The 1997–98 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the FA Premier League. It saw Arsenal lift their first league title since 1991[3] and, in so doing, became only the second team to win The Double for the second time.
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 August 1997 – 10 May 1998 |
| Champions | Arsenal 1st Premier League title 11th English title |
| Relegated | Bolton Wanderers Barnsley Crystal Palace |
| Champions League | Arsenal Manchester United |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Chelsea Newcastle United |
| UEFA Cup | Aston Villa (through UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking) Blackburn Rovers Leeds United Liverpool |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | Crystal Palace |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 1,019 (2.68 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Dion Dublin Michael Owen Chris Sutton (18 goals each) |
| Best goalkeeper | Peter Schmeichel (16 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Manchester United 7–0 Barnsley (25 October 1997) |
| Biggest away win | Barnsley 0–6 Chelsea (24 August 1997) |
| Highest scoring | Blackburn Rovers 7–2 Sheffield Wednesday (25 August 1997) |
| Longest winning run | 10 games[1] Arsenal |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 games[1] Arsenal |
| Longest winless run | 15 games[1] Crystal Palace |
| Longest losing run | 8 games[1] Crystal Palace |
| Highest attendance | 55,306 Manchester United 2–0 Wimbledon (28 March 1998) |
| Lowest attendance | 7,668 Wimbledon 4–1 Barnsley (23 September 1997) |
| Total attendance | 11,100,919[2] |
| Average attendance | 29,213[2] |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
It was Arsenal's first full season under French manager Arsène Wenger, who became the third manager to win the Premier League. Wenger followed in the footsteps of Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish and, while both Ferguson and Dalglish were Scottish, Wenger was the first manager from outside the British Isles to win a league title in England.
Season summary edit
At the end of the 1997–98 FA Premier League season, a record total of nine English teams qualified for European competition.
Premiership champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, while UEFA Cup places went to Liverpool, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers. Qualifying for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup were Chelsea (as defending champions) and FA Cup runners-up Newcastle United. Crystal Palace, while finishing bottom, qualified for the Intertoto Cup.[4]
The gap between the Premier League and Division One of the Football League was highlighted at the end of 1997–98 when all three newly promoted teams were relegated. Crystal Palace were confined to bottom place in the final table having won just two home games all season. Barnsley's first season in the top division ended in relegation, although they did reach the FA Cup quarter finals and knock out Manchester United in the Fifth Round. Bolton Wanderers went down on goal difference, with 17th place being occupied by Everton: despite preserving top flight football there for the 45th season running, Howard Kendall quit as manager at Goodison Park after his third spell in charge.
Another mark of the gap was that the three relegated teams in the previous season took the top three places in the 1997–98 Football League. Had Sunderland not lost the play-off final to Charlton Athletic on penalty shootout, the 20 teams from 1998–99 Premier League would have been exactly the same as those in the 1996–97 Premier League.
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 Bolton Wanderers (returning after a season's absence), Barnsley (playing in the top flight for the first and only time) and Crystal Palace (playing in the top flight after a two year absence). They replaced Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest, who were relegated to the First Division after top flight spells of one, two and three years respectively.
Stadiums and locations edit
London
Locations of the 1997–98 Premier League teams
Greater London Premier League football clubs
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | London (Highbury) | Arsenal Stadium | 38,419 |
| Aston Villa | Birmingham | Villa Park | 42,573 |
| Barnsley | Barnsley | Oakwell | 23,287 |
| Blackburn Rovers | Blackburn | Ewood Park | 31,367 |
| Bolton Wanderers | Bolton | Reebok Stadium | 28,723 |
| Chelsea | London (Fulham) | Stamford Bridge | 42,055 |
| Coventry City | Coventry | Highfield Road | 23,489 |
| Crystal Palace | London (Selhurst) | Selhurst Park | 26,074 |
| Derby County | Derby | Pride Park Stadium[a] | 33,597 |
| Everton | Liverpool (Walton) | Goodison Park | 40,569 |
| Leeds United | Leeds | Elland Road | 40,242 |
| Leicester City | Leicester | Filbert Street | 22,000 |
| Liverpool | Liverpool (Anfield) | Anfield | 45,522 |
| Manchester United | Manchester | Old Trafford | 55,385 |
| Newcastle United | Newcastle upon Tyne | St James' Park | 52,387 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield | Hillsborough Stadium | 39,732 |
| Southampton | Southampton | The Dell | 15,200 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | London (Tottenham) | White Hart Lane | 36,240 |
| West Ham United | London (Upton Park) | Boleyn Ground | 35,647 |
| Wimbledon | London (Selhurst) | Selhurst Park[b] | 26,074 |
- ^ Derby County relocated to the Pride Park Stadium as their new home stadium after spending 102 years at Baseball Ground.
- ^ 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
A list of personnel and kits of the clubs in the 1997–98 FA Premier League.
Managerial changes edit
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest |  Stuart Pearce
|
End of caretaker spell | 8 May 1997 | Pre-season | Dave Bassett
|
8 May 1997 |
| Everton | Dave Watson
|
10 May 1997 | Howard Kendall
|
10 May 1997 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | Tony Parkes
|
1 June 1997 | Roy Hodgson
|
1 June 1997 | ||
| Southampton |  Graeme Souness
|
Resigned | Dave Jones
|
23 June 1997 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | David Pleat
|
Sacked | 3 November 1997[5] | 20th |  Peter Shreeves (caretaker)
|
3 November 1997 |
| Peter Shreeves (caretaker)
|
End of caretaker spell | 14 November 1997 | 19th | Ron Atkinson (caretaker)
|
14 November 1997 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Gerry Francis
|
Resigned | 19 November 1997 | 16th |  Christian Gross
|
19 November 1997 |
| Chelsea |  Ruud Gullit
|
Sacked | 12 February 1998 | 2nd |  Gianluca Vialli
|
12 February 1998 |
| Aston Villa | Brian Little
|
Resigned | 24 February 1998 | 15th | John Gregory
|
25 February 1998 |
| Crystal Palace | Steve Coppell
|
Promoted to director of football | 13 March 1998 | 20th | Attilio Lombardo (caretaker)[a]
|
13 March 1998 |
| Attilio Lombardo
|
Resigned | 29 April 1998 | Ron Noades Ray Lewington (caretakers)[b]
|
29 April 1998 |
- ^ Swedish striker Tomas Brolin served as Italian-to-English interpreter for Lombardo
- ^ Noades and Lewington acted as co-managers
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 68 | 33 | +35 | 78 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Manchester United | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 73 | 26 | +47 | 77 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Liverpool | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 68 | 42 | +26 | 65 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Chelsea | 38 | 20 | 3 | 15 | 71 | 43 | +28 | 63 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a] |
| 5 | Leeds United | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 59 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[b] |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 58 | |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 57 | |
| 8 | West Ham United | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 56 | |
| 9 | Derby County | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 55 | |
| 10 | Leicester City | 38 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 51 | 41 | +10 | 53 | |
| 11 | Coventry City | 38 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 52 | |
| 12 | Southampton | 38 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 48 | |
| 13 | Newcastle United | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 35 | 44 | −9 | 44 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[c] |
| 14 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 56 | −12 | 44 | |
| 15 | Wimbledon | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 34 | 46 | −12 | 44 | |
| 16 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 52 | 67 | −15 | 44 | |
| 17 | Everton | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 41 | 56 | −15 | 40 | |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers (R) | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 41 | 61 | −20 | 40 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 19 | Barnsley (R) | 38 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 37 | 82 | −45 | 35 | |
| 20 | Crystal Palace[d] (R) | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 37 | 71 | −34 | 33 | Intertoto Cup third round and relegation to the First Division |
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as defending champions. As they were also the League Cup winners, the UEFA Cup berth vacated was awarded to Blackburn Rovers.
- ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
- ^ As Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their Cup Winners' Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.
- ^ Crystal Palace qualified for the 1998 Intertoto Cup as they were the only English team who applied.
Results edit
Season statistics edit
Scoring edit
Top scorers edit
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| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dion Dublin
|
Coventry City | 18 |
| Michael Owen
|
Liverpool | ||
| Chris Sutton
|
Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 4 | Dennis Bergkamp
|
Arsenal | 16 |
| Kevin Gallacher
|
Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
|
Leeds United | ||
| 7 | Andy Cole
|
Manchester United | 15 |
| John Hartson
|
West Ham United | ||
| 9 | Darren Huckerby
|
Coventry City | 14 |
| 10 |  Paulo Wanchope
|
Derby County | 13 |
Hat-tricks edit
Chelsea's Gianluca Vialli and Tottenham's Jürgen Klinsmann both scored four goals in a match during the 1997–98 Premier League season. In addition, Vialli scored a perfect hat-trick (left foot, right foot, header).
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dion Dublin |
Coventry City | Chelsea | 3–2 (A) | 9 August 1997 | [6] |
| Chris Sutton |
Blackburn Rovers | Aston Villa | 4–0 (A) | 13 August 1997 | [7] |
| Gianluca Vialli4 P |
Chelsea | Barnsley | 6–0 (A) | 24 August 1997 | [8] |
| Dennis Bergkamp |
Arsenal | Leicester City | 3–3 (A) | 27 August 1997 | [9] |
| Ian Wright |
Arsenal | Bolton Wanderers | 4–1 (H) | 13 September 1997 | [10] |
 Patrik Berger |
Liverpool | Chelsea | 4–2 (H) | 5 October 1997 | [11] |
| Andy Cole |
Manchester United | Barnsley | 7–0 (H) | 25 October 1997 | [12] |
| Andy Booth |
Sheffield Wednesday | Bolton Wanderers | 5–0 (H) | 8 November 1997 | [13] |
| Gianfranco Zola |
Chelsea | Derby County | 4–0 (H) | 29 November 1997 | [14] |
 Tore André Flo |
Chelsea | Tottenham Hotspur | 6–1 (A) | 6 December 1997 | [15] |
| Duncan Ferguson |
Everton | Bolton Wanderers | 3–2 (H) | 28 December 1997 | [16] |
| Kevin Gallacher |
Blackburn Rovers | Aston Villa | 5–0 (H) | 17 January 1998 | [17] |
| Michael Owen |
Liverpool | Sheffield Wednesday | 3–3 (A) | 14 February 1998 | [18] |
| Chris Sutton |
Blackburn Rovers | Leicester City | 5–3 (A) | 28 February 1998 | [19] |
| Darren Huckerby |
Coventry City | Leeds United | 3–3 (A) | 25 April 1998 | [20] |
 Jürgen Klinsmann4 |
Tottenham Hotspur | Wimbledon | 6–2 (A) | 2 May 1998 | [21] |
- Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; P Player scored a perfect hat-trick; (H) – Home; (A) – Away
Awards edit
Monthly awards edit
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| August | Roy Hodgson
|
Blackburn Rovers | Dennis Bergkamp
|
Arsenal |
| September |  Martin O'Neill
|
Leicester City | ||
| October | Alex Ferguson
|
Manchester United | Paulo Wanchope
|
Derby County |
| November | George Graham
|
Leeds United | Andy Cole Kevin Davies
|
Manchester United Southampton |
| December | Roy Hodgson
|
Blackburn Rovers | Steve McManaman
|
Liverpool |
| January | Howard Kendall
|
Everton | Dion Dublin
|
Coventry City |
| February | Gordon Strachan
|
Coventry City | Chris Sutton
|
Blackburn Rovers |
| March |  Arsène Wenger
|
Arsenal |  Alex Manninger
|
Arsenal |
| April | Emmanuel Petit
|
Arsenal | ||
Annual awards edit
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League Manager of the Season | Arsène Wenger[22]
|
Arsenal |
| Premier League Player of the Season | Michael Owen[22]
|
Liverpool |
| PFA Players' Player of the Year | Dennis Bergkamp[23]
|
Arsenal |
| PFA Young Player of the Year | Michael Owen[24]
|
Liverpool |
| FWA Footballer of the Year | Dennis Bergkamp[25]
|
Arsenal |
| PFA Team of the Year | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Nigel Martyn (Leeds United)
| |||||||||||
| Defence | Gary Neville (Manchester United)
|
Gary Pallister (Manchester United)
|
Colin Hendry (Blackburn Rovers)
|
Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea)
| ||||||||
| Midfield | David Beckham (Manchester United)
|
Nicky Butt (Manchester United)
|
David Batty (Newcastle United)
|
Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
| ||||||||
| Attack | Michael Owen (Liverpool)
|
Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)
| ||||||||||
See also edit
References and notes edit
- ^ a b c d "English Premier League 1997–98". statto.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Premier League 1997/1998 » Attendance » Home matches". WorldFootball.net. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Honours". Arsenal. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ^ League tables and results for English football leagues, 1997–98 season. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
- ^ "Sheffield Wednesday search for new boss". BBC Sport. 4 November 1997. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ White, Clive (10 August 1997). "Football: Dublin exposes Chelsea's flaw". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Anderson, David. "Blackburn 5 Aston Villa 0". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Hodgson, Guy (25 August 1997). "Football: Barnsley exposed by Vialli". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "In pictures: Dennis Bergkamp's 100 Arsenal goals". BBC Sport. 4 January 2003. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Arsenal 4–1 Bolton Wanderers". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 16 May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Liverpool 4–2 Chelsea". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 16 May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Anderson, David. "Manchester United 7–0 Barnsley". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Culley, Jon (10 November 1997). "Football: Shreeves reaps reward of Pleat's long-term plan". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Lipton, Martin. "Chelsea 4 Derby 0". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Shaw, Phil (7 December 1997). "Football: Tottenham's revival hopes threatened by Venglos factor". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Ferguson hits hat-trick for Everton". BBC News. 28 December 1997. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Culley, Jon (18 January 1998). "Football: Villa cut down by Gallacher". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Sheffield Wednesday 3–3 Liverpool". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 17 May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Hodgson, Guy (2 March 1998). "Football: Why Sutton should eat humble pie". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Rodgers, Ian. "Leeds 3 Coventry 3". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Griffiths, Wyn (4 May 1996). "Football: Klinsmann muddies the water". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ a b "Seasonal Awards 1997/98" Archived 9 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
- ^ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year". Retrieved 21 September 2006.
- ^ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year". Retrieved 21 September 2006.
- ^ "England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year". Retrieved 21 September 2006.