Timeline of English football

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a timeline of English football which contains notable football-related events that have occurred both on and off the field.

1840s - 1850s - 1860s - 1870s - 1880s - 1890s - 1900s - 1910s - 1920s - 1930s - 1940s - 1950s - 1960s - 1970s - 1980s - 1990s - 2000s

[edit] 2000s

2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000

[edit] 2006

American tycoons George N. Gillett Jr. and Tom Hicks pay £174.1m to take over Liverpool F.C.
Doug Ellis steps down as Aston Villa chairman after 31 years running the club. It was bought by American billionaire Randy Lerner for £64 million.
John Terry succeeds David Beckham as England's national team captain. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard is named vice-captain.
Sven-Göran Eriksson announces that he will step down as England manager following the 2006 World Cup. He will be succeeded by Steve McClaren with effect from 1 August.
Chelsea win the Premiership for the second year in succession.
Thierry Henry scores the last ever goal, and the last ever hat trick, in the final game at Highbury before Arsenal move to their new 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium
Manchester United win the League Cup for the second time in their history beating Wigan Athletic 4-0 at the Millennium Stadium.
Middlesbrough reach the UEFA Cup final for the first time in their history, only to be beaten 4-0 by Sevilla.
Peter Osgood, a Chelsea legend, dies of a heart attack aged 59.
Charlton Athletic become the first Premiership club to change their shirt design mid-season.
Alan Shearer retires two weeks early following a knee injury. After 18 years, the former England and Newcastle captain bows out as the Premiership's leading goalscorer of all time with 260 goals in 441 games but only one trophy, the 1994-95 Premiership title. ^[1]
Sunderland are relegated from the Premiership, and break their own record set three years earlier for the lowest points accumulated, ending the season with just fifteen.
Reading are promoted to the Premiership, for the first time in their history, after winning the Football League Championship with a record 106 points.
Liverpool beat West Ham 3-1 on penalties in the 125th FA Cup final after the game finished 3-3 in normal time. Being the last FA Cup game at the Millennium Stadium, it was fitting that it was one of the best of all time.
Arsenal's first UEFA Champions League final sees Jens Lehmann become the first player dismissed in a final as FC Barcelona win 2-1.
The players of Aston Villa make history on July 14 by issuing a joint statement critical of chairman Doug Ellis, the first ever time such a statement has been formally issued to the press by a collective of players from any English football club.

[edit] 2005

Liverpool defeat CSKA Moscow 3-2 after extra time to win the European Super Cup for a third time, an English record.
Liverpool win the Champions League on penalties, after drawing 3-3 with AC Milan in Istanbul for a fifth time, an English record.
Chelsea win the Premiership title with just one defeat all season - which has been bettered only by Arsenal's unbeaten season a year earlier. They set a new Premiership record for fewest goals conceded (15) and most points attained (95).
Arsenal become the first team to win the FA Cup on penalties when they triumph over Manchester United.
George Best, one of the greatest footballers in the history of Manchester United and the footballing world, dies aged 59.
Wigan Athletic reach the top division for the first time in their history after finishing runners up in the Football League Championship, mirroring Fulham's achievement four years previously of having made their way from League Two to the Premier League.
Coventry City move into the new 32,500-seat Ricoh Arena after 106 years at the Highfield Road stadium.
The Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United leads to disgruntled fans creating F.C. United of Manchester.

[edit] 2004

Arsenal are crowned Premiership champions after going a 38-game league season unbeaten.
Manchester United win the FA Cup for a record eleventh time.
Divisions One, Two and Three of The Football League are renamed the Football League Championship, League One and League Two respectively as part of a rebranding exercise.
Everton striker Wayne Rooney, still only 18, becomes the world's most expensive teenager when he signs for Manchester United in a transfer deal which could eventually rise to £27million from an initial £20million.
Middlesbrough beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the League Cup final to win the first major trophy in their history.

[edit] 2003

Liverpool win the League Cup for a record seventh time.
Arsenal win the FA Cup Final by beating Southampton 1-0
Chelsea are bought by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in an English record takeover deal worth £150 million.
Manchester United overhaul Arsenal during the final weeks of the season to claim their eighth Premiership title in eleven seasons.
Sunderland confirm themselves as statistically the worst Premiership team ever after they are relegated with a record low of 4 wins, 19 points and 21 goals.
Leicester City win promotion to the Premiership as Division One runners-up despite having started the season in receivership with £30 million debts and a transfer embargo.
Manchester City leave Maine Road after 80 years and move into the 48,000-seat City of Manchester Stadium which had been constructed for the previous year's Commonwealth Games.

[edit] 2002

Arsenal join Manchester United as the second club to have won three league championships and FA Cup doubles.
West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City win promotion to the Premiership, ending an exile from the top flight which both clubs had begun in 1986.
Mobile phone operator MM02 replaces SEGA as Arsenal's shirt sponsor.
Leicester City leave Filbert Street after 111 years and relocate to the 32,000-seat Walkers Stadium.
Manchester United break the British transfer record once again by paying Leeds United £29million for central defender Rio Ferdinand.
Alan Shearer hits his 200th Premiership goal against Chalton Athletic at St. James' Park on 20 April 2002.
Everton become the first team to have spent 100 seasons in the top flight of English football.

[edit] 2001

Manchester United become only the fourth English club to win three successive league championships, following Huddersfield Town in the 1920s, Arsenal in the 1930s, and Liverpool in the 1980s.
Liverpool complete a unique treble of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.
David Rocastle, who won a League Cup and two league championships with Arsenal as well as never being on the losing side in his 14 England appearances, dies of cancer aged 33.
Manchester United pay a British record of £19million for PSV Eindhoven's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and a few weeks later break their own record by splashing out £28.1million for Lazio's Argentine midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón.
Coventry City suffer relegation from the Premiership after 34 successive seasons of top flight football.
Fulham are promoted to the Premiership, becoming the first club since the Premier League's formation to have made their way from Division Three (now League Two) to the top flight.

[edit] 2000

England lose 1-0 to Germany in their opening qualifier for the 2002 World Cup, in a game which is also the last game at Wembley Stadium before it closes its doors after 77 years for a complete revamp. The historic goal is scored by Dietmar Hamann.
Kevin Keegan resigns after England's defeat and is succeeded by Lazio's Swedish coach Sven-Göran Eriksson - the first foreigner to take charge of the England team.
Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0 to win the last FA Cup final at Wembley before its reconstruction.
Sir Stanley Matthews, one of the greatest players in the history of English footballer, dies after a short illness at the age of 85.
The new home of Welsh football is the 72,000-seat Millennium Stadium, which stands on the site of Cardiff Arms Park, and will host all English cup finals and playoff finals until Wembley is reopened.

[edit] 1990s

1999 - 1998 - 1997 - 1996 - 1995 - 1994 - 1993 - 1992 - 1991 - 1990

[edit] 1999

Manchester United complete a unique treble of the Premiership title, FA Cup and European Cup, and manager Alex Ferguson is honoured with a knighthood.
On-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scores an injury time winner for Carlisle United on the last day of the season to preserve their league status and relegate Scarborough.
Bradford City finish runners-up in Division One to end their 77-year absence from the top flight of English football.
Glenn Hoddle is sacked as England manager after a controversial newspaper interview. He is replaced by Kevin Keegan.
Sir Alf Ramsey, manager of the 1966 England World Cup winning team, dies from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 79.
On Boxing Day, Chelsea become the first British side to field an entirely foreign (non-UK) line-up in a Premier League match against Southampton.

[edit] 1998

Arsenal equal Manchester United's record of two league championship and FA Cup doubles in their first full season under the management of Frenchman Arsène Wenger.
Chelsea complete a double of the Cup Winners' Cup and League Cup within four months of Gianluca Vialli taking charge of team affairs following Ruud Gullit's dismissal, which follows a dispute with chairman Ken Bates over transfer funds.
Doncaster Rovers F.C. are relegated from the Football League with a record of 34 league defeats.
Manchester City are relegated to the third tier of the English league for the first time in their history.

[edit] 1997

After captaining Manchester United to their fourth Premiership title in five seasons, Eric Cantona announces his retirement as a player.
Ruud Gullit becomes the first foreign manager to win an English trophy after his Chelsea side defeated Middlesbrough 2-0 in the FA Cup final to end their 26-year trophy drought.
Middlesbrough experience a unique season. They are on the losing side in both domestic cup finals and have a 3-point deduction imposed for postponing a Premiership fixture at short notice seeing them relegated in second from bottom place - so they finished in the last two of all three major English competitions.
Alan Shearer is ruled out of football for seven months after suffering a broken ankle in a pre-season game.
Kevin Keegan shocks Newcastle United by resigning as manager just after the turn of the New Year. He felt that he could take the club no further, and is succeeded by Kenny Dalglish.
Bolton Wanderers move into the Reebok Stadium, leaving Burnden Park, their home for 102 years.

[edit] 1996

Manchester United win a unique second league championship and FA Cup double. Following taunts that "You win nothing with kids", the young team hits back by achieving something that no English team has done before.
Alan Shearer becomes the world's first £15million player when he leaves Blackburn Rovers to join his hometown club Newcastle United.
England hosts the European Championships for the first time and reach the semi finals, losing 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Terry Venables steps down after two-and-a-half years as England manager after the European Championships and is replaced by Glenn Hoddle.
Bob Paisley, who won a record 21 prizes in nine seasons as Liverpool manager, dies, aged 77, after a long illness.
Aston Villa win the League Cup for a record equaling fifth time, against Leeds United 3-0.

[edit] 1995

Manchester United's French striker Eric Cantona is banned from football for 8 months and sentenced to 120 hours community service for kicking a Crystal Palace spectator at Selhurst Park. Chelsea captain Dennis Wise is convicted of assaulting a taxi driver. Arsenal's Paul Merson and Crystal Palace's Chris Armstrong both undergo rehab after it is revealed that Merson has a cocaine addiction and alcoholism, while Armstrong had failed a drugs test. Arsenal's manager George Graham is sacked following revelations that he had accepted £425,000 in illegal payments in 1992 in connection with the acquisition of Pal Lydersen and John Jensen.
Kenny Dalglish becomes the third manager to win the English league with different clubs after Blackburn Rovers clinch the Premiership title to top the English league for the first time since 1914.

A Paul Rideout goal gives Everton a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final to leave Alex Ferguson's men without a major trophy for the first time since 1989.
Bobby Stokes, who scored Southampton's winning goal in their shock win over Manchester United in the 1976 FA Cup final, dies suddenly at the age of 44.
Manchester United break the English record in January by paying Newcastle United £7million for striker Andy Cole. Five months later the record is broken again when Arsenal pay Internazionale £7.5million for Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp. Bergkamp's record is almost instantly broken when Liverpool sign Nottingham Forest striker Stan Collymore for £8.5million.

[edit] 1994

Manchester United become only the fourth club in the 20th century to win the league championship and FA Cup double. They achieve this triumph just four months after the death of legendary former manager Sir Matt Busby at the age of 84. They are denied an unprecendented 'treble' by Aston Villa, who defeat them in the final of the League Cup.
Blackburn Rovers break the English transfer fee record by paying Norwich City £5million for 21-year-old striker Chris Sutton.
Liverpool demolish the world famous Spion Kop terrace and Aston Villa clear their massive Holte End to comply with the all-seater requirements for Premiership stadiums which comes into force for the 2004-05 season.
Bryan Robson leaves Manchester United after 13 years to become player-manager of Middlesbrough.
Tottenham Hotspur are found guilty of financial irregularities dating back to the 1980s and handed the most severe punishment in the history of English football: a £600,000 fine, 12 league points deducted and a one-year ban from the FA Cup. The points deduction and the FA Cup ban are later quashed but the fine is increased to a new record of £1.5million.

[edit] 1993

Manchester United win the inaugural Premiership title to end their 26-year wait for the league championship. They strengthened themselves for the defence of their big prize by paying a British record fee of £3.75million for Nottingham Forest's young Irish midfielder Roy Keane.
Arsenal become the first English club to win the FA Cup and League Cup in the same season, after beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in both finals.
Tony Barton, who managed Aston Villa to European Cup glory in 1982, dies of a heart attack aged 56.
Graham Taylor quits as England manager after the nation's failure to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and is succeeded by Terry Venables.
Bobby Moore, captain of England's 1966 World Cup winning team, dies at the age of 51.
Gary Lineker ends his English footballing career and signs for Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight for £900k. His Farewell Match was against the previous seasons League Champions Leeds United and finished Leeds United 2-1 Nagoya Grampus Eight

[edit] 1992

The Football Association creates the FA Premier League, an elite league of 22 clubs which replaces the old Football League First Division as England's highest division.
Blackburn Rovers, back in the top flight for the first time since the 1960s, make Alan Shearer England's most expensive footballer by paying Southampton £3.5million for his services.
Leeds United win the last Football League First Division championship before the creation of the FA Premier League.
Aldershot, who have struggled to stay afloat for two years, finally go out of business on 25 March. Maidstone United follow suit on 17 August after their financial crisis leaves them with no option but to quit the Football League.

[edit] 1991

Arsenal win the Football League title with just one defeat from 38 fixtures.
Manchester United mark the comeback of English clubs in European competition by beating FC Barcelona 2-1 in the Cup Winners' Cup final.
Liverpool are readmitted to European competition and, as First Division runners-up are entered into the UEFA Cup for the 1991-92 season.
After three years with French side AS Monaco FC, Glenn Hoddle returns to England to become player-manager of Swindon Town.
Dean Saunders becomes the most expensive player in English footballer when he is transferred from Derby County to Liverpool in a £2.9million deal.

[edit] 1990

Liverpool win their eighteenth top flight title.
England reach the semi finals of the World Cup before losing to eventual winners West Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Manager Bobby Robson resigns after the competition to take charge of Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and is succeeded by Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor, who in turn is replaced by Czech coach Jozef Venglos - the first foreign manager in the top flight of English football.
English clubs are readmitted to European competition after a five-year ban arising from the Heysel Stadium disaster. First Division runners-up, Aston Villa, qualify for the UEFA Cup whilst FA Cup winners, Manchester United, qualify for the Cup Winners' Cup. Champions Liverpool are unable to compete in the European Cup because they have to serve an extra year of the ban.
Leeds United won the Second Division championship to end their eight-year exile from the First Division.
York City striker David Longhurst collapses and dies in his side's Fourth Division home fixture against Lincoln City at Bootham Crescent.
Bournemouth director Brian Tiler, a former Aston Villa player, is killed in a car crash. Manager Harry Redknapp is also involved in the crash but survived.

[edit] 1980s

1989 - 1988 - 1987 - 1986 - 1985 - 1984 - 1983 - 1982 - 1981 - 1980

[edit] 1989

Arsenal win the league championship with the last kick of the game from Michael Thomas, giving them a 2-0 away win over nearest rivals Liverpool to snatch the title on goal difference.
94 Liverpool fans die on 15 April after being crushed on the terraces at Hillsborough, where Liverpool were taking on Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi final.^[2] The final death toll for the disaster was 96.
Standing terraces in England are phased out after Lord Justice Taylor's report into the Hillsborough disaster.
Liverpool go on to win the FA Cup with a 3-2 victory over Everton at Wembley.
John Lyall's 15-year reign as West Ham manager comes to an end after they are relegated from the First Division.
Newport County go out of business on 27 February and are then expelled from the Football Conference for failing to fulfill their fixtures.
Leeds United's most successful ever manager, Don Revie, dies on 26 May from motor neurone disease aged 61.

[edit] 1988

Liverpool wrap up their seventeenth league title after losing just two league games in a 40-game season.
Wimbledon beat Liverpool 1-0 to win the FA Cup in one of the most dramatic finals seen at Wembley. The triumph came at the end of Wimbledon's 11th season as a Football League club and only their second as First Division members.
Luton Town win the first major trophy of their history by beating Arsenal 3-2 in the League Cup final.
Jackie Milburn, the legendary former Newcastle United striker, dies of cancer at the age of 64.
Lincoln City, the first club to suffer automatic relegation from the Football League, regain their league status at the first time of asking by clinching the Football Conference title.

[edit] 1987

Tottenham manager David Pleat resigns after rumours in the media that he has been involved in a vice ring. He is replaced by Terry Venables.
Coventry City win the first major trophy in their history by beating Tottenham Hotspur (unbeaten in their previous seven finals) 3-2 in the FA Cup final.
Everton win their ninth league title
Lincoln City become the first English club to suffer automatic relegation from the Football League after the re-election system is scrapped. They are replaced by Conference champions Scarborough.
Former Aston Villa and Wales midfielder Trevor Hockey dies of a heart attack at the age of 43.

[edit] 1986

England are eliminated from the 1986 FIFA World Cup in the quarter finals after losing 2-1 to Argentina, whose first goal had been an obviously deliberate handball by Diego Maradona - an act which he quickly labelled the Hand of God goal. Argentina go on to win the competition.
Liverpool win the league championship and FA Cup double in Kenny Dalglish's first season as player-manager.
Sir Stanley Rous, one of the Football Association's most prominent administrators, dies at the age of 90. Shortly after his death, a stand at Watford's Vicarage Road stadium is to be named in his honour.
Wimbledon are promoted to the First Division in only their ninth season as a Football League club.
Wolverhampton Wanderers complete a hat trick of successive relegations to fall into the Fourth Division for the first time in their history.

[edit] 1985

56 spectators are burnt to death and more than 200 are injured in a fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium on 11 May.
39 spectators, most of them Italian, are trampled to death in rioting on the terraces of the Heysel Stadium at the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus.^[3] Despite the carnage, the match is played and Juventus win 1-0. The sequel of the tragedy was a 5-year ban on English clubs from European competition, with a 6-year ban on Liverpool.
Everton establish themself as one of the strongest club sides in Europe after winning the league championship with four matches to spare and adding the Cup Winners' Cup to their trophy cabinet.
Anton Johnson is banned from football for life after it is revealed that he had illegally taken control of two football clubs (Southend United and Rotherham United) at the same time and had also mishandled the finances of both clubs.
Preston North End and Burnley are both relegated to the Fourth Division for the first time.
16 years old Matthew Le Tissier finishes a trial at Oxford United and signs for Southampton.
Oxford United promoted to the top flight, after claiming the Second Division championship, a year after they won the Third Division championship in 1984, the only club to have won two consecutive championships on the way to the Top Flight.

[edit] 1984

Liverpool become the first English club to win three major competitions in the same season when they win the league championship, the League Cup and the European Cup in Joe Fagan's first season as manager.
Everton beat Watford in the FA Cup final to win their first major trophy under the management of Howard Kendall.
Kevin Keegan calls time on his playing career after helping Newcastle United win promotion to the First Division.
Ian Rush is voted Footballer of the Year by the PFA after scoring 32 goals to help Liverpool win their third successive league title.
Tony Barton is sacked after two-and-a-half years as manager of Aston Villa. He had won the European Cup just three months after being appointed. Villa replace him with Shrewsbury Town's manager Graham Turner.

[edit] 1983

The English Football Association and then Scottish Football Association initiate the end of the British Home Championships by announcing they will not enter after the 1983-84 competition.
Manchester United beat Brighton 4-0 in the FA Cup replay after a 1-1 draw in the first match to win their first major trophy under the management of Ron Atkinson.
Watford finish second in the league at the end of their first season in the First Division.
The Football Association keep faith in England manager Bobby Robson despite the country's failure to qualify for the 1984 European Football Championship.
Bob Paisley retires after nine years as Liverpool manager. He finishes on a high with the league championship and League Cup to bring his tally of major prizes to an English record of 21.
Sharp Electronics become the first official sponsors of Manchester United.

[edit] 1982

Ron Greenwood retires as England manager after the 1982 FIFA World Cup, which was won by Italy. He is replaced by Ipswich Town manager Bobby Robson.
Just three months after stepping up from the coaching staff to replace Ron Saunders, Tony Barton guides Aston Villa to glory in the European Cup - they beat Bayern Munich 1-0 thanks to a Peter Withe goal.
JVC Electronics become the first official sponsors of Arsenal.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Queens Park Rangers - managed by former Tottenham striker Terry Venables - to win the FA Cup for the second year running.
Swansea City finish sixth in their first season as a First Division club.

[edit] 1981

The Football League begins awarding three points for a win instead of two.
Aston Villa win their first league championship for 71 years.
Ipswich Town join the list of triumphant English clubs in Europe by winning the UEFA Cup.
Liverpool win their third European Cup and their first-ever League Cup in a season where they had failed to make a serious bid for the league title.
Bill Shankly dies of a heart attack aged 67, seven years after he retired as Liverpool manager.
Ron Atkinson replaces Dave Sexton as manager of Manchester United. Three months after his appointment, West Bromwich Albion midfielder, Bryan Robson, follows his old manager to Old Trafford for an English record fee of £1.75million.

[edit] 1980

Nottingham Forest retain their European Cup crown, making them the only English team to have won more European Cups than league titles.
Manchester United chairman Louis Edwards, 65, dies of a heart attack weeks after being accused of financial irregularities by ITV. Control of the club passes to his son Martin.
West Ham beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final to become the third Second Division team in eight years to win the trophy thanks to a Trevor Brooking goal.
Dixie Dean, who scored 60 goals for Everton during the 1927-28 season, dies of a heart attack at the age of 72 while watching an Everton v Liverpool game at Goodison Park on 1 March.
Emlyn Hughes, who had achieved numerous success with Liverpool before his transfer to Wolves in 1978, added the League Cup to his list of honours after helping them overcome Nottingham Forest in the final.

[edit] 1970s

1979 - 1978 - 1977 - 1976 - 1975 - 1974 - 1973 - 1972 - 1971 - 1970

[edit] 1979

Nottingham Forest lose their defence of the league title to Liverpool but compensate by winning the European Cup.
One of Nottingham Forest's key players in the European triumph is Trevor Francis, who four months earlier had signed from Birmingham City and became Britain's first million-pound footballer.
Arsenal overcome a late revival by Manchester United to win 3-2 in the FA Cup final - their first major trophy since Terry Neill replaced the legendary Bertie Mee as manager.
West Bromwich Albion finish third in the league with a side containing three black players - Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis and Brendan Batson - who were known as the Three Degrees. Ron Atkinson's side had achieved a famous 5-3 away win over Manchester United on 29 December to put pressure on the title race.
Danny Blanchflower's short-lived and unsuccessful reign as manager of Chelsea comes to an end after the club suffers relegation to the Second Division.

[edit] 1978

Newly promoted Nottingham Forest win the league title and League Cup for the first time in their history.
Ipswich Town win the FA Cup for the first time in their history.
West Bromwich Albion appoint Cambridge United's Ron Atkinson as manager.
Wigan Athletic are elected to the Football League in place of Southport
Tottenham Hotspur, back in the First Division after a one-year absence, sign two Argentine World Cup winners - Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa - for a combined fee of £750,000.

[edit] 1977

Tommy Docherty is sacked as manager of Manchester United just weeks after guiding them to FA Cup victory over Liverpool. He is replaced by Dave Sexton.
Liverpool establish themselves as one of Europe's finest sides by retaining the league title and joining the list of European Cup winners.
Aston Villa win their second League Cup in three years. 19-year-old striker Andy Gray is voted PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year, he remains the only player to have one both in the same season.
Peter Houseman, who played in Chelsea's FA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup winning teams of 1970 and 1971, is killed in a car crash near Oxford at the age of 31 along with his wife.
Wimbledon are elected to the Football League in place of Workington.
Kenny Dalglish joins Liverpool at a record £440,000 to replace Kevin Keegan who leaves to join Hamburg in Germany.
After a 2-1 victory to Scotland against England in the British Home Championship at Wembley Stadium, the Tartan Army invade the pitch, breaking goalposts and helping themselves to some of Wembley's turf.^[4]^[5]

[edit] 1976

Liverpool win the league championship to end manager Bob Paisley's two-year quest to bring a major trophy to Anfield.
Southampton beat Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup final thanks to a goal from Bobby Stokes.
Pop star Elton John becomes the new chairman of Fourth Division Watford and appoints Lincoln City manager Graham Taylor as manager.
Queens Park Rangers finish league runners-up to achieve their highest-ever league position.
Bertie Mee retires as manager of Arsenal and is replaced by Terry Neill.

[edit] 1975

Derby County, in David Mackay's first full season as manager, win their second league title in four years to add to the 1972 championship which had been won by Mackay's predecessor, Brian Clough.
John Lyall ends his first season as West Ham manager with an FA Cup triumph at the expense of Fulham, whose side included former West Ham captain Bobby Moore.
Carlisle United, who had topped the 1974-75 First Division after three games, are relegated after failing to put together a consistent run of good form in their first season as a top division club.
Manchester United are promoted back to the First Division one season after losing their top flight status.
Aston Villa re-establish themselves a top English side by winning the League Cup and gaining promotion to the First Division in the same season.

[edit] 1974

The Football Association scraps the distinction between professional and amateur players leading to no more UK teams being entered for the Olympics.
Sir Alf Ramsay pays for England's failure to qualify for the World Cup with his job. He is succeeded by Leeds United manager Don Revie.
Leeds United are league champions in their final season under Don Revie's management. Former Derby County manager Brian Clough is appointed but leaves after 44 days and is, in turn, replaced by Jimmy Armfield.
George Best finally leaves Manchester United after three years of uncertainty fuelled by off-the-field problems. He joins Stockport County.
Bill Shankly retires after 15 glorious years as Liverpool manager and is replaced by 55-year-old coach Bob Paisley.
Manchester United are relegated to the Second Division for the first time since the 1930s. Their fate is ironically sealed when former player Denis Law scores the winning goal for Manchester City at Old Trafford, but Birmingham City's victory would have condemned them to relegation regardless of the outcome of United's game.

[edit] 1973

An Ian Porterfield goal gives Second Division Sunderland a shock win over Leeds United in the FA Cup final.
Leeds United also blow their title chances and Liverpool are crowned league champions instead.
Bobby Charlton and Denis Law both leave Manchester United after long and illustrious careers.
The Football League announces that three clubs, instead of two, are to be relegated from the First and Second Divisions from the end of the 1973-74 season onwards, with three clubs being promoted to the Second and Third Divisions. The four-up, four-down system between the Third and Fourth Divisions would continue.
Hereford United end their first season as a Football League club by winning promotion from the Fourth Division.

[edit] 1972

Stoke City win the League Cup to record the first major trophy of their history.
Derby County, managed by 37-year-old Brian Clough, win the first league championship of their history.
Leeds United add the FA Cup to their growing list of honours.
Manchester United sack manager Frank O'Farrell and replace him with Scottish national coach Tommy Docherty.
Hereford United, four months after achieving a shock win over Newcastle United in the FA Cup, are elected to the Football League in favour of Barrow.

[edit] 1971

Arsenal become the fourth English club to win the league championship and FA Cup double.
20 years old Kevin Keegan leaves Scunthorpe United to join Liverpool for £35,000.
Leeds United win the last-ever European Fairs Cup before the competition is restructured to become the UEFA Cup.
Chelsea beat Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners' Cup final to claim their first European trophy.
Manchester United appoint Leicester City's Frank O'Farrell as their permanent successor to Wilf McGuinness.
Alvechurch progress to the First Round of the FA Cup after taking Oxford City to a record six replays in the qualifying round.

[edit] 1970

England lose their defence of the World Cup to Brazil.
Everton win the league title, one short of the record number of points
Wilf McGuinness is sacked just before the turn of 1971 after 18 months in charge of Manchester United. Sir Matt Busby takes control of first-team affairs until the end of the season.
The FA Cup final goes to a replay for the first time. Chelsea beat Leeds United 2-1 at Old Trafford after drawing 2-2 in the first game at Wembley.
Cambridge United are elected to the Football League in place of Bradford Park Avenue.
Bobby Moore is accused of stealing a bracelet while in Colombia with the England squad for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, but all charges are quickly dropped.

[edit] 1960s

1969 - 1968 - 1967 - 1966 - 1965 - 1964 - 1963 - 1962 - 1961 - 1960

[edit] 1969

Leeds United win the first league championship of their history.
Manchester City continue their run of success under the management of Joe Mercer by winning the FA Cup.
Sir Matt Busby retireS after 24 years as manager of Manchester United and is replaced by 32-year-old reserve team coach Wilf McGuinness, a surprise choice after big names like Don Revie and Jock Stein had been linked with the job.
Newcastle United win the European Fairs Cup to end their 14-year wait for a major trophy.
David Mackay and Colin Bell are joint winners of the FWA Player of the Year award.

[edit] 1968

For the first time Two English teams win European Competitions in the same season (info below)
Manchester United beat Benfica 4-1 in extra time at Wembley to win the European Cup with goals from Bobby Charlton twice, George Best and 19-year-old Brian Kidd- who was covering for the injured Denis Law.
Leeds United win the first double in their history picking up the Football League Cup against Arsenal 1-0 and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1-0 on aggregate against Ferencvárosi TC. This is also the only double won by an English team to include a European competition.
The blue half of Manchester also celebrates after winning the league championship for only the second time in their history.
A Jeff Astle goal against Everton in the FA Cup final gives West Bromwich Albion their fifth triumph in the history of the competition.
George Best, 22, is voted European Footballer of the Year after a brilliant season which was rounded off by scoring a goal in the European Cup final.
Matt Busby is knighted after guiding Manchester United to the European Cup title.

[edit] 1967

Manchester United win the league championship - their fifth under Matt Busby and their seventh of all time.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final.
Queens Park Rangers beat West Bromwich Albion in the first one-game League Cup final.
Goalkeeper Harry Gregg leaves Manchester United after 10 years during which he established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the English game, but with no medals to show for it: he had missed the 1963 FA Cup final due to injury and had not played enough games to qualify for a medal when United won the league in 1965 and 1967.
Coventry City, managed by Jimmy Hill, win the Second Division championship and are promoted to the First Division for the first time in their history.

[edit] 1966

England win the 1966 FIFA World Cup 4-2 against West Germany in extra time as Geoff Hurst becomes the first man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. Martin Peters also scores for England.
Alf Ramsey receives a knighthood for inspiring England's World Cup glory.
Everton win the FA Cup after beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 in the final at Wembley.
Manchester United lose the defence of the league championship trophy to Liverpool.
Manchester United's Bobby Charlton was voted European Footballer of the Year.

[edit] 1965

Manchester United win their first post Munich Air Disaster league championship.
Liverpool win the FA Cup for the first time in their history.
West Ham won the European Cup Winners' Cup to bring the total of English clubs winning European trophies to two.
Eric Brook, all-time record goalscorer for Manchester City, dies at the age of 57.
Stanley Matthews plays his last game for Stoke City at the age of 50 and collects a knighthood shortly afterwards.

[edit] 1964

Match of the Day makes its debut on BBC2 at 6.30pm on 22 August with highlights of Liverpool's 3-2 home win over Arsenal. Kenneth Wolstenholme is both presenter and commentator to an audience of just 20,000.^[6]
Liverpool win the league championship to claim their first major trophy under the management of Bill Shankly.
Everton complete a Merseyside double by winning the FA Cup.
West Ham win the FA Cup to claim the first major trophy in their history.
Tottenham Hotspur inside-forward John White is struck by lightning on a North London golf course and dies instantly at the age of 27.
Tottenham Hotspur captain Danny Blanchflower retires as a player at the age of 37 after failing to overcome a serious knee injury.

[edit] 1963

Tottenham Hotspur win the Cup Winners' Cup to establish themselves as the first English club to win a European competition.
Everton win their first league championship of the postwar years.
Manchester United win the FA Cup for the first time in 15 years. It is their first major trophy since the Munich Air Disaster five years earlier.
Birmingham City beat Aston Villa 3-1 on aggreggate in the League Cup final to win the first major trophy of their history.
1911 FA Cup winners Bradford City finish second from bottom in the Fourth Division and have to seek re-election in order to preserve their Football League place.

[edit] 1962

Tottenham Hotspur beat Burnley (also league runners-up) at Wembley to retain the FA Cup.
Norwich City beat Rochdale 4-0 on aggregate to win the League Cup - the first major trophy of their history.
Ipswich Town are crowned league champions in their first season as a First Division club.
Walter Winterbottom retires after 16 years as England manager and is replaced by Ipswich Town manager, Alf Ramsey.
Accrington Stanley resign from the Football League in March and their Fourth Division records are expunged. Their place in the league for 1962-63 is given to Southern Football League champions Oxford United.

[edit] 1961

Tottenham Hotspur become the first club of the 20th century to win the league championship and FA Cup double.
Aston Villa beat Rotherham United 3-2 on aggregate to win the first-ever League Cup. The second leg of the final is withheld until the 1961-2 season due to fixture congestion.
Leeds United appoint former Leicester City and Manchester City player Don Revie, 33, as their new player-manager.
Manchester City sell 21-year-old Scottish striker Denis Law to Torino of Italy in the first £100,000 deal involving a British club.
Terry Bly scores 52 league goals for Peterborough United as they complete their first league season as Fourth Division champions.

[edit] 1960

Burnley overcome a spirited challenge of 106-goal Wolves to win the league championship.
Wolves compensate for their league championship disappointment by overcoming Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup final.
Oldham Athletic, league runners-up 45 years earlier, finish second from bottom in the Fourth Division but retain their league status after the Football League's members vote for Gateshead to go down and Southern League champions Peterborough United to go up for the 1960-61 season.
Legendary former Arsenal and Sunderland player Charlie Buchan dies at the age of 68.
Aston Villa win the Second Division championship to regain their First Division status a year after losing it.

[edit] 1950s

1959 - 1958 - 1957 - 1956 - 1955 - 1954 - 1953

[edit] 1959

Bill Shankly is appointed manager of Liverpool
Wolves retain the league championship despite a spirited challenge from a new-look Manchester United.
Nottingham Forest win the FA Cup for the first time since 1898.
Port Vale win the first-ever Fourth Division championship after scoring 110 league goals.
Billy Wright becomes the first player to play 100 times for England.
Birmingham City and England full-back Jeff Hall dies at the age of 29.

[edit] 1958

Eight Manchester United players die and two more have their careers ended by injury after an air crash at the Munich Airport in West Germany. Manager Matt Busby is badly injured and spends two months in hospital recovering from multiple injuries.
A makeshift Manchester United side reach the FA Cup Final, but lose 2-0 to Bolton.
Wolves win the league championship for the second time and qualify for the European Cup for the first time.
Sunderland are relegated from the First Division for the first time, having been in the top division every season since joining the Football League in 1890.
Legendary former Manchester United and Manchester City winger Billy Meredith dies aged 83.

[edit] 1957

Manchester United win the league title for the second year running.
Aston Villa - winners for the record seventh time - beat Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final to win the trophy for a record seventh time. Their victory denies United the double, meaning Villa are still the last team to achieve the feat, back in 1896-7.
Stanley Matthews retires from international footballer at the age of 42, but continues his club career with Blackpool.
Charlton Athletic turn the tables on Huddersfield Town during the final 20 minutes of a Second Division fixture by turning a 5-1 deficit into a 7-6 lead.
Eastbourne United manager Ron Greenwood, 36, is appointed first-team coach of Arsenal.

[edit] 1956

Manchester United win the league championship with a reshaped side containing mostly young players including Duncan Edwards (19), David Pegg (20), Albert Scanlon (20) and Mark Jones (22).
German goalkeeper Bert Trautmann plays through Manchester City's FA Cup victory over Birmingham City despite suffering what an X-ray later confirms as a broken neck, and was able to continue his career.
The first season of the European Cup - contested between the champions of European domestic leagues - ended with Spanish side Real Madrid as champions, but English champions Chelsea had withdrawn before the competition started!
The top three sides in the Third Division South - Leyton Orient, Brighton & Hove Albion and Ipswich Town - all score over 100 league goals.

[edit] 1955

Chelsea win the league championship for the first time in their history.
Blackburn Rovers score 106 Second Division goals but concede 79 times and sixth place is not high enough for promotion to the First Division.
Newcastle United win the FA Cup after beating Manchester City 3-1 at Wembley.
Duncan Edwards, 18-year-old Manchester United wing-half, becomes England's youngest international when he plays in a side containing 40-year-old Stanley Matthews, who had played for England before Edwards was born!

[edit] 1954

Wolves win the league title for the first time in their history.
West Bromwich Albion complete a double for clubs in central England by winning the FA Cup for the fourth time in their history.
Everton finish Second Division runners-up, are promoted to the First Division and have remained there ever since.
Bournemouth and Swindon Town are bracketed together in 19th place in the Third Division South having both accumulated 40 league points, scored 67 goals and conceded 70 goals!

[edit] 1953

38-year-old Stanley Matthews is instrumental in turning Blackpool's 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 victory against Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup final, ending his 20-year hunt for a major trophy. The final is still wideley known as the 'Matthews Final', despite the fact that his team-mate Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick in the game!
Arsenal win the league title with a superior goal difference over Preston North End, who also have 54 points and have not won the league title since 1890.
England's unbeaten home record against a non-British nation ends when they lose 6-3 to Hungary at Wembley.

[edit] 1940s

[edit] 1948

83,260 watch Manchester United vs Arsenal at Maine Roadon 17 January to become the highest attendance at a single game outside Wembley.

[edit] 1946

Football resumes following the end of World War II.
The Football Association end their boycott of FIFA, paving the way for England to play in World Cup matches.

[edit] 1930s

[edit] 1939

The football League is abandoned 3 games in to the new season after the outbreak of World War II

[edit] 1934

Arsenal and Huddersfield Town's legendary manager Herbert Chapman dies of pneumonia on 6 January.

[edit] 1931

Aston Villa set an all-time top-flight record of 129 goals in a season, but still finish runners-up to Arsenal by a point.

[edit] 1920s

[edit] 1928

Arsenal and Chelsea are the first clubs to play with shirt numbers on 25 August.

[edit] 1925

The offside rule is changed: a player is now onside if a minimum of two (instead of three) opposing players are between him and the goal line.

[edit] 1923

Bolton Wanderers defeat West Ham United 2-0 in the first FA Cup final to be held at Wembley. The match kicked off 44 minutes late due to overcrowding - there was an estimated 200,000 fans in attendance, and it wasn't until a white police horse helped clear the pitch that the match took place. As a result, the match is now known as the White Horse Final.
Aston Villa centre-half Tommy Ball is shot dead by his neighbour.

[edit] 1920

Creation of Football League Third Division, with Third Division North following the next year.

Aston Villa capture the FA Cup for a record sixth time.

[edit] 1910s

[edit] 1919

Leeds City are expelled and dissolved by the football league after financial irregularities including the payment of players during World War I. In it's place a new club are formed, Leeds United.

[edit] 1913

Aston Villa defeat Sunderland to win the FA Cup.

[edit] 1910

Aston Villa won the league championship for a record sixth time.

[edit] 1900s

[edit] 1909

The Charity Shield is inaugurated

[edit] 1908

The United Kingdom national football team, then competing under the name Great Britain and Ireland, win the gold medal in the first official football tournament at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

[edit] 1907

The action by the Football Association in 1885 leads to the breakaway and formation of the Amateur Football Association.
Professional Footballers Association formed.

[edit] 1905

Chelsea Football Club is founded at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook), Fulham Road, London, on 14 March.

Aston Villa win the FA Cup.

[edit] 1902

J.H. Davies takes over near bankrupt Newton Heath (L&YR) F.C. and changes its name to Manchester United.

[edit] 1900

Aston Villa win the league championship, their fifth title in seven years.

[edit] 1890s

[edit] 1899

Aston Villa win the last championship of the century, defeating runners-up Liverpool FC 5-0 in the last match to secure the title.

[edit] 1897

Aston Villa become the second club to secure the league and cup 'double'.

[edit] 1896

Aston Villa capture the league title.

[edit] 1895

Aston Villa win the FA Cup. The Cup is then stolen from the window of a shop in Aston,Birmingham and never found. A replacement is made.

[edit] 1894

Aston Villa win their first league championship. Later that year though their legendary former captain Archie Hunter dies aged just 35.

[edit] 1892

Expansion of the Football League to two divisions.
John Houlding, owner of Anfield, founds Liverpool Football Club on 15 March.
West Bromwich Albion defeat Aston Villa in the FA Cup final. There are suspicions over the performance of Villa keeper James Warner. His pub in burned down by a mob and he never plays for the club again.

[edit] 1891

The penalty kick is introduced.
Assistant referees are first introduced as linesmen.

[edit] 1880s

[edit] 1889

Preston North End complete the first season of the Football League as unbeaten champions. They also become the first team to win the 'double', gaining the FA Cup without conceding a goal.

[edit] 1888

The Football League is established by Aston Villa director William McGregor

[edit] 1887

Aston Villa win their first FA Cup.

[edit] 1885

The threat of secession leads to the legalisation of professionalism on 20 July by the Football Association making the British Football Association redundant.

[edit] 1884

Preston North End are suspended for one year from the FA Cup for paying players in order to compete with Blackburn Rovers.
Rules attempting to restrict professionalism, such as only Englishmen being allowed to play in the FA Cup, lead to the formation of the British Football Association as a rival to the Football Association.

[edit] 1883

The British Home Championship (also known as the Home International Championship) becomes an annual competition contested between the UK's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Ireland before 1921–1922).
Accrington are expelled from the Football Association for paying players.

[edit] 1882

The Football Association (England), the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales and the Irish Football Association) meet on 6 December and agree on one uniform set of rules for football. They also establish the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to approve changes to the rules (a task that they still perform to this day).
Hotspur Football Club is formed (later to become Tottenham Hotspur).

[edit] 1870s

[edit] 1875

The crossbar is introduced, replacing tape as the means of marking the top of the goal.

[edit] 1874

Aston Villa Football Club is formed by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Aston, Birmingham. This probably happened in March, although there is some debate.

[edit] 1872

Scotland and England draw 0–0 in the first ever international football match, played at the West of Scotland Cricket Club.
Wanderers beat Royal Engineers in the first FA Cup final.

[edit] 1871

Charles William Alcock creates the Football Association Challenge Cup, the oldest cup tournament alive.

[edit] 1870

First "goalkeepers", and transition from "dribbling game" to "passing game" is seen in club matches in Sheffield and London.
First unofficial international match, between England and Scotland, finishes in a 0-0 draw at the Kennington Oval in London.