The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.
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In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium.[1] The record was broken the following month when Liverpool defeated Beşiktaş 8–0 at Anfield.[2] All four English clubs competing in the Champions League reached the quarter-finals, resulting in three all-English ties during the competition's latter stages. Liverpool eliminated Arsenal in the quarter-finals, but lost the semi-final to Chelsea, who went on to meet Manchester United in the final in Moscow. United completed the European Double, winning the Premier League two points ahead of Chelsea and winning the UEFA Champions League, again against Chelsea 6–5 on penalties (1–1 after extra time) to lift the European Cup for the third time. This was a unique occurrence – the first time two English clubs had met in the final of the European Cup/Champions League. It was also a repeat of the opening game of the season, the FA Community Shield, which also finished 1–1 and saw a United win on penalties, 3–0.
In the UEFA Cup, none of the English teams taking part reached the quarter-final stage. Blackburn Rovers, who had qualified for the competition via the Intertoto Cup, were beaten in the first round by Larissa F.C.. The three other English clubs progressed through the group stages, with Bolton Wanderers losing to Sporting Clube de Portugal, while Tottenham Hotspur and Everton were both eliminated on penalty shootouts in the round of 16, by PSV Eindhoven and Fiorentina respectively. The 2008 UEFA Cup Final was held at the City of Manchester Stadium, the first time that the UEFA Cup Final had been held in England since being reduced to a single match. The event was marred by riots in Manchester city centre prior to the game.[3] In the match itself, Zenit Saint Petersburg beat Rangers 2–0 to lift the trophy.[4]
Manchester United retained the Premier League title, winning the competition for the tenth time and becoming champions of England for the seventeenth time in all. The title was decided on the final day of the season as United's 2–0 win at Wigan Athletic saw them crowned champions and consigned Chelsea to the runners-up spot regardless of their result at home to Bolton Wanderers. Arsenal and Liverpool qualified for the UEFA Champions League 2008–09 third qualifying round by finishing third and fourth respectively, while Everton's fifth position gave them a place in the UEFA Cup 2008–09 first round. Reading, Birmingham City and Derby County were relegated. Derby became the first team in Premier League history to be relegated before the end of March.[5] They eventually finished on the lowest points tally ever, amassing only 11 points.
The Premier League underwent a major rebranding; changing its sponsored name from the Barclays Premiership to the Barclays Premier League, introducing a revamped logo and new typeface for players' jerseys.
After the disappointment of a play-off final defeat the previous year, West Bromwich Albion won the Football League Championship title and returned to the Premier League. Stoke City secured the other automatic promotion spot, after a 23-year absence from the top flight. Hull City followed them by winning the play-off final, beating Bristol City 1–0 at Wembley Stadium in the final to reach the top division of English football for the first time in their 104-year history.[6] It was the first time that Hull had played at either the original or rebuilt Wembley Stadium. Despite impressing on their Championship debut in 2006–07, Colchester United finished bottom this season and were relegated back to League One. Scunthorpe United's first journey into the Championship since the 1960s proved short-lived, and they also went back down. The biggest story however was Leicester City's relegation, as a lack of stability at the club (with no fewer than eight men, including caretakers, occupying the manager's seat over the season) proved their undoing and sent them down to League One for the first time in their history.
In a season mired by controversy and points deductions at both ends of the table, Swansea City were the clear champions in League One. In terms of results, Leeds United were actually the best team behind Swansea, but had started the season on –15 points following their failure to reach an agreement with HM Revenue & Customs on their Creditors Voluntary Arrangement. This was the first time in the league's history that such a penalty had been imposed. Nottingham Forest therefore took the second automatic promotion spot on the final day of the season after a late surge of form, culminating in Forest defeating Yeovil 3-2 (Who ironically defeated them in the Play-off semi final the previous season), whilst Doncaster lost to Cheltenham 2-1, which saved them from relegation. Doncaster Rovers won promotion to the Championship by beating Leeds United 1–0 at Wembley Stadium in the League One play-off final, thus returning to the top two tiers for the first time since 1958. At the opposite end of the table, Port Vale were in fact the worst team going by results, but Luton Town went into administration and lost 10 points causing them to finish bottom, though they would have been relegated even without this penalty. Bournemouth also received a 10 point deduction for going into administration, and in their case it did prove fatal, sending the club down by to League Two. Gillingham were the other team to suffer relegation. Leeds United played in the third tier of English football for the first time in their history, six years after competing in the Champions League.
Milton Keynes Dons won their first honours as a club, winning the League Two title and the Football League Trophy. The other clubs automatically promoted were runners-up Peterborough United, who had pushed the Dons close for most of the season, and Hereford United, who returned to the third level of English football for the first time in 30 years. Stockport County won promotion to League One by beating Rochdale 3–2 at Wembley Stadium in the League Two play-off final. There was to be no repeat of Wrexham's last day heroics of the 2006–07 season, and this time they finished bottom and went out of the League. Despite a good run late in the season, Mansfield Town joined them. Both Dagenham & Redbridge and Morecambe played in The Football League for the first time, after securing promotion to League Two from the Conference National.
Portsmouth won the FA Cup with a 1–0 victory over Cardiff City. Tottenham Hotspur won the League Cup, beating the holders Chelsea 2–1 after extra time. It was the first League Cup final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium.[7] MK Dons won the Football League Trophy after beating Grimsby Town 2–0 in the final.[8] Manchester United took the first silverware of the season when they beat Chelsea 3–0 on penalties in the FA Community Shield.
The Conference National became known as the Blue Square Premier upon the announcement of a three year sponsorship deal. The two regional feeder leagues became known as the Blue Square North and South respectively.[9] The deal signalled the end of a nine year association between the Conference and the Nationwide Building Society. Aldershot Town won the Conference National to gain automatic promotion to the Football League, while Exeter City beat Cambridge United 1–0 in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium to secure the other promotion place. Aldershot also won the Conference League Cup, beating Rushden & Diamonds in a penalty shootout after a 3–3 draw. The FA Trophy was won by Ebbsfleet United, who beat Torquay United 1–0 at Wembley.
Deloitte reported in September 2007 that transfer spending by all Premier League and Football League clubs had exceeded £500 million, compared to £300 million spent the season before. Deloitte attributed the rise in spending to the huge increase in broadcasting revenue and new owners buying into Premier League clubs.[10]
Two league clubs moved to new grounds for 2007–08. Shrewsbury Town moved to the New Meadow for the start of this season, after leaving their old stadium, Gay Meadow. Milton Keynes Dons moved to their new 22,000 all seater stadium at Denbigh, Milton Keynes, known as Stadium:mk. The stadium was officially opened on 29 November 2007 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.[11]
Sheffield, the world's oldest football club, celebrated their 150th anniversary; events included a friendly match against Inter Milan.[12]
1 July 2007: Tottenham Hotspur pay a club record £16.5million for Charlton Athletic striker Darren Bent.
2 July 2007: Manchester United shell out a combined total of £30million for Brazilian midfielder Anderson (from FC Porto) and Portuguese winger Nani (from Sporting Lisbon).
4 July 2007: Everton pay £4million for Sheffield United defender Phil Jagielka.
5 July 2007: Aston Villa sign West Ham United midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker for £8.5million.
10 July 2007: West Ham United pay a club record £7.5million for Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy, while Wigan Athletic break their own record fee with a £5.3million deal for West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jason Koumas.
13 July 2007: Liverpool pay £11.5million to Ajax Amsterdam for winger Ryan Babel.
23 July 2007: Fredrik Ljungberg, Arsenal's longest-serving player, leaves after nearly nine years in a £3million move to West Ham United.
24 July 2007: Robbie Fowler leaves Liverpool for a second time to join Cardiff City on a free transfer.
3 August 2007: Manchester United sell striker Alan Smith to Newcastle United for £6million.
5 August 2007: Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties after a 1-1 draw to seal the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium.
15 August 2007: Long-serving Aston Villa defender Mark Delaney retires from playing at the age of 31 after failing to fully recover from a succession of injuries.
25 August 2007: Ray Jones, 18-year-old QPR striker, dies in a car crash in east London which claims the lives of two other people.
28 August 2007: Manchester United's long-serving Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer retires from playing at the age of 34.
29 August 2007: Martin Allen, who was appointed manager of Leicester City only three months ago, is dismissed from his job. Everton pay a club record £11.25million to Middlesbrough for striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
31 August 2007: The first month of the Premier League season ends with Chelsea top of the league with 10 points from their opening four games, while Manchester City occupy second place and four teams are level with two points less - Wigan Athletic, Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal. The bottom three places are occupied by Bolton Wanderers, Fulham and Derby County. [1]
11 September 2007: Ian Porterfield, who scored the winning goal for Sunderland in the 1973 FA Cup Final, dies of cancer aged 61. Porterfield was managing Armenia at the time of his death, and earlier in his management career he had been in charge of teams including Sheffield United and Chelsea.
13 September 2007: Gary Megson, former West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest manager, ends his 18-month exile from football to take over at Leicester City.
20 September 2007: José Mourinho, who in the last three years has guided Chelsea to two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup triumph, resigns as manager after falling out with owner Roman Abramovich. Director of Football Avram Grant takes over control of the first team, becoming the first Israeli manager in English football.
30 September 2007: September draws to a close with Arsenal leading the Premier League, two points ahead of 2nd place Manchester United. Manchester City, Liverpool and Portsmouth who complete the top five, while previous month's leaders Chelsea are in a disappointing 8th with 7 points less than leaders Aresnal who have played a game less after a nightmare month where they also lost their manager. Derby County, Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur occupy the bottom three places. [2]
8 October 2007: Peter Taylor is sacked as manager of Crystal Palace after just 16 months in charge.
11 October 2007: Neil Warnock returns to management with Crystal Palace, just 5 months after leaving Sheffield United.
17 October 2007: Bolton Wanderers, bottom of the Premier League, sack manager Sammy Lee after six months in charge.
19 October 2007: Steve Bruce resigns after six years as manager of Birmingham City. Speculations mounts that he is about to take over from Chris Hutchings as manager of Wigan Athletic, where he had a brief spell in 2001.
25 October 2007: Gary Megson defects from Leicester City after six weeks as manager to take over at Bolton Wanderers, while Martin Jol is sacked as manager of Tottenham Hotspur (battling relegation from the Premier League after two successive fifth-place finishes) after three years.
31 October 2007: October ends with both Manchester United and Aresnal on 26 points with Manchester United top on goals scored, but with Arsenal with a game in hand. the top two are facing stiff competition from surprise title contenders Manchester City who are four points behind them. Chelsea are beginning to rescue their season and are now 4th 5 points off top, Blackburn complete the top five. Derby County, Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur remain in the bottom three places. [3]
5 November 2007: Chris Hutchings is sacked as manager of Premier League strugglers Wigan Athletic after less than six months in charge.
21 November 2007: England fail to qualify for Euro 2008 after losing 3-2 to Croatia in their final qualifying game at Wembley Stadium.
22 November 2007: Steve McClaren is dismissed as England manager by the Football Association after 16 months in charge.
26 November 2007: Billy Davies is sacked as manager of Derby County, bottom of the Premier League with just one win so far.
28 November 2007: Paul Jewell returns to management with Derby County, six months after leaving Wigan Athletic. Alex McLeish resigns as Scotland manager to take over at Birmingham City.
30 November 2007: At the end of November, Arsenal lead the Premier League with a three-point lead over second placed defending champions Manchester United, with a game in hand. Manchester City's recent good run of form has seen them emerge as surprise title contenders, as they occupy third place and are just a point behind their neighbours. Chelsea and Liverpool complete the top five. [4]
14 December 2007: Fabio Capello, 61-year-old Italian who has achieved great success with several top European clubs, accepts an offer from the Football Association to take charge of the England team.
21 December 2007: Premier League strugglers Fulham sack manager Lawrie Sanchez after eight months in charge.
29 December 2007: Phil O'Donnell, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, dies from a heart attack during a Scottish Premier League game for Motherwell.
30 December 2007: Roy Hodgson returns to English football, nine years after being sacked by Blackburn Rovers, to take over as Fulham manager.
31 December 2007: 2007 draws to a close with Arsenal still Premier League leaders, but they no longer have games in hand over second placed Manchester United and the gap between the top two has now been cut to 2 points. Chelsea are six points behind leaders Aresnal and will have to turn on the form if they want the title at stamford bridge. Liverpool and Manchester City complete the top five. Derby County, Fulham and Wigan Athletic occupy the bottom three places. [5]
7 January 2008: Fabio Capello officially takes over as England manager.
9 January 2008: Sam Allardyce is sacked after eight months in charge of Newcastle United.
11 January 2008: Chelsea pay Bolton Wanderers £15million for French striker Nicolas Anelka.
16 January 2008: Kevin Keegan is appointed manager of Newcastle United for the second time, having previously been their manager from 1992 until 1997.
24 January 2008: George Burley quits Southampton to take over as Scotland manager.
29 January 2008: Dennis Wise resigns as manager of Leeds United (who replace him with former captain Gary McAllister) to become executive director of Newcastle United.
30 January 2008: Tottenham Hotspur pay £9million for Rangers and Scotland defender Alan Hutton.
31 January 2008: January ends with Manchester United now top of the Premier League, leading on goal difference ahead of Arsenal. Chelsea are homing in on them in third place now just four points off top, followed by Everton, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool. Derby County, Fulham and Wigan Athletic occupy the bottom three places. [6]
6 February 2008: England beat Switzerland 2-1 in a home friendly in Fabio Capello's first game in charge.
24 February 2008: Tottenham Hotspur end their nine-year trophy drought with a 2-1 win over Chelsea in the Football League Cup final.
29 February 2008: February draws to a close with Arsenal back on top of the Premier League with a 3-point lead over Manchester United. Chelsea remain in the title race in third place, but the gap between them and the rest of the elite has widened and the challenge from Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Manchester City is now very much a race for a European place rather than a title race. [7]
1 March 2008: Colchester United's former England striker Teddy Sheringham, who turns 42 next month and is the oldest professional footballer in the country, announces that he will retire from playing at the end of the season, calling time on a 26-year playing career.
29 March 2008: Derby County's relegation is confirmed after they can only manage a 2-2 draw at home to fellow Premier League strugglers Fulham - the earliest relegation to be confirmed in all 16 seasons of the Premier League.
31 March 2008: March ends with Manchester United 5 points ahead of Chelsea and 6 points ahead of Aresnal and look in a strong position to retain the title. Liverpool are beginning to open a gap over Everton who are now five points behind 4th. Fulham and Bolton Wanderers complete the bottom three which is propped up by already relegated Derby County. [8]
29 April 2008: Tottenham Hotspur match their club record fee with a £16.5million move for Dinamo Zagreb and Croatia midfielder Luka Modrić.
30 April 2008: April ends with Manchester United and Chelsea level at the top of the Premier League, while Arsenal's challenge is effectively over after several weeks of dismal form. Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa occupy the remaining three European places, with Portsmouth and Manchester City still in contention. Derby County, Fulham and Birmingham City occupy the bottom three places, but the latter two still pose a threat to the safety of Reading and Bolton Wanderers, while Middlesbrough and Wigan Athletic are now almost certainly safe. [9]
11 May 2008: Manchester United seal their 10th Premier League title and their 17th top division title overall, while Derby County finish the season in bottom place with a record top division low of one win and 11 points. Joining them in the Football League Championship for next season are Birmingham City and Reading.
12 May 2008: FC Porto and Portugal winger José Bosingwa agrees to join Chelsea in a £16.2million deal.
17 May 2008: Portsmouth's 58-year wait for a major trophy ends with a 1-0 win over Cardiff City in the FA Cup final. Kanu scores the only goal of the game.
21 May 2008: In the first all-English European Cup final, Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Moscow. Edwin van der Saar saved Nicolas Anelka's penalty kick to give the trophy to United, while earlier in the shoot-out John Terry missed the penalty that would have given Chelsea the trophy for the very first time.
24 May 2008: Hull City reach the top flight for the first time in their history with a 1-0 win over Bristol City in the Football League Championship playoff final, with 39-year-old striker Dean Windass scoring the winning goal. It is Hull's third promotion in five seasons - the second quickest rise from the league's fourth tier to the highest. On the same day, Avram Grant is sacked as manager of Chelsea (without a major trophy for the first time in four years) despite having taken them to the brink of Premier League and European Cup glory this season.
25 May 2008: Doncaster Rovers reach the second tier of the English league for the first time in 50 years with a 1-0 win over Leeds United in the League One playoff final. Just six years ago, Leeds were a top-five Premier League club playing European football, while Doncaster were still in the Conference.
2 June 2008: Sven-Göran Eriksson is sacked after one season as manager of Manchester City.
5 June 2008: Mark Hughes leaves Blackburn Rovers after four years to take over at Manchester City.
7 June 2008: Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Luke McCormick, 24, is involved in a car crash on the M6 motorway in Cheshire in which two children are killed and four other people are injured. [13]
22 June 2008: Paul Ince becomes manager of Blackburn Rovers, ending his season-long spell in charge of Milton Keynes Dons (where he won the League Two title and the Football League Trophy.
Playoff winners in bold.
*Altrincham avoided relegation after Halifax Town went into liquidation
The England played their first international match on a synthetic pitch against Russia. England lost the game 2–1[99] leaving qualification for Euro 2008 out of their hands. England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 after losing 3–2 to Croatia on 21 November 2007.[100] As a result, England manager Steve McClaren was sacked the following day.[101] Fabio Capello was confirmed as the new England manager on 14 December 2007. Capello was unveiled by The FA on 17 December 2007, and took up his new role on 7 January 2008.[102]
The home team is listed on the left; the visiting one on the right.
| 22 August 2007 |
England | 1 – 2 | Germany | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 86,133 Referee: Massimo Busacca |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lampard 9' Cole 34' |
(Report) | Kuranyi 26' Pander 40' |
| 16 November 2007 |
Austria | 0 – 1 | England | Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna Attendance: 39,432 Referee: Nicolai Vollquartz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Crouch 44' |
| 6 February 2008 |
England | 2 – 1 | Switzerland | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 86,857 Referee: Felix Brych |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jenas 40' Wright-Phillips 62' |
(Report) | Derdiyok 58' |
| 26 March 2008 |
France | 1 – 0 | England | Stade de France, Paris Attendance: 78,500 Referee: Florian Meyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribéry 32' (pen.) | (Report) |
| 28 May 2008 |
England | 2 – 0 | United States | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 71,233 Referee: Kyros Vassaras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry 38' Gerrard 59' |
(Report) |
| 1 June 2008 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 0 – 3 | England | Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain Attendance: 25,001 Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Barry 12' Defoe 16', 49' Gerrard 30' |
| 8 September 2007 |
England | 3 – 0 | Israel | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 85,372 Referee: Pieter Vink |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright-Phillips 20' Owen 49' Richards 66' Terry 67' |
(Report) | Gershon 15' Benado 45' Ziv 55' Aouate 66' |
| 12 September 2007 |
England | 3 – 0 | Russia | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 86,106 Referee: Martin Hansson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen 7', 31' Cole 79' Ferdinand 84' |
(Report) |
| 13 October 2007 |
England | 3 – 0 | Estonia | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 86,655 Referee: Nicolai Vollquartz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright-Phillips 11' Rooney 32' Rähn 33' (o.g.) |
(Report) | Rähn 12' Lindpere 73' |
| 17 October 2007 |
Russia | 2 – 1 | England | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Attendance: 84,700 Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berezutskiy 12' Pavlyuchenko 69' (pen.), 73' 74' |
(Report) | Rooney 29' Ferdinand 59' |
| 21 November 2007 |
England | 2 – 3 | Croatia | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 88,091 Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lampard 56' (pen.) Crouch 65' |
(Report) | Kranjčar 8' Olić 14' Petrić 77' |
Manchester United were crowned league champions for the second year in succession, the 10th time in the history of the Premier League and the 17th time overall. They also won the European Cup for the third time. Their league title glory was sealed on the final day of the season ahead of a Chelsea side who finished two points behind them on the league and were also their opponents in the European Cup final in Moscow, which United won on penalties. Arsenal finished third to secure Champions League qualification for the 11th season in succession, while Liverpool's fourth place finish ensured that they would be in the competition for a fifth successive season.
Everton and Aston Villa occupied the two qualification places for the UEFA Cup, where they were joined by FA Cup winners Portsmouth (who had collected their first silverware for 58 years) and League Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur.
Newly promoted Derby County were relegated straight back to the Championship after just one season in the Premier League, winning just one game and collecting a mere 11 points (a new Premier League low and the worst top division record for over 100 years) all season. Fellow newly promoted side Birmingham City also went down, but at least had the satisfaction of staying alive until the very last game - going down with a Reading side who had just missed out on Europe a year earlier and had appeared safe until the final weeks of this season.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 80 | 22 | +58 | 87 |
| CL | 2 | Chelsea | 38 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 65 | 26 | +39 | 85 |
| CL | 3 | Arsenal | 38 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 74 | 31 | +43 | 83 |
| CL | 4 | Liverpool | 38 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 67 | 28 | +39 | 76 |
| UC | 5 | Everton | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 65 |
| UC | 6 | Aston Villa | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 71 | 51 | +20 | 60 |
| 7 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 58 | |
| UC | 8 | Portsmouth | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 57 |
| UC | 9 | Manchester City | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 45 | 53 | -8 | 55 |
| 10 | West Ham United | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 42 | 50 | -8 | 49 | |
| UC | 11 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 66 | 61 | +5 | 46 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 45 | 65 | -20 | 43 | |
| 13 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 43 | 53 | -10 | 42 | |
| 14 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 34 | 51 | -17 | 40 | |
| 15 | Sunderland | 38 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 36 | 59 | -23 | 39 | |
| 16 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 36 | 54 | -18 | 37 | |
| 17 | Fulham | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 38 | 60 | -22 | 36 | |
| R | 18 | Reading | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 41 | 66 | -25 | 36 |
| R | 19 | Birmingham City | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 46 | 62 | -16 | 35 |
| R | 20 | Derby County | 38 | 1 | 8 | 29 | 20 | 89 | -69 | 11 |
Leading goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 31
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 88 | 55 | +33 | 81 |
| P | 2 | Stoke City | 46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 69 | 55 | +14 | 79 |
| P | 3 | Hull City | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 75 |
| 4 | Bristol City | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 74 | |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 58 | 42 | +16 | 71 | |
| 6 | Watford | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 70 | |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 53 | 48 | +5 | 70 | |
| 8 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 65 | 56 | +9 | 69 | |
| 9 | Sheffield United | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 56 | 51 | +5 | 66 | |
| 10 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 61 | 49 | +12 | 64 | |
| 11 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 63 | 58 | +5 | 64 | |
| 12 | Cardiff City | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 59 | 55 | +4 | 64 | |
| 13 | Burnley | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 60 | 67 | -7 | 62 | |
| 14 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 60 | 66 | -6 | 58 | |
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 50 | 55 | -5 | 56 | |
| 16 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 54 | 55 | -1 | 55 | |
| 17 | Norwich City | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 49 | 59 | -10 | 55 | |
| 18 | Barnsley | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 52 | 65 | -13 | 55 | |
| 19 | Blackpool | 46 | 12 | 18 | 16 | 59 | 64 | -5 | 54 | |
| 20 | Southampton | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 56 | 72 | -16 | 54 | |
| 21 | Coventry City | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 52 | 64 | -12 | 53 | |
| R | 22 | Leicester City | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 42 | 45 | -3 | 52 |
| R | 23 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 45 | 69 | -24 | 46 |
| R | 24 | Colchester United | 46 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 62 | 86 | -24 | 38 |
Leading goalscorer: Sylvain Ebanks-Blake (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - 23
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Swansea City | 46 | 27 | 11 | 8 | 82 | 42 | +40 | 92 |
| P | 2 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 64 | 32 | +32 | 82 |
| P | 3 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 65 | 41 | +24 | 80 |
| 4 | Carlisle United | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 64 | 46 | +18 | 80 | |
| 5 | Leeds United | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 72 | 38 | +34 | 76 F | |
| 6 | Southend United | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 70 | 55 | +15 | 76 | |
| 7 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 58 | 50 | +6 | 69 | |
| 8 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 58 | 45 | +13 | 67 | |
| 9 | Northampton Town | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 60 | 55 | +5 | 66 | |
| 10 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 50 | 62 | -12 | 66 | |
| 11 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 52 | 47 | +5 | 65 | |
| 12 | Walsall | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 64 | |
| 13 | Swindon Town | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 63 | 56 | +7 | 61 | |
| 14 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 49 | 63 | -14 | 60 | |
| 15 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 62 | 65 | -3 | 54 | |
| 16 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 45 | 53 | -8 | 53 | |
| 17 | Millwall | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 45 | 61 | -16 | 52 | |
| 18 | Yeovil Town | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 38 | 59 | -21 | 52 | |
| 19 | Cheltenham Town | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 42 | 64 | -22 | 51 | |
| 20 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 47 | 65 | -18 | 50 | |
| R | 21 | Bournemouth | 46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 62 | 72 | -10 | 48 A |
| R | 22 | Gillingham | 46 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 44 | 73 | -29 | 46 |
| R | 23 | Port Vale | 46 | 9 | 11 | 26 | 47 | 81 | -34 | 38 |
| R | 24 | Luton Town | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 43 | 63 | -20 | 33 A |
F Leeds deducted 15 points for failure to comply with rules on insolvency.
A Luton and Bournemouth both deducted 10 points a piece for administration entrance.
Leading goalscorer: Jason Scotland (Swansea City) - 24
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 29 | 10 | 7 | 82 | 37 | +45 | 97 |
| P | 2 | Peterborough United | 46 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 84 | 43 | +41 | 92 |
| P | 3 | Hereford United | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 72 | 41 | +31 | 88 |
| P | 4 | Stockport County | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 72 | 54 | +18 | 82 |
| 5 | Rochdale | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 77 | 55 | +22 | 80 | |
| 6 | Darlington | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 78 | |
| 7 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 56 | 42 | +14 | 78 | |
| 8 | Chesterfield | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 76 | 56 | +20 | 69 | |
| 9 | Rotherham United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 60 | 58 | +2 | 64 A | |
| 10 | Bradford City | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 63 | 61 | +2 | 62 | |
| 11 | Morecambe | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 63 | -4 | 60 | |
| 12 | Barnet | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 56 | 63 | -7 | 60 | |
| 13 | Bury | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 58 | 61 | -3 | 59 | |
| 14 | Brentford | 46 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 52 | 70 | -18 | 59 | |
| 15 | Lincoln City | 46 | 18 | 4 | 24 | 61 | 77 | -16 | 58 | |
| 16 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 55 | 66 | -11 | 55 | |
| 17 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 16 | 3 | 27 | 49 | 83 | -34 | 51 | |
| 18 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 56 | 65 | -9 | 50 | |
| 19 | Macclesfield Town | 46 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 47 | 64 | -17 | 50 | |
| 20 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 49 | 70 | -21 | 49 | |
| 21 | Notts County | 46 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 37 | 53 | -16 | 48 | |
| 22 | Chester City | 46 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 51 | 68 | -17 | 47 | |
| R | 23 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 48 | 68 | -20 | 42 |
| R | 24 | Wrexham | 46 | 10 | 10 | 26 | 38 | 70 | -32 | 40 |
A Rotherham deducted 10 points for administration entrance.
Leading goalscorer: Aaron McLean (Peterborough United) - 29
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