2006–07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive association football in England.
Overview
- Manchester United regain the league title for the first time in four years, overcoming a stiff challenge from defending champions Chelsea to be crowned Premier League victors for the 9th time in 16 seasons
- The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five. Level 9 decreased from fifteen divisions to fourteen.
- Wembley Stadium was completed to host the FA Cup Final, however it was not ready for the national team's first three 2008 UEFA European Football Championship home qualifiers. The three matches were played at Old Trafford in Manchester.
- Arsenal moved into their new home, the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium. Emirates became the club's shirt sponsor.
- Following promotion from the Championship, Reading played in the Premiership and the "top flight" of English football for the first time in their 135-year history and won their first game, coming back from 0–2 down to beat Middlesbrough 3–2. They went on to finish 8th.
- Accrington Stanley played in the Football League for the first time. The previous club of the same name dissolved with massive debts and in 1962 became the first club to leave the Football League mid-season.
- Oxford United played in the Conference National after being relegated from the Football League. They are the first former winners of a major trophy to play at this level, having won the League Cup in 1986.
Diary of the season
- 22 June 2006 – Fixtures for the Premier League and the Football League are released.
- 30 June 2006 – Rupert Lowe resigns from Southampton. Michael Wilde's consortium takes control of the club.
- 27 July 2006 – A consortium led by Niall Quinn takes full control of Sunderland after previously buying out the former chairman Bob Murray.
- 1 August 2006 – Steve McClaren begins his job as England manager.
- 2 August 2006 – F.C.|Leeds United] chairman Ken Bates reports his former club Chelsea to The Football Association, Premier League and FIFA over the alleged 'tapping-up' of three Leeds youth team players.
- 5 August 2006 – The Football League season begins, with Luton Town beating Leicester City 2–0 in the first game.
- 8 August 2006 – The 500,000th goal in the history of English league football was scored by Huddersfield Town's Gary Taylor-Fletcher in their 3–0 victory over Rotherham United.
- 10 August 2006 – John Terry is appointed as the new captain of England.
- 12 August 2006 – The Football Conference begins, along with most other non-league campaigns.
- 13 August 2006 – Liverpool take the first silverware of the season, as they beat Chelsea 2–1 in the FA Community Shield at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
- 19 August 2006 – The Premier League season begins with Sheffield United and Liverpool drawing 1–1.
- 23 August 2006 – Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher elbows Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes in the face at the City of Manchester Stadium, after the two challenged for the same ball. This left Mendes unconscious and needing hospital treatment. Thatcher was shown a yellow card for the incident, but he was later banned by his club and charged with violent misconduct by The FA. Ole Gunnar Solskjær scores his first competitive goal in more than three years in Manchester United's 3–0 away league win over Charlton Athletic.
- 31 August 2006 – Chelsea are fined £40,000 by The FA for breaching doping regulations.
- 31 August 2006: August ends with last season's runners-up Manchester United top of the Premiership with three wins out of three. Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Everton, Chelsea, West Ham United and Liverpool complete the top seven. Watford, Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers prop up the table with one point each from their opening three matches, with Arsenal only above the relegation zone on goal difference. Cardiff City lead the Championship, with Norwich City, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers all three points behind the Welsh club and Burnley completing the top six, ahead of Plymouth Argyle and West Bromwich Albion on goal difference. Sunderland, despite playing in a lower division, have failed to turn around their poor form from the previous season and stand in the Championship drop zone, sandwiched by Colchester United and Hull City.
- 4 September 2006 – Andy Webster's controversial move to Wigan Athletic is ratified by FIFA.
- 8 September 2006 – Liverpool get permission from Liverpool city council to build a new 60,000 all-seater stadium in nearby Stanley Park.
- 18 September 2006 – Bryan Robson is sacked after less than two years as manager of West Bromwich Albion.
- 19 September 2006 – After becoming majority shareholder at the club, Randy Lerner officially becomes chairman of Aston Villa, replacing 82-year-old Doug Ellis. A BBC Panorama programme is aired, alleging widespread corruption in the English game.
- 30 September 2006 – September ends with reigning champions Chelsea top of the Premiership. Bolton Wanderers are keeping up their push for a European place, being only two points behind in second place. Manchester United, Portsmouth, Everton, Aston Villa and Arsenal complete the top seven, with Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and Charlton Athletic in the relegation zone. Cardiff have extended their lead in the Championship to five points, ahead of Birmingham. Preston North End, Crystal Palace, Southampton and West Brom stand in the play-off places and Southend United, Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday in the relegation zone.
- 1 October 2006 – Norwich City, 17th in the Championship, sack manager Nigel Worthington after nearly six years in charge.
- 14 October 2006 – Chelsea goalkeepers, Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini, both received head injuries during their match against Reading. Čech underwent surgery for a depressed skull fracture and is expected to be out for six months, while Cudicini was treated and released.
- 16 October 2006 – Norwich City appoint West Ham United assistant manager Peter Grant as their new manager.
- 18 October 2006 – Hibernian's Tony Mowbray is appointed manager of West Bromwich Albion.
- 28 October 2006 – Aston Villa, the last unbeaten team in any professional English division, lose 3–1 to Liverpool at Anfield.
- 30 October 2006 – Manchester United have moved to the top of the Premiership on goal difference; both United and Chelsea have 25 points apiece. Bolton, Portsmouth, Arsenal, Everton and Aston Villa complete the top seven, while Watford, Sheffield United and Charlton Athletic finish the month in the relegation zone. Cardiff remain top of the Championship and Preston have claimed second place, with Burnley, Birmingham, West Brom and Plymouth not far behind. Hull, Barnsley and Southend stand in the bottom three.
- 21 November 2006 – West Ham United accept Eggert Magnússon's £85 million takeover bid for the club.
- 29 November 2006 – England National Game XI, the English semi-professional team, win the inaugural European Challenge Trophy after a 4–1 win over the Netherlands.
- 30 November 2006 – Manchester United remain top of the Premiership, three points ahead of Chelsea. Portsmouth, having narrowly avoided relegation the previous season, are maintaining their European push although they are 11 points adrift of Chelsea in third. Bolton, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Liverpool complete the top seven, while Sheffield United, Watford and Charlton Athletic remain in the relegation zone. Preston have leaped to the top of the Championship, a point ahead of Cardiff, Birmingham and Derby County. Burnley and Stoke City are also challenging for a play-off spot, while Leeds United, Hull and Southend are battling relegation.
- 5 December 2006 – Macclesfield Town, the last team without a win in the Football League, beat Rochdale 1–0 at Moss Rose.
- 20 December 2006 – Bury are thrown out of this season's FA Cup after they fielded an ineligible player, Stephen Turnbull, on-loan from Hartlepool United in their 3–1 second round replay win at Chester City on 12 December. Chester will replace Bury in the third round. Lord Stevens releases the results of his inquiry in the allegation of corruption in the English game, pin-pointing seventeen transfers that he will investigate further.
- 23 December 2006 – Doncaster Rovers play their final game at Belle Vue against Nottingham Forest. They move into the 15,000 seat Keepmoat Stadium.
- 30 December 2006 – Moritz Volz of Fulham scored the 15,000th goal in the history of the F.A. Premier League, opening the scoring in his side's 2–2 draw away at Chelsea.
- 30 December 2006 – Manchester United have increased the gap between them and Chelsea, still in second place, to six points. Bolton, Liverpool, Arsenal, Portsmouth and Everton complete the top seven. Watford see in the New Year being bottom of the Premiership and ten points adrift of safety, with West Ham United and Charlton Athletic also several points behind fellow strugglers Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough. Birmingham now lead the Championship, six points ahead of Preston and Derby. Colchester have overcome a slow start to stand in sixth, behind Southampton and West Brom. Hull, Leeds and Southend remain in the Championship drop zone.
- 11 January 2007 – Former Barrow defender James Cotterill is sentenced to four months in prison for causing grievous bodily harm to Bristol Rovers player Sean Rigg during an FA Cup first round match in November 2006. Rigg suffered a double fracture of the jaw after being punched by Cotterill.
- 16 January 2007 – In the FA Cup third round replays, third tier Bristol City knock out Championship club Coventry City. Elsewhere, top-flight sides Manchester City and Middlesbrough survive scares against Football League teams to progress, beating Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City respectively.
- 25 January 2007 – Peter Taylor resigns as England under-21 manager, stating that he wants to focus on managing his other team, Crystal Palace.
- 31 January 2007 – Manchester United remain top of the Premiership and look safe to reclaim the title they last won in 2003. Chelsea remain six points behind, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Bolton, Portsmouth and Reading completing the top seven. The relegation zone remains unchanged from the end of December, but the strugglers are cranking up the pressure on Wigan Athletic. Derby end the month as the leader of the Championship, six points clear of Birmingham and Preston, with West Brom, Southampton and a resurgent Cardiff not far behind. Leeds has swapped places with Southend at the foot of the Championship while Hull have escaped the bottom three at the expense of QPR.
- 1 February. 2007 – Stuart Pearce is appointed as Peter Taylor's replacement.
- 6 February 2007 – George Gillett and Tom Hicks complete their takeover of Liverpool.
- 7 February 2007 – Milan Mandarić completes his takeover of Leicester City.
- 25 February 2007 – Chelsea defeat Arsenal 2–1 in the Carling Cup final at the Millennium Stadium. The match was marred by a mass brawl between the two sides during the final few minutes of the game, in which three players were sent off.
- 28 March 2007 – Manchester United now lead Chelsea by nine points, but have played one match more. Liverpool, Arsenal and Bolton are still in the mix for a Champions League place, with sixth-placed Reading and seventh-place Everton's challenge for UEFA Cup qualification is being threatened by Portsmouth and Tottenham. Wigan remains six points ahead of eighteenth-placed Charlton, joined in the relegation zone by West Ham and Watford. Birmingham are back on top of the Championship, a point ahead of West Brom and Derby. An improving Sunderland have moved into the top six, ahead of Southampton and Cardiff. The relegation zone is unchanged from the end of January.
- 3 March 2007 – Stockport County set a Football League record of nine consecutive wins without conceding a goal by beating Swindon Town 3–0 at Edgeley Park. Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey keeps the club record nine consecutive clean sheets and is named Player of the Month for February 2007.
- 17 March 2007 – The new Wembley Stadium opens for a special community event.
- 31 March 2007 – Chelsea have moved to within six points of leaders Manchester United but, with only seven matches left to play, there is little hope of the Londoners retaining the title for a third successive season. Liverpool and Arsenal have put distance between Bolton in the chase for the Champions League, who complete the top seven with Everton and Tottenham. Charlton, West Ham and Watford remain in the relegation zone but have caught up with strugglers Wigan and Sheffield United, now only three points and one point above the relegation zone respectively. Sunderland have finally moved into the automatic promotion spots in the Championship, sandwiched by leaders Derby and Birmingham. Preston, West Brom and Wolves are in the play-off places. Luton Town have slipped to the bottom of the table, behind Southend and Leeds.
- 1 April 2007 – Doncaster Rovers win the competition for lower-division football league clubs, as they beat Bristol Rovers 3–2 after extra time in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
- 7 April 2007 – Dagenham & Redbridge win the Conference National and promotion to the Football League.
- 9 April 2007 – St Albans City are relegated from the Conference National. Brentford are relegated to League Two.
- 10 April 2007 – Manchester United beat Roma 7–1 in the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford, completing an 8–3 aggregate victory and booking their first semi-final appearance in the competition for five years.
- 14 April 2007 – Torquay United are relegated to the Conference. Scunthorpe United are promoted to the Championship. Hartlepool United and Walsall are both promoted to League One. Rotherham United are relegated to League Two.
- 20 April 2007 – Luton Town are relegated to League One.
- 21 April 2007 – Watford are relegated from the Premiership. Droylsden are promoted to the Conference.
- 22 April 2007 – Cristiano Ronaldo is named PFA Player of the Year as well as PFA Young Player of the Year. Eight out of the eleven players who are named in the PFA Premiership Team of the Year are Manchester United players, including Ronaldo.
- 24 April 2007 – Tamworth and Southport are relegated from the Conference. Manchester United beat Milan 3–2 in the Champions League semi-final first leg at Old Trafford.
- 28 April 2007 – Southend United are relegated from the Championship. Chesterfield and Bradford City are both relegated from League One.
- 29 April 2007 – Derby County lose to Crystal Palace meaning that Birmingham City and Sunderland are promoted to the Premiership. Sam Allardyce resigns after seven and a half years as manager of Bolton Wanderers.
- 30 April 2007 – Sammy Lee is promoted from the coaching staff to the manager's seat at Bolton Wanderers.
- 30 April 2007 – Manchester United remain five points ahead of Chelsea with both left with three games to play, but both have secured automatic Champions League qualification, meaning Liverpool and Arsenal will both have to face a two-legged tie to secure qualification to the group stage. Two points separate Bolton, Everton, Reading, Portsmouth and Tottenham in the race to qualify for the UEFA Cup. At the bottom of the table Watford have already been relegated, with Charlton and a resurgent West Ham completing the relegation zone but still with a slim chance of survival at the possible expense of Wigan, Fulham, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.
- 1 May 2007 – Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties in the Champions League semi-final at Anfield after both sides won their home leg 1–0.
- 2 May 2007 – Manchester United's hopes of an all-English European Cup final with Liverpool and second Treble are ended when they lose 3–0 to Milan in the semi-final second leg at the San Siro.
- 4 May 2007 – Leeds United are relegated to League One for the first time in their history after they go into administration.
- 5 May 2007 – Manchester United come out on top in the Manchester derby beating Manchester City 1–0. In doing so United extend their lead at the top of the Premiership to 8 points. City's failure to score means that they set a new record for the fewest goals scored at home in a season by a club in the top flight, with only 10 scored in the season. Bristol City are promoted to the Championship. Boston United are relegated to the Conference. Swindon Town are promoted to League One and Walsall are League Two champions. MK Dons moved out of the National Hockey Stadium and into
- 6 May 2007 – Manchester United win the Premiership after Chelsea only draw 1–1 at Arsenal. Sunderland win the Championship with a 5–0 win at Luton Town, whilst Birmingham City lose 1–0 at Preston North End.
- 7 May 2007 – Arsenal Ladies completed an unprecedented Quadruple of trophies, defeating Charlton Athletic 4–1 in the FA Women's Cup final, to add to their FA Women's Premier League, Women's League Cup and UEFA Women's Cup victories. Charlton Athletic are relegated from the Premiership after they lose to Tottenham Hotspur.
- 13 May 2007 – Sheffield United are relegated from the Premiership after losing 2–1 at home to Wigan Athletic and West Ham United beat Manchester United 1–0 at Old Trafford. The season ends with Manchester United champions, Chelsea runners-up and Liverpool and Arsenal completing the top four. Tottenham, Everton and Bolton all qualify for the UEFA Cup.
- 16 May 2007 – Neil Warnock resigns after seven and a half years in charge of Sheffield United.
- 18 May 2007 – The Football League confirms that Boston United were docked ten points for entering a Company Voluntary Arrangement in the final seconds of their League Two defeat at Wrexham, a game which saw The Pilgrims relegated.
- 19 May 2007 – Chelsea beat Manchester United 1–0 to win the FA Cup. at the first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley and stop Manchester United winning the double.
- 20 May 2007 – Morecambe are promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history after beating Exeter City 2–1 in the Conference National play-off final.
- 23 May 2007 – A.C. Milan beat Liverpool 2–1 in the European Cup final in Athens, two years after Liverpool had beaten the Italians on penalties after a 3–3 draw in the Istanbul final.
- 26 May 2007 – Bristol Rovers win the League Two play-off final.
- 27 May 2007 – Blackpool win the League One play off final.
- 28 May 2007 – Derby County defeat West Bromwich Albion 1–0 in the Championship play-off final.
- 20 June 2007 – Nottingham Forest announce plans to relocate from the City Ground to a new 50,000-seat stadium by 2014. Scarborough, who were relegated from the Conference North this season but are best remembered for being Football League members from 1897 to 1999, go out of business with debts of £2.5million.
- 25 June 2007 – Five days after the demise of the 128-year-old Scarborough FC, a new club – Scarborough Athletic – is formed.
Clubs removed
- Scarborough
Managerial changes
| Name | Club | Date of departure | Replacement | Date of appointment |
| Glenn Hoddle | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 July 2006 | Mick McCarthy | 21 July 2006 |
| David O'Leary | Aston Villa | 19 July 2006 | Martin O'Neill | 4 August 2006 |
| Niall Quinn | Sunderland | 28 August 2006 | Roy Keane | 28 August 2006 |
| Dave Penney | Doncaster Rovers | 30 August 2006 | Sean O'Driscoll | 8 September 2006 |
| Mark McGhee | Brighton & Hove Albion | 8 September 2006 | Dean Wilkins | 29 September 2006 |
| Sean O'Driscoll | Bournemouth | 8 September 2006 | Kevin Bond | 13 October 2006 |
| Bryan Robson | West Bromwich Albion | 18 September 2006 | Tony Mowbray | 13 October 2006 |
| Gary Waddock | Queens Park Rangers | 20 September 2006 | John Gregory | 20 September 2006 |
| Kevin Blackwell | Leeds United | 20 September 2006 | Dennis Wise | 24 October 2006 |
| Nigel Spackman | Millwall | 25 September 2006 | Willie Donachie | 22 November 2006 |
| Nigel Worthington | Norwich City | 1 October 2006 | Peter Grant | 13 October 2006 |
| Brian Horton | Macclesfield Town | 1 October 2006 | Paul Ince | 23 October 2006 |
| David Hodgson | Darlington | 4 October 2006 | Dave Penney | 30 October 2006 |
| Paul Sturrock | Sheffield Wednesday | 19 October 2006 | Brian Laws | 6 November 2006 |
| Dennis Wise | Swindon Town | 24 October 2006 | Paul Sturrock | 7 November 2006 |
| Graham Rodger | Grimsby Town | 6 November 2006 | Alan Buckley | 9 November 2006 |
| Brian Laws | Scunthorpe United | 6 November 2006 | Nigel Adkins | 7 December 2006 |
| Iain Dowie | Charlton Athletic | 13 November 2006 | Les Reed | 14 November 2006 |
| Leroy Rosenior | Brentford | 18 November 2006 | Scott Fitzgerald | 21 December 2006 |
| Andy Ritchie | Barnsley | 21 November 2006 | Simon Davey | 31 December 2006 |
| Ian Atkins | Torquay United | 27 November 2006 | Luboš Kubík | 27 November 2006 |
| Phil Parkinson | Hull City | 4 December 2006 | Phil Brown | 4 January 2007 |
| Alan Pardew | West Ham United | 11 December 2006 | Alan Curbishley | 13 December 2006 |
| Steve Parkin | Rochdale | 17 December 2006 | Keith Hill | 3 January 2007 |
| Peter Shirtliff | Mansfield Town | 19 December 2006 | Billy Dearden | 28 December 2006 |
| John Gorman | Northampton Town | 20 December 2006 | Stuart Gray | 2 January 2007 |
| Les Reed | Charlton Athletic | 24 December 2006 | Alan Pardew | 24 December 2006 |
| Denis Smith | Wrexham | 11 January 2007 | Brian Carey | 12 January 2007 |
| Keith Alexander | Peterborough United | 15 January 2007 | Darren Ferguson | 20 January 2007 |
| Micky Adams | Coventry City | 17 January 2007 | Iain Dowie | 19 January 2007 |
| Luboš Kubík | Torquay United | 5 February 2007 | Keith Curle | 8 February 2007 |
| Colin Todd | Bradford City | 12 February 2007 | Stuart McCall | 22 May 2007 |
| Kenny Jackett | Swansea City | 15 February 2007 | Roberto Martínez | 24 February 2007 |
| Alan Knill | Rotherham United | 1 March 2007 | Mark Robins | 6 April 2007 |
| Peter Jackson | Huddersfield Town | 6 March 2007 | Andy Ritchie | 11 April 2007 |
| Roy McFarland | Chesterfield | 12 March 2007 | Lee Richardson | 26 April 2007 |
| Mike Newell | Luton Town | 15 March 2007 | Kevin Blackwell | 27 March 2007 |
| Scott Fitzgerald | Brentford | 10 April 2007 | Terry Butcher | 24 April 2007 |
| Chris Coleman | Fulham | 10 April 2007 | Lawrie Sanchez | 11 May 2007 |
| Rob Kelly | Leicester City | 11 April 2007 | Martin Allen | 25 May 2007 |
| Sam Allardyce | Bolton Wanderers | 29 April 2007 | Sammy Lee | 30 April 2007 |
| Mark Wright | Chester City | 30 April 2007 | Bobby Williamson | 11 May 2007 |
| Glenn Roeder | Newcastle United | 6 May 2007 | Sam Allardyce | 15 May 2007 |
| Paul Jewell | Wigan Athletic | 14 May 2007 | Chris Hutchings | 14 May 2007 |
| Stuart Pearce | Manchester City | 14 May 2007 | Sven-Göran Eriksson | 6 July 2007 |
| Neil Warnock | Sheffield United | 16 May 2007 | Bryan Robson | 22 May 2007 |
| Martin Allen | Milton Keynes Dons | 25 May 2007 | Paul Ince | 25 June 2007 |
| Paul Ince | Macclesfield Town | 24 June 2007 | Ian Brightwell | 29 June 2007 |
National team
began their qualifying campaign for Euro 2008 in September, beating Andorra 5–0. Steve McClaren began his reign as head coach against Greece.| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | England scorers | Match report |
| 16 August 2006 | Old Trafford | 4–0 | F | John Terry Frank Lampard Peter Crouch | ||
| 2 September 2006 | Old Trafford | 5–0 | ECQ | Peter Crouch Steven Gerrard Jermain Defoe | ||
| 6 September 2006 | Skopje City Stadium | 1–0 | ECQ | Peter Crouch | ||
| 7 October 2006 | Old Trafford | 0–0 | ECQ | |||
| 11 October 2006 | Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb | 0–2 | ECQ | |||
| 15 November 2006 | Amsterdam ArenA | 1–1 | F | Wayne Rooney | ||
| 7 February 2007 | Old Trafford | 0–1 | F | |||
| 24 March 2007 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan | 0–0 | ECQ | |||
| 28 March 2007 | Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain | 3–0 | ECQ | Steven Gerrard David Nugent | ||
| 1 June 2007 | Wembley Stadium | 1–1 | F | John Terry | ||
| 6 June 2007 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn | 3–0 | ECQ | Joe Cole Peter Crouch Michael Owen |
;Key
- H = Home match
- A = Away match
- F = Friendly
- ECQ = European Championship qualifier
Honours
League football
Non-league football
European qualification
League tables
FA Premier League
After 3 seasons of missing out, Manchester United fought off the challenge of Chelsea and regained the Premier League title for the 9th time in 15 years. Despite finishing second, the Blues claimed a League Cup and FA Cup double, and Didier Drogba was the top flight's leading goalscorer with 20 in the league. The final two Champions League places went to Liverpool and Arsenal. Tottenham and Everton qualified for the UEFA Cup, as did Bolton, despite the departure of long-serving manager Sam Allardyce shortly before the end of the season. Blackburn qualified for the Intertoto Cup thanks to the 18 goals of striker Benni McCarthy as well as the impressive efforts of manager Mark Hughes.Newly promoted Reading, tipped by many critics for relegation, defied the odds by finishing 8th on their first ever season in the top flight. Portsmouth put last season's managerial debacle behind them to finish 9th, finishing just 2 points short of European qualification. Aston Villa's campaign, their first under former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, marked an improvement on the previous campaign which saw them go undefeated in their first nine and last nine matches, although a staggering 17 draws prevented a top-half finish.
Watford finished bottom, managing only 5 wins all season as they made a swift return to the Championship. The loss of Alan Curbishley and 3 managerial changes in Iain Dowie, Les Reed and then Alan Pardew ended Charlton's 7-year stay in the top flight. Ironically, Curbishley took charge at West Ham, another London club who looked certain for the drop after a poor season. However, a run of seven wins from their final nine matches was enough to secure their Premiership status, with a goal from Carlos Tevez giving the Hammers victory over champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, while sending Sheffield United down and beginning speculation from the Yorkshire club over whether Tevez was eligible to play. The matter was eventually settled out of court, with West Ham fined £5.5 million by the Premier League and ordered to pay the Blades compensation over five years. Wigan Athletic, in their second year in the top flight, narrowly avoided relegation on goal difference.
Leading goalscorer: Didier Drogba – 20
Football League Championship
After losing their first four games, Sunderland looked ominous for a second relegation. The surprise appointment of Roy Keane by rookie chairman Niall Quinn paid off and they surged up the table, losing just one of their final 20 games to clinch promotion as champions.Keane's former Manchester United colleague, Steve Bruce also took Birmingham City back into the Premier League, ensuring that they only remained in the Championship for one season.
Derby County spent half the season in the top 2, but fell away in the final weeks to slip into the play-off places. Nonetheless, they won promotion by beating West Bromwich Albion 1–0 in the final at the recently opened new Wembley Stadium. This denied the Baggies an immediate return to the Premier League, which would have meant all 3 relegated clubs from the previous season were promoted.
Preston were perhaps the biggest chokers as they lost 5 of their final 7 games to slump out of the play-off places they had occupied through the bulk of the season, missing out on a third successive play-off finish. Cardiff City had been the early pace-setters, leading the table up until the midway point before their form tailed off badly in the second half.
After a play-off final appearance the previous year, Leeds finished bottom amidst yet more financial worries and acrimony, falling into the relegation zone in early October and, despite a late improvement, never leaving it. Their placing at the foot of the table was due to a 10-point deduction they suffered after going into voluntary administration after their relegation was all but confirmed on the penultimate weekend. The club came close to being expelled from the Football League during the summer after being unable to agree a deal with their creditors, but they were allowed to remain for the following season, albeit with a 15-point deduction.
Luton, who would have finished bottom but for Leeds's deduction, were relegated after being forced to sell many of their top players due to mounting financial problems. They had spent the first half of the season safely in mid-table, but a disastrous run of form after the turn of the year saw them relegated back to League One after just two seasons. Southend lasted only a single season in the Championship after their two successive promotions; their season was essentially the opposite of Luton's, winning just three games until the turn of the year before an improvement in form gave them some hope. Colchester fared best of the newly promoted clubs, comfortably finishing in 10th, largely on the back of their strong home form at the division's smallest stadium, Layer Road.
Leading goalscorer: Jamie Cureton – 23
Football League One
With club physiotherapist Nigel Adkins promoted to the manager's role, Scunthorpe United topped the league as champions, having been in the bottom two divisions since the early 1960s. Prolific striker Billy Sharp was the also the division's leading marksman with 30 goals. Gary Johnson helped Bristol City achieve automatic-promotion after nearly a decade of near-misses and 2 play-off defeats, ending their eight-year exile from the Championship. Blackpool won the play-offs, ending nearly three decades in the bottom two divisions.Brentford, who lost their manager Martin Allen just before the start of the season, finished bottom, having a dismal run of 21 games without a win. Rotherham won their first few games, wiping out their ten-point deduction early in the season; they ended up finishing thirteen points adrift however, and were relegated. Having started the decade in the Premier League, Bradford City fell into the bottom division for the first time in twenty-five years, with Chesterfield occupying the final relegation spot.
Leading goalscorer: Billy Sharp – 30
Football League Two
The four teams relegated from League One in 2005–06 would occupy the top four this season, sending Walsall, Hartlepool United and Swindon Town back up. Bristol Rovers won the play-offs however, returning to League One after six years.Torquay United had been both the last team to finish bottom under the old election system, and the last team to finish bottom of the League and survive due to the Conference champions not having a good enough ground. However, this season they finished bottom and dropped out of the League. They were joined by Boston United, who had voluntary arrangements in the 87th minute of the season's final game, but would still have been relegated even without the 10-point administration penalty. In a first since the introduction of automatic promotion and relegation between the Football League and Conference, Boston were relegated two divisions due to failing to pay footballing creditors, along with financial irregularities committed during their promotion season in 2001–02.
Leading goalscorer: Izale McLeod – 21
Monthly awards
Transfer deals
The summer transfer window saw many high-profile moves. These included Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack joining Chelsea, and Ruud van Nistelrooy leaving Manchester United to join Real Madrid. West Ham United secured the surprise double signing of Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez from Corinthians, and Dietmar Hamann's transfer to Bolton Wanderers became the shortest in English footballing history.The January transfer window was quieter than the summer, with Ashley Young's £9.65m move to Aston Villa and Matthew Upson's £6m move to West Ham United the window's most expensive.
In total, Premiership clubs spent the highest amount on transfers in the summer since the transfer window system was introduced.
Notable debutants
- 25 February 2007 – Andy Carroll, 18-year-old striker, makes his debut for Newcastle United in a 1–0 away Premier League defeat by Wigan Athletic.
Retirements
- 1 August 2006 – Peter Atherton
- 13 September 2006 – David Johnson
- 6 October 2006 – Brian O'Neil
- 23 October 2006 – Steve Blatherwick
- 27 October 2006 – Peter Beagrie
- 29 November 2006 – Mickey Evans
- 6 December 2006 – Mark Kinsella
- 13 December 2006 – Chris Plummer
- 15 December 2006 – Steve Stone
- 19 December 2006 – Thomas Gaardsøe
- 9 February 2007 – Mark Clyde
- 1 March 2007 – Ian Stonebridge
- 8 March 2007 – Marino Keith
- 11 April 2007 – Eoin Jess
- 17 May 2007 – Martin Phillips
- End of season – Rufus Brevett
- End of season – Alec Chamberlain
- End of season – Gary Kelly
- End of season – Jason McAteer
- End of season – John McDermott
- End of season – Ian Taylor
- 23 June 2007 – Eddie Howe
Deaths
- 18 July 2006 – Jimmy Leadbetter, 78, former Ipswich Town winger.
- 21 July 2006 – Bert Slater, 70, former Liverpool and Watford goalkeeper.
- 28 July 2006 – Sep Smith, 94, former Leicester City wing-half, and oldest living England international.
- 28 July 2006 – Billy Walsh, 85, former Manchester City defender, and Republic of Ireland international.
- 18 August 2006 – Norman Rowlinson, 83, former chairman of Crewe Alexandra.
- 2 September 2006 – Lionel Pickering, 74, former chairman of Derby County and noted businessman. Bought the club from Robert Maxwell in 1990 and owned it for 13 years, during which time Derby spent six seasons in the Premier League and moved into a new stadium.
- 2 September 2006 – Charlie Williams, 77, former Doncaster Rovers defender who later became a successful comedian.
- 9 September 2006 – Matt Gadsby, 27, Hinckley United defender, died on the pitch in a game against Harrogate Town.
- 9 September 2006 – Simon Patterson, 24, former Watford and Wycombe Wanderers striker, died in a car accident.
- 17 September 2006 – George Heslop, 66, former Manchester City defender.
- 1 November 2006 – Johnny Schofield, 75, former Birmingham City goalkeeper.
- 31 December 2006 – Joe Walton, 81, former Preston North End full-back.
- 8 January 2007 – Johnny Spuhler, 89, former Sunderland and Middlesbrough winger, and former manager of Shrewsbury Town.
- 20 January 2007 – Don Weston, 70, former Leeds United striker.
- 22 January 2007 – Bobby Dale, 75, former Bury and Colchester United winger, cancer.
- 23 February 2007 – John Ritchie, 65, former Stoke City striker; club's all-time top goalscorer. Played in the 1972 Football League Cup triumph.
- 24 February 2007 – Jock Dodds, 91, Blackpool striker who held the record for fastest hat-trick in English football history.
- 14 March 2007 – Tommy Cavanagh, 78, Huddersfield Town forward who later manager Brentford and Burnley, and was assistant manager at Manchester United when Dave Sexton was manager between 1977 and 1981. Died after a five-year struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
- 7 April 2007 – Brian Miller, 70, former Burnley and England international footballer. Managed the club during the late 1980s.
- 12 April 2007 – Len Hill, 65, former Newport County and Swansea City wing-half; also a first-class cricketer.
- 14 April 2007 – Bobby Cram, 67, former West Bromwich Albion and Colchester United full-back.
- 24 April 2007 – Alan Ball, 61, former England international midfielder, 1966 World Cup winner. Died from a heart attack at his home in Hampshire.
- 6 June 2007 – Warren Bradley, 73, former Manchester United and England winger.
- 24 June 2007 – Derek Dougan, 69, former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Northern Ireland forward, heart attack.