2016–17 in English football

(Redirected from 2016-17 in English football)

The 2016–17 season was the 137th season of competitive association football in England.

Football in England
Season2016–17
Men's football
Premier LeagueChelsea
ChampionshipNewcastle United
League OneSheffield United
League TwoPortsmouth
National LeagueLincoln City
FA CupArsenal
EFL TrophyCoventry City
EFL CupManchester United
Community ShieldManchester United
← 2015–16 England 2017–18 →

National teams edit

England national football team edit

Results and fixtures edit

2016 edit
4 September 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification Slovakia   0–1   England Trnava, Slovakia
17:00 BST Report Lallana   90+5' Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského
Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
8 October 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification England   2–0   Malta London, England
17:00 BST Sturridge   29'
Alli   38'
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (Sweden)
11 November 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification England   3–0   Scotland London, England
19:45 GMT Sturridge   23'
Lallana   50'
Cahill   61'
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 87,258
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
15 November 2016 Friendly England   2–2   Spain London, England
20:00 GMT Lallana   9' (pen.)
Vardy   48'
Report Iago Aspas   89'
Isco   90+6'
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)
2017 edit
22 March 2017 Friendly Germany   1–0   England Dortmund, Germany
19:45 BST Podolski   69' Report Stadium: Signal Iduna Park
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
26 March 2017 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification England   2–0   Lithuania London, England
17:00 BST Defoe   22'
Vardy   66'
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France)
10 June 2017 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification Scotland   2–2   England Glasgow, Scotland
17:00 BST Griffiths   87', 90' Report Oxlade-Chamberlain   70'
Kane   90+3'
Stadium: Hampden Park
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (Italy)
13 June 2017 Friendly France   3–2   England Saint-Denis, France
19:45 BST Umtiti   22'
Sidibé   43'
Dembélé   78'
Report Kane   9', 48' (pen.) Stadium: Stade de France
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Group F edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification            
1   England 10 8 2 0 18 3 +15 26 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup 2–1 3–0 1–0 2–0 2–0
2   Slovakia 10 6 0 4 17 7 +10 18 0–1 3–0 1–0 4–0 3–0
3   Scotland 10 5 3 2 17 12 +5 18 2–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–0
4   Slovenia 10 4 3 3 12 7 +5 15 0–0 1–0 2–2 4–0 2–0
5   Lithuania 10 1 3 6 7 20 −13 6 0–1 1–2 0–3 2–2 2–0
6   Malta 10 0 1 9 3 25 −22 1 0–4 1–3 1–5 0–1 1–1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7):[1]
  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

Managerial changes edit

Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of departure Incoming manager Date of appointment
  Roy Hodgson Resigned 27 June 2016[2]   Sam Allardyce 27 June 2016
  Sam Allardyce Resigned[3] 26 September 2016   Gareth Southgate 30 November 2016

England women's national football team edit

Results and fixtures edit

2016 edit
15 September EURO England   5–0   Estonia Nottingham
Carter   9', 17', 56'
J. Scott   13'
Carney   90+4'
Report Stadium: Meadow Lane
Attendance: 7,052
Referee: Vera Opeykina (Russia)
20 September EURO Belgium   0–2   England Leuven
Report Parris   65'
Carney   85'
Stadium: Den Dreef
Attendance: 6,754
Referee: Pernilla Larsson (Sweden)
21 October Friendly England   0–0   France Doncaster
Report Stadium: Keepmoat Stadium
Referee: Graziella Pirriatore (Italy)
25 October Friendly Spain   1–2   England Guadalajara, Spain
Report Stadium: Estadio Pedro Escartín
29 November Friendly Netherlands   0–1   England Tilburg, Netherlands
Report Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion
2017 edit
22 January Friendly England   0–1   Norway La Manga, Spain
17:00 BST Report Hegerberg   26' Stadium: La Manga Stadium
24 January Friendly England   0–0   Sweden Murcia, Spain
17:00 BST Report Stadium: Pinatar Arena

UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying Group 7 edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification          
1   England 8 7 1 0 32 1 +31 22 Final tournament 1–1 7–0 1–0 5–0
2   Belgium 8 5 2 1 27 5 +22 17 0–2 1–1 6–0 6–0
3   Serbia 8 3 1 4 10 21 −11 10 0–7 1–3 0–1 3–0
4   Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 3 0 5 8 17 −9 9 0–1 0–5 2–4 4–0
5   Estonia 8 0 0 8 0 33 −33 0 0–8 0–5 0–1 0–1
Source: UEFA

UEFA competitions edit

UEFA Champions League edit

Play-off round edit

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Steaua București   0–6   Manchester City 0–5 0–1

Group stage edit

Group A edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ARS PAR LUD BSL
1   Arsenal 6 4 2 0 18 6 +12 14 Advance to knockout phase 2–2 6–0 2–0
2   Paris Saint-Germain 6 3 3 0 13 7 +6 12 1–1 2–2 3–0
3   Ludogorets Razgrad 6 0 3 3 6 15 −9 3 Transfer to Europa League 2–3 1–3 0–0
4   Basel 6 0 2 4 3 12 −9 2 1–4 1–2 1–1
Source: UEFA
Group C edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAR MC MGB CEL
1   Barcelona 6 5 0 1 20 4 +16 15 Advance to knockout phase 4–0 4–0 7–0
2   Manchester City 6 2 3 1 12 10 +2 9 3–1 4–0 1–1
3   Borussia Mönchengladbach 6 1 2 3 5 12 −7 5 Transfer to Europa League 1–2 1–1 1–1
4   Celtic 6 0 3 3 5 16 −11 3 0–2 3–3 0–2
Source: UEFA
Group E edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MON LEV TOT CSKA
1   Monaco 6 3 2 1 9 7 +2 11 Advance to knockout phase 1–1 2–1 3–0
2   Bayer Leverkusen 6 2 4 0 8 4 +4 10 3–0 0–0 2–2
3   Tottenham Hotspur 6 2 1 3 6 6 0 7 Transfer to Europa League 1–2 0–1 3–1
4   CSKA Moscow 6 0 3 3 5 11 −6 3 1–1 1–1 0–1
Source: UEFA
Group G edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LEI POR KOB BRU
1   Leicester City 6 4 1 1 7 6 +1 13 Advance to knockout phase 1–0 1–0 2–1
2   Porto 6 3 2 1 9 3 +6 11 5–0 1–1 1–0
3   Copenhagen 6 2 3 1 7 2 +5 9 Transfer to Europa League 0–0 0–0 4–0
4   Club Brugge 6 0 0 6 2 14 −12 0 0–3 1–2 0–2
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase edit

Round of 16 edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City   6–6 (a)   Monaco 5–3 1–3
Bayern Munich   10–2   Arsenal 5–1 5–1
Sevilla   2–3   Leicester City 2–1 0–2
Quarter-finals edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Atlético Madrid   2–1   Leicester City 1–0 1–1

UEFA Europa League edit

Qualifying rounds edit

Third qualifying round edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Domžale   2–4   West Ham United 2–1 0–3
Play-off round edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Astra Giurgiu   2–1   West Ham United 1–1 1–0

Group stage edit

Group A edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FEN MU FEY ZOR
1   Fenerbahçe 6 4 1 1 8 6 +2 13 Advance to knockout phase 2–1 1–0 2–0
2   Manchester United 6 4 0 2 12 4 +8 12 4–1 4–0 1–0
3   Feyenoord 6 2 1 3 3 7 −4 7 0–1 1–0 1–0
4   Zorya Luhansk 6 0 2 4 2 8 −6 2 1–1 0–2 1–1
Source: UEFA
Group K edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SPP HBS SOU INT
1   Sparta Prague 6 4 0 2 8 6 +2 12 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 1–0 3–1
2   Hapoel Be'er Sheva 6 2 2 2 6 6 0 8 0–1 0–0 3–2
3   Southampton 6 2 2 2 6 4 +2 8 3–0 1–1 2–1
4   Internazionale 6 2 0 4 7 11 −4 6 2–1 0–2 1–0
Source: UEFA

Knockout Phase edit

Round of 32 edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester United   4–0   Saint-Étienne 3–0 1–0
Gent   3–2   Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 2–2
Round of 16 edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Rostov   1–2   Manchester United 1–1 0–1
Quarter-finals edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Anderlecht   2–3   Manchester United 1–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Semi-finals edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Celta Vigo   1–2   Manchester United 0–1 1–1
Finals edit
Ajax  0–2  Manchester United
Report
Attendance: 46,961[4]

UEFA Youth League edit

UEFA Women's Champions League edit

Knockout phase edit

Round of 32 edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chelsea   1–4   Wolfsburg 0–3 1–1
Manchester City   6–0   Zvezda Perm 2–0 4–0
Round of 16 edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City   2–1   Brøndby 1–0 1–1
Quarter-finals edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Fortuna Hjørring   0–2   Manchester City 0–1 0–1
Semi-finals edit
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City   2–3   Lyon 1–3 1–0

Men's Football edit

League season edit

Promotion and relegation edit

League Promoted to league Relegated from league[5]
Premier League
Championship
League One
League Two
National League Premier

Premier League edit

Antonio Conte enjoyed a successful start to life as Chelsea manager, winning the title in his first season at the club and earning a record number of league victories for a season, with only poor early form preventing them from also setting a new points total. Tottenham Hotspur shrugged off a disappointing Champions League campaign to push Chelsea close for the title, though they ultimately missed out – however, they ultimately finished with both the best attack and defence, with striker Harry Kane once again claiming the Golden Boot, whilst they ultimately went unbeaten at home during their final season at White Hart Lane. Manchester City improved on the previous season's finish by one place in Pep Guardiola's first season in charge, though ultimately ended the season trophyless, despite recording the third-best attack and reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Liverpool made the Champions League for the first time in three years in Jürgen Klopp's first full season, though were prevented from finishing any higher than fourth by an inconsistent start to 2017, a consequence of both losing their £35 million signing Sadio Mané to international duty in January and February as well as suffering from several dropped points against bottom-half teams, in spite of going the season unbeaten against the rest of the top seven.

Despite winning seven of their final eight games, Arsenal finished in fifth place and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1997, as fan pressure on both manager Arsène Wenger and share-owner Stan Kroenke grew. While they did win the FA Cup for the third time in four seasons, making Wenger the most successful manager in the competition's history, they endured yet another disastrous Champions League run, losing at the last-16 stage for a seventh successive year. Manchester United finished in sixth place, one place lower than the previous season, in José Mourinho's first season in charge with their failure to turn any one of their 15 draws into victories, though they did at least win the EFL Cup and won the Europa League final, winning the competition for the first time in their history and therefore securing a place in the Champions League. In only their second-ever top-flight season, AFC Bournemouth built on the success of the previous season as they secured a ninth-place finish and scored 55 goals, defying the critics who had tipped them to struggle from second-season syndrome. Much as Chelsea had the previous season, Leicester City made a poor defence of their title, despite having what turned out to be the best Champions League run of any English club this season by reaching the quarter-finals. With the club struggling, manager Claudio Ranieri was sacked in February and replaced by coach Craig Shakespeare, who steered the club to 12th place, still the lowest finish for a defending Premier League champion, but comfortably clear of relegation.

Crystal Palace had looked in serious danger of relegation early on, but a revival after Sam Allardyce took over saw them comfortably survive, securing a club-record fifth successive top-flight season in the process. Swansea City also looked dead and buried after early struggles under Francesco Guidolin and then a disastrous spell with Bob Bradley as manager, but were ultimately saved by a late improvement under Paul Clement's management. Burnley fared the best of the promoted clubs, with only atrocious away form preventing them finishing higher as they made their home-ground of Turf Moor one of the hardest places to get a point from – and secured a second successive top-flight season for the first time in 40 years. Watford, in their first successive top-flight campaign for 30 years, successfully ensured a third consecutive Premier League season – however, as a result of poor away form, a disastrous end to the season and several spells of indifferent form throughout the campaign, the Hornets were unable to really build on the previous season despite recording their first league victories over Manchester United and at Arsenal since the 1980s.

After several successive escapes from relegation, Sunderland's resilience finally collapsed and they dropped into the Championship after a decade, spending virtually the entire season rooted to the bottom of the table, as David Moyes being the first manager to spend a full season in charge of the Black Cats since 2011 ultimately amounted to nothing. Middlesbrough also struggled throughout their first top-flight season in eight years, with a poor end to the season, the weakest goalscoring record in the division and an inability to turn one of their 13 draws into victories ultimately dooming them. Hull City were the final relegated side, never quite recovering from a disastrous pre-season which saw manager Steve Bruce quit and next to no new players signed; despite encouraging early season form under Mike Phelan, a dismal run in the winter saw him sacked and replaced by Marco Silva, who steered the club to a much better second half of the season, but it ultimately proved to be a case of too little, too late.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Chelsea (C) 38 30 3 5 85 33 +52 93 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Tottenham Hotspur 38 26 8 4 86 26 +60 86
3 Manchester City 38 23 9 6 80 39 +41 78
4 Liverpool 38 22 10 6 78 42 +36 76 Qualification for the Champions League play-off round
5 Arsenal 38 23 6 9 77 44 +33 75 Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a]
6 Manchester United 38 18 15 5 54 29 +25 69 Qualification for the Champions League group stage[b]
7 Everton 38 17 10 11 62 44 +18 61 Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[c]
8 Southampton 38 12 10 16 41 48 −7 46
9 Bournemouth 38 12 10 16 55 67 −12 46
10 West Bromwich Albion 38 12 9 17 43 51 −8 45
11 West Ham United 38 12 9 17 47 64 −17 45
12 Leicester City 38 12 8 18 48 63 −15 44
13 Stoke City 38 11 11 16 41 56 −15 44
14 Crystal Palace 38 12 5 21 50 63 −13 41
15 Swansea City 38 12 5 21 45 70 −25 41
16 Burnley 38 11 7 20 39 55 −16 40
17 Watford 38 11 7 20 40 68 −28 40
18 Hull City (R) 38 9 7 22 37 80 −43 34 Relegation to the EFL Championship
19 Middlesbrough (R) 38 5 13 20 27 53 −26 28
20 Sunderland (R) 38 6 6 26 29 69 −40 24
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).[6][7]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Arsenal qualified for the Europa League group stage by winning the 2016–17 FA Cup. As they had also qualified there by the virtue of their league position (5th), this spot was passed to the next-highest ranked team (6th), Manchester United.
  2. ^ Manchester United qualified for the Champions League group stage by winning the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. Based on their league position (6th), they would have received the spot above to enter the Europa League group stage. This spot was vacated without replacement as per UEFA regulations.
  3. ^ Manchester United, winners of the 2016–17 EFL Cup, initially attained a spot in the Europa League third qualifying round. That was passed to the next-highest ranked team in the league not already qualified for UEFA competitions (7th-placed Everton).

Championship edit

Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion led the way for most of the season, and ultimately secured the two automatic promotion spots. Newcastle, as in their previous spell in the second tier, made an immediate return to the top-flight as champions despite a late scare with three games to go (and because of both Sunderland and Middlesbrough being relegated, it would be the first time since 1998 that the Magpies were the sole North-East team in the top-flight), while Brighton (ironically managed by Chris Hughton who steered Newcastle to promotion in their previous spell in the Championship) lost out on the title on the last day, after not winning any of their last 3 games – however, by this point, they had already earned promotion to the top-flight for only the second time in their history, and for the first time since 1983, after they narrowly missed out to Middlesbrough on goal difference on the final day of the previous season. Taking the final spot through the playoffs were Huddersfield Town, who won promotion to the top-flight for the first time in 45 years and in manager David Wagner's first full season in charge – whilst they did endure a poor end to the season and ultimately finished with a negative goal difference, the Terriers gradually eased their way through the play-off semi-final games against Sheffield Wednesday and then edged out Reading on penalties in the final at Wembley.

Leeds United managed a promotion challenge for the first time in six years and secured only their third finish in the top half of the Championship since being relegated from the Premier League in 2004, but poor runs of form either end of the season combined with an excellent late run by Fulham saw them fall short of the play-offs. Aston Villa's first season outside of the top-flight since 1988 proved to be turbulent as they changed managers after just eleven games – whilst they didn't look like relegation material, their failure to turn draws into wins also prevented them from making anything resembling a promotion challenge despite striker Jonathan Kodjia scoring 19 of their goals. Birmingham City's season surprised for all the wrong reasons, as they controversially sacked manager Gary Rowett in favour of Gianfranco Zola in December despite being only just outside the play-offs, only for their form to completely collapse in the second half of the season, leaving them needing a late improvement after Zola was replaced by Harry Redknapp and then a final-day win at Bristol City to stay up.

After two seasons flirting with relegation, Rotherham United finished bottom in what was a truly awful league campaign, getting through three managers by the end of November and recording the lowest second tier points total since 3 points for a win was introduced in 1981, with only a three match unbeaten run at the end of the season stopping them from conceding 100 goals. Wigan Athletic were immediately relegated back to League One, never quite getting back to grips with life in the Championship and ultimately being cost dear by a poor end to the season, as well as a failure to win home games between October and January. Blackburn Rovers filled the final relegation spot in a season marred by increasing fan protests aimed at the owners; while a late-season revival under Tony Mowbray meant they took survival to the last day, other results ultimately went against them and sent them down to the third tier for the first time since 1980; this also made them the first former Premier League champions to drop down into the third tier (Leicester City and Manchester City had both been in the third tier since the formation of the Premier League, but did not win the league until after their spells in the third tier). In their first ever season in the Championship, Burton Albion flirted with the drop on several occasions but ultimately pulled themselves away from the bottom three to ensure their first season in the second tier would not be their last.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Newcastle United (C, P) 46 29 7 10 85 40 +45 94 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Brighton & Hove Albion (P) 46 28 9 9 74 40 +34 93
3 Reading 46 26 7 13 68 64 +4 85 Qualification for the Championship play-offs[a]
4 Sheffield Wednesday 46 24 9 13 60 45 +15 81
5 Huddersfield Town (O, P) 46 25 6 15 56 58 −2 81
6 Fulham 46 22 14 10 85 57 +28 80
7 Leeds United 46 22 9 15 61 47 +14 75
8 Norwich City 46 20 10 16 85 69 +16 70
9 Derby County 46 18 13 15 54 50 +4 67
10 Brentford 46 18 10 18 75 65 +10 64
11 Preston North End 46 16 14 16 64 63 +1 62
12 Cardiff City 46 17 11 18 60 61 −1 62
13 Aston Villa 46 16 14 16 47 48 −1 62
14 Barnsley 46 15 13 18 64 67 −3 58
15 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 16 10 20 54 58 −4 58
16 Ipswich Town 46 13 16 17 48 58 −10 55
17 Bristol City 46 15 9 22 60 66 −6 54
18 Queens Park Rangers 46 15 8 23 52 66 −14 53
19 Birmingham City 46 13 14 19 45 64 −19 53
20 Burton Albion 46 13 13 20 49 63 −14 52
21 Nottingham Forest 46 14 9 23 62 72 −10 51
22 Blackburn Rovers (R) 46 12 15 19 53 65 −12 51 Relegation to EFL League One
23 Wigan Athletic (R) 46 10 12 24 40 57 −17 42
24 Rotherham United (R) 46 5 8 33 40 98 −58 23
Source: English Football League, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Points in head-to-head matches; 5) Goal difference in head-to-head matches; 6) Goals scored in head-to-head matches; 7) Play-off.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the Premier League.

League One edit

After five seasons of near-misses and playoff heartbreak, Sheffield United finally ended their exile from the Championship and returned to the second tier for the first time since 2011, going up as champions and breaking the 100-point mark in the process. Despite making a slow start, the Blades gradually surged up the table and into the top two, giving former player Chris Wilder promotion in his first season as the club's manager as well as his second successive promotion in a year. Taking second place in a battle that went to the final day, Bolton Wanderers secured promotion back to the Championship at the first opportunity and in manager Phil Parkinson's first season in charge, never once looking like falling out of the top six. Taking the final spot through the play-offs were Millwall who shrugged off losing in the final the previous year by scraping into the top six in their last few games and then edged past opponents Bradford City in the final at Wembley, returning to the second tier after two years.

Fleetwood Town enjoyed their best season in their history, earning an unlikely fourth place, missing out on automatic promotion on the final day before only just being edged out by Bradford City in the play-offs semi-finals. In their first ever season at this level, AFC Wimbledon surprised the critics with an early challenge for promotion – whilst several dropped points and a failure to win any of their last six games pushed them back down into mid-table and below rivals Milton Keynes Dons (who looked like suffering a second successive relegation before the arrival of Hearts manager Robbie Neilson helped push them away from the drop), the club were not once in danger of suffering an immediate relegation back to League Two and ensured their stay in the third tier would last beyond one season. Northampton Town's first season in League One since 2009 started strongly as they continued their impressive unbeaten run, but a sharp drop in form in the winter months pushed them into the relegation battle, before a late good run of form helped them move back up the table. For the second season in a row, John Sheridan returned to Oldham Athletic to mastermind the Latic's great escape from relegation, despite their miserable scoring record that saw them score less than all four relegated teams.

At the bottom of the table, Chesterfield's three-year stay in League One came to an end as their decline in form following the loss of manager Paul Cook to Portsmouth finally took its toll. Coventry City fared not much better as they hit rock-bottom and fell into the bottom tier of the Football League for the first time since 1959 and just 16 years after having been in the top-flight – even victory in the Football League Trophy and a late run of good results following the return of successful former manager Mark Robins proved to not be enough, as growing fan protests towards the owners left the Sky Blues facing a bleak future. Only two years after narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship, Swindon Town fell into League Two for the first time since 2012 with several poor results proving costly, despite the surprise appointment of former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood as director of football. Taking the final spot were Port Vale, who looked like shrugging off the loss of manager Rob Page to Northampton Town – however, a complete collapse in form around the winter period saw them slide into the relegation zone and they were relegated on the final day after drawing at Fleetwood, as it turned out a victory would have proved enough to save them.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Sheffield United (C, P) 46 30 10 6 92 47 +45 100 Promotion to the EFL Championship
2 Bolton Wanderers (P) 46 25 11 10 68 36 +32 86
3 Scunthorpe United 46 24 10 12 80 54 +26 82 Qualification for the League One play-offs[a]
4 Fleetwood Town 46 23 13 10 64 43 +21 82
5 Bradford City 46 20 19 7 62 43 +19 79
6 Millwall (O, P) 46 20 13 13 66 57 +9 73
7 Southend United 46 20 12 14 70 53 +17 72
8 Oxford United 46 20 9 17 65 52 +13 69
9 Rochdale 46 19 12 15 71 62 +9 69
10 Bristol Rovers 46 18 12 16 68 70 −2 66
11 Peterborough United 46 17 11 18 62 62 0 62
12 Milton Keynes Dons 46 16 13 17 60 58 +2 61
13 Charlton Athletic 46 14 18 14 60 53 +7 60
14 Walsall 46 14 16 16 51 58 −7 58
15 AFC Wimbledon 46 13 18 15 52 55 −3 57
16 Northampton Town 46 14 11 21 60 73 −13 53
17 Oldham Athletic 46 12 17 17 31 44 −13 53
18 Shrewsbury Town 46 13 12 21 46 63 −17 51
19 Bury 46 13 11 22 61 73 −12 50
20 Gillingham 46 12 14 20 59 79 −20 50
21 Port Vale (R) 46 12 13 21 45 70 −25 49 Relegation to EFL League Two
22 Swindon Town (R) 46 11 11 24 44 66 −22 44
23 Coventry City (R) 46 9 12 25 37 68 −31 39
24 Chesterfield (R) 46 9 10 27 43 78 −35 37
Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the EFL Championship.

League Two edit

Having lost in the play-offs just the previous year, Portsmouth shrugged off the heartbreak and won promotion to League One for the first time since 2013 and their first promotion in 14 years – despite looking set for the play-offs once more, a late surge in form from January onwards helped propel them into the top 3, taking the title on the last day. Going up in second were Plymouth Argyle, who also shrugged off their play-off loss from the previous year and ensured their six-year exile from the third tier came to an end, only missing out on the title by goal difference. Doncaster Rovers took the last automatic spot, securing an immediate return to League One – they had ironically been the first club to be promoted, but a failure to win any of their last five games pushed them into third place. Taking the last place through the play-offs were Blackpool, who also secured an immediate return to League One by defeating Exeter City at Wembley, also giving the club their first promotion since 2010 after 3 relegations in 5 years.

Despite losing their manager to Shrewsbury Town and then dismissing his replacement after only five months, Grimsby Town's first season in the Football League for six years saw them never once threatened with relegation and they secured their Football League status comfortably. Crewe Alexandra endured a turbulent season both on and off the pitch, as their strong start petered out and they were sucked into the relegation fight, which led to the dismissal of manager Steve Davis, an act seen as overdue by the fans after months of protests against the owners and their refusal to sack him. However, following the appointment of former player David Artell as manager, the Railwaymen fought their way back up the table and finished comfortably clear of the bottom two.

At the bottom of the table, after 112 years in the Football League and just three years after narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship, Leyton Orient finally hit rock-bottom and were relegated to the fifth tier in a season that saw them change managers five times and was marked by increasing fan protests against the club owners, one of which led to the end of their final home game being finished behind closed doors. Taking the final spot on the last day were Hartlepool United, who finally saw their 96-year stay in the Football League end in the worst possible way – they had looked safe at the turn of the year but a collapse in form as well as failing to better the result of the team above them in their last game ultimately cost them their status. Having spent much of the season adrift in the relegation spaces, a late surge in form saw Newport County narrowly fight their way to safety – with a last-minute goal from player Mark O'Brien against Notts County on the final day proving to be crucial.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Portsmouth (C, P) 46 26 9 11 79 40 +39 87 Promotion to EFL League One
2 Plymouth Argyle (P) 46 26 9 11 71 46 +25 87
3 Doncaster Rovers (P) 46 25 10 11 85 55 +30 85
4 Luton Town 46 20 17 9 70 43 +27 77 Qualification for League Two play-offs[a]
5 Exeter City 46 21 8 17 75 56 +19 71
6 Carlisle United 46 18 17 11 69 68 +1 71
7 Blackpool (O, P) 46 18 16 12 69 46 +23 70
8 Colchester United 46 19 12 15 67 57 +10 69
9 Wycombe Wanderers 46 19 12 15 58 53 +5 69
10 Stevenage 46 20 7 19 67 63 +4 67
11 Cambridge United 46 19 9 18 58 50 +8 66
12 Mansfield Town 46 17 15 14 54 50 +4 66
13 Accrington Stanley 46 17 14 15 59 56 +3 65
14 Grimsby Town 46 17 11 18 59 63 −4 62
15 Barnet 46 14 15 17 57 64 −7 57
16 Notts County 46 16 8 22 54 76 −22 56
17 Crewe Alexandra 46 14 13 19 58 67 −9 55
18 Morecambe 46 14 10 22 53 73 −20 52
19 Crawley Town 46 13 12 21 53 71 −18 51
20 Yeovil Town 46 11 17 18 49 64 −15 50
21 Cheltenham Town 46 12 14 20 49 69 −20 50
22 Newport County 46 12 12 22 51 73 −22 48
23 Hartlepool United (R) 46 11 13 22 54 75 −21 46 Relegation to the National League
24 Leyton Orient (R) 46 10 6 30 47 87 −40 36
Updated to match(es) played on 6 May 2017. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to EFL League One

National League Top Division edit

Six years after suffering relegation from League Two, Lincoln City returned to the Football League in a season of unprecedented success and off-field tragedy – not only did they win promotion as champions, nearly breaking the 100-point mark in the process, but they became the first non-league team in over 100 years to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, even securing victory at top-flight team Burnley along the way, honouring the sudden passing of former player and manager Graham Taylor in January in the best possible way. Going up through the playoffs were Forest Green Rovers, who avenged their loss in the playoff final the previous year by comfortably beating Tranmere Rovers at Wembley in manager Mark Cooper's first full season in charge – in the process of winning promotion, not only did the club secure their place in the Football League for the first time in their history but they also ensured that their hometown of Nailsworth became the smallest settlement to ever host a Football League club.

At the bottom of the table, North Ferriby United's first-ever season in the fifth tier ended in disaster as they finished last, undone by their inability to score and having the second worst defence. Southport fared little better as their run of seven successive seasons in the fifth tier finally came to an end in the worst possible fashion, conceding nearly 100 goals and making it through not just three managers but even losing their chairman along the way. Braintree Town took the third spot on the last day of the season, only one season after finishing third in the table and losing out to eventually-promoted Grimsby Town over two legs – just one win from their final three games would have saved them from the drop. Despite victory in the FA Trophy, York City took the last spot on the final day of the campaign, suffering the embarrassment of a second successive relegation and becoming the first club to suffer back-to-back relegations from the Football League to the sixth tier; whilst their form between January and April gave them a good chance of survival, an awful first half of the season ultimately proved to be costly for their hopes, as did a staggering five results all going against them on the final day of the season.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Lincoln City (C, P) 46 30 9 7 83 40 +43 99 Promoted to EFL League Two
2 Tranmere Rovers 46 29 8 9 79 39 +40 95 Qualified for the play-offs
3 Forest Green Rovers (O, P) 46 25 11 10 88 56 +32 86
4 Dagenham & Redbridge 46 26 6 14 79 53 +26 84
5 Aldershot Town 46 23 13 10 66 37 +29 82
6 Dover Athletic 46 24 7 15 85 63 +22 79
7 Barrow 46 20 15 11 72 53 +19 75
8 Gateshead 46 19 13 14 72 51 +21 70
9 Macclesfield Town 46 20 8 18 64 57 +7 68
10 Bromley 46 18 8 20 59 66 −7 62
11 Boreham Wood 46 15 13 18 49 48 +1 58
12 Sutton United 46 15 13 18 61 63 −2 58
13 Wrexham 46 15 13 18 47 61 −14 58
14 Maidstone United 46 16 10 20 59 75 −16 58
15 Eastleigh 46 14 15 17 56 63 −7 57
16 Solihull Moors 46 15 10 21 62 75 −13 55
17 Torquay United 46 14 11 21 54 61 −7 53
18 Woking 46 14 11 21 66 80 −14 53
19 Chester 46 14 10 22 63 71 −8 52
20 Guiseley 46 13 12 21 50 67 −17 51
21 York City (R) 46 11 17 18 55 70 −15 50 Relegated to National League North
22 Braintree Town (R) 46 13 9 24 51 76 −25 48 Relegated to National League South
23 Southport (R) 46 10 9 27 52 97 −45 39 Relegated to National League North
24 North Ferriby United (R) 46 12 3 31 32 82 −50 39
Source: National League official site
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results [8]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

League play-offs edit

Football League play-offs edit

EFL Championship edit
Final edit
Huddersfield Town0–0 (a.e.t.)Reading
Report
Penalties
4–3
Attendance: 76,682
EFL League One edit
Final edit
Bradford City0–1Millwall
Report Morison   85'
Attendance: 53,320
Referee: Simon Hooper
EFL League Two edit
Final edit
Blackpool2–1Exeter City
Potts   3'
Cullen   64'
Report Wheeler   40'
Attendance: 23,380

National League play-offs edit

National League edit
Final edit
Tranmere Rovers1–3Forest Green Rovers
Jennings   22' Woolery   12', 44'
Doidge   41'
National League North edit
Final edit
FC Halifax Town2–1 (a.e.t.)Chorley
Roberts   48'
Garner   101'
Report Blakeman   60'
Attendance: 7,920
Referee: Daniel Middleton
National League South edit
Final edit
Ebbsfleet United2–1Chelmsford City
Winfield   72'
McQueen   76'
Report Graham   55'
Attendance: 3,134
Referee: Richard Hulme

Cup competitions edit

FA Cup edit

Final edit
Arsenal2–1Chelsea
Sánchez   4'
Ramsey   79'
Report, nationalities Costa   76'
Attendance: 89,472

EFL Cup edit

Final edit
Manchester United3–2Southampton
Report
Attendance: 85,264

Community Shield edit

Leicester City1–2Manchester United
Vardy   52' Report Lingard   32'
Ibrahimović   83'

EFL Trophy edit

Final edit
Coventry City2–1Oxford United
Report
Attendance: 74,434
Referee: Chris Sarginson

FA Trophy edit

Final edit
Macclesfield Town2–3York City
R. Browne   13'
O. Norburn   45+1'
J. Parkin   8'
V. Oliver   22'
A. Connolly   86'
Attendance: 38,224

Women's Football edit

League season edit

Women's Super League edit

Women's Super League 1 edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester City (C) 16 13 3 0 36 4 +32 42 Qualification for the Champions League
2 Chelsea 16 12 1 3 42 17 +25 37
3 Arsenal 16 10 2 4 33 14 +19 32
4 Birmingham City 16 7 6 3 18 13 +5 27
5 Liverpool 16 7 4 5 27 23 +4 25
6 Notts County 16 4 4 8 16 26 −10 16 Club folded after end of season
7 Sunderland 16 2 4 10 17 41 −24 10
8 Reading 16 1 6 9 15 26 −11 9
9 Doncaster Rovers 16 1 0 15 8 48 −40 3 Relegation to FA WSL 2
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions
Women's Super League 2 edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
1 Yeovil Town (C) 18 12 3 3 41 16 +25 39 Promotion to FA WSL 1
2 Bristol City 18 12 3 3 37 16 +21 39
3 Everton 18 10 4 4 35 18 +17 34
4 Durham 18 10 3 5 30 19 +11 33
5 Sheffield 18 7 5 6 25 18 +7 26
6 Aston Villa 18 7 3 8 26 27 −1 24
7 London Bees 18 6 4 8 28 39 −11 22
8 Millwall Lionesses 18 3 7 8 24 31 −7 16
9 Oxford United 18 4 1 13 20 42 −22 13
10 Watford 18 2 1 15 13 53 −40 7
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions

FA WSL Spring Series edit

WSL Spring Series League 1 edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Chelsea 8 6 1 1 32 3 +29 19
2 Manchester City 8 6 1 1 17 6 +11 19
3 Arsenal 8 5 3 0 22 9 +13 18
4 Liverpool 8 4 2 2 20 18 +2 14
5 Sunderland 8 2 3 3 4 14 −10 9
6 Reading 8 2 2 4 10 15 −5 8
7 Birmingham City 8 1 4 3 6 10 −4 7
8 Bristol City 8 1 1 6 5 21 −16 4
9 Yeovil Town 8 0 1 7 6 26 −20 1
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
WSL Spring Series League 2 edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Everton 9 7 1 1 25 7 +18 22 Applied for promotion to the 2017–18 FA WSL. Promotion approved.[10]
2 Doncaster Rovers Belles 9 5 3 1 19 9 +10 18 Applied for promotion to the 2017–18 FA WSL.
3 Millwall Lionesses 9 5 2 2 12 8 +4 17
4 Aston Villa 9 5 2 2 19 16 +3 17
5 Durham 9 5 1 3 14 10 +4 16
6 Brighton & Hove Albion 9 2 4 3 8 13 −5 10
7 London Bees 9 3 1 5 13 21 −8 10
8 Watford 9 2 2 5 12 17 −5 8
9 Sheffield 9 2 0 7 9 18 −9 6
10 Oxford United 9 0 2 7 7 19 −12 2
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Cup competitions edit

FA Women's Cup edit

Final edit
Birmingham City1–4Manchester City
Report
Attendance: 35,271

FA WSL Cup edit

Final edit

Manchester City won their second cup after 2014 and completed the double.[11]

Managerial changes edit

This is a list of changes of managers within English league football:

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of departure Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Blackburn Rovers   Paul Lambert Mutual consent 7 May 2016[12] Pre-season   Owen Coyle 2 June 2016[13]
Cardiff City   Russell Slade Promoted to head of football 8 May 2016[14]   Paul Trollope 18 May 2016[15]
Nottingham Forest   Paul Williams Mutual consent 12 May 2016[16]   Philippe Montanier 27 June 2016[17]
Northampton Town   Chris Wilder Signed by Sheffield United 12 May 2016   Rob Page 19 May 2016
Sheffield United   Nigel Adkins Sacked 12 May 2016   Chris Wilder 12 May 2016
Rotherham United   Neil Warnock End of contract 18 May 2016[18]   Alan Stubbs 1 June 2016[19]
Blackpool   Neil McDonald Mutual consent 18 May 2016   Gary Bowyer 1 June 2016
Port Vale   Rob Page Signed by Northampton Town 19 May 2016   Bruno Ribeiro 20 June 2016
Manchester United   Louis van Gaal Sacked 23 May 2016   José Mourinho 27 May 2016
Reading   Brian McDermott 27 May 2016[20]   Jaap Stam 13 June 2016[21]
Derby County   Darren Wassall End of contract 27 May 2016[22]   Nigel Pearson 27 May 2016[23]
Oldham Athletic   John Sheridan Signed by Notts County 29 May 2016   Steve Robinson 9 July 2016
Leeds United   Steve Evans Sacked 31 May 2016[24]   Garry Monk 2 June 2016[25]
Aston Villa   Eric Black End of caretaker spell 2 June 2016   Roberto Di Matteo 2 June 2016[26]
Bradford City   Phil Parkinson Signed by Bolton Wanderers 10 June 2016   Stuart McCall 20 June 2016
Southampton   Ronald Koeman Signed by Everton 14 June 2016   Claude Puel 30 June 2016
Chelsea   Guus Hiddink End of caretaker spell 30 June 2016[27]   Antonio Conte 1 July 2016[27]
Manchester City   Manuel Pellegrini Mutual consent 30 June 2016[28]   Pep Guardiola 1 July 2016[29]
Watford   Quique Sánchez Flores 30 June 2016[30]   Walter Mazzarri 1 July 2016[31]
Hull City   Steve Bruce 22 July 2016[32]   Mike Phelan 22 July 2016
Sunderland   Sam Allardyce Signed by England 22 July 2016   David Moyes 23 July 2016
Fleetwood Town   Steven Pressley Resigned 26 July 2016   Uwe Rosler 30 July 2016
Wolverhampton Wanderers   Kenny Jackett Sacked 30 July 2016   Walter Zenga 30 July 2016
Leyton Orient   Andy Hessenthaler 26 September 2016 14th   Alberto Cavasin 2 October 2016
Newport County   Warren Feeney 28 September 2016 24th   Graham Westley 7 October 2016
Coventry City   Tony Mowbray Resigned 29 September 2016 24th   Russell Slade 21 December 2016
Aston Villa   Roberto Di Matteo Sacked 3 October 2016 19th   Steve Bruce 12 October 2016
Swansea City   Francesco Guidolin 3 October 2016 17th   Bob Bradley 3 October 2016
Cardiff City   Paul Trollope 4 October 2016 23rd   Neil Warnock 5 October 2016
Shrewsbury Town   Micky Mellon Signed by Tranmere Rovers 6 October 2016 22nd   Paul Hurst 24 October 2016
Derby County   Nigel Pearson Mutual consent 8 October 2016 20th   Steve McClaren 12 October 2016
Rotherham United   Alan Stubbs Sacked 19 October 2016 24th   Kenny Jackett 21 October 2016
Milton Keynes Dons   Karl Robinson Mutual consent 23 October 2016 19th   Robbie Neilson 3 December 2016
Grimsby Town   Paul Hurst Signed by Shrewsbury Town 24 October 2016 8th   Marcus Bignot 7 November 2016
Wolverhampton Wanderers   Walter Zenga Sacked 25 October 2016 18th   Paul Lambert 5 November 2016
Wigan Athletic   Gary Caldwell 25 October 2016 23rd   Warren Joyce 2 November 2016
Queens Park Rangers   Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 6 November 2016 17th   Ian Holloway 11 November 2016
Charlton Athletic   Russell Slade 14 November 2016 15th   Karl Robinson 24 November 2016
Mansfield Town   Adam Murray Resigned 14 November 2016 18th   Steve Evans 16 November 2016
Bury   David Flitcroft Mutual consent 16 November 2016 16th   Chris Brass 15 December 2016
Leyton Orient   Alberto Cavasin Sacked 23 November 2016 22nd   Andy Edwards 23 November 2016
Rotherham United   Kenny Jackett Resigned 29 November 2016 24th   Paul Warne 14 January 2017
Barnet   Martin Allen Signed by Eastleigh 1 December 2016 8th   Kevin Nugent 16 February 2016
Birmingham City   Gary Rowett Sacked 14 December 2016 7th   Gianfranco Zola 14 December 2016
Crystal Palace   Alan Pardew 22 December 2016 17th   Sam Allardyce 23 December 2016
Port Vale   Bruno Ribeiro Resigned 26 December 2016 17th   Michael Brown 26 December 2016
Swansea City   Bob Bradley Sacked 27 December 2016 19th   Paul Clement 2 January 2017[33]
Notts County   John Sheridan 2 January 2017 22nd   Kevin Nolan 12 January 2017
Gillingham   Justin Edinburgh 3 January 2017 17th   Adrian Pennock 4 January 2017
Hull City   Mike Phelan 3 January 2017 20th   Marco Silva 5 January 2017
Crewe Alexandra   Steve Davis 8 January 2017 18th   David Artell 8 January 2017
Chesterfield   Danny Wilson 8 January 2017 22nd   Gary Caldwell 17 January 2017
Northampton Town   Rob Page 9 January 2017 16th   Justin Edinburgh 13 January 2017
Oldham Athletic   Steve Robinson 12 January 2017 24th   John Sheridan 12 January 2017
Nottingham Forest   Philippe Montanier 14 January 2017 20th   Gary Brazil 9 February 2017
Hartlepool United   Craig Hignett Mutual consent 15 January 2017 19th   Dave Jones 18 January 2017
Leyton Orient   Andy Edwards Resigned 29 January 2017 23rd   Daniel Webb 29 January 2017
Bury   Chris Brass End of interim role 15 February 2017 21st   Lee Clark 15 February 2017
Blackburn Rovers   Owen Coyle Mutual consent 21 February 2017 23rd   Tony Mowbray 22 February 2017
Leicester City   Claudio Ranieri Sacked 23 February 2017[34] 17th   Craig Shakespeare 12 March 2017
Coventry City   Russell Slade 5 March 2017 24th   Mark Robins 6 March 2017
Newport County   Graham Westley 9 March 2017 24th   Michael Flynn 9 March 2017
Norwich City   Alex Neil 10 March 2017 8th   Alan Irvine 10 March 2017
Derby County   Steve McClaren 12 March 2017 10th   Gary Rowett 14 March 2017
Wigan Athletic   Warren Joyce Mutual consent 13 March 2017 23rd   Graham Barrow 13 March 2017
Nottingham Forest   Gary Brazil End of interim role 14 March 2017 20th   Mark Warburton 14 March 2017
Middlesbrough   Aitor Karanka Sacked 16 March 2017 19th   Steve Agnew 16 March 2017
Leyton Orient   Daniel Webb Resigned 30 March 2017 24th   Omer Riza 30 March 2017
Grimsby Town   Marcus Bignot Sacked 10 April 2017 14th   Russell Slade 12 April 2017
Barnet   Kevin Nugent Mutual consent 15 April 2017 16th   Rossi Eames 19 May 2017
Birmingham City   Gianfranco Zola Resigned 17 April 2017 20th   Harry Redknapp 18 April 2017
Hartlepool United   Dave Jones Mutual consent 24 April 2017 23rd   Craig Harrison 26 May 2017
Crawley Town   Dermot Drummy 4 May 2017 21st   Harry Kewell 23 May 2017
Swindon Town   Luke Williams 5 May 2017 22nd   David Flitcroft 5 June 2017

Diary of the season edit

  • 13 August: The new Premier League season starts with newly promoted Hull City beating champions Leicester City 2–1 at the KCOM Stadium. Pep Guardiola wins his first match as Manchester City manager, 2–1 against Sunderland.
  • 14 August: José Mourinho wins his first game as manager of Manchester United 3–1 against AFC Bournemouth at Dean Court. Arsenal are beaten 4–3 by Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
  • 15 August: Antonio Conte wins his first match as Chelsea manager 2–1 against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge.
  • 31 August: The first month of the new season ends with Manchester City, Chelsea, and Manchester United – all under new management – joint top with three wins out of three. Newly promoted Hull City and Middlesbrough have made promising starts on their return to the top flight and stand in fifth and sixth respectively, bookended by Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. Watford (18th), AFC Bournemouth and Stoke City are joint bottom with one point apiece, with Sunderland and Crystal Palace also with one point but less goals conceded. After five matches, the EFL Championship is led by Huddersfield Town and Fulham, both of whom struggled last season. Newly promoted Barnsley lead the play-off pack – Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and Bristol City – thanks to good goal-scoring form that sees them as the English Football League's second highest scoring side. Blackburn Rovers sit in last place with one point, joined in the relegation zone by Preston North End and Rotherham United; Wigan Athletic and Leeds United stay out of the drop zone on goal difference.
  • 27 September: Sam Allardyce is forced to step down as England manager after less than three months, following his recording by undercover journalists from The Daily Telegraph of him offering his services as a speaker for £400,000, insulting previous England manager Roy Hodgson, and criticising and suggesting ways around The Football Association's ban on third-party ownership of players. Under-21 coach Gareth Southgate is announced as interim manager of the team.
  • 30 September: Manchester City stand top of the Premier League, having won their first six games, with a four-point gap between them and Spurs and Everton. Arsenal and Liverpool stand joint fourth, with Manchester United and Crystal Palace not far behind. Sunderland drop to last place, with Stoke still in the relegation zone and West Ham now joining them after a poor run of form. Huddersfield continue to lead the Championship, with Norwich City now in second. Newcastle and Bristol City remain in the top six, now sandwiching Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, with Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday and Reading out of the top six due to goal difference. Rotherham are now bottom of the Championship, with Cardiff City and Blackburn two points ahead of the Millers and Wigan Athletic's superior goal difference keeping them out of the bottom three.
  • 23 October: Manchester City draw 1–1 with Southampton at the City of Manchester Stadium. Their city rivals, United, are smashed 4–0 by manager José Mourinho's former club Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The result is Mourinho's heaviest Premier League defeat, United's worst away loss since October 1999 (when they also lost to the same club by over four goals after they were hit for five), and the first time they were beaten by four goals or more in a match since losing to West Ham in the League Cup in November 2010.
  • 31 October: Manchester City maintain the lead in the Premier League, but a run of one win in their four games this month means that they are only separated from Arsenal and Liverpool by goal difference. A resurgent Chelsea have leapfrogged a still unbeaten Spurs into the last UEFA Champions League spot, while Everton, Watford, and Manchester United are some way off the top four. Sunderland have only won 2 points from their opening 10 games, beating Manchester City's record for the worst-ever start to a Premier League season, and remain stuck to the bottom of the table. Swansea City and Hull have now dropped into the relegation zone, with Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion, and West Ham now with a three-point buffer from 18th. In the Championship, poor October form from Huddersfield and Norwich (culminating in 5–0 away thrashings to Fulham and Brighton respectively in their last games of the month) have seen them drop to third and fourth, with Newcastle holding a three-point lead over Brighton at the top of the table. Reading have climbed to fifth; Bristol City hold on to sixth place, but with Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday still breathing down their necks. Rotherham are still bottom and eight points from safety, and Blackburn remains 23rd. A managerial change for Cardiff – with Neil Warnock replacing Paul Trollope – has seen the Bluebirds rise to 21st, but despite Wigan also sacking their manager they are now in the bottom three.
  • 1 November: Arsenal become the first English side to progress to the Champions League knockout rounds this season after defeating Ludogorets Razgrad 3–2.
  • 22 November: Leicester City secure passage to the knockout rounds of the Champions League by defeating Club Brugge 2–1. Tottenham Hotspur are not so lucky, however, and are eliminated after a 2–1 defeat to Monaco, leaving them needing to avoid defeat at CSKA Moscow in their final match in order to even get the consolation prize of transferring into the UEFA Europa League.
  • 23 November: Manchester City confirm qualification for the Champions League knockout rounds after holding Borussia Mönchengladbach to a 1–1 draw.
  • 30 November: Chelsea are now heading up what has become a very competitive title race, a single point ahead of Liverpool, who in turn are ahead of Manchester City by just one goal. Arsenal are two points behind City, and have a four-point cushion over rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Sunderland, Swansea and Hull still make up the relegation places, but a major improvement in form for Sunderland has left them bottom by just one point, and only three points off safety. Newcastle United and Brighton continue to lead the way in the Championship, six points and four points respectively ahead of third-placed Reading. Birmingham City and Leeds United have now entered the play-off spots, with Huddersfield just hanging on. At the bottom of the table, Rotherham United are eleven points adrift and already looking for their third manager of the season following the shock resignation of Kenny Jackett. Cardiff City have dropped back into the relegation zone on goal difference, with Wigan Athletic remaining there. Wolves are only outside the relegation spots on goal difference, with Blackburn Rovers and second-tier newcomers Burton Albion just a further point ahead. Gareth Southgate is confirmed as the next England manager.
  • 7 December: Tottenham Hotspur manage to stay in Europe by beating CSKA Moscow, meaning that they will finish third in their Champions League group and therefore progress into the knockout rounds of the Europa League.
  • 8 December: Manchester United secure passage to the Europa League's knockout rounds with a 2–0 victory over Zorya Luhansk, but Southampton's failure to beat Hapoel Be'er Sheva sees them eliminated.
  • 23 December: Sam Allardyce makes his return to football after just under three months, taking over at Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace, who sacked Alan Pardew a day beforehand.
  • 31 December: 2016 ends with Chelsea having broken clear of the chasing pack, now six points ahead of Liverpool. Manchester City are four points behind Liverpool after a 1–0 loss at Anfield earlier in the day, and Arsenal are two points behind City with a game in hand. Tottenham Hotspur remain fifth, a point behind Arsenal, and also with a game in hand over City. Swansea City have now fallen to the foot of the table and are looking for their third manager of the season following Bob Bradley's abortive reign in charge of the Welsh club, with Hull City just a point ahead of them. Sunderland's continued improvement has brought them up to third-bottom, though they're two points behind Crystal Palace having played a game more. Newcastle United and Brighton are now well clear at the top of the Championship, with Reading heading up an extremely competitive play-off race, followed by Huddersfield Town, Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday, with a resurgent Derby County only a point behind Wednesday. Despite a recent improvement, Rotherham United remain deep in trouble at the bottom of the table eleven points off safety. Wigan Athletic have fallen further into the mire, five points off safety, and Blackburn Rovers have fallen back into the relegation zone, three points behind a Cardiff City side who have a game in hand.
  • 7 January: The third round of the FA Cup sees three Premier League sides fall to lower-league opposition, with Bournemouth being eliminated by EFL League One side Millwall and Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion falling to Championship teams Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County. National League side Lincoln City also manage to force a replay against Championship side Ipswich Town.
  • 12 January: Former England manager Graham Taylor dies of a heart attack, at the age of 72.
  • 17 January: The FA Cup third round replays result in two notable upsets, with National League leaders Lincoln City knocking out Ipswich Town, and fellow National Leaguers Sutton United knocking out AFC Wimbledon, setting up a fourth round tie with Championship high-fliers Leeds United.
  • 28 January: The fourth round of the FA Cup sees National League leaders Lincoln City upset the odds again by dumping Championship leaders Brighton & Hove Albion out 3–1, becoming the eighth post-War non-League club to reach the fifth round. Liverpool also fall to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Newcastle United, who are second in the Championship, are eliminated by League One outfit Oxford United. Tottenham Hotspur also come perilously close to being knocked out by Wycombe Wanderers of EFL League Two, needing two goals in the final five minutes of their match to secure passage to the next round.
  • 29 January: The lowest ranked side still left in the FA Cup Sutton United join Lincoln City in the fifth round by beating Leeds United 1–0, becoming the ninth post-War non-League club to reach the fifth round and ensuring that 2 non league sides reach the last 16 of the competition for the first time since the current incarnation of the F.A. Cup came into existence.
  • 31 January: Although Chelsea's winning streak has been broken by Tottenham and Liverpool, their lead at the top of the table has extended to nine points. Spurs are up to second, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. A poor run of form has seen Liverpool fall to fourth, but they are the only team in the European hunt without the distraction of domestic and European cups for the rest of the season. Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton complete the top seven (all three holding a game in hand each). Swansea's form has improved under Paul Clement and they now stand in 17th, level on points with Middlesbrough and Leicester. Crystal Palace have fallen into the relegation zone, while Hull and Sunderland are five points adrift of Swansea. Brighton are two points ahead of Newcastle in the Championship; Reading are three points behind Newcastle, but have played two games more. Leeds and Huddersfield exchange fourth and fifth position, while Derby is now in the top six on goal difference. The relegation zone is unchanged, but Blackburn and Wigan are now three points behind Bristol City and Burton, the latter two teams having played a game more each.
  • 18 February: National League leaders Lincoln City make history by becoming the first non-league side to reach the quarter finals of the FA Cup since 1912.
  • 20 February: Sutton United finally bow out of the F.A. Cup, losing 2–0 to eventual cup winners Arsenal.
  • 23 February: Claudio Ranieri is sacked as Leicester City manager less than a year after their shock title victory, with the club still in the Champions League, but just one point outside the relegation places. Later that night, Tottenham Hotspur are eliminated from the Europa League after only managing to draw 2–2 against Gent, resulting in their elimination by 3–2 on aggregate.
  • 25 February: The East Anglian derby between Ipswich and Norwich finishes 1–1, while in League One Connor Ripley's two penalty saves–in the 90th and 95th minutes–are enough for relegation-threatened Oldham Athletic to hold Millwall to a goalless draw.[35]
  • 26 February: Manchester United win the first silverware of the domestic season, defeating Southampton 3–2 with a late goal by Zlatan Ibrahimović.
  • 28 February: With 12 games left in the season, it appears that the title is Chelsea's to lose, as they stand ten points clear of second-place Spurs. Manchester City have jumped to third and Arsenal remain in fourth. Liverpool's poor run of form in 2017 sees them finish February in fifth, with Manchester United still in sixth but with a game in hand. Everton remain seventh – depending on the winner of the FA Cup (Liverpool being the only top six team eliminated thus far), England's last Europa League spot may go to the Merseysiders or to West Bromwich Albion, only eight points behind. The relegation zone remains the same as it was in January, but the relegation battle continues to heat up as only three points separate Middlesbrough (17th) from Sunderland (20th). Things look rosier for Sunderland's rivals Newcastle, who now hold the two-point lead over Brighton at the top of the Championship and are eight clear of third-placed Huddersfield having played a game more. Leeds remain fourth, Reading fall to fifth, and Sheffield Wednesday climb to sixth. The Championship relegation zone remains unchanged for the second month running.
  • 7 March: Arsenal suffer a thumping Champions League exit after being beaten 5–1 by Bayern Munich for the second match in succession, resulting in a 10–2 loss on aggregate. While manager Arsène Wenger blames the loss on the dismissal of Laurent Koscielny early in the second half, the heavy nature of the loss leads to increasing speculation over Wenger's future at the club.
  • 11 March: Josh Wright scores a nine-minute hat-trick of penalties for Gillingham against former club Scunthorpe United in League One.[36]
  • 14 March: Leicester City progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, defeating Sevilla 2–0 at the King Power Stadium and winning 3–2 on aggregate, with a late penalty save from Kasper Schmeichel ultimately proving critical.
  • 15 March: Manchester City suffer elimination from the Champions League, after conceding a late goal in a 3–1 loss to Monaco, resulting in them losing via away goals after a 6–6 aggregate scoreline. This also makes City the second English team eliminated by Monaco this season (after they knocked out Tottenham Hotspur in the group stages), and leaves Leicester City as the only English club still in the competition.
  • 16 March: Gareth Southgate names four uncapped players – Burnley's Michael Keane, Michail Antonio of West Ham, and Southampton pair Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse – to his England squad to face Germany and Lithuania, while also included after long breaks are Jake Livermore and Jermain Defoe, who were last capped in 2012 and 2013 respectively.[37]
  • 17 March: Acquaintances renewed for the surviving English clubs in Europe as the draws pair Champions League Leicester with their 1997–98 UEFA Cup conquerors Atlético Madrid,[38] and Europa Leaguers Manchester United with 2000–01 UEFA Champions League opposition Anderlecht.[39]
  • 31 March: Chelsea continue to lead the way in the Premier League, and hold an increasingly unassailable-looking ten point lead over nearest challengers Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester City and Liverpool are two points and three points respectively behind Spurs, and a further four points separates Liverpool from Manchester United, who have finally moved off sixth place at the expense of Arsenal. Sunderland remain bottom, with Middlesbrough now having dropped into the relegation zone, behind Hull City. Newcastle United continue to lead the way in the Championship, four points ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion. A stutter for the south coast side has seen Huddersfield Town close to within three points of them, with Leeds United, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday continuing to make up the play-off spots. At the other end of the table, Rotherham United are all but doomed to relegation, as they need to win all of their remaining games while making up a 40-goal deficit to survive. Wigan Athletic look increasingly likely to join them, and are seven points off safety. Blackburn Rovers remain in the relegation zone, but are now just one point behind the three sides above them.
  • 1 April: Rotherham United become the first league side to be relegated this year, as a defeat to Fulham puts survival beyond reach for the side.[40]
  • 8 April: Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers win promotion from League One and League Two respectively, becoming the first league sides to be promoted this season. Rovers had only been relegated from League One the previous year, while United end a six-year absence from the Championship.
  • 14 April: Coventry City are relegated to League Two after failing to beat Charlton Athletic, in a match marked (and briefly held up) by repeated protests by the fans of both clubs against their respective owners. Chesterfield, the side above Coventry, are also effectively consigned to relegation after a defeat by Southend United, with the Spireites left needing to win all their remaining games while making up a deficit of 17 goals. In the National League, former League club Southport are relegated to the sixth tier of English football as the Sandgrounders' failure to beat Dover Athletic seals their fate with three matches remaining.[41]
  • 15 April: Sheffield United become the first divisional champions of the season without kicking a ball, as Bolton Wanderers' failure to defeat Oldham Athletic seals the League One title for the Blades.
  • 17 April: Plymouth Argyle and Portsmouth are promoted to League One for the first time since 2011 and 2013 respectively. Chesterfield are relegated to League Two after losing 3–1 to Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park. Later that day, Brighton & Hove Albion secure a return to the top-flight since 1983 after beating Wigan Athletic and following Huddersfield Town's televised failure to defeat Derby County. That result also clinches promotion for the south coast side, with closest rivals Newcastle United needing to win all three of their remaining games to overtake them.
  • 18 April: Leicester City, the last remaining English side in the Champions League, are eliminated 2–1 on aggregate by Atletico Madrid, after only being able to draw 1–1 at home with the Spanish side.
  • 20 April: Manchester United progress to the semi-finals of the Europa League after defeating Anderlecht with a goal in extra-time at Old Trafford, marking the first occasion they have progressed so far in the competition.
  • 21 April: With Brighton & Hove Albion needing a win at Norwich City to seal the Championship title, goalkeeper David Stockdale scores two freakish own goals that delays the club from clinching said title for a little while yet.
  • 22 April: Financially stricken Leyton Orient are relegated from the Football League for the first time in their history, after losing to fellow strugglers Crewe Alexandra. Coming in the other direction are Lincoln City, whose victory over Macclesfield Town secures them promotion back to the Football League after a six-year absence.
  • 25 April: Huddersfield Town secure their place in the 2017 Football League play-offs with victory over Wolves.[42]
  • 26 April: Burnley midfielder Joey Barton receives an 18-month suspension after admitting betting offences; the player has appealed against the length of the sentence, handed down in response to "over 1,200" football bets.[43]
  • 27 April: The Thursday night Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium finishes goalless, and the away side have Marouane Fellaini sent-off.[44]
  • 28 April: Tottenham Hotspur announce that after moving from White Hart Lane next month, they will play their home matches next season at Wembley Stadium, after which they will move to the new Northumberland Development Project, built on the existing stadium site.[45]
  • 29 April: York City, a League side from 1930 to 2004 and 2012 to 2016, are relegated for the second successive season, becoming the first-ever side to be relegated from the Football League and then fifth tier in successive seasons.[46] Later that day, Sunderland are relegated from the Premier League for the first time since 2006 after losing 1–0 to AFC Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light and Wigan Athletic suffer an immediate relegation back to League One after losing 1–0 to Reading at the Madejski Stadium. Leyton Orient's final home game of the season is delayed by two hours and ultimately finished behind closed doors, after fans of the already-relegated side invade the pitch to protest against owner Francesco Becchetti's management of the club.
  • 30 April: Bolton Wanderers return to the Championship after just one season, following a 3–0 victory against Peterborough United at the Macron Stadium. At the other end of the League One table, Port Vale are relegated after a goalless draw at Fleetwood Town, with Fleetwood joining Scunthorpe United, Bradford City and Millwall in the Play Offs.
  • 5 May: Second-placed Tottenham are beaten 1–0 by West Ham at the Olympic Stadium they had once hoped to inhabit, missing the opportunity to reduce Chelsea's lead at the top of the Premier League to one point; a result that was described by NBC Sports as "the night Tottenham's latest title bid ended".[47]
  • 8 May: Middlesbrough are relegated to Championship following their 3–0 away loss against Chelsea, who now need a victory from their next fixture to win the Premier League.
  • 12 May: Chelsea are crowned the champions of Premier League after their 1–0 away win over West Bromwich Albion. The winning goal was scored by Michy Batshuayi.
  • 14 May: Hull City became the final team to be relegated from the Premier League after getting thrashed 4–0 away by Crystal Palace, who by the virtue of this victory have secured their own top-flight status for the next season. This result also ensures the safety of Swansea City, who have defeated 2–0 Sunderland at the Stadium of Light the day before.

Deaths edit

Retirements edit

References edit

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