1989-90 in English football
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The 1989-90 season was the 110th season of competitive football in England.
[edit] Overview
[edit] First Division
Liverpool overhauled a greatly improved Aston Villa side to win their 18th league championship trophy and their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish's management. To date, this remains their last league title. Gary Lineker's arrival at Tottenham Hotspur saw the North Londoners occupy third place after a season of improvement.
Luton Town stayed up on goal difference at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday, while Charlton's four-year spell in the First Division came to an end at the beginning of May. Millwall were rooted to the bottom of the division despite briefly topping the league in September.
[edit] Second Division
Leeds United finally returned to the top flight after an eight-year exile, as Howard Wilkinson's side lifted the Second Division championship trophy thanks to a superior goal difference over runners-up Sheffield United.
Swindon Town won the Second Division playoff final but Sunderland were promoted instead after the Swindon board admitted a series of financial irregularities. Swindon were initially demoted to the Third Division and replaced by Tranmere, the division's losing Play-Off finalists, but this decision was later reversed on appeal.
A.F.C. Bournemouth, Stoke City and Bradford City occupied the relegation places. Bournemouth have never returned to the top two division since.
[edit] Third Division
The city of Bristol was celebrating after Rovers were crowned champions and City finished runners-up in the Third Division to gain promotion. The third promotion spot was secured by playoff winners Notts County, who beat Leyland Daf Trophy winners Tranmere Rovers at Wembley.
Walsall suffered a second successive relegation and would be joined in the Fourth Division the following season by Blackpool, Cardiff City and Northampton Town.
[edit] Fourth Division
Exeter City were crowned Fourth Division champions and went up to the Third Division along with runners-up Grimsby Town, third-placed Southend United and playoff winners Cambridge United. Newly promoted Maidstone United almost ended their first league season with success, but their promotion hopes were ended by playoff failure.
Colchester United were relegated from the league and replaced by Conference champions Darlington, who regained their league status just one season after losing it.
[edit] FA Cup
Alex Ferguson silenced the critics who attacked him for a lack of progress in the league by guiding Manchester United to a 1-0 replay victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, which was achieved after a 3-3 draw. The pivotal game in his side's season had been in the televised third round tie at Nottingham Forest, when a Mark Robins goal gave relegation-threatened United a surprise win and triggered improved times for the club. They won the cup despite not playing a home game along the way.
The season produced arguably the most memorable combination of FA Cup semi-finals in history, as Crystal Palace surprisingly beat Liverpool 4-3 just a couple of hours before Manchester United and Oldham Athletic fought out a 3-3 draw, with United going on to win the replay 2-1.
[edit] League Cup
Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest retained their League Cup by beating Oldham Athletic 1-0 at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the final of the Zenith Data Systems Cup. It was the first of three Wembley finals between the pair in the 1990s.
[edit] Back in Europe
English clubs were re-admitted to Europe for the 1990-91 season. League runners-up Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup and FA Cup winners Manchester United were entered for the Cup Winners' Cup, but Liverpool had to serve an extra year and were not allowed to compete in the European Cup.
[edit] Moving Out
The season marked the beginning of the regular trend for clubs to leave their homes of many years and head for purpose built new stadia, following the bold move to Glanford Park by Scunthorpe United in 1988. Walsall and Chester City brought the curtain down on their many years at Fellows Park and Sealand Road respectively (both with games against Rotherham United), while future league clubs Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town moved out of their long-standing homes in search of more modern stadia at the end of the campaign.
[edit] Biggest rise
Sheffield United finished Second Division runners-up to win their second successive promotion and end a 14-year absence from the First Division.
[edit] Biggest fall
Millwall finished bottom of the First Division and went down to the Second Division having led the league for the first two weeks of September. They have never returned to the top-flight since then.
[edit] League Tables
[edit] First Division
P W D L F A W D L F A Pts
1. LIVERPOOL (C) 38 13 5 1 38 15 10 5 4 40 22 79
2. Aston Villa 38 13 3 3 36 20 8 4 7 21 18 70
3. Tottenham Hotspur 38 12 1 6 35 24 7 5 7 24 23 63
4. Arsenal 38 14 3 2 38 11 4 5 10 16 27 62
5. Chelsea 38 8 7 4 31 24 8 5 6 27 26 60
6. Everton 38 14 3 2 40 16 3 5 11 17 30 59
7. Southampton 38 10 5 4 40 27 5 5 9 31 36 55
8. Wimbledon 38 5 8 6 22 23 8 8 3 25 17 55
9. Nottingham Forest 38 9 4 6 31 21 6 5 8 24 26 54
10. Norwich City 38 7 10 2 24 14 6 4 9 20 28 53
11. Queen's Park Rangers 38 9 4 6 27 22 4 7 8 18 22 50
12. Coventry City 38 11 2 6 24 25 3 5 11 15 34 49
13. Manchester United 38 8 6 5 26 14 5 3 11 20 33 48
14. Manchester City 38 9 4 6 26 21 3 8 8 17 31 48
15. Crystal Palace 38 8 7 4 27 23 5 2 12 15 43 48
16. Derby County 38 9 1 9 29 21 4 6 9 14 19 46
17. Luton Town 38 8 8 3 24 18 2 5 12 19 39 43
18. SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (R) 38 8 6 5 21 17 3 4 12 14 34 43
19. CHARLTON ATHLETIC (R) 38 4 6 9 18 25 3 3 13 13 32 30
20. MILLWALL (R) 38 4 6 9 23 25 1 5 13 16 40 26
[edit] Second Division
P W D L F A W D L F A Pts
1. LEEDS UNITED (P) 46 16 6 1 46 18 8 7 8 33 34 85
2. SHEFFIELD UNITED (P) 46 14 5 4 43 27 10 8 5 35 31 85
3. Newcastle United 46 17 4 2 51 26 5 10 8 29 29 80
4. Swindon Town 46 12 6 5 49 29 8 8 7 30 30 74
5. Blackburn Rovers 46 10 9 4 43 30 9 8 6 31 29 74
6. SUNDERLAND (P) 46 10 8 5 41 32 10 6 7 29 32 74
7. West Ham United 46 14 5 4 50 22 6 7 10 30 35 72
8. Oldham Athletic 46 15 7 1 50 23 4 7 12 20 34 71
9. Ipswich Town 46 13 7 3 38 22 6 5 12 29 44 69
10. Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 12 5 6 37 20 6 8 9 30 40 67
11. Port Vale 46 11 9 3 37 20 4 7 12 25 37 61
12. Portsmouth 46 9 8 6 40 34 6 8 9 22 31 61
13. Leicester City 46 10 8 5 34 29 5 6 12 33 50 59
14. Hull City 46 7 8 8 27 31 7 8 8 31 34 58
15. Watford 46 11 6 6 41 28 3 9 11 17 32 57
16. Plymouth Argyle 46 9 8 6 30 23 5 5 13 28 40 55
17. Oxford United 46 8 7 8 35 31 7 2 14 22 35 54
18. Brighton & Hove Albion 46 10 6 7 28 27 5 3 15 28 45 54
19. Barnsley 46 7 9 7 22 23 6 6 11 27 48 54
20. West Bromwich Albion 46 6 8 9 35 37 6 7 10 32 34 51
21. Middlesbrough 46 10 3 10 33 29 3 8 12 19 34 50
22. BOURNEMOUTH (R) 46 8 6 9 30 31 4 6 13 27 45 48
23. BRADFORD CITY (R) 46 9 6 8 26 24 0 8 15 18 44 41
24. STOKE CITY (R) 46 4 11 8 20 24 2 8 13 15 39 37
[edit] Third Division
P W D L F A W D L F A Pts
1. BRISTOL ROVERS (P) 46 15 8 0 43 14 11 7 5 28 21 93
2. BRISTOL CITY (P) 46 15 5 3 40 16 12 5 6 36 24 91
3. NOTTS COUNTY (P) 46 17 4 2 40 18 8 8 7 33 35 87
4. Tranmere Rovers 46 15 5 3 54 22 8 6 9 32 27 80
5. Bury 46 11 7 5 35 19 10 4 9 35 30 74
6. Bolton Wanderers 46 12 7 4 32 19 6 8 9 27 29 69
7. Birmingham City 46 10 7 6 33 19 8 5 10 27 40 66
8. Huddersfield Town 46 11 5 7 30 23 6 9 8 31 39 65
9. Rotherham United 46 12 6 5 48 28 5 7 11 23 34 64
10. Reading 46 10 9 4 33 21 5 10 8 24 32 64
11. Shrewsbury Town 46 10 9 4 38 24 6 6 11 21 30 63
12. Crewe Alexandra 46 10 8 5 32 24 5 9 9 24 29 62
13. Brentford 46 11 4 8 41 31 7 3 13 25 35 61
14. Leyton Orient 46 9 6 8 28 24 7 4 12 24 32 58
15. Mansfield Town 46 13 2 8 34 25 3 5 15 16 40 55
16. Chester City 46 11 7 5 30 23 2 8 13 13 32 54
17. Swansea City 46 10 6 7 25 27 4 6 13 20 36 54
18. Wigan Athletic 46 10 6 7 29 22 3 8 12 19 42 53
19. Preston North End 46 10 7 6 42 30 4 3 16 23 49 52
20. Fulham 46 8 8 7 33 27 4 7 12 22 39 51
21. CARDIFF CITY (R) 46 6 9 8 30 35 6 5 12 21 35 50
22. NORTHAMPTON (R) 46 7 7 9 27 31 4 7 12 24 37 47
23. BLACKPOOL (R) 46 8 6 9 29 33 2 10 11 20 40 46
24. WALSALL (R) 46 6 8 9 23 30 3 6 14 17 42 41
[edit] Fourth Division
P W D L F A W D L F A Pts
1. EXETER CITY (P) 46 20 3 0 50 14 8 2 13 33 34 89
2. GRIMSBY TOWN (P) 46 14 4 5 41 20 8 9 6 29 27 79
3. SOUTHEND UNITED (P) 46 15 3 5 35 14 7 6 10 26 34 75
4. Stockport County 46 13 6 4 45 27 8 5 10 23 35 74
5. Maidstone United 46 14 4 5 49 21 8 3 12 28 40 73
6. CAMBRIDGE UNITED (P) 46 14 3 6 45 30 7 7 9 31 36 73
7. Chesterfield 46 12 9 2 41 19 7 5 11 22 31 71
8. Carlisle United 46 15 4 4 38 20 6 4 13 23 40 71
9. Peterborough United 46 10 8 5 35 23 7 9 7 24 23 68
10. Lincoln City 46 11 6 6 30 27 7 8 8 18 21 68
11. Scunthorpe United 46 9 9 5 42 25 8 6 9 27 29 66
12. Rochdale 46 11 4 8 28 23 9 2 12 24 32 66
13. York City 46 10 5 8 29 24 6 11 6 26 29 64
14. Gillingham 46 9 8 6 28 21 8 3 12 18 27 62
15. Torquay United 46 12 2 9 33 29 3 10 10 20 37 57
16. Burnley 46 6 10 7 19 18 8 4 11 26 37 56
17. Hereford United 46 7 4 12 31 32 8 6 9 25 30 55
18. Scarborough 46 10 5 8 35 28 5 5 13 25 45 55
19. Hartlepool United 46 12 4 7 45 33 3 6 14 21 55 55
20. Doncaster Rovers 46 7 7 9 29 29 7 2 14 24 31 51
21. Wrexham 46 8 8 7 28 28 5 4 14 23 39 51
22. Aldershot 46 8 7 8 28 26 4 7 12 21 43 50
23. Halifax Town 46 5 9 9 31 29 7 4 12 26 36 49
24. COLCHESTER UNITED (R) 46 9 3 11 26 25 2 7 14 22 50 43
[edit] Successful players
- David Platt's frequent goalscoring from the Aston Villa midfield was not quite enough to earn his side the championship trophy, but it was enough for him to win the PFA Player of the Year award.
- Liverpool's John Barnes scored over 20 goals and helped his team win another league title and himself win the FWA Player of the Year award.
- Southampton's highly rated young Guernsey-born striker Matthew Le Tissier was credited with the PFA Young Player of the Year award for his exciting performances.
- Manchester United's Mark Hughes had another good season as he helped his side overcome disappointing league form and reach the FA Cup final where he scored twice in the first game before they won the replay.
- Oldham's Andy Ritchie scored 28 goals in all competitions as his side reached the F.A. Cup semi-final and League Cup final. His team-mate Frankie Bunn scored six times in his side's League Cup win over Scarborough.
- Newcastle striker Mick Quinn scored 32 times in the league and 36 in all competitions, but couldn't quite earn his side promotion to the First Division.
- Promising Sheffield Wednesday striker Dalian Atkinson emerged as a competent goalscorer, but his side's relegation to the Second Division saw him wanting top flight football, which he got in the form of a transfer to Spanish side Real Sociedad.
- Wolves striker Steve Bull had another excellent season, highlighted by scoring four goals against Newcastle in the Second Division on New Year's Day and being the only Second Division player to feature in England's World Cup squad.
[edit] Successful managers
- Kenny Dalglish brought another championship trophy to Liverpool after fighting off a late challenge from Aston Villa.
- Alex Ferguson finally guided Manchester United to a major trophy after four seasons of trying when they beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final replay.
- Graham Taylor took Aston Villa to the brink of championship glory just one season after they had been on the brink of relegation.
- Steve Coppell took Crystal Palace to their first ever FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United in a replay after beating League Champions Liverpool in the semi final.
- Dave Bassett took Sheffield United to a second successive promotion to bring top flight football to Bramall Lane for the first time since the 1970s.
- Howard Wilkinson led Leeds United back into the First Division after an eight-year exile.
- Bobby Campbell guided newly promoted Chelsea to fifth place in the First Division.
- Gerry Francis took Bristol Rovers to the Third Division championship.
- Neil Warnock ended Notts County's five-year spell in the Third Division by guiding them to success in the promotion playoffs.
- Alan Buckley rejuvenated Grimsby Town by guiding them to promotion success in the Fourth Division.
- Brian Little took Darlington back into the Football League at the first attempt by guiding them to the Conference title.
- Joe Royle guided Oldham to the League Cup final (their first ever Wembley appearance) and the F.A. Cup semi-final (their first appearance at that stage of the competition since 1913.
[edit] Diary of the season
19 August 1989 - Defending First Division champions Arsenal lose 4-1 away to Manchester United.
23 September 1989 - Manchester United lose 5-1 away to neighbours Manchester City in the first Manchester derby for 3 years.
2 December 1989 - Trevor Francis, 35, is sacked after one year as player-manager of Queens Park Rangers.
5 January 1990 - Swindon Town chairman Brian Hillier and former manager Lou Macari are suspected of making an illegal bet against their own club in an FA Cup tie with Newcastle United in January 1988.
8 January 1990 - Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground in the Third Round of the FA Cup.
2 February 1990 - Former Liverpool manager Don Welsh dies aged 78.
12 February 1990 - Brian Hillier and Lou Macari are both fined after being found guilty of placing an illegal bet against Swindon Town. Hillier is also given a 6-month ban from football and is forced to resign as the club's chairman, while Macari steps down as West Ham United manager and is replaced by former player Billy Bonds.
12 March 1990 - Bristol City striker Dean Horrix, 28, is killed in a car crash a week after joining the club from Millwall.
28 April 1990 - Chester City play the final Football League game at their Sealand Road home of 84 years - a 2-0 win over Rotherham United.
12 May 1990 - Manchester United and Crystal Palace draw 3-3 in the FA Cup final first match, forcing a replay.
17 May 1990 - A Lee Martin goal gives Manchester United the FA Cup and wins them their first major trophy under the management of Alex Ferguson, marking an excellent end to a season which had seen United disappoint in the league and finish 13th. There had been much speculation that Ferguson was to be sacked, but the club's directors insisted that they had never considered removing Ferguson from his position.
1 May 1990 - Lou Macari and Brian Hillier are re-arrested after allegations of Inland Revenue offences. Swindon Town's chief accountant Vince Farrar and club captain Colin Calderwood are also arrested. Calderwood is quickly cleared of any involvement in the offences, while Macari, Hillier and Farrar are charged with tax offences and released on bail.
28 May 1990 - Swindon Town win the Second Division playoff final by beating Sunderland 1-0, but their place in the First Division remains in doubt over the alleged tax scandal.
8 June 1990 - Swindon Town are found guilty on 34 charges of financial irregularities at a Football League hearing. They are relegated to the Third Division as a punishment.
2 July 1990 - Swindon Town win an appeal against their relegation to the Third Division, but miss out on promotion to the First Division and remain in the Second Division. Their place in the First Division goes to Sunderland.
[edit] Deaths
- Laurie Cunningham, 33, former England midfielder, was killed in a car crash in Spain. He played as a substitute for Wimbledon when they won the FA Cup in 1988. He also played for clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Real Madrid and Leicester City, and had a loan spell at Manchester United during the 1982-83 season.
- Kazimierz Deyna, 41, former Polish international who had a spell with Manchester City in the late 1970s. Died in a car accident.
- Dean Horrix, 28, Bristol City striker, was killed in a car crash just over a week after he joined the club from Millwall.
- Jimmy Murphy, 81, assistant manager at Manchester United during the reign of Matt Busby. Took temporary charge of the team during the four months following the Munich Air Disaster while Busby recovered from his injuries.
- Brian Tiler, 45, who played for Aston Villa during the 1970s and was a director for Bournemouth from the mid 1980s, was killed in a car crash in Italy. Bournemouth manager Harry Redknapp was travelling in the same car as Tiler but survived.
[edit] Significant Events
[edit] Dalglish leads Liverpool to title number 18
Liverpool won the league championship for the 18th time after they fought off a late challenge from Aston Villa. At the end of a brilliant season, 24-goal winger John Barnes was voted Player of the Year by the PFA. The season also Kenny Dalglish finally give up playing at the age of 39 at the end of an illustrious career which had spanned some 20 years and yielded numerous trophies with both Celtic and Liverpool.
[edit] Both halves of Bristol celebrate
Gerry Francis won the Third Division for Bristol Rovers, while Joe Jordan guided Bristol City to the runner's up spot.
[edit] Millwall's dramatic slump
Millwall led the First Division for the first two weeks of September. But a dramatic slump set in, with Millwall winning just two more league games all season and going down in bottom place. Just before relegation was confirmed, John Docherty was sacked as manager and replaced by Middlesbrough's Bruce Rioch.
[edit] Joy at last for Fergie and United
Manchester United won their first major trophy under Alex Ferguson by beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the FA Cup final replay, having drawn the first match 3-3. The cup triumph compensated for a disappointing league season in which United had finished 13th in the First Division and fans had continually called for Ferguson to be sacked. The club's board later revealed that they had never even considered sacking Ferguson, because - although naturally disappointed with the lack of success in the league - they were pleased with the work he had done at United and understood that injuries to key players had sabotaged the club's chances of success.
[edit] Wilkinson takes Leeds back into the big time
Under the management of Howard Wilkinson, Leeds United returned to the First Division as Second Division champions after an eight-year exile. Their promotion was sealed with an away win over Bournemouth on the final day of the season, after which followed scenes of hooliganism which saw Leeds hit with a hefty fine and threatened with the possibility of having to close if the problem persisted.
[edit] Darlington and Colchester swap places
Brian Little's Darlington regained their league status at the first attempt after winning the Conference. They replaced Colchester United, who were relegated from the Fourth Division to the Conference.
[edit] England's World Cup ended in tears by the Germans
Bobby Robson announced that he would be quitting as England manager after the World Cup to become head coach of PSV in Holland. Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor was chosen as his successor.
England lost to eventual winners West Germany in the semi finals of the World Cup. They went out on penalties after a 1-1 draw, with Paul Gascoigne famously crying, after being given a yellow card which would have prevented his appearance in the final.
[edit] English clubs back in Europe
English clubs were readmitted to European competition after a five-year ban caused by Liverpool's reckless fans, although the then league champions were forbidden to enter the European Cup because they had to serve an extra year of the ban. England's representatives in Europe during 1990-91 would be Aston Villa in the UEFA Cup and Manchester United in the Cup Winners Cup. It was expected that the number of UEFA Cup qualifiers would be gradually increased over the coming seasons.
[edit] Betting scandal hits Swindon hard
When Swindon Town won the Second Division playoff final, everyone at the club was jubilant after winning promotion to the First Division for the first time in their history. But the club was being investigated over claims of financial irregularities to which chairman Brian Hillier, chief accountant Vince Farrar, former manager Lou Macari and team captain Colin Calderwood were linked. When chairman Brian Hillier admitted to breaching 36 charges of breaching league rules, the club's punishment was harsh.
The Football League promoted Sunderland to the First Division in Swindon's place, and handed their place in the Second Division to Tranmere Rovers. They won some respite when an appeal saw them reinstated to the Second Division, a decision which infuriated Tranmere.
No charges were brought against Calderwood, but Macari, Hillier and Farrar were all sent for trial at Winchester Crown Court. Macari was cleared of any involvement in the scandal, but Hillier and Farrar were both convicted of fraud offences. Hillier was given a one-year prison sentence (with half of it suspended) and Farrar was put on probation.
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