100 PRIZE FOOLS: Wales' players reveal that their prize for beating England in
a World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford is just £100 - before the deduction of
tax and hotel expenses. Already aggrieved that their match fee is £300 - £1,700
less than England's players - they were saved further embarrassment by losing
2-0.
99 QUICK SHARP: David Bellion scores for Manchester United in the Carling Cup
against Arsenal after 18.6 seconds, believed to be the quickest goal ever
scored at Old Trafford.
98 BIG IS BEAUTIFUL: Arsenal prepare for life in their new stadium in a year's
time at 60,000-seat Ashburton Grove, to be known as the Emirates Stadium. Not
to be outdone, Manchester United, announce plans to increase capacity at Old
Trafford by 4,000, to 73,000.
97 BACK NINE: Arsenal return to the scene of their title triumph the previous
season and beat Spurs 5-4 in a remarkable game at White Hart Lane in November.
It is only the second time nine goals are scored in a Premiership game.
96 A BRIDGE TOO FAR?: Wembley decide to dedicate the bridge that links the new
stadium to the town centre to Billy, the famous white horse who, with the help
of his rider, PC George Scorey, helped to control the crowd at the first FA Cup
final at the Twin Towers in 1923. The name 'White Horse' was chosen by the
public ahead of Live Aid, Sir Alf Ramsey, Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby
Charlton.
95 OUT YOU GO: Manchester United are knocked out of the Champions League by AC
Milan thanks largely to a first-leg howler by Roy Carroll. In February, the
goalkeeper spills Clarence Seedorf's drive at the feet of a grateful Hernan
Crespo.
94 SECOND COMING: Glenn Hoddle returns to management, more than a year after
leaving Spurs. The former England coach takes over at Championship club Wolves,
originally to the end of season, but agrees a new, one-year rolling contract.
93 DISAPPEARING ACT: Wycombe Wanderers helped to launch the managerial career
of former England captain Tony Adams, so they are understandably unhappy when
they hear that his resignation has been leaked to the media.
92 GATE CRASH: Bournemouth blast Liverpool for fielding a weak team against
Burnley in the FA Cup. Liverpool lose the game, Bournemouth miss out on
£250,000 in Anfield gate receipts in the next round. Earlier in the season they
knock Blackburn out of the Carling Cup on penalties.
91 PENALTY POOPER: Juan Pablo Angel fluffs two spot kicks in one game - and is
promptly banned from EVER taking another penalty for Aston Villa again after
both efforts were saved by Fulham's Edwin van der Sar.
90 LIFE'S A PITCH: Aidan Davison, Colchester's experienced goalkeeper, scores
an unforgettable own goal in the FA Cup, his ankle brushing Kevin Watson's back
pass at Blackburn which then bounced agonisingly into the net. Colchester lose
3-0 - and blame the pitch.
89 ALAM BELLS: Mark Palios quits as chief executive at the FA following
allegations of a relationship with Faria Alam, a secretary at Soho Square, but,
after an emergency meeting, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had no case to
answer for his affair with the same woman. Palios is later replaced by former
ITV controller of sport Brian Barwick.
88 TONGUE TWISTER: Paiboon Damrongchaitham tries to buy Liverpool, who deny
that they rejected the bid because the fans wouldn't have been able to sing
their new Thai chairman's name. Local millionaire Steve Morgan later withdraws
a £70 million offer. What price now?
87 HUNDRED CLUB: Tottenham manager Martin Jol puts a £100 million price tag on
Jermain Defoe. The astronomic asking price might not be enough to ward off
continued speculation linking the England front man with Chelsea.
86 GAZZA JOB: The troubled Paul Gascoigne tries to break into coaching. After a
playing career at St James' Park, White Hart Lane, Rome's Olympic Stadium and
Ibrox, Gazza turns up at Boston United's York Street, but stays just three
months.
85 CALAMITY JAMES: David James is axed by Sven-Goran Eriksson after his error
hands Austria the second goal in the 2-2 draw in Vienna, allowing Andreas
Ivanschitz's shot to slip through him. James admits responsibility and loses
his place to Paul Robinson.
84 SEXTUPLE CENTURION: Ryan Giggs makes his 600th appearance for Manchester
United to become the third-highest in the club's history, behind only Bobby
Charlton (759) and Bill Foulkes (688).
83 GARFORTH GALACTICO: Garforth Town, later the winners of the Northern
Counties East League, Division One, sign former Brazilian legend Socrates. His
home debut, against Tadcaster Albion, is watched by 1,385, but the samba link
continues with Romario set to play for owner and manager Simon Clifford, who
has connections with Brazil, next season.
82 BERRY NICE: Arsenal announce that for their final season at Highbury they
will wear 'redcurrant' shirts, replicating the colour they wore in their first
season there in 1913.
81 RACECOURSE GAMBLE: Wrexham, owing £900,000 to the Inland Revenue, gamble on
administration, and under new Football League rules become the first team to
lose 10 points. They are later relegated to League Two.
80 SEVENTH HEAVEN: Arsenal may have lost their title but they finish their
Highbury programme by thumping Everton 7-0, their best result in the
Premiership and equalling the third-best score in the competition.
79 FERGIE MILESTONE: Sir Alex Ferguson completes 1,000 games in charge of
Manchester United with a 2-1 Champions League win over Lyons, in November, 18
years after starting his the job with a defeat at Oxford United.
78 NOW YOU SEE HIM: Oxford make a shock appointment when they announce former
World Cup winner Ramon Diaz as manager in December. The former Argentina
striker arrived with a six-man entourage but after four months he returns to
South America with work permit problems.
77 SAMBA STAR: Ronaldinho, Barcelona's brilliant Brazilian, pips Arsenal's
Thierry Henry and AC Milan's Andrei Shevchenko to the FIFA World Player of the
Year award, in a poll of national team coaches.
76 IF I WERE A RICH MAN: A revealing Football League investigation shows that
its clubs have paid out £5 million in agents' fees over a six-month period, a
£3.6 million increase, with the Championship clubs responsible for 88 per cent
of the payments.
75 SHIRTY: Tim Cahill is stunned when he is sent off by referee Steve Bennett
after receiving a second yellow card for lifting his shirt to celebrate
Everton's winner at Man City.
74 FANCY SEEING YOU HERE: Rio Ferdinand is spotted having dinner in a Chelsea
restaurant with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon. Chelsea insist the
meeting was nothing more than an innocent coincidence; Ferdinand's manager
claims Chelsea are showing contempt.
73 INSIDE, OUTSIDE: Jermaine Pennant is jailed for three months after pleading
guilty to driving offences. Arsenal's Under-21 winger, on loan at Birmingham,
returns wearing a tag, and then completes a £3m move.
72 WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT: England players stage a media boycott after
the 2-1 win over Poland in response to criticism of goalkeeper David James,
with one newspaper likening the City player to a donkey.
71 I CHANGED MY MIND: Mark Halsey proves that the referee's decision isn't
final - by giving Fulham a penalty against Arsenal at Craven Cottage then
changing his mind, citing 'player reaction and some doubts in my own mind'.
70 GETTING CLOSER: England beat Azerbaijan 2-0 in March, with goals from Steven
Gerrard and David Beckham, to move closer to qualification for the World Cup
with a point lead over Poland with four games left.
69 ARE YOU SURE?: Chelsea send Bolton a CD of celebration songs ahead of their
game at the Reebok. Bolton pin the letter on the dressing room wall as
inspiration, but Chelsea get the last laugh, claiming the 2-0 win that confirms
them as Premiership champions.
68 LIONS INVADE EUROPE: Millwall's European adventure ends in defeat and a
stabbing. The Millwall fan, attacked in Hungary, survives. Meanwhile,
Middlesbrough's first season in Europe includes a win over Lazio, and they
finish the season by qualifying for another crack at the UEFA Cup.
67 DON'T WANT IT: If Kieron Dyer's season ends badly it started unceremoniously
too when he becomes public enemy number one on Tyneside by rejecting the
Newcastle captain's armband in protest at being played out of position by Sir
Bobby Robson. Life can be so hard.
66 YORKE ABUSED: Dwight Yorke returns to Blackburn with new club Birmingham and
is subjected to alleged racial abuse. Later, he decides to move to Australia to
play for Sydney FC after turning down an offer from Qatar.
65 CECH MATE: Petr Cech, a revelation at Stamford Bridge this season, beats
Peter Schmeichel's record in February when he goes 1,025 minutes without
conceding a goal. In all, Cech keeps 25 clean sheets.
64 FOWLER KEEPS SCORING: Robbie Fowler becomes the third highest scorer in the
Premiership, netting his 150th and 151st goals at Norwich, overtaking Les
Ferdinand. But he ends the season by missing a penalty which costs City a place
in Europe.
63 THE NEW ROO?: Everton's James Vaughan becomes the youngest scorer in the
Premiership at the age of 16 years and 271 days when the teenager from
Birmingham nets in a 4-0 win over Palace, in April, just 13 minutes into his
debut.
62 WRONG SHAPED BALL: Former England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward wants to
switch to football and begins talks with Southampton. Watch this
space....Woodward will decide his future after the British and Irish Lions'
tour.
61 TROTTERS IN EUROPE: Bolton are in the UEFA Cup after a magnificent season
that sees them finish sixth in the Premiership. Yet Sam Allardyce isn't happy,
bemoaning the waste of a chance to qualify for the Champions League.
60 HE'S BACK: In January, Ken Bates, having left Chelsea in unhappy
circumstances, takes over at troubled Leeds United. The bearded one, who must
have felt forgotten during Chelsea's triumphs, buys the debt-ridden club for
£10m.
59 LILLY ON THE MOVE: Robbie Savage leaves Birmingham for Blackburn and is
slammed by Blues owner David Sullivan. Earlier in the season Savage consults a
human rights lawyer after being sent off playing for Wales against Northern
Ireland. Later he quits Wales.
58 BEATTIE LEFT HOME: James Beattie opts for Everton but has a miserable time,
getting sent off and suffering injury. Previously, Villa were found guilty and
reprimanded over their alleged 'tapping' of the striker.
57 TROUBLE AT MILAN: The Champions League Milan derby is abandoned after 72
minutes following worrying scenes of violence. Plastic bottles, flares and an
umbrella are thrown onto the pitch with AC Milan's goalkeeper Dida struck by a
firework. Milan, leading 1-0, are awarded a 3-0 win and Inter must play their
next four European games behind closed doors.
56 AND ON THE MAIN BILL...: Opposition to England's summer trip to the USA
increases when it is revealed that the friendly against Colombia at Giants
Stadium in New York is the curtain raiser to New Jersey/New York Metrostars v
Chicago Fire.
55 HOT CUP: The oldest surviving FA Cup, made in 1896, is sold for £478,400.
The 'mystery' buyer is later revealed as sex shop tycoon David Gold, co-owner
of Birmingham City. Gold claims he bought the cup to stop it going to Germany.
On the same day, Alan Ball's World Cup winning medal is sold for £164,800.
54 YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING: Three referees are suspended. Andy D'Urso is
axed for after booking Blackburn's Barry Ferguson twice, Matt Messias is banned
for the same reason with Portsmouth's Aiyegbeni Yakubu and Mike Dean is
suspended following his involvement with an online race horse syndicate.
53 MONEY, MONEY, MONEY: Chelsea sign a £50m deal with Samsung, to be their new
shirt sponsors, and then, having paid £24.5m to end their kit deal with Umbro
in 2006, rather than 2011, agree an eight-year £100m agreement, with adidas.
Good news after announcing losses of £88m.
52 HUGHES OUT, TOSH IN: Mark Hughes quits Wales for Blackburn but agrees to
stay on for two World Cup qualifiers. Wales lose 3-0 to England and 3-2 to
Northern Ireland, leaving successor John Toshack with little hope of
qualification. Scotland also change their manager, replacing Berti Vogts with
Walter Smith.
51 BENT REF: German official Robert Hoyzer admits match fixing - including a
Middlesbrough friendly. Hoyzer, who was arrested, admits that the pre-season
friendly against Hansa Rostock had been used as a 'test'. Hoyzer later 'fixed'
a cup game between Hamburg and Paderborn and is banned for life by the German
Football Federation.
50 DREAM DEBUT: Kieran Richardson marks his England debut with two goals in the
2-1 win over the USA. He becomes the first player to score a brace on his debut
for 30 years while his first goal, in the fourth minute, was the fourth
quickest by an England debutant.
49 NO MASKING IT: Man United fans are warned that they will be banned from
Selhurst Park if they mark the 10th anniversary of the Eric Cantona kung fu
kick by wearing masks of the Frenchman.
48 SHOVE OFF: David Prutton gets a 10-game ban after losing his cool with
referee Alan Wiley. The Southampton midfielder pushed Wiley after a second
yellow card against Arsenal.
47 HOME GROWN PLAYERS WANTED: UEFA announce plans to clamp down on foreigners.
From the start of 2006-2007 season clubs entering European competitions must
name at least four home grown players, rising to six and eight in subsequent
seasons.
46 HERE WE GO AGAIN: Arsenal and United meet again, at Highbury, with captains
Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira clashing in the tunnel before United win 4-2 to
effectively end Arsenal's hopes of regaining the title.
45 FALL OF FOREST: At the end of a season in which Brian Clough dies, former
double European Cup winners Nottingham Forest suffer relegation from the
Championship. Joe Kinnear, their manager, resigns and newcomer Gary Megson is
embarrassed by news that some of his players had been to the city's bars just
days before their demise.
44 HE STAYS: Patrick Vieira, the Arsenal captain, ponders a move to Real Madrid
but after the Spaniards had made an offer of around £25million. The Frenchman
stays at Highbury.
43 SPITTING MADNESS: El Hadji Diouf, on loan to Bolton from Liverpool, is
caught spitting in the face of Portsmouth's Arjan de Zeeuw. He is fined two
weeks wages, banned for three games and suffers another suspension when he
raises an arm to Arsenal's Jens Lehmann in the FA Cup.
42 NO ROOM FOR MINNOWS: Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd claims elite clubs
will run the whole game. Shepherd's views that the 'Premier League will run the
whole show' and that many other clubs will go part-time, does not go down well.
41 MIGHTY MIDGET: Former World Cup winner Carlos Alberto launches a shock
attack on Michael Owen, branding him a 'midget', in response to believing that
Owen had claimed he would net five against Alberto's Azerbaijan.
40 ROONEY RETURNS: Wayne Rooney returns to Goodison Park when Manchester United
are drawn against Everton in the FA Cup. Fears of reaction from angry Everton
fans are realised when United goalkeeper Roy Carroll is struck by an object.
39 FOREIGN FIELD: Arsenal strole to a 5-1 win over Crystal Palace, in February,
but unsettle the traditionalists when, for the first time the Gunners do not
have an Englishman in their ranks.
38 POMPEY CHIMES THREE TIMES: Three managers at Fratton Park where Portsmouth
replace Harry Redknapp with Velimir Zajec but the switch fails and Frenchman
Alain Perrin is installed and succeeds in keeping Pompey in the Premiership -
thanks to a 4-1 win over Redknapp's Southampton.
37 MINNOW WOE: The magic of the FA Cup is alive when little Yeading, of the
Ryman League, draw Newcastle in the third round. They plan to stage the game at
The Warren, their 2,300 capacity ground, but the the tie is switched to QPR.
Newcastle win 2-0.
36 CISSE BREAK: Djibril Cisse joins Liverpool for £14 million - but suffers a
sickening leg break which threatens his career, in October. Liverpool collect
more serious injuries with Steven Gerrard breaking a foot, Antonio Nunez
undergoing a knee operation and Xabi Alonso breaking an ankle. But Cisse stages
a remarkable recovery, and scores in the penalty shoot-out to claim the
Champions League Trophy.
35 MERRY-GO-ROUND AT ST MARY'S: Southampton sack Paul Sturrock and successor
Steve Wigley, without qualifications, gets dispensation from the Premier
League, then loses his job after a 5-2 Carling Cup defeat at Watford. Harry
Redknapp quits Portsmouth and ends up at St Mary's but Saints go down, Redknapp
decides to stay but his assistant Jim Smith is axed.
34 HEYSEL REVISITED: Memories of the Heysel tragedy are rekindled when
Liverpool are drawn to play Juventus in the Champions League, 20 years after
the disaster in Belgium. Liverpool win 2-1, thanks to a stunning goals from
Sami Hyypia and Luis Garcia at Anfield, and hold Juventus to a goalless draw in
Turin.
33 GRECIAN 2005: The holders suffer one of the great shocks of the FA Cup when
Manchester United are held to a goalless draw by Exeter City. United have to
travel to Devon and eventually beat the Conference club 2-0.
32 BUS BUST UP: Norwegian police are called following an incident on the
Arsenal team bus, involving Lauren and captain Patrick Vieira, following the
1-1 draw against Rosenborg.
31 BARTON STUBBED OUT: Kevin Keegan fines Joey Barton, his Manchester City
midfielder, six weeks wages - around £150,000 - following news that he was
involved in an incident with youth-team player Jamie Tandy, hospitalised with a
cigar burn to the face.
30 NON MERCI: Jacques Santini's reign at White Hart Lane lasts just 13 games
before the former France national team manager leaves Tottenham and is replaced
by Martin Jol.
29 KEEGAN QUITS: Kevin Keegan, embarrassed earlier in the season by the FA Cup
defeat at Oldham, leaves City. Stuart Pearce is given the job after impressing
as caretaker but City miss out on UEFA Cup qualification when Robbie Fowler
sees his last-day, last-minute penalty saved by Boro's Mark Schwarzer.
28 FIRST CUP FOR CHELSEA: Chelsea claim their first silverware with a 3-2
extra-time win over Liverpool in the Carling Cup final. The game ends in
controversy with Chelsea head coach Jose Mourinho asked to leave the technical
area after making a 'hush' gesture, aimed, he insists, at the press.
27 REYES DUPED: Arsenal's Jose Antonio Reyes is fooled by a Spanish radio
station hoax, when, believing he is speaking to Real Madrid sporting director
Emilio Butragueno, admits he would like to play for the club.
26 BELLAMY BOMBS: Craig Bellamy clashes with his Newcastle manager Graeme
Souness, and is fined £80,000 after the manager claims the Welshman feigned
injury and he responds by accusing him of lying.
25 OVER AND OUT: Sir Bobby Robson's reign at Newcastle ends sadly when he is
sacked after just four games. His replacement, Graeme Souness, is told to win
silverware, but successive 4-1 defeats, in the UEFA Cup quarter-final against
Sporting Lisbon and, three days later, the FA Cup semi-final, by Manchester
United, leave Newcastle to enter next season's InterToto Cup.
24 DROG DEAL: Chelsea's quest for success continues when new manager Jose
Mourinho, in a position to buy just about anybody he wants, spends £24 million
on Marseilles' Didier Drogba, taking Roman Abramovich's spending to £195
million. Drogba ends the season by claiming he is homesick.
23 SHEARER U-TURN: In March Alan Shearer, who had been determined to hang up
his boots this summer, delays retirement after becoming the first player to
score 250 Premiership goals. Shearer has another season to overtake Jackie
Milburn's Newcastle scoring record; Milburn scored 200 goals and Shearer has
192.
22 PREMIERSHIP ON THE PIER: Wigan are in the Premiership just 27 years after
becoming a League club. Chairman Dave Whelan, whose hopes of promotion had
previously been threatened over a row with local policing costs, promises £25
million to manager Paul Jewell for new players. Sunderland win the title while
West Ham come up via the play-offs.
21 OWEN AWAY: Michael Owen leaves Anfield in August. With new manager Rafael
Benitez installed at Liverpool, Owen leaves for Real Madrid, with Antonio Nunez
moving in the opposite direction. Owen wins nothing, Liverpool win...you know
the rest.
20 LAST-DAY DISASTER: Celtic lose the SPL title on the final day after
conceding two goals in the final three minutes at Motherwell. The 2-1 defeat,
coupled with Rangers' 1-0 win at Hibernian means the trophy goes to Ibrox.
Manager Martin O'Neill later announces his resignation to care for his sick
wife and Gordon Strachan is installed. But O'Neill finishes on a high by
winning the Scottish Cup.
19 PAIN IN SPAIN: England players are subjected to racist abuse by Spanish fans
during the friendly in Madrid. The Spanish FA are fined £44,750. Spain coach
Luis Aragones makes a racist slur at Thierry Henry's expense but is fined just
£2,060.
18 CHEAT CHAT: Jose Mourinho is fined £5,000 and warned as to his future
conduct by the FA after the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against
Manchester United when he said: "In the second half it was whistle and whistle,
fault and fault and cheat and cheat."
17 REVENGE: Arsenal makes amends for two Premiership defeats by beating
Manchester United in the FA Cup final, making history in the process. United
dominate the game, but Arsenal win on penalties - the first time the Cup has
been decided on a shoot out - when Jens Lehmann saves from Paul Scholes. Jose
Antonio Reyes becomes only the second player to be sent off in a final, which
attracted peak viewing figures of 13.7 million - the biggest audience for
almost a decade.
16 SAUCED: Celebrity chef Delia Smith does her merry best to inspire her
Norwich players when, at half-time during the February game against Manchester
City, the club's majority shareholder launches into her fans with the infamous
"let's be 'avin you" cry.
15 THE GOAL THAT WASN'T: The call for goal-line technology is reignited when
Pedro Mendes 'scores' for Tottenham at Old Trafford but referee Mark
Clattenburg takes the lead from assistant Rob Lewis and disallows the goal even
though television images show the ball has crossed the line.
14 INVINCIBLE: Arsenal set an all-time record, beating Blackburn to overtake
Nottingham Forest's 42-game unbeaten run. Having gone the entire 2003-2004
season without loss they last until October losing at Old Trafford on 49 games
unbeaten.
13 GETTING SNIFFY: In October, Adrian Mutu fails a random drugs test, admits
taking cocaine to enhance sexual performance and is sacked by Chelsea. The
Romanian is charged by the FA and receives a £20,000 fine and a seven-month
ban. He later signs for Juventus but Chelsea seek compensation.
12 THE LONGEST DAY: The greatest relegation battle in Premiership history ends
on the season's final day with the bottom of the table changing five times. The
day starts with Norwich safe; by 3.10pm, Southampton are safe. At 4.19pm,
Albion are in 17th and then Palace rise to the safety zone, at 4.37pm. But when
the final whistles are blown Albion become the first team to be bottom at
Christmas and survive.
11 DEATH OF LEGENDS: Brian Clough dies in September at the age of 69. The
former Nottingham Forest manager won successive European Cups and was one of
the game's most celebrated characters. Others to pass away during the season
include Tottenham's double-winning manager Bill Nicholson, who was 85, and
former England and Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes, who was just 57.
10 RED ROO: Wayne Rooney is unexpectedly the target of a bid by Newcastle, but
eventually leaves Everton for Manchester United. Newcastle bid £20 million for
the youngster before Sir Alex Ferguson is successful with an offer that rises
to £27 million. His first season is eventful; Rooney scores a hat-trick on his
debut, against Fenerbahce.
9 DREAM OVER: Jose Mourinho's hopes of retaining the Champions League trophy
are ended when Liverpool, after forcing a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge,
steal an Anfield win with a controversial goal. Another call for goalline
technology is made after claims that Luis Garcia's effort did not cross the
line. The result means that Chelsea have to make do with just two trophies,
while Liverpool march on to an improbable final appearance.
8 GET FRISKY: Top referee Anders Frisk quits after receiving death threats as a
result of comments from Jose Mourinho, who claims Barcelona's Frank Rijkaard
influenced the Swede by visiting him at half time during a Champions League
clash. UEFA refute the suggestions, punish Mourinho £9,000 and hand Chelsea a
£33,000 fine. In addition, assistant Steve Clarke and security officer Les
Miles are reprimanded while Mourinho is banned from the touchline for two
games, watching both legs against Bayern Munich from a hotel. In the first
game, Chelsea fitness coach Rui Faria wore a hat and seemed to be passing
messages to Clarke. For the second leg, Faria is banned from wearing his hat.
7 I CHEATED: England captain David Beckham, nursing broken ribs, reveals
exclusively in the Daily Telegraph that he got booked deliberately in the win
over Wales so he could serve a ban against Azerbaijan. Knowing he was injured
and would be ruled out of the next game he clattered into Welsh full-back Ben
Thatcher. He said: "I'm sure people think I've not got the brains to be that
clever." But his honesty gets a mixed reaction as World Cup-winner Sir Geoff
Hurst accuses the captain of brining England into "disrepute".
6 PIZZAGATE: Arsenal's unbeaten run ends with the 'Battle of the Buffet' at Old
Trafford where pizzas are allegedly thrown at Sir Alex Ferguson in the tunnel
after United win 2-0, including a controversial penalty. Arsène Wenger
castigates Ruud van Nistelrooy for a challenge on Ashley Cole, for which he is
later banned for three games. Ferguson later calls on the FA to punish Thierry
Henry for a tackle on Gabriel Heinze. United send a dossier of the tunnel
fracas to the FA, who, fed up with the bickering, demand early United-Arsenal
talks. Even Sports Minister Richard Caborn warns the two managers, who agree a
verbal ceasefire.
5 IN-HOUSE FIGHTING: Extraordinary scenes at St James' Park in April when
Newcastle finish with just eight men in the 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa. Lee
Bowyer and Kieron Dyer start brawling and are sent off. Newcastle also have
Steve Taylor sent off, but his team-mates are forced by manager Graeme Souness
to face the press and apologise immediately. Bowyer, the instigator, is fined
£210,000 and banned a total of seven games.
4 BLUE IS THE COLOUR: Chelsea win their first title for 50 years, breaking
numerous records in the process. Jose Mourinho arrived last summer, proclaiming
himself the "special one". His self confidence, often interpreted as arrogance,
Mourinho helps Chelsea produce a remarkable season at Stamford Bridge and his
team goes on to win the Premiership with 25 clean sheets, 95 points, 48 away
points, 29 wins, nine consecutive away victories and only 15 goals conceded.
3 SOLD TRAFFORD: Manchester United are bought by American tycoon Malcolm
Glazer. The move starts in November when Glazer uses his £205m stake in the
club to force out three directors and, given a deadline of May 17 to decide
whether to pursue a takeover of the club's plc, shocks everybody by buying
Irish racing millionaires JP McManus and John Magnier's 28.7 per cent stake in
the club, and on May 16 takes his stake in United to 76.2per cent. Fans, who
believe it signals the death of the club, protest at the FA Cup final but it
proceeds with the club's board advising shareholders to accept the takeover.
Glazer is expected to de-list the club's shares by June 30.
2 NEW BALL GAME: Ashley Cole and Chelsea vow to fight their fines after the
Arsenal defender, the Premiership champions and their coach, Jose Mourinho are
found guilty of an illegal approach. Cole is fined £100,000, Mourinho gets a
£200,000 fine and Chelsea have to pay £300,000 and are given a suspended three
point reduction. Cole's advisors will appeal against a restraint of trade,
promising to fight the sanction to the 'fullest conclusion'. Chelsea are used
to writing cheques, and not only for players; in total they were fined £563,000
over the season. But the consequences of the appeals relating to this case
could have a massive affect on player movement. We wait with interest.
1 KOP THAT: Liverpool, 80-1 at the start of the tournament, stage the greatest
comeback in the history of the competition to win the Champions League. They
concede a goal within the first minute, are 3-0 down by the interval and the
odds against a Liverpool win are now 100-1. But Rafael Benitez's team respond
with three goals, from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso, in six
unforgettable second half minutes to force the game into extra-time. Jerzy
Dudek, the hero after a remarkable double save, is the match winner with two
penalty saves, the last from Andriy Shevchenko. The party starts - and is still
going on - and three-quarters of a million fans turn out on the streets of
Liverpool to welcome back their conquering heroes and the trophy they now get
to keep. But, having finished fifth in the Premiership, Liverpool cannot defend
their title and the arguments continue over whether they should be allowed to
enter next season's competition.
= KEEP Manchester United Football Club INDEPENDENT =
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