FA Premier League 2001-02: Encyclopedia II - FA Premier League 2001-02 - Comments on each team

FA Premier League 2001-02 - Comments on each team

ARSENAL (CHAMPIONS): A 13-match winning run leading up to the end of the season, scoring in every single Premiership game and being unbeaten on their travels saw Arsenal lift the Premiership title along with the F.A Cup to become only the third English club to have won the double three times.

LIVERPOOL (2ND): Liverpool finally made it into the top-two for the since 1991, ironically at the expense of Manchester United - whose 10-year run of top-two finishes had started when Liverpool's had finished.

MANCHESTER UNITED (3RD): A rare trophyless season for Sir Alex Ferguson's men, who finished outside the Premiership's top-two for the very first time due to a weak defence which could not match the standards of brilliant Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4TH): Bobby Robson pulled off one of the surprises of the Premiership season as unfancied Newcastle finished fourth and qualified for the fourth Champions League spot which UEFA had granted to England for the first time.

LEEDS UNITED (5TH): Leeds led the Premiership at several points in the first half of the season, but a second-half slump meant that they had to settle for a UEFA Cup place - and this disappointment resulted in the sacking of manager David O'Leary after his four-year £100million outlay on new players failed to translate into a major trophy.

CHELSEA (6TH): Another inconsistent season for Chelsea, but they did well enough to qualify for Europe again - the real disappointment was an F.A Cup defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

WEST HAM UNITED (7TH): Glenn Roeder silenced the critics who slated him after his slow start as manager by guiding the Hammers to seventh - they would surely have qualified for Europe had it not been for the dismal early-season form.

ASTON VILLA (8TH): John Gregory called time on his reign as Villa manager after failing to shake off their tag as an 'average' team and Graham Taylor, who was appointed Villa manager for the second time, could do very little to change the club's unfashionable image.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (9TH): Spurs improved on last season's disappointing finish under new manager Glenn Hoddle, but their form was still a disappointment considering the air of optimism which filled White Hart Lane on Hoddle's arrival.

BLACKBURN ROVERS (10TH): Graeme Souness guided Blackburn to League Cup glory and a mid table finish on their Premiership comeback and everyone at Ewood Park had high hopes of more success in the future.

SOUTHAMPTON (11TH): Southampton's first season at the capacious St Mary's Stadium began disastrously, but the dismissal of manager Stuart Gray and appointment of Gordon Strachan saw the club's fortunes turn around and they climbed to a secure mid table position.

MIDDLESBROUGH (12TH): Boro had nothing more than an adequate season under new manager Steve McClaren but the real disappointment came in the form of an F.A Cup semi final defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

FULHAM (13TH): Fulham's first top flight season in more than 30 years began with an outlay of £34million on new players but failed to deliver anything more spectacular than a secure Premiership finish and an F.A Cup semi final appearences - a far cry from the Premiership title glory that chairman Mohammed al Fayed had been hoping for.

CHARLTON ATHLETIC (14TH): Charlton finished five places lower than they did last season, but they had a good season considering the amount of injuries to players that Alan Curbishley had to contend with.

EVERTON (15TH): Four seasons of underachievement finally cost Walter Smith his job, and Preston boss David Moyes took over to give Evertonians hope for the future.

BOLTON WANDERERS (16TH): 10 points from their first four games pushed Bolton to the top of the Premiership, but their form slumped throughout the season and manager Sam Allardyce was only just able to save the club from relegation.

SUNDERLAND (17TH): After two seventh place finishes, the pressure built upon Peter Reid as a season which should have been spent challenging for a place in Europe was instead spent battling against relegation - a battle which was won on the final day.

IPSWICH TOWN (18TH): Just months after qualifying for the UEFA Cup, Ipswich's season seemed over before Christmas with just one win from their 18 opening games, and despite a revival in the New Year the club's dismal form counted against them and they were relegated on the final day of the season.

DERBY COUNTY (19TH): A season in which three managers occupied the Derby hot seat ended in relegation after six years in the Premiership and caused the club's financial situation to worsen dramatically.

LEICESTER CITY (20TH): Three managers and just five Premiership wins meant that Leicester's last season at Filbert Street before the relocation to the Walkers Stadium ended in relegation.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Comments on each team", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki