2011/12 FA Premier League - The story so far...

THE 20^th FA Premier League season is three months old and is already developing into an intense scrap for the championship, European positions and the battle to stay afloat in the top flight.  There has been some landslide scorelines, surprising stories and sorry struggles and it is time to assess how things are panning out so far.

The rise and rise of Manchester City

SHAKING: Manchester City set a high standard at Old Trafford

Last season, Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City went very negative in games against the top teams, but this season is a totally different story.  There might have been the well-publicised conflict between the manager and former golden boy Carlos Tevez, but the players have responded magnificently to the challenge of aiming to win the title that has eluded them for so long.  They ripped Tottenham to shreds, 5-1 in August at White Hart Lane, but the result that shook the football world came last week, when they routed Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford.  If that doesn’t mark City down as serious challengers, I don’t know what will.  Sergio Aguero is the signing of the season, Edin Dzeko looks a totally different player and David Silva’s football is on another planet.  Still unbeaten, Manchester City have set a standard so far that is proving difficult to keep up with.

Never write off the Red side of Manchester

Despite the 6-1 mauling by their city rivals, Manchester United look very strong in regards to the title battle.  He has gone off the boil since the moment of madness in Montenegro for England, but Wayne Rooney is almost back to his best.  Sir Alex Ferguson’s ability to give youth such as Phil Jones, Danny Wellbeck and Tom Cleverly a real chance in the first team has been a shrewd decision.  After some early season wobbles, David de Gea is beginning to look like a solid first choice goalkeeper, though he has some way to go to match standards set by Schmeichel and Van der Sar.  The 8-2 demolition of Arsenal and a masterful 5-0 triumph at Bolton highlighted United’s attacking threat, but they still look vulnerable defensively, as Chelsea proved and Manchester City showed to devastating effect.  However, seasoned campaigners often come through, so you’d be a fool to write off Manchester United.

Newcastle’s surprising start

Alan Pardew has brought together a brilliant team unit at St. James Park and the results speak for themselves.  Demba Ba is following in the footsteps of Alan Shearer in the famous No.9 shirt on Tyneside and they hold the best defensive record in the league.  Last night’s impressive 3-1 triumph at Stoke has taken the Magpies upto third place, still unbeaten and going remarkably well.  The Geordies fans will begin to expect now and although they still have some way to go, a tilt at the European positions would be daft to not rule out.  They have been a genuine and excellent surprise package so far.

AVB and Chelsea: The cracks begin to show

I criticised Chelsea strongly in the summer for their decision to hire the youthful Andre Vilas-Boas as boss instead of someone far more experienced.  Despite a promising start, which included a very open and expansive attacking line-up at Old Trafford, but ended in a 3-1 defeat, I fear the cracks are beginning to show.  Chelsea’s team is ageing and badly; the youth of the squad in the Mourinho era is long gone.  John Terry is at the centre of a race row for alleged comments he made to Anton Ferdinand during a bad-tempered loss at QPR.  Fernando Torres has shown signs of great form, but still is unpredictable to work out and discipline has been shocking, with four reds in the league already.  Defensively, they were totally exposed by Arsenal at the weekend, conceding five at Stamford Bridge in the league for the first time since December 1989.  Exciting to watch at times, but fresh new blood on the playing side is urgently required in West London.  Don’t be too surprised if Mr. Abramovich gets the chequebook out in January again.

Who is the leading light in North London?

DEVASTATING: Van Persie is in the form of his life in Arsenal's recovery

Both Arsenal and Tottenham made nightmare starts to the season, as they took heavy thrashings off the two rampant Manchester clubs, but there have been significant signs of improvement in North London.  Since losing 5-1 to City, Tottenham have won six of their last seven games, with Luka Modric looking back to his best and Emmanuel Adebayor proving an excellent loan signing.  Their 4-0 demolition of Liverpool in September was one of Spurs best ever Premier League performances.  With eight wins from nine in all competitions since woefully losing 4-3 at Blackburn, Arsenal have turned a corner, culminating in that incredible 5-3 win at Chelsea on Saturday.  Robin Van Persie is leading by example as captain and is in great goalscoring form.  I still worry for the Gunners if the injury-prone Dutchman picks up an injury, but Arsene Wenger’s youngsters have defied the critics.  Although a serious title challenge is unlikely from either side, both can’t be discounted in the battle for fourth place and that crucial Champions League chance.

Signs of recovery from Anfield

The last two years have been very bleak for Liverpool supporters, but Kenny Dalglish is slowly lifting them out of the wilderness.  Luis Suarez has shown his immense quality and that there is life after Torres.  Andy Carroll still has a lot to do to justify his hefty price tag but a morale boosting goal at West Brom on Saturday will do his confidence no wonders.  Despite Raul Meireles departing for Chelsea and Steven Gerrard’s constant injury troubles, the consistency of Charlie Adam and Lucas in the centre of the park has shown that the Reds are more than a one-man team.  A 4-0 nightmare at Tottenham aside, Liverpool have produced some excellent results, including away wins at Everton and Arsenal along the way.  Like the North London sides, a title tilt looks a long shot, but there are signs of promising recovery in the second generation of the Dalglish Anfield reign.

Great attacking from the newly promoted sides

All three promoted teams have come up and once again shown that the gap between the Premiership and the Championship is now not as big as some might think.  Swansea City’s home record is very impressive, with three wins and two draws, just conceding one goal in the process.  They sit in the top half and although I worry about their strength in depth, Brendan Rodgers has adjusted well to Premiership life.  So too has Paul Lambert at Norwich.  An expansive side, full of promising youngsters has scared the life out of Chelsea and Manchester United already.  Then, they took a deserving point at Anfield two weeks ago.  With excellent starts, both teams have a chance of staying up.  I reckon QPR have the best squad out of the new sides.  Tony Fernandes investment in the club has seen the likes of Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips arrive at Loftus Road and the 1-0 win over Chelsea was a mighty result for everyone connected with the club.  There have been bad days, such as the 6-0 battering they took from Fulham, but with the ability to strengthen when the transfer window opens again, Neil Warnock might finally have a squad worthy of his talents in the top division.  For me, there’s a good chance all three promoted sides will stay up and if so, that will be the first time this has happened since 2001/02.

Relegation worries for the established

GO: The message from Blackburn fans to their beleaguered boss

Sitting bottom of the league at the moment, Wigan can’t buy a point if their life depended on it.  They have lost seven games in a row since the beginning of September.  As he stayed loyal to the Lactics in the summer, by turning down a move to Aston Villa, Roberto Martinez is in no danger of the sack but his team need a result.  They also need Hugo Rodallega to start scoring soon; otherwise I don’t know where the goals are going to come from.  Bolton’s defence has conceded 27 goals in their first ten games and the last team to do that in the Premiership were Barnsley in season 97/98.  The Tykes were relegated at the end of that season, so the omens don’t look good for Owen Coyle’s side.  I feel for Steve Kean, who is in an almost impossible situation at Blackburn.  The fans want his head, but the side is playing well, if not getting the right results.  Kean can’t help that he has the most inept owners the Premiership has ever seen.  Note to the Indian owners at Ewood Park; Stick to the chickens, you are hopeless at football!  I worry for Wolves too, who won their first two games, but collected little since and despite showing some potential; I’m still unconvinced by Aston Villa under the guidance of Alex McLeish.  It’s difficult to say who will go down, but some of the established clubs in the Premiership will be feeling the pressure already.

Winter is approaching and the games will now be coming thick and fast.  After Christmas, things in the league will begin to take shape, but if the first three months have anything to go by, then the FA Premier League is proving once more why it is the most unpredictable league in the world.

Premiership greatest goals (Part 3)

THIS third part of a special selection and another ten goals that show just how many quality we have seen in the last 20 years of FA Premier League football;

Didier Drogba - Everton V CHELSEA (December 2006)

WAS this the goal of the season in 2006/07, well it's a contender.  For me, this was Didier Drogba's best season in England and the mercurial Ivorian struck in such stunning fashion against Everton to seal a brilliant comeback win for Mourinho's men.  A magnificent finish and the celebration across the Goodison turf wasn't half bad either.

Thierry Henry - ARSENAL v Tottenham (November 2002)

NORTH London derbies have seen their fair share of spectacular goals.  This was a remarkable solo effort from Thierry Henry, as he ran away from Tottenham's startled defence, finishing supremely, then went off on a long-distance celebration.  Happy days at Highbury for Henry and co, who was never empty on magic and class.  This goal was voted the Goal of the Season by viewers of ITV and it's hard to not to disagree.  Sit back and watch Henry literally go Va Va Voom!

Luc Nillis - ASTON VILLA v Chelsea (August 2000)

ASTON Villa paid big money for tall, Belgian Luc Nillis in the summer of 2000.  On his home debut against Chelsea, he hit a thunderbolt of a goal.  Sadly, an unfortunate collision with Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright in Villa's next match would tragically end Nillis's promising career.  Both incidents are on the video, enjoy the brief moment we saw of Luc in the FA Premier League.

Matt Taylor - Sunderland v PORTSMOUTH (October 2005)

POMPEY's 4-1 win at Sunderland highlighted the gulfing class between the two sides in the top division on this particular season.  The pick of the goals was this sensational strike from long-range specialist, Matt Taylor, from around 45 yards out. 

Juliano Belletti - Middlesbrough v CHELSEA (October 2008)

JULIANO Belletti broke Arsenal hearts in the Champions League final when playing for Barcelona.  He had a tricky spell at Chelsea, but did have a habit of coming up with a special strike from absolutely nowhere.  Here is the best of the bunch; a cracking drive in a 5-0 rout of Middlesbrough, one of the West London's stronger performance in the unhappy reign of Luis Felipe Scolari.

Erik Edman - Liverpool v TOTTENHAM (April 2005)
DOES this goal haunt me?  No, it doesn't, but the scorer really surprises me.  Erik Edman didn't do much in the Premiership for either Tottenham or Wigan.  However, this was a goal in a million, becuase he probably wouldn't be able to do it again if he tried it a hundred times.  From distance, he took aim, fired and left Jerzy Dudek staring into the net wondering; 'How did he do that?'  I think everyone at Anfield that afternoon thought exactly that too.  Stunning from the under-rated Swedish international.


Fernando Torres - LIVERPOOL v Sunderland (March 2010)
MANY Kopites don't appreciate Fernando Torres's decision to leave Liverpool in January for Chelsea but he did provide our fans with some moments of sheer quality and breathtaking genius.  This is my favourite goal he scored for the club; against Sunderland.  It is moments like these that made Roman Abramovich pay £50million for his services.


Wayne Rooney - EVERTON v Arsenal (October 2002)
HE WAS 16 years of age, earning £90 a week and not even a full-time professional when he did this.  Not only did it end Arsenal's ten month unbeaten run in the Premiership, it introduced England and the world to the 'The Next Big Thing.'  As commentator Rob Palmer says; 'Ladies and gentleman, introducing 16-year old Wayne Rooney!'


Gary Cahill - ASTON VILLA v Birmingham City (April 2006)
BOTH sides were in desperate relegation trouble, but this goal would have massive implications for the Second City.  Gary Cahill, an unknown central defender at the time, produced something quite amazing out of nothing.  His bicycle kick won Villa the derby and kept them afloat in the top flight.  Two weeks later, Birmingham were relegated.  Their defence was to blame for some suicidal moments during the season, but no backline stood a chance with this finish.


Daniel Agger - LIVERPOOL v West Ham United (August 2006)
ON THE Kop's 100th birthday, what a way to mark a memorable anniversary.  Daniel Agger's thunderbolt was a special goal on a special day.  The Dane revealing to the Premiership what power he has in his shots.  It certainly wasn't his last goal for Liverpool, but he will do very well to score another just as specatcular for the rest of his career.

Premiership greatest goals (Part 2)

THE FA Premier League is celebrating 20 years of sensational action, with many controversial moments, classic matches, title clinching deciders and transfers that shook the world.  However, there is always the debate of what is the greatest goal to have ever be scored in the Premier League.  Well, here is my second selection of favourite goals in the world's greatest league and why I think they are special.

Robert Pires - Liverpool v ARSENAL (October 2003)

WE'VE already seen the best of Robert Pires with his lobbing skill, but this was he exceptional use of the bending shot.  Arsenal's unbeaten season in 2003/04 had plenty of special goals and this was another one; fully fitting of scoring the winner at Anfield against a poor Liverpool team.

Federico Macheda - MANCHESTER UNITED v Aston Villa (April 2009)

THIS goal still sickens me today, but it was a quality finish from an unknown quantity.  Barely anyone had heard of Federico Macheda when he took his place on the bench for this match against Aston Villa.  Trailing at home 2-1, Sir Alex Ferguson threw on his Italian youngster more in desperation than looking for that piece of quality.  Cristiano Ronaldo had equalised, but even he would have to applaud this astonishing moment from the new hero of Old Trafford.  As much as I was devastated, as it dented Liverpool's title hopes that season, it's a top-class finish.

John Arne Riise - LIVERPOOL v Manchester United (November 2001)

IF THERE'S another free-kick that rivals this one, feel free to let me know!  John Arne Riise has a searing debut season at Anfield, but no impact was more than this one against bitter rivals, Manchester United.  Not only did Fabian Barthez get beaten and not be blamed for the goal, I agree with Martin Tyler; How did the goal remain standing?  WOW!

Tony Yeboah - Wimbledon v LEEDS UNITED (September 1995)

I AM not picking on those who supported Wimbledon; they've just had a load of special goals scored against them.  Just weeks after that stunning volley beat Liverpool, Yeboah was at it again at Selhurst Park, with one of the hardest strikes ever seen in the FA Premier League.  He was in a hot streak in the early stages of this particular season and it's hard not to see why!

Shaun Bartlett - CHARLTON ATHLETIC v Leicester City (April 2001)

THE vision from Graham Stuart can't be faulted and the finish was absolutely brilliant.  In Shaun Bartlett, Charlton Athletic had introduced the first South African striker to the Premiership and finishes like this proved that on his day, Bartlett was almost unplayable.  It was a great goal, one of the finest strikes of a football from a long pass I've ever seen.  A fully deserved winner of goal of the season in 2000/01.

Michael Essien - CHELSEA v Arsenal (December 2006)

TRAILING 1-0 to London rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Jose Mourinho needed a positive result to stop themselves being left behind by Manchester United.  Cue Michael Essien, with this rip-roaring strike that had everyone applauding in the ground, except Arsenal fans of course.  Cometh the hour, cometh the man and the raging, tough-tackling Ghanian delivered on this chilly December afternoon, in exceptional fashion.

Papa Boupa Diop - FULHAM v Manchester United (December 2004)

WHAT is it with these Africans scoring great goals in December!  Papa Boupa Diop is another example.  Boupa Diop had shown some of his quality two years earlier in Senegal's run to the World Cup quarter-finals and here is him at his prime of what he was capable of.  It was a weird celebration, but nothing weird about the finish - a great goal which earnt a point for Fulham in a thrilling match against Manchester United.

Kanu - Chelsea v ARSENAL (October 1999)
ONCE again, another African footballer features.  Kanu was one of those players who on his day, could be unplayable or basically not turn up on the field.  His most incredible match came on an afternoon of all weather conditions at Stamford Bridge.  Arsenal were losing 2-0 at Chelsea with an hour played and looked dead and buried.  Enter the Nigerian, who scored three goals in quick succession to turn the match on its head.  Not only did Chelsea concede their first home goals of the season, they lost the match and their season simply imploded.  For Kanu, it was a moment he will never forget.  This third goal, from such an impossible angle was breathtaking and one of my personal favourite goals.



Jeremy Goss - Leeds United v NORWICH CITY (August 1993)
FANS of Norwich City will always associate Jeremy Goss for the goal in Munich that knocked Bayern out of the UEFA Cup.  Two months earlier, he warmed up for this magical night, by connecting sweetly from Ruel Fox's cross to leave John Lukic clutching at straws.  It was a goal that the whole Elland Road crowd applauded, so it must have been special.  Norwich won the game 4-0; at a time when their football was just a joy to watch.



Paul Scholes - Aston Villa v MANCHESTER UNITED (December 2006)

HE MAY have had a big habit for mistiming a challenge, but for me, this was the best goal of Paul Scholes long and distinguished career at Manchester United.  Why do I think that?  It was in a tight match where it could have gone either way, it showed he still had class in abundance and from such a long distance out, it was truly outstanding.  A moment of brilliance from one of the most consistent players to be seen in the 20 years of Premier League football.

Neil Mellor - LIVERPOOL v Arsenal (November 2004)
WOW!  His career may have not gone the way he would have liked, thanks to horrific luck with injuries, but Neil Mellor will never be forgotten by Liverpool fans for this stunning strike.  This was a day when an injury-hit Liverpool, missing the likes of Baros, Cisse, Garcia and Josemi came up against the former invincibles of the Premiership.  Liverpool outfought the Gunners on the day and this 90th minute goal not only highlighted the team spirit under Rafa Benitez at Anfield, but started the decline of that great Arsenal side.  I remember leaping up and down when this goal went in at the time, such a sweet moment to beat the champions.  Oh, and it knocked Jens Lehmann out of the Arsenal side, as he was dropped afterwards.  Always a sweet memory!



Paul Konchesky - West Ham United v FULHAM (January 2009)
NOW at Leicester City in the Championship, Paul Konchesky's career has taken him through great spells at West Ham and Charlton, to a dismal six months with Liverpool last season.  However, his peak was at Fulham.  Konchesky is now for his speciality from the dead ball, but he can hit a drive from distance on occasion and he did so here, against his former club.  Fulham lost the match, but Konchesky had produced the game's unforgettable moment and this is a goal where you can't blame Robert Green!



Matt Le Tissier - Blackburn Rovers v SOUTHAMPTON (December 1994)
HOW many times did Matt Le Tissier produce moments like this?  Plenty of occasions where he made the impossible, almost possible!  This goal at Ewood Park should be admired for it's solo run, the sheer accuracy and the way it dazzled Tim Flowers in the back of the Rovers net.  Matt admits this was his best ever goal for Southampton.  I'd disagree with that, but it was another special.



Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - Manchester United v CHELSEA (September 2000)
HAVE we ever seen a better goal scored at Old Trafford by a visting side?  I don't think so.  Chelsea had made a poor start to the 2000/01 campaign and sacked Gianluca Vialli after four games of the season.  The unheard Claudio Ranieri took over and his first port of call was Old Trafford.  So, what a way this was to start 'The Tinkerman's' reign at Stamford Bridge.  A crisp volley from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was such a predator infront of goal.  It left Raimond van der Gouw to watch and admire - a real corker out of the top draw from Jimmy.



Dennis Bergkamp - ARSENAL v Tottenham Hotspur (November 1996)
THE Dutch master was Dennis Bergkamp and he has scored some goals in the Premiership that realistically, only he was ever capable of scoring.  There is another goal that stands out from him to come in a later blog, but I really like this one too.  Defending a narrow lead in the North London derby, Ian Wright plays his part with a deep cross into the penalty area, before leaving his strike partner to do the rest.  A great goal from a genius on the football field.



That is part two of my lookback at some of the greatest goals we've seen in the Premiership.  However, if your favourite wasn't here, there will be at least one more chance for it to be mentioned.  There will be more 'good' goals to come soon from the best league in the world; The FA Premier League.

Premiership greatest goals (Part 1)

THE FA Premier League is celebrating 20 years of sensational action, with many controversial moments, classic matches, title clinching deciders and transfers that shook the world.  However, there is always the debate of what is the greatest goal to have ever be scored in the Premier League.  Well, here is my selection of favourite goals in the world's greatest league and why I think they are special.

Matt Le Tissier - SOUTHAMPTON v Newcastle United (October 1993)

Matt Le Tissier had been dropped from the Southampton side after being accused of acting 'lazy' by unpopular Saints boss Ian Branfoot.  Here is Le Tiss's response against newly promoted Newcastle and for me, it is one of the best individual goals in the 20 year history.  The finish might not have been the cleanest, but the execution was stunning.

Wayne Rooney - MANCHESTER UNITED v Manchester City (February 2011)

I'm never going to be a big fan of Wayne Rooney, but he does produce moments of unbelievable skill and his goal in February to win the Manchester derby at Old Trafford was deserving of any goal to win such a crucial match.  The ability to produce what he did is something that not many players in the world can achieve.  As Martin Tyler said in his commentary, this goal defies description, so just sit back and watch.

Paolo Di Canio - WEST HAM UNITED v Wimbledon (March 2000)

If I was choosing the greatest goal in Premiership history, it would be this sensational strike from Paolo di Canio infront of the Sky cameras.  As ever with the Hammers, there was some lovely build-up involving Trevor Sinclair and Marc-Vivien Foe, but Di Canio stole the show, by leaping off the ground with both feet and striking the ball in mid-air which left Neil Sullivan grasping for thin air.  This was genius at work.

Robert Pires - Aston Villa v ARSENAL (March 2002)

Robert Pires seemed to have a ridiculous ability of scoring 20 goals a season from midfield and he was the perfect foil for Thierry Henry.  On a damp afternoon at Villa Park, he showed cheek in lobbing the great Peter Schmeichel with a piece of sublime skill.  No wonder why Arsenal won the double this season, when you take a look at this finish.

Eric Cantona - MANCHESTER UNITED v Sunderland (December 1996)

Eric 'King' Cantona was one of my favourite ever foreign players to play in the Premiership and I always felt he retired far too soon from The Beautiful Game.  This goal against Sunderland not only completed a 5-0 rout, but the celebration of him just standing there, seeming to indicate; 'See if you can do better!' just summed up Cantona.  A true Premiership foreign great and the finest player for me to have worn United's coveted No.7 jersey.

Cesc Fabregas - ARSENAL v Tottenham Hotspur (October 2009)

There was a time when Arsenal were actually the leading lights in North London.  Tottenham had been improving under Harry Redknapp, but they were left shell-shocked in this derby by two quick-fire goals from the Gunners.  Robin van Persie put Arsenal infront, before Cesc Fabregas went on a brilliant mazy run and finished impeccably past Hereulho Gomes.  One of the finest solo strikes you will ever see.  (Both goals on the embedded video)

Tony Yeboah - LEEDS UNITED v Liverpool (August 1995)

Ghana's first star in the Premiership was Tony Yeboah.  He arrived at Elland Road in January 1995 and left Leeds fans with some great memories in his two years at the club.  The pick of his goals was this sensational volley at home to Liverpool.  The connection with the ball is so sweet, no goalkeeper in the world would save it.

Claus Jensen - Arsenal v CHARLTON ATHLETIC (November 2001)

In one of the biggest shock results of Premiership history, Charlton came to Highbury and beat Arsenal 4-2.  Claus Jensen was an enigmatic player, who never really fulfilled his talent, but this is what the Dane could do and he did it in style, robbing Patrick Vieria of possession, then chipping Richard Wright from a tricky angle.  This was a special goal on a special day for the Addicks.

Maynor Figueroa - Stoke City v WIGAN ATHLETIC (December 2009)

Some might say that Thomas Sorensen shouldn't have been caught out, but I think this was a brilliant piece of vision from Wigan left-back Maynor Figueroa.  For him to even try something like this is fantastic and he got the right result.  No luck in this, just supreme vision and great accuracy from so far out and a deserved winner of Goal of the Season in 2009/10.

Danny Rose - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v Arsenal (April 2010)

Quite possibly the best ever goal to be scored in a North London derby?  What an introduction into the first-team for talented youngster Danny Rose, with a strike that he will always be remembered for, no matter what he does for the rest of his career.

Stan Collymore - BRADFORD CITY v Leeds United (October 2000)

The career of Stan Collymore was controversial to say the least.  His best time came at Liverpool, but he rolled back the years on his debut for Bradford City, with a glorious overhead kick against Yorkshire rivals, Leeds.  It was only a brief spell at Valley Parade, but Stan the Man had made his contribution to the Bantams relegation battle.

Barry Horne - EVERTON v Wimbledon (May 1994)

Everton badly needed a hero as they desperately tried to cling onto Premiership status in 1993/94.  They were trailing 2-1 to Wimbledon, when Barry Horne became their unlikely saviour with this rasping drive.  Graham Stuart went on to score the winner and Toffees avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth.  Not a famous goal in the Premier League archives, but a very important goal on the Blue half of Merseyside.

Dallian Atkinson - Wimbledon v ASTON VILLA (October 1992)

In the first season of the FA Premier League, Aston Villa were serious title contenders.  Dallian Atkinson scored the pick of their goals in the inagural campaign, including this breathtaking run and delicious finish at Selhurst Park.  His career stalled after leaving Villa, but in those days, Atkinson could come up with some great predatory finishes.

Stan Collymore - NOTTINGHAM FOREST v Wimbledon (October 1994)

Here's that man again; Stan Collymore with a tremendous run from the halfway line and given all the time in the world by the Wimbledon players, punishes them with a great shot.  This goal was Sky Sports goal of the season in 94/95 and it highlighted the huge talent that Collymore had available to him, which sadly he never really built on.

Cristiano Ronaldo - MANCHESTER UNITED v Portsmouth (January 2008)

Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the world, until a certain Lionel Messi came along and his ability to strike a ball from a free-kick is world class.  This is his best example, against Portsmouth, in quite amazing fashion.  David James just had to stand, admire and so did the whole of Old Trafford.

So, that's part one of the greatest goals to have been scored in 20 years of the FA Premier League, but if your favourite isn't here, then don't worry just yet.  I will be doing two more blogs, sharing my favourite selection of 'good goals.'

20 years of the FA Premier League - Part 2

1997/98

ARSENE Wenger’s first full season in English football ended with a fantastic league and cup double.  His acquisitions of pacy winger Marc Overmars and the dynamic Emmanuel Petit, combined with the brilliance of Dennis Bergkamp were the main reasons why Arsenal managed to break Manchester United’s stranglehold on the Premiership.  In fact, it looked like Manchester United could only throw the title away when Phil Neville struck his first senior goal to beat Chelsea 1-0 on February 28 at Stamford Bridge.  Some bookmakers began paying out after that result, but Arsenal had other ideas.  They overhauled the 11-point deficit, with the big breaker being Overmars sole goal to see off United at Old Trafford on March 14.  As Liverpool and Newcastle nicked draws at Old Trafford over the Easter period, Arsenal continued to fly, steamrolling both Blackburn Rovers and Wimbledon with consummate ease.  On May 3, another awesome display was enough.  The Gunners thrashed Everton at Highbury 4-0 to seal the title, with the icing on the cake coming from a magnificent Tony Adams volley in stoppage time.  The formidable backline and football flair meant that the ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ chant was consigned to the history books.  Wenger leading them to their first championship in eight years and becoming the first foreign manager to achieve his dream of managing a Premiership side to title glory.  At times, Blackburn showed some of their old spark, beating Sheffield Wednesday 7-2 and Aston Villa 4-0 early in the season.  Chris Sutton ended the season as joint top scorer with 18 goals, but Roy Hodgson’s side faded badly in the finishing straight to sixth place.  Chelsea sensationally sacked Ruud Gullit in February whilst in second position, claiming they couldn’t meet the Dutchman’s demands over a new contract.  Gianluca Vialli was thrown into the job and although he guided the Blues to success in the League Cup and Cup Winners Cup, their league season capitulated, only losing one less game than relegated Bolton Wanderers.  Michael Owen joined Sutton and Coventry’s Dion Dublin at the top of the scorer’s charts and was a shining figure in another inconsistent season for Liverpool.  They finished 12 points behind the champions and it led to some major changes in the Anfield management for the following season.  Merseyside neighbours Everton had a nightmare campaign and going into the final games, were in the bottom three.  A nervy 1-1 draw at home to Coventry City was good enough for a last ditch survival, as Bolton lost 2-0 at Chelsea.  For the first and only time in Premiership history, all three promoted clubs (Bolton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace) went straight back down to Division One. 

CHAMPIONS: Arsenal, 2^nd: Manchester United, 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Chelsea, 5^th: Leeds United, 6^th: Blackburn Rovers, 7^th: Aston Villa, 8^th; West Ham United, 9^th: Derby County, 10^th: Leicester City

RELEGATED: Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley, Crystal Palace

BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 7-0 Barnsley (25 October 1997)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Blackburn Rovers 7-2 Sheffield Wednesday (25 August 1997), Wimbledon 2-6 Tottenham Hotspur (2 May 1998), Blackburn Rovers 5-3 Leicester City (28 February 1998)

TOP SCORERS: Owen (Liverpool) 18, Sutton (Blackburn) 18, Dublin (Coventry City) 18, Bergkamp (Arsenal) 16, Hasselbaink (Leeds) 16, Gallacher (Blackburn) 16, Cole (Manchester United) 15, Hartson (West Ham) 15, Huckerby (Coventry City) 14, Wanchope (Derby) 13, Overmars (Arsenal) 12

1998/99

THIS will be the season that will always be remembered for Manchester United’s historic treble.  In the Premiership, they were taken to the wire by Arsenal and were also pushed most of the way by the multi-millionaires from Chelsea.  It was gripping stuff on the last day, as Arsenal relied on a positive result from Old Trafford, which involved their deadly North London rivals, Tottenham.  For a while, it seemed positive for the defending champions, especially after Les Ferdinand put Tottenham in the lead midway through the first half.  However, his goal was cancelled out by David Beckham, before Andy Cole lobbed Ian Walker and finally silenced those critics who had portrayed him as the enemy for all those missed chances at West Ham on the final day of the 94/95 season.  Kanu’s winner at home to Aston Villa was not enough for Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger’s side falling one point short and ending gallant runners-up.  The deciding result was Arsenal conceding a late winner five days earlier to Leeds United and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at Elland Road.  If they’d held on for a draw in that game, it would have been back-to-back titles for the North Londoners.  After last season’s disappointment, Alex Ferguson had spent big in the summer, acquiring Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke.  With Yorke and Cole in perfect harmony upfront and scoring goals almost at freewill, the Red Devils remained unbeaten in the league after a 2-3 reverse at home to Middlesbrough before Christmas.  Chelsea came close, but fell away in the final hurdle.  The death knell for Gianluca Vialli’s team was a match against Leicester City in mid-April, where his side threw away a 2-0 lead and were eventually pegged back by a brilliant curling effort from Steve Guppy in stoppage time.  For a while, it looked like Aston Villa could maintain a sustained challenge under John Gregory.  Top at Christmas, things looked good, despite Stan Collymore being sidelined by stress!  However, they collapsed in the second half of the year, ending sixth and failing to even qualify for Europe.  They were pipped in the table by an ever improving Leeds United and West Ham United.  During the season, Leeds managed to win seven matches in a row in the top flight, equalling a record set by Don Revie’s great side of the 1970s.  It was a great effort from David O’Leary in his first season in charge, after George Graham moved to Tottenham in October, where he guided them to Worthington Cup glory, but little else.  There was a changing of the guard at Liverpool, as Gerard Houillier was appointed joint manager with Roy Evans in the summer.  It had ‘disaster’ written all over it and Evans quit in November.  Seventh place was their worst finish in five years, but Michael Owen was joint top scorer again.  It was worse for Blackburn Rovers, who slipped out of the FA Premier League.  Jack Walker could only watch on, as his beloved club were relegated along with Charlton Athletic and Nottingham Forest, just four years after being champions. 

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Arsenal, 3^rd: Chelsea, 4^th: Leeds United, 5^th: West Ham United, 6^th: Aston Villa, 7^th: Liverpool, 8^th; Derby County, 9^th: Middlesbrough, 10^th: Leicester City

RELEGATED: Charlton Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest

BIGGEST WIN: Nottingham Forest 1-8 Manchester United (6 February 1999)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Nottingham Forest 1-8 Manchester United (6 February 1999), Liverpool 7-1 Southampton (16 January 1999), Leicester City 2-6 Manchester United (16 January 1999)

SCORERS: Yorke (Manchester United) 18, Hasselbaink (Leeds) 18, Owen (Liverpool) 18, Cole (Manchester United) 17, Anelka (Arsenal) 17, Ricard (Middlesbrough) 15, Joachim (Aston Villa) 14, Fowler (Liverpool) 14, Shearer (Newcastle) 14, Dublin (Coventry & Aston Villa) 14, Zola (Chelsea) 13

1999/00

MANCHESTER United’s grip on the Premiership title continued in season 1999/2000 – coasting to the title, a mammoth 18 points clear of their nearest challengers.  Although Real Madrid were too strong in their Champions League defence and there was an embarrassing early exit from the FIFA World Club Championship in Brazil, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side swept all amongst them in this campaign, as their strength in depth showed throughout.  The champions only lost three games all season; one of those was a 5-0 battering at Stamford Bridge by Chelsea.  Chelsea, who had ran the established challengers close the previous campaign never recovered from a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in October, when Kanu scored an incredible 17 minute hat-trick.  Fifth place was a poor finish and put Gianluca Vialli under pressure, although an FA Cup final victory at Wembley (a trophy Manchester United forfeited to play, due to their Brazil commitments) softened the blow.  If there was one team that pushed Manchester United the hardest, it was David O’Leary’s young guns, Leeds United.  Leeds topped the table at Christmas and gave Ferguson’s team some early season headaches, before a crucial defeat to United at home in February.  Tragedy would later befall the club in April, when two Leeds supporters were stabbed to death in Istanbul before their UEFA Cup semi-final with Galatasaray.  After the grief and shock, Leeds got over the finishing line and claimed the final Champions League place, ahead of Liverpool, who made a right old mess of their final matches and ended fourth, when second was theirs for the taking.  Once again, Arsenal finished runners-up, but lacked the consistency to mount any serious threat to their great rivals.  Daft away defeats to the likes of West Ham, Tottenham and Bradford exposed the Gunners frailties.  12 wins at home made Highfield Road a very formidable ground for Coventry City.  This meant that despite not winning a single match away from home all season, relegation never looked a significant problem for the Sky Blues.  It did for Newcastle early on, as Ruud Gullit was dismissed after losing out in a battle for supremacy with skipper Alan Shearer.  Bobby Robson returned home, reignited Shearer’s goalscoring form and guided them to comfortable mid-table security.  Among their highlights was an 8-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Robson’s home debut, with Shearer scoring five times.  At the bottom of the table, Watford went straight back down, although they did record memorable wins over Liverpool and Chelsea in the early weeks of the season.  Sheffield Wednesday sacked Danny Wilson in March and caretaker boss Peter Shreeves couldn’t keep them afloat.  The final relegation spot went down to the final day of the season.  David Wetherall’s fantastic header was enough for Bradford City to beat Liverpool 1-0 and keep them up.  Wimbledon lost 2-0 to Southampton.  They went down, ending their 14-year stay in the top flight, promoting unbridled joy at Valley Parade.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Arsenal, 3^rd: Leeds United, 4^th: Liverpool 5^th: Chelsea, 6^th: Aston Villa, 7^th: Sunderland, 8^th; Leicester City, 9^th: West Ham United, 10^th: Tottenham

RELEGATED: Wimbledon, Sheffield Wednesday, Watford

BIGGEST WIN: Newcastle United 8-0 Sheffield Wednesday (19 September 1999)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: West Ham United 5-4 Bradford City (12 February 2000), Tottenham Hotspur 7-2 Southampton (11 March 2000), Bradford City 4-4 Derby County (19 April 2000)

SCORERS: Phillips (Sunderland) 30, Shearer (Newcastle) 23, Yorke (Manchester United) 20, Cole (Manchester United) 19, Bridges (Leeds) 19, Henry (Arsenal) 17, Di Canio (West Ham) 16, Armstrong (Tottenham) 14, Quinn (Sunderland) 14, Iversen (Tottenham) 14, Pahars (Southampton) 13

2000/01

ONCE again, Manchester United’s supreme class shone through, as they took their third successive Premiership title.  Their final margin of victory by ten points over Arsenal flattered the Gunners, as Sir Alex Ferguson side were miles ahead of the competition again.  This was no more evident when they played Arsenal on 25 February.  They were 5-1 up inside half an hour, eventually winning 6-1.  The crushing result took them 16 points clear of Arsene Wenger’s side.  They secured the title on Easter Saturday, with a 4-2 victory over Coventry City in a lunchtime kick-off.  Hours later, any mathematical hope Arsenal had of launching a sensational comeback were ended in a shock 3-0 loss at home to Middlesbrough, not helped by two own goals in the match.  It was a great season for Liverpool, who began to blossom under Gerard Houiller’s stewardship.  They won an incredible treble of cup competitions (UEFA Cup, Worthington Cup and FA Cup).  Not only that, but an impressive 4-0 demolition of Charlton Athletic on the final day of the season ensured Champions League qualification for the first time since the Heysel stadium disaster of 1985; a fitting reward for the club.  The season will also be remembered for a fantastic league double over the league champions Manchester United for the first time in 11 years.  Chelsea won the Charity Shield, but made a depressingly slow start to the season and dispensed with the services of Gianluca Vialli at the beginning of September.  The relatively unheard Claudio Ranieri came into the hotseat.  Ranieri got the tag of ‘The Tinkerman,’ but he managed to bring the team upto sixth position in the final standings, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink returning to the Premiership after an unhappy season in Spain, and ending as the league’s top scorer.  Manager of the season however was George Burley.  The Scotsman, on a limited budget took his Ipswich Town side to a hugely impressive fifth position in their first season back in the top flight.  Marcus Stewart scored 19 league goals as the Tractor Boys came within a whisker of Champions League qualification.  Another side that impressed were Sunderland, with Peter Reid’s side holding down a genuine second position in January, before coming seventh for the second successive season.  Southampton bid an emotional farewell to The Dell at the end of the season after 103 years.  Despite manager Glenn Hoddle walking out on them for the Tottenham job in March, the Saints finished life at the old ground on a high, with Matt Le Tissier scoring an 89^th minute winner on the final day against Arsenal.  Another Premiership stalwart lost their status, as Coventry City finally got consigned to relegation after 34 years in the top flight.  They went down after a 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa in May with Manchester City and Bradford City also going down.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Arsenal, 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Leeds United 5^th: Ipswich Town, 6^th: Chelsea, 7^th: Sunderland, 8^th; Aston Villa, 9^th: Charlton Athletic, 10^th: Southampton

RELEGATED: Manchester City, Coventry City, Bradford City

BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 6-0 Bradford City (5 September 2000)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Arsenal 5-3 Charlton Athletic (26 August 2000), Chelsea 6-1 Coventry City (22 October 2000), Leeds United 4-3 Liverpool (4 November 2000)

SCORERS: Hasselbaink (Chelsea) 23, Stewart (Ipswich) 19, Henry (Arsenal) 17, Viduka (Leeds) 17, Owen (Liverpool) 16, Sheringham (Manchester United) 15, Heskey (Liverpool) 14, Phillips (Sunderland) 14, Boksic (Middlesbrough) 12, Smith (Leeds) 11, Poyet (Chelsea) 11

2001/02

AFTER eight loyal seasons, brewery giant Carling was replaced as title sponsors by Barclaycard.  With the change came a gripping scrap for the title between Manchester United, Newcastle United, Leeds United, Liverpool and Arsenal.  Leeds and Newcastle set the pace in the early weeks, with Manchester United struggling to integrate Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud van Nistlerooy into their squad.  They did produce an epic comeback, from 3-0 down at half-time in September to Tottenham, storming back to win 5-3 but after a 0-1 reverse at home to West Ham in December, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team were 9^th in the table, 11 points off the pace.  Cue a historic scoring run from Van Nistlerooy, with the Dutchman becoming the first player to score in eight successive Premiership matches, as the champions charged to the top of the table.  However, Arsenal looked in even better form, staying unbeaten away from home all season and scoring in every single FA Barclaycard Premiership game.  The crunch match came on May 8, where Sylvain Wiltord’s second half winner sealed Arsenal’s second Premiership title at Old Trafford.  To take the championship away in the backyard of their main rivals just made the success all the sweeter for Arsene Wenger.  On top of that, they achieved the league and cup double and Thierry Henry edged out Van Nistlerooy and Alan Shearer to win the Golden Boot for the first time.  Worse was to come for Manchester United, as they finished out of the top two for the first time in Premiership history.  Liverpool’s 5-0 final day victory over Ipswich Town sealed runners-up spot for the Reds, despite losing manager Gerard Houillier to a serious heart scare at half-time of a match with Leeds United on October 13.  Phil Thompson did a brilliant job in caretaker charge, including inspiring the men from Merseyside to another league double over Manchester United.  Liverpool’s final day victory also meant Ipswich had to deal with relegation, just a season after finishing fifth and earning UEFA Cup qualification.  It was a terrible year for the East Midlands, with both Derby County and Leicester City changing managers as many times as hot dinners and both ended up being relegated.  This meant that for the first time in Premiership history, the three promoted clubs all managed to stay up.  Fulham were welcomed into the Barclaycard Premiership family and comfortably stayed up, as did Bolton Wanderers.  Bolton even topped the table after three matches, which included a shock win against Liverpool.  After two seasons away, Blackburn returned too and finished a creditable tenth.  Graeme Souness bought Andy Cole from Manchester United at Christmas, inspired his team to a 7-1 demolition of West Ham along the way and also earnt European football, via their triumph in the Worthington Cup final. 

CHAMPIONS: Arsenal, 2^nd: Liverpool 3^rd: Manchester United, 4^th: Newcastle United 5^th: Leeds United, 6^th: Chelsea, 7^th: West Ham United, 8^th; Aston Villa, 9^th: Tottenham, 10^th: Blackburn Rovers

RELEGATED: Ipswich Town, Derby County, Leicester City

BIGGEST WIN: Blackburn Rovers 7-1 West Ham United (14 October 2001)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Tottenham Hotspur 3-5 Manchester United (29 September 2001), Charlton Athletic 4-4 West Ham United (19 November 2001), West Ham United 3-5 Manchester United (17 March 2002)

SCORERS: Henry (Arsenal) 24, Van Nistlerooy (Manchester United) 23, Shearer (Newcastle) 23, Hasselbaink (Chelsea) 23, Owen (Liverpool) 19, Solskjaer (Manchester United) 17, Fowler (Liverpool & Leeds) 15, Gudjohnsen (Chelsea) 14, Pahars (Southampton) 14, Cole (Manchester United & Blackburn) 13, Ljungberg (Arsenal) 12, Ricketts (Bolton) 12, Angel (Aston Villa) 12 

20 years of the FA Premier League - Part 1

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 10^th in the final table.  Under Jack Walker’s millions, Blackburn Rovers were a fine 4^th 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 18^th; 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, 2^nd: Aston Villa, 3^rd: Norwich City, 4^th: Blackburn Rovers, 5^th: QPR, 6^th: Liverpool, 7^th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8^th; Tottenham, 9^th: Manchester City, 10^th: 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 4^th 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 8^th 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 15^th, two weeks before the season’s end.  However, 93/94 belonged to one team only; Manchester United. 

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Blackburn Rovers, 3^rd: Newcastle United, 4^th: Arsenal, 5^th: Leeds United, 6^th: Wimbledon, 7^th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8^th; Liverpool, 9^th: QPR, 10^th: 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 7^th 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 3^rd, 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 7^th and won the Football Writers award before returning home to Germany at the end of the season.

CHAMPIONS: Blackburn Rovers, 2^nd: Manchester United, 3^rd: Nottingham Forest, 4^th: Liverpool, 5^th: Leeds United, 6^th: Newcastle United, 7^th: Tottenham, 8^th; QPR, 9^th: Wimbledon, 10^th: 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 7^th, 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 11^th place finish was enough to convince England to appoint Glenn Hoddle as Terry Venables successor after Euro 96! 

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Newcastle United, 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Aston Villa, 5^th: Arsenal, 6^th: Everton, 7^th: Blackburn Rovers, 8^th; Tottenham, 9^th: Nottingham Forest, 10^th: 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 8^th, having strung together a 20-game unbeaten run at one stage in all competitions.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Newcastle United, 3^rd: Arsenal, 4^th: Liverpool, 5^th: Aston Villa, 6^th: Chelsea, 7^th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8^th; Wimbledon, 9^th: Leicester City, 10^th: 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