FA Premier League 2003-04: Encyclopedia II - FA Premier League 2003-04 - Comments about each team

FA Premier League 2003-04 - Comments about each team

ARSENAL (CHAMPIONS): Arsenal were crowned Premiership champions without losing a single league game - achieving this feat despite being dogged by successive F.A Cup and Champions League exits at Manchester United and Chelsea respectively during the final weeks of a thrilling campaign.

CHELSEA (2ND): The £100million+ outlay on new players following the Roman Abromovich takeover failed to land Chelsea a trophy and manager Claudio Ranieri paid for these shortcomings with his job, as the club's new owner turned to Jose Mourinho in hope of achieving glory.

MANCHESTER UNITED (3RD): The suspension of Rio Ferdinand for missing a drugs test ruined United's title chances, but they compensated for this disappointment by winning the F.A Cup.

LIVERPOOL (4TH): Liverpool marginally improved their Premiership form to qualify for the Champions League, but this was not enough to prevent Gerard Houllier from losing the manager's job that he had held for six years.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (5TH): Sir Bobby Robson's Magpies had another eventful season at the top end of the Premiership but were unable to achieve a third successive Champions League qualification - they had to settle for a UEFA Cup place instead.

ASTON VILLA (6TH): Villa found a 10-place improvement under new manager David O'Leary, but this time sixth place was not enough for a European place which would have been achieved had it not been for a slow start to the season.

CHARLTON ATHLETIC (7TH): The sale of Scott Parker counted against Charlton's European hopes, but they still achieved their best Premiership finish and their highest league finish for some 50 years.

BOLTON WANDERERS (8TH): Sam Allardyce's hard working side achieved their best ever Premiership finish and only a League Cup final defeat prevented them from achieving European qaulification for the very first time.

FULHAM (9TH): Inexperienced manager Chris Coleman defied all the odds by keeping Fulham well clear of the drop zone and despite the sale of Louis Saha they finished ninth in the Premiership - their highest-ever league finish.

BIRMINGHAM CITY (10TH): Steve Bruce's side failed to achieve the European place that they had spent all season challenging for, but it was still a good end to only their second top flight season since the mid 1980's.

MIDDLESBROUGH (11TH): Steve McClaren guided Boro to another respectable Premiership finish but his greatest achievement was a League Cup triumph which ended the club's lifelong trophy drought and brought another first to the club - European qualification.

SOUTHAMPTON (12TH): Southampton survived the shock resignation of Gordon Strachan and his successor Paul Sturrock did well to keep the Saints well clear of relegation.

PORTSMOUTH (13TH): Portsmouth's Premiership debut saw an F.A Cup quarter final appearence and they were the only newly promoted side to escape the drop - full credit to Harry Redknapp.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (14TH): Glenn Hoddle paid the price for two-and-a-half years of underachievement and Director of Football David Pleat took temporary charge for most of the season while the club's overheads searched for a permanent successor.

BLACKBURN ROVERS (15TH): Blackburn had a disappointing season which saw a short lived UEFA Cup campaign and dismal league form which saw them with an outside chance of the dreaded drop right up to the end of April - all of these shortcomings built up the pressure on Graeme Souness.

MANCHESTER CITY (16TH): Despite being within a shout of the drop until the penultimate game of the season, City always had a massive advantage over their fellow strugglers by having a far greater goal difference - they ended up with a superior goal difference - and this contributed greatly to their survival.

EVERTON (17TH): A year after coming one place away from European qualification, a struggling Everton side came one place away from relegation and the previously popular Moyes was beginning to face calls for his dismissal - but the board kept faith in him.

LEICESTER CITY (18TH): Newly promoted Leicester went straight back down after a difficult season on and off the field, their failure to stay up was mostly blamed on a lack of transfer funds.

LEEDS UNITED (19TH): A few short seasons after being title favourites and a European force, Leeds were relegated with debts approaching the £100million mark and a makeshift squad which successive unpopular managers had cobbled together to fill the gaps left by stars who had been sold in a desperate bid to balance the books.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (20TH): Despite a few impressive results - including a home win over Manchester United - Wolves failed to away from home and this cost them their top flight status which everyone at the club had spent the last 15 years trying to achieve.

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