2007/08
PREMIERSHIP title no.10 arrived for Manchester United on the final day of the season and in fitting fashion too. Ryan Giggs, who had featured and scored in every Premier League campaign, came off the bench to score the second goal in a 2-0 success at Wigan Athletic. They held off Chelsea’s challenge, as the Blues drew 1-1 at home to Bolton Wanderers. More agony faced the West Londoners in the Champions League final; beaten by United on penalties in the Moscow showpiece, which led to Avram Grant’s sacking. Both established frontrunners had sluggish starts to the season. The Red Devils failed to win any of their first three matches, while Jose Mourinho resigned from Chelsea in mid-September following some dodgy results and more pressure on transfers from the interfering Roman Abramovich. For a long while, it looked like the youngsters from Arsenal were going to get over the finish line. Despite losing Thierry Henry in the summer to Barcelona, the Gunners strolled into an advantage as big as seven points at one stage. However, a horrific double leg fracture for Croatian striker Eduardo seconds into the match with Birmingham City on February 22 totally derailed their challenge. Arsene Wenger made some poisonous comments about Birmingham centre-back Martin Taylor, who made the accidental challenge on Eduardo and William Gallas furious reaction to a late penalty for the home side didn’t go down well either. Arsenal fell away in the final two months, and ultimately slipped to third, but only four points behind the champions. Chelsea kept piling on the pressure, helped by a crucial 2-1 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on April 26, but the form of Cristiano Ronaldo was pivotal to Man Utd’s success. Ronaldo scored a remarkable 42 goals in all competitions, 31 of these in the Premiership. They kept their noses infront all the way to the final day win at the JJB Stadium. Liverpool finished fourth, but had a new hero in Fernando Torres to cheer on. ‘El Nino,’ scored 24 Premiership goals in his debut season. At the bottom of the league, Derby County became the first side to be relegated at the end of March and ended up with the worst points tally ever. They won just one game all season; 1-0 at home to Newcastle United in September. Under Roy Hodgson, Fulham managed the great escape, with four wins in their last five matches. Danny Murphy headed a dramatic late winner at Portsmouth on the final weekend, with his winner sending both Reading and Birmingham City down to the Championship, despite both relegated clubs winning big on the final day.
CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2nd: Chelsea 3rd: Arsenal, 4th: Liverpool 5th: Everton, 6th: Aston Villa, 7th: Blackburn Rovers, 8th; Portsmouth, 9th: Manchester City, 10th: West Ham United
RELEGATED: Reading, Birmingham City, Derby County
BIGGEST WIN: Middlesbrough 8-1 Manchester City (11 May 2008)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Portsmouth 7-4 Reading (30 September 2007), Tottenham Hotspur 6-4 Reading (29 December 2007), Middlesbrough 8-1 Manchester City (11 May 2008)
SCORERS: Ronaldo (Manchester United) 31, Adebayor (Arsenal) 24, Torres (Liverpool) 24, Santa Cruz (Blackburn) 19, Berbatov (Tottenham) 15, Yakubu (Everton) 15, Benjani (Portsmouth & Manchester City) 15, Keane (Tottenham) 15, Tevez (Manchester United) 14, Carew (Aston Villa) 13, Rooney (Manchester United) 12, Defoe (Tottenham & Portsmouth) 12, Gerrard (Liverpool) 11
2008/09
FOR the second time in Premiership history, Manchester United managed to win three successive league titles. A 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal on the final Saturday of the season was enough to see them over the finishing line. They were pushed all the way by a much-improved Liverpool side, who recorded their highest ever Premiership points tally on the way to second spot. Rafa Benitez would lookback on some silly home draws against the likes of Stoke City, Hull City and Fulham which ultimately cost them the title. Liverpool lost only two games all season (away at Tottenham and Middlesbrough), and held a five point lead at the turn of the year, but a succession of draws in January gave Manchester United the chance to overhaul the lead the Reds had built-up. Benitez ranted about United’s record of arguing with referees, which made the battle between the two clubs even more personal. The deciding results were three games in April. After losing 1-4 at home to Liverpool at Old Trafford, then 2-0 at Fulham the following week, United needed a stoppage time winner from teenager Federico Macheda to beat a fading Aston Villa side 3-2 at the beginning of the month. A fortnight later, Liverpool dropped points in a pulsating 4-4 draw with Arsenal, in which Andrei Arshavin scored all four goals for the visitors in a stunning individual performance. Four days later, inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez, Manchester United stormed back from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 5-2 at Old Trafford. Later results didn’t matter and it was a special title for United, as they equalled Liverpool’s record of 18 league championships. Chelsea struggled for most of the season and sacked the unpopular Luis Felipe Scolari in February, following a dismal draw at home to Hull City. Guus Hiddink took temporary charge and improved results helped the men from West London finish third and win the FA Cup. On transfer deadline day, Manchester City got bought by the Abu Dhabi United group, turning them into one of the richest football clubs in the world. Although they only finished mid-table this campaign, they showed the flexible wealth by persuading temperamental Robinho to join from Real Madrid in a new British transfer record deal; £32.5million. It was a terrible season on Tyneside, as Sunderland only just survived, while both Newcastle United and Middlesbrough were relegated. Newcastle’s demise came under four managers, and not even club legend Alan Shearer could save the club from the drop. Newcastle’s final day relegation meant despite winning only one of their last 17 matches, Hull City survived. Cue Phil Brown’s horrific singing! Tottenham sacked Juande Ramos after only managing two points in their first eight games, but Harry Redknapp left Portsmouth to steer the club to eighth, behind Fulham, who managed seventh and their best ever finish in the top flight.
CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2nd: Liverpool 3rd: Chelsea, 4th: Arsenal 5th: Everton, 6th: Aston Villa, 7th: Fulham, 8th; Tottenham, 9th: West Ham United, 10th: Manchester City
RELEGATED: Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, West Brom
BIGGEST WIN: Manchester City 6-0 Portsmouth (21 September 2008)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham Hotspur (29 October 2008), Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal (21 April 2009), Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur (25 April 2009)
SCORERS: Anelka (Chelsea) 19, Ronaldo (Manchester United) 18, Gerrard (Liverpool) 16, Robinho (Manchester City) 14, Torres (Liverpool) 14, Rooney (Manchester United) 12, Kuyt (Liverpool) 12, Lampard (Chelsea) 12, Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 12, Bent (Tottenham) 12, Davies (Bolton) 12, Van Persie (Arsenal) 11, Carew (Aston Villa) 11, Fuller (Stoke City) 11, Crouch (Portsmouth) 11
2009/10
THE world of football was rocked by Cristiano Ronaldo’s record transfer fee departure from Manchester United to Real Madrid for £80million before the start of the season. The game also lost the great Sir Bobby Robson, who passed away after a long, brave fight with cancer in July. Manchester City continued to flex their muscles in the transfer market, bringing in Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott, Emmanuel Adebayor and controversially, Carlos Tevez in the summer. Mark Hughes was sacked in December, after a run of eight successive Premiership draws, a new record. Roberto Mancini was installed as new boss, but City lost out on a Champions League spot, following a 0-1 loss at home to rivals Tottenham in the final week of the season. Tottenham finished in the lucrative position ahead of City, Aston Villa and Liverpool, who finished in their worst position in the league since 1999. Rafa Benitez parted company with the club the following summer. Once again, Arsenal’s title challenge faded in the closing stages of the season, which included a dramatic collapse away to Wigan Athletic in mid-April. 2-0 up with ten minutes to go at the DW Stadium, the Gunners somehow lost 3-2; a result which kept Wigan in the Premiership. Burnley, Hull City and Portsmouth were the three clubs who were relegated at the end of the season. Despite beating Manchester United in their first home Premiership match at Turf Moor, the Clarets lost manager Owen Coyle to Bolton Wanderers in the New Year in acrimonious circumstances. With it was a loss of form, which saw them, condemned to the drop at the end of April. It was even worse for Portsmouth, as their financial mess unravelled during the season. In February, Pompey became the first club in the history of this era to enter administration and hence earn themselves a nine point deduction. For Avram Grant, it was mission impossible and he went to West Ham United at the end of the season; once the Hammers board decided to crush Gianfranco Zola’s morale and dismiss him. Another side that impressed in the season were Birmingham City. Under Alex McLeish, the side went on the longest unbeaten run of the season, which stood at 12 games between late October and the end of January. The Blues finished a commendable ninth. At the top of the table, it was Chelsea and Manchester United who once again took the title battle down to the final day of the season. Carlo Ancelotti’s side were one point clear at the start of play and ultimately didn’t have to worry about matters. The Blues crushed Wigan 8-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Didier Drogba hitting a hat-trick to secure himself the Golden Boot. It meant Manchester United had to settle for runners-up spot, despite a 4-0 trouncing of Stoke City at Old Trafford. For the third time in Premiership history, in Ancelotti’s first season and with over 100 goals too, Chelsea became Premiership champions.
CHAMPIONS: Chelsea, 2nd: Manchester United 3rd: Arsenal, 4th: Tottenham 5th: Manchester City, 6th: Aston Villa, 7th: Liverpool, 8th; Everton, 9th: Birmingham City, 10th: Blackburn Rovers
RELEGATED: Burnley, Hull City, Portsmouth
BIGGEST WIN: Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic (22 November 2009)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic (22 November 2009), Chelsea 7-2 Sunderland (18 January 2010), Chelsea 8-0 Wigan Athletic (9 May 2010)
SCORERS: Drogba (Chelsea) 29, Rooney (Manchester United) 26, Bent (Sunderland) 24, Tevez (Manchester City) 23, Lampard (Chelsea) 22, Defoe (Tottenham) 18, Torres (Liverpool) 18, Fabregas (Arsenal) 15, Adebayor (Manchester City) 14, Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 13, Saha (Everton) 13, Malouda (Chelsea) 12, Berbatov (Manchester United) 12, Anelka (Chelsea) 11
2010/11
WAYNE Rooney had a largely troubled season, but his 76th minute penalty on May 14 earnt Manchester United a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers; good enough for United’s 19th league title, overtaking Liverpool’s long-standing record. They did it, despite only winning five games away from home all season, with the lowest points tally to win the league since 1997/98. However, only newly promoted West Brom managed to take a point from Old Trafford all season in the league. Despite finishing second, Chelsea sacked Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the season, after a fairly unconvincing campaign. For long periods, it was Arsenal who became Manchester United’s closest challengers, but once again, they screwed up dramatically in the run-in. Wenger’s side were knocked out of three cup competitions in 11 days, threw away a 4-0 lead to draw 4-4 at Newcastle in February and only two wins in their last ten league matches saw them drop to fourth and out of the automatic Champions League qualifying spots. This meant that despite uncertainty about the future of Carlos Tevez, Manchester City stole third place, their best ever Premiership finish. Tevez ended joint top scorer with Dimitar Berbatov for the season, and to cap things off for Roberto Mancini’s side, they won the FA Cup too. It was a miserable season for Liverpool, who looked like they were going to be in a relegation battle in mid-season. Roy Hodgson was sacked after an unhappy six months in the job, Fernando Torres was sold to Chelsea on deadline day for a record £50million and unpopular owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks had to sell the club in October despite numerous attempts to stop the process. Kenny Dalglish returned to the dugout and guided the Reds to sixth place, including memorable late season wins over both Manchester clubs. He also signed Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, but ultimately, the Reds missed out on Europe for the first time since 2000. Hodgson eventually turned up at West Brom in February and proved that his management skills still were up to scratch, by easing the Baggies comfortably away from a relegation scrap into a solid 11th place finish. Respected Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray were shamed in a sexism row over women in football. They made off-air sexist comments about West Ham chief executive Karen Brady and female line assistant Sian Massey before the televised Wolves v Liverpool game in January. Further damming video revelations in the week forthcoming saw Gray sacked and Keys resigning in disgrace. Also having a disgraceful season were West Ham United, who treated Avram Grant badly all season. They looked a liability throughout and despite Scott Parker’s heroic efforts, a 3-2 defeat at Wigan Athletic on the penultimate weekend sent the Hammers down. Grant’s humiliation was complete when he sacked just an hour after the match. On ‘Survival Sunday,’ five clubs still might end up being relegated. Blackburn Rovers new Indian owners had made a catastrophic mistake by sacking Sam Allardyce in December, with the club in comfortable mid-table security! Although they were in the race for the drop, a wonderful first half at Wolves saw them 3-0 up at half-time and secure of any relegation threat. It put Wolves right in the mire, despite Mick McCarthy’s team winning at Anfield and beating Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United at Molineux during the campaign. Blackpool had entertained all neutrals throughout the season, with their flowing attack or nothing football. They did take a surprising 2-1 lead at Manchester United on the last day, but their poor defensive record cost them and a 4-2 loss meant Ian Holloway’s brave Tangerines joined West Ham in relegation misery. For a long duration of the campaign, Wigan Athletic looked destined for the drop, but put together a strong end to the season which saw them unbeaten in their last five matches. A Hugo Rodallega header beat Stoke City at the Britannia to keep Roberto Martinez’s side up against the odds. This left Birmingham City in huge peril. Although they won the Carling Cup, two wins in their last eleven matches had seen Alex McLeish’s side slip into the relegation battle. Ultimately, a late Stephen Hunt goal, which pulled Wolves back to a 2-3 defeat against Blackburn, combined with an even later Roman Pavyluchenko strike for Tottenham against Birmingham sent McLeish’s men down and kept Wolves in the league, on the most incredible final day in the league’s history. However, despite being unconvincing at times, it was Manchester United’s season once again and a fitting way for Paul Scholes and Edwin van der Sar to bow out of the game, as both retired after the Champions League final defeat to Barcelona at Wembley.
CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2nd: Chelsea 3rd: Manchester City, 4th: Arsenal 5th: Tottenham, 6th: Liverpool, 7th: Everton, 8th; Fulham, 9th: Aston Villa, 10th: Sunderland
RELEGATED: Birmingham City, Blackpool, West Ham United
BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 7-1 Blackburn Rovers (27 November 2010)
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Manchester United 7-1 Blackburn Rovers (27 November 2010), Newcastle United 4-4 Arsenal (5 February 2011), Everton 5-3 Blackpool (5 February 2011)
SCORERS: Berbatov (Manchester United) 20, Tevez (Manchester City) 20, Van Persie (Arsenal) 18, Bent (Sunderland & Aston Villa) 17, Odemwingie (West Brom) 15, Hernandez (Manchester United) 13, Kuyt (Liverpool) 13, Van der Vaart (Tottenham) 13, Carroll (Newcastle & Liverpool) 13, Malouda (Chelsea) 13, Campbell (Blackpool) 13, Drogba (Chelsea) 12, Dempsey (Fulham) 12
2011/12 (Table & scorers after three matches)
THE 20th season has begun with the two Manchester clubs looking unstoppable. Manchester United handed Arsenal their biggest defeat in Premiership history, with an 8-2 mauling at Old Trafford. Only hours earlier, Manchester City thumped Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane, with Edin Dzeko scoring four goals. Under Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool spent big to acquire Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing to the club in the summer. The good times seem to be coming back to Anfield, with two wins in three games, including an impressive success away at Arsenal, with Luis Suarez looking like the natural replacement for Fernando Torres. Torres’s new club Chelsea have a new gaffer, as Andre Vilas-Boas arrived in the summer. They have looked unconvincing so far, but have signed youngster Romelu Lukaku and Valencia playmaker Juan Manuel Mata and kept pace with the leading contenders. Wolves, Stoke City, Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic have all made solid starts too, remaining unbeaten but with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri gone, plus numerous suspensions and injuries, Arsenal are contemplating life in the bottom four. However, there is plenty of time to go in what is turning out to be a special season already.
1st: Manchester United, 2nd: Manchester City 3rd: Liverpool, 4th: Chelsea 5th: Wolves 6th: Newcastle United, 7th: Aston Villa, 8th; Wigan Athletic, 9th: Stoke City, 10th: Bolton Wanderers
IN BOTTOM THREE: West Brom, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur
BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal (28 August 2011)
SCORERS: Dzeko (Manchester City) 6, Rooney (Manchester United) 5, Aguero (Manchester City) 3, Young (Manchester United) 3, Klasnic (Bolton) 3, Best (Newcastle) 2, Long (West Brom) 2, Suarez (Liverpool) 2, Silva (Manchester City) 2
No comments:
Post a Comment