverpool, Leeds and 4-1 at Tottenham on New Year’s Day left United with a mountain to climb, but Cantona quickly turned the title battle into a one man crusade. He inspired his team to an amazing run of results in the spring, which saw Newcastle’s lead disappear. On March 4, the Frenchman scored the only goal of the game at St. James Park to make Manchester United title favourites. A month later and Newcastle lost the greatest game in FA Premier League history; 4-3 at Liverpool, thanks to a stoppage time winner from Stan Collymore. Despite a 3-1 loss at Southampton a week later, which was blamed on hideous grey away shirts, Ferguson’s side turned on the screw. He started playing mind games, questioning Leeds outstanding performance at Old Trafford in mid-April and the scheduling of a Nottingham Forest v Newcastle fixture near a Stuart Pearce testimonial at the end of the season. Kevin Keegan responded live on Sky Sports, losing his rag after an away win at Leeds on April 29. The ‘I will love it if we beat them!’ rant has gone down in folklore, but no more. Ian Woan scored a brilliant late goal to earn Nottingham Forest a point against Newcastle three days later and Manchester United completed the job with a comfortable 3-0 away win on the last day at Middlesbrough. Four points was the difference at the end of the season and with the prominence of youngsters coming through at Old Trafford, such as Nicky Butt, David Beckham and Paul Scholes, a new generation of dominance began to blossom. Whilst United were rejoicing, it was misery for their Manchester rivals, Manchester City. A 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool on the final day of the season was not enough to keep them in the Premiership. It was heartbreak for Alan Ball in his first season in charge at Maine Road; his side not recovering from a dismal start. QPR and Bolton Wanderers also lost their fight against the drop. Defending champions Blackburn never looked a factor all season, but Alan Shearer still ended top scorer again as they finished a poor 7th, not helped by Kenny Dalglish’s decision to step aside after the title glory of the previous May. Meanwhile, Liverpool broke the British transfer record to lure Stan Collymore to Anfield from Nottingham Forest. He and Robbie Fowler began a formidable partnership which shot Liverpool to third place. Chelsea had another unspectacular season, but an 11th place finish was enough to convince England to appoint Glenn Hoddle as Terry Venables successor after Euro 96!
CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2nd: Newcastle United, 3rd: Liverpool, 4th: Aston Villa, 5th: Arsenal, 6th: Everton, 7th: Blackburn Rovers, 8th; Tottenham, 9th: Nottingham Forest, 10th: West Ham United
RELEGATED: Manchester City, QPR, Bolton Wanderers
BIGGEST WIN: Blackburn Rovers 7-0 Nottingham Forest (18 November 1995)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Sheffield Wednesday 6-2 Leeds United (16 December 1995), Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle United (3 April 1996), Southampton 3-4 Nottingham Forest (19 August 1995)
TOP SCORERS: Shearer (Blackburn) 31, Fowler (Liverpool) 28, Ferdinand (Newcastle) 25, Yorke (Aston Villa) 17, Kanchelskis (Everton) 16, Sheringham (Tottenham) 16, Wright (Arsenal) 15, Armstrong (Tottenham) 15, Cantona (Manchester United) 14, Dublin (Coventry City) 14
1996/97
MANCHESTER United achieved their fourth title in five years, but struggled to show any superiority throughout the season. Luckily, all their nearest challengers had stuttering campaigns, which meant Alex Ferguson’s side got over the line, once again by not playing. Despite 17-year old sensation Michael Owen coming off the bench to score at Wimbledon, Liverpool’s 2-1 loss at Selhurst Park, combined with Newcastle’s 0-0 stalemate at West Ham was enough for Ferguson’s side to be crowned the best in the land again. This was despite a horrifying six days in October, which saw his champions lose 5-0 at Newcastle and then, 6-3 to Southampton. Liverpool established a five point lead at the turn of the year, but threw the advantage away, with costly defeats at Aston Villa (1-0) in March and Coventry (1-2) in April. Roy Evans side had only themselves to blame, with David James guilty of several high profile blunders in the run-in. In the end, they finished only fourth, when title glory could have been theirs. Newcastle suffered a huge shock when Kevin Keegan resigned at the beginning of January; the previous season’s toil had taken his stress levels to new extremes. Kenny Dalglish took up the reins and despite a leaky defence, qualified for the Champions League with a 5-0 battering of Nottingham Forest on the final day. Newcastle also managed to persuade Alan Shearer home to Tyneside, in a record £15million move from Blackburn Rovers at the start of the season. However, his partnership with Les Ferdinand didn’t quite blossom as many expected, due to injuries. Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal in September and guided his ageing Gunners side to third place, with Ian Wright once again scoring goals for fun. Chelsea went global, by signing Gianfranco Zola. Zola’s impact was instant when he moved from Parma in November, walking away with the Football Writers award at the end of the season. Ruud Gullit’s side finished sixth and won the FA Cup, lifting the gloom over the Bridge, as they had to deal with the tragic death of club director Matthew Harding in a helicopter crash on the way back from a Coca Cola Cup tie at Bolton in late October. Another side who spent the money were Middlesbrough, with Emerson and Fabrizio Ravanelli arriving at a colourful Riverside Stadium. The season turned into a nightmare for Boro, as they lost in both domestic cup finals and were docked three points for failing to fulfil a fixture at Blackburn on December 20, claiming they had 21 players out through illness and injury!! Consequently, they were also relegated, despite Juninho’s heroics at Leeds on the final day of the season. Incredibly, Coventry City beat Tottenham 2-1 at White Hart Lane to stay up against the odds, with Sunderland going straight back down after a 1-0 defeat at Wimbledon. Wimbledon themselves finished a creditable 8th, having strung together a 20-game unbeaten run at one stage in all competitions.
CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2nd: Newcastle United, 3rd: Arsenal, 4th: Liverpool, 5th: Aston Villa, 6th: Chelsea, 7th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8th; Wimbledon, 9th: Leicester City, 10th: Tottenham
RELEGATED: Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest
BIGGEST WIN: Newcastle United 7-1 Tottenham Hotspur (28 December 1996)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Southampton 6-3 Manchester United (26 October 1996), Everton 7-1 Southampton (16 November 1996), Chelsea 6-2 Sunderland (16 March 1997)
TOP SCORERS: Shearer (Newcastle) 25, Wright (Arsenal) 23, Solskjaer (Manchester United) 18, Fowler (Liverpool) 18, Yorke (Aston Villa) 17, Ferdinand (Newcastle) 16, Ravanelli (Middlesbrough) 16, Le Tissier (Southampton) 13, Dublin (Coventry City) 13, Bergkamp (Arsenal) 12, Juninho (Middlesbrough), Collymore (Liverpool) 12, Claridge (Leicester) 12, Cantona (Manchester United) 11
No comments:
Post a Comment