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1996–97 FA Premier League

The1996–97 FA Premier League(known as theFACarlingPremiershipfor sponsorship reasons) was the fifth season of theFA Premier Leaguesince its formation in 1992. The majority of the season was contested by the reigning champions,Manchester United,along withNewcastle United,ArsenalandLiverpool.The title was eventually won by Manchester United, after Liverpool's and Newcastle's failure to win in their penultimate games of the season; at 75 points it is the lowest points total for a Premier League champion club and lowest since the3-1-0 points systemwas introduced in the1981–82 season.

FA Premier League
Season1996–97
Dates17 August 1996 – 11 May 1997
ChampionsManchester United
4th Premier League title
11thEnglish title
RelegatedSunderland
Middlesbrough
Nottingham Forest
Champions LeagueManchester United
Newcastle United F.C.
Cup Winners' CupChelsea
UEFA CupArsenal
Liverpool
Aston Villa(throughUEFA Respect Fair Play ranking)
Leicester City
Matches played380
Goals scored970 (2.55 per match)
Top goalscorerAlan Shearer
(25 goals)
Best goalkeeperNigel Martyn(19 clean sheets)
Biggest home winEverton7–1Southampton
(16 November 1996)
Newcastle United 7–1Tottenham Hotspur
(28 December 1996)
Biggest away winLeeds United0–4 Manchester United
(7 September 1996)
Nottingham Forest 0–4 Manchester United
(26 December 1996)
Sunderland 0–4 Tottenham Hotspur
(4 March 1997)
Highest scoringSouthampton 6–3 Manchester United
(26 October 1996)
Longest winning run7 games[1]
Newcastle United
Wimbledon
Longest unbeaten run16 games[1]
Manchester United
Longest winless run16 games[1]
Nottingham Forest
Longest losing run6 games[1]
Everton
Highest attendance55,314
Manchester United 2–1 Wimbledon
(29 January 1997)
Lowest attendance7,979
Wimbledon 2–0 Leeds United
(16 April 1997)
Total attendance10,818,380[2]
Average attendance28,469[2]

Middlesbrough,who had high-profile foreign players likeJuninho,Emerson,Fabrizio Ravanelli(who scored 31 goals in all competitions),BrancoandGianluca Festa,were relegated on the final day of the season and were on the losing side in both theFA Cup finaland theLeague Cup final.Middlesbrough finished in 19th place, but would have been placed 14th without a three-point deduction imposed for unilaterally postponing a 21 December 1996 fixture atBlackburn Rovers,with the Middlesbrough board making the decision due to the absence of 23 players ill or injured.[3][4]The club consulted the Premier League prior to calling off the fixture and was told to do 'what they thought best'. To protect the integrity of the game, and avoid fielding a team of untried teenagers including three goalkeepers, Middlesbrough called off the match. The Premier League subsequently absolved itself of all responsibility and deducted the three points. This sanction meantCoventry City,who had been in the top division since 1967, finished in 17th place and avoided relegation. The decision was controversial, and later resurfaced in 2006–07 whenWest Ham escaped a points deductionand subsequently avoided relegation.

Another relegation place went toNottingham Forest,who sacked managerFrank Clarkin December.Stuart Pearcetook over as temporary player-manager, spending three months in charge and winning the January 1997 Manager of the Month award. In March, Pearce quit as manager to be replaced byDave Bassett,formerly of Crystal Palace. Also relegated, due to a 1–0 defeat to Wimbledon in their last game of the season, wasSunderland,who were leavingRoker Parkafter 99 years and relocating to the 42,000-seatStadium of Lighton the banks of theRiver Wearfor the start of the 1997–98 season inDivision One.

Teams

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Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from theFirst Division.The promoted teams wereSunderland,Derby County(both teams returning to the top flight after a five-year absence) andLeicester City(immediately returning to the top flight after a season's absence). This was also both Sunderland and Derby County's first season in the Premier League. They replacedManchester City,Queens Park RangersandBolton Wanderers,who were relegated to theFirst Divisionafter a top flight presence of seven, thirteen and one year respectively.

Stadiums and locations

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Locations of the 1996–97 Premier League teams
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Greater London Premier League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Arsenal London(Highbury) Arsenal Stadium 38,419
Aston Villa Birmingham Villa Park 39,399
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Chelsea London(Fulham) Stamford Bridge 36,000
Coventry City Coventry Highfield Road 23,489
Derby County Derby Baseball Ground[a] 18,300
Everton Liverpool(Walton) Goodison Park 40,157
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 40,204
Leicester City Leicester Filbert Street 22,000
Liverpool Liverpool(Anfield) Anfield 42,730
Manchester United Manchester Old Trafford 55,314
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 30,000
Newcastle United Newcastle upon Tyne St James' Park 36,649
Nottingham Forest West Bridgford City Ground 30,539
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Hillsborough Stadium 39,859
Southampton Southampton The Dell 15,200
Sunderland Sunderland Roker Park 22,500
Tottenham Hotspur London(Tottenham) White Hart Lane 36,230
West Ham United London(Upton Park) Boleyn Ground 28,000
Wimbledon London(Selhurst) Selhurst Park[b] 26,309
  1. ^This was Derby County's last season at Baseball Ground as they were scheduled to relocate to thePride Park Stadiumat the end of the season.
  2. ^Due to Wimbledon lacking a home stadium, they played their home games at Selhurst Park, which is the home stadium ofCrystal Palace.

Personnel and kits

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(as of 11 May 1997)

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal Arsène Wenger Tony Adams Nike JVC
Aston Villa Brian Little Andy Townsend Reebok AST Research
Blackburn Rovers Tony Parkes Tim Sherwood Asics CIS
Chelsea Ruud Gullit Dennis Wise Umbro Coors
Coventry City Gordon Strachan Gary McAllister Le Coq Sportif Peugeot
Derby County Jim Smith Igor Štimac Puma Puma
Everton Dave Watson(caretaker) Dave Watson Umbro Danka
Leeds United George Graham Lucas Radebe Puma Packard Bell
Leicester City Martin O'Neill Steve Walsh Fox Leisure Walkers
Liverpool Roy Evans John Barnes Reebok Carlsberg
Manchester United Alex Ferguson Eric Cantona Umbro Sharp
Middlesbrough Bryan Robson Nigel Pearson Erreà Cellnet
Newcastle United Kenny Dalglish Peter Beardsley Adidas Newcastle Brown Ale
Nottingham Forest Dave Bassett Stuart Pearce Umbro Labatt's
Sheffield Wednesday David Pleat Peter Atherton Puma Sanderson
Southampton Graeme Souness Matt Le Tissier Pony Sanderson
Sunderland Peter Reid Kevin Ball Avec Vaux Breweries
Tottenham Hotspur Gerry Francis Gary Mabbutt Pony Hewlett-Packard
West Ham United Harry Redknapp Julian Dicks Pony Dagenham Motors
Wimbledon Joe Kinnear Vinnie Jones Lotto Elonex

Managerial changes

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Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Chelsea Glenn Hoddle Signed by England 10 May 1996 Pre-season Ruud Gullit 10 May 1996
Southampton Dave Merrington Sacked 14 June 1996 Graeme Souness 3 July 1996
Arsenal Bruce Rioch 12 August 1996 Stewart Houston(caretaker) 12 August 1996
Leeds United Howard Wilkinson 10 September 1996 9th George Graham 10 September 1996
Arsenal Stewart Houston Signed by Queens Park Rangers 16 September 1996 7th Pat Rice(caretaker) 16 September 1996
Pat Rice End of caretaker spell 30 September 1996 3rd Arsène Wenger 30 September 1996
Blackburn Rovers Ray Harford Resigned 25 October 1996 20th Tony Parkes(caretaker) 25 October 1996
Coventry City Ron Atkinson Promoted todirector of football 5 November 1996 18th Gordon Strachan 5 November 1996
Nottingham Forest Frank Clark Resigned 19 December 1996 20th Stuart Pearce(caretaker) 20 December 1996
Newcastle United Kevin Keegan 8 January 1997 4th Terry McDermott(caretaker) 8 January 1997
Terry McDermott End of caretaker spell 14 January 1997 Kenny Dalglish 14 January 1997
Everton Joe Royle Resigned 27 March 1997 13th Dave Watson(caretaker) 1 April 1997

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United(C) 38 21 12 5 76 44 +32 75 Qualification for theChampions League group stage
2 Newcastle United 38 19 11 8 73 40 +33 68 Qualification for theChampions League second qualifying round
3 Arsenal 38 19 11 8 62 32 +30 68 Qualification for theUEFA Cup first round[a]
4 Liverpool 38 19 11 8 62 37 +25 68
5 Aston Villa 38 17 10 11 47 34 +13 61
6 Chelsea 38 16 11 11 58 55 +3 59 Qualification for theCup Winners' Cup first round[b]
7 Sheffield Wednesday 38 14 15 9 50 51 −1 57
8 Wimbledon 38 15 11 12 49 46 +3 56
9 Leicester City 38 12 11 15 46 54 −8 47 Qualification for theUEFA Cup first round[c]
10 Tottenham Hotspur 38 13 7 18 44 51 −7 46
11 Leeds United 38 11 13 14 28 38 −10 46
12 Derby County 38 11 13 14 45 58 −13 46
13 Blackburn Rovers 38 9 15 14 42 43 −1 42
14 West Ham United 38 10 12 16 39 48 −9 42
15 Everton 38 10 12 16 44 57 −13 42
16 Southampton 38 10 11 17 50 56 −6 41
17 Coventry City 38 9 14 15 38 54 −16 41
18 Sunderland(R) 38 10 10 18 35 53 −18 40 Relegation to theFootball League First Division
19 Middlesbrough(R) 38 10 12 16 51 60 −9 39[d]
20 Nottingham Forest(R) 38 6 16 16 31 59 −28 34
Source:Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C)Champions;(R)Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^Aston Villawas rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup throughUEFA Fair Play ranking.
  2. ^Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup asFA Cupwinners.
  3. ^Leicester City qualified for the UEFA Cup asLeague Cupwinners.
  4. ^Middlesbrough were docked three points for failing to fulfill their original fixture atBlackburn Roverson 21 December 1996.

Results

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Home \ Away ARS AVL BLB CHE COV DER EVE LEE LEI LIV MUN MID NEW NFO SHW SOU SUN TOT WHU WIM
Arsenal 2–2 1–1 3–3 0–0 2–2 3–1 3–0 2–0 1–2 1–2 2–0 0–1 2–0 4–1 3–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 0–1
Aston Villa 2–2 1–0 0–2 2–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–3 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–2 2–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 5–0
Blackburn Rovers 0–2 0–2 1–1 4–0 1–2 1–1 0–1 2–4 3–0 2–3 0–0 1–0 1–1 4–1 2–1 1–0 0–2 2–1 3–1
Chelsea 0–3 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–2 0–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–0 6–2 3–1 3–1 2–4
Coventry City 1–1 1–2 0–0 3–1 1–2 0–0 2–1 0–0 0–1 0–2 3–0 2–1 0–3 0–0 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–3 1–1
Derby County 1–3 2–1 0–0 3–2 2–1 0–1 3–3 2–0 0–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 0–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 4–2 1–0 0–2
Everton 0–2 0–1 0–2 1–2 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 7–1 1–3 1–0 2–1 1–3
Leeds United 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 1–3 0–0 1–0 3–0 0–2 0–4 1–1 0–1 2–0 0–2 0–0 3–0 0–0 1–0 1–0
Leicester City 0–2 1–0 1–1 1–3 0–2 4–2 1–2 1–0 0–3 2–2 1–3 2–0 2–2 1–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–0
Liverpool 2–0 3–0 0–0 5–1 1–2 2–1 1–1 4–0 1–1 1–3 5–1 4–3 4–2 0–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 0–0 1–1
Manchester United 1–0 0–0 2–2 1–2 3–1 2–3 2–2 1–0 3–1 1–0 3–3 0–0 4–1 2–0 2–1 5–0 2–0 2–0 2–1
Middlesbrough 0–2 3–2 2–1 1–0 4–0 6–1 4–2 0–0 0–2 3–3 2–2 0–1 1–1 4–2 0–1 0–1 0–3 4–1 0–0
Newcastle United 1–2 4–3 2–1 3–1 4–0 3–1 4–1 3–0 4–3 1–1 5–0 3–1 5–0 1–2 0–1 1–1 7–1 1–1 2–0
Nottingham Forest 2–1 0–0 2–2 2–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 0–4 1–1 0–0 0–3 1–3 1–4 2–1 0–2 1–1
Sheffield Wednesday 0–0 2–1 1–1 0–2 0–0 0–0 2–1 2–2 2–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 0–0 3–1
Southampton 0–2 0–1 2–0 0–0 2–2 3–1 2–2 0–2 2–2 0–1 6–3 4–0 2–2 2–2 2–3 3–0 0–1 2–0 0–0
Sunderland 1–0 1–0 0–0 3–0 1–0 2–0 3–0 0–1 0–0 1–2 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–4 0–0 1–3
Tottenham Hotspur 0–0 1–0 2–1 1–2 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–0 1–2 0–2 1–2 1–0 1–2 0–1 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–0 1–0
West Ham United 1–2 0–2 2–1 3–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–2 1–0 1–2 2–2 0–0 0–0 0–1 5–1 2–1 2–0 4–3 0–2
Wimbledon 2–2 0–2 1–0 0–1 2–2 1–1 4–0 2–0 1–3 2–1 0–3 1–1 1–1 1–0 4–2 3–1 1–0 1–0 1–1
Source:11v11
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

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Scoring

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Top scorers

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Newcastle'sAlan Shearerwas the top scorer for the third and final time, with 25 goals.
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Alan Shearer Newcastle United 25
2 Ian Wright Arsenal 23
3 Robbie Fowler Liverpool 18
Ole Gunnar Solskjær Manchester United
5 Dwight Yorke Aston Villa 17
6 Les Ferdinand Newcastle United 16
Fabrizio Ravanelli Middlesbrough
8 Dion Dublin Coventry City 13
Matt Le Tissier Southampton
10 Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal 12
Steve Claridge Leicester City
Stan Collymore Liverpool
Juninho Middlesbrough

Hat-tricks

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Main article:List of Premier League hat-tricks
Middlesbrough'sFabrizio Ravanelliwas the only player to score a hat-trick more than once during the 1996–97 season.
Player For Against Result Date Ref
Kevin Campbell Nottingham Forest Coventry City 3–0 (A) 17 August 1996 [5]
Fabrizio Ravanelli Middlesbrough Liverpool 3–3 (H) 17 August 1996 [6]
Ian Wright Arsenal Sheffield Wednesday 4–1 (H) 16 September 1996 [7]
Dwight YorkeL Aston Villa Newcastle United 4–3 (A) 30 September 1996 [8]
Gary Speed Everton Southampton 7–1 (H) 16 November 1996 [9]
Robbie Fowler4 Liverpool Middlesbrough 5–1 (H) 14 December 1996 [10]
Alan Shearer Newcastle United Leicester City 4–3 (H) 2 February 1997 [11]
Ian Marshall Leicester City Derby County 4–2 (H) 22 February 1997 [12]
Steffen Iversen Tottenham Hotspur Sunderland 4–0 (A) 4 March 1997 [13]
Fabrizio Ravanelli Middlesbrough Derby County 6–1 (H) 5 March 1997 [14]
Kevin Gallacher Blackburn Rovers Wimbledon 3–1 (H) 15 March 1997 [15]
Paul Kitson West Ham United Sheffield Wednesday 5–1 (H) 3 May 1997 [16]
Note:4Player scored 4 goals;LPlayer finished on the losing side; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Top assists

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Manchester United'sEric Cantonaassisted 12 goals for the club in the 1996–97 Premier League season.
Rank Player Club Assists[17]
1 Eric Cantona Manchester United 12
2 Neal Ardley Wimbledon 11
3 Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal 9
Andy Hinchcliffe Everton
Gary McAllister Coventry City
Gianfranco Zola Chelsea
7 Nick Barmby Everton 8
David Beckham Manchester United
Stig Inge Bjørnebye Liverpool
Les Ferdinand Newcastle United

Awards

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Southampton'sGraeme Sounesswas the only manager to win the Manager of the Month award more than once.

Monthly awards

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Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August David Pleat Sheffield Wednesday David Beckham Manchester United
September Joe Kinnear Wimbledon Patrik Berger Liverpool
October Graeme Souness Southampton Matt Le Tissier Southampton
November Jim Smith Derby County Ian Wright Arsenal
December Gordon Strachan Coventry City Gianfranco Zola Chelsea
January Stuart Pearce Nottingham Forest Tim Flowers Blackburn Rovers
February Alex Ferguson Manchester United [a]Robbie Earle Wimbledon
March Bryan Robson Middlesbrough Juninho Middlesbrough
April Graeme Souness Southampton [b]Mickey Evans Southampton

Annual awards

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Award Winner Club
Premier League Manager of the Season Alex Ferguson[18] Manchester United
Premier League Player of the Season Juninho[18] Middlesbrough
PFA Players' Player of the Year Alan Shearer[19] Newcastle United
PFA Young Player of the Year David Beckham[20] Manchester United
FWA Footballer of the Year Gianfranco Zola[21] Chelsea
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper David Seaman(Arsenal)
Defence Gary Neville(Manchester United) Tony Adams(Arsenal) Mark Wright(Liverpool) Stig Inge Bjørnebye(Liverpool)
Midfield David Beckham(Manchester United) Roy Keane(Manchester United) David Batty(Newcastle United) Steve McManaman(Liverpool)
Attack Alan Shearer(Newcastle United) Ian Wright(Arsenal)

Attendances

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Manchester Uniteddrew the highest average home attendance in the 1996-97 edition of the Premier League.

# Football club Home games Average attendance[22]
1 Manchester United 19 55,081
2 Liverpool FC 19 39,777
3 Arsenal FC 19 37,821
4 Newcastle United 19 36,467
5 Everton FC 19 36,188
6 Aston Villa 19 36,027
7 Leeds United 19 32,118
8 Tottenham Hotspur 19 31,067
9 Middlesbrough FC 19 29,871
10 Chelsea FC 19 27,617
11 Sheffield Wednesday 19 25,714
12 Blackburn Rovers 19 24,947
13 Nottingham Forest 19 24,587
14 West Ham United 19 23,209
15 Sunderland AFC 19 20,974
16 Leicester City 19 20,184
17 Coventry City 19 19,608
18 Derby County 19 17,889
19 Wimbledon FC 19 15,139
20 Southampton FC 19 15,105

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Earle was born in England, but made his debut forJamaicain September 1997.
  2. ^Evans was born in England, but made his debut for theRepublic of Irelandin October 1997.

References

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  1. ^abcd"English Premier League 1996–97".statto.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2015.Retrieved13 March2015.
  2. ^ab"Premier League 1996/1997 » Attendance » Home matches".WorldFootball.net.Retrieved12 January2024.
  3. ^"Football's biggest punishments".Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  4. ^"Funny Old Game|Happened on this day – 20 December".Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  5. ^Culley, Jon (18 August 1996)."Campbell calls tune".The Independent.London. Archived fromthe originalon 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  6. ^"Middlesbrough v Liverpool".The Times.London. 9 November 2002.Retrieved14 July2009.[dead link‍]
  7. ^Moore, Glenn (17 September 1996)."Football: Wright's hat-trick lifts the gloom".The Independent.London. Archived fromthe originalon 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  8. ^Turnbull, Simon (1 October 1996)."Yorke hat-trick in vain for Villa".The Independent.London.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  9. ^Brown, Geoff (17 November 1996)."Football: Speed puts foot down".The Independent.London.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  10. ^"Liverpool 5–1 Middlesbrough".Soccerbase. Archived fromthe originalon 17 February 2005.Retrieved14 July2009.
  11. ^Hodgson, Guy (3 February 1997)."Football: Shearer provides Newcastle fantasy".The Independent.London.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  12. ^Fox, Norman (23 February 1997)."Football: Marshall's triple tale of the unexpected".The Independent.London. Archived fromthe originalon 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  13. ^Stamiforth, Tommy (5 March 1997)."Football: Spurs boosted by Iversen's hat-trick".The Independent.London. Archived fromthe originalon 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  14. ^Turnbull, Simon (6 March 1997)."Football: Ravanelli hat-trick bodes well for Boro".The Independent.London.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  15. ^Hadfield, Dave (17 March 1997)."Football: Gallacher takes advantage of Sullivan's sudden relapse".The Independent.London.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  16. ^Houston, Bob (4 May 1997)."Kitson glory day".The Independent.London.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2022.Retrieved15 July2009.
  17. ^"Statistical Leaders – 1997".Premier League.Archivedfrom the original on 24 June 2017.Retrieved5 May2018.
  18. ^ab"Seasonal Awards 1996/97"Archived18 March 2006 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  19. ^"England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year".Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  20. ^"England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year".Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  21. ^"England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year".Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  22. ^https://www.worldfootball.net/attendance/eng-premier-league-1996-1997/1/
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