Wikipedia

1995–96 FA Premier League

The 1995–96 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth season of the competition, since its formation in 1992. Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the FA Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted instead of the usual three, Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers.[3]

FA Premier League
Season1995–96
Dates19 August 1995 – 5 May 1996
ChampionsManchester United
3rd Premier League title
10th English title
RelegatedManchester City
Queens Park Rangers
Bolton Wanderers
Champions LeagueManchester United
Cup Winners' CupLiverpool
UEFA CupNewcastle United
Aston Villa
Arsenal
Matches played380
Goals scored988 (2.6 per match)
Top goalscorerAlan Shearer
(31 goals)
Best goalkeeperPeter Schmeichel (18 clean sheets)
Biggest home winBlackburn Rovers 7–0 Nottingham Forest
(18 November 1995)
Biggest away winBolton Wanderers 0–6 Manchester United
(25 February 1996)
Highest scoringSheffield Wednesday 6–2 Leeds United
(16 December 1995)
Longest winning run6 games[1]
Manchester United
Longest unbeaten run15 games[1]
Liverpool
Longest winless run14 games[1]
Coventry City
Wimbledon
Longest losing run8 games[1]
Manchester City
Middlesbrough
Highest attendance53,926[2]
Manchester United 5–0 Nottingham Forest
(28 April 1996)
Lowest attendance6,352[2]
Wimbledon 2–2 Sheffield Wednesday
(30 August 1995)
Total attendance10,472,882[2]
Average attendance27,560[2]

Manchester United won the Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Champions League, while Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United qualified for the UEFA Cup. Liverpool also qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup as runners-up of the FA Cup which was won by Manchester United.

Summary edit

Liverpool and Aston Villa emerged as possible title contenders early in the season, while Middlesbrough's early promise saw them occupy fourth place in late October, but an injury crisis saw their league form slump, and they could only manage a 12th-place finish. Most of the campaign was a two-horse race between Manchester United and Newcastle United. The two sides played on 27 December, with Newcastle 10 points ahead in the league. A 2–0 home win for Manchester United cut the gap to seven points, and two days later they beat Queens Park Rangers 2–1 to reduce the gap to just four points. But a 4–1 defeat at Tottenham on New Year's Day and a 0–0 draw with Aston Villa allowed Newcastle to establish a 12-point lead in January.

Manchester United and Newcastle met again in early March, and a goal by Eric Cantona gave Manchester United a 1–0 away win and cut the gap to a single point. With one game left of the season, Manchester United led the Premier League by two points, having taken lead of the league halfway through March and stayed on top ever since. In case of the two clubs being tied for first place, the Premier League made preliminary preparations for a championship play-off match at Wembley.[4] For Newcastle to win their first title since 1927, they had to win against Tottenham and hope that Middlesbrough beat their Mancunian rivals. But the Premier League title went to Old Trafford as Manchester United won 3–0 and Newcastle could only manage a 1–1 draw with Tottenham.

Despite the arrival of Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal never looked like serious title challengers, their best chance of success coming in the League Cup, where they reached the semi-finals, losing on away goals to Aston Villa. However, the North London side still qualified for the UEFA Cup by finishing fifth.

Aston Villa won the Coca-Cola sponsored League Cup competition this season, beating Leeds United 3–0 at Wembley.

Title holders Blackburn recorded the lowest ever finish by a Premier League title-holder by finishing 7th. This record was matched by Manchester United in 2013–14 and broken by Chelsea in 2015–16 and again by Leicester City in 2016–17.

Six days after clinching their third league title in four seasons, Manchester United became the first team to complete a second league championship and FA Cup double when a Cantona goal gave them a 1–0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup final.[5]

The Premier League relegation places went to Bolton Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City. Bolton had spent a large proportion of their first Premier League season bottom of the table. Manchester City failed to beat Liverpool on the final day of the season, consigning them to the final relegation place on goal difference behind Southampton and Coventry City.

English performance in European competition edit

Blackburn Rovers, the 1994–95 Premier League champions, finished bottom of their group in the UEFA Champions League.[6] Manchester United were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the first round, with Liverpool and Leeds United both being knocked out at the second round.[7] Everton were beaten in the second round of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.[8] The only English team still in European competition after Christmas were Nottingham Forest, who reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.[7]

Teams edit

Twenty teams competed in the league – the top eighteen teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers, returning to the top flight after two and fifteen years respectively. This was also Bolton Wanderers' first season in the Premier League. They replaced Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Leicester City and Ipswich Town, who were relegated to the First Division after their top flight spells of one, nine, one and three years respectively. This was the first season in which the league was contested by twenty teams as opposed to previous seasons which were contested by twenty-two teams.

Stadiums and locations edit

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 1995–96 Premier League teams
class=notpageimage|
Greater London Premier League football clubs
class=notpageimage|
Greater Manchester Premier League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Arsenal London (Highbury) Arsenal Stadium 38,419
Aston Villa Birmingham Villa Park 39,399
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Burnden Park 25,000
Chelsea London (Fulham) Stamford Bridge 36,000
Coventry City Coventry Highfield Road 23,489
Everton Liverpool (Walton) Goodison Park 40,157
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 40,204
Liverpool Liverpool (Anfield) Anfield 42,730
Manchester City Manchester (Moss Side) Maine Road 35,150
Manchester United Manchester (Old Trafford) Old Trafford 55,314
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 30,000
Newcastle United Newcastle upon Tyne St James' Park 36,649
Nottingham Forest West Bridgford City Ground 30,539
Queens Park Rangers London (Shepherd's Bush) Loftus Road 18,439
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Hillsborough Stadium 39,859
Southampton Southampton The Dell 15,200
Tottenham Hotspur London (Tottenham) White Hart Lane 36,230
West Ham United London (Upton Park) Boleyn Ground 28,000
Wimbledon London (Selhurst) Selhurst Park[a] 26,309
  1. ^ Due to Wimbledon lacking a home stadium, they played their home games at Selhurst Park, which is the home stadium of Crystal Palace.

Personnel and kits edit

(as of 5 May 1996)

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal   Bruce Rioch   Tony Adams Nike JVC
Aston Villa   Brian Little   Andy Townsend Reebok AST Research
Blackburn Rovers   Ray Harford   Tim Sherwood Asics CIS
Bolton Wanderers   Colin Todd   Alan Stubbs Reebok Reebok
Chelsea   Glenn Hoddle   Dennis Wise Umbro Coors
Coventry City   Ron Atkinson   Brian Borrows Pony Peugeot
Everton   Joe Royle   Dave Watson Umbro Danka
Leeds United   Howard Wilkinson   Gary McAllister Asics Thistle Hotels
Liverpool   Roy Evans   Ian Rush Adidas Carlsberg
Manchester City   Alan Ball   Keith Curle Umbro Brother
Manchester United   Alex Ferguson   Steve Bruce Umbro Sharp
Middlesbrough   Bryan Robson   Nigel Pearson Erreà Cellnet
Newcastle United   Kevin Keegan   Peter Beardsley Adidas Newcastle Brown Ale
Nottingham Forest   Frank Clark   Stuart Pearce Umbro Labatt's
Queens Park Rangers   Ray Wilkins   David Bardsley View From Compaq
Sheffield Wednesday   David Pleat   Peter Atherton Puma Sanderson
Southampton   Dave Merrington   Matt Le Tissier Pony Sanderson
Tottenham Hotspur   Gerry Francis   Gary Mabbutt Pony Hewlett-Packard
West Ham United   Harry Redknapp   Steve Potts Pony Dagenham Motors
Wimbledon   Joe Kinnear   Vinnie Jones Core Elonex

Managerial changes edit

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Manchester City   Brian Horton Sacked 16 May 1995 Pre-season   Alan Ball 2 July 1995
Sheffield Wednesday   Trevor Francis 20 May 1995   David Pleat 14 June 1995[9]
Arsenal   Stewart Houston End of caretaker spell 8 June 1995   Bruce Rioch 8 June 1995
Bolton Wanderers   Bruce Rioch Signed by Arsenal   Roy McFarland
  Colin Todd[a] 		20 June 1995
Blackburn Rovers   Kenny Dalglish Retired 25 June 1995   Ray Harford 25 June 1995
Southampton   Alan Ball Signed by Manchester City 2 July 1995   David Merrington 14 July 1995
Bolton Wanderers   Roy McFarland Sacked 2 January 1996 20th   Colin Todd[b] 2 January 1996
  1. ^ McFarland and Todd were co-managers.
  2. ^ Assumed full managerial duties.

League table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 38 25 7 6 73 35 +38 82 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Newcastle United 38 24 6 8 66 37 +29 78 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
3 Liverpool 38 20 11 7 70 34 +36 71 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
4 Aston Villa 38 18 9 11 52 35 +17 63 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5 Arsenal 38 17 12 9 49 32 +17 63
6 Everton 38 17 10 11 64 44 +20 61 Excluded from the UEFA Cup[b]
7 Blackburn Rovers 38 18 7 13 61 47 +14 61
8 Tottenham Hotspur 38 16 13 9 50 38 +12 61
9 Nottingham Forest 38 15 13 10 50 54 −4 58
10 West Ham United 38 14 9 15 43 52 −9 51
11 Chelsea 38 12 14 12 46 44 +2 50
12 Middlesbrough 38 11 10 17 35 50 −15 43
13 Leeds United 38 12 7 19 40 57 −17 43
14 Wimbledon 38 10 11 17 55 70 −15 41
15 Sheffield Wednesday 38 10 10 18 48 61 −13 40
16 Coventry City 38 8 14 16 42 60 −18 38
17 Southampton 38 9 11 18 34 52 −18 38
18 Manchester City (R) 38 9 11 18 33 58 −25 38 Relegation to Football League First Division
19 Queens Park Rangers (R) 38 9 6 23 38 57 −19 33
20 Bolton Wanderers (R) 38 8 5 25 39 71 −32 29
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Liverpool qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup runners-up, as winners Manchester United already qualified for the Champions League. They defaulted their UEFA Cup spot from league position to Arsenal.
  2. ^ The Football Association was initially awarded a UEFA Fair Play berth to the Premier League's highest-placed team not qualified for Europe, but was revoked by UEFA for its clubs fielding under-strength sides in the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.[10]


Results edit

Home \ Away ARS AVL BLB BOL CHE COV EVE LEE LIV MCI MUN MID NEW NFO QPR SHW SOU TOT WHU WIM
Arsenal — 2–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–1 0–0 3–1 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–0 4–2 4–2 0–0 1–0 1–3
Aston Villa 1–1 — 2–0 1–0 0–1 4–1 1–0 3–0 0–2 0–1 3–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 4–2 3–2 3–0 2–1 1–1 2–0
Blackburn Rovers 1–1 1–1 — 3–1 3–0 5–1 0–3 1–0 2–3 2–0 1–2 1–0 2–1 7–0 1–0 3–0 2–1 2–1 4–2 3–2
Bolton Wanderers 1–0 0–2 2–1 — 2–1 1–2 1–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 0–6 1–1 1–3 1–1 0–1 2–1 0–1 2–3 0–3 1–0
Chelsea 1–0 1–2 2–3 3–2 — 2–2 0–0 4–1 2–2 1–1 1–4 5–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 3–0 0–0 1–2 1–2
Coventry City 0–0 0–3 5–0 0–2 1–0 — 2–1 0–0 1–0 2–1 0–4 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 2–3 2–2 3–3
Everton 0–2 1–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 2–2 — 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–3 4–0 1–3 3–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 3–0 2–4
Leeds United 0–3 2–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 3–1 2–2 — 1–0 0–1 3–1 0–1 0–1 1–3 1–3 2–0 1–0 1–3 2–0 1–1
Liverpool 3–1 3–0 3–0 5–2 2–0 0–0 1–2 5–0 — 6–0 2–0 1–0 4–3 4–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–0 2–2
Manchester City 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–2 0–0 2–2 — 2–3 0–1 3–3 1–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 1–0
Manchester United 1–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–2 1–0 — 2–0 2–0 5–0 2–1 2–2 4–1 1–0 2–1 3–1
Middlesbrough 2–3 0–2 2–0 1–4 2–0 2–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 4–1 0–3 — 1–2 1–1 1–0 3–1 0–0 0–1 4–2 1–2
Newcastle United 2–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 3–0 1–0 2–1 2–1 3–1 0–1 1–0 — 3–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 3–0 6–1
Nottingham Forest 0–1 1–1 1–5 3–2 0–0 0–0 3–2 2–1 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 — 3–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 4–1
Queens Park Rangers 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 3–1 1–2 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 — 0–3 3–0 2–3 3–0 0–3
Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 2–0 2–1 4–2 0–0 4–3 2–5 6–2 1–1 1–1 0–0 0–1 0–2 1–3 1–3 — 2–2 1–3 0–1 2–1
Southampton 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–3 1–0 2–2 1–1 1–3 1–1 3–1 2–1 1–0 3–4 2–0 0–1 — 0–0 0–0 0–0
Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 0–1 2–3 2–2 1–1 3–1 0–0 2–1 1–3 1–0 4–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 — 0–1 3–1
West Ham United 0–1 1–4 1–1 1–0 1–3 3–2 2–1 1–2 0–0 4–2 0–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 — 1–1
Wimbledon 0–3 3–3 1–1 3–2 1–1 0–2 2–3 2–4 1–0 3–0 2–4 0–0 3–3 1–0 2–1 2–2 1–2 0–1 0–1 —
Source: 11v11
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Season statistics edit

Scoring edit

Top scorers edit

 
Blackburn's Alan Shearer was the top scorer for the second time, with 31 goals.
Rank Player Club Goals
1   Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers 31
2   Robbie Fowler Liverpool 28
3   Les Ferdinand Newcastle United 25
4   Dwight Yorke Aston Villa 17
5   Teddy Sheringham Tottenham Hotspur 16
6   Chris Armstrong Tottenham Hotspur 15
  Andrei Kanchelskis Everton 15
  Ian Wright Arsenal 15
9   Eric Cantona Manchester United 14
  Stan Collymore Liverpool 14
  Dion Dublin Coventry City 14

Hat-tricks edit

Main article: List of Premier League hat-tricks
 
Serbian Savo Milošević is the only player to score a hat-trick while representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia national football team.
Player For Against Result Date Ref
  Matt Le Tissier Southampton Nottingham Forest 3–4 (A) 15 August 1995 [11]
  Robbie Fowler4 Liverpool Bolton Wanderers 5–2 (H) 23 August 1995 [12]
  Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers Coventry City 5–1 (H) 23 August 1995 [13]
  Tony Yeboah Leeds United Wimbledon 4–2 (H) 23 August 1995 [14]
  Les Ferdinand Newcastle United Wimbledon 6–1 (H) 21 October 1995 [15]
  Gary McAllister Leeds United Coventry City 3–1 (H) 28 October 1995 [16]
  Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers Nottingham Forest 7–0 (H) 18 November 1995 [17]
  Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers West Ham United 4–2 (H) 2 December 1995 [18]
  Dion Dublin Coventry City Sheffield Wednesday 4–3 (A) 4 December 1995 [19]
  Savo Milošević Aston Villa Coventry City 4–1 (H) 16 December 1995 [20]
  Robbie Fowler Liverpool Arsenal 3–1 (H) 23 December 1995 [21]
  Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers Bolton Wanderers 3–1 (H) 3 February 1996 [22]
  Gavin Peacock Chelsea Middlesbrough 5–0 (H) 4 February 1996 [23]
  Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers Tottenham Hotspur 3–2 (A) 16 March 1996 [24]
  Mark Hughes Chelsea Leeds United 4–1 (H) 13 April 1996 [25]
  Andrei Kanchelskis Everton Sheffield Wednesday 5–2 (A) 27 April 1996 [26]
Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Awards edit

Monthly awards edit

 
Liverpool's Robbie Fowler became the first player to win the Player of the Month award in consecutive months.
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August   Kevin Keegan[27] Newcastle United   David Ginola[27] Newcastle United
September   Tony Yeboah[27] Leeds United
October   Frank Clark[27] Nottingham Forest   Trevor Sinclair[27] Queens Park Rangers
November   Alan Ball[27] Manchester City   Rob Lee[27] Newcastle United
December   Roy Evans[27] Liverpool   Robbie Fowler[27] Liverpool
January   Stan Collymore[27] Liverpool
  Robbie Fowler[27]
February   Alex Ferguson[27] Manchester United   Dwight Yorke[27] Aston Villa
March   Eric Cantona[27] Manchester United
April   Dave Merrington[27] Southampton   Andrei Kanchelskis[27] Everton

Annual awards edit

Award Winner Club
Premier League Manager of the Season   Alex Ferguson Manchester United
PFA Players' Player of the Year   Les Ferdinand[28] Newcastle United
PFA Young Player of the Year   Robbie Fowler[29] Liverpool
FWA Footballer of the Year   Eric Cantona[30] Manchester United
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper   David James (Liverpool)
Defence   Gary Neville (Manchester United)   Tony Adams (Arsenal)   Ugo Ehiogu (Aston Villa)   Alan Wright (Aston Villa)
Midfield   Steve Stone (Nottingham Forest)   Rob Lee (Newcastle United)   Ruud Gullit (Chelsea)   David Ginola (Newcastle United)
Attack   Les Ferdinand (Newcastle United)   Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers)

See also edit

References and notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d "English Premier League 1995–96". statto.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Premier League 1995/96 Attendances". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  3. ^ England 1994/95
  4. ^ "Arsenal and Chelsea may face play-off". premierleague.com. Premier League. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  5. ^ England – FA Challenge Cup 1995–1996
  6. ^ European Competitions 1995–96 Archived 15 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b European Competitions 1995–96
  8. ^ European Competitions 1995–96
  9. ^ "Season 1994/95 | Official Site of the Premier League - Barclays Premier League News, Fixtures and Results | Premier League | History | 1994/95 Season". Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  10. ^ "English clubs pay for Intertoto fiasco". The Independent. 16 December 1995. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  11. ^ Hey, Stan (20 August 1995). "Roy runs free for Forest". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  12. ^ "Liverpool 5–2 Bolton Wanderers". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 21 May 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  13. ^ Culley, Jon (24 September 1995). "Shearer lifts the gloom". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  14. ^ Brenkley, Stephen (24 September 1995). "Yeboah up to his old tricks". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  15. ^ Barnes, Scott (22 October 1995). "Ferdinand dons triple crown". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  16. ^ Barnes, Scott (29 October 1995). "Leeds stirred by McAllister". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  17. ^ Hadfield, Dave (19 November 1995). "Bohinen busts Forest's dam". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  18. ^ Cullely, Jon (3 December 1995). "Shearer bliss". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  19. ^ Hodgson, Guy (5 December 1995). "Football: Bright's finish makes Dublin's hat-trick irrelevant". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  20. ^ Shaw, Phil (17 December 1995). "Football: Milosevic finally comes good". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  21. ^ Fox, Norman (24 December 1995). "Fowler does trick for Liverpool". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  22. ^ Hadfield, Dave (4 February 1996). "Dogged Shearer puts bite on Bolton". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  23. ^ Moore, Glenn (5 February 1996). "Chelsea burst into bloom". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  24. ^ Haylett, Trevor (14 April 1996). "Shearer steals show". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  25. ^ Brown, Geoff (14 April 1996). "Hughes bang up to date". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  26. ^ Barnes, Scott (28 April 1996). "Kanchelskis rules". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Carling Premiership Player of the Month 1995/96". Premier League. Archived from the original on 10 December 2006.
  28. ^ England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year
  29. ^ England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year
  30. ^ England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year

External links edit

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