2001–02 in English football

The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.

Events

Arsenal cruise to title glory

In one of the most closely-fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal cruised to title glory at the end of an outstanding season. They won their final 13 Premiership fixtures, scored in all 38 Premiership games and were unbeaten on their Premiership travels. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the season when they beat defending champions Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. Four days earlier they had also won the F.A. Cup with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium.

Their top scorer, Frenchman Thierry Henry, was on target 24 times in the league alone.

One downside to the season was Arsenal's failure to progress to the quarter-finals of the European Cup.

ir Alex puts off his retirement

Sir Alex Ferguson announced in February that he would be postponing his retirement as Manchester United manager by at least three more seasons after he signed a new contract as manager. The news came just after United completed an impressive revival in the Premiership which saw them rise from ninth to first in the space of two months.

On 8 December, United stood ninth in the Premiership - 11 points behind Liverpool, who had a game in hand - and had lost six of their seven previous games in the aftermath of a 1-0 defeat at home to West Ham United. Even a UEFA Cup place was now looking beyond reach. But a nine-match winning run saw United cruise to the top of the Premiership and they were soon challenging a three-horse race with Liverpool and Arsenal. They remained in the title race until the penultimate game of the season, when they lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal and surrendered the title crown to their opponents.

United's failure was largely put down to the inability to find a suitable replacement for Jaap Stam, the brilliant Dutch central defender who had been sold to Lazio for £16.25million just after the start of the season. Another disappointment was the failure of Juan Sebastián Verón, at £28.1million the most expensive player ever to sign for an English club, to never live up to his hefty price tag. On a positive note, Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy lived up to his £19million price tag by scoring 34 goals in all competitions during his first season at Old Trafford - breaking the club record that had been set by Dennis Viollet 40 seasons earlier.

After the season was over, rumours began to circulate that Sir Alex was about to break the English transfer record once again and bring in Leeds United central defender Rio Ferdinand, in hope that his side would return to their winning ways in 2002-03.

Ipswich fall from grace

A year after qualifying for the UEFA Cup and earning George Burley the Manager of the Year award, Ipswich Town dropped back into Division One. The Suffolk side had looked doomed by Christmas after winning just one of their first 18 Premiership games. Then came a turnaround in form which saw them win seven out of eight fixtures and climb to 12th place, suggesting that they were safe. But another decline set in, and this time Ipswich were unable to halt it. Their relegation was confirmed with a 5-0 defeat away to runners-up Liverpool on the final day of the season.

Joining Ipswich in Division One would be already doomed Derby County and Leicester City, both going down after six seasons in the Premiership - the last of which had seen three different men take charge of the team.

Albion and Birmingham back in the big time

West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City, who had last played in the top flight in 1985-86, were finally promoted back to the top division with Albion as Division One runners-up and Birmingham as playoff winners. In an ironic twist, Albion had overtaken another local rival - Wolves - in the race for the run for second place by winning seven of their final nine league games. Birmingham's triumph was sealed by a penalty-shoot out win over Norwich at the Millennium Stadium. They followed champions Manchester City, managed by Kevin Keegan, into the Premiership.

The Battle of Bramall Lane

One of the seven Albion wins in their promotion run came on 16 March 2002, against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. This match, unfortunately, would turn into one of the most ill-tempered in recent English football history, with three United players sent off, two of them for violent conduct in the second half. The match was abandoned with Albion up 3-0 after two other United players came up injured, reducing them to six players. Ultimately, The FA let the 3-0 scoreline stand.

ITV Digital crisis plunges league clubs into turmoil

The collapse of debt-ridden ITV Digital in May 2002 plunged many Football League clubs into turmoil. The likes of Bradford City, Nottingham Forest, Watford, Barnsley, Lincoln City and Port Vale filed for administration, fearful that the drastic loss of revenue would put them out of business.

Of all the troubled clubs, Bradford City's situation was the most precarious. The West Yorkshire club had debts of £36million and had failed to meet a deadline for a takeover deal. It seemed inevitable that the Bantams, who had gone into liquidation in 1983, would endure a total collapse and lose their place in the Football League. Their only hope was for the Football League to ignore their financial plight and allow them a place in Division One for the 2002-03 season.

Dario reaches managerial milestone

On November 20 2001, Dario Gradi took charge of his 1,000 competitive game in charge of Crewe Alexandra in Division One. Gradi had arrived at Crewe in June 1983, and he reached this landmark just four months into a season which had already seen a total of more than 20 managerial changes in the Premiership, Division One, Division Two and Division Three. Crewe ended the season by being relegated to Division Two but the club's directors showed no intention of parting company with the longest-serving manager at any Football League club.

Wimbledon get go-ahead for Milton Keynes move

Just after the end of the Division one season, a three-man panel of The Football Association gave permission for Wimbledon F.C. to move from their historic South London home to Milton Keynes. The move sparked outrage among Wimbledon supporters, who formed their own club - AFC Wimbledon - in response to the controversial plans of chairman Charles Koppel.

League tables

FA Premier League

* For more detail on the Premiership this season see FA Premier League 2001-02

"See also: Play-off results"

Nationwide League Division Three

Diary of the season

*12 July 2001 - Manchester United break the English transfer fee record by paying Lazio £28.1million for Argentina midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón.
*4 August 2001 - Portsmouth goalkeeper Aaron Flahavan, 25, is killed in a car crash just outside Bournemouth.
*16 August 2001 - Oxford United move into their new 12,500-seat Kassam Stadium after six years of waiting, but their arrival is soured by a 2-1 home defeat against Rochdale in Division Three.
*19 August 2001 - Former Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Blackpool and West Ham United goalkeeper Les Sealey dies of a heart attack at the age of 43.
*25 August 2001 - Southampton lose 2-0 to Chelsea in their first competitive game at the new 32,000-seat St Mary's Stadium.
*29 September 2001 - Tottenham Hotspur surrender a 3-0 home lead over Manchester United in the FA Premier League and end up losing the game 5-3.
*30 September 2001 - Leicester City sack manager Peter Taylor after 15 months in charge.
*6 October 2001 - A late equaliser by David Beckham against Greece gains England automatic qualification for next summer's World Cup.
*7 October 2001 - Jim Smith resigns after six years as manager of Derby County and is replaced by his assistant Colin Todd.
*9 October 2001 - Grimsby Town knock holders Liverpool out of the Worthington Cup 2-1 at the third round stage. This was the first ever victory at Anfield for the Mariners. The winning goal was scored in the last minute of extra time, a stunning long-range strike by Evertonian Phil Jevons.
*10 October 2001 - Dave Bassett is named as Leicester City's new manager, with Brighton & Hove Albion manager Micky Adams being appointed as his assistant.
*13 October 2001 - Liverpool boss Gérard Houllier is taken to hospital after complaining about chest pains, during the home draw against Leeds United. He undergoes emergency heart surgery and leaves Phil Thompson in sole control at Anfield, until April.
*17 October 2001 - Just over two weeks after being sacked by Leicester City, Peter Taylor returns to management with Brighton & Hove Albion.
*22 October 2001 - Bertie Mee, the manager of Arsenal's 1971 double-winning team, dies aged 82.
*8 December 2001 - Manchester United lost 1-0 at home to West Ham United, completing a dismal run of six defeats from seven Premiership fixtures.
*14 January 2002 - Colin Todd is sacked after three months as Derby County manager, his dismissal coming the week after they suffered a first-hurdle exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Division Three strugglers Bristol Rovers.
*24 January 2002 - John Gregory resigns after four years as manager of Aston Villa.
*30 January 2002 - John Gregory returns to management six days after leaving Aston Villa when he is named as the new manager of Derby County.
*24 February 2002 - Blackburn Rovers beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium to win the League Cup for the first time in their history.
*28 February 2002 - Sir Alex Ferguson changes his mind about retiring as Manchester United manager at the end of the season and signs a new contract which will keep him at the club for at least another three seasons.
*20 March 2002 - Gérard Houllier returns to Liverpool after a six month spell out. He watches his side defeat Roma in the Champions League.
*4 April 2002 - Dave Bassett becomes director of football at Leicester City and he hands managerial duties over to his assistant Micky Adams.
*6 April 2002 - Leicester City's relegation is confirmed as they lost 1-0 at home to Manchester United.
*21 April 2002 - West Bromwich Albion clinch promotion to the FA Premier League with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace which ends their 16-year exile from the top flight.
*4 May 2002 - Arsenal clinch the eighth FA Cup victory of their history with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium.
*8 May 2002 - Arsenal beat defending champions Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford to complete their second double in five seasons.
*12 May 2002 - The FA Premier League season ends with Arsenal as champions, and the other three UEFA Champions League places going to Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United. Chelsea and Leeds United go into the UEFA Cup. Ipswich Town, Derby County and Leicester City are relegated. The promoted sides are Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City.

Promoted teams

"From Division One to The Premier League:":Manchester City:West Bromwich Albion:Birmingham City

"From Division Two to Division One:":Brighton & Hove Albion:Reading:Stoke City

"From Division Three to Division Two:":Plymouth Argyle:Luton Town:Mansfield Town:Cheltenham Town

"From The Football Conference to Division Three:":Boston United

Relegated teams

"From The Premier League to Division One:":Ipswich Town:Derby County:Leicester City

"From Division One to Division Two:":Crewe Alexandra:Barnsley:Stockport County

"From Division Two to Division Three:":A.F.C. Bournemouth:Bury:Wrexham:Cambridge United

"From Division Three to The Football Conference:":Halifax Town

Transfer deals

;1 August 2001
*Christian Ziege from Liverpool to Tottenham Hotspur, £4m;2 August 2001
*John Hartson from Coventry City to Celtic, £6.5m;3 August 2001
*Fabrizio Ravanelli from Lazio to Derby County, free;9 August 2001
*Jon Harley from Chelsea to Fulham, £3.5m
*Lee Hughes from West Bromwich Albion to Coventry City, £5m;10 August 2001
*Laurent Robert from Paris Saint-Germain to Newcastle United, £10.5m
*Edwin van der Sar from Juventus to Fulham, £7m
*Boudewijn Zenden from Barcelona to Chelsea, £7.5m;14 August 2001
*Steed Malbranque from Lyon to Fulham, £5m;16 August 2001
*Kasey Keller from Rayo Vallecano to Tottenham Hotspur, free;24 August 2001
*Bosko Balaban from Dinamo Zagreb to Aston Villa, £6m;31 August 2001
*Jerzy Dudek from Feyenoord to Liverpool, £4.85m
*Don Hutchison from Sunderland to West Ham United, £5m
*Chris Kirkland from Coventry City to Liverpool, £6m;3 September 2001
*Laurent Blanc from Internazionale to Manchester United, free
*Steve Marlet from Lyon to Fulham, £13.5m;14 September 2001
*Tomas Repka from Fiorentina to West Ham United, £5.5m;24 September 2001
*Dean Richards from Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur, £8.1m;19 October 2001
*Seth Johnson from Derby County to Leeds United, £7m;30 November 2001
*Robbie Fowler from Liverpool to Leeds United, £11m;7 December 2001
*Claudio Reyna from Rangers to Sunderland, £4.5m;24 December 2001
*Milan Baroš from Banik Ostrava to Liverpool;29 December 2001
*Andy Cole from Manchester United to Blackburn Rovers, £7.5m;23 January 2002
*Diego Forlán from Independiente to Manchester United, £7.5;30 January 2002
*Abel Xavier from Everton to Liverpool, £800,000;8 February 2002
*Jermaine Jenas from Nottingham Forest to Newcastle United, £5m;18 February 2002
*Kolo Touré from ASEC Mimosas to Arsenal, Undisclosed;6 March 2002
*Jon Macken from Preston North End to Manchester City, £4m;18 March 2002
*Paul Gascoigne from Everton to Burnley, free;28 March 2002
*Peter Crouch from Portsmouth to Aston Villa, £4m;18 April 2002
*Jamie Redknapp from Liverpool to Tottenham Hotspur, free

For subsequent transfer deals see 2002-03 in English football.

Managerial changes

August
* August 3 2001 - Roy Evans and Neil Ruddock take over at Swindon Town, replacing Andy King (sacked August 1)

September
* September 13 - Colin Addison takes over at Swansea City, replacing John Hollins (sacked September 12)

October
* October 8 - Denis Smith takes over at Wrexham, replacing Brian Flynn
* October 8 - Colin Todd takes over at Derby County, replacing Jim Smith (resigned same day)
* October 10 - Dave Bassett takes over at Leicester City, replacing Peter Taylor (sacked September 30)
* October 10 - Coach Gary Brazil takes over at Notts County, replacing Jocky Scott (sacked October 10)
* October 12 - Alan Little takes over at Halifax Town, replacing Paul Bracewell (resigned August 30)
* October 15 - Paul Brush takes over at Leyton Orient, replacing Tommy Taylor
* October 16 - Roland Nilsson takes over at Coventry City, replacing Gordon Strachan (resigned September 10)
* October 17 - Peter Taylor takes over at Brighton & Hove Albion
* October 22 - Gordon Strachan takes over at Southampton, replacing Stuart Gray (sacked October 21)
* October 22 - Caretaker manager Rob Newman takes over at Southend United, replacing David Webb (resigned October 9)
* October 25 - Kevin Broadhurst takes over at Northampton Town, replacing Kevin Wilson (sacked September 26)
* October 25 - Tommy Taylor takes over at Darlington until the end of the season, replacing Gary Bennett (resigned October 24)
* October 30 - John Cornforth takes over at Exeter City, replacing Noel Blake (sacked September 23)

November
* November 6 - Carlton Palmer takes over at Stockport County, replacing Andy Kilner (sacked October 29)
* November 7 - Mick Wadsworth takes over at Oldham Athletic
* November 8 - David Moss takes over at Macclesfield Town
* November 9 - Steve Parkin takes over at Barnsley, replacing Nigel Spackman (sacked October 25)
* November 14 - Terry Yorath takes over at Sheffield Wednesday, replacing Peter Shreeves (left October 17)
* November 30 - Trevor Francis takes over at Crystal Palace, replacing Steve Bruce (resigned November 2)
* November 30 - Ian Atkins takes over at Oxford United, replacing Mark Wright (resigned)

December
* December 11 - John Hollins takes over at Rochdale, replacing Steve Parkin
* December 12 - Steve Bruce takes over at Birmingham City, replacing Trevor Francis (left October 15)
* December 22 - Andy King is reappointed at Swindon Town, replacing Roy Evans (resigned as Director of Football December 20)
* December 28 - Garry Thompson takes over at Bristol Rovers for the second time, replacing Gerry Francis (resigned December 24)
* December 28 - Paul Groves takes over at Grimsby Town, replacing Lennie Lawrence (resigned)

January
* January 1 - Nicky Law takes over at Bradford City, replacing Jim Jefferies (resigned December 24)
* January 6 - John Taylor takes over at Cambridge United, replacing John Beck (resigned November 22)
* January 7 - Billy Dearden takes over at Notts County, replacing Gary Brazil (steps back down to coach)
* January 9 - Assistant manager Stuart Watkiss takes over at Mansfield Town, replacing Billy Dearden (resigned January 6)
* January 23 - Colin Lee takes over at Walsall, replacing Ray Graydon (sacked January 22)
* January 30 - John Gregory takes over at Derby County, replacing Colin Todd (sacked January 14 after just 98 days as manager)

February
* February 5 - Non-executive director Graham Taylor takes over as manager at Aston Villa, replacing John Gregory (resigned January 24)
* February 18 - Director of Football Lennie Lawrence takes over as manager at Cardiff City, replacing Alan Cork (resigned)
* February 22 - Dave Rushbury takes over at Chesterfield, replacing Nicky Law (resigned January 1)

March
* March 14 - David Moyes takes over at Everton, replacing Walter Smith (left March 12)
* March 25 - Director of Football Harry Redknapp takes over at Portsmouth, replacing Graham Rix (sacked)

April
* April 4 - Micky Adams takes over at Leicester City, replacing Dave Bassett (becomes Director of Football)
* April 4 - Jan Mølby takes over at Hull City, replacing Brian Little (left February 27)
* April 24 - Gary McAllister takes over at Coventry City, replacing Roland Nilsson (sacked April 16)
* April 25 - Ray Graydon takes over at Bristol Rovers, replacing Garry Thompson (sacked April 9)
* April 25 - Ian Britton takes over at Kidderminster Harriers, replacing Jan Molby (resigned April 4)
* April 29 - Craig Brown takes over at Preston North End, replacing David Moyes (left March 14)

May
* May 5 - Caretaker Keith Alexander takes over at Lincoln City, replacing Alan Buckley (left April 25)
* May 9 - Leroy Rosenior takes over at Torquay United, replacing Roy McFarland (sacked April 23)
* May 27 - Steve Cotterill takes over at Stoke City, replacing Gudjon Thordarson (sacked May 16)
* May 29 - Paul Simpson takes over at Rochdale, replacing John Hollins (sacked May 13)
* May 30 - Coach Graham Allner takes over at Cheltenham Town, replacing Steve Cotterill (resigned May 16)
* May 31 - Coach Iain Dowie takes over at Oldham Athletic, replacing Mick Wadsworth (sacked)

June
* June - Stuart Murdoch takes over at Wimbledon, replacing Terry Burton (left April 25)
* June 28 - Assistant Wally Downes takes over at Brentford, replacing Steve Coppell (resigned June 6)

July
* July 1 - Mick Wadsworth takes over at Huddersfield Town, replacing Lou Macari
* July 11 - Ray Lewington takes over at Watford, replacing Gianluca Vialli
* July - Chris Wilder takes over at Halifax Town, replacing caretaker Neil Redfearn (resigned May 23), who replaced Alan Little (left April 8)

* July 15 - Youth director Martin Hinshelwood takes over at Brighton & Hove Albion, replacing Peter Taylor (resigned April 29)
* July - Terry Venables takes over at Leeds United, replacing David O'Leary (sacked June 27)

Famous Debutants

* Future England Striker Darren Bent, 17, appears for Ipswich Town in their 3-1 victory away at Helsingborgs IF in the Uefa Cup 2nd Round in November 2001.
* Future England winger Stewart Downing, 17, appears for Middlesbrough in their 1-0 defeat by Ipswich Town in April 2002.

Deaths

*Aaron Flahavan, 25, Portsmouth goalkeeper who had played 93 first-team games since 1996, died in a car crash in west Hampshire just before the start of the season.
*Les Sealey, 43, who kept goal for Manchester United in their 1990 F.A. Cup and 1991 Cup Winners Cup triumphs, died of a heart attack in north London. He had also played for Coventry City, Luton Town, Aston Villa, Birmingham City (on loan), Blackpool and West Ham United, and at the time of his death had been working for West Ham United as goalkeeping coach.
*Tom Staniforth, 20, Sheffield Wednesday defender, collapsed and died on a night out in York. He was a promising young defender for the club and a son of former footballer Gordon Staniforth.
*Brian Moore, 69, former BBC Radio and ITV commentator, died of cancer three years after retiring from football commentary.
*Bertie Mee, 80, Arsenal double-winning manager 1970-71, died after a long illness. He also guided Arsenal to European Fairs Cup glory, achieved one year before the double triumph. From 1976 to 1986 he was assistant manager to Graham Taylor at Watford, and remained at the club as a director until his retirement in 1991.
*Ken Aston, 86, World Cup referee who created the red and yellow cards system.
*Jeff Astle, 59, West Bromwich Albion and England striker, died suddenly in Burton-upon-Trent. He is best remembered for his appearances on the T.V. series 'Fantasy Football' and for scoring Albion's winning goal against Everton in the 1968 F.A. Cup final.
*Sir Walter Winterbottom, 88, the first England manager. Managed England from 1946 until 1962, when he made way for Alf Ramsey.
*Kenneth Wolstenholme, 81, BBC television commentator, who famously commentated England's 1966 World Cup triumph and is best remembered for saying 'They think it's all over... it is now' when Geoff Hurst scored England's last-minute winner.
*Ray Wood, 71, Manchester United and England goalkeeper, who was a survivor of the Munich Air Disaster and won two league championship medals.
*Billy Ayre, 49, former Halifax, Blackpool, Scarborough, Southport and Cardiff City manager, died after a long battle with cancer of the lymph node. He guided Blackpool to two successive Wembley play-off finals, in 1990-91 and 1991-92.
*Ray Gill, 76, the record Football League appearance holder for Chester City.