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1996–97 FA Premier League

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The 1996–97 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth season of the FA Premier League since its formation in 1992. The majority of the season was contested by the reigning champions, Manchester United, along with Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool. The title was eventually won by Manchester United, after Liverpool's and Newcastle's failure to win in their penultimate games of the season; at 75 points it is the lowest points total for a Premier League champion club and lowest since the 3-1-0 points system was introduced in the 1981–82 season.

FA Premier League
Season1996–97
Dates17 August 1996 – 11 May 1997
ChampionsManchester United
4th Premier League title
11th English title
RelegatedSunderland
Middlesbrough
Nottingham Forest
Champions LeagueManchester United
Newcastle United
Cup Winners' CupChelsea
UEFA CupArsenal
Liverpool
Aston Villa (through UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking)
Leicester City
Matches played380
Goals scored970 (2.55 per match)
Top goalscorerAlan Shearer
(25 goals)
Best goalkeeperNigel Martyn (19 clean sheets)
Biggest home winEverton 7–1 Southampton
(16 November 1996)
Newcastle United 7–1 Tottenham Hotspur
(28 December 1996)
Biggest away winLeeds United 0–4 Manchester United
(7 September 1996)
Nottingham Forest 0–4 Manchester United
(26 December 1996)
Sunderland 0–4 Tottenham Hotspur
(4 March 1997)
Highest scoringSouthampton 6–3 Manchester United
(26 October 1996)
Longest winning run7 games[1]
Newcastle United
Wimbledon
Longest unbeaten run16 games[1]
Manchester United
Longest winless run16 games[1]
Nottingham Forest
Longest losing run6 games[1]
Everton
Highest attendance55,314
Manchester United 2–1 Wimbledon
(29 January 1997)
Lowest attendance7,979
Wimbledon 2–0 Leeds United
(16 April 1997)
Total attendance10,818,380[2]
Average attendance28,469[2]

Middlesbrough, who had high-profile foreign players like Juninho, Emerson, Fabrizio Ravanelli (who scored 31 goals in all competitions), Branco and Gianluca Festa, were relegated on the final day of the season and were on the losing side in both the FA Cup final and the League Cup final. Middlesbrough finished in 19th place, but would have been placed 14th without a three-point deduction imposed for unilaterally postponing a 21 December 1996 fixture at Blackburn Rovers, with the Middlesbrough board making the decision due to the absence of 23 players ill or injured.[3][4] The club consulted the Premier League prior to calling off the fixture and was told to do 'what they thought best'. To protect the integrity of the game, and avoid fielding a team of untried teenagers including three goalkeepers, Middlesbrough called off the match. The Premier League subsequently absolved itself of all responsibility and deducted the three points. This sanction meant Coventry City, who had been in the top division since 1967, finished in 17th place and avoided relegation. The decision was controversial, and later resurfaced in 2006–07 when West Ham escaped a points deduction and subsequently avoided relegation.

Another relegation place went to Nottingham Forest, who sacked manager Frank Clark in December. Stuart Pearce took over as temporary player-manager, spending three months in charge and winning the January 1997 Manager of the Month award. In March, Pearce quit as manager to be replaced by Dave Bassett, formerly of Crystal Palace. Also relegated, due to a 1–0 defeat to Wimbledon in their last game of the season, was Sunderland, who were leaving Roker Park after 99 years and relocating to the 42,000-seat Stadium of Light on the banks of the River Wear for the start of the 1997–98 season in Division One.

Teams

Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Sunderland, Derby County (both teams returning to the top flight after a five-year absence) and Leicester City (immediately returning to the top flight after a season's absence). This was also both Sunderland and Derby County's first season in the Premier League. They replaced Manchester City, Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers, who were relegated to the Division One.

Newcastle United broke the world transfer record fee before the season began, paying Blackburn Rovers £15million for England striker Alan Shearer, who went on to top the Premier League goal charts with 25 goals throughout the season. Manchester United, whose efforts to sign Shearer failed, paid a fraction of that fee for Norwegian strike Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who finished the season as United’s top league scorer on 18 goals, with a further goal on United’s run to their first European Cup semi final since 1969.

The title was won by Manchester United, who topped the table from late January onwards and finished seven points ahead of their nearest rivals Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Aston Villa’s fifth place finish was enough for a fourth UEFA Cup campaign in five seasons. Chelsea finished sixth and won the FA Cup to end their 26-year wait for a major trophy, with new Dutch player-manager Ruud Gullit becoming the first foreign manager to win a major trophy with an English club. Arsenal also appointed a foreign manager, Frenchman Arsene Wenger, several games into the season, following the dismissal of Bruce Rioch a few days before the league campaign commenced.

Howard Wilkinson, one of the longest serving managers in the English league, was sacked by Leeds United in September after eight years in charge. He was succeeded by George Graham, who returned to management 18 months after being dismissed by Arsenal for accepting illegal payments from an agent who had overseen two transfers several years earlier.

Newly promoted Leicester City also ended their own long wait for silverware by winning the League Cup, also finishing an impressive ninth in the league.

Blackburn Rovers, bottom of the division and winless until November, a mere 18 months after being league champions, enjoyed an upturn in form after manager Ray Harford resigned, with long serving coach Tony Parkes steering the club to survival before handing over the reins to Roy Hodgson.

Nottingham Forest, UEFA Cup quarter finals the previous season, were relegated in bottom place with just six wins all season. Middlesbrough, with a squad containing several multi million signings including Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, were deducted three points after postponing a mid-season fixture due to an injury and illness crisis - a penalty which ultimately cost them their Premier League status on the final day of the season. They were also losing finalists in both the FA Cup and the League Cup. Coventry City survived relegation at Middlesbrough’s expense. Also going down to Division One were newly promoted Sunderland, in their final season at Roker Park before relocating to the new Stadium of Light.

Wimbledon emerged as surprise title contenders in an excellent first half of the season, peaking at second place in the league in early December before eventually finishing eighth. They also reached the semi finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup.

There was a major shock just after the end of the campaign, when champions Manchester United announced that their captain Eric Cantona was retiring from football after five seasons at Old Trafford.

Stadiums and locations

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 1996–97 Premier League teams
class=notpageimage|
Greater London Premier League football clubs
TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
ArsenalLondon (Highbury)Arsenal Stadium38,419
Aston VillaBirminghamVilla Park39,399
Blackburn RoversBlackburnEwood Park31,367
ChelseaLondon (Fulham)Stamford Bridge36,000
Coventry CityCoventryHighfield Road23,489
Derby CountyDerbyBaseball Ground[a]18,300
EvertonLiverpool (Walton)Goodison Park40,157
Leeds UnitedLeedsElland Road40,204
Leicester CityLeicesterFilbert Street22,000
LiverpoolLiverpool (Anfield)Anfield42,730
Manchester UnitedManchesterOld Trafford55,314
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbroughRiverside Stadium30,000
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle upon TyneSt James' Park36,649
Nottingham ForestWest BridgfordCity Ground30,539
Sheffield WednesdaySheffieldHillsborough Stadium39,859
SouthamptonSouthamptonThe Dell15,200
SunderlandSunderlandRoker Park22,500
Tottenham HotspurLondon (Tottenham)White Hart Lane36,230
West Ham UnitedLondon (Upton Park)Boleyn Ground28,000
WimbledonLondon (Selhurst)Selhurst Park[b]26,309

Personnel and kits

(as of 11 May 1997)

TeamManagerCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
Arsenal Arsène Wenger Tony AdamsNikeJVC
Aston Villa Brian Little Andy TownsendReebokAST Research
Blackburn Rovers Tony Parkes Tim SherwoodAsicsCIS
Chelsea Ruud Gullit Dennis WiseUmbroCoors
Coventry City Gordon Strachan Gary McAllisterLe Coq SportifPeugeot
Derby County Jim Smith Igor ŠtimacPumaPuma
Everton Dave Watson (caretaker) Dave WatsonUmbroDanka
Leeds United George Graham Lucas RadebePumaPackard Bell
Leicester City Martin O'Neill Steve WalshFox LeisureWalkers
Liverpool Roy Evans John BarnesReebokCarlsberg
Manchester United Alex Ferguson Eric CantonaUmbroSharp
Middlesbrough Bryan Robson Nigel PearsonErreàCellnet
Newcastle United Kenny Dalglish Peter BeardsleyAdidasNewcastle Brown Ale
Nottingham Forest Dave Bassett Stuart PearceUmbroLabatt's
Sheffield Wednesday David Pleat Peter AthertonPumaSanderson
Southampton Graeme Souness Matt Le TissierPonySanderson
Sunderland Peter Reid Kevin BallAvecVaux Breweries
Tottenham Hotspur Gerry Francis Gary MabbuttPonyHewlett-Packard
West Ham United Harry Redknapp Julian DicksPonyDagenham Motors
Wimbledon Joe Kinnear Vinnie JonesLottoElonex

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment
Chelsea Glenn HoddleSigned by England10 May 1996Pre-season Ruud Gullit10 May 1996
Southampton Dave MerringtonSacked14 June 1996 Graeme Souness3 July 1996
Arsenal Bruce Rioch12 August 1996 Stewart Houston (caretaker)12 August 1996
Leeds United Howard Wilkinson10 September 19969th George Graham10 September 1996
Arsenal Stewart HoustonSigned by Queens Park Rangers16 September 19967th Pat Rice (caretaker)16 September 1996
Pat RiceEnd of caretaker spell30 September 19963rd Arsène Wenger30 September 1996
Blackburn Rovers Ray HarfordResigned25 October 199620th Tony Parkes (caretaker)25 October 1996
Coventry City Ron AtkinsonPromoted to director of football5 November 199618th Gordon Strachan5 November 1996
Nottingham Forest Frank ClarkResigned19 December 199620th Stuart Pearce (caretaker)20 December 1996
Newcastle United Kevin Keegan8 January 19974th Terry McDermott (caretaker)8 January 1997
Terry McDermottEnd of caretaker spell14 January 1997 Kenny Dalglish14 January 1997
Everton Joe RoyleResigned27 March 199713th Dave Watson (caretaker)1 April 1997

League table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification or relegation
1Manchester United (C)38211257644+3275Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2Newcastle United38191187340+3368Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3Arsenal38191186232+3068Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
4Liverpool38191186237+2568
5Aston Villa381710114734+1361
6Chelsea381611115855+359Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[b]
7Sheffield Wednesday38141595051−157
8Wimbledon381511124946+356
9Leicester City381211154654−847Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[c]
10Tottenham Hotspur38137184451−746
11Leeds United381113142838−1046
12Derby County381113144558−1346
13Blackburn Rovers38915144243−142
14West Ham United381012163948−942
15Everton381012164457−1342
16Southampton381011175056−641
17Coventry City38914153854−1641
18Sunderland (R)381010183553−1840Relegation to the Football League First Division
19Middlesbrough (R)381012165160−939[d]
20Nottingham Forest (R)38616163159−2834
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

Results

Home \ AwayARSAVLBLBCHECOVDEREVELEELEILIVMUNMIDNEWNFOSHWSOUSUNTOTWHUWIM
Arsenal2–21–13–30–02–23–13–02–01–21–22–00–12–04–13–12–03–12–00–1
Aston Villa2–21–00–22–12–03–12–01–31–00–01–02–22–00–11–01–01–10–05–0
Blackburn Rovers0–20–21–14–01–21–10–12–43–02–30–01–01–14–12–11–00–22–13–1
Chelsea0–31–11–12–03–12–20–02–11–01–11–01–11–12–21–06–23–13–12–4
Coventry City1–11–20–03–11–20–02–10–00–10–23–02–10–30–01–12–21–21–31–1
Derby County1–32–10–03–22–10–13–32–00–11–12–10–10–02–21–11–04–21–00–2
Everton0–20–10–21–21–11–00–01–11–10–21–22–02–02–07–11–31–02–11–3
Leeds United0–00–00–02–01–30–01–03–00–20–41–10–12–00–20–03–00–01–01–0
Leicester City0–21–01–11–30–24–21–21–00–32–21–32–02–21–02–11–11–10–11–0
Liverpool2–03–00–05–11–22–11–14–01–11–35–14–34–20–12–10–02–10–01–1
Manchester United1–00–02–21–23–12–32–21–03–11–03–30–04–12–02–15–02–02–02–1
Middlesbrough0–23–22–11–04–06–14–20–00–23–32–20–11–14–20–10–10–34–10–0
Newcastle United1–24–32–13–14–03–14–13–04–31–15–03–15–01–20–11–17–11–12–0
Nottingham Forest2–10–02–22–00–11–10–11–10–01–10–41–10–00–31–31–42–10–21–1
Sheffield Wednesday0–02–11–10–20–00–02–12–22–11–11–13–11–12–01–12–12–10–03–1
Southampton0–20–12–00–02–23–12–20–22–20–16–34–02–22–22–33–00–12–00–0
Sunderland1–01–00–03–01–02–03–00–10–01–22–12–21–21–11–10–10–40–01–3
Tottenham Hotspur0–01–02–11–21–21–10–01–01–20–21–21–01–20–11–13–12–01–01–0
West Ham United1–20–22–13–21–11–12–20–21–01–22–20–00–00–15–12–12–04–30–2
Wimbledon2–20–21–00–12–21–14–02–01–32–10–31–11–11–04–23–11–01–01–1
Source: 11v11
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

Newcastle's Alan Shearer was the top scorer for the third and final time, with 25 goals.
RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Alan ShearerNewcastle United25
2 Ian WrightArsenal23
3 Robbie FowlerLiverpool18
Ole Gunnar SolskjærManchester United
5 Dwight YorkeAston Villa17
6 Les FerdinandNewcastle United16
Fabrizio RavanelliMiddlesbrough
8 Dion DublinCoventry City13
Matt Le TissierSouthampton
10 Dennis BergkampArsenal12
Steve ClaridgeLeicester City
Stan CollymoreLiverpool
JuninhoMiddlesbrough

Hat-tricks

Middlesbrough's Fabrizio Ravanelli was the only player to score a hat-trick more than once during the 1996–97 season.
PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef
Kevin CampbellNottingham ForestCoventry City3–0 (A)17 August 1996[5]
Fabrizio RavanelliMiddlesbroughLiverpool3–3 (H)17 August 1996[6]
Ian WrightArsenalSheffield Wednesday4–1 (H)16 September 1996[7]
Dwight YorkeLAston VillaNewcastle United4–3 (A)30 September 1996[8]
Gary SpeedEvertonSouthampton7–1 (H)16 November 1996[9]
Robbie Fowler4LiverpoolMiddlesbrough5–1 (H)14 December 1996[10]
Alan ShearerNewcastle UnitedLeicester City4–3 (H)2 February 1997[11]
Ian MarshallLeicester CityDerby County4–2 (H)22 February 1997[12]
Steffen IversenTottenham HotspurSunderland4–0 (A)4 March 1997[13]
Fabrizio RavanelliMiddlesbroughDerby County6–1 (H)5 March 1997[14]
Kevin GallacherBlackburn RoversWimbledon3–1 (H)15 March 1997[15]
Paul KitsonWest Ham UnitedSheffield Wednesday5–1 (H)3 May 1997[16]
Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; L Player finished on the losing side; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Top assists

Manchester United's Eric Cantona assisted 12 goals for the club in the 1996–97 Premier League season.
RankPlayerClubAssists[17]
1 Eric CantonaManchester United12
2 Neal ArdleyWimbledon11
3 Dennis BergkampArsenal9
Andy HinchcliffeEverton
Gary McAllisterCoventry City
Gianfranco ZolaChelsea
7 Nick BarmbyEverton8
David BeckhamManchester United
Stig Inge BjørnebyeLiverpool
Les FerdinandNewcastle United

Awards

Southampton's Graeme Souness was the only manager to win the Manager of the Month award more than once.

Monthly awards

MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the Month
ManagerClubPlayerClub
August David PleatSheffield Wednesday David BeckhamManchester United
September Joe KinnearWimbledon Patrik BergerLiverpool
October Graeme SounessSouthampton Matt Le TissierSouthampton
November Jim SmithDerby County Ian WrightArsenal
December Gordon StrachanCoventry City Gianfranco ZolaChelsea
January Stuart PearceNottingham Forest Tim FlowersBlackburn Rovers
February Alex FergusonManchester United [a] Robbie EarleWimbledon
March Bryan RobsonMiddlesbrough JuninhoMiddlesbrough
April Graeme SounessSouthampton [b] Mickey EvansSouthampton

Annual awards

AwardWinnerClub
Premier League Manager of the Season Alex Ferguson[18]Manchester United
Premier League Player of the Season Juninho[18]Middlesbrough
PFA Players' Player of the Year Alan Shearer[19]Newcastle United
PFA Young Player of the Year David Beckham[20]Manchester United
FWA Footballer of the Year Gianfranco Zola[21]Chelsea
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper David Seaman (Arsenal)
Defence Gary Neville (Manchester United) Tony Adams (Arsenal) Mark Wright (Liverpool) Stig Inge Bjørnebye (Liverpool)
Midfield David Beckham (Manchester United) Roy Keane (Manchester United) David Batty (Newcastle United) Steve McManaman (Liverpool)
Attack Alan Shearer (Newcastle United) Ian Wright (Arsenal)

See also

Notes

References

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