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.
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 August 1996 – 11 May 1997 |
| Champions | Manchester United 4th Premier League title 11th English title |
| Relegated | Sunderland Middlesbrough Nottingham Forest |
| Champions League | Manchester United Newcastle United |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Chelsea |
| UEFA Cup | Arsenal Liverpool Aston Villa (through UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking) Leicester City |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 970 (2.55 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Alan Shearer (25 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Nigel Martyn (19 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Everton 7–1 Southampton (16 November 1996) Newcastle United 7–1 Tottenham Hotspur (28 December 1996) |
| Biggest away win | Leeds 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 scoring | Southampton 6–3 Manchester United (26 October 1996) |
| Longest winning run | 7 games[1] Newcastle United Wimbledon |
| Longest unbeaten run | 16 games[1] Manchester United |
| Longest winless run | 16 games[1] Nottingham Forest |
| Longest losing run | 6 games[1] Everton |
| Highest attendance | 55,314 Manchester United 2–1 Wimbledon (29 January 1997) |
| Lowest attendance | 7,979 Wimbledon 2–0 Leeds United (16 April 1997) |
| Total attendance | 10,818,380[2] |
| Average attendance | 28,469[2] |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
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 edit
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 First Division after their top flight spells of seven, thirteen and one year respectively.
Stadiums and locations edit
- ^ This was Derby County's last season at Baseball Ground as they were scheduled to relocate to the Pride Park Stadium at the end of the season.
- ^ 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 11 May 1997)
Managerial changes edit
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea |  Glenn Hoddle
|
Signed by England | 10 May 1996 | Pre-season |  Ruud Gullit
|
10 May 1996 |
| Southampton | Dave Merrington
|
Sacked | 14 June 1996 |  Graeme Souness
|
3 July 1996 | |
| Arsenal | Bruce Rioch
|
12 August 1996 | Stewart Houston (caretaker)
|
12 August 1996 | ||
| Leeds United | Howard Wilkinson
|
10 September 1996 | 9th | George Graham
|
10 September 1996 | |
| Arsenal | Stewart Houston
|
Signed by Queens Park Rangers | 16 September 1996 | 7th |  Pat Rice (caretaker)
|
16 September 1996 |
| Pat Rice
|
End of caretaker spell | 30 September 1996 | 3rd |  Arsène Wenger
|
30 September 1996 | |
| Blackburn Rovers | Ray Harford
|
Resigned | 25 October 1996 | 20th | Tony Parkes (caretaker)
|
25 October 1996 |
| Coventry City | Ron Atkinson
|
Promoted to director of football | 5 November 1996 | 18th | Gordon Strachan
|
5 November 1996 |
| Nottingham Forest | Frank Clark
|
Resigned | 19 December 1996 | 20th | Stuart Pearce (caretaker)
|
20 December 1996 |
| Newcastle United | Kevin Keegan
|
8 January 1997 | 4th | Terry McDermott (caretaker)
|
8 January 1997 | |
| Terry McDermott
|
End of caretaker spell | 14 January 1997 | Kenny Dalglish
|
14 January 1997 | ||
| Everton | Joe Royle
|
Resigned | 27 March 1997 | 13th | Dave Watson (caretaker)
|
1 April 1997 |
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United (C) | 38 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 76 | 44 | +32 | 75 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 73 | 40 | +33 | 68 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Arsenal | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 62 | 32 | +30 | 68 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a] |
| 4 | Liverpool | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 62 | 37 | +25 | 68 | |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 47 | 34 | +13 | 61 | |
| 6 | Chelsea | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 59 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[b] |
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 57 | |
| 8 | Wimbledon | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 49 | 46 | +3 | 56 | |
| 9 | Leicester City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 47 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[c] |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 46 | |
| 11 | Leeds United | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 28 | 38 | −10 | 46 | |
| 12 | Derby County | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 46 | |
| 13 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 42 | 43 | −1 | 42 | |
| 14 | West Ham United | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 42 | |
| 15 | Everton | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 42 | |
| 16 | Southampton | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 41 | |
| 17 | Coventry City | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 38 | 54 | −16 | 41 | |
| 18 | Sunderland (R) | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 35 | 53 | −18 | 40 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 19 | Middlesbrough (R) | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 51 | 60 | −9 | 39[d] | |
| 20 | Nottingham Forest (R) | 38 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 31 | 59 | −28 | 34 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
- ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.
- ^ Leicester City qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.
- ^ Middlesbrough were docked three points for failing to fulfill their original fixture at Blackburn Rovers on 21st December 1996.
Results edit
Season statistics edit
Scoring edit
Top scorers edit
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Shearer
|
Newcastle United | 25 |
| 2 | Ian Wright
|
Arsenal | 23 |
| 3 | Robbie Fowler
|
Liverpool | 18 |
 Ole Gunnar Solskjær
|
Manchester United | ||
| 5 |  Dwight Yorke
|
Aston Villa | 17 |
| 6 | Les Ferdinand
|
Newcastle United | 16 |
 Fabrizio Ravanelli
|
Middlesbrough | ||
| 8 | Dion Dublin
|
Coventry City | 13 |
| Matt Le Tissier
|
Southampton | ||
| 10 | Dennis Bergkamp
|
Arsenal | 12 |
| Steve Claridge
|
Leicester City | ||
| Stan Collymore
|
Liverpool | ||
 Juninho
|
Middlesbrough |
Hat-tricks edit
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Campbell |
Nottingham Forest | Coventry City | 3–0 (A) | 17 August 1996 | [5] |
| Fabrizio Ravanelli |
Middlesbrough | Liverpool | 3–3 (H) | 17 August 1996 | [6] |
| Ian Wright |
Arsenal | Sheffield Wednesday | 4–1 (H) | 16 September 1996 | [7] |
| Dwight YorkeL |
Aston Villa | Newcastle United | 4–3 (A) | 30 September 1996 | [8] |
 Gary Speed |
Everton | Southampton | 7–1 (H) | 16 November 1996 | [9] |
| Robbie Fowler4 |
Liverpool | Middlesbrough | 5–1 (H) | 14 December 1996 | [10] |
| Alan Shearer |
Newcastle United | Leicester City | 4–3 (H) | 2 February 1997 | [11] |
| Ian Marshall |
Leicester City | Derby County | 4–2 (H) | 22 February 1997 | [12] |
| Steffen Iversen |
Tottenham Hotspur | Sunderland | 4–0 (A) | 4 March 1997 | [13] |
| Fabrizio Ravanelli |
Middlesbrough | Derby County | 6–1 (H) | 5 March 1997 | [14] |
| Kevin Gallacher |
Blackburn Rovers | Wimbledon | 3–1 (H) | 15 March 1997 | [15] |
| Paul Kitson |
West Ham United | Sheffield Wednesday | 5–1 (H) | 3 May 1997 | [16] |
- Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; L Player finished on the losing side; (H) – Home; (A) – Away
Top assists edit
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists[17] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Cantona
|
Manchester United | 12 |
| 2 | Neal Ardley
|
Wimbledon | 11 |
| 3 | Dennis Bergkamp
|
Arsenal | 9 |
| Andy Hinchcliffe
|
Everton | ||
| Gary McAllister
|
Coventry City | ||
| Gianfranco Zola
|
Chelsea | ||
| 7 | Nick Barmby
|
Everton | 8 |
| David Beckham
|
Manchester United | ||
| Stig Inge Bjørnebye
|
Liverpool | ||
| Les Ferdinand
|
Newcastle United |
Awards edit
Monthly awards edit
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| August | David Pleat
|
Sheffield Wednesday | David Beckham
|
Manchester United |
| September |  Joe Kinnear
|
Wimbledon |  Patrik Berger
|
Liverpool |
| October | Graeme Souness
|
Southampton | Matt Le Tissier
|
Southampton |
| November | Jim Smith
|
Derby County | Ian Wright
|
Arsenal |
| December | Gordon Strachan
|
Coventry City | Gianfranco Zola
|
Chelsea |
| January | Stuart Pearce
|
Nottingham Forest | Tim Flowers
|
Blackburn Rovers |
| February | Alex Ferguson
|
Manchester United | [a] Robbie Earle
|
Wimbledon |
| March | Bryan Robson
|
Middlesbrough | Juninho
|
Middlesbrough |
| April | Graeme Souness
|
Southampton | [b] Mickey Evans
|
Southampton |
Annual awards edit
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 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 edit
Notes edit
- ^ Earle was born in England, but made his debut for Jamaica in September 1997.
- ^ Evans was born in England, but made his debut for the Republic of Ireland in October 1997.
References edit
- ^ a b c d "English Premier League 1996–97". statto.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Premier League 1996/1997 » Attendance » Home matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Football's biggest punishments". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
- ^ "Funny Old Game|Happened on this day – 20 December". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
- ^ Culley, Jon (18 August 1996). "Campbell calls tune". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Middlesbrough v Liverpool". The Times. London. 9 November 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Moore, Glenn (17 September 1996). "Football: Wright's hat-trick lifts the gloom". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Turnbull, Simon (1 October 1996). "Yorke hat-trick in vain for Villa". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Brown, Geoff (17 November 1996). "Football: Speed puts foot down". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Liverpool 5–1 Middlesbrough". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Hodgson, Guy (3 February 1997). "Football: Shearer provides Newcastle fantasy". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Fox, Norman (23 February 1997). "Football: Marshall's triple tale of the unexpected". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Stamiforth, Tommy (5 March 1997). "Football: Spurs boosted by Iversen's hat-trick". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Turnbull, Simon (6 March 1997). "Football: Ravanelli hat-trick bodes well for Boro". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (17 March 1997). "Football: Gallacher takes advantage of Sullivan's sudden relapse". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Houston, Bob (4 May 1997). "Kitson glory day". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Statistical Leaders – 1997". Premier League. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Seasonal Awards 1996/97" Archived 18 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 September 2006.
- ^ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
- ^ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
- ^ "England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year". Retrieved 20 September 2006.