FA Premier League 2003-04 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat

The Invincibles (football)

In English football, "The Invincibles" has been used to refer to either the Preston North End team of the 1880s, or the Arsenal team of the 2003–04 season...

– only the second ever team to do so (the first was Preston North End

Preston North End F.C.

Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...

in 1889 – 115 years earlier) and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the season.

Chelsea had been bolstered by a £100 million outlay on world-class players, a spree funded by the extensive financial resources of their new owner Roman Abramovich

Roman Abramovich

Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...

. Manchester United's attack was as strong as ever thanks to free-scoring Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...

, but the midfield was weakened following the pre-season £25 million sale of David Beckham

David Beckham

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...

to Real Madrid

Real Madrid

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

, and the centre of defence suffered a more severe setback after Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand

Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...

was ruled out for the final four months of the season after being found guilty of the "failure or refusal to take a drugs test". The case of Rio Ferdinand started a debate about punishments relating to drug testing in football, with there being differing views on whether the punishment was too harsh or too lenient. Ferdinand's club sought to make direct comparisons with an earlier case of Manchester City reserve player who had in fact committed a lesser drug testing offence and as a result escaped with only a fine. City themselves had just moved from Maine Road

Maine Road

Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...

to the state of the art City of Manchester Stadium

City of Manchester Stadium

The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...

.

Arsenal, meanwhile, had only signed German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann

Jens Lehmann

Jens Gerhard Lehmann is a German former football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning...

in the 2003 close season, but French striker Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry

Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...

was instrumental in Arsenal's success. Away from the Premiership, Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...

's team suffered disappointment in the cup competitions. They lost their defence of the FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

(which they held for two seasons in a row) after losing to eventual winners Manchester United in the semi-final. Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

quarter-finals by Chelsea (3–2 on agg). These two blows came with a few days of each other and it was feared that Arsenal might squander their lead of the Premiership for the second successive season, but Arsenal thumped Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

only days later and never looked back. Arsenal's Invincibles

The Invincibles (football)

In English football, "The Invincibles" has been used to refer to either the Preston North End team of the 1880s, or the Arsenal team of the 2003–04 season...

finished the season with 26 wins, 12 draws, 0 defeats and 90 points.

The three relegation spots were occupied by three teams bracketed together on 33 points. Wolves

Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...

and Leicester City

Leicester City F.C.

Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

followed the trend of many other newly promoted Premiership clubs and were relegated just one season after reaching the top division. But the other relegation place went to Leeds United

Leeds United A.F.C.

Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

, whose playing fortunes had dipped in the past two seasons after David O'Leary

David O'Leary

David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...

was sacked as manager and club debts had risen so high that many star players had to be sold. As a result, Leeds were finally relegated from the Premiership after 14 years of top division football – just three seasons after they had reached the Champions League semifinals.

In his third season as Middlesbrough manager, Steve McClaren

Steve McClaren

Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...

had guided the Teessiders to their first ever major trophy – sealed with a 2–1 win over Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

in the League Cup

Football League Cup

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

final. McClaren was also the first English manager to win a major trophy since Brian Little guided Aston Villa

Aston Villa F.C.

Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...

to League Cup success in 1996. He was also the first manager to take Middlesbrough into European competition – they would be competing in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

.

2003–04 saw a number of managerial changes in the Premiership. Glenn Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....

was sacked as manager of Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

in September, with Director of Football David Pleat

David Pleat

David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...

taking over as temporary manager until the end of the season. He was then replaced by French national coach Jacques Santini, who was in the charge for five months before being replaced by assistant first team coach Martin Jol

Martin Jol

Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder who currently manages Fulham in the Premier League. Jol played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps with the Dutch national team...

. At the end of 2003–04, Frank Arnesen

Frank Arnesen

Frank Arnesen is a former Danish football player and currently sporting director at Hamburger SV. Arnesen was Director of Football at English football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea....

was appointed Director of Football for Spurs.

Leeds United sacked Peter Reid

Peter Reid

Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...

in November and installed first team coach Eddie Gray as interim manager until the end of the season, as they could not afford to buy another team's manager out of his contract. Gray was unable to save Leeds from relegation and was sacked by the club's new owners, who installed Gray's assistant Kevin Blackwell

Kevin Blackwell

Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He has an identical twin, Noel.-Early career:...

as their new manager.

Gordon Strachan

Gordon Strachan

Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...

quit as Southampton

Southampton F.C.

Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

manager in March and was replaced by Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle F.C.

Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...

's Paul Sturrock

Paul Sturrock

Paul Whitehead Sturrock is a Scottish football manager who, since July 2010, is the manager of Southend United. Until this appointment, Sturrock had most recently been at English League 1 club Plymouth Argyle in a business support role, having been relieved of his managerial duties, until he quit...

. Just after the start of 2004–05, Sturrock handed in his resignation and was replaced by Steve Wigley

Steve Wigley

Steve Wigley is an English football coach and former player for Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Portsmouth and Exeter City. He made 340 appearances in the Football League. He is the former manager of Southampton and the former assistant/caretaker manager for Bristol City...

who spent three months at the helm before being replaced by Harry Redknapp

Harry Redknapp

Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....

.

At the end of 2003–04, Gérard Houllier

Gérard Houllier

Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....

was sacked as manager of Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

despite having won four cup competitions (including three in one season) during his six-year spell as manager. Liverpool then turned to ex-Valencia

Valencia CF

Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...

coach Rafael Benítez

Rafael Benítez

Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....

as the man they hoped could win the league title which has eluded Anfield

Anfield

Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...

since 1990.

Despite guiding Chelsea to second position in the Premiership (their highest league finish for half a century) and to their first ever Champions League or European Cup semifinal, Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...

was sacked after four years in charge at Stamford Bridge

Stamford Bridge (stadium)

Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...

. Roman Abramovich then appointed José Mourinho

José Mourinho

José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....

as Chelsea's new manager. Mourinho, who won the 2004 Champions League with Porto

Futebol Clube do Porto

Futebol Clube do Porto , commonly known as FC Porto, Porto, or FCP, is a Portuguese multi-sports club from the city of Porto, in the northern region of the country. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, FC Porto is mostly known for its association football team...

of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, was given a three-year contract.

Personnel and kits

Team	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...	Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...	Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....	Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...	O₂ O2 (United Kingdom) Telefónica UK Limited is a telecommunications, internet and financial services provider in the United Kingdom owned by Telefónica, forming part of its Telefónica Europe division...
Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...	David O'Leary David O'Leary David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...	Olof Mellberg Olof Mellberg Erik Olof Mellberg is a Swedish international footballer currently playing for Olympiacos in the Greek Superleague. He generally plays as a central defender or right-back.-Early years:...	Diadora Diadora Diadora is an Italian football, tennis, running, cycling, rugby, athletic shoe, clothing, and fashion accessory manufacturer with locations in Italy, the United States, and Hong Kong.-History:...	Rover MG Rover Group MG Rover was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry. The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000....
Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...	Steve Bruce Steve Bruce Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...	Jeff Kenna Jeff Kenna Jeffrey Jude Kenna is an Irish football manager and former player who played the largest part of his career as a defender with Southampton and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. He has managed Galway United and St Patrick's Athletic...	Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif is a French company producing sports equipment such as shoes, shorts, and T-shirts. It was founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset, but the first clothing items branded with the rooster appeared in 1948...	flybe.com Flybe Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....	Graeme Souness Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...	Garry Flitcroft Garry Flitcroft Garry William Flitcroft is an English football manager and former footballer. Since May 2010 he has been the manager of Northern Premier League team Chorley.-Playing career:...	Kappa Kappa (company) Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...	HSA
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....	Sam Allardyce Sam Allardyce Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....	Jay-Jay Okocha Jay-Jay Okocha Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is known for his stepovers, skill, technique, and being 'so good that they named him twice'...	Reebok Reebok Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...	Reebok Reebok Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...	Alan Curbishley Alan Curbishley Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....	Matt Holland Matt Holland Matthew Rhys "Matt" Holland is a former English-born Irish footballer, who represented Republic of Ireland at international level...	Joma Joma Joma is a Spanish sports apparel manufacturer, which currently produces footwear and apparel for football, running and tennis. Its headquarters are located in the city of Toledo, Spain....	All:Sports
Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...	Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...	Marcel Desailly Marcel Desailly Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...	Umbro Umbro Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment...	Fly Emirates
Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...	David Moyes David Moyes David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...	David Weir	Puma PUMA AG Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...	Kejian Kejian China Kejian Corporation Ltd, better known as Kejian, is a Chinese telecommunications company.During the 2002–03 FA Premier League season, the company sponsored Everton F.C.....
Fulham Fulham F.C. Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...	Chris Coleman Chris Coleman (footballer) Christopher "Chris" Coleman is a Welsh football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Greek Side Larissa....	Lee Clark	Puma PUMA AG Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...	dabs.com Dabs.com dabs.com is an e-commerce retailer in the United Kingdom. It is one of the UK's largest internet retailers of IT and technology products. dabs.com was founded in Bolton by David Atherton and Bruce Smith in 1987; Dabs is an acronym of the initials of the founders' names...
Leeds United Leeds United A.F.C. Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...	Eddie Gray	Dominic Matteo Dominic Matteo Dominic Matteo is a former Scottish footballer and a Scottish national football team international. He has played most recently as a defender for Stoke City, but spent most of his career at Liverpool and Leeds United.-Club career:...	Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...	Whyte and Mackay Whyte and Mackay Whyte and Mackay Ltd is a Scottish company producing alcoholic beverages. It was founded in 1844 and is based in Glasgow. Since May 2007, Whyte and Mackay has been owned by United Breweries Group, a large Indian conglomerate....
Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...	Micky Adams Micky Adams Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...	Matt Elliott	Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif Le Coq Sportif is a French company producing sports equipment such as shoes, shorts, and T-shirts. It was founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset, but the first clothing items branded with the rooster appeared in 1948...	Alliance & Leicester Alliance & Leicester Alliance & Leicester was a former UK-based bank and PLC, which in later years operated as a trading name of Santander UK before being rebranded as Santander. Alliance & Leicester was legally acquired in May 2010 by Santander UK, and was fully incorporated by 2011...
Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...	Gérard Houllier Gérard Houllier Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....	Sami Hyypiä Sami Hyypiä Sami Tuomas Hyypiä is a retired European Cup winning Finnish footballer who played in the centre back position. He last played for German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen and was the captain of the Finland national football team. He joined Leverkusen in summer 2009, ending a ten year spell at...	Reebok Reebok Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...	Carlsberg Carlsberg The Carlsberg Group is a Danish brewing company founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen after the name of his son Carl. The headquarters are in Copenhagen, Denmark...
Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...	Kevin Keegan Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....	Richard Dunne Richard Dunne Richard Patrick Dunne is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he was a member of the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012.Dunne began his professional career at Everton...	Reebok Reebok Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...	First Advice
Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...	Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...	Roy Keane Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....	Nike	Vodafone Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...	Steve McClaren Steve McClaren Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...	Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate in Crawley, West Sussex is a retired English footballer and ex-manager. He is known as the "Penalty Misser of '96." He served as manager of Middlesbrough from June 2006, until he was dismissed in October 2009...	Erreà Erreà Erreà is a sportswear trademark founded in 1988, in Torrile...	Dial-a-Phone Dial-a-Phone Dialaphone is an independent mobile phone retailer in the United Kingdom. It was established in February 1995 as a direct marketer and supplier of mobile phones and mobile phone accessories. The e-commerce website went online in September 2000...
Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...	Sir Bobby Robson	Alan Shearer Alan Shearer Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...	Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...	Northern Rock Northern Rock Northern Rock plc is a British bank, best known for becoming the first bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run after having had to approach the Bank of England for a loan facility, to replace money market funding, during the credit crisis in 2007. Having failed to find a commercial buyer for...
Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...	Harry Redknapp Harry Redknapp Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....	Arjan De Zeeuw Arjan de Zeeuw Adrianus "Arjan" de Zeeuw is a retired Dutch footballer, who played as a centre-back.-Club career:...	Pompey Sport	ty Ty Inc. Ty Inc. is an American plush animal company based in Westmont, Illinois. By far their most famous line of products are the Beanie Babies, but Ty also manufactures other lines of stuffed toys...
Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...	Paul Sturrock Paul Sturrock Paul Whitehead Sturrock is a Scottish football manager who, since July 2010, is the manager of Southend United. Until this appointment, Sturrock had most recently been at English League 1 club Plymouth Argyle in a business support role, having been relieved of his managerial duties, until he quit...	Claus Lundekvam Claus Lundekvam Claus Lundekvam is a former Norwegian footballer, who spent most of his career at English side Southampton. He played for Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup Final against Arsenal .-Playing career:...	Saints	Friends Provident Friends Provident Friends Provident was an organisation offering life insurance based in the United Kingdom. It was founded as a mutual Friendly Society for Quakers, although it was demutualised in 2001 and became a publicly listed company, no longer linked with the Religious Society of Friends...
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....	David Pleat David Pleat David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...	Ledley King Ledley King Ledley Brenton King is an English footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur. He is the longest serving player at the club and captained Spurs since 2005. He is currently contracted to Tottenham until 2012...	Kappa Kappa (company) Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...	Thomson Holidays Thomson Holidays Thomson Holidays is a UK based travel operator and part of TUI Travel PLC. The company was founded as part of the Thomson Travel Group in 1965 following the acquisition of three package holiday travel agencies and the airline Britannia Airways by Roy Thomson...
Wolves Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...	Dave Jones	Paul Ince Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town...	Admiral	Doritos Doritos Doritos is a brand of seasoned tortilla chips created by Arch West and produced since 1964 by the American food company Frito-Lay ....

Final league table

Pos	Club	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Comments
1	Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...	38	26	12	0	73	26	47	90	2004–05 UEFA Champions League Group Stage
2	Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...	38	24	7	7	67	30	37	79	2004–05 UEFA Champions League Group Stage
3	Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...	38	23	6	9	64	35	29	75	2004–05 UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round
4	Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...	38	16	12	10	55	37	18	60	2004–05 UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round
5	Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...	38	13	17	8	52	40	12	56	2004–05 UEFA Cup First Round
6	Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...	38	15	11	12	48	44	4	56
7	Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...	38	14	11	13	51	51	0	53
8	Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....	38	14	11	13	48	56	-8	53
9	Fulham Fulham F.C. Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...	38	14	10	14	52	46	6	52
10	Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...	38	12	14	12	43	48	-5	50
11	Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...	38	13	9	16	44	52	-8	48	2004–05 UEFA Cup First Round¹
12	Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...	38	12	12	14	44	45	-1	48
13	Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...	38	12	9	17	47	54	-7	45
14	Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....	38	13	6	19	47	57	-10	45
15	Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....	38	12	8	18	51	59	-8	44
16	Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...	38	9	14	15	55	54	1	41
17	Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...	38	9	12	17	45	57	-12	39
18	Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...	38	6	15	17	48	65	-17	33	Relegation to 2004–05 Football League Championship 2004–05 Football League Championship The Football League 2004–05 , was the thirteenth season under its current league division format. It began in August 2004 and concluded in May 2005, with the promotion play-off finals. This was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League...
19	Leeds United Leeds United A.F.C. Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...	38	8	9	21	40	79	-39	33
20	Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...	38	7	12	19	38	77	-39	33

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

^1. Middlesbrough qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners

Results

Arsenal

Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...

described it as immortality

Immortality

Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...

, and he was not far wrong. Arsenal completed an entire Premiership season without losing a single game. Their final record read 26 wins, 12 draws and 0 defeats. Only once before had any English club completed a professional league campaign unbeaten since the Football League's foundation in 1888. Striker Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry

was undoubtedly the finest player in a brilliant side, though the likes of Robert Pires

Robert Pirès

Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...

and Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....

earned similar plaudits for their own excellent performances.

But it had not always looked like this. Until February, Arsenal had bounced between first and third place, as the three-way race with Chelsea

Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

and Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

seemed unpredictable. At one stage before Christmas, the gap had been so tight that Arsenal and Chelsea had the same points total, as well as an identical goal difference and number of goals scored, which meant that Arsenal led the table as they began with an "A". But Arsenal got even better in the second half of the season while their rivals faltered, and the title was wrapped up before the end of April.

Early April, however, saw two successive games that threatened to derail Arsenal's perfect season. First they were eliminated from the FA Cup

FA Cup

by Manchester United in the semi-final, and then they were knocked out of the Champions League

UEFA Champions League

by Chelsea in the quarter-final. However, a 4–2 victory over Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

reinforced Arsenal's form. Arsenal came within 1 point of Manchester United's record of most points in a season, finishing with an impressive 90.

In the last game of the season they sealed their Invincible status, coming from a goal behind to defeat Leicester

Leicester City F.C.

Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

, Patrick Vieira with the winning goal. A special gold version of the Premier League trophy was commissioned to recognise their achievement.

Aston Villa

Manager Graham Taylor's unsuccessful second spell as manager had come to an end in June 2003, and chairman Doug Ellis

Doug Ellis

Herbert Douglas Ellis, OBE , is an entrepreneur, best known as the former chairman of Aston Villa Football Club.-Early life:...

recruited David O'Leary

David O'Leary

as Taylor's successor. The first few months of O'Leary's reign suggested that he was not the man to revitalise a Villa side that had been habitually underachieving for several years. Indeed, they entered December on the brink of the relegation zone, but a great run of form beginning over Christmas took them into the top six during March. They even went as high as fourth at one stage, and there was talk of Champions League qualification. But defeat on the final day of the season saw them finish sixth – this season not enough for even a UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

place.

Birmingham City

Birmingham City had one of their best seasons in the Premier League, spending most of the season challenging for a Champions League place before a late slump saw them drop to tenth.

Blackburn Rovers

Finishing sixth in the Premiership at the end of 2002–03 had booked Blackburn Rovers their second successive UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

campaign, but it was short-lived. And their Premiership form was far too dismal to give the side any hope of a third successive European qualification. Indeed, much of the season was spent battling against relegation, but a decent finish to the season saw relegation fears eradicated by the end of April and Rovers finished 15th in the final table, putting intense pressure on manager Graeme Souness

Graeme Souness

Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...

to turn things around.

Bolton Wanderers

After two near misses with relegation, Sam Allardyce

Sam Allardyce

Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....

finally established Bolton as a Premiership team. A side that had been tipped to struggle at the wrong end of the Premiership soon looked like outsiders for a UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

place, and qualification for the Carling Cup

Football League Cup

final saw this dream look even closer. A 2–1 defeat to Middlesbrough ended Bolton's dreams of glory at the Millennium Stadium

Millennium Stadium

The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...

, and in the end they did not quite finish high enough for a European debut. However, an eighth place finish was the club's highest final position for some 50 years.

Charlton Athletic

For the third season running, a late slump in form ended Charlton Athletic's hopes of European qualification. In 2001–02, they had finished 14th after failing to win any of their final 10 games. In 2002–03, they had finished 12th after a not-quite-so dramatic slump. 2003–04, however, did bring Charlton's best Premiership finish to date, as well as their highest league finish since the 1950s, as they came seventh. For much of the season, they had occupied the Champions League and UEFA Cup places, but the familiar end-of-season setback pushed them out of the European places.

Chelsea

Roman Abramovich's

Roman Abramovich

£150 million takeover of Chelsea Football Club in June 2003 was perhaps the biggest footballing story of the close season. The Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n billionaire's

Billionaire

A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...

open cheque book saw manager Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri

spend a total of more than £100 million on the likes of Damien Duff

Damien Duff

Damien Anthony Duff is an Irish footballer who plays for Premier League team Fulham and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he has participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012...

, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole

Joe Cole

Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003...

and Claude Makélélé

Claude Makélélé

Claude Makélelé Sinda is a retired football player who used to play as a defensive midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. Prior to joining Paris Saint-Germain, Makélélé played for Nantes, Olympique de Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid and Chelsea...

. Chelsea were most people's favourites for the Premiership title, but in the end they could not match the brilliance of unbeaten Arsenal. They did reach the European Cup semi-finals, and in the quarter-finals they overcame Arsenal to become the last remaining English side in the competition, and ensured it was their first victory over the Gunners in 17 meetings spanning seven years.

The Premiership's biggest-spending side failed to lift a major trophy in 2003–04, and consequently Ranieri was sacked and replaced by FC Porto's European Cup winning coach Jose Mourinho

José Mourinho

Everton

In 2002–03, all the talk at Goodison Park

Goodison Park

Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

was about how David Moyes

David Moyes

David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...

was restoring some pride to the blue half of Merseyside thanks to a seventh place finish. 2003–04, however, was quite a different story, as Everton struggled at the wrong end of the Premiership and finished the season one place above the drop zone with 39 points (a tally which in many seasons has seen teams relegated, even under the 38-game format).

18-year-old striker Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...

was England's

England national football team

The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

key player in their run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2004, but fast-growing rumours that he was about to be sold to Manchester United put Everton's top flight future under increasing doubt.

Fulham

Two seasons of bottom half finishes had fallen well short of expectations at Fulham, who had won promotion in 2001 with ambitions of becoming one of the country's top sides. These disappointments had led to the dismissal of Jean Tigana

Jean Tigana

Jean Amadou Tigana is a manager and former French international footballer, having played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and 1 goal for the France national football team during the 1980s.-Playing career:Tigana started his...

as manager in March 2003, and the appointment of 32-year-old former Fulham captain Chris Coleman

Chris Coleman (footballer)

Christopher "Chris" Coleman is a Welsh football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Greek Side Larissa....

(who had no previous managerial experience, subsequently becoming the youngest top-flight manager ever) as Tigana's successor saw Fulham among most people's tips for relegation in 2003–04. But 2003–04 turned out to be one of Fulham's most successful seasons ever, as they finished ninth in the Premiership to secure their highest-ever final league position. For much of the season they had been in contention for European qualification, but things tailed off after the sale of leading goalscorer Louis Saha

Louis Saha

Louis Laurent Saha is a French footballer of Guadelupian origin who currently plays as a forward for Everton FC in the Premier League and the France national team. A former scholar at the Clairefontaine football academy, he started his career at Metz before playing on loan at Newcastle United...

to Manchester United in January. Still, it was a very good season for a club who had been tipped by so many observers to go down, and an excellent first full season in management for Chris Coleman.

Leeds United

The financial crisis at Elland Road

Elland Road

Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...

saw Leeds United's debts reach the £100million mark, and consequently the sell-off of key players continued. Manager Peter Reid

Peter Reid

was sacked on 10 November after Leeds collected 8 points from their first 12 games, and former player, coach and manager Eddie Gray was brought in on a temporary basis. Some initially improved results saw Leeds climb out of the relegation zone by the end of 2003, but a dreadful run of seven straight defeats after the turn of the year saw them cast adrift at the bottom of the table, and from that point onwards the club had no real hope of surviving in the Premier League.

Some decent results late in the season saw them at least move off the bottom of the table , but a 4–1 defeat by Bolton on 2 May confirmed relegation, and Gray was soon on his way out of the club for good, to be replaced by Kevin Blackwell

Kevin Blackwell

Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He has an identical twin, Noel.-Early career:...

, who had been brought to the club a year earlier as Reid's assistant. Few observers gave Leeds much hope of an immediate promotion back to the Premiership, with Blackwell's ultimate task being seen as one of avoiding a second successive relegation.

Leicester City

Micky Adams

Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...

had guided Leicester City back to the Premiership at the first attempt, despite the club spending part of their Division One campaign in receivership before a takeover safeguarded their future. But he was unable to keep them there, and their relegation was confirmed at the beginning of May. It was a traumatic end to a season which had seen the club plagued with crises on and off the field, including the La Manga

La Manga

La Manga , or La Manga del Mar Menor is a seaside spit in the Region of Murcia, Spain.The strip is 22 km long and 100 metres wide , separating the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor lagoon, from Cabo de Palos to the Punta del Mojón.Historically, it was known by the Romans as Palus and...

controversy when players Keith Gillespie

Keith Gillespie

Keith Robert Gillespie is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays in midfield for Longford Town....

, Frank Sinclair

Frank Sinclair

Frank Mohammed Sinclair is an English-born Jamaican footballer who plays for Hendon in the Isthmian League Premier Division.-Chelsea:...

and Paul Dickov

Paul Dickov

Paul Dickov is a retired Scottish footballer, turned manager who is currently in charge of League One side Oldham Athletic...

were accused of sexual assault

Sexual assault

Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....

following an alleged incident at a hotel in Spain (all charges were finally dropped).

Liverpool

Gerard Houllier

Gérard Houllier

secured his fourth top-four finish in six seasons as Liverpool manager, but it was not enough for the Liverpool board of directors, who terminated his contract on 24 May, a week after the end of a campaign which saw Liverpool pip Aston Villa and Newcastle United to the fourth and final Champions League place. The season was marked by the combination of Liverpool's three local stars, Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard

Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...

, Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher

James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...

and Michael Owen

Michael Owen

Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...

, with the foreign talents that Houllier had signed, but fans continued to claim the club played poorly in terms of entertainment, with long ball strategies and overly defensive qualities. By the end of the campaign, the greatest shock, besides that of Houllier's termination, was that of Owen being sold to Real Madrid

Real Madrid

shortly afterwards. By the close season, the task of building a Liverpool side capable of ending the title wait that began in 1990 fell to Spaniard

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

Rafael Benítez

Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....

, who had just achieved a domestic league title and UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

glory with Valencia

Valencia CF

Manchester City

After finishing ninth in their final season at 80-year-old Maine Road

Maine Road

Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...

, Manchester City's debut season at the City of Manchester Stadium

City of Manchester Stadium

The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...

was a major disappointment. A side which had been tipped by some to qualify for the UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

, having embarked on a new era by signing a host of experienced players (Claudio Reyna

Claudio Reyna

Claudio Reyna is a retired American soccer player and the current USSF US Youth Soccer Technical Director. He was the captain of the United States national team before retiring from international football following the USA's exit from the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is widely considered one of the...

and Steve McManaman

Steve McManaman

Steven McManaman is a retired English footballer who played as a midfielder, winger and playmaker. Having spent his playing career at two of European football's most successful clubs of the 20th century, Liverpool and Real Madrid, as well as a spell at Manchester City, McManaman is the most...

) to combine with the burgeoning talents from the City youth academy (Stephen Ireland

Stephen Ireland

Stephen James Ireland is an Irish footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa.-Cobh Ramblers:...

and Shaun Wright-Phillips

Shaun Wright-Phillips

Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers and the England national team. He is the adopted son of former England international, Ian Wright and the half-brother of fellow professional football player Bradley Wright-Phillips...

), ended up spending the season battling against relegation. Winning their 36th game of the season left them six points clear of safety, but survival was effectively confirmed due to them having a far greater goal difference than Wolves and Leeds. It took victory in their penultimate game of the season to put survival beyond all doubt, but even then the future was not looking bright for manager Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan

Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....

Manchester United

A 3–0 win over Millwall

Millwall F.C.

Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

on 24 May ended Manchester United's five-year wait for their 11th FA Cup triumph, but this success only partly compensated for a failure to win the Premiership title which for at least the first half of the season had looked likely to end up at Old Trafford

Old Trafford

Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...

. Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud van Nistelrooy

was on song as usual with more than 30 goals in all competitions, but the loss of Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand

Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...

for the final four months of the season (his penalty for missing a drugs test on 22 September) coincided with United surrendering their Premiership crown and finishing third in the final table. Their European Cup hopes were ended in the Second Round knockout stage thanks to a last-gasp winner by FC Porto at Old Trafford, but it was clear that United were preparing for a transition period, largely epitomised by the arrival of young Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...

from Sporting Lisbon, following the high profile departure of David Beckham

David Beckham

the previous year.

Middlesbrough

After 128 years in existence, Middlesbrough Football Club finally won a major trophy when on 29 February 2004 they beat Bolton Wanderers 2–1 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, to lift the Carling Cup. It was a case of third time lucky for manager Steve McClaren

Steve McClaren

, who in his first season as manager had seen Middlesbrough exit the FA Cup in the semi-finals and in his second season had watched them slip out of contention for a European place due to a slump in form late on.

Middlesbrough's first major trophy also brought them their first European campaign, as they qualified for the UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

Newcastle United

For the third season running, Sir Bobby Robson

Bobby Robson

Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....

secured European qualification for Newcastle United, but there was a slight disappointment this time, as their place in Europe was the UEFA Cup rather than the Champions League, as had happened in the previous two campaigns. Their fifth-place finish was achieved despite bad runs at both the start and the end of the season, with the club failing to win their first six and their last five league games. Their erratic away form prevented them from finishing higher, with only two wins and a staggering 12 draws away from St. James' Park.

Portsmouth

Portsmouth's Premiership debut (and only their second top division campaign during the last 45 years) was a fine one, as they finished 13th and established Fratton Park

Fratton Park

Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...

as one of the hardest Premiership grounds to get a result at. Only their dismal away form prevented them from finishing even higher and challenging for a European place, but it was still a very good season for the only newly promoted side to preserve their Premiership status.

Southampton

The previous season's FA Cup

FA Cup

runners-up failed to make an impact in any of the cup competitions, and their 12th place finish was a something of a disappointment after the previous season, when Southampton were eighth in the league – their highest ever in the Premiership and their highest in the top flight since 1990. The club was thrown into further turmoil in March when Gordon Strachan

Gordon Strachan

announced his resignation as manager. There was talk that Glenn Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....

would be returning to the club for a second spell, but the job went to Plymouth Argyle's

Plymouth Argyle F.C.

Paul Sturrock

instead.

Tottenham Hotspur

A dismal start to the season cost Glenn Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....

his job and he was sacked as manager on 21 September after two-and-a-half years at the helm. Director of Football David Pleat

David Pleat

took over first team duties until the end of the season, but was unable to inspire Tottenham to a challenge for European qualification nor either of the cup competitions, and a 14th place finish in the final table was Tottenham's lowest since 1998. New Sporting Director Frank Arnesen

Frank Arnesen

Frank Arnesen is a former Danish football player and currently sporting director at Hamburger SV. Arnesen was Director of Football at English football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea....

and Head Coach Jacques Santini were appointed at the end of the season to bring some hope to fans of a club that had so far underachieved in almost every season since the 1991 FA Cup triumph.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Back in the top flight after 20 years away, Wolverhampton Wanderers did not win any of their opening seven Premiership fixtures and it was obvious that the season was going to be a long and hard struggle. There were some good results during this difficult season, including a 1–0 home win over a full-strength Manchester United on 17 January in which Kenny Miller

Kenny Miller

Kenneth "Kenny" Miller is a Scottish footballer who plays as a striker for Cardiff City and the Scotland national football team...

scored the only goal of the game, but Wolves failed to win any of their 19 away fixtures and this counted heavily against them and their relegation was finally confirmed in early May.

Promoted teams

These teams were promoted from the First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

at the start of the season:

Portsmouth (First Division Champion)
Leicester City (First Division runner-up)
Wolverhampton Wanderers (First Division playoff winner)

Relegated teams

These teams were relegated to the First Division

Football League First Division

at the end of the season:

Wolverhampton Wanderers
Leeds United
Leicester City

Top scorers

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals
1	Thierry Henry Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...	Arsenal	30
2	Alan Shearer Alan Shearer Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...	Newcastle United	22
3	Louis Saha Louis Saha Louis Laurent Saha is a French footballer of Guadelupian origin who currently plays as a forward for Everton FC in the Premier League and the France national team. A former scholar at the Clairefontaine football academy, he started his career at Metz before playing on loan at Newcastle United...	Manchester United/Fulham	20
3	Ruud van Nistelrooy Ruud van Nistelrooy Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...	Manchester United	20
5	Mikael Forssell Mikael Forssell Mikael Kaj Forssell is a Finnish footballer who plays as a striker for Football League Championship team Leeds United and for the Finnish national team.-Club career:...	Birmingham City	17
6	Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Anelka Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...	Manchester City	16
	Juan Pablo Ángel Juan Pablo Ángel Juan Pablo Ángel Arango is a Colombian footballer. He currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Atlético Nacional and River Plate:...	Aston Villa	16
	Michael Owen Michael Owen Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...	Liverpool	16
	Yakubu Aiyegbeni Yakubu Aiyegbeni Yakubu Aiyegbeni , generally known simply as Yakubu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a striker for Blackburn Rovers and the Nigerian national football team. His nickname is "The Yak".-Early career:...	Portsmouth	16
10	James Beattie James Beattie (footballer) James Scott Beattie is an English footballer who currently plays for Sheffield United as a striker.Born in Lancaster, Lancashire he came through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers eventually signing professionally for them in 1995...	Southampton	14
	Robbie Keane Robbie Keane Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....	Tottenham Hotspur	14
	Robert Pires Robert Pirès Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...	Arsenal	14

Top assists

Rank	Assistant	Club	Assists
1	Muzzy Izzet	Leicester City	14
2	Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio is a Italian former professional footballer and current manager of League Two side Swindon Town. Di Canio made over 500 league appearances and scored over 100 league goals as a player....	Charlton Athletic	12
3	Brett Emerton Brett Emerton Brett Michael Emerton is an Australian football player who plays for Sydney FC and the Australia national team...	Blackburn Rovers	11
3	Ryan Giggs Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...	Manchester United	11
5	Steed Malbranque Steed Malbranque Steed Malbranque is a Belgian-born French footballer who last played for Saint-Étienne. Malbranque had previously played professionally for Lyon in his native France before moving to England where he had spells with Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.-Lyon:He was a trainee at Lyon youth...	Fulham	10
6	Dennis Bergkamp Dennis Bergkamp Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...	Arsenal	9
	Damien Duff Damien Duff Damien Anthony Duff is an Irish footballer who plays for Premier League team Fulham and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he has participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012...	Chelsea	9
	Thomas Hitzlsperger Thomas Hitzlsperger Thomas Hitzlsperger is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder. He plays for Bundesliga club Wolfsburg after signing a three-year deal on 17 August 2011. Hitzlsperger spent the early part of his career playing for Aston Villa in England , before returning to Germany to play for Stuttgart...	Aston Villa	9
	Robert Pirès Robert Pirès Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...	Arsenal	9

Monthly awards

Month	Manager of the Month	Player of the Month Premier League Player of the Month The Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month...
August	Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996... (Arsenal)	Teddy Sheringham Teddy Sheringham Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester... (Portsmouth)
September	Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St... (Chelsea)	Frank Lampard Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side... (Chelsea)
October	Sir Bobby Robson Bobby Robson Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career.... (Newcastle United)	Alan Shearer Alan Shearer Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team... (Newcastle United)
November	Sam Allardyce Sam Allardyce Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United.... (Bolton Wanderers)	Jay-Jay Okocha Jay-Jay Okocha Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is known for his stepovers, skill, technique, and being 'so good that they named him twice'... (Bolton Wanderers)
December	Sir Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986... (Manchester United)	Paul Scholes Paul Scholes Paul Scholes is a retired English footballer, a one-club man who played his entire professional career for Manchester United.Born in Salford, but later moving to Langley, Scholes excelled in both cricket and football in school. He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being... (Manchester United)
January	Sam Allardyce Sam Allardyce Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United.... (Bolton Wanderers)	Thierry Henry Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and... (Arsenal)
February	Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996... (Arsenal)	Dennis Bergkamp Dennis Bergkamp Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level... (Arsenal) & Edu (Arsenal)
March	Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St... (Chelsea)	Mikael Forssell Mikael Forssell Mikael Kaj Forssell is a Finnish footballer who plays as a striker for Football League Championship team Leeds United and for the Finnish national team.-Club career:... (Birmingham City)
April	Harry Redknapp Harry Redknapp Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur.... (Portsmouth)	Thierry Henry Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and... (Arsenal)

League Managers' Association Manager of the Year

The LMA Manager of the Year

LMA Manager of the Year

The League Managers Association Awards is an annual award ceremony in English football, awarded by the League Managers Association. The most prestigious award is the LMA Manager of the Year Award It is presented to a manager from any division for his achievements in the prior season...

award was won by Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...

, he made history in doing so being the first manager to win the award twice.

PFA Players' Player of the Year

The PFA Players' Player of the Year

PFA Players' Player of the Year

The Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football...

award for 2004 was won by Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry

of Arsenal for the second successive year.

The shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award was as follows:

Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...

(Liverpool)
Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...

(Arsenal)
Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...

(Chelsea)
Jay-Jay Okocha
Jay-Jay Okocha
Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is known for his stepovers, skill, technique, and being 'so good that they named him twice'...

(Bolton Wanderers)
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...

(Newcastle United)
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....

(Arsenal)

PFA Young Player of the Year

The PFA Young Player of the Year

PFA Young Player of the Year

The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...

award was won by Scott Parker

Scott Parker (footballer)

Scott Matthew Parker is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. He is the FWA Footballer of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He has represented England at every level from under-16 to senior. Uniquely, he won his first four England...

of Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea F.C.

.

The shortlist for the award was as follows:

Glen Johnson (Chelsea)
Scott Parker
Scott Parker (footballer)
Scott Matthew Parker is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. He is the FWA Footballer of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He has represented England at every level from under-16 to senior. Uniquely, he won his first four England...

(Charlton Athletic/Chelsea)
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...

(Everton)
John Terry
John Terry
John George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...

(Chelsea)
Kolo Touré
Kolo Touré
Kolo Habib Touré is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Manchester City and Ivory Coast. Touré is a central defender. He is the elder brother of Manchester City team-mate Yaya Touré and Makasa's Ibrahim Touré.-Arsenal:...

(Arsenal)
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers and the England national team. He is the adopted son of former England international, Ian Wright and the half-brother of fellow professional football player Bradley Wright-Phillips...

(Manchester City)

PFA Team of the Year

Goalkeeper: Tim Howard

Tim Howard

Timothy Matthew Howard is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team....

(Manchester United)
Defence: Lauren

Lauren Etame Mayer

Laureano Bisan-Etame Mayer , commonly known as Lauren, is a retired Cameroonian footballer of Equatoguinean origin, who formerly played for the Cameroonian national team.-Early career:...

, Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole is an Barbadian-English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He plays as a left-back and has been named one of the best in the world....

, Sol Campbell

Sol Campbell

Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's...

(all Arsenal), John Terry

John Terry

John George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...

(Chelsea)
Midfield: Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard

(Liverpool), Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....

, Robert Pirès

Robert Pirès

(both Arsenal), Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard

Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...

(Chelsea)
Attack: Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry

(Arsenal), Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud van Nistelrooy

(Manchester United)

PFA Fans' Player of the Year

Thierry Henry

of Arsenal was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Year

PFA Fans' Player of the Year

The ESPN Professional Footballers' Association Fans' Player of the Year award is given to footballers in the top four flights of English football, the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two.The shortlist is compiled by the members of the Professional Footballers'...

for the second consecutive year. Henry was the first player to win this award twice.

FWA Footballer of the Year

The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year

Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year

The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...

award for 2004 was won by Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry

. The Arsenal forward picked up a remarkable 87% of the votes.

Barclays Premier League Fair Play Award

The Fair Play Award merit is given to the team who has been the most sporting and best behaved team. Champions Arsenal won this.

Behaviour of the Public League

Given to the best-behaved fans. Arsenal won this, thus achieving a fair play double.

Barclaycard Manager of the Season

Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...

won this award. His team won 26 games, losing 0 and drawing 12 scoring 73 goals, conceding 26.

Personnel and kits

Final league table

Results

Arsenal

Aston Villa

Birmingham City

Blackburn Rovers

Bolton Wanderers

Charlton Athletic

Chelsea

Everton

Fulham

Leeds United

Leicester City

Liverpool

Manchester City

Manchester United

Middlesbrough

Newcastle United

Portsmouth

Southampton

Tottenham Hotspur

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Promoted teams

Relegated teams

Top scorers

Top assists

Monthly awards

League Managers' Association Manager of the Year

PFA Players' Player of the Year

PFA Young Player of the Year

PFA Team of the Year

PFA Fans' Player of the Year

FWA Footballer of the Year

Barclays Premier League Fair Play Award

Behaviour of the Public League

Barclaycard Manager of the Season

External links

See also