Memudarnya Superioritas Tim Liga Inggris di Champions League 2010

Runtuh sudah dominasi tim-tim liga Inggris di pentas Liga Champions Eropa – tahun 2010 ini – setelah wakil terakhir Inggris di perempat final, Manchester United, gagal melewati wakil Jerman, Bayern Munich. Memang, Manchester United di pertandingan kandang menang 3-2, tetapi secara agregat (4-4) kalah memasukkan gol tandang dengan tim Bavarian tersebut. Di kandang Bayern Munich, kesebelasan besutan Alex Fergusson tersebut kalah 1-2.

Kalau dirunut ke belakang, memang superioritas tim dari daratan Inggris sulit ditandingi, minimal dalam delapan tahun terakhir yang selalu menempatkan wakilnya di semifinal. Bahkan, dalam lima tahun terakhir Inggris mampu menempatkan wakilnya di partai puncak, meski tidak selalu berhasil membawa pulang tropi Liga Champions.

Tidak seperti yang diramalkan para pemerhati sepakbola di seluruh dunia, kali ini dipastikan tidak ada wakil negeri Ratu Elizabeth di partai puncak Liga Champions. Kontingen Premier League hanya sampai perempatfinal saja. Liverpool sudah rontok di fase grup, Chelsea tersandung di 16 besar, MU dan Arsenal gagal melampaui delapan besar. Musim ini juga untuk pertama kalinya sejak musim 2002-2003 tidak ada wakil Inggris di semifinal.

Setidaknya, ini menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada lagi ‘negeri super’ dalam sepakbola, khususnya di daratan Eropa. Tim di luar negara Inggris sudah mulai bisa membaca kekuatan – sekaligus titik kelemahan – tim dari Premier League. Sebaliknya, tim dari daratan Inggris nampak belum banyak berubah dari pakem ‘tradisional’ sepakbola mereka, yang menganut kick and rush.

Kini, tinggal 4 tim yang tersisa di semifinal – Bayern Munich (Jerman, 4 kali juara), Inter Milan (Italia, 2 kali juara), Barcelona (Spanyol, 3 kali juara) dan Lyon (Prancis, belum pernah juara) – harus berjibaku meraih 2 tiket final, yang rencananya akan dipentaskan di Santiago Bernabeu (kandang Real Madrid, Spanyol), 27 Mei 2010.

Dan, terlalu dini untuk memprediksi siapa yang berhak dan pantas ‘mengangkat’ tropi kejuaraan sepakbola tertinggi di benua biru ini. Tetapi, melihat penampilan para semifinalis sampai pertandingan terakhirnya, nampaknya final ideal akan terjadi antara Barcelona melawan Bayern Munich. Pemenangnya – ini asli prediksi pribadi, sehingga agak subyektif, hehehe… -- tentu saja Barcelona. Apalagi final akan digelar di negeri matador, yang notabene ‘tuan rumah’ sendiri bagi Barcelona. Kita tunggu saja !

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sumber foto: Getty Images

Football History: Wigan Athletic (Premier League)

There have been a number of football clubs in Wigan over the years, starting with Wigan County, Wigan Town and Wigan Borough. Following poorly-supported Borough's collapse in 1931, a public meeting was held in May 1932 where Wigan Athletic were founded and they bought the Springfield Park ground for £2,250.

Unfortunately, they were not able to join the Football League until 1978, playing out their time in the Cheshire League, the Lancashire Combination League and the Northern Premier League.

Since 1978 they have been making steady progress up the divisions, picking up pace with the appointment of Paul Jewell in 2001. In 2002/03 Wigan were promoted to the First Division and two years later they claimed an automatic promotion place to take them into the Barclays Premiership for the very first time.

Their first top flight campaign was nothing short of incredible, with the Latics finding themselves comfortably away from the drop zone and even reaching their first major final with a trip to Cardiff for the Carling Cup final, though that ended with a disappointing 4-0 defeat to Man United.

Football History: West Ham United (Premier League)

West Ham were formed in 1895 and elected to Division 2 in 1919. They have spent most of their history in Division 2 but only six of the past 37 years. However, the league title still hasn't found its way to Upton Park and the Hammers' honours have come from cup competitions.

Ron Greenwood took them to their first success, a 1964 FA Cup win over Preston North End which was followed by the European Cup Winners Cup a year later. John Lyall took over in 1974 and within a year had taken West Ham to another Cup triumph, the 2-0 victory over Fulham in 1975. Five years later came West Ham's last success, a 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Wembley when the Hammers were a second division club.

Their recent years have seen West Ham struggle although they made their best ever challenge for the league title in 1986, finishing 3rd. 1998/99 was another progressive season when they finished fifth after much wheeling and dealing by manager Harry Redknapp. However, when Redknapp left in 2001, things took a turn for the worse and the club were relegated at the end of 2002/03.

However, under Alan Pardew the Hammers eventually won promotion back to the Barclays Premiership through the play-offs at the second attempt, beating Preston 1-0 in the final in May 2005. They reached the FA Cup Final a year later, only losing to Liverpool after a penalty shoot-out. However, the 2006/07 season saw plenty of changes at Upton Park as new owners from Iceland arrived and Pardew was replaced by first Alan Curbishley and then Gianfranco Zola in September 2008.

Football History: West Bromwich Albion (Premier League)

In 1978, when the employees of Salter's Spring Works decided to form an Association Football team they had to send someone by foot to Wednesbury to purchase a football, and a weekly subscription of 2d was imposed as the name of the new club became West Bromwich Strollers (Hence the walk to Wednesbury). In 1880, they changed the name again, this time to West Bromwich Albion, as it has stayed ever since.

1882 brought the club's record score when they beat Coseley 26-0 in a Birmingham Cup game, and their first trophy followed a year later with the Staffordshire Senior Cup. In 1886 they lost the FA Cup final to Blackburn Rovers, and a year later were beaten there by Aston Villa. The Baggies were founder members of the Football League in 1888, also the year they finally won the FA Cup, beating Preston in the final.

There has been plenty to celebrate since then, with the likes of Jeff Astle, Geoff Hurst, Bryan Robson and Laurie Cunningham pulling on the Albion shirt in the last few decades. In 2001/02, Gary Megson guided the club back into the top flight, but their stay in the Barclaycard Premiership lasted only one season. Thankfully, some sensible financial management meant that relegation did not decimate the squad and they were able to win promotion straight back up again in 2003/04.

After a 'Great Escape' the following season, Bryan Robson couldn't save them again in 2005/06 and they were relegated again, but returned by winning The Championship in 2007/08.

Football History: Sunderland (Premier League)

Sunderland and District Teachers' Association Football Club was founded in 1879 at a meeting of schoolmasters called by James Allan. After a year non-teachers were allowed to join and the name became Sunderland AFC. After three previous grounds the club moved to Roker Park in 1886.

Sunderland were elected to the Football League in 1890, but only after they had agreed to pay their visitors travelling expenses. From that day Sunderland remained in the first division for 68 years, a record only surpassed by Arsenal. The Roker-rites were league champions in 1892, 1893 and 1895, and were the first club to win three championships.

In 1913 Sunderland won the league championship for the fifth time, and in the FA Cup final against Aston Villa they only lost by one goal, scored by Tommy Barber from Newcastle. Villa had finished second in the league, the top two teams in the league, also in the FA Cup final, something that would no be repeated until 1986. Sunderland AFC moved to a new stadium in July 1997, the Stadium of Light, a new 42,000 all-seater stadium, the most exciting new ground in football.

They were relegated from the top flight in 2003, but Mick McCarthy managed to guide them back two years later. After another relegation, former star striker Niall Quinn took over the club and brought in Roy Keane as manager, who guided them to the Championship title in his first season, bringing with it promotion back to the big time.

Football History: Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)

The Hotspur Football Club was formed in 1882 from a cricket club, and was mostly comprised of former pupils of St John's Presbyterian School and the Tottenham Grammar School. They originally played at Tottenham Marshes, moving to Northumberland Park in 1888 (by which time they were known as Tottenham Hotspur) and then White Hart Lane 11 years later.

Tottenham Hotspur entered Division 2 in 1908 having already won the FA Cup as a Southern League team in 1901. Before the war, they added the 1921 FA Cup but had little success in the league (their best finish being a runners-up spot in 1922). Their first major success came in 1951, a year after being promoted, when they lifted the Division One championship for the first time.

However, their best ever period came under the management of Bill Nicholson as they became the third team to win the league and FA Cup double in 1961. A year later, they won the FA Cup again and then, in 1963, won the European Cup Winners Cup. Nicholson's final success came in 1967 with yet another FA Cup triumph before Spurs began a slide which ended in Division Two.

In 1978, they were back with the elite when they made a daring swoop for Argentinian World Cup stars, Osvaldo Ardiles and Riccardo Villa. These two set English football alight and when Spurs reached the 1981 Cup final, it was only right that one of them should score the winner. Surprisingly, it was Villa, the lesser-known of the two who scored after a mazy run.

The Cup was won again the following season and yet again in 1991 under Terry Venables, with a team including England's brighest stars Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker. Post World Cup fever again came to White Hart Lane in 1994 when German striker Jurgen Klinsmann arrived, but the reigns of Peter Shreeves, Ossie Ardiles, Gerry Francis and Christian Gross brought Spurs no closer to the kind of success their reputation deserves.

Former Arsenal player and manager George Graham was not a popular choice to take over from Gross in 1998, and his stoic style of football was anathema to Spurs fans, so they were delighted when the talismanic Glenn Hoddle returned to save them three years later. At least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, Hoddle's reign brought about little success either, and he was sacked early in the 2003/04 as Spurs waited for a real saviour, and in the summer of 2004 Jacques Santini was installed, however he lasted until November before leaving due to personal reasons. Dutchman Martin Jol took over in an attempt to save Spurs' season, but despite signs of promise he eventually left the club to be replaced by Juande Ramos in 2007.

Football History: Stoke City (Premier League)

Stoke City claim to be the second-oldest club in English football, having been formed in 1863, though their first recorded match wasn't until 1868. They were initially called the Stoke Ramblers, changing to Stoke Football Club in 1878 when they merged with Stoke Victoria Cricket Club and took up residence at the Victoria Ground as well as adopting their famous kit of red and white vertical stripes.

In 1888 they became one of the founder members of the Football League, but finished bottom of the league in each of the first two seasons. In 1928 they changed their name again to Stoke City, to reflect Stoke's new status as a city, but it wasn't until the 1930s that they started to achieve some fame, with the arrival of young local lad Stanley Matthews, who came through the club's youth academy.

Matthews stayed with the club until 1947, leaving the club due to a row whilst they were close to winning their first ever championship. They ended up losing out on the last day of the season, finishing fourth in a very close battle for the title. Six years later, they were relegated, not returning until 1963, with Matthews back playing at Stoke in his late 40s. He helped them to the League Cup Final in 1964, which they lost to Leicester.

Stoke went back and won it - without the retired Matthews - in 1972, but financial problems over the next couple of decades saw their fortunes fluctuate as managers came and went and they flitted between the lower divisions. However, in 2007/08, ten years after moving to the Britannia Stadium, The Potters won promotion to the Premier League by finishing runners-up in The Championship.

Football History: Portsmouth (Premier League)

It all started in 1898 in the offices of a solicitor where it was decided land close to Goldsmith Avenue be used for the 'proposed football club', that club later became Portsmouth Football Club. The land in Goldsmith Avenue was purchased for the princely sum of £4,950, and stands were swiftly erected on the north and south sides. The original company was launched with a capital of £8,000 in £1 shares and their were five directors of the new club. Frank Brettell was appointed as the first Pompey manager.

The club's first match was against Chatham on September 2, 1899. It proved to be a successful debut for 'The Shrimps', as they secured 1-0 victory. In fact, playing wise that whole first season proved to be a very good one. Portsmouth won 20 out of 28 league games, and were runners up in the Southern Division to Tottenham.

The visit of Manchester United to Fratton Park in the English Cup gave Pompey their first four-figure gate of 24,329. They managed a brilliant cup run in the 1928/29 season, culminating in their first final appearance, where they lost 2-0 to Bolton. However they got their hands on the cup in 1939 when they thumped Wolves 4-1 in the final. It was without doubt the south coast team's finest hour.

The pinnacle of Pompey's achievements was winning the league title in 1948/49. Their great day came on April 23, when goals from Peter Harris and Ike Clarke sealed the 2-1 title win against Bolton. The following season they successfully defended their title and remained league champions, but Pompey have never reached the same heights since.

Portsmouth were last in the top flight back in the sesason of 1987/88 under the management of Alan Ball. However they lasted just one season and were relegated back into the old second division - the current first division - where they remained until now.

Since then, Serb-American millionaire Milan Mandaric has stepped in. Manadaric put his faith in Harry Redknapp and the former West Ham boss turned things around quickly leading Pompey to the First Division Championship in his first full season in charge, taking them into the Barclaycard Premiership for the first time ever.

However, despite keeping them in the top flight, Redknapp left the club midway through 2004/05 to join neighbours Southampton, and was eventually replaced by French manager Alain Perrin. Pompey floundered after this dramatic switch and it wasn't until Redknapp's shock return a year later that their fortunes began to turn again, culminating in an FA Cup triumph in 2008.

Football History: Newcastle United (Premier League)

Newcastle Utd were elected to Division Two in 1893 and have never been out of the top divisions in their league history. The beginning of the century heralded a period of great success as they won the title three times and reached five FA Cup finals, winning just one in 1910.

Since then, only one league title has come to St James Park (1927) although the FA Cup has been more profitable with five more triumphs, the last in 1955. Despite producing heroes such as Malcolm MacDonald, Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley and Paul Gascoigne, there have been some very lean years for the Toon army with two long periods in Division Two.

Kevin Keegan arrived as a player in 1982 and two years later, Newcastle were back in Division One but their five seasons only produced a best finish of 5th place and by 1989, they were back in Division Two. Things got worse and worse until, in February 1992, Keegan returned, this time as manager.

At this point, Newcastle looked like they would drop into Division Three, but Keegan managed to keep them up before building a side to challenge the big boys. They were promoted to the Premier League in 1993 and have stayed there ever since, seemingly growing ever closer towards the championship. However, in 1997 they managed to lose a big lead at the top of the table, with Keegan losing more than that in an infamous post-match rant, and had to watch Manchester United race past them to win the title.

That seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Magpies and they struggled for the next few years under Kenny Dalgish and Ruud Gullit, before veteran boss Sir Bobby Robson took over in 1999 and turned their fortunes around, building a young and exciting new team around star striker Alan Shearer, and starting them back on the road towards really challenging for the championship again.Their fortunes went up and (mostly) down after that though, as managers came and went, leading to the return and abrupt departure of Keegan in 2008.

Football History: Middlesbrough (Premier League)

Middlesbrough had never won a major trophy in their 119 year history and came very close to going out of business altogether until current chairman Steve Gibson changed all of this by investing millions in building a superb new stadium - The Riverside - and attracting some of the game's top stars to Middlesbrough.

It hasn't always been like this though as Boro have struggled in the shadow of their North East neighbours, Newcastle and Sunderland. Middlesbrough's best ever league position was third in 1914 but their best recent period came under the management of Jack Charlton who took over in 1973.

The Teessiders were promoted to Division One a year later with the highest ever points total and managed to stay in the top league for eight seasons before slipping back into Division Two. Worse was to follow as they dropped into Division Three and almost went out of business but having been saved, they began their climb back to soccer's elite.

With promotion in 1992, Middlesbrough became founder members of the FA Premier League but, after a good start, they faltered and were relegated. After two years in Division One, they came back with more ambition and better facilities than their fans have ever seen, not to mention a team full of some of the top players in Europe. However, despite reaching two cup finals, they ended up being relegated again, this time in controversial circumstances as three points were deducted from their total following manager Bryan Robson's decision to cancel a match mid-season.

After just one season they bounced back and stayed up, though their fortunes have fluctuated as stars have come and gone. Robson came perilously close to taking them back down again until Terry Venables was brought in to 'assist'. He helped Boro avoid relegation, but did not want to take permanent charge, though it had become clear to Gibson that Robson's time as manager had come to an end.

Promising young coach Steve McClaren was brought in from Manchester United, where he had been Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant, and he has worked hard to turn Middlesbrough from a team full of highly-paid foreign mercenaries into one more suited to the battles of surviving in the Barclaycard Premiership, ending the "boom and bust" years at The Riverside stadium. He topped that in 2004 by guiding Boro to their first major trophy, beating Bolton 2-1 to win the Carling Cup.

He took Boro to the UEFA Cup Final in 2006, and that turned out to be his last game in charge as he was appointed England manager after the World Cup, with club captain Gareth Southgate taking over managerial duties.

Football History: Manchester City (Premier League)

Manchester City's original incarnation came about as Gorton Athletic in 1880. In 1887 they amalgamated with West Gorton to become Ardwick FC. 1894 saw the final change to Manchester City. Promoted to the first division in 1899 City have been in the top flight for the majority of their history.

Interesting pieces of trivia along the way include winning the Championship in 1937 and getting relegated the following season despite scoring more goals than any other team in the First Division. Another unique achievement was both scoring and conceding 100 goals in a seaon (1957/58). Just prior to this in 1956 City beat Birmingham in the FA Cup Final when legendary goalkeeper Bert Trautman played on after breaking his neck. Maine Road witnessed the highest ever attendance at a League ground when City played Stoke in the 6th Round of the FA Cup in 1934 in front of a crowd of 84,569.

City's most successful era was in the late 60's and early 70's under the managerial reign of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison. After winning promotion in 1966, the team featuring legends Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee won the League in 1968, FA Cup in 69, Cup Winners Cup, League Cup and Charity Shield in 70.

However, since then, they have mostly been in the shadow of their neighbours, with City flitting between divisions for much of the 1980s and 1990s. A succession of managers tried and failed to bring the good times back to the club, but successes were mostly short-lived and almost always followed by disaster. When Kevin Keegan took over, they were back in the First Division after a brief stay in the top flight, and he guided them up as champions in his first season.

In 2002/03, he helped them avoid relegation, and they finished the season by saying goodbye to Maine Road before moving into the new 48,000-capacity City of Manchester Stadium, originally built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. It was all change again in the summer of 2007, as Thaksin Shinawatra bought the club and set his sights on competing at the very top. A year later he sold the club to the even-richer Abu Dhabi United Group, putting City up there with the very richest clubs in the world.

Football History: Fulham (Premier League)

In the library at Lancaster Gate, a minute book of the Football Association confirms that on 12th December 1898, the modern Fulham Football Club was born. It was on this date that the group which began as a church side, St. Andrew's Church Sunday School FC of West Kensington in 1979, joined the fast-growing ranks of the professional game. This historic move was marked by the club's first-ever professional signing the same day: J H Love from Trowbridge.

Not everyone was pleased with the change of status, however. In particular, the Shrimpton brothers, whose tireless work off the field as well as play on it helped establish the club in West London, became disenchanted and left. For many Victorian gentlemen, the fun went with the loss of amateur status. Fulham had dropped the St Andrew's from the club's name. This decision had been taken in December 1888, as they wanted to be seen as more than a church side.

In 1896-7, Fulham entered the Second Division of the London League. Their colours in those days were red shirts with white sleeves and shorts, a clear imitation of Woolwich Arsenal, then the only London club playing in the Football League. In 1903, the Southern League authorities recognised Fulham's potential and told them that if they could raise a first class team by the end of May 1903, they would be admitted to the First Division, effectively the Third Division of the Football League.

To raise the necessary money, the club committee decided that Fulham needed to become a limited liability company and issue shares to the public. The committee thus became the board of directors, and local personalities like John Dean and Henry Norris appeared on the scene. With two Southern League titles under their belt, Fulham applied with confidence to the Football League in 1907, and it was no surprise when they replaced Burton United. The adventure, which began on park pitches less than 30 years earlier, now moved on to the national stage.

The team that won the 1910 London Challenge Cup in 1910 started the tradition of Cottagers' sides that comprised a mix of big names (usually on the way down), some loyal club stalwarts and a few eccentric individuals. However, most of their time has been spent in the lower leagues and it wasn't until the arrival of multi-millionaire Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed, who had big plans for the club.

When Kevin Keegan took over as boss in 1998 it was a clear sign of Al Fayed's intentions, as Keegan had previously taken Newcastle from the depths of the Second Divison to within an inch of the championship. However, despite the higher profile he brought, it was not until Jean Tigana took charge that Fulham reached the promised land of the Barclaycard Premiership, and while they did not quite take the league by storm as their eccentric owner had predicted, Fulham are slowly establishing themselves as a top flight club.

Football History: Everton (Premier League)

Everton were founder members of the league and won it for the first time in 1891. Another four championships came before the Second World War along with 2 FA Cup wins but the post war years were fallow for the Merseysiders and they dropped into the 2nd division for 3 years in the early 1950s.

The glory days returned in the 1960s just before their neighbours Liverpool took a stranglehold on the title. This dominance infuriated Evertonians and their saviour appeared in the guise of Howard Kendall. To begin with, he appeared to be able to do nothing about the inexorable slide but after winning a cup tie at Oxford, Everton turned the corner and began to challenge Liverpool for the major honours.

1984 brought the FA Cup to Goodison Park and the following season, the league championship returned. Howard Kendall left in 1987 after another championship win and things have never been the same as Everton have once again struggled. Joe Royle's arrival as manager saw their first trophy since those days as they won the FA Cup, beating Manchester Utd 1-0 and the fans expected ex-player Joe Royle to bring the good times back again, Joe Royle made some big signings, but Everton never looked like becoming a major force, and Royle left the club in February 1997.

After a brief spell with Dave Watson in charge as the caretaker manager, Howard Kendall took on the job as manager again, but was only there for a year and was replaced by Walter Smith, who had enjoyed huge success up in Scotland with Rangers. However, he found things much more tough at Everton and after flirting with relegation a couple of times, the club changed managers yet again, bringing in David Moyes from Preston, and he made an instant impact, keeping them up in his first few months and taking them to the brink of European football in his first full season.

Football History: Blackburn Rovers (Premier League)

Blackburn Rovers were one of the founder members of the Football League, formed in 1875 by former public school old boys to challenge the southern football teams. 1878 saw them play in the first ever floodlit match and by 1886 they had won the FA Cup on three successive occasions, a feat which hasn't been matched since.

Until the advent of the Premiership, all of Blackburn's success had taken place before 1930 with two League Championships and six FA Cup wins. In the early ninties, the slumbering giant was woken by local-boy-made-millionaire Jack Walker's arrival.

The money he made available along with the appointment of former Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish as manager gave Blackburn the impetus to be promoted from the first division to become founder members of the FA Premier League. They finished in the top six in their first season before seriously challenging in Manchester United for the title in 1994, eventually finishing runners-up.

1994-1995 finally saw Walker's dream realised as the goals of Alan Shearer and a remarkable last day saw Blackburn crowned champions for the first time in over 80 years. Rovers' suffered a backlash after their amazing triumph and four disappointing seasons later they were relegated back into the first division.

Rovers suffered a great loss in 2000 when their benefactor Jack Walker lost his battle with cancer, Rovers could not have paid him a greater tribute than regaining Premiership status under the new leadership of manager Graeme Souness, and they have continued to consolidate ever since. The glory days of the mid-90s seemingly behind them, Souness jumped ship to Newcastle at the beginning of the 2004-05 season - to be replaced by Mark Hughes, who helped establish the club back in the upper half of the table.

Football History: Bolton Wanderers (Premier League)

Founder members of the football league, Bolton Wanderers are one of 7 original members to have never won English football's most prestigious honour. Despite never having been league champions, Wanderers have finished third on three occasions. However, league consistency has been a long time coming as the last of these achievements came in 1925. They have spent the vast majority of the last 30 years in the lower divisions. Bolton's major success has come in the FA Cup, a trophy they have won on four occasions, the last being a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in 1958.

In more recent times, Bruce Rioch and Colin Todd returned Bolton to the top flight. As a management duo, they took them from the 3rd division no-hopers to the Premiership in just 3 years. Thanks to the duo, 1994-95 was a marvellous season for The Trotters. They reached the Coca Cola Cup final only to lose to Liverpool and also gained promotion to the Premier League after battling through the play-offs.

In a remarkable final, they emerged 4-3 victors over Reading to take their place in the top division for the first time since 1980. However, Bolton went into the top flight under a new manager when Bruce Rioch, after his feats at Burnden Park, was tempted by the management position at Arsenal that George Graham had recently vacated. Roy McFarland took over but Bolton suffered in the Premiership and went straight back down to the Football League and Roy McFarland lost his job in the process. He was replaced by Colin Todd, who took Bolton back to the top flight as champions of the Nationwide League in 1997.

A further reason to be cheerful was the Reebok Stadium. The stadium replaced the beloved but decrepit Burnden Park, whose last ever fixture saw a 4-1 hammering of Charlton Athletic. The new ground was built in Horwich, near Bolton and held 25,000 supporters.

However, the following season was no easier for the Trotters and they were relegated again the following season after a battle that ended with Everton saving themselves and Bolton dropping into the league again. Sam Allardyce, formerly the manager at Blackpool and Notts County, was appointed to the managerial role at the newly-built Reebok Stadium. Under him, they earned promotion back to the Barclaycard Premiership, and managed to stay there with the help of experienced and talented international stars like Youri Djorkaeff and Jay-Jay Okocha.

Football History: Aston Villa (Premier League)

Members of the Aston Villa Wesleyan church formed Villa in 1874 and the team were one of the twelve founder members of the football league in 1888. By this stage they had already won their first trophy with an FA Cup victory in 1887 and they dominated the early league winning the championship 5 times in its first 12 seasons. 1897 was Villa's highpoint as they became double winners.

Most of Aston Villa's history has been spent in the top division but top level success was only found in the Cup competitions until 1981 when they caused a major shock by taking their first league championship for more than 70 years. This was followed up by a European Cup win the following season. Graham Taylor took Villa close to another title in 1990 and they again finished second in 1993's inaugural Premier League, though they have struggled to match that performance since.

There have been a number of League Cup finals and successes, but Villa have never come close to finishing up near the top of the league under the likes of Ron Atkinson, Brian Little or John Gregory. Taylor's return in 2002 proved to be a mistake as he only just managed to save the club from relegation, and he stepped aside at the end of the season.

David O'Leary followed him, but couldn't turn the tide and was sacked in the summer of 2006. He was replaced by Martin O'Neill, and that summer also saw the arrival of US businessman Randy Lerner, who bought the club from Doug Ellis.

Football History: Hull City (Premier League)

Founded in a rugby town, the men who started up Hull City initially managed to use the local Rugby League ground as their home when they set out in 1904. Having missed the deadline to apply for the Football League, the new club had to play only friendlies for their first 'season' before going professional in 1905, by which time they had moved to a cricket ground.

The Tigers spent much of their early years in the second and third tiers of English football, with only a few FA Cup runs giving them a glimpse of the big time, reaching the semi-final in 1930. They made history in 1970 when they became the first team to lose a penalty shoot-out in a cup competition when Manchester United beat them in the Watney Mann Invitation Cup.

Financial problems hindered the club's progress in the 1980s and 1990s, but back-to-back promotions in 2003/04 and 2004/05 set them back on track and 2007/08 saw Phil Brown lead Hull to the top tier in English football for the first time in their history with promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs.

History of Arsenal FC

Arsenal were formed in 1886 as Dial Square before becoming Royal Arsenal, Woolwich Arsenal and finally Arsenal. They began playing in South London but eventually moved to their present site in 1913. Arsenal hold the record for unbroken years in the top division having been there since 1919.

The legendary Herbert Chapman brought the glory years to North London during the 1930s when the Gunners won the league championship 5 times and the FA Cup twice and although the 1940s brought more trophies, their finest hour didn't come until 1971 when they became only the fourth team to win the league and FA Cup double.

Under George Graham in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they became known for resolute defending and grinding out results, earning them the tag of "Boring, Boring Arsenal", but also plenty of silverware.

After he was forced to quit over 'bung' allegations, the Gunners faltered in the mid 1990s, and it was only when Arsene Wenger arrived that they began to be a force to be reckoned with again. They won the league and cup double again, both in 1998 and 2002, and retained the championship in 2004.

Although they missed out on it in 2005 and their record unbeaten run ended after 49 games, they did manage to win the FA Cup. In their final season at Highbury, they almost celebrated the end of the old stadium in style as they battled their way to the Champions League final, though they were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona. Now they begin life at the Emirates Stadium.

History of Chelsea FC

Chelsea were formed and entered the league in 1905. Their early years were uneventful and it wasn't until 1955 when they won their first honour, the league title. However, the late sixties and early seventies were Chelsea's heyday as the popularity of the Kings Road grew and the club became the most stylish team in England.

In 1970, Chelsea met their northern antithesis, Leeds Utd in the FA Cup final and after a 2-2 draw at Wembley, the replay became known as the dirtiest post war cup final. Chelsea went on to win 2-1 and the following season, they added the European Cup Winners Cup.

However, as the area became less trendy, the team suffered decline and spent a few seasons in the second division, finally regaining their division 1 place in 1989. Chelsea added to their haul of silverware in 97/98 season, by winning the League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup. The club had shocked the football world by the sacking of Ruud Gullit in February 1998, however that was soon forgotten as Gianluca Vialli was appointed the new coach and soon proved his capabillity in this role.

When Vialli was replaced by fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri, Chelsea began to try and move away from their tag as constant under-achievers, and got a huge boost in that respect in the summer of 2003. Few had heard of Russian billionnaire Roman Abramovich before he bought Chelsea, but his name was on everyone's lips soon afterwards as he financed a huge spending spree - the like of which the game has never seen - and put Chelsea well and truly up with the big boys.

When Jose Mourinho arrived in 2004, his self-confidence quickly spread through the club and they soon started to really live up to expectations, first winning the Carling Cup and then the Barclays Premiership at a canter. They didn't have to wait too long for another title either, reclaiming the trophy a year later, though had to make do with the FA Cup and Carling Cup in 2006/07.

In September 2007, Mourinho left the club in shock circumstances, to be replaced by Avram Grant, who led Chelsea to their first ever Champions League Final, but was sacked after they lost on penalties to Manchester United. His replacement was announced as World Cup winning Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

History of Manchester United FC

Manchester Utd are probably England's most famous club; they were formed in 1878 as Newton Heath and elected to Division 1 in 1892. The pre-war years saw the league championship at Old Trafford twice whilst the FA Cup was won in 1909 but since the second World War, they have been far more successful under two different managers.

The first was Sir Matt Busby who arrived in 1945 and won 5 league championships and 2 FA Cups. Tragedy befell Utd in 1958 when their young team known as the 'Busby Babes' was decimated in an air crash in Munich while returning from a European Cup tie in Belgrade. Busby himself was almost klled in the disaster, and his team, which had looked like dominating English football for years to come, was no more.

However, 10 years later, he led a new team including greats like Bobby Charlton and George Best became the first ever English team to lift the European Cup, beating Benfica 4-1 in the final. Flamboyant managers such as Tommy Docherty and Ron Atkinson followed but none could bring the championship back to Old Trafford.

Scot Alex Ferguson was appointed in 1986 and to begin with, it looked as though he would go the same way as his predecessors. However, the FA Cup win of 1990 heralded the start of good times which were continued with the European Cup Winners Cup success a year later. In 1992, Utd grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory as their late slip-up handed Leeds Utd the title but the advent of the Premier League finally saw them triumph 26 years after their previous title win.

The following season saw Utd better this by winning the double (beating Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup final).They were the first club to achieve the 'double double' in 1996 as Ferguson continued to bring trophies galore back to Old Trafford. As if that were not enough, the 98/99 season saw them achieve the unthinkable - the treble of league, FA Cup and European Cup.

That earned Ferguson a knighthood and he followed it up with two more back-to-back league titles. When he announced his plan to retire at the end of the 2002/03 season, it looked like an illustrious era in English football was coming to a close, and the uncertainty about the future contributed to United's worst-ever finish in the Barclaycard Premiership - third. However, by then, Ferguson had changed his mind and was on hand to mastermind their return to the top a year later.

The rise of big-spending Chelsea and the controversial arrival of new owner Malcolm Glazer brought some dark times for fans in the next few years, but back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008 (plus another Champions League triumph) put United back on top.