2007/2008 SEASON
Sunday 11th May 2008
| Pld W D L F A | Pld W D L F A | Pld W D L F A GD Pts |
1. MANCHESTER UNITED 19 17 1 1 47 7 19 10 5 4 33 15 38 27 6 5 80 22 +58 87
2. Chelsea 19 12 7 0 36 13 19 13 3 3 29 13 38 25 10 3 65 26 +39 85
3. Arsenal 19 14 5 0 37 11 19 10 6 3 37 20 38 24 11 3 74 31 +43 83
4. Liverpool 19 12 6 1 43 13 19 9 7 3 24 15 38 21 13 4 67 28 +39 76
5. Everton 19 11 4 4 34 17 19 8 4 7 21 16 38 19 8 11 55 33 +22 65
- - - - - - - - - - - AUTOMATIC EUROPEAN QUALIFICATION - - - - - - - - - -
6. Aston Villa 19 10 3 6 34 22 19 6 9 4 37 29 38 16 12 10 71 51 +20 60
7. Blackburn Rovers 19 8 7 4 26 19 19 7 6 6 24 29 38 15 13 10 50 48 +2 58
8. Portsmouth 19 7 8 4 24 14 19 9 1 9 24 26 38 16 9 13 48 40 +8 57
9. Manchester City 19 11 4 4 28 20 19 4 6 9 17 33 38 15 10 13 45 53 -8 55
10. West Ham United 19 7 7 5 24 24 19 6 3 10 18 26 38 13 10 15 42 50 -8 49
11. Tottenham Hotspur 19 8 5 6 46 34 19 3 8 8 20 27 38 11 13 14 66 61 +5 46
12. Newcastle United 19 8 5 6 25 26 19 3 5 11 20 39 38 11 10 17 45 65 -20 43
13. Middlesbrough 19 7 5 7 27 23 19 3 7 9 16 30 38 10 12 16 43 53 -10 42
14. Wigan Athletic 19 8 5 6 21 17 19 2 5 12 13 34 38 10 10 18 34 51 -17 40
15. Sunderland 19 9 3 7 23 21 19 2 3 14 13 38 38 11 6 21 36 59 -23 39
16. Bolton Wanderers 19 7 5 7 23 18 19 2 5 12 13 36 38 9 10 19 36 54 -18 37
17. Fulham 19 5 5 9 22 31 19 3 7 9 16 29 38 8 12 18 38 60 -22 36
- - - - - - - - - - - RELEGATED TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP - - - - - - - - - -
18. Reading 19 8 2 9 19 25 19 2 4 13 22 41 38 10 6 22 41 66 -25 36
19. Birmingham City 19 6 8 5 30 23 19 2 3 14 16 39 38 8 11 19 46 62 -16 35
20. Derby County 19 1 5 13 12 43 19 0 3 16 8 46 38 1 8 29 20 89 -69 11
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIERS:
Manchester United
Chelsea
Arsenal
Liverpool
UEFA CUP QUALIFIERS:
Everton
Tottenham Hotspur (Carling Cup Winners)
Portsmouth (FA Cup Winners)
Manchester City (Fair Play Competition Winners)
INTERTOTO CUP:
Aston Villa
PROMOTED FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP:
West Bromwich Albion (1st)
Stoke City (2nd)
Hull City (Play-off Winners)
RELEGATED TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP:
Reading
Birmingham City
Derby County
Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea
(After Extra Time; Man Utd won 3-0 on penalties)
FA CUP FINAL:
Portsmouth 1-0 Cardiff City
CARLING CUP FINAL:
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea
(After Extra Time; 1-1 after 90 minutes)
ARSENAL
League: 3rd
FA Cup: 4th Round
League Cup: Semi-Finals
Champion's League: Quarter-Finals
Biggest Victory: 5-0 (h) Derby County
Heaviest Defeat: 1-5 (a) Tottenham Hotspur (League Cup)
Another trophyless season for the Gunners, which had begun so brilliantly. They went unbeaten in the league until December, when a 2-1 loss at Middlesbrough temporarily halted their title challenge. But it was at the lunchtime kick-off on 10th February at Birmingham when things went badly wrong for the Arsenal - Croatian star striker Eduardo's leg was broken by a mistimed tackle by Martin Taylor, and after a inexplicable lapse in concentration by defender Gael Clichy, who gave away a stoppage time penalty, and which also saw captain William Gallas have a tantrum on the pitch, the Gunners dropped two crucial points in a 2-2 draw. Their next 3 league games finished in draws against weaker opposition, and untimely 2-1 away losses at rival championship contenders Chelsea and Manchester United over the Easter period ended their title hopes for another year. In a bad start to 2008, the Gunners were also dumped out of both domestic cup competitions after heavy away defeats to Manchester United and Tottenham, and became the first English team to exit the Champion's League after a thrilling 4-2 defeat in the second leg of the quarter-final tie against Liverpool at Anfield.
ASTON VILLA
League: 6th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
Biggest Victory: 6-0 (a) Derby County
Heaviest Defeat: 0-4 (a) Manchester United
Martin O'Neill's ever-improving Aston Villa side were the second-highest scorers in the league, possessing a deadly threat with the likes of Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew, and managed to net 71 in total in the Premier League. They nearly became the first team to win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in nearly 4 years when they raced into a 2-0 lead before half-time. However, the home side - who finished with 9 men - recovered remarkably to lead 3-2 before 10-man Villa netted a 94th minute penalty through Gareth Barry to earn a point in a thrilling 4-4 draw. The Villans had earlier beaten the Blues 2-0 at Villa Park, and were involved in another 4-4 goalfest, this time at Spurs, where they threw away a 4-1 lead early in the second half. Villa remained in the race for Europe throughout the season, eventually just missing out on the automatic UEFA Cup spot, which went to 5th-placed Everton on the final day of the season. Villa subsequently qualified for the Intertoto Cup, but will hope to improve on their domestic cup form next year, having lost to Manchester United at home in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. and being embarrassingly dumped out at home to East Midlands rivals Leicester City 0-1 in the Carling Cup.
BIRMINGHAM CITY
League: 19th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
Biggest Victory: 4-1 (h) Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers
Heaviest Defeat: 1-5 (a) Aston Villa
Birmingham made an immediate return to the Championship after just a solitary season in the Premier League. Manager Steve Bruce left for Wigan halfway through the season after the uncertainty over Carson Yeung's takeover bid, but his replacement, ex-Scotland manager Alex McLeish, could not guide the Blues away from the drop zone despite the Midlands side seeming relatively safe from danger until the climax to the season. Infact, McLeish's reign began in perfect fashion, with a thrilling 3-2 away victory at Tottenham in November, but they found victories hard to come by, only winning 8 league games. The FA Cup campaign was forgettable as City were dumped out in round 3 by League One side Huddersfield Town 2-1. Worse was to follow, as they lost a derby game at Villa Park 5-1 over the Easter period, and despite a crushing 4-1 triumph at home to Blackburn on the finial day of the season, victories for Fulham and Reading condemned Brum to the drop, as they finished in 19th spot.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
League: 7th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
League Cup: Quarter-Finals
Biggest Victory: 4-1 (h) Bolton Wanderers
Heaviest Defeat: 0-4 (h) Aston Villa
Another solid season for Rovers, who will have to do without the services of manager Mark Hughes, who is on his way to fill the vacant manger's position at Manchester City. New signing Roque Santa Cruz made a big impact in his first season at Ewood Park, scoring a hat-trick in a 5-3 loss at Wigan, and helped guide the team to another top ten finish, although the Lancashire side just missed out on European qualification in 7th position. Fortunes in the cup competitions were mixed; the team were humbled by lowly Championship side Coventry City in the FA Cup, who defeated Rovers 4-1 at Ewood Park, whilst the side were out of the UEFA Cup by Christmas.
BOLTON WANDERERS
League: 16th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
UEFA Cup: Quarter-Finals
Biggest Victory: 4-1 (h) Wigan Athletic
Heaviest Defeat: 0-4 (a) Liverpoool, Aston Villa
New manager Sammy Lee struggled to make an impact at Bolton early on and was relieved of his duties after just one win (a 3-0 home win against Reading) inside the opening eleven league games. Gary Megson - by no means a popular choice amongst the fans - was given the job, but the Trotters struggled for goals and points as star striker Nicolas Anelka left for Chelsea in January. Despite that, Bolton made excellent progress in the UEFA Cup, reaching the quarter-finals, and defeated Manchester United 1-0 at The Reebok in November as they seemed comfortably placed by Christmas. However, a poor spell in the new year meant the Greater Manchester side slipped into danger at the wrong end of the table, and all hope seemed lost after Wanderers threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Arsenal, losing 2-3, followed by a 4-0 thumping at Aston Villa over Easter. However consecutive 1-0 wins over West Ham and Middlesbrough, along with valuable draws at Spurs and Chelsea on the final day meant the team survived the drop, and they will now hope for a better 2008-09 campaign.
CHELSEA
League: 2nd
FA Cup: Quarter-Finals
League Cup: Runners-up
Champion's League: Runners-up
Biggest Victory: 6-0 (h) Manchester City
Heaviest Defeat: 0-2 (a) Aston Villa, Manchester United
Despite going top of the league after two wins from the opening two matches, manager Jose Mourinho was sacked after the Blues won just one of their next four games, culminating with a disappointing 1-1 home draw to Rosenborg in the Champion's League. Avram Grant was suprisingly given the job, but his first game was a 2-0 defeat to rivals Manchester United, which saw the Blues slip to 8th place in the league. A disappointing 0-0 home draw with West London neighbours Fulham followed, but the team went on an extraordinary league run until the end of the season, losing just one match - a 0-1 loss at Arsenal in December. The team made good progress in the cup competitions, but Grant's tactics came under scrutiny as they lost the Carling Cup final 2-1 to Tottenham in February. Another cup exit followed - a shock 1-0 defeat to the hands of Championship outfit Barnsley at Oakwell saw the side embarrassingly dumped out of the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage. Despite these setbacks, Chelsea closed the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester United, after a 2-1 win over the Red Devils at Stamford Bridge in April, but ultimately lost out on the final day when United sealed the Championship title with a win at Wigan. However, the Blues had a chance for revenge on United when the sides met in the Champion's League final in Moscow. Unfortunately for them, it was not to be, as John Terry spurned the chance to win the cup when he slipped over on the wet turf and his penalty kick rebounded off the post; Nicolas Anelka missed in the sudden death shootout, and Chelsea ended the season trophyless. Avram Grant was sacked and it has been announced the current Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will take over at the Bridge from July.
DERBY COUNTY
League: 20th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
Biggest Victory: 1-0 (h) Newcastle United
Heaviest Defeat: 0-6 (a) Liverpool, (h) Aston Villa
Derby were hopelessly unprepared for the challenge of Premier League football, as their woeful lack of quality saw them set many unwanted records along the way of what is the worst-ever performance in a Premier League season. So bad were the Rams that they became the first-ever Premier League side to be relegated in March, and picked up a record low 11 points, which included just a solitary win - 1-0 against Newcastle in September. On no fewer than 9 occasions, the Rams conceded 4 or more goals, four of those times they conceded 6, leading to them shipping a total of 89 goals, whilst just netting 20 at the right end. Billy Davies was sacked after a 0-2 home defeat to Chelsea before the new year, but new manager Paul Jewell couldn't turn around the club's hopeless predicament, failing to win any of his games for the rest of the season. If the league form was utterly humiliating, the cup competitions didn't provide any respite for Derby either, as they exited to Championship sides in both the League Cup and FA Cup, which saw them trounced by Preston North End at home 1-4 in the 3rd Round of the competition. In total, Derby went on an incredible winless run of 32 games from September to the end of the season, and they failed to pick up a point in the final two months of the campaign.
EVERTON
League: 5th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
League Cup: Semi-Finals
UEFA Cup: Quarter-Finals
Biggest Victory: 7-1 (h) Sunderland
Heaviest Defeat: 1-4 (h) Arsenal
David Moyes' Everton side continued their steady improvement as they qualified for their second consecutive UEFA Cup campaign with another top-six finish. However, it looked like the club could have eclipsed their eventual 5th-placed finish after a tight battle with Merseyside rivals Liverpool for the final Champion's League spot (4th position), but ulitmately the club could not sustain their superb form in the final months of the campaign. A successful season was helped by decent progress in the cup competitions, as the Toffees reached the last eight of the UEFA Cup before bowing out to Fiorentina after a penalty shoot-out; the club also reached the last four of the League Cup, but were defeated 3-1 on aggregate over two legs by Chelsea. The FA Cup did not prove so successful, as the team were upset by League One side Oldham Athletic, who triumphed 1-0 at Goodison Park in the 3rd Round. The early-season signings of players like Yakubu, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines and Joleon Lescott made the team a force to be reckoned with, and they will hope to break into the top four next season after anotehr strong campaign.
FULHAM
League: 17th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
Biggest Victory: 3-1 (h) Reading
Heaviest Defeat: 1-5 (a) Tottenham Hotspur
Despite having a larger budget with which to bolster his squad with, manager Lawrie Sanchez was given the sack after the Cottagers won just two games before Christmas. The experienced Roy Hodgson was his replacement, but Fulham's fortunes didn't seem to change, as the club were marooned in 19th spot as the season came to a close. However, with just 3 games to go the team staged a remarkable fightback at Manchester City, having been 2-0 down with under 20 minutes remaining, a double from Diamansy Kamara and a Danny Murphy penalty saw the visitors win an incredible game 3-2. Had they lost, Fulham would have been relegated on the day. But another crucial win against relegation rivals Birmingham followed, and Fulham just needed a win against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on the final day to ensure survival. Danny Murphy was the hero, as he popped up with a 76th-minute header to win the game for Fulham 1-0. A stunning turnaround had seen the club climb from 19th to 17th position with 3 consecutive wins in the final 3 games.
LIVERPOOL
League: 4th
FA Cup: 5th Round
League Cup: Quarter-Finals
Champion's League: Semi-Finals
Biggest Victory: 8-0 (h) Besiktass (Champion's League)
Heaviest Defeat: 0-3 (a) Manchester United
Although the Reds went top of the league after four games, their titles hopes again never really lived up to expectation and they were forced to settle with 4th spot, despite going unbeaten until December and losing only four games in the Premier League. The problem for LIverpool was they drew too many games - 13 in total in the league. Again they were a force to be reckoned with in Europe, reaching the semi-finals of the Champion's League before losing in exrta-time to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge; the same club knocked them out of the Carling Cup at the quarter-finals stage. The club had a disappointing exit in the FA Cup, being dumped out by Championship side Barnsley at Anfield, and after they had taken a 1-0 lead at half-time. In the previous round, the Reds were nearly embarrassed by Conference South side Havant & Waterlooville, who shocked the Reds by incredibly twice taking the lead, before normal serivce was resumed as the home side won 5-2. Summer signing Fernando Torres proved a major hit with the Anfield faithful, notching 23 goals in his first season.
MANCHESTER CITY
League: 9th
FA Cup: 4th Round
Biggest Victory: 4-2 (h) Bolton Wanderers
Heaviest Defeat: 1-8 (a) Middlesbrough
Sven Goran-Eriksson's reign began brightly with 3 wins from their first 3 league games, including a 1-0 derby victory at home to Manchester United, as City soared to the top of the Premier League. However their poor away form prevented the Citizens from mounting a serious top 4 challenge, as they ended the season with just 4 away wins, although that did include a memorable 2-1 win at Old Trafford in February, which completed a double over the champions. In contrast, their home form was superb, as City remained unbeaten for their first 12 games at Eastlands, winning all of their first nine as they remained comfortably in the top six before Christmas. However, the second half of their season fell away badly, as City's league form slumped and they were shocked in the 4th round of the FA Cup when they were beaten by Championship side Sheffield United 2-1 at Brammall Lane. But despite major improvements on last season, it was revealed that owner Thakin Siniwatra was looking to replace Eriksson, and eventually gave the Swede the sack just after the season finished. City lost their final 3 games as their hopes for European qualification via the league evapourated; Eriksson's last game in charge was a humiliating 8-1 drubbing at Middlesbrough on the final day. However, Manchester City qualified for Europe via the Fair Play League, which they finished top of, and Mark Hughes was named as Eriksson's successor during the close season.
MANCHESTER UNITED
League: 1st
FA Cup: Quarter-Finals
League Cup: 3rd Round
Champion's League: Winners
Biggest Victory: 6-0 (h) Newcastle United
Heaviest Defeat: 0-2 (h) Coventry City (League Cup)
United's season began disastrously, as the defending champions failed to win any of their first 3 league games, seeing them plummet into the relegation zone. However, Ferguson's side soon found form and rose up the table with a succession of 1-0 wins. The Red Devils were soon top of the table, despite setbacks at Bolton and West Ham before Christmas, but the goals of Christiano Ronaldo, who scored more than 40 in all competitions for 2007-08, kept United challenging with Arsenal and Chelsea for the Premier League title. United dealt a big blow to their title rivals Arsenal when they defeated the Gunners 2-1 at Old Trafford in April, effectively eliminating them from the race, but a 2-1 loss at Chelsea with 2 games to go meant the title race would go down to the wire. In the end, though, United were too good for Chelsea, and sealed their second successive Premier League title with a 2-0 triumph on the final day. They also got the better fo the Blues in the final of the Champion's League after the tie went to penalties after a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. Despite Ronaldo missing his spot-kick, Chelsea's John Terry also fluffed his kick when he could have won the cup for Chelsea, and Edwin Van der Sar made the all-important save from Nicolas Anelka's penalty to seal United's second Champion's League triumph in a decade.
MIDDLESBROUGH
League: 13th
FA Cup: Quarter-Finals
Biggest Victory: 8-1 (h) Manchester City
Heaviest Defeat: 1-4 (a) Manchester United
Another unspectacular season for 'Boro, who finished below mid-table but were never really in danger of being relegated despite their early season struggles. Their main problem was a lack of goals, despite the acquisition of forwards like Tuncay and Alfonso Alves (who netted twice against Manchester United in a 2-2 draw). Infact, 'Boro failed to manage 3 goals in a game right up until the final game of the season, when they struck eight ironically against Manchester City, their biggest -ever Premier League win. Again they made decent progress in the FA Cup, but not for the first time were dumped out by lower league opposition, in this case a very poor 0-2 home loss to Cardiff City in the quarter-finals. As seems traditional with Middlesbrough, they also proved a thorn in the sides of the top teams in the Premier League, taking points off Liverpool and Manchester United at home, ending Arsenal's unbeaten run with a 2-1 win at the Riverside, and were unlucky to lose by a single goal at Chelsea, where they hit the woodwork on three occasions.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
League: 12th
FA Cup: 4th Round
Biggest Victory: 4-1 (a) Tottenham Hotspur, (h) Stoke City (FA Cup replay)
Heaviest Defeat: 0-6 (a) Manchester United
Sam Allardyce began well after taking over the job on Tyneside in the summer, leading his team to a 5-game unbeaten run at the start of the season, before the Magpies became the only side in the league to lose against Derby County, when they lost 1-0 in a Monday night encounter in September. They also failed to beat the Rams at home in the return fixture, twice having to come from behind to earn a 2-2 draw at St. James' Park. Their form soon dipped in the league, and Sam Allardyce was sacked just after Christmas, despite the club in 11th position in the table. Things didn't improve in the new year as Toon were thumped 6-0 at Old Trafford, even though they went into half-time at 0-0 in the game. In a move which astonished British football, Kevin Keegan made an unexpected return to Newcastle to take over for his second spell in charge. However, he was unable to change the club's fortunes as the Magpies slumped to consecutive 3-0 defeats at Arsenal (one in the FA Cup), and were again thrashed by Manchester United, this time 5-1 at St. James' Park. But when Keegan did finally get his first win, it inspired the team to an unbeaten 6-match run which ended any worries that the team could be relegated, as just for a moment the Newcastle side of the mid-1990s returned to sweep aside Fulham, Tottenham, Reading and Sunderland. They lost their final two games and had to settle with 12th spot with the same points tally - 43 - as the previous year. Newcastle will no doubt aim to tighten their defence up for next year, as they conceded a staggering 65 goals, finishing with a goal difference of minus 20.
PORTSMOUTH
League: 8th
FA Cup: Winners
Biggest Victory: 7-4 (h) Reading
Heaviest Defeat: 1-4 (a) Liverpool
Pompey started the season very impressively again and only lost two league games before December, as they continued their quest for European football. Their solid backline of goalkeeper of David James and experienced defence which included Sol Campbell meant they were tough to break down , whilst at the other end the forwards scored plenty of goals - the highlight being an incredible 7-4 win over Reading at the end of September. That freak result apart, they struggled to score at home, and failed to net in any of their next six games at Fratton Park, which saw the team feature in 5 goalless draws. Despite their poor home form, Portsmouth were superb away from home, winning nine matches on the road in the Premier League, which saw them brush aside the likes of Newcastle 4-1, Aston Villa 3-1, Blackburn, Fulham and Reading. The team finally got back to winning ways at Fratton Park with a 3-1 win over Derby County, but they could not sustain their good league form towards the end of the season and their hopes of qualfiying to Europe via the league evapourated; the club lost their last 4 games. However, a superb FA Cup which saw the team defeat Ipswich, Plymouth, Preston, and then Manchester United at Old Trafford in an incredible game which saw Pompey somehow survive before stunning the hosts on a counter-attack to win the game. They then defeated West Bromwich Albion in the semi-final at Wembley, before winning a remarkable FA Cup competition by defeating Cardiff City in the final a month later; Pompey had only conceded one goal in their successful FA Cup campaign, and had only won each game by a single goal. Harry Redknapp's first trophy as a manager meant the Hampshire side would indeed be playing in Europe for the first time in 2008-09.
READING
League: 18th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
Biggest Victory: 4-0 (a) Derby County
Heaviest Defeat: 4-7 (a) Portsmouth
The Royals continued their amazing progress in the Premier League by holding Manchester United away on the opening Sunday of the season, before a narrow home defeat to Chelsea (in which they took the lead) was followed by an impressive home victory over Everton. However back-to-back 0-3 defeats against Bolton and West Ham in their next two games saw the club slip down the table towards the drop zone. They suffered another 3-goal loss in September when they conceded seven at Portsmouth, despite scoring 4 and missing a penalty, and were on the wrong end of a crazy 6-4 defeat at Spurs just after Christmas, a game the Royals had led 4-3, before collapsing late on as the second half saw 8 goals scored afer the match was level 1-1 at half-time. Reading's leaky defence proved to be their downfall as the team battled against relegation for the second half of the season, having been seemingly comfortably placed in 12th spot for six consecutive weeks before the turn of the year. The team suffered a dreadful run of form in the new year, losing eight successive league fixtures, before ending that run with their first away win in the league at Middlesbrough and then defeating Manchester City at home in their next match. Despite suffering poor results after their brief mini-revival, Reading managed to stay out of the drop zone until the penultimate game at home to Spurs which they crucially lost 0-1, and despite a resounding 4-0 romp at already doomed Derby on the final day, Fulham's late win at Portsmouth meant the Royals were condemned to the drop and Championship football for 2008-09.
SUNDERLAND
League: 15th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
Biggest Victory: 3-1 (h) Bolton Waderers, (a) Fulham
Heaviest Defeat: 1-7 (a) Everton
Roy Keane's Sunderland returned to the bigtime and got their season off to the best possible start when they scored the 2007-08 Premier League's opening goal of the season, a 94th minute strike from Micheal Chopra giving the Black Cats a 1-0 home victory over Spurs. However, the team struggled after securing their second win against Reading; they went two months without a win and faced the prospect of a relegation battle. Sunderland's good home form meant they were able to stay above the drop zone, whiilst they had to wait until March to finally secure an away win at Aston Villa. They followed that impressive win up with another away success at relegation rivals Fulham, who they defeated 3-1. In the end, they did enough to effectively secure Premier League football for another year after an exciting 3-2 win over near neighbours Middlesbrough with a couple of games left, and finished the season in 15th spot, 3 points above the drop zone.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
League: 11th
FA Cup: 4th Round
League Cup: Winners
UEFA Cup: Quarter-Finals
Biggest Victory: 5-1 (h) Fulham, Arsenal (Carling Cup Semi-Final)
Heaviest Defeat: 1-4 (a) Birmingham City, (h) Newcastle United
Spurs began poorly once again - only defeating the pathetic Derby 4-0 - as they slumped into the relegation mire by early November, having only recorded that one victory in the league. Martin Jol was inevitably sacked after there were rumours over a possible replacement - Juande Ramos - taking over the manager's hotseat. Ramos did eventually take over and won his second game in charge, a 4-0 home win over Wigan, but Spurs showed slow signs of improvement and were never out of the bottom half of the table all season. Despite possessing a lethal attacking force which was boosted by the goals of Dimitar Berbatov, Spurs' defence was very poor - they conceded 61 goals in the league - and and were involved in a series of high-scoring games at White-Hart Lane, including 4-4 draws against Chelsea and Aston Villa and that 6-4 game against Reading. Away from home, Tottenham struggled, only winning 3 games away in the league. They performed considerably better in the cup competions, reaching the last eight of the UEFA Cup before losing in a penalty shootout, and going all the way in the Carling Cup, which included a 5-1 mauling of North London foes Arsenal - Spurs' first win over the Gunners for over 8 years. They then went onto beat Chelsea in the final in extra-time at Wembley with a Jonathan Woodgate header. However, Spurs' league form didn't improve after their Carling Cup triumph and they had to settle for a disappointing 11th position. They will be playing in the UEFA Cup for next season, though, after their Luague Cup success.
WEST HAM UNITED
League: 10th
FA Cup: 3rd Round
League Cup: Quarter-Finals
Biggest Victory: 5-0 (a) Derby County
Heaviest Defeat: 0-4 (h) Chelsea, (a) Liverpoool, Tottenham Hotpsur
A much-improved campaign for the Hammers, although things didn't start too well as the club slipped to the bottom of the table after the opening day 0-2 home loss to Manchester City. However 3 wins in the next 4 games, which included back-to-back 3-0 wins against Reading and Middlesbrough brought the team into the top five. That was the only time all season in the league the club managed to win consecutive league games, and those results were followed up by a 3-game losing spell to Newcastle, Arsenal and Aston Villa. The club recorded their biggest-ever away win in the Premier League with a crushing 5-0 win at Pride Park against the useless Derby in November and the Hammers were sat comfortably in mid-table. December saw an unlucky 1-0 defeat at Chelsea followed by a good win at Blackburn , before consecutive home defeats to Everton (one in the Carling Cup quarter-final) inside the space of four days. The Irons ended the year with a fantastic 2-1 defeat of Manchester United, which had seen the team score twice late on and turn around a 1-0 deficit. However, the second half of the season was poor and 3 consecutive 4-0 thumpings by Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs at the start of March breached the Irons impressive defensive record and ended any possibilty that the Hammers might get into Europe. The team were unable to really get going again, and only won 2 out of their final 11 matches, losing 7 of them and failing to keep a clean sheet. The team ended in 10th place, a position they had had occupied for several months of the season, and from which they had not budged from since March.
WIGAN ATHLETIC
League: 14th
Biggest Victory: 3-0 (h) Sunderland, (a) Sunderland (FA Cup 3rd Round)
Heaviest Defeat: 0-4 (a) Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Wigan began well under Chris Hutchings and moved into the top 3 after just one defeat from their opening four games, but after just one point from their next ten league games Hutchings was sacked and replaced by Steve Bruce. He managed to turn the club around and guided the Latics away from danger after a decent start to 2008, although they were never completely safe until a superb 2-0 away victory at Aston Villa in the penultimate game of the season; it was just Wigan's second away triumph in the league all year, had it not been for their good home form it might have been a different story. Again goals were hard to come by - they managed just 34 in the league - but Wigan managed to end in a respectable 14th position and even held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge with a last-gasp equasliser from Emile Heskey.
SOME OTHER "INTERESTING" FACTS OF 2007-08:
Portsmouth and Reading were involved in the highest-ever scoring Premier League game, a 7-4 encounter at Fratton Park, whilst Reading also featured in the first Premier League game to feature ten goals - their 6-4 loss at Tottenham on 29 December 2007. In the game between Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, Wigan scored 5 goals in a game for the first time in the Premeir League, but more extraordinary was the fact that two opppsing players - Wigan's Marcus Bent and Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz - scored hat-tricks in the same game, the first time that has happened in the Premier League. Wigan won the game 5-3 after leading 3-0 before Rovers pulled the game back to 3-3 in a thriller. Scottish Divison 1 side Queen Of The South will be playing in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup after reaching the final of the Scottish Cup; they came back brilliantly from 2-0 down against firm favourites Glasgow Rangers, before losing out to a late goal and going down 2-3. Stoke City and Hull City will be making their Premier League debuts in 2008-09 after both won promotion from the Championship. It is the first time Hull have ever been in the top flight. Doncaster Rovers, who were playing non-league Conference football in 2002-03, are now just one divison outside the Premier League after winning promtion to the Championship with a 1-0 defeat of Leeds United in the League One play-off final, condemning Leeds to another year in League One.