HISTORY,HONORS AND PROFILE OF FOOTBALLCLUBS

Blackburn Rovers FC

2009-10-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Blackburn Rovers Football Club
Town: Blackburn
Founded: 1875
Stadium: Ewood Park (31,154)
Colors: Blue, White
Nickname: Rovers
Rivals: Burnley
Official Website: rovers.co.uk

Description:

Blackburn Rovers were founded on November 5th, 1875. The club did not have a ground of its own in its first couple of years and played at a number of different locations resulting in the Rovers name. The club were founder members of the Football League, launched in 1888. Blackburn Rovers are still the only club to have won the FA Cup three consecutive times and, as a result, are allowed to display the FA Cup emblem on their corner flags during matches.

Rovers' emblem includes the Lancashire rose (Blackburn is a city in Lancashire county), the year of the club's foundation and the club motto - Arte et Labore (Through Skill and Hard Work). The club's original jerseys were green and white quarters, modeled after that of Malvern College, which several founders attended. Several years later the leadership of the club passed to some former Cambridge University students, who changed the colors to the blue and white of that school. Ewood Park is named for the Ewood area of Blackburn. Previous stadiums - Oozehead (1876-77), Pleasington Cricket Ground (1877-78), Alexandra Meadows (1878-81), Learnington Street (1881-90).

Blackburn Rovers FC History

Blackburn Rovers is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire.

Blackburn Rovers was established in 1875, and in 1888 became a founder member of the English Football League. In 1890 Rovers moved to its permanent home at Ewood Park.

Until the formation of the Premier League in 1992, the majority of Blackburn Rovers' success was pre-1930 when they won the league and F.A. Cup on several occasions.

In the early 1990s Jack Walker, a local boy and life-long supporter who made millions in the steel industry, invested heavily in the club. He lured former Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish as manager and a number of shrewd player purchases followed, most notably Alan Shearer. This lifted the club back into the Premier League and after finishing runners-up to Manchester United in 1993/1994, Rovers won the championship the following year. A slump followed in the late 1990s, with relegation to League Division One. The team returned to form in 2000 and secured promotion back into the Premier League and in 2002 won the League Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Blackburn Rovers is still the only team to win the F.A. Cup three years in succession, for which they were awarded a special trophy in 1886, and is one of only a handful of clubs to be a founder member of both the Football League and the Premier League.

Early history

The club Blackburn Rovers was the idea of John Lewis and Arthur Constantine during a seventeen-man meeting at the Leger Hotel, Blackburn in November 1875. The make up of its inital members was predominately wealthy well-connected individuals -- a fact that would help it survive and rise beyond the large number of other local teams around at the time.

The first match played by Blackburn Rovers took place in Church, Lancashire on 18 December 1875 -- and was a 1-1 draw. Although the make-up of the team was not recorded it is generally thought to be: Thomas Greenwood (goal), Jack Baldwin, Fred Birtwhistle, (full-backs), Arthur Thomas, J. T. Sycelmore (half-backs), Walter Duckworth, John Lewis, Thomas Dean, Arthur Constantine, Hary Greenwood, Richard Birtwhistle (forwards), in a 2-2-6 formation.

At this time, the club had no ground of its own, and no gate receipts. Its only income was from members' subscriptions -- £2 8s 0d during the first season.

During the 1876-1877 season, Rovers finally gained a ground of its own -- a piece of farmland at Oozehead. Although in reality it was little more than a meadow with a pool in the middle that had to be covered with planks and turf when playing. It did, however, allow the club to begin to collect gate receipts: 6s 6d during that season. Occasional games were also played at Pleasington cricket ground.

Subsequently Blackburn Rovers rented the home of the East Lancashire Cricket Club for their matches: Alexandra Meadows. The inaugural game was played against Partick Thistle, the most prestigious club Rovers had played until then. The result was a 2-1 win for Blackburn.

HONORS

League Titles:

* English Premier League (1995)
* Football League First Division (1912, 14)
* Football League Second Division (1939)
* Football League Third Division (1975)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1912)
* FA Cup (1884, 85, 86, 90, 91, 1928)
* Football League Cup (2002)

VILLAREAL FC

2009-10-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Villarreal Club de Fútbol
City: Villarreal
Founded: 1923
Stadium: Camp El Madrigal (23,000)
Colors: Blue, Yellow
Nickname: Los Submarinos Amarillos
Rival: Valencia
Official Website: villarrealcf.es

Description:

Villarreal Club de Fútbol was founded on October 3, 1923. Villareal (or Villa-Real in Valencian) is a small town in the province of Castellon, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain between Barcelona and Valencia. Villarreal reached the top tier of Spanish football for the first time in 1998 and were promptly relegated. They returned at the first attempt and have remained ever since, even reaching the Champions League semifinals in 2006 and finishing second in La Liga in 2007-08. The submarino amarillo nickname is a tribute to the club's yellow jerseys and of course the classic by The Beatles "Yellow Submarine". El Madrigal Stadium was built in 1923. it was originally named the Campo Villarreal but changed to El Madrigal two years after construction to honor its area of location, at the time a rural outlier of Villarreal but now very much within the city.

Villarreal CF History

Villarreal Club de Futbol, sometimes abbreviated to Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera Division football club based in Villarreal, a small suburb of Castellón de la Plana. They play at the 26,000 seater El Madrigal stadium. Their famous rivals are Valencia CF and their derbies are one of the most exciting in the Primera Liga. They achieved something of a proud moment as they played the semi-final of the UEFA Cup for 2003/2004, however, losing to their more illustrious neighbor who went on to win the Cup. They have been a regular fixture in the Primera Liga for many years and have recently signed Uruguayan striker Diego Forlán. Their squad has also been bolstered with the presence of South American talents like Juan Pablo Sorin, Juan Roman Riquelme as well as former Spain striker José Mari.

Their home uniform is yellow shirt, blue shorts and blue socks. They are nicknamed the los submarinos amarillos (the yellow submarines) because of their yellow shirts. Their mascot is a figure with a submarine head.

FULHAM FC

2009-10-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Fulham Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1879
Stadium: Craven Cottage (22,000)
Colors: Black, White
Previous Name: Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School FC (1879-88)
Nicknames: The Cottagers
Rivals: Chelsea, QPR, Brentford
Official Website: fulhamfc.com

Description:

Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School formed a football club in 1879 for the church parishioners. Ten years later as the scope of the club expanded beyond the church the name changed to simply Fulham FC. Fulham is a neighborhood of West London. The Cottagers are the oldest professional football club in London. Fulham began competitive life in the Southern League in 1898 before moving to the Football League in 1907 after winning two consecutive Southern League titles. The stadium is named for a home on the location, built by William Craven, and used by a variety of 18th and 19th century celebrities. The home had virtually collapsed by the time the stadium construction began and the stadium was effectively built around it. Fulham shared the ground of QPR (Loftus Road) for two seasons from 2002-04 while upgrades were done on Craven Cottage. The nickname Cottagers is of course a reference to the Craven Cottage stadium. Previous stadiums - Star Road (1879-83), Eel Brook Common (1883-84), Lillie Road Recreation Ground (1884-85), Putney Lower Common (1885-86), Ranelagh House (1886-88), Barn Elms Playing Fields (1888-89), Parsons Green (1889-91), Half Moon (1891-95), Cpt James Field (1895-96), Craven Cottage (1896-2002), Loftus Road (2002-04).

Fulham FC History

Fulham Football Club is a football team based in Fulham, London. Founded in 1879, they are celebrating their 125th anniversary in 2004, and they will be playing in the top tier of English football, the FA Premiership. Had it not been for the intervention of millionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, they would still be languishing in the depths of the lower divisions of professional football.

They spent much time in the Old First Division (=Premiership) through the 60s, but are yet to gain any major honours, their only FA Cup Final appearance being in 1975. They are currently playing at Craven Cottage, a beautiful riverside ground in Fulham, having spent two years at Loftus Road, with a still uncertain future. See more on this topic in the Grounds subsection of this article. They are currently looking for no more than a respectable finish in their 20-team league, although relegation is at the back of their mind.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Football League First Division (2001)
* Football League Second Division (1949, 99)
* Football League Third Division - South (1932)
* 1907 - Southern League Champions
* 1907 - Admission to The Football League as Southern League Champions
* 1908 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 1936 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 1958 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 1959 - Promotion From Division Two
* 1962 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 1970 - Promotion From Divison Three
* 1975 - FA Cup Finalists
* 1975 - Anglo-Scottish Cup Finalists
* 1982 - Promotion From Division Three
* 1997 - Promotion From Division Three
* 2002 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 2002 - Intertoto Cup Winners

Portsmouth FC

2009-10-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Portsmouth Football Club
City: Portsmouth
Founded: 1898
Stadium: Fratton Park (20,328)
Colors: Blue, White
Nickname: Pompey
Rivals: Southampton
Official Website: portsmouthfc.co.uk

Description:

Portsmouth were formed in April 1898 as a successor to popular local club Royal Artillery who had recently been suspended by the FA. Joined the Football League in 1920 after over twenty years in the Southern League. Portsmouth won two Southern League titles, 1902 and 1920. Pompey is the nickname of the city of Portsmouth. This is likely a reference to the time Portsmouth-based sailors scaled Pompey's Pillar in Alexandria, Egpyt although there are a variety of other explanations floating around. The star and crescent of the club's emblem are also the symbols of the city of Portsmouth. Fratton Park stadium is named for the neighborhood in which it is located.

Portsmouth FC History

Founded in 1898, Portsmouth Football Club are an English association football club, based in the south coast city port of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey, and is currently playing in the Premier League. The club is owned by Serbian-American businessman Milan Mandaric. The best known chant from the Pompey supporters is the "Pompey Chimes" ("Play up Pompey, Pompey play up" sung to the tune of a striking clock).

Former Olympique de Marseille coach Alain Perrin was appointed team manager on April 7, 2005 with a two-year contract.

Portsmouth enjoy a fierce rivalry with Southampton F.C.; despite Southampton being in a superior division for much of the 1980s and 90s, this derby was recently reignited by Portsmouth's promotion to the Premiership in 2003.

The club's biggest recent achievement came on 27 April 2003 when Pompey beat Rotherham 3-2 to clinch the First Division championship with a game in hand, giving the club promotion to the Premier League for the first time in its history.

The 2004/05 season sees Portsmouth playing in the Premier League for the second successive season.

The club was founded in 1898, with John Brickwood as chairman. Frank Brettell was appointed as the club's first manager.

The club's first league match was played at Chatham Town F.C. on 2nd September 1899 (a 1-0 victory), followed three days later by the first match at Fratton Park against local rivals Southampton. That first season was hugely successful, with the club winning 20 out of 28 league matches, earning them runners-up spot in the Southern League. The league was won for the first time in the 1901/1902 season, by which time Brettell had been replaced by club captain Bob Blyth as manager.

The 1906/07 season was highlighted by the visit of giants Manchester United F.C. to Fratton Park in the English Cup, which generated a record attendance of 24,329. A 2-2 draw meant a replay in Manchester, and Portsmouth recorded a famous 2-1 win. However, this record attendance was surpassed two seasons later when Sheffield Wednesday F.C. visited Fratton for the second round of the new FA Cup.

1910/11 saw Portsmouth relegated, but with the recruitment of Bob Brown as manager the team were promted the next season.

Football was suspended during World War I, but following the resumption of matches Portsmouth won the Southern League for the second time. Continuing success saw them in the Third Division for the 1920/21 season. They finished 12th that year, but won the league in the 1923/24 season. The club continued to perform well in the Second Division, winning promotion by finishing 2nd in the 1926/27 season, gaining a record 9-1 win over Notts County F.C. along the way.

Portsmouth's debut season in the First Division was a struggle. The next season they continued to falter, losing 10-0 to Leicester City F.C., still a club record defeat. However, despite their failings in the league that season also saw Portsmouth reach the FA Cup final for the first time, which they lost to Bolton Wanderers F.C..

Portsmouth managed to survive relegation, and their fortunes began to change. In the 1930/31 season the club finished 4th. The 1933/34 season saw Portsmouth again reach the FA Cup final, beating Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers, Leicester and Birmingham City F.C. on the way. Unfortunatly the club was again defeated in the final, this time to Manchester City F.C.

Having established themselves in the top flight, the 1938/39 season saw Portsmouth reach their third FA Cup final. This time the club managed to defeat the favourites, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., convincingly.

Football was again suspended due to World War II, meaning Pompey hold the dubious distinction of holding the FA Cup for the longest period as the trophy wasn't contested again until the 1945/46 season!

League football resumed for the 1946/47 campaign. In Pompey's Golden Jubilee season of 1948/49, the club were tipped to be the first team of the 20th Century to win the League and Cup double. However, Pompey crashed out of the FA Cup in the semi final against Leicester, but made up for it by claiming the league title in spectacular fashion. That season also saw a record attendance of 51,385, a record which still stands to this day.

The club retained the title the following year, beating Aston Villa F.C. 5-1 on the last day of the season.

Pompey enjoyed a fourth-place finish in 1951/52, but in the summer of 1952 championship-winning manager Bob Jackson left for Hull City F.C. The players who had featured in the club's recent successes were now ageing and the young players coming into the side were not of comparable quality. Although the team finished third in 1954/55, subsequent seasons saw Pompey struggle and they were relegated to the Second Division in 1959. 1961 saw the now cash-strapped club relegated to the Third Division, but Pompey bounced straight back as champions the following year.

A decade of mediocre performances in the Second Division followed, and despite the cash injection that accompanied the arrival of John Deacon as chairman in 1972 Pompey's fortunes failed to improve. With Deacon unable to continue bankrolling the club on the same scale, Pompey were relegated to the Third Division in 1976.

In November 1976 the club found itself needing to raise GBP 25,000 to pay off debts and so avoid bankruptcy. The money was raised from supporter contributions after a campaign led by the local newspaper The News.

With players having to be sold to ease the club's financial situation, and no money available for replacements, Pompey were forced to rely on inexperienced young players and were relegated to the Fourth Division in 1978.

Pompey were promoted two years later, and in the 1982/83 season they won the Third Division championship, gaining promotion back to the Second Division.

Under Alan Ball's management, Pompey narrowly missed winning promotion to the First Division twice before finally succeeding in 1986/87. Unfortunately, by the middle of the 1987/88 season the club was again in grave financial trouble, and Pompey were relegated straight back to the Second Division. The summer of 1988 saw Deacon sell the club to London based businessman Jim Gregory.

Jim Smith's arrival as manager at the start of the 1991/92 season, combined with the emergence of some good young players, sparked a revival in the team's fortunes and that year Pompey reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing on penalties to Liverpool F.C. after a replay. The following season, Pompey missed out on promotion to the FA Premier League only by virtue of having scored one less goal than West Ham United F.C.

Chairman Gregory now called in the money he had lent the club over preceding seasons, and so players were sold with little funds available to buy replacements. The team's form declined, and Smith was controversially sacked in 1995 and replaced by Terry Fenwick. Relegation to the Second Division was avoided on the last day of the 1995/96 season when Pompey won away to Huddersfield Town F.C. while other results went the club's way.

In the summer of 1996 Terry Venables arrived at Pompey as a consultant, later taking over as chairman after buying the club for GBP 1. The team enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1996/97, beating FA Premier League side Leeds United F.C. en route, but finished just short of the qualifying places for the play-offs for promotion to the Premier League. The 1997/98 season saw Venables lose his popularity with the club's supporters, as he signed several Australian players, most of whom failed to perform with much distinction, while his role as coach of the Australian national team meant he was frequently absent from Portsmouth; meanwhile, the team's results were poor. Two-thirds of the way through the season he and unpopular manager Fenwick left the club, Venables selling his shareholding back to Martin Gregory, son of former chairman Jim, while Alan Ball returned as manager. Relegation was again avoided on the last day of the season.

The following season saw the club again dogged by financial trouble, and in December 1998 Pompey went into administration. The club was saved by Mandaric buying it in May 1999, and the new chairman immediately started investing. However, it wasn't until the appointment of Harry Redknapp as manager, with former Pompey manager Jim Smith as his assistant, in early 2002 that the club's fortunes really turned around. In Redknapp's first full season in charge, (2002/03), he brought in experienced Premiership players such as Steve Stone and Paul Merson. Pompey stormed the league, and the club tipped for relegation surprised many by comfortably winning the title.

The following season Pompey were favourites for relegation from the top-flight, but following some inspired signings such as veteran Teddy Sheringham, the club embarked on an impressive run, finally finishing in 13th place in their debut Premiership season. Throughout the season Portsmouth's home form, at Fortress Fratton, was on a par with the top 3 teams, but their poor away form, winning only twice all season, was responsible for their mid-table finish.

This theme continued into the 2004/05 season, with Portsmouth's home form not being matched on their travels. That season also saw the start of construction both on the new stadium, and on the club's first ever youth academy.

However, Mandaric and Redknapp clashed several times during their time together. At the start of the 2004/05 season, it was rumoured that Mandaric was considering replacing some of the club's coaching staff, including Redknapp's assistant Jim Smith. Although no changes took place, the two clashed again more seriously when Mandaric proposed appointing another director in November, with responsibility for the youth set-up at the club. Redknapp made comments to the media showing his disapproval of the proposal, but Mandaric pressed ahead and appointed Velimir Zajec. Redknapp, along with his assistant Jim Smith, subsequently resigned with immediate effect on 23rd November. Zajec took over as manager, initially as caretaker, then on 20th December the club announced that he would manage the team for the remainder of the season. However, after a poor run of results Alain Perrin was appointed team manager on 7 April 2005, with Zajec reverting to his director's role.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Football League First Division (1949, 50, 2003)
* Football League Third Division (1962, 83)
* Football League Third Division - South (1924)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1939, 49*)
* FA Cup (1939, 2008)

VALENCIA FC

2009-10-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Valencia Club de Fútbol
City: Valencia
Founded: 1919
Stadium: Estadio Luis Casanova - Mestalla (55,000)
Colors: Black, White
Previous: Valencia Football Club (1919-40)
Nickname: Los Ches
Rivals: Levante, Villarreal
Official Website: valenciacf.es

Description:

Valencia Football Club was founded in 1919 at the Torino Bar and played their first match later that year against Gimnástico of Valencia. The club changed its name in 1940 as part of an official directive by the Franco regime to remove non-Spanish names from official institutions. Since being promoted in 1931 Valencia have spent only one season outside the top tier of Spanish football, that being the 1986-87 season. Los Ches reached consecutive Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001. The club's logo includes the name, team colors, old-style football and a bat atop it all. The bat also appears in the emblem of the city of Valencia. According to legend when King James of Aragon reconquered Valencia from the Moors in the 13th century a bat landed atop his flag as entered the city. This was interpreted as a good open and incorporated into the emblem of the city. "Che" is a word generally used to describe someone from the Valencia region. The same word "che" is used in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The stadium is officially named for a former club president. It was originally named for a canal (the Mestalla) located next to the stadium and its still popularly known by that name. The club will moved into a new and much larger stadium (the Nou Mestalla) for the 2009-10 season. Previous Stadiums: Algirós (1919-23).

Valencia CF History

Valencia Club de Fútbol (also known as Valencia, CF or just Valencia or Los Ches) is a team in the first division of the Spanish Football League.
Founded in 1919, Valencia CF is based in the city of Valencia, Spain. The team's home stadium is the 53, 000 seater Mestalla, which was opened in 1923.
Valencia CF won the Spanish title for the sixth time in May 2004, their second in three years.

Valencia CF won the UEFA Cup for the third time in 2004, tying four other teams for the most UEFA Cups won. After suffering recent tough losses in Europe in the finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2000 and 2001, the team was finally able to triumph in the finals of European play.

Thanks to good coaching, one of the best defences in world soccer, including the charismatic Italian Carboni and the fiery Argentinian Roberto Ayala, and an imaginative playmaker, young Pablo Aimar (also from Argentina), Valencia has grown into one of the world's great teams.

On June 1, 2004, Rafa Benitez stepped down as coach of Valencia amid rumors that he was headed to Liverpool F.C.; those rumors proved true, as he was hired by Liverpool two weeks later.

On June 8, 2004, Claudio Ranieri was named the new head coach, but following Valencia's failure to advance past the round of 32 in the UEFA Cup he was dismissed on 25 February 2005 and replaced by Antonio López.

Trophy Room:

* La Liga (1942, 44, 47, 71, 2002, 04)
* Copa del Rey (1941, 49, 54, 67, 79, 99, 2008)
* Supercopa de España (1999)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1980)
* Fairs Cup (1962, 63)
* UEFA Cup (2004)

SEVILLA FC

2009-10-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Sevilla Fútbol Club
City: Seville
Founded: 1905
Stadium: Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán (45,500)
Colors: Red, White
Nickname: Rojiblancos, Sevillistas, Palanganas, Nerviónenses
Rival: Real Betis
Official Website: sevillafc.es

Description:

Sevilla Fútbol Club was founded on October 14, 1905 and its first competitive match was played in 1908. The nickname Rojiblancos means The Red and White, Sevillistas means The Sevillians, Nerviónenses refers to the neighborhood of Nervión where the stadium is located. Palanganas also references the club's colors but in a unique way - a palangana is a washbasin in Spanish and in earlier times were always white with red trim, similar to the colors of Sevilla. The stadium is named for a former club president who led the Rojiblancos for over twenty years and was instrumental in the project to create the stadium. It was built in 1958, adjacent to the previous Estadio de Nervión. Nervión is a neighborhood in the east of Seville. The club's logo has been in use since 1922 and includes the club colors of red and white, a old-style football in the center, the original logo (with the letters SFC) and the three patron saints of Seville - San Isidro, San Leandro and San Fernando. The early years of the 21st century have been some of the club's best - 2 UEFA Cups, 1 Copa del Rey, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 1 European Super Cup - quite a haul for a club that hadn't won a major trophy in almost sixty years. Previous Stadiums: Prado de San Sebastián (1905-13), Campo del Mercantil (1913-18), Reina Victoria (1918-28), Estadio de Nervión (1928-58).

Sevilla FC History

Sevilla Football Club is, historically, the best football team in Seville. It was established in 1905. It has won one Liga and three Copa del Generalísimos.

The team wears white for home games and red for away games. Fans of the team are nicknamed sevillistas.

HONORS
League Titles:

* Primera División (1946)

Cup Titles:

* Copa del Rey (1935, 39, 48, 2007)
* Supercopa de España (2007)

International Titles:

* UEFA Cup (2006, 07)
* UEFA Super Cup (2006)

SPORTING LISBON

2009-10-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Sporting Clube de Portugal
City: Lisbon
Founded: 1906
Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade XXI (50,466)
Colors: Black, Green, White
Previous: Sport Club de Belas (1902-04), Campo Grande Sporting Club (1904-06)
Nicknames: Os Leões (The Lions), Verde e Brancos (Green-Whites), Lagartos (Lizards)
Rivals: Benfica, FC Porto
Official Website: sporting.pt

Description:

Like many Portuguese clubs, Sporting are a multi-sport club, though football is clearly the most important. Within Portugal, the club are known only as Sporting. Fans are called Sportinguistas. One of the Portuguese Big Three. Hosted the first-ever European match, a 1955 European Cup encounter with Partizan Belgrade.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Portuguese Championship (1923, 34, 36, 38)
* Portuguese League (1941, 44, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70, 74, 80, 82, 2000, 02)

Cup Titles:

* Portuguese Cup (1941, 45, 46, 48, 54, 63, 71, 73, 74, 78, 82, 95, 2002, 07, 08)
* Portuguese Super Cup (1982, 87, 95, 2000, 02, 07, 08)

International Titles:

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1964)

BENFICA FC

2009-10-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Sport Lisboa e Benfica
City: Lisbon
Founded: 1904
Stadium: Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica - Estádio da Luz (65,400)
Colors: Red, White
Previous: Sport Lisboa (1904-08)
Nicknames: SLB, O Glorioso (The Glorious Ones), Águias (The Eagles), Encarnados (The Reds), Lampiões
(The Lamps)
Rivals: Sporting Lisbon, Porto
Official Website: slbenfica.pt

Description:

Benfica is a neighborhood of Lisbon. Formed as Sport Lisboa, merged with Sport Clube de Benfica in 1908 to take their present name. Luz is actually the neighborhood of Lisbon in which the stadium is located. It also means 'light' in Portuguese, giving rising to the common translation as Stadium of Light. Benfica are Portugal's most popular club. Fans are known as Benfiquistas. Lampiões is a derogatory nickname used by supporters of rival clubs. The bicycle wheel within the club's emblem is a legacy of the emblem of Sport Clube de Benfica. The club has an actual eagle as a mascot, which flies from one side of the stadium to the other before each match.

Trophy Room:

* Portuguese Championship (1930, 31, 35)
* Portuguese League (1942, 43, 45, 50, 55, 57, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 81, 83, 84, 87, 89, 91, 94, 2005)
* Portuguese Cup (1940, 43, 44, 49, 51, 52, 53, 55, 57, 59, 62, 64, 69, 70, 72, 80, 81, 83, 85, 86, 87, 93, 96, 04)
* Portuguese League Cup (2009)
* Portuguese Super Cup (1980, 85, 89, 2005)
* European Cup (1961, 62)

Olympique Marseille

2009-10-16T07:26:00.001-07:00

Full Name: Olympique de Marseille
City: Marseille
Founded: 1899
Stadium: Stade Vélodrome (60,031)
Colors: Blue, White
Nicknames: OM, Les Olympiens, l'Équipe Phocéenne (The Phocean Team)
Rival: Paris Saint-Germain
Official Website: om.net

Description:

Club motto is 'Droit au But' (Straight to Goal). l'équipe Phocéenne is a reference to Phocea, an ancient Greek city from which Marseille's founders hailed. The Stade Vélodrome is so named because it was initially the location of cycling races. The cycling track was later replaced by terraces.

Olympique de Marseille History

Olympique de Marseille is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football League, based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, Marseille has won 9 French championships and 10 French Cups. The club also won the Champions League in 1993, defeating AC Milan in the final, only to be stripped of the domestic title that they had won in the same season following a match
fixing scandal involving then president Bernard Tapie. In 1994, they suffered forced relegation to the second division due to financial irregularities. By 1996, backed by Adidas boss Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the club had worked their way back to the top flight. The team regularly fills their imposing home of the Stade Vélodrome, which seats 60,000.

Trophy Room:

* French League (1937, 48, 71, 72, 89, 90, 91, 92)
* Coupe de France (1924, 26, 27, 35, 38, 43, 69, 72, 76, 89)
* Champions League (1993)
* Trophée des Champions (1971 - shared)

LILLE OSC

2009-10-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Lille Olympique Sporting Club Métropole
City: Lille
Founded: 1944
Stadium: Stade Lille-Metropole (18,185)
Colors: Black, Red
Previous: Stade Lillois (1944)
Nicknames: LOSC, Les Dogues (The Hounds), Les Mastifs
Rival: Lens
Official Website: losc.fr

Description:

Formed from the merger of SC Fives and Olympique Lillois. Lille supporters are traditionally middle-class as opposed to those of arch-rival Lens, who tend to be working class (and often miners). Olympique Lillois won one French league title. The club is currently playing in the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve d'Ascq while the Grimonprez Jooris is replaced. Previous

Lille OSC History

Lille Olympique Sporting Club are a French football club, based in the northern city of Lille.

Honors

League Titles:
* Ligue 1 (1946, 54)

Cup Titles:
* Coupe de France (1946, 47, 48, 53, 55)

EVERTON FC

2009-10-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Everton Football Club
City: Liverpool
Founded: 1878
Stadium: Goodison Park (40,394)
Colors: Blue, White
Previous Name: St Domingo's (1878-79)
Nicknames: The Toffees, The Toffeemen, The Blues
Rivals: Liverpool
Official Website: evertonfc.com

Description:

The St Domingo's football eleven was formed in 1878 by members of the St Domingo Methodist Church in Liverpool. Many neighbors who were not members of the church soon wanted to join. The following year the club's name was changed to Everton, the district of the city of Liverpool where the church was located. Everton were founder members of the Football League in 1888 and have played more seasons in the top flight of English football than any other club, being absent only four times in 110 years. In the 1927-28 season, Dixie Dean scored 60 goals, still the English record for most goals in a season.

The tower in the club emblem is Prince Rupert's Tower, a single-tower prison built in Everton Brow in 1877. The emblem also includes the club's motto Nils Satis Nisi Optimum - Nothing But the Best is Good Enough, and a pair of wreaths, symbolic of success. The club's nickname - The Toffees - has several possible origins, the most likely being the house where many early club meetings were held - Ye Anciente Everton Toffee House. The stadium is located in Goodison Park, a part of the larger Stanley Park, of which Liverpool's Anfield Road ground is also a part. Previous Stadiums - Stanley Park (1878-82), Priory Road (1882-84), Anfield Road (1884-92)

Everton FC History

Everton F.C. is an English football club from the city of Liverpool and was founded in 1878. The club's nickname is the Toffees and their home ground, known as Goodison Park, has a capacity of 40,260.

Origins

The club's roots lie in an English Methodist congregation called New Connexion, which decided to build a new chapel in the Liverpool area in 1868. The following year, the church bought some land on Breckfield Road North, between St. Domingo Vale and St. Domingo Grove. This was located near the district of Everton, which had become part of the City of Liverpool in 1835.

St. Domingo Methodist Church's new chapel was opened in 1871 and six years later, Rev B.S. Chambers was appointed Minister. He was responsible for starting a cricket team for the youngsters in the parish. Because cricket can only be played in the summer, they had to find something to play during the other seasons as well. So a football club called St. Domingo F.C. was formed in 1878. A lot of people outside the parish were interested in joining the football club so it was decided that the name should be changed. In November 1879 at a meeting in the Queen's Head Hotel, the team name was changed to Everton Football Club, after the surrounding district.

Recent Events

The 1990s were a difficult time for the Toffeemen, with financial difficulties and several end of season near-escapes from relegation. However, since the appointment in March 2002 of a new manager, David Moyes, they improved greatly and finished the 2002-2003 season in seventh place, narrowly missing qualification for the UEFA Cup. However in the 2003-2004 season they finished 4th from bottom, the lowest league position to avoid relegation, with the lowest season points total in the club's history.

Another key factor in Everton's recent revival was the emergence of a rising young star, Wayne Rooney. In one of his first games for the club, in October 2002, he entered football folklore by scoring a sensational last-minute winner against the then League champions Arsenal, consigning them to their first league defeat for almost a year. He has also figured prominently in recent England international matches, after having become the youngest ever player to play for England, in a friendly against Australia, in February 2003. Rooney went on to establish himself as a true superstar at Euro 2004. Rooney requested a transfer on August 27 giving the reason that he wanted to play European football on a regular basis, which wasn't happening at Everton; on August 31, 2004, he moved to Manchester United in a deal that may eventually be worth between £20 million and £27 million (the final amount will depend on both United and Rooney's success).

Everton have started the 2004-2005 season in surprisingly good form, having been tipped by many in the media to be relegated this year. After an opening game 4-1 loss to champions Arsenal they have embarked on a remarkable run and are challenging for a Champions League spot. In fact with just six games left in the season they are above their rivals Liverpool and are in a Champions League spot.

Late in 2004, the club was in talks with Liverpool regarding sharing that club's proposed new stadium at Stanley Park. Among the more contentious terms in the negotiations was ownership of the new facility - Liverpool wanted to retain ownership of Stanley Park while Everton wanted an even share. Historically it has appeared that Everton would be more willing to groundshare than Liverpool, although both sets of fans are fiercely opposed to the idea. On January 11, 2005, the clubs announced that they were abandoning the groundshare plan.

HONORS

* Football League (1891)
* Football League First Division (1915, 28, 32, 39, 63, 70, 85, 87)
* Football League Second Division (1931)
* Charity Shield (1928, 32, 63, 70, 84, 85, 86*, 87, 95)
* FA Cup (1906, 33, 66, 84, 95)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1985)

VFL WOLFSBURG

2009-10-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg
City: Wolfsburg
Founded: 1945
Stadium: Volkswagenarena (30,000)
Colors: Green, White
Nickname: die Wölfe (The Wolves)
Rivals: Eintracht Braunschweig, Hannover 96
Official Website: vfl-wolfsburg.de

Description:

Officially reformed in 2001 as VfL Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH. Sponsor/Owner is the Volkswagen automobile company.

VfL Wolfsburg History

VfL Wolfsburg is a football club based in Wolfsburg, Germany. The club was formed in 1945 and currently plays in 1. Bundesliga. The team's colors are green and white.

Trophy Room:

* Bundesliga (2009)

CSKA MOSCOW

2009-10-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

Russian Name: CSK moscow
City: Moscow
Founded: 1911
Stadium: Luzhniki Stadium (87,000)
Colors: Blue, Red
Previous: OLLS (1911-23), OPPV (1923-27), CDKA (1928-50), CDSA (1950-54), CSK MO (1954-59)
Nickname: Koni (Horses)
Rival: Spartak Moscow
Official Website: cska-football.ru

Description:
A football section was added to the OLLS (Charter of the Ski Sport Amateurs Society) in 1911. Twelve years later the club came under the wing of the Soviet Army and changed its name to OPPV (Experimental and demonstration grounds of Vsevobuch). For the remainder of the Soviet era it would be linked to the military and its Koni nickname is derived from the early players being assigned to cavalry units. In 1928, OPPV was merged into a new club, CDKA (Central House of Red Army). In 1950, as the Red Army was officially renamed to the Soviet Army, so was the club renamed to CDSA (Central House of the Soviet Army). The name changed again in 1955 to reflect Soviet political restructuring, this time to CSK MO (Central Sport Club of the Ministry of Defence). Another final change, in 1960, brought the club to its current name - CSKA (Central Sports Club of the Army). CSKA are the first Russian club to win a European trophy, that being the 2005 UEFA Cup.

CSKA are currently building a new stadium which should be ready for the 2009 season.

CSKA moscow honors and trophy

* Russian League (2003, 05, 06)
* Russian Cup (2002, 05, 06, 08, 09)
* Russian Super Cup (2004, 06, 07, 09)
* UEFA Cup (2005)
* Soviet League (1946, 47, 48, 50, 51, 70, 91)
* Soviet Cup (1945, 48, 51, 55, 91)

Tottenham Hotspur

2009-10-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Tottenham Hotspur

Full Name: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1882
Stadium: White Hart Lane (36,237)
Colors: Dark Blue, White
Previous Name: Hotspur FC (1882-84)
Nicknames: Spurs, Lillywhites, Yids
Rivals: Arsenal
Stadium: White Hart Lane
Official Website: tottenhamhotspur.com

Description:

Tottenham Hotspur were formed as Hotspur FC in 1882 by members of a Tottenham-area grammar school and cricket club. The name is taken from Harry Hostpur, an English nobleman of the 14th century, and later a major character in Shakespeare's Henry IV. Two years later they added Tottenham to their name, Tottenham being the neighborhood of North London where they are based. In 1896 Spurs joined the Southern League where they stayed for 12 years before entering the Football League in 1908. Spurs won the Southern League title in 1900.The Lilywhites nickname is a reference to their all-white uniforms. The Yids nicknames is a reference to Yiddish, the language theoretically spoken by the rather large Jewish fan base of Spurs. Yids was used as an insult by rival Arsenal fans but has been turned on its head and used as a badge of pride by Spurs fans. In 1961 Tottenham Hotspur became the first English club in the twentieth century to win the League and FA cup double. Their rivalry with Arsenal is known as the North London derby - the two clubs' stadiums are located just a few miles apart in North London. The cockerel on the club's emblem is a reference to their Spurs name - the cockerel bird was often used in cock fights and fitted with spurs. The stadium is located on White Hart Lane in Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur FC History

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. is a North London association football team, also known by the nickname Spurs. Their home ground is White Hart Lane in Tottenham.
Their motto is Audere Est Facere (To Dare Is To Do).The club was formed in 1882 by boys from Hotspur cricket club and from the local grammar school. Originally the club was known as Hotspur FC. In 1884 the club was renamed Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic Club.

The club has a long standing rivalry with its North London neighbours Arsenal (formerly Woolwich Arsenal - originally from South East London).In the 1960-61 season, Spurs became the first team to achieve the league and FA Cup double in the 20th century.They are one of only three teams to win the FA Cup in consecutive years since the end of the 19th century, the others being Arsenal and Newcastle United and the only team to have done so on two occasions. Tottenham Hotspur were the first and so far only team to win the FA Cup as a non-league club; this was in 1901 when Spurs were in the Southern League. Tottenham were the first British club to win a European trophy - the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.

Tottenham Hotspur have traditionally been one of the biggest clubs in England.Daniel Levy became chairman of the club in February 2001. Frank Arnesen was appointed Sports Director in May 2004, and in June it was announced that French national team coach Jacques Santini would join Tottenham Hotspur as head coach following Euro 2004, with Martin Jol taking up a post as his assistant. On November 5th 2004 however, Santini resigned for 'personal reasons'. Jol was confirmed as his successor on November 8.

The most successful manager in Tottenham's history is Bill Nicholson, who guided the club to major trophy success three seasons in a row during the early 1960's - the League Championship/F.A Cup double in 1961, F.A Cup in 1962 and European Cup Winners Cup in 1963. Key players in the early 1960's Tottenham side included Danny Blanchflower, John White, David Mackay and Jimmy Greaves. Blanchflower, the club captain, later had a spell as Chelsea team manager and was later a football writer until his death in 1993 at the age of 67. Greaves also turned out for AC Milan and Chelsea and is the third highest goalscorer of all time for the England team with 44 goals. White died at the age of 27 after being hit by lightning on a golf course. Mackay later enjoyed success in management when he guided Derby County to the League Championship in 1975.Tottenham still enjoyed some success in the early part of the 1980's, winning the F.A Cup in 1981 and 1982 and the UEFA Cup in 1984 under Keith Burkinshaw. The early 1980's team included Argentinian players Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa.

The club's next trophy success came in 1991 when they won the F.A Cup for a then record eighth time under Terry Venables. Stars of the 1991 F.A Cup winning side included Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne and Vinny Samways. After winning the F.A Cup, Venables went into partnership with Alan Sugar to take over the club (which was £20million in debt) and became chief executive. In 1991-92, Peter Shreeves took charge of team affairs (having previously been in charge from 1984 to 1986) but quit after one season to make way for the partnership of Doug Livermore and Ray Clemence. In the inaugural 1992-93 Premier League, Livermore and Clemence failed to establish themselves as top class managers and quit after just one season. Soon after that, Venables was controversially dismissed by the club's board and in came former player Osvaldo Ardiles as his replacement. Ardiles had just won the Division Two playoffs with West Bromwich Albion and was hopeful of bringing the glory days back to White Hart Lane.

In 1993-94, Tottenham finished a disappointing 15th in the Premiership after 14-goal striker Teddy Sheringham played just 19 games through injury. Soon after the end of the season the club was investigated over illegal payments made to players during the late 1980's and it was feared that they could be demoted to Division One as punishment. When Tottenham admitted financial irregularities, the club received the most severe punishment ever handed out in English football - a £600,000 fine, 12 league points deducted and a 1-year ban from the F.A Cup. On appeal, the fine was increased to £1.5million but the number of points deducted was cut to six, while the F.A Cup ban remained in place. But the deducted points and F.A Cup ban were eventually quashed in a second appeal.

By the start of the 1994-95 season, Osvaldo Ardiles had added three foreign stars to the Tottenham squad - German striker Jurgen Klinsmann and Romanian midfielders Gheorghe Popescu and Ilie Dumistrescu. Despite these additions to the squad, and the consistency of striker Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham struggled in the early stages of the season and Ardiles was sacked to make way for QPR manager Gerry Francis.Francis guided Tottenham to the F.A Cup semi finals and to a seventh-place finish in the Premiership - still their highest league finish since 1990. He remainedin charge until November 1997, by which time Tottenham were bottom of the Premiership. Swiss coach Christian Gross, who had won two Swiss league championships with Grasshoppers Zurich, was appointed as the club's new manager and guided them to safety, but soon after the start of the 1998-99 season he was sacked with Tottenham battling relegation again. The club's directors made surprise decision when appointing Leeds United manager George Graham as the new manager at White Hart Lane - Graham was the man who had delivered 6 major trophies to Tottenham's deadly rivals Arsenal between 1986 and 1994.

Graham had a reasonable effect on Tottenham's fortunes. They won the League Cup in his first season in charge and thus qualified for the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup. But this improvement was inconsistent and by the time he was sacked for breach of contract in March 2001, the club was once again hovering above the relegation zone.

George Graham's replacement was Glenn Hoddle, who had been a key player at the club during the 1980's and had enjoyed moderate success as a manager with Swindon Town, Chelsea, the England team and more recently Southampton. He was full of ambition on his arrival at Tottenham, intent on re-establishing them as one of England's best teams. But a League Cup final losing appearance in the 2001-02 season was as good as it got for Tottenham under Hoddle, and he was sacked in September 2003 after two-and-a-half years in charge.
Director of Football David Pleat remained in charge until the end of the 2003-04 season, when former France national coach Jacques Santini was named as Hoddle's permanent replacement.

The 2004-05 Premiership campaign started well for Santini, who was working under sporting director Frank Arnesen. But he suddenly quit the club in November 2004, citing personal reasons, and was replaced by assistant manager Martin Jol.Tottenham are currently mid table in the Premiership - their regular league position for most of the last 15 years - and it remains to be seen whether Martin Jol is the right man to restore this famous club's fortunes.

Tottenham Hotspur FC Honours, Trophies & Awards

* Football League First Division (1951, 61)
* Football League Second Division (1920, 50)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1921, 51, 61, 62, 67, 81, 91)
* FA Cup (1901, 21, 61, 62, 67, 81, 82, 91)
* Football League Cup (1971, 73, 99, 2008)

International Titles:

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1963)
* UEFA Cup (1972, 84)

Aston Villa Football Club

2009-10-06T08:47:00.002-07:00

Aston Villa Football Club

Full Name: Aston Villa Football Club
City: Birmingham
Founded: 1872
Stadium: Villa Park (43,275)
Colors: Claret, Blue
Nicknames: Villa, Villans
Rivals: West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City
Official Website: avfc.co.uk

Description:

Aston Villa were formed by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel cricket team, who were looking for a sport to play during the winter months. Villa Cross was a road junction in the Birmingham neighborhood of Aston. Villa were founder members and the of the Football League in 1888 and early giants of English football, although they were later eclipsed by Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool. Matches with arch-rival Birmingham City are known as the Second City Derby, Birmingham being England's second-largest city. West Bromwich Albion is also a significant rivalry. Villa famously came out of nowhere to win the League title in 1981 (the first time in 71 years) and then compounded the surprise by defeating Bayern Munich in the European Cup final the following season.

The rampant lion of the club's emblem was supposedly suggested by early vice-president William McGregor to remind him of his Scottish roots, the lion also being present in the Scottish emblem. The club's colors are supposed to have similar origins, being claret (for Hearts) and blue (for Rangers). Prepared (also featured on the emblem) is the club's motto. Villa Park was originally known as Aston Lower Grounds. Previous stadiums - Wilson Road and Aston Park (1872-78), Perry Barr (1878-97).

Aston Villa FC History

Aston Villa Football Club play at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. They currently play in the Premier League. Aston Villa were founding members of the Football League in 1888 and of the Premier League in 1992. It is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England.Aston Villa Football Club was formed in March 1874 by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Aston, Birmingham. Members of the Aston Villa cricket team were looking for a way to stay fit during the winter months and decided to adopt the new sport of football. The 'Four Founding Fathers' were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood. Little did they know that the team they formed would go on to become the most famous and admired football club in the world by the end of Queen Victoria's reign.

Aston Villa's first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team and as a condition of the match, the Villa side had to agree to play the first half under rugby rules and the second half under football rules! Amazingly Villa managed to hold St Mary's to a pointless draw up to half time and in the second half won the historic affair by one goal, scored by Jack Hughes. Villa won their first honour, the Birmingham Challenge Cup in 1880, under the captaincy of Scotsman George Ramsay. The club won its first FA Cup in 1887, by which time football had become professional. However, the Scottish draper and director of Aston Villa, William McGregor had become frustrated with one-sided friendly matches and low attendances for all games but FA Cup ties. He saw that in order to keep interest in the game alive the top teams needed to play each other in a league much like American baseball teams did. So he wrote to the 12 leading clubs in England proposing the formation of a league. The reason the Football League was never called the English League is because McGregor intended Scottish and Welsh teams to join eventually. Naturally, Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888 finishing runners-up.

It didn't take long for Villa to lift their first League Championship trophy, and this was achieved in 1893/94. This would signal the start of Aston Villa's 'Golden Age' and by the start of the First World War the club had won the League Championship six times and the FA Cup five times, including in 1896/97, a League and Cup Double, a feat which would not be repeated for more than 60 years.Although they remained a major force after the war, winning their sixth FA Cup in 1920, the club began a slow decline. This can be attributed in large part to a complacency which culminated in the unthinkable, the most famous and successful football club in world being relegated to the Second Division in 1936. However, throughout the 1920's and into the 1930's the club had many fine international players (in 1933/34 Villa had no fewer than 14 full internationals) and continued to challenge for honours, Villa were FA Cup runners-up in 1924 and second in the League in 1931 and 1933. Throughout this period the Villa Park crowds were entertained with attacking football and goals galore, in season 1930/31 Tom 'Pongo' Waring scored 49 of Aston Villa's 128 league goals, however Villa were denied the title by the sensational Arsenal team of the 30's.

The club's decision to appoint their first manager coincided with relegation for the first time in 1935/36. This was largely due a dismal defensive record, they conceded 110 goals, 7 of them coming from Arsenal's Ted Drake in the infamous defeat at Highbury. However 'The Grand Old Man' of football was crowned Second Division Champions in 1937/38 under the guidance of Jimmy Hogan, Aston Villa were back where they belonged by the outbreak of The Second World War. Seven seasons were lost and many careers were finished due to the conflict and Aston Villa went about rebuilding the team under the guidance of formerplayer, Alex Massie. The remainder of the 1940s and the 1950s saw Villa try to re-establish themselves as a top team. However, Villa could only be described as mediocre during this period, although they had some good players and attendances were high. Season 1956/57 saw Villa go on an unexpected FA Cup run that would culminate in them defeating the 'Busby Babes' of Manchester United in the final. It was Aston Villa's first trophy for 37 years.

However this success proved to be a false dawn with the team finishing 14th in the league the following season. Eric Houghton was sacked (after refusing to resign) when relegation loomed in 1958/59. His successor Joe Mercer was unable to prevent the club being relegated for the second time in 1959. Again a complacency had set in at the club, the famous Aston Villa had won the FA Cup for a record seventh time, this only served to fuel the belief that Villa were too good to go down. A return to the top flight was assured however in 1960 when Villa were crowned Second Division Champions. Season 1960/61 saw Villa win the inaugural League Cup and finish repectably in the league, this was achieved with an exciting nucleus of youth players who became known as 'Mercer's Minors'.

The slow decline continued throughout the 1960s due to a deep seated malaise; the club had failed to adapt to the new football reality, they had a non-existent scouting network, coaching was conducted in the same way as it had been 40 years earlier and the 5 man board contained 3 members over the age of 70. It was the board who decided that they couldn't refuse offers for their two most reliable goalscorers, Phil Woosnam and Tony Hateley. Without their goals Villa were in real trouble and were relegated for the third time, under manager Dick Taylor in 1967. The fans' calls for the board to resign became more and more urgent when Villa finished 16th in the Second Division in 1968. In a desperate attempt to avert total disaster, relegation to the Third Division, the manager, Tommy Cummings was given £200,000 to spend on new players, and with supporters boycotting Villa's home games in protest at the board, debts mounted. Events on the pitch came to a head in November 1968, with Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two; the board sacked Cummings and within weeks the entire board resigned due to overwhelming pressure from fans. After much speculation, control of the club was bought by London financier Pat Matthews, he also brought in Doug Ellis as chairman and Tommy Docherty as manager.

However, despite breathing new life into the club and initial success, Docherty was unable to lift the team out of the danger zone and he was sacked after just a year in charge. His successor Vic Crowe, was unable to prevent Aston Villa from being relegated to the Third Division for the first time its history. Amazingly the following season Villa reached the League Cup final after beating Manchester United in the semi-final. They were eventually defeated in the final by two late Tottenham goals. The only way was up for Villa and in 1971/72 they finished top of the league with a team that was simply too good for Division Three.

The team narrowly missed out on successive promotions when they finished third on their return to Second Division football in 1972/73. However the following season Villa struggled and Doug Ellis sacked Crowe replacing him with Ron Saunders.
Aston Villa's centenary season provided the double success of a League Cup final victory over Norwich and promotion to the First Division after an absence of eight seasons in 1974/75. Villa were back and due to their League Cup success were in Europe for the first time. Although Villa were knocked out in the first round by Antwerp, Saunders was assembling a team that would go on to win the European Cup seven years later. Villa won the League Cup again in 1977 by beating Everton after two final replays. The following season saw Villa reach the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup where they held their own against Spanish giants, Barcelona. That night at the Nou Camp finally laid to rest the nightmare of the previous 10 years; Aston Villa were finally back amongst the footballing elite.The ups and downs of the 1980's

The 1980's was another mixed era in the history of Aston Villa football club. Villa won the Football League Championship, fighting off competition from Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, in 1981 under the managership of Ron Saunders. Saunders quit halfway through the following season (1981-82) and was replaced by his assistant manager Tony Barton. In May 1982, just three months after being appointed manager, Barton guided Villa to a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup final. Key players in this side included Des Bremner, Peter Withe and Gordon Cowans. Barton remained in charge until the summer of 1984, when he was sacked after a disappointing season which had seen the club finish 10th in the First Division. His successor was Graham Turner who had taken Shrewsbury Town from being Fourth Division strugglers into being an established Second Division side. Turner was sacked in September 1986 and his successor Billy McNeill was unable to save the club from finishing bottom of the First Division and being relegated - just five years after Villa had been champions of Europe.

McNeill left in the summer of 1987 to become manager of Glasgow Celtic. Villa chairman Doug Ellis gave the manager's job to Graham Taylor, who had transformed the fortunes of Watford in 10 years of management. A significant addition to the Villa squad was attacking midfielder David Platt, a 21-year-old signing from Crewe Alexandra for £200,000. Platt was instrumental in getting Villa back into the top flight at the first time of asking as they finished Second Division runners-up in 1988.

Villa narrowly avoided relegation from the First Division in 1989 but in 1990 they surprised everyone by finishing runners-up to Liverpool in the First Division.Taylor left shortly afterwards to replace Bobby Robson as England manager, but Taylor would eventually be villified by the British press for his failures as national coach. Villa meanwhile appointed Czech coach Jozef Venglos as their new manager - the first time that a foreign manager had taken charge of a top division club.

The 1990's: more mixed fortunes

Jozef Venglos spent one season as manager of Aston Villa (1990-91). He stepped down after they finished just two places above the First Division relegation zone and David Platt was sold to Italian side Bari for £5 million. Aston Villa's new manager was Ron Atkinson, who had achieved considerable success with West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United and more recently Sheffield Wednesday. He spent heavily, making expensive additions to the squad including Earl Barrett, Dean Saunders, Dalian Atkinson, Kevin Richardson, Ray Houghton and Shaun Teale. The policy nearly paid off in 1993 when Aston Villa finished runners-up to Manchester United (Atkinson's old club) in the inaugural Premier League. Villa gained their revenge over United with a 3-1 League Cup final victory the following season (which prevented United from winning a unique domestic treble) but Villa's league form slipped and they finished tenth in 1994.

Atkinson was sacked in November 1994 with Villa battling relegation, just 18 months after they had almost won the league. His successor Brian Little did well to keep a demoralised team in the Premiership and in the summer of 1995 reshaped the squad by selling most of the club's older players and buying in many younger players. New arrivals included Alan Wright, Gary Charles, Ian Taylor, Mark Draper, Savo Milosevic, Gareth Southgate and Tommy Johnson. Several home grown players were also progressing well, especially striker Dwight Yorke and defender Ugo Ehiogu.

Aston Villa made huge progress in 1995-96 under Brian Little. They won the League Cup, reached the F.A Cup semi finals and finished fourth in the Premiership. Dwight Yorke was now established as a world class striker and other players like Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate were already gaining international recognition. Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1996 and again in 1997, without making any real progress, and Little resigned in February 1998 with Villa 15th in the Premiership and with relegation looking a real possibility.

Little's successor John Gregory, a former Aston Villa coach who had left to take charge of Wycombe Wanderers 18 months earlier, revitalised the club's fortunes and they finished seventh in the Premiership and qualified for the UEFA Cup - due to the progress of other teams in the top seven it was the only time that a seventh placed club has automatically qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Despite the £12.6million sale of Dwight Yorke to Manchester United in August 1998, John Gregory had guided Aston Villa to the top of the Premiership by the middle of the 1998-99 season. New signings Paul Merson and Dion Dublin were proving to be worth the money, while 18-year-old defender Gareth Barry was easily the most competent young player in the Premiership that season. But Villa's form slipped during the final weeks and they finished sixth - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.

The New Millennium

So far, the new Millennium has brought more 'average' performances for Aston Villa. They did reach the F.A Cup final in 2000 (for the first time since 1957), but lost 1-0 to Chelsea. Gregory quit the club in January 2002 and chairman Doug Ellis made a surprise decision on appointed Graham Taylor as manager for the second time. Villa finished the 2001-02 season in eighth place, which was similar to most of their other Premiership finishes. But a 16th place finish in the 2002-03 Premiership campaign saw Taylor quit as manager and make way for ex-Leeds United manager David O'Leary.

After a poor start to the season, O'Leary transformed the team's fortunes and by Spring 2004 they were in contention for a Champions League place. But a 2-0 home defeat against Manchester United saw them finish sixth in the Premiership and narrowly miss out on a UEFA Cup place. Nevertheless, such an improvement in league form reflected well on how David O'Leary had rejuvenated the club's fortunes. By February 2005, they were mid table in the Premiership but there is still time for an improvement which could see Villa qualify for European competition in the 2005-06 season.

Aston Villa FC Honours, Trophies & Awards

* European Cup
o 1982
* European Super Cup
o 1983
* Inter-Toto Cup
o 2001
* FA Cup
o 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957
* League Cup
o 1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996
* First Division Champions
o 1893-1894, 1895-1896, 1896-1897, 1898-1899, 1899-1900, 1909-1910, 1980-1981
* Second Division Champions
o 1937-1938, 1959-1960
* Third Division Champions
o 1971-1972
* FA Youth Cup
o 1972, 1980, 2002
* Charity Shield (1981*)

Celtic Football Club

2009-10-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Celtic Football Club

Full Name: The Celtic Football Club
City: Glasgow
Founded: 1888
Stadium: Celtic Park (60,355)
Colors: Green, White
Nicknames: The Bhoys, The Hoops
Rival: Rangers
Official Website: celticfc.net

Description:

Formed on November 6, 1887 in East Glasgow, where the club is still based. The first match was against eternal rival Rangers. The Glasgow derby between Celtic and Rangers, known as the Old Firm, is one of the fiercest in the world. Celtic are traditionally the club of Catholic Scotland and of its Irish community. Bhoys is the traditional Irish spelling of Boys. Hoops is a reference to the "hoops" on the jerseys. Celtic were the first British (and still only Scottish) club to win the European Cup.

Honors

League Titles:

* Scottish Football League (1893)
* Scottish Football League First Division (1894, 96, 98, 1905, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, 26, 36, 38, 54, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
* Scottish Football League Premier Division (1977, 79, 81, 82, 86, 88, 98)
* Scottish Premier League (2001, 02, 04, 06, 07, 08)
* Scottish Cup (1894, 99, 1900, 04, 07, 08, 11, 12, 14, 23, 25, 27, 31, 33, 37, 51, 54, 65, 67, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 77, 80, 85, 88, 89, 95, 2001, 04, 05, 07)
* Scottish League Cup (1957, 58, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 75, 83, 98, 2000, 01, 06, 09
* Drybrough Cup: 1974.
* Coronation Cup: 1953.

International Titles:

* European Cup (1967)

Porto FC

2009-10-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Porto FC

Full Name: Futebol Clube do Porto
City: Porto
Founded: 1906
Stadium: Estádio do Dragão (50,948)
Colors: Blue, White
Nicknames: Os Dragões (The Dragons), FCP, Tripeiros, Azuis e Brancos (Blue and White)
Rivals: Benfica, Boavista, Sporting Lisbon
Official Website: fcporto.pt

Description:

Founded in 1893, but football action was suspended until 1906. Have been the most successful Portuguese club over the last 25 years, one of the Portuguese Big Three. The colors were chosen to represent an earlier incarnation of the Portuguese flag. The emblem includes the city shield of Oporto. The Dragões nickname is a reference to the Dragon atop the club's emblem. Tripeiros = resident of the city of Oporto. The stadium name = Stadium of the Dragons. Previous stadiums - Campo da Rainha (1906-12), Campo da Constitucão (1912-52), Das Antas (1952-2004).

HONORS

League Titles:

* Portuguese Championship (1922, 25, 32, 37)
* Portuguese League (1939, 40, 56, 59, 78, 79, 85, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2003, 04, 06, 07, 08, 09)

Cup Titles:

* Portuguese Cup (1956, 58, 68, 77, 84, 88, 91, 94, 98, 2000, 01, 03, 06, 09)
* Portuguese Super Cup (1981, 83, 84, 86, 90, 91, 93, 94, 96, 98, 99, 2001, 03, 04, 06, 09)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1987)
* Champions League (2004)
* UEFA Cup (2003)
* Intercontinental Cup (1987, 2004)

Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club

2009-10-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club

Full Name: Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax
City: Amsterdam
Founded: 1900
Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA (51,859)
Colors: Red, White
Nicknames: De Godenzonen, Superjoden
Rivals: Feyenoord, PSV
Official Website: ajax.nl

Description:

Ajax were founded at the Café Oost Indie on Kalverstraat on March 18, 1900. They are named in honor of the Ancient Greek warrior of the same name.Famous for playing attractive, attacking football and for being the birthplace of 'total football'.They also have traditionally had one of the world's best youth programs, known simply as De Toekomst - The Future. The supporters have a curious reputation as being Jewish,though few actually are. Anti-semitic chants are sung by opposing fans, and Israeli flags are regularly seen at Ajax matches. The nickname Superjoden meansSuper Jews while De Godenzonen means Sons of the Gods. Ajax are the symbol of the city of Amsterdam and that of the artistic/creative class of Holland. Their arch-rivals are Feyenoord,their matches are called 'De klassieker' - the classic one. The club adopted their now trademark uniforms of white shirts with vertical red stripe in1911 to avoid conflict with already established Sparta Rotterdam. Previous stadiums - Het Houten (1900-28), Olympic Stadium (1928-34), De Meer (1934-96).

Ajax Amsterdam History

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also referred to as Ajax Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax (pronounced i-yax), is a football club from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Ajax is one of the top football clubs in the world. It is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands that dominate the Dutch football scene. The other "bigthree" clubs are Feyenoord Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven. Ajax is also one of only four clubs to have won all three major European trophies.
The club was founded in March 18, 1900 by the brothers Han and Johan Dade and based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The club is probably well-known by all football fans around the world with its recognizable white with a single red stripe home jersey. The club is also famous for its respectable youth program and has introduced to the world many great professional footballers such as Johan Cruijff and Marco van Basten. Its satellite club is the Ajax Cape Town of South Africa where youth players were drafted in the first team squad at some point of the seasonal campaign of the Eredivisie such as Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena. In 1995, the year that they won the European Champions' League, the first team was best remembered as the team that could best represent the Dutch national team in all departments, with Edwin van der Sar in goalkeeping position, players such as Michael Reiziger, Frank de Boer, Danny Blind in defense, Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf in midfield, as well as Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars in attack. The team was coached by Louis van Gaal. Its current fortunes are mostly domestic-based notwithstanding some minor successes in the 2002-2003 Champions League campaign although its youth team continues to develop talented individuals like Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Nigel de Jong and Johnny Heitinga who regularly represented their nation.

Ajax’s first stadium was built in 1911 out of wood and was simply called The Stadium. Ajax later played in the stadium that was build for the 1928 Olympic games of Amsterdam. This stadium designed by Jan Wils is know as the Olympic Stadium. Ajax also played in stadium called De Meer from 1934on. In 1996,Ajax changed from the Olympic stadium and De Meer to a new home ground known as the Amsterdam ArenA that was built at the cost of $134 million. The stadium is capable of holding up to approximately 52 000 people. Amsterdam Arena, also written in camel case: ArenA (Amsterdam southeast). The Arena has a retractable roof and was the example for other modern stadiums that were build in the EU in the following years. In the Netherlands the Arena has earned a reputation for having a terrible grassfield. The condition of the field is caused by the roof that, even when open, takes away to much sunlight and ventilation of the field.

Ajax Amsterdam Honours, Trophies & Awards

League Titles:

* Dutch Championship (1918, 19, 31, 32, 34, 37, 39, 47)
* Eredivisie (1957, 60, 66, 67, 68, 70, 72, 73, 77, 79, 80, 82, 83, 85, 90, 94, 95, 96, 98, 2002, 04)

Cup Titles:

* Dutch Cup (1917, 43, 61, 67, 70, 71, 72, 79, 83, 86, 87, 93, 98, 99, 2002, 06, 07)
* Dutch Super Cup (1993, 94, 95)
* Johan Cruyff Shield (2002, 05, 06, 07)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1971, 72, 73)
* Champions League (1995)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1987)
* UEFA Cup (1992)
* Intercontinental Cup (1972, 95)

Olympique Lyonnais

2009-10-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Olympique Lyonnais

Full Name: Olympique Lyonnais
City: Lyon
Founded: 1950
Stadium: Stade de Gerland (41,184)
Colors: Blue, Red, White
Previous: Olympique de Lyon et du Rhône
Nicknames: OL, Les Gones (The Kids), Les Quenelles
Rival: Saint-Etienne
Official Website: olweb.fr

Description:

Formed as a football-only breakaway from multi-sport Lyon Olympique Universitaire, which was formed in 1899. This date is often given as the club's foundation. Les Gones is 'kids' in the Lyonnais dialect. Quenelle is a specialty of Lyon cuisine and it's color is all-white (like the jerseys of Lyon). Gerland is a neighborhood of Lyon.

Olympique Lyonnais History

Olympique Lyonnais is a French football club which plays at the Stade Gerland in Lyon.The club has dominated the top French level, Ligue 1, in the early years of the 21st century. After a second-place finish in 2001, OL won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles (2002-2004).

HONORS

League Titles:

* Ligue 1 (2002, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08)

Cup Titles:

* Coupe de France (1964, 67, 73, 2008)
* Coupe de la Ligue (2001)
* Trophée des Champions (2002, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07)

Bayern München

2009-10-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Bayern München

full Name:Fußball-Club Bayern München
City: Munich
Founded: 1900
Stadium: Allianza Arena (66,000)
Colors: Red, White
Nicknames: Die Bayern (The Bavarians), Bayern Munich, Die Roten (The Reds)
Rivals: 1860 München, 1. FC Nürnberg
Stadium: Olympiastadion
Official Website: fcbayern.de

Description:

Created by disaffected members of MTV 1879 München. In 1906, became the soccer department of Münchner SC. This club disappeared after World War I, so

the soccer department merged with TSV Jahn Munich. In 1923 FC Bayern München became an independent association. Bayern = Bavaria, the region of

southern Germany of which München is the capital. The blue and white diamond pattern in the center of Bayern's emblem is that of the state of Bavaria.

Considered the club of the establishment within Bavaria, and have support from throughout the region. Previous stadiums - Leopoldstrasse (1907-49),

Grünwalderstrasse Stadion (1949-72), Olympiastadion (1972-2005).

Bayern Munich History

Bayern Munich (German: FC Bayern München) is a German football club.
Founded in 1900, it is based in Munich. It currently plays in the Olympic Stadium, but will move to a new ground, Allianz Arena, in 2005. The club is themost famous and successful in Germany and has a fanbase consisting of 97,745 members. The club is also one of only four to have won all three major European trophies.

Bayern Munich Honours, Trophies & Awards

* German Championship (1932)
* Bundesliga (1969, 72, 73, 74, 80, 81, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 94, 97, 99, 2000, 01, 03, 05, 06, 08)

Cup Titles:

* DFB Pokal (1957, 66, 67, 69, 71, 82, 84, 86, 98, 2000, 03, 05, 06, 08)
* DFB Super Cup (1982, 87, 90)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1974, 75, 76)
* Champions League (2001)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1967)
* UEFA Cup (1996)
* Intercontinental Cup (1976, 2001)

AS ROMA

2009-10-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Associazione Sportiva Roma

City: Rome
Founded: 1927
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico (82,307)
Colors: Red, Yellow, White, Black
Nicknames: Giallorossi, Lupi
Rival: Lazio
Stadium: Olimpico
Official Website: asroma.it

Description:

Associazione Sportiva Roma were formed on July 22, 1927 by the merger of Alba-Audace, Roman and Fortitudo (who themselves had just absorbed Pro
Roma). The Fascist government of the time encouraged the creation of one club for each major city within the center and south of the country in an effort to bring more balance to northern-dominated Italian football. Roma have only missed one season of Serie A, although three scudetti seems a bit a poor result for all those years at the top. On the positive side they've recently equaled Juventus for the most Coppa Italia trophies won.

Roma’s emblem (the she-wolf and her twins) is the symbol of historic Rome. The Lupi nickname is a reference to this. The colors red and gold symbolize
imperial dignity and the Christian God respectively. They are taken from the banner of Campidoglio, one of the seven hills of Rome and a promiment place in the psychology of the Roman Empire. The nickname Giallorossi means The Yellow and Red. The derby with Lazio (il Derby della Capitale) is probably the
fiercest in Italian soccer. Roma supporters are traditionally from the south and center of the city. The two clubs share the city's Stadio Olimpico, built for the
1960 Olympics. Previous stadiums - Motovelodromo Appio (1927), Testaccio (1927-40), and Flaminio (1940-1952).

AS Roma History

A.S. Roma (Associazione Sportiva Roma) is a Italian football club. Nicknamed the giallorossi, it plays in Serie A. Roma's home uniforms are dark red shirts
with dark yellow borders, white shorts and black socks.
The emblem is the Capitoline she-wolf lactating twins, symbol of Rome, superimposed a bipartite golden-yellow over red shield; official colors are the same as those of Rome, red for imperial dignity, gold for the Christian God.
The current stadium is the 82,656 seater Stadio Olimpico, which is shared with S.S. Lazio. The two teams compete against one another each year in the Rome derby, a major and emotional event in Italian football.

A.S. Roma was founded in July 1927, when Rome already had three teams in the Italian football league - Alba, Fortitudo and Lazio. The Fascist regime's idea at the time was to merge all the Rome clubs into one which the many newly-arrived immigrants could identify with, Lazio considered very much a patrician club of the Roman social elite, and strong enough to challenge the northerners. Lazio refused even a meeting but Alba, Pro Roma, Fortitudo and Roman attended and Roma was formed. Roma was named after the city and with the red and yellow strip of the Roman club. The initial stadium was Motovelodromo Appio.They took part in their first league in the 1929-30 season.

A.S. Roma won their first scudetto in the 1941-42 season. The second was won in the 1982-83 season and the third in 2000-01. They were runners-up in 1930-31, 1935-36, 1980-81, 1983-84, 1985-86, 2001-02 and 2003-04. They were relegated only once,at the end of the 1950-51 season.
The club has won the Coppa Italia seven times: 1963-64, 1968-69, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1983-84, 1985-86, and 1990-91, and the UEFA Cup (Fairs Cup) once in 1960-61, defeating Birmingham City. In 1984, A.S. Roma lost the final match of the European Cup, played in Rome, against Liverpool F.C., after a penalty shootout.

AS Roma Honours, Trophies & Awards

* Serie A (1942, 83, 2001)
* Coppa Italia (1964, 69, 80, 81, 84, 86, 91, 2007, 08)
* Supercoppa Italiana (2001, 2007)
* Fairs Cup (1961)

ACF FIORENTINA

2009-10-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

ACF FIORENTINA

Full Name: ACF Fiorentina
City: Florence
Founded: 2002 (1926)
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi (47,232)
Colors: Purple, White
Previous: AC Fiorentina (1926-2002), Florentia Viola (2002-03)
Nicknames: Viola (The Purple), Fiore
Rival: Juventus
Official Website: it.violachannel.tv

Description:

Fiorentina were formed on August 26, 1926 by the merger of Club Sportivo Firenze and Polisportiva Giovanile Libertas. Many Italian clubs in the center and

south have similar merger stories as the Fascists encouraged a number of mergers to create a single club from each city to better compete with the powerful

northern clubs. Fiorentina went bankrupt in 2002, reformed as Florentia Viola, and started again in the 4th division. The name changed back to Fiorentina the

following season. Fiorentina translates as "Florentine". The club's emblem incorporates the lily of the coat of arms of Florence. The club are occasionally

known as Gigliati (The Lilies) as a result. The club’s colors were initially red and white, those of the two founding clubs. A few years later the jerseys turned

purple due to a washing error (seriously) and the club decided to keep the new color. Fiorentina are one of the few clubs to have reached the final of all three

European tournaments. The Stadio Artemio Franchi is named for a former president of FIGC, the Italian soccer association. Until 1991 it was known as the

Stadio Communale. It was designed by Pier Luigi Nervi and is widely regarded as one of Italy's most architecturally significant stadiums. Previous Stadiums:

Bellini (1926-31).

Fiorentina History

ACF Fiorentina, formerly Associazione Calcio Fiorentina, is an Italian football club based in Florence (Firenze). The club traditional colors were originally red

and white but were changed to purple and white in 1928; since then, the club has been generally known as "la Viola" (the purple ones).
The club was founded on August 26, 1926 by the merger of Libertas and Club Sportivo Firenze. The club won its first trophy in 1939-40 with the Coppa Italia

and its first scudetto (Italian championship) in 1955-1956, the club were runners-up in the four following seasons. In the 1960-1961 season the club won the

Coppa Italia again and was also successful in Europe, winning the first Cup Winners' Cup against Rangers.
In the 1960s the club won the Coppa Italia and the Mitropa Cup in 1966 and were league champions again in 1968-1969. In 1974 Viola won the

Anglo-Italian Cup. Success in the Coppa Italia was repeated in 1975, but from then until the late 1990s the club was in the doldrums, culminating in a season

in Serie B (second division) in 1993-1994. Upon return to Serie A the club again proved able in the cup competitions, winning the Coppa Italia again in 1996

and 2000 and the Italian SuperCoppa.

The club's financial situation was revealed to be poor in mid 2001, the club was unable to pay wages and had debts of around USD 50 million. The club

owner, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, came in with more money but soon proved to have insufficient resources to sustain the club. The club was then relegated at the end

of the 2001-2002 season and went into judicially controlled administration in June 2002. Due to a sort of bankruptcy (sport companies don't precisely fail in

Italy, but can suffer a similar procedure), the club was refused a place in Serie B for the 2002-2003 season. The club was then re-established in August as

Florentia Viola with a new owner, Diego Della Valle, and admitted to Serie C2. In the club's year in Serie C2, it easily won its regional section, which would

normally have led to a promotion to Serie C1. In the 2003 off-season, the club bought back the right to use the Fiorentina name, reincorporated as ACF

Fiorentina, and was kicked up to Serie B, skipping Serie C1, after the Italian Football Federation decided to increase the number of teams in Serie B from 20 to

24 because of Caso Catania. The unusual double promotion caused some controversy; however, Fiorentina ended the 2003-2004 season in sixth, placing the Viola in a two-legged test match against Perugia (the 15th-place finisher in Serie A) for a position in Serie A.

The Viola completed a remarkable return to Serie A by winning the test match 2-1 on aggregate.

HONORS

* Serie A (1956, 69)
* Coppa Italia (1940, 61, 66, 75, 96, 2001)
* Supercoppa Italiana (1996)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1961)

MANCHESTER CITY FC

2009-10-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER CITY FC

Full Name: Manchester City Football Club
City: Manchester
Founded: 1880
Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium (47,500)
Colors: Blue, White
Previous Names: West Gorton (St Marks) (1880-84), Gorton AFC (1884-87), Ardwick AFC (1887-94)
Nicknames: Man City, The Blues, The Citizens
Rivals: Manchester United
Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
Official Website: mcfc.co.uk

Description:

The club was founded by members of the St Marks Church in West Gorton, a neighborhood of East Manchester. Briefly merged with Gorton Athletic, then renamed to Gorton AFC after the breakup of the merger. Moved to the neighborhood of Ardwick (also in East Manchester) in 1887, resulting in a name change. Ardwick joined the Football League in 1892 after one season in the rival Football Alliance. Financial problems two years later led to a reorganization and a new name - Manchester City Football Club. At this time they were playing in the Hyde Road ground. In the 1920s they moved further south to the Maine Road stadium, which they occupied for eighty years before moving to the City of Manchester Stadium in East Manchester. Blues fans are credited with launching the inflatables craze in British football in the late 1980s. The City of Manchester Stadium was built for the 2003 Commonwealth Games, which were held in Manchester. Manchester City's emblem includes an eagle and a ship, both symbols of the city of Manchester, as well as the club's motto - Superbia in Proelio (Pride in Battle). The Citizens nickname is a play on City and isn't actually used all that often. Previous stadiums - Clowes Street (1880-81), Kirkmanshulme Cricket Ground (1881-82), Queens Road (1882-84), Pink Bank Lane (1884-87), Hyde Road (1887-1923), Maine Road (1923-2003).

Manchester City FC History

Manchester City F.C. is a football club based in Manchester, United Kingdom. Having been formed in 1880 as West Gorton Saint Marks, it went on to become Ardwick F.C. in 1887 and moved to Hyde Road, before finally becoming Manchester City F.C. in 1894.

Winning the Second Division in 1899 gave the club their first honours. They went on to claim their first 'major' honour in 1904, beating Bolton Wanderers to claim the FA Cup. In 1923 they moved to Maine Road in Moss Side, Manchester.

They first claimed the First Division title in 1937. The next time was in 1968 - their "golden era" of football, acquiring much silverware in the late 60s and early 70s under manager Joe Mercer with the deadly contingent of Francis Lee, Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Mike Doyle. Their most significant moment in Europe was capturing the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970 by beating Gornik Zabrze 2-1 in Vienna.

One of the highlights of the last season in the old Maine Road stadium (now demolished) was a 3-1 derby victory over their Manchester rivals Manchester United to end a run of 13 years without a win. A goal from Nicolas Anelka and two from Shaun Goater, gave City full points. In 2003 they moved to The City of Manchester Stadium, a newly constructed state of the art 48,000 seater stadium situated in East Manchester, which they lease from the local council. In the 2002-2003 season they came 9th in the Premiership and qualified for the 2003-2004 UEFA Cup through the "fair play league".

They opened their new stadium with a 2-1 win over Spanish giants F.C. Barcelona with goals scored by Nicolas Anelka and Trevor Sinclair.

Their current squad contains the likes of Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, David James, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Paul Bosvelt, Trevor Sinclair and Claudio Reyna. Stuart Pearce is the caretaker manager.

Over the previous two seasons, veteran goalkeepers Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman have seen out their careers here.

In the pre-season of 2002-2003 they spent £13,500,000 (US$20,000,000) on Anelka. Their rise was rapid; from being in the third tier of English football in 1999, to being in European competition, having a large stadium, with top facilities and having world class players in their squad. In February 2005, a report by accountants Deloitte & Touche ranked Manchester City as the 16th richest club in the world in terms of income.

None of this, however, has diluted their distinguishing characteristic of comical unpredictability. A brilliantly-headed own-goal scored from some distance when playing Queens Park Rangers in 1998 was not only voted by their fans as the goal of the season, it was also instrumental in Manchester City's subsequent relegation.

Fortunately, their supporters display great wit and loyalty. When Arsenal F.C. played some of the best football ever seen at Maine Road and scored four goals in the first forty-five minutes, the stoic City fans responded with a chant of "boring, boring Arsenal". Manchester City will never face that accusation.

2 Years later when they played the same team and found themselves 5-0 down with a minute to spare, City scored a goal to make it 5-1. City fans responded with a chant of "You're not singing anymore" to the buoyant Arsenal fans.

Oasis are known to be huge supporters of Manchester City and have played at Maine Road.

Stadium information

Since 2002 the club moved from Maine Road to the City of Manchester Stadium, a newly constructed state of the art 48,000 seater stadium situated in East Manchester, which they purchased from Manchester City Council after the Commonwealth Games were held there in 2002.

Since moving to the stadium, Manchester City FC have spent about GB£35 million on upgrading it and lowering the field of play from ground level (during the Commonwealth Games) to below ground level, adding an additional tier of seating around the entire pitch and also building the new North Stand.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Football League First Division (1937, 68)
* Football League Second Division (1899, 1903, 10, 28, 47, 66)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1937, 68, 72)
* FA Cup (1904, 34, 56, 69)
* Football League Cup (1970, 76)

International Titles:

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1970)

JUVENTUS FC

2009-10-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

JUVENTUS FC

Full Name: Juventus Football Club
City: Turin
Founded: 1897
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico (27,128)
Colors: Black, White
Previous: Sport Club Juventus (1897-99)
Nicknames: Juve, La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady), Bianconeri (The Black and White)
Rivals: Torino, Inter, Milan
Official Website: juventus.com

Description:

Juventus = youth in Latin. Formed on November 1, 1897 by students of the Liceo Massimo d'Azeglio at their regular meeting place on a bench on Corso Re Umberto. Juve is pronounced YOU-vay. Juventus has been owned for years by the Agnelli family, who also own Fiat, although technically Juventus is a now a publicly-traded company. The black and white striped jerseys are actually taken from English club Notts County. An early club member visited England and, liking the jerseys, brought back a set for the club. The club are relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history for the 2006-07 season as punishment for their involvement in the recent match-fixing scandal. The 2005 and 2006 titles were also revoked. Previous stadiums - Piazza d'Armi (1900-23), Corso Marsiglia (1923-33), Stadio Communale (1933-90), Stadio delle Alpi (1990-2006). The club owns their previous ground the Stadio delle Alpi which is currently being redeveloped.

Juventus FC History

Juventus F.C. (Latin for Youth) is one of Italy's oldest and most successful football clubs, based in Turin. It competes in Serie A.

The team typically plays in black-and-white striped shirts and black shorts (but for decades in white shorts), and is nicknamed la Vecchia Signora (the Old Lady). The team gets its black-and-white striped kits from English side Notts County. The club's stadium is the 69,041-seat Stadio Delle Alpi, which it currently shares with Torino Calcio. This arrangement will end after the 2004–05 season, when Torino will open a new ground of its own.

Juventus F.C. was founded in November 1897 by students from Massimo D'Azeglio Lyceum, and won a previous version of the national league titles as early as 1905, but did not win their second until 1926. In 1923, the Agnelli family (owners of Fiat) gained control of the club, and built a private stadium in Villar Perosa (near Turin) and a complete series of facilities and services.

From 1931, the club won five consecutive Italian league championships (Italian scudetto). In 1933, they began playing at the Stadio Comunale. Post-war the club was very successful domestically, winning its tenth championship in 1961, but did not win any European titles until 1977 with the UEFA Cup. The height of European success was not reached until 1985, when they won the European Champions Cup, and then repeated the success in 1996. Juventus also won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 and two more UEFA Cup (1990, 1993). They have won 27 Italian titles and nine Coppa Italias to date, both national records. The club is also one of only four to have won all three major European trophies.

Until recently, Juventus' players had to wear short (and regular) hair; the club also provided the team with official formal wear (made by famous tailors) and forced them to complete their educational studies. Most of its players remained with Juventus until the end of their careers; many still work for it or for Fiat (or related companies).

Juventus is now a corporation, listed on Milan's stock exchange. The sale of Zinedine Zidane to Real Madrid of Spain was the most expensive in football to date, costing the Spanish club over $64 million (US).

HONORS

League Titles:

* Italian Championship (1905, 26)
* Serie A (1931, 32, 33, 34, 35, 50, 52, 58, 60, 61, 67, 72, 73, 75, 77, 78, 81, 82, 84, 86, 95, 97, 98, 2002, 03)

Cup Titles:

* Coppa Italia (1938, 42, 59, 60, 65, 79, 83, 90, 95)
* Supercoppa Italiana (1995, 97, 2002, 03)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1985)
* Champions League (1996)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1984)
* UEFA Cup (1977, 90, 93)
* Intercontinental Cup (1985, 96)

AC MILAN FC

2009-10-01T04:58:00.000-07:00

AC MILAN FC

Full Name: Associazione Calcio Milan
City: Milan
Founded: 1899
Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza - San Siro (85,700)
Colors: Red, Black, White
Previous: Milan Football and Cricket Club (1899-1919), Milan Football Club (1919-39), Associazione Calcio Milano (1939-45)
Nicknames: Rossoneri (The Red and Black), Diavoli (The Devils)
Rivals: Inter, Juventus
Official Website: acmilan.com

Description:

Milan were founded by Englishman John Edwards in 1899 as Milan Football and Cricket Club. The cricket section was abandoned not long after and officially dropped from the club name in 1919. From 1939-45 the name became AC Milano, a change forced upon the club by the Fascist government of the time who disapproved of foreign names. Milan finished the 1991-92 season as unbeaten champions, the only time that has occurred in Italian football history. The derby with Inter is called the Derby della Madonnina, in honor of the statue of the Madonna which graces the famous Duomo cathedral in the center of Milan and which is the symbol of the city. The club's emblem includes the red and black vertical stripes of the jersey on one side and the emblem of the city of Milano on the other. Previous Stadiums: Arena Civica (-1926).

AC Milan History

AC Milan is an Italian football club. Based in Milan, they play in red-and-black stripes and black shorts, giving them the nickname rossoneri ("red-blacks"). The second most successful club in Italian soccer history, they won the Serie A 17 times and Coppa Italia five times.

The club was founded in 1899 as the Milan Cricket and Football Club by Alfred Edwards, a British expatriate. In honour of its origins, the club has retained the English spelling of its city's name, instead of changing it to the Italian Milano; it should be noted that the current Italian pronounciation is actually MEE-lahn.

The team's current stadium is the 85,700 seater Giuseppe Meazza, also known as the San Siro. The stadium is shared with Internazionale (also known as "Inter"), the other major football club in Milan. AC Milan supporters use "San Siro" to refer to the stadium because Meazza was a star player for Inter.

Historically, AC Milan (usually referred to as "Mìlan" in Italy) was supported by the city's working classes and trade unionists, while Inter was mainly supported by the more prosperous. However, in recent years, the clubs have seen a significant reversal in supporter bases. Milan is now owned by conservative media magnate and current Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, while Inter is now owned by a centre-left businessman.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Italian Championship (1901, 06, 07)
* Serie A (1951, 55, 57, 59, 62, 68, 79, 88, 92, 93, 94, 96, 99, 2004)

Cup Titles:

* Coppa Italia (1967, 72, 73, 77, 2003)
* Supercoppa Italiana (1988, 92, 93, 94, 2004)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1963, 69, 89, 90)
* Champions League (1994, 2003, 07)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1968, 73)
* Intercontinental Cup (1969, 89, 90)
* World Club Cup (2007)

REAL MADRID FC

2009-10-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

REAL MADRID FC

Full Name: Real Madrid Club de Fútbol
City: Madrid
Founded: 1902
Stadium: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (80,354)
Colors: White
Previous: Madrid Foot Ball Club (1902-20), Real Madrid Foot Ball Club (1920-31), Madrid Club de Fútbol (1931-41)
Nicknames: Los Merengues, Los Galacticos, Los Blancos
Rivals: Barcelona, Atlético Madrid
Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu
Club Address: Avenida de Concha Espina 1, 28036 - Madrid
Official Website: realmadrid.com

Description:

Founded on March 6, 1902 as Madrid Foot Ball Club. The original uniforms of white shorts, white shirts and blue socks where chosen in imitation of the London club Corinthians. In 1904, Madrid FC merged with Moderno, Amicale and Moncloa. In 1920, the club is granted royal status by the king (Alfonso XIII) and the name is changed to Real Madrid. Dropped the politically-charged Real title and adopted the name Madrid Club de Fútbol during the Spanish Civil War, before returning to Real Madrid Club de Fútbol after the War's end. The diagonal stripe in the club's emblem is a symbol of Castille, the Spanish region in which Madrid is located, while the crown is in honor of their royal status. Los Merengues have never been relegated, have won nine European Cup/Champions League trophies and were considered by FIFA the most successful team of the 20th century. The merengues nickname is a reference to their all-white uniforms and the (also all-white) merengue dessert, Galacticos is a reference to their recent habit of buying the most expensive players possible and blancos means The Whites. The stadium is named for a former player, club president and all-around driving force at the club for over seventy years. It was known as the (second) Chamartin from 1947-55 and is located in the north of the city. Previous stadiums: Campo O'Donnell (1912-23), Chamartin (1924-45), Metropolitano (1945-47).

Real Madrid History

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol of Spain is the world's most successful football club for the 20th century, as ranked by the governing body of international football FIFA, just ahead of Manchester United. Formed on March 6, 1902, it competes in the Spanish first division or Primera División, from which it has never been relegated since the formation of Spain's national league in 1928. The club was originally named Madrid Club de Fútbol, but were allowed to use the title Real after King Alfonso XIII of Spain gave the club an official blessing in June 1920.

The team play in an all-white uniform, which is the origin of their nickname Los merengues (the whites). Their home stadium is the Santiago Bernabéu in Chamartín, Madrid, which was founded on December 14, 1947. It has a capacity of 80,354 spectators and its pitch measures 106x72 meters.

Since the middle of the 20th century, Real Madrid has consistently been ranked as one of the top football clubs in Europe. It has won the European Cup more times (nine) than any other club, winning the first five European Cups. The rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is legendary, and draws as much from Spanish politics as it does from footballing matters.

In recent years, Real Madrid have become famous for signing some of the world's best footballers, giving the club a new nickname of Los galácticos (the galactics). This trend began shortly after Euro 2000 with the world record €60m acquisition of Portuguese playmaker Luis Figo from FC Barcelona, who had risen to prominence with some influential displays in the tournament. He was joined the following year by then two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane from the Italian side Juventus, again for a world record fee - this time approximately €71m. The following season, they purchased Ronaldo, top scorer in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, for around €39m from Internazionale.

In the summer of 2003, their target was David Beckham, captain of the English national side, who signed from Manchester United for approximately €36m. Cynics argued that this particular development had as much to do with finance as football, with the Beckham brand ensuring increased revenue from merchandising. However, Beckham made a good start with Madrid, despite their relative underachievement in the 2003/2004 season (winning the Spanish Super Cup and finishing fourth in the Liga). This poor display led to the sacking of coach Carlos Queiroz, who had also made the trip to Madrid from Manchester United in 2003 after leaving his position as assistant manager at the English club. The pressure to win trophies means that managers who fail to deliver are sacked, resulting in a high turnover of managers. John Toshack was twice manager of the club. Recent seasons have also seen the arrival and departure of several other managerial appointments including: Vicente Del Bosque, José Antonio Camacho and Mariano García Remón. Real Madrid have recently turned to the services of Brazillian legend Vanderlei Luxemburgo in a bid to restore stability and discipline within the locker room.

Real's main target in the 2004 offseason was Patrick Vieira; the club made an offer of €35 million (£23.1 million) to English Premiership champions Arsenal for his services. Arsenal rejected Real's overtures, and Real instead made two surprise signings, of Liverpool's Michael Owen (€12m) and Newcastle's Jonathan Woodgate (€24m), who hasn't played a single match since being signed due to a knee injury.

The other two main clubs from Madrid are Atlético de Madrid and (less famously) Getafe. A third club, Rayo Vallecano, was recently relegated to the Segunda División B (Spanish third level), after spending most of its history in the first two levels.

HONORS

League Titles:

* La Liga (1932, 33, 54, 55, 57, 58, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 72, 75, 76, 78, 79, 80, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 95, 97, 2001, 03, 07, 08)

Cup Titles:

* Copa del Rey (1905, 06, 07, 08, 17, 34, 36, 46, 47, 62, 70, 74, 75, 80, 82, 89, 93)
* Supercopa de España (1988, 89, 90, 93, 97, 2001, 03, 08)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1956, 57, 58, 59, 60, 66)
* Champions League (1998, 2000, 02)
* UEFA Cup (1985, 86)
* Intercontinental Cup (1960, 98, 2002)

LIVERPOOL FC

2009-10-01T04:16:00.000-07:00

LIVERPOOL FC

Full Name: Liverpool Football Club
City: Liverpool
Founded: 1892
Stadium: Anfield Road (45,362)
Colors: Red, White
Nicknames: The Reds, Pool
Rivals: Everton, Manchester United
Stadium: Anfield
Official Website: liverpoolfc.tv

Description:

Liverpool Football Club were founded on March 15, 1892 by brewery owner John Houlding, at the time also the owner of the Anfield Road stadium. Anfield Road was previously used by Everton Football Club but the Blues left in protest over proposed rent increases. In response, Houlding formed a brand-new club and named it Liverpool Football Club. Liverpool FC played one season in the Lancashire League before joining the Football League for the 1893-94 season. Liverpool became a major force under the guidance of legendary manager Bill Shankly, and later Shankly's longtime assistant Bob Paisley. The Reds' period of sustained dominance in the 1970s and 1980s was unmatched until the rise of Manchester United in the 1990s.

Liverpool FC use the official city of Liverpool colors of red, and the Liverbird (a symbol of the city) in the club emblem. Liverpool's emblem also includes two eternal flames and the club's motto (You'll Never Walk Alone) in honor of the Liverpool supporters who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Liverpool have sadly been involved in two of football's greatest crowd disasters - Heysel in 1985 and Hillsborough in 1989. The Liverpool motto 'You'll Never Walk Alone' is one of the club's most famous traits, and has been adopted by other clubs around the world. It was popularized by the 1960s Liverpool group Gerry & The Pacemakers.

The rivalry with Everton is known as the Merseyside Derby for the Merseyside area encompassing Greater Liverpool. Merseyside takes its name from the river Mersey which flows through Liverpool. The Anfield Road stadium is located on Anfield Road, adjacent to Stanley Park. Arch-rival Everton's stadium is located at the opposite end of the same park. One end of the stadium is known as the Kop (named for the 1906 battle of Spion Kop in the Anglo-Boer War) and holds pride of place for providing some of the best support in the world.

Liverpool FC History

Liverpool Football Club is the most successful English football team, having won 4 European Cups and 18 league (English Premier League, formerly First Division) titles. Their home ground is the 45,362 capacity Anfield, which is about three miles from the city centre of Liverpool.

The club was founded on March 15, 1892 by John Houlding, the owner of Anfield. Houlding decided to form his own team after Everton FC were evicted from Anfield in an argument over rent. The original name was to be Everton FC but was changed to Liverpool FC after The Football Association refused to recognise the team as Everton.

On July 30, 2004, the Liverpool City Council granted the club planning permission to build a new 60,000 seat stadium, nearby at Stanley Park. For a time, it looked likely that the stadium would be shared with local rivals Everton, but talks on a groundshare failed in January 2005, and Liverpool will now have the stadium to itself despite continued pressure from Everton. It is hoped that if all goes to plan, construction of the new stadium will begin in the summer of 2005 and it will open in 2007. The old stadium will then become a public plaza surrounded by apartments, offices, bars, restaurants and a hotel. The treatment of the old stadium requires some sensitivity as a number of deceased fans have had their ashes officially scattered on the pitch over the years.

The club was especially dominant in the 1970s and 1980s. Great players from this time include Ray Clemence, Mark Lawrenson, Graeme Souness, Ian Callaghan, Phil Neal, Kevin Keegan, Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish (102 Caps) and Ian Rush (346 Goals).

The club was also present at two of the biggest tragedies in European football - at Heysel in 1985 and Hillsborough in 1989.

They completed an unprecedented treble of two domestic cups (the League Cup and the FA Cup) and the UEFA Cup in the 2000/01 season. However winning a treble was not something new to Liverpool. In 1984 they were victorious in the European Cup, the League Cup and the Championship. This was the first treble of major honours to be completed by an English club.

The Bill Shankly Era

Bill Shankly was appointed manager of Liverpool before the start of the 1959-60 season. The 35-year-old former Preston North End and Scotland player took charge of the Anfield side when they were in the Second Division and were hardly among the biggest clubs in the English league despite having won the League Championship five times in the past.

Promotion to the First Division was achieved in 1962 when Liverpool won the Second Division championship. In that season, centre forward Roger Hunt scored 41 league goals - a club record which remains unbroken to this day. Liverpool won the First Division Championship in 1964 and regained it two years later, winning their first F.A Cup in the season between their two title triumphs. Roger Hunt, Ian St John, Ron Yeats and Tommy Smith were key Liverpool players in this era. Liverpool won their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 1973 - in that season they also lifted another League Championship. Shankly shocked the football world by announcing his retirement after Liverpool won the 1974 F.A Cup. A local factory even threatened to go on strike in protest against Shankly's decision. But Shankly would not be moved, he watched Liverpool play as a spectator from The Kop until his death from a heart attack in 1981 at the age of 67.

The Bob Paisley Era

Bob Paisley, Shankly's 55-year-old assistant, was promoted to the position of manager for the 1974-75 season after failing to persuade his predecessor to carry on. By the time he retired at the end of the 1982-83 season, Bob Paisley was the most successful manager in the history of Liverpool Football Club - he was even the most successful manager in English football, as far as winning trophies was concerned, for almost two decades after his retirement.

Some of the greatest names in English football turned out for Liverpool under Bob Paisley's management. They included goalkeeper Ray Clemence, captain Emlyn Hughes and striker Kenny Dalglish. Liverpool won six league championships in ten seasons while Paisley was manager, as well as lifting three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, three successive League Cups, one European Super Cup and three Charity Shields - a total of 21 trophies. Paisley's achievement remained unsurprassed in English football until Sir Alex Ferguson won the Premiership title with Manchester United in 2001.

Bob Paisley bowed out of management in May 1983 after guiding Liverpool to their second successive League Championship/League Cup double.

The Joe Fagan Era

Joe Fagan, who at the age of 63 became Liverpool manager after Bob Paisley's retirement, was the club's second manager to be promoted from the coaching staff into the manager's seat. He remained in charge for just two seasons before handing in his retirement, but his first season (1983-84) saw Liverpool set some of the most impressive records in English football. They won their fourth successive League Cup and their third successive League Championship as well as winning the European Cup for the fourth time in eight seasons, thanks to the efforts of Fagan and his high quality squad which was mostly made up of players from the Bob Paisley era. A significant breakthrough star in the Liverpool team was young striker Ian Rush, who had been signed from Chester in 1980 and after a couple of seasons in the reserves had broken into the first team and established himself as a prolific goalscorer. Captain Alan Hansen had some of the finest leadership skills in European football. Zimbabweian goalkeeper Bruce Grobelaar was capable of pulling off some of the most impressive saves from opposition players' shots.

Joe Fagan's second and final seasons as Liverpool manager had a traumatic ending. Liverpool lost out on the league title to neighbours Everton - with four matches to spare. They reached the European Cup final to face Italian champions Juventus at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. But before kick-off, violence between Liverpool and Juventus supporters resulted in the death of 39 (mostly Italian) supporters who were crushed to death by charging Liverpool supporters. The sequel to the tragedy was a 5-year ban on English clubs in European competition, with a 6-year ban on Liverpool.

Fagan retired after the Heysel Disaster and handed over the reins to Liverpool striker Kenny Dalglish, who was given the role of player-manager.

The Kenny Dalglish era

Kenny Dalglish began his management career in style with League Championship/F.A Cup double success in the 1985-86 season. The club finished top of the First Division ahead of neighbours Everton, and to round it all off Liverpool hammered Everton 3-1 in the F.A Cup final. Dalglish was still a top striker despite his advancing years, and his partnership with Ian Rush was the most prolific in the English league. Midfielders Craig Johnston and Ray Houghton were also putting on impressive performances. Liverpool's 1986 double success made history as they were only the fifth team in English football to achieve such a feat, and the first team to win the F.A Cup without fielding a single English player.

Liverpool ended the 1986-87 season trophyless as they lost the League Championship to Everton and the League Cup to Arsenal. Pundits were predicting further disappointment for the following season when star striker Ian Rush was off-loaded to Juventus. Dalglish responded by adding John Barnes and John Aldridge to Liverpool's forward line. Liverpool secured the First Division championship with a nine-point gap over runners-up Manchester United and just two league defeats all season. Barnes was voted Footballer of the Year despite having to suffer the humiliation of monkey chants in a game against Everton where the opposition's chairman, Phillip Carter, disowned his own supporters as 'scum'. The downside to Liverpool's season was a shocking 1-0 F.A Cup final defeat against Wimbledon, who had been in the Football League for just eleven seasons and had just completed only their second season of top division football.

Ian Rush returned to Liverpool for the 1988-89 season, after an unsuccessful spell at Juventus, and was crucial in getting the club to their third F.A Cup final in four years. They beat neighbours Everton 3-2 but the triumph was overshadowed by tragedy in the F.A Cup semi final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough.

Before the F.A Cup semi final could kick off, 94 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death and around 300 others injured after forcing their way onto terracing through gates which the police had unlocked in fear of their own safety. A 95th fan died a few days after the tragedy, and the death toll became 96 in March 1993 when Tony Bland died after being in a coma for nearly four years.

After the F.A Cup final victory, Liverpool played their final league game of the season - a home fixture against their nearest challengers Arsenal, who were three points behind them and had scored two less goals. Liverpool went 1-0 down but still looked set to win the league until the last minute of the game, when a goal from Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas (who ironically joined Liverpool a few seasons later) deprived Liverpool of the chance to repeat the double for the second season running.

Kenny Dalglish guided Liverpool to their third league title in five seasons in 1989-90. Although the 5-year ban on English clubs in European competition was lifted for the following season, Liverpool had to serve an extra year and were unable to compete in the 1990-91 European Cup.

On February 22nd 1991, with Liverpool halfway through a two-horse race with Arsenal for the league title, Kenny Dalglish dropped a bombshell on the club by handing in his resignation as manager and claimed he could no longer cope with the pressure of managing the club. First-team coach Ronnie Moran took temporary charge of team affairs for several weeks before Graeme Souness was named the club's new manager. But by that stage, Liverpool were slipping behind in the title race and finished runners-up to Arsenal who completed the season with just one defeat from 38 games.

The Graeme Souness Era

Graeme Souness had a reasonable start to his career as Liverpool manager. His first season as manager saw the club win the F.A Cup with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Wembley, a success which ensured they would be competing in the European Cup Winners Cup for the 1992-93 season, which would also be the first season of the new Premier League. He spent recklessly on many new players who did not all prove to be successful, especially strikers Paul Stewart and Nigel Clough. Younger players like Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp were proving to be successful instead of these expensive acquisitions. The veteran Ian Rush, meanwhile, was still scoring goals as freely as ever despite now being in his thirties. Long serving goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was often being kept out of the team by promising young shot-stopper David James.

Liverpool finished sixth in the first-ever Premier League and had never looked like title challengers at any stage in the 1992-93 season. The 1993-94 season was no different and Souness was dismissed in January 1994 after Liverpool suffered a shock defeat against Bristol City in the F.A Cup Third Round.

The Roy Evans Era

Roy Evans, a boot room veteran who had been on the club's pay roll since the late 1950's, was promoted to the position of manager following the dismissal of Graeme Souness. He guided Liverpool to an eighth place finish in the 1993-94 Premier League campaign, and made two expensive additions to the squad for the following season - central defenders Phil Babb and John Scales. Young striker Robbie Fowler netted 29 goals in all competitions and was voted Young Player of the Year by the PFA, while veteran striker Ian Rush was still scoring vast numbers of goals in his 34th year. Liverpool made big progress during the 1994-95 season, finished fourth in the Premiership and beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the League Cup final.

In the summer of 1995, Liverpool paid Nottingham Forest a British record fee of £8.5million for striker Stan Collymore. The high fee initially looked to have paid off, but during his second season at the club, Collymore's form dipped (and he appeared to be wasting his talent with incidents off the pitch) and he was sold to Aston Villa for £7million in May 1997. Within four years he had quit the game after brief unsuccessful spells with Fulham, Leicester City, Bradford City and finally Real Oviedo.

Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore formed an impressive partnership for the 1995-96 season which saw the veteran Ian Rush relegated to the substitute bench for much of the season before his departure on a free transfer to Leeds United. Liverpool finished third in the Premiership and were within shouting distance of the title right up to the final weeks of the season. They reached the F.A Cup final and were defeated by Manchester United. But Liverpool still qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup because United had won the Premiership/F.A Cup double.

Liverpool finished fourth in the 1996-97 season having frequently led the table for much of the early part of the season, and were defeated by Paris St. Germain in the semi finals of the European Cup Winners Cup.

1997-98 saw the emergence of a world class young player at Liverpool: Michael Owen. The 18-year-old Chester-born centre forward was a regular player in the first team almost all season long, relegating high profile German striker Karlheinz Reidle to the bench. He became the youngest-ever full England international in February 1998 and was voted Young Player of the Year by the PFA. Liverpool had an outside chance of winning the Premiership title for much of the 1997-98 season but were unable to catch champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester United, so their place in Europe for 1998-99 was merely the UEFA Cup rather than the Champions League.

The Gerard Houllier Era

Gerard Houllier, the former French national coach, was drafted into the Liverpool management team for the 1998-99 season to work alongside Roy Evans. But Evans found that the partnership did not suit him and he quit during the 1998-99 season, at the end of which Liverpool finished a disappointing seventh - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.

Liverpool had their best season for years in 2000-01 when they won a unique treble of the League Cup (beating Birmingham on penalties after a 1-1 draw), F.A Cup (beating Arsenal 2-1 with two last minute goals for Michael Owen) and UEFA Cup (beating CD Alaves 5-4). They became the first club in English football to achieve two 'trebles' of any kind. In 1999, Manchester United had become only the second English team to win a treble of any kind when they won the Premiership, F.A Cup and Champions League. The 2001 treble success confirmed Houllier's status as a world class manager.

By now, Liverpool's side contained a new set of players including goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, defender and captain Sami Hyppia, young midfielder Steven Gerard and Michael Owen's strike partner Emile Heskey. The new generation of players was so impressive that even Robbie Fowler had left the club, joined Leeds United in an £11million deal in November 2001.

2001-02 saw Liverpool progress even further. They ended the season without a major trophy, but finished league runners-up for the first time since 1991 - ironically ending Manchester United's 10-year run of top-two finishes which had begun when Liverpool's 10-year run had ended.

Liverpool won another League Cup in 2003 but Houllier had failed to deliver the league title which had eluded Anfield since 1990, although they did qualify for the Champions League three times during his tenure. Houllier was sacked at the end of the 2003-04 season and replaced by the Spaniard Rafael Benitez, who had just guided Valencia to the Spanish league title. Benitez's hopes of re-establishing Liverpool as a top club were dented when star striker Michael Owen moved to Real Madrid in an £8million deal.

The Rafael Benitez Era

Rafael Benitez has so far guided Liverpool to a League Cup final-losing to Chelsea in extra-time-and a Champion's League Semi-Final in his first season as manager. In the Premiership, Liverpool have fallen behind neighbours Everton during 2004-05, partly due to a crippling series of injuries to key players, but in recent weeks the gap has been closed and they remain in the running to take the last Champion's League position.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Football League First Division (1901, 06, 22, 23, 47, 64, 66, 73, 76, 77, 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90)
* Football League Second Division (1894, 96, 1905, 62)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1964*, 65*, 66, 74, 76, 77*, 79, 80, 82, 86*, 88, 89, 90*, 2001)
* Community Shield (2006)
* FA Cup (1965, 74, 86, 89, 92, 2001, 06)
* Football League Cup (1981, 82, 83, 84, 95, 2001, 03)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1977, 78, 81, 84)
UEFA Champions League (2005)
UEFA Cup (1973, 76, 2001)

ARSENAL FC

2009-09-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

ARSENAL FC

Full Name: Arsenal Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1886
Stadium: Emirates Stadium (60,000)
Colors: Red, White
Previous Names: Dial Square (1886), Royal Arsenal (1886-91), Woolwich Arsenal (1891-1914)
Nickname: The Gunners
Rivals: Tottenham Hotspur
Official Website: arsenal.com

Description:

A works team named Dial Square were formed in 1886, Dial Square being a workshop within the Royal Arsenal armaments factory in Woolwich, a neighborhood in south London. The name changed within the year to Royal Arsenal and five years later to Woolwich Arsenal to reflect its growing popularity. Woolwich Arsenal joined the Football League in 1893 and were for several decades the only major club from London in the northern-dominated league. In 1914, they moved to the north London neighborhood of Highbury and dropped the Woolwich part of their name.

The Gunners nickname is a reference to the cannon in the club's emblem and their origins in an armaments factory. The red jerseys were adopted after a charitable donation from similarly red-clad Nottingham Forest. The white sleeves were introduced by legendary manager Herbert Chapman in the 1930s as a way to stand out from a number of other red/white kits. The club's supporters are often referred to as Gooners, a pun on the typical Gunners nickname.

Arsenal FC are the only English club to finish a top division season undefeated, that happening in 2003-04. The Gunners featured in the first English match broadcast on both radio and television. The rivalry with arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur is known as the North London Derby.

The Emirates Stadium is named for its sponsor, Emirates Airlines. Previous stadiums - Plumstead Common (1886-87), Sportsman Ground (1887-88), Manor Ground (1888-90), Invicta Ground (1890-93), Manor Ground (1893-1913), Highbury (1913-2006).

Arsenal FC History

Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) is a north London football club founded in 1886. They play at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury.

Early years

Arsenal were originally called Dial Square. The club later changed its name to Woolwich Arsenal, and then to Royal Arsenal, then back to Woolwich Arsenal again (the original founders were employed in the "Dial Square" area of the Woolwich Arsenal, an armaments factory in Woolwich, south London). In 1893 they were the first southern team admitted to the Football League, a move partly caused by the refusal of other southern teams to play them after they turned professional. From 1893 to 1904, Woolwich Arsenal played in the Second Division of the Football League. They were promoted to the First Division in 1904.

Woolwich Arsenal were relegated in 1913, the same year they moved from their south London home to Arsenal Stadium (often referred to as "Highbury") in north London. Their move away from this area precipitated the professionalism of Charlton Athletic - at this point an amateur club, amongst others who filled the void. With the move came the change of name to "The Arsenal". The club rejoined the First Division by dubious means in 1919 and have remained in the top division since that time, a unique feat in England.

This unbroken stretch of top-flight football has come much to the chagrin and longstanding enmity of Tottenham Hotspur (or "Spurs" for short) and their supporters, who lost their First Division place to The Arsenal. The First Division was due to be expanded and the decision to promote The Arsenal (who came fifth in the final league season before the war) rather than Barnsley or Wolves (third and fourth place, respectively), or to not relegate Spurs (who finished bottom of the First Division), has been linked to dubious back room deals by The Arsenal's chairman, and mastermind of the move from Woolwich to Highbury, Sir Henry Norris.

1930s to 1960s

In 1925, Huddersfield Town manager Herbert Chapman took over at The Arsenal. Under his leadership, a successful drive to rename the local tube station, Gillespie Road station, to Arsenal took place (the old name can still be seen picked out in tiles on the wall of the station). Chapman's Arsenal won the FA Cup in 1930 and the League in 1931 and 1933. They became the dominant team English football in the 1930s. It was also during Chapman's era that the club lost the definite article from its name, becoming just "Arsenal". It has been suggested by some that Chapman instigated the change so that Arsenal would be at the top of the League's alphabetical list, a position they maintain among the 92 top clubs today (however, should Accrington Stanley gain promotion from the Conference, they will lose it).

Chapman died suddenly in January 1934, but his legacy was continued by his successor, George Allison, who oversaw the club's completion of a hat-trick of league titles, and another FA Cup win in 1936. Such was Arsenal's dominance that in November 1934, Arsenal players made up seven of the eleven England players who beat World Champions Italy 3-2.

At the outbreak of war in 1939, Arsenal Stadium was requisitioned as an ARP station, with a barrage balloon operating behind the Clock End. The stadium continued to operate as a football ground for the armed forces, often with two or three games on it every day. During the Blitz, a 3,000lb bomb fell on the North Bank stand, destroying that stand's roof and setting fire to the scrap that was being stored on the terrace. Arsenal played their wartime home games at White Hart Lane, courtesy of their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. After the war, the Arsenal board presented the Spurs board with a cannon as a gesture of thanks.

The war had cut short the careers of many of the club's star players, and upon the league's resumption in 1946-47 the club finished a dissapointing 13th. Allison resigned and was replaced by Tom Whitaker. Whitaker enjoyed immediate success with the club, winning the league in 1948 and 1953 and the FA Cup in 1950. However, after these the club went through a barren period, not winning a trophy for another seventeen years. England legend Billy Wright managed the club between 1962 and 1966 with little success, but he was succeeded by club physiotherapist Bertie Mee, who would lead the club to success in the early 1970s.

1970s to mid-1980s

Mee's appointment at Arsenal heralded a brief period of glory. The youth team had won the FA Youth Cup in 1966, and players such as Charlie George, John Radford and Ray Kennedy graduated to the first team. The team's early signs of promise included reaching two successive League Cup finals in the late 1960s, although they lost both times, the second one an infamous 3-1 loss to Third Division side Swindon Town.

Arsenal finally collected some silverware in 1970, when the club won its first European trophy, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. After beating Ajax Amsterdam, one of the strongest teams in the world at the time, in the semi-finals, Arsenal won the final 4-3 on aggregate over Anderlecht, after being (at one point) 3-0 down in the first leg.

The highlight of this period was the club's first FA Cup and League "Double" win in 1970-71.The League title was won at White Hart Lane, home of their deadly rivals Tottenham Hotspur, on the last day of the season; five days later Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley after extra-time, the winning goal scored by Charlie George.

Arsenal failed to capitalise on this success, and spent most of the mid-1970s in mid-table obscurity, brightened only with the emergence of Irish superstar Liam Brady. However, towards the end of the decade, under Terry Neill they proved their mettle in the cup. Between 1978 and 1980 Arsenal had a record-equalling spell in which they reached three FA Cup finals in a row. They won just the one, beating Manchester United 3-2 in the 1979 final after United had come back from 2-0 down. Alan Sunderland scored late on to secure a famous victory.

Arsenal went on to lose the following season's FA Cup final to West Ham, and the Cup Winners Cup final on penalties to Valencia. After the departure of Liam Brady to Juventus, the team entered another barren period for the first half of the 1980s.

The George Graham years

At the end of the 1985-86 season, Millwall manager George Graham (a former Arsenal player) was appointed as the club's new manager and it was a beginning of a golden era of Highbury. He led the club to victory over Liverpool in the League Cup final during his first season in charge and at the end of his third season (1988-89) the club won its first league title since 1971 in dramatic fashion. Needing two goals to secure the league championship against Liverpool, an injury time goal by midfielder Michael Thomas (who, ironically, later became a Liverpool player) gave Arsenal a 2-0 win to secure the league title. Another league title came in 1991, with Arsenal losing just one out of 38 league fixtures, although they had 2 points deducted in October 1990 after ten of their players were involved in a brawl with Manchester United players in a match at Old Trafford.

By the early 1990s, Arsenal had probably the finest squad in the English league. Goalkeeper David Seaman, defender and captain Tony Adams, winger Paul Merson and striker Alan Smith were capable of competing with some of the best players in England, if not Europe. The £2.5million addition of Crystal Palace striker Ian Wright in October 1991 further boosted the squad. Arsenal completed a unique FA Cup/League Cup double in 1993 (beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in both finals) although they finished 10th in the inaugural Premier League and scored fewer goals (40) than any other team in the division.

1994 saw the club win its second European trophy, by beating Parma 1-0 in the Cup Winners Cup final with a goal from Alan Smith. But the following February, George Graham was sacked after nearly nine years in charge after he was discovered to have accepted an illegal £425,000 payment from Swedish agent Rune Hauge following the 1992 acquisition of Danish midfielder John Jensen. Assistant manager Stewart Houston took charge until the end of the season, and although Arsenal finished a disappointing 12th in the Premiership they did reach the Cup Winners Cup final again - only to lose 2-1 to a last minute goal from the halfway line by Real Zaragoza midfielder Nayim.

The interregnum

Bruce Rioch, who had just guided Bolton Wanderers to a League Cup final appearance and promotion to the top division after a 15-year exile, was appointed as the club's new manager for the 1995-96 season. He (briefly) broke the English transfer record by paying Internazionale £7.5million for Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp, and the new signing formed an impressive partnership with Ian Wright.

Arsenal reached the League Cup semi final and finished fifth in the Premiership at the end of 1995-96, securing a place in the following season's UEFA Cup and giving hope for an eventual title challenge. But in August 1996, just before the start of the new season, Bruce Rioch was sacked by the club's board of directors after a dispute over transfer funds.

Assistant manager Stewart Houston was once again put in temporary charge, remaining at the helm for a month, before resigning to take over at QPR. Youth team coach Pat Rice held the fort for several games, before making way for the 44-year-old Frenchman Arsène Wenger, who had guided AS Monaco to the French league title in 1988.

Wenger's Arsenal

With the advent of Arsène Wenger as manager, Arsenal rebuilt their squad with a crop of French players seemingly unknown to all but Wenger. This first batch included Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira, as well as the Dutch winger Marc Overmars. Wenger melded the team with some of the "old guard", retaining Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown and Steve Bould, and also keeping on Pat Rice as his assistant. The team immediately improved under Wenger's management, coming third and achieving a UEFA Cup place in 1996-97, with six minutes left in the last game of the season.

Wenger took the club much further, to their second ever double the following season, after closing a 11 point gap behind Manchester United. A 4-0 home win over Everton on May 3 gave Arsenal the title with two matches to spare, making Arsène Wenger the first foreign manager to win the English league. On May 16, Arsenal beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the FA Cup final to complete the double.

Despite the signing of Fredrik Ljungberg in 1998 and Thierry Henry a year later, a more barren period followed as Arsenal failed to win anything for the next few years, though they came close several times; they blew a winning position in the 1998-99 Championship, losing it on the final day, and lost the last ever FA Cup semi-final replay to Manchester United in extra time, after a Dennis Bergkamp penalty miss in normal time. They also lost the UEFA Cup Final in 2000, on penalties to Turkish side Galatasaray after a 0-0 draw, and the 2001 FA Cup Final to Liverpool, after leading 1-0 but succumbing to two late Michael Owen goals.

Arsenal bounced back in the 2001-02 season, as they won their second double under Wenger, winning all of their final 13 Premiership fixtures. They finished seven points ahead of runners-up Liverpool, the title secured in the penultimate game of the season with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. The previous weekend, Arsenal had wrapped up their eighth FA Cup success, beating Chelsea 2-0. Arsenal scored in all 38 league games and not losing any of their 19 away games. Henry was the club's leading league goalscorer with 24 goals in the Premiership.

Arsenal retained the FA Cup in 2002-03, but their joy was soured by the fact that they had surrendered the Premiership title to Manchester United when at the beginning of March they had led the table by eight points; Arsenal lost their title with a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Leeds United in the penultimate game of the season.

Arsenal had a record breaking season in 2003-04, winning the Premiership unbeaten (26 wins, 12 draws, 0 defeats), becoming only the second team to do so without losing a single game - the first being Preston North End in 1889. Their rivals for the title gained revenge in other competitions though, as Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea and the FA Cup by Manchester United in successive games.

The team has yet to register top finishes in the UEFA Champions League, where they have still not progressed beyond the quarter-finals stage. This may have contributed to Thierry Henry's failure to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2003, although he is the third player to win the PFA Player of the Year award in two different seasons (after Mark Hughes and Alan Shearer), and is the first to win the award in two consecutive seasons. So far, Henry and other key players have shown loyalty to the team and its manager by renewing their contracts rather than departing for the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid, where they would almost certainly be paid greater amounts of money than at Arsenal.

Thanks to his success at Arsenal, Arsène Wenger is now rated by some as the best Arsenal manager ever, while most football enthusiasts rate him at least as good as Herbert Chapman, Bertie Mee and George Graham.

HONORS

League Titles:

* English Premier League (1998, 2002, 04)
* Football League First Division (1931, 33, 34, 35, 38, 48, 53, 71, 89, 91)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1930, 31, 33, 34, 38, 48, 53, 91*, 98, 99)
* Community Shield (2002, 04)
* FA Cup (1930, 36, 50, 71, 79, 93, 98, 2002, 03, 05)
* Football League Cup (1987, 93)

International Titles:

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1994)
* Fairs Cup (1970)
Stadium: Arsenal Stadium (Highbury)
Noticias del Arsenal FC

CHELSEA FC

2009-09-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

CHELSEA FC

Full Name: Chelsea Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1905
Stadium: Stamford Bridge (42,294)
Colors: Blue, White
Nicknames: The Blues
Rivals: Fulham

Official Website: chelseafc.com

Description:

Chelsea Football Club was formed on March 14, 1905 by Gus Mears, owner of the Stamford Bridge athletics ground. He attempted to persuade other clubs to move into the stadium but when he could find no takers eventually formed a club of his own to fill it. Chelsea joined the Football League that following autumn for the 1905-06 season. Chelsea is a neighborhood of London, although the club and stadium are actually based in the nearby district of Fulham. The club's emblem includes a lion from the coat of arms of the Earl Cadogan, the former Viscount of Chelsea who was an early club president. The club originally wore light blue jerseys in homage to the horse racing colors of Earl Cadogan. They changed to royal blue in 1912 and adopted blue shorts in the 1960s in a bid to become more distinctive. Stamford Bridge gets it name from a bridge over the Stanford Creek, a local waterway that has long since dried up

Chelsea FC History

Chelsea Football Club (also known as the Blues, previously known as the Pensioners), founded in 1905, is a Premier League football team that plays at Stamford Bridge football ground in South west London. Notwithstanding the club's name, it is not actually based in the borough of Chelsea, but just outside its boundaries, in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is on the Fulham Road, which runs between Fulham and the borough district of Chelsea. Chelsea currently have the seventh longest unbroken tenure in the top division, having been there since the 1989-90 season.

Chelsea's history is inextricably linked to Stamford Bridge - the club's stadium since its inception - and its history, therefore, begins with the building of the stadium although this was before the foundation of the Club.

Stamford Bridge officially opened on 28 April 1877. For the first 28 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively by the London Athletic Club as an arena for athletics meetings and not for football at all. In 1904 the ownership of the ground changed hands when H A (Gus) Mears and his brother, J T Mears, obtained the deeds, having previously acquired additional land (formerly a large market garden) with the aim of establishing a football team there on the now 12.5 acre (51,000 m²) site. The Mears family remained the owners of the ground (and subsequently the Club) until the 1970s.

Stamford Bridge was designed by Archibald Leitch and initially included a 120 yard long stand on the East side which could hold 5000 spectators. The other sides were all open in a vast bowl with thousands of tons of material excavated from the building of the underground railway providing high terracing on the West side.

The stadium was initially offered to Fulham Football Club, but the offer was turned down. As a consequence, the owners decided to form Chelsea Football Club to occupy the new grounds. Most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play. By contrast and a historical quirk, Chelsea was founded for Stamford Bridge - a readymade club for the ground. Although technically in Fulham, the founders decided to adopt the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea for the new club as there was already a Fulham Football Club in existence.

Chelsea F.C. was founded on March 14, 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Greene Room) opposite today's main entrance to the ground on the Fulham Road. This was followed by the club's election into the Second Division at the Football League AGM on May 29, 1905. Chelsea's first match took place away at Stockport County on September 1, 1905. The Club began with established players recruited from other teams and promotion to the top flight was swift, but the club's early years were uneventful. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final in 1915, but no major honours were won until the 1954-55 season when Chelsea finished top of the First Division and lifted its first trophy - the league title.

The swinging 60's ushered in an era that saw football and inimitable style merge in the heart of London; with the fashionable King's Road at the heart of the swagger. A 60's Chelsea that oozed charisma and class soon built up a major following, but ultimately failed to match its swagger with on-field triumphs. No major domestic titles were won, except for the League Cup in 1965 (Chelsea's first League Cup), followed by an FA cup final loss in 1967.

The early 1970s saw a great Chelsea team which is still fondly remembered (not least because it was a couple of decades before its achievements were matched at the club): it featured the likes of Ron 'Chopper' Harris, Ian Hutchison and Peter Osgood. In 1970 Chelsea ran out F.A. Cup winners (beating 'dirty' Leeds 2-1 in a pulsating final). A UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph was added to the haul the following year - Chelsea's first non-domestic honour.

But there was no further success in that decade as the discipline of the team degenerated and an over-ambitious redevelopment of the stadium (which only got as far as the pioneering East Stand, which retains its place even in the modern stadium) threatened the financial stability of the club as well. Further problems were caused by a fearsome reputation for violence amongst a section of the supporters (the boundary between passion and hooliganism being dangerously narrow in those days) and the club started to fall apart both on and off the field.

The financial problems exacerbated the club's other difficulties and a spiral of decline began. Star players were sold off, the team was relegated, and the freehold of the stadium site was sold off to property developers, which was to create serious problems in the years to come.

As always, however, Chelsea retained its high profile; and its widespread base of supporters, many of them very hard core, saw it through what proved to be the very difficult years of the 1970's and 1980's. However, although relegated to the Second Division twice, it never fell further (although it came dangerously close).

Chelsea was, at the nadir of its fortunes, acquired from the Mears family interests by new Ken Bates for the princely sum of £1, and Bates proved to be a real fighter as the new Chairman, although his opponents included supporters (who did not take kindly to his suggestion of electrified fences to keep them off the pitch) as well as the property developers who now owned the freehold. In 1992, Bates finally outmanoevred the latter and reunited the freehold with the Club, by seeing the property developers go bust and doing a deal with their banks.

In the meantime, Chelsea had achieved promotion to the First Division again as Second Division champions in 1989 and, this time, it managed to stay in the top flight: indeed, it has remained there ever since.

In 1989-90, Chelsea finished fourth in the First Division under Bobby Campbell but were denied a place in the UEFA Cup because only the runners-up (Aston Villa) qualified for the competition. Campbell quit as manager the following season to be replaced by Reading manager Ian Porterfield, a former Chelsea player. In the inaugural 1992-1993 season of the Premier League Chelsea finished 11th, but not before seeing Porterfield resign and replaced (in a stop-gap capacity till the end of the season) by another former Chelsea player - David Webb, who had been part of the legendary 1970 FA Cup winning side. He made way for 35-year-old player-manager Glenn Hoddle at the end of the season.

Although Hoddle himself had no Chelsea pedigree at all - having spent his best playing years at rival London club Tottenham Hotspur - his appointment proved to be a turning point. Hoddle recruited world class players, albeit at the end of their careers, such as Ruud Gullit, and a vision of continental flair (Hoddle himself had played for AS Monaco) was introduced to the club. Upgrading of the stadium facilities also began again, now that the ownership question had been resolved, and a large contribution from millionnaire supporter Matthew Harding (later killed in a helicopter accident whilst travelling to an away game) made it possible to construct the present Matthew Harding Stand (the North Stand).

Hoddle's first season saw the club's league position drop 3 places to 14th - but this was made up for by the club reaching in 1994 its first FA Cup final since 1970. The final was lost 4-0 to Manchester United in a game marred by the award of two penalties against Chelsea.

But since Manchester United had won the Premiership, the runners up spot nevertheless qualified Chelsea for the 1994-95 Cup Winners' Cup competition. This was its first participation in non-domestic competition since its former glory days in the early 1970's and marked another step forward for the club. Chelsea reached the semi-finals in the 1994-1995 Cup Winners' Cup competition (losing by a single goal). The same season saw a respectable if unexciting mid-table Premiership finish at 11th place.

The 1995-96 season saw Chelsea finishing 11th in the Premiership - its third 11th place finish in four seasons. Hoddle left at the end of the season to manage the England national team. He was replaced as player-manager by the 33-year-old Ruud Gullit, the celebrated Dutch exponent of 'total football' who had joined the club a year earlier on a free transfer from Sampdoria.

Under Gullit, Chelsea started winning major honours again. He made history in 1996-97 by being the first foreign manager to win the FA Cup when his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the Final. That game set the record for the fastest goal scored in an F.A. Cup ever - with Chelsea's Roberto di Matteo scoring 43 seconds into the game. This was Chelsea's first major trophy for 25 years. Chelsea also achieved its best-yet finish in the Premiership, in sixth place.

In February 1998, Gullit was suddenly sacked as manager following a dispute with the board of directors. Another of Chelsea's star foreign players, the veteran Italian striker Gianluca Vialli took over as player-manager and quickly established himself by winning two major competitions - the domestic League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup, both in 1998. By now, Chelsea had one of the largest contingents of foreign players in the Premiership, and had the dubious distinction of being the first team to field a non-English starting 11. Out went the likes of Gareth Hall, Mark Stein, Paul Furlong, David Rocastle and John Spencer. In came Dutch goalkeeper Ed de Goey, Nigerian defender Celestine Babayaro, Italian striker Gianfranco Zola (in 2003, voted as the best player in club history by the fans) and French midfielder Bernard Lambourde. But important English players remaining in the side included defender Graeme Le Saux and midfielder and Captain Dennis Wise.

Under Vialli, Chelsea continued to win trophies faster than at any time in its previous history. Chelsea lifted the European Super Cup at the start of 1998-99 season when it beat the reigning European Cup champions Real Madrid. Vialli subsequently led Chelsea to victory in the FA Cup in 2000 (the last showpiece final to be held at Wembley before its redevelopment). Chelsea also won the Charity Shield in August 2000. But despite these trophies, Vialli was sacked in September 2000. He had, it was reported, lost the confidence of his players.

Another Italian, Claudio Ranieri, replaced him as manager and set about rebuilding what was now an ageing side. Ranieri was Chelsea manager for four years, and bought players wisely without having unlimited funds at his disposal. His team, whilst it disappointingly won no honours, routinely pushed for a top 3 finish in the league and qualified, through its league positions, for UEFA Cup competition in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. In 2002 Chelsea reached the final of the FA Cup, but were beaten finalists at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Ranieri qualified for the 2003-04 Champions League competition in his penultimate season - a competition that saw the high of an emotional Chelsea victory over their London rivals Arsenal, followed by the low of ignominious defeat in the semi-final by 10-man Monaco. In the Premiership, Chelsea finished an extraordinary 2003-4 season as Premier League runners up - their highest league placing for half a century - once again qualifying them for the Champions League.

By now, the Club's extravagant spending on players and on buildings had caused it to accumulate huge debts of some £80 million which had brought it to the brink of insolvency. But in July 2003, Chelsea was suddenly acquired from Ken Bates by Roman Abramovich, a previously unknown Russian billionaire who was far and away the richest person ever to acquire a British football club. British tabloids immediately dubbed the club Chelski.

At a stroke, Abramovich used his fortune to wipe out the club's substantial debt, and then proceeded to fund the acquisition of new players on an unprecedented scale. New signings for the start of the 2003/04 season included the Irish left winger Damien Duff, Cameroon international right-sided midfielder Njitap Geremi, French midfielder Claude Makelele who joined from Real Madrid, Argentinian striker Hernán Crespo, English youngsters Wayne Bridge, Glen Johnson and Joe Cole and the Argentinian midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón. During the Christmas transfer period English midfielder Scott Parker joined after having impressed with his performances for Charlton Athletic.

Despite his side finishing runners-up in Premier League during the 2003-2004 season, and reaching the semi finals of the Champions League, manager Claudio Ranieri was sacked at the end of his fourth season at the Club, and first season under Abramovich's ownership, on 31 May 2004. It was clear that Abramovich wanted more than runners up status for his new club - and it seemed that he had the money to get what he wanted. Ranieri was well-liked inside and outside the Club, but he had won nothing, worked only with the first team, and did not share the holistic vision the board had for a manager in his capacity.

Ranieri's replacement is one of the most successful young managers of recent times - José Mourinho. Having won successive Portuguese league titles, the UEFA Cup, and the Champions League on the trot with an unfancied FC Porto, he was appointed Chelsea manager on 2 June 2004.

Mourinho's signings of Didier Drogba, Mateja Kezman, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, and Tiago, coupled with the already-agreed deals for Arjen Robben and Petr Cech, pushed Abramovich's total spending on players above £200 million.

In the 2004-05 season, Chelsea went on to win the 2005 League (Carling) Cup, beating Liverpool 3-2 in the final. They are also top of the Premiership, and have advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

League Titles:

* English Premier League (2005, 06)
* Football League First Division (1955)
* Football League Second Division (1984, 89)

Cup Titles

* Charity Shield (1955, 2000)
* Community Shield (2005, 09)
* FA Cup (1970, 97, 2000, 07)
* Football League Cup (1965, 98, 2005, 07)

International Titles

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1971, 98)

INTER MILLAN FC

2009-09-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

INTER MILLAN FC

Description:

Football Club Internazionale Milano was formed on March 9, 1908 by breakaway members of Milan. At the time Milan only allowed Italian players. The new group wanted the team open to all nationalities and logically chose the name Internazionale. The team was forced to merge with US Milanese and change its name to Ambrosiana by the Fascist government of the time, Internazionale sounding suspiciously left-wing and non-Italian. Ambrosiana is a reference to St. Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan. After the collapse of the Fascist regime the club reverted back to its original name. Inter are the only team to have appeared in every season of Serie A. The Nerazzuri are sometimes referred to globally as Inter Milan, but within Italy they are always and only Inter. The derby with Milan is called the Derby della Madonnina, in honor of the statue of the Madonna which graces the famous Duomo cathedral in Milan and which is the symbol of the city. The 2006 Serie A title was awarded to Inter after Juventus were stripped of it in a match-fixing scandal.

The nickname Nerazzuri translates as the Black and Blue, the club colors. The colors black and blue were chosen to represent the night (black) and the sky (blue). The stadium is located in the San Siro district of Milan and is formally named for Guiseppe Meazza is a legendary former Inter player.

League Titles:

Italian Championship (1910, 20)
Serie A (1930, 38, 40, 53, 54, 63, 65, 66, 71, 80, 89, 2006, 07, 08, 09)

Cup Titles:

Coppa Italia (1939, 78, 82, 2005, 06)
Supercoppa Italiana (1989, 2005, 06, 08)

International Titles:

European Cup (1964, 65)
UEFA Cup (1991, 94, 98)
Intercontinental Cup (1964, 65)

BARCELONA

2009-09-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Away Jersey/ Home Jersey/ Logo

Full Name: Futbol Club Barcelona
City: Barcelona
Founded: 1899
Stadium: Camp Nou (98,787)
Colors: Blue, Scarlet
Previous: Football Club Barcelona (1899-1940), Club de Fútbol Barcelona (1940-73)
Nicknames: Barça, Los Azulgranas, Blaugrana, Los Culés
Rivals: Real Madrid, Espanyol

Official Website: fcbarcelona.com

Description:

Football Club Barcelona was founded on November 29, 1899 by Joan Gamper, a Swiss expatriate. Barcelona are the flagship of the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain. The club's motto is més que un club - More than a Club in Catalan - symbolizing their political and social importance. The club's president was killed by Francoist soldiers during the Spanish Civil War. This event and perceived persecution during the Franco era led to the club being seen as a symbol of resistance to Franco and of Catalan nationalism. This dynamic is played out in each and every meeting with arch-rival Real Madrid, proud standard-bearers of the Spanish center. This matchup - El clásico - is the central date of the Spanish football calendar and one of the best rivalries in the world. From 1940-73 the club was forced to use the Spanish name Club de Fútbol Barcelona by the France regime. Immediately after his departure they changed to the Catalan Futbol Club Barcelona. For many years they were the only major club to resist having a sponsor on their shirt. They finally do have one now, though it is the charity UNICEF and the club receive no income from it.

The club's emblem includes the cross of St George (a symbol of historic Catalonia) and the red and yellow stripes of the Catalan flag, as well as the red and blue of the jerseys. The Blaugrana (The Blue and Scarlet in Catalan) have never been relegated and are the only team to have competed in European competition in every season. Their Los Culés nickname - the asses - is derived from the time at Estadio Les Cortes - people would sit along the wall of the stadium watching the match, and all you could see from the streets were hundreds of asses. Los Azulgranas means The Blue and Scarlet in Spanish. Until 2000 the stadium was officially known as the Estadi del Futbol Club Barcelona, though always popularly called Camp Nou - the New Field. Previous stadiums: Hotel Casanovas (1900-01), Carretera d'Horta (1901-05), Carrer Muntaner (1905-09), Carrer Industria (1909-22), Les Corts (1922-57).

League Titles:

La Liga (1929, 45, 48, 49, 52, 53, 59, 60, 74, 85, 91, 92, 93, 94, 98, 99, 2005, 06, 09)

Cup Titles:

Copa del Rey (1910, 12, 13, 20, 22, 25, 26, 28, 42, 51, 52, 53, 57, 59, 63, 68, 71, 78, 81, 83, 88, 90, 97, 98, 2009)
Supercopa de España (1983, 91, 92, 94, 96, 2005, 06, 09)

International Titles:

European Cup (1992)
Champions League (2006, 09)
European Cup Winner's Cup (1979, 82, 89, 97)
Fairs Cup (1958, 60, 66)
European Super Cup (2009)

MANCHESTER UNITED

2009-09-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United Full Name: Manchester United Football Club
City: Manchester
Founded: 1878
Stadium: Old Trafford (76,000)
Colors: Red, White
Previous Names: Newton Heath L&YR (1878-80), Newton Heath (1880-1902)
Nicknames: The Red Devils, Man United, United
Rivals: Manchester City, Liverpool

Official Website: manutd.com
Description:

Manchester United represent the only football club in the world with an honest chance at challenging Real Madrid for the title of "biggest club in the world". While they can't match the Spanish side's record haul of European Cup and Champions League titles nor their impressive number of domestic titles, they can surely challenge (and probably surpass) Madrid in the popularity and name recognition department. From humble origins as a railway workers team, the Red Devils have evolved into a hugely successful football club with trend-setting business acumen that is rarely outside the spotlight.

History:
Manchester United F.C. is an English football club based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. Common abbreviations include Man United, United and Man U., although few of the club's supporters still use 'Man U.' and many find it annoying.

They were formed as Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878, as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, becoming Manchester United on 26 April 1902.

Traditionally one of the larger and most-supported clubs in England, Manchester United, under manager Sir Alex Ferguson achieved a degree of dominance in domestic competitions in the 1990s unseen since the great Liverpool F.C. sides of the mid 1970s and early 1980s. This culminated in 1999, with the club winning an unprecedented treble of the English Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

In 2004, Manchester United qualified for the group stage of the Champions League for the ninth successive year, breaking a record held by Norway's Rosenborg. Manchester United have been largely unable to transfer their domestic dominance to European competition; in fact qualifying for the European Cup final on only two occasions in their history.

Their last success in this competition was in 1999, when they came from behind in the last minutes of the UEFA Champions League final to beat Bayern Munich 2-1. Although their dominance in English football is considered by some to be over, they are still one of the best teams in British football, the only team who remain a viable threat to Chelsea F.C. in the current 2004-2005 season. In addition, the club are the most financially successful in England, due to their supporter base which reaches all around the world, even to Asia.

Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath, formed by workers of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. They nearly went bankrupt in 1902 and were rescued and renamed as Manchester United. The earliest known film of Manchester United is the 2–0 victory at Burnley on 6 December 1902, filmed by Mitchell and Kenyon.

United have had three successful eras, under J. Ernest Mangnall in the 1900s, in the 50s and 60s under Sir Matt Busby, and in the 90s to present under Sir Alex Ferguson. They have won the FA Cup 11 times, the most of any team, and 15 league championships. They have also won the European Cup (now Champions League) twice. These trophies make them the second-most successful club ever in England, behind Liverpool F.C. who have a record 18 league titles, 4 European Cups and 6 FA Cups, although Manchester United have sustained their sucesses over far longer periods.

The 1958 Manchester United team was nicknamed the "Busby Babes". On February 6, they were flying home from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade when the plane crashed on takeoff in a snow storm in Munich, Germany (see Munich air disaster). Eight team members were killed, and two players suffered career-ending injuries. Amongst the dead was Duncan Edwards, a 21-year-old who many believe was on his way to establishing himself as one of England's greatest players ever. A survivor, Bobby Charlton would help England to win the Football World Cup in 1966.

1999 was arguably United's best season, in which the Red Devils won the Premier League, The FA Cup (beating Newcastle United) and the Champions League. The Champions League win was especially memorable, as United scored two goals in stoppage time to defeat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final.

Early Years (1878-1902)

Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath F.C., a team formed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway organisation. The club competed in railway competitions until 1889 when it joined the Football Alliance, a league below the Football League. When the Football League expanded in 1892, Newton Heath was elected to the First Division but suffered relegation to the Second Division after just two seasons. Newton Heath's only claim to success was victory in the 1898 Lancashire Cup and by the turn of the 20th century they were in deep financial trouble. The club's financial problems were so severe that by February 1902 they were in receivership with debts of £2,670. The club was saved by a group of four men who each injected £500 into it, leading the consortium was Manchester brewer J.H Davies. Until 1893 Newton Heath played at a spartan ground in Monsall Road, Newton Heath, before relocating to a better-equipped stadium at Bank Street, Clayton.

Manchester United is born

Following the takeover by J.H Davies, the club's finances had been secured and the new owners decided to change Newton Heath's name to Manchester United.

The First Great United Side

Davies appointed Ernest Magnall as team manager in 1903 and the club began to move forward, winning promotion to the First Division in 1906, the league title in 1908 and the FA Cup in 1909. Davies helped pay for a new stadium in 1910, located in the Stretford area. It was named Old Trafford and was capable of holding more than 70,000 supporters as well as having top class facilities for players and spectators alike. United marked their first full season in their new home by lifting another league title in 1911. This was to be their last major honour for many years. Their manager Ernest Magnall joined Manchester City, and from then on the club drifted like a boat without a rudder.

The Interwar Years

Successive managers, including Herbert Bamlett, John Chapman and Scott Duncan, attempted to put Manchester United back on course. But still the club bounced from First to Second Division and back again, perhaps uncertain as to their rightful place. Added to this, money was again a problem.

J.H Davies died in 1927 to be succeeded by James Gibson. He too injected cash into the club and fought off the creditors.

By 1938, Manchester United were back in the Second Division but their debt now amounted to more than £70,000.

Old Trafford is Bombed

First-class football was suspended for the duration of the Second World War (1939-45), but Manchester United continued to compete in part-time regional competitions. Old Trafford was severely damaged during a German air-raid on Manchester in the early hours of 11th March 1941. It took eight years to build and until 1949 United ground-shared with neighbouring Manchester City at Maine Road.

Matt Busby

When the war ended in 1945, 36-year-old Matt Busby was named as the club's new manager. He had just finished his playing career which had seen him turn out for Manchester City and Liverpool as well as the Scottish national side. Busby had a limited transfer budget so many of his players were home-grown. The only major signing of the post-war years was Scottish winger Jimmy Delaney from Celtic, while several players remained from the immediate pre-war years.

The Great Post-War United side

Matt Busby helped end Manchester United's 37-year wait for a major trophy when his side defeated Blackpool (then a big club containing world class players like Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen) 4-2 in the 1948 FA Cup final. Busby had unearthed new stars in the shape of captain Johnny Carey and the forward-line of John Downie, John Aston, Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson. The side's good progress continued into the 1950's and they won the league title in 1952—the club's first league championship in 41 years.

By 1952, the side captained by Johnny Carey was beginning to show its age and a new set of players had to be found.

The Busby Babes

Matt Busby took a radically different direction to other clubs when rebuilding his ageing team. Rather than splash out huge sums of money on world-renown players, he recruited teenage players who had just left school. In the space of five years, he only made two major signings - winger John Berry from Birmingham and striker Tommy Taylor from Barnsley. Home-grown youngesters like Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, Duncan Edwards, Albert Scanlon, Mark Jones and Bill Foulkes established themself as regular first team players at a very early age and the policy paid off as United maintained their reputation as a strong team.

Manchester United won the league championship in 1955-56 thanks to the efforts of a team whose average age was just 22 years. They were England's first representatives in the European Cup, and reached the quarter finals where they were knocked out by the great Spaniards of Real Madrid. United retained the league title in 1956-57 but lost out on a domestic double by losing 2-1 to Aston Villa in the F.A Cup final.

The Munich Air Disaster

On 6th February 1958, Manchester United were flying home from Yugoslavia where they had beaten Red Star Belgrade to reach the European Cup semi finals. The plane stopped to refuel at Munich, West Germany, and on take-off it overshot the runway and crashed into the snow. Seven players (Roger Byrne, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, Eddie Colman, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Bill Whelan) and three club officials (secretary Walter Crickmer and coaches Tom Curry and Bert Whalley) were killed instantly. Eight journalists (including the former Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift), a friend of Matt Busby named Willie Satinoff, a member of the crew and a travel agent also died at the scene. 21 people lost their lives that day. An eighth player, the great 21-year-old wing-half Duncan Edwards, died in hospital from his injuries two weeks later, as did co-pilot Ken Rayment, bringing the death toll to 23. Jackie Blanchflower and John Berry were injured to such an extent that their playing careers were over. Matt Busby himself was in hospital for two months recovering from multiple injuries.

While Busby recovered in hospital, his assistant Jimmy Murphy took temporary charge of team affairs and guided United to the FA Cup final, where a side made up of Munich survivors and youth team players lost to Bolton Wanderers.

The Great 1960's Team

Matt Busby spent heavily on new players in the five years that followed the Munich Air Disaster, as well as retaining some players from the pre-Munich era. The likes of David Herd, Denis Law, Albert Quixall and Paddy Crerand helped United beat Leicester City 2-1 in the F.A Cup final in 1963. Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg were the only three pre-Munich players left in the side by that date. In the 1963-64 season a 17-year-old Northern Irish forward called George Best broke into the first time and quickly became one of the most exciting talents in the footballing world.

United won the league championship in 1965 and regained it two years later, but the pinnacle of Matt Busby's reign came in 1968 when United hammered Benfica 4-1 in the European Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Busby received a knighthood while star player George Best was voted European Footballer of the Year.

Busby retired in 1969 and became a director. He handed over the reins to reserve team manager Wilf McGuinness, whose playing career had been ended a decade earlier by a broken leg.

The Early 1970's Decline

Wilf McGuinness was sacked in December 1970 after just 18 months in charge of a Manchester United team whose league fortunes had plummeted. Bobby Charlton and Denis Law were approaching the end of their careers while George Best was constantly missing training and sometimes even matches after heavy drinking sessions in nightclubs.

Busby returned to the manager's seat on a temporary basis until the appointment of Frank O'Farrell, who had been sacked by December 1972 as United hovered just above the First Division relegation zone. His successor was the Scottish national coach Tommy Docherty, who was unable to save United from relegation at the end of the 1973-74 season. Their fate was ironically sealed by a 1-0 defeat at home to neighbours Manchester City, with the only goal of the game coming from former United striker Dennis Law - who retired days afterwards. By this stage, long-serving legendary players like Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes had retired and troublesome striker George Best had been sacked.

The 1977 FA Cup victory

Tommy Docherty got Manchester United back into the First Division at the first time of asking, as they won the Second Division championship at the end of the 1974-75 season. They lost the 1976 F.A. Cup final to Southampton but overcame Liverpool the following year to secure their first major trophy in the post-Busby era. The new-look Manchester United side contained impressive young players like Steve Coppell, Brian Greenhoff, Jimmy Greenhoff, Arthur Albiston and Stewart Pearson.

Docherty was sacked just weeks after the 1977 FA Cup victory for having an affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist.

The Dave Sexton Era

Q.P.R manager Dave Sexton was the Manchester United director's choice for Docherty's replacement, and spent four years trying to mount a title challenge - coming agonisingly close in 1980 by finishing runners-up to Liverpool. But he was finally sacked in the summer of 1981 after four seasons at the helm had failed to deliver a major trophy.

The Ron Atkinson Era

Dave Sexton's replacement was the colourful West Bromwich Albion manager Ron Atkinson. Atkinson spent heavily in his quest to bring success to United, paying large sums of money for players like Bryan Robson, Remi Moses, Frank Stapleton and Gordon Strachan. This impressive set of players gave United FA Cup success over Brighton in 1983 and Everton in 1985, but failed to gain a league title. Atkinson was finally sacked in November 1986 as United were struggling near the foot of the First Division.

The Alex Ferguson Era

The Transition

Alex Ferguson, who had achieved huge success with Aberdeen in Scotland, was named as Atkinson's successor and guided United to a mid table finish. They even managed to win an away game, beating Liverpool at Anfield and helping crush the Merseysiders' title challenge. During the close season Ferguson made expensive new signings including Viv Anderson, Steve Bruce and Brian McClair. The new players had a positive effect on a United side who finished league runners-up in the 1987-88 season, although they were nine points behind champions Liverpool. After the end of the season, striker Mark Hughes returned to United after two unsuccessful years with Barcelona in Spain.

United were hopeful of mounting another title challenge in 1988-89, but their season wallowed away following the turn of 1989 and they finished 11th in the final table - behind weaker and less expensively assembled sides like Coventry City and Norwich City. The addition of Neil Webb, Paul Ince and Gary Pallister in the 1989 close season was seen as vital for Alex Ferguson's hopes of mounting a serious title challenge.

F.A Cup and Cup Winners Cup success

Manchester United had a difficult season in 1989-90, finishing 13th in the league - their lowest finish since relegation in 1974. Fans were calling for Alex Ferguson to be sacked but the club's board stood by the manager and were rewarded with an F.A Cup final victory over Crystal Palace, managed by former United player Steve Coppell.

1990-91 saw United progress further, although a lack of league consistency saw them finish sixth in the First Division. They lost to Second Division Sheffield Wednesday, managed by former United manager Ron Atkinson, in the League Cup final. But the season ended on a high note when United marked the return of English clubs to European football (following the ban arising from the Heysel Disaster) by beating Barcelona 2-1 in the Cup Winners Cup final in Rotterdam.

Nearly but not quite

Manchester United won a major trophy in 1991-92, making it three successive trophy-winning seasons in a row. They defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the League Cup final. Another bright spot of the season was the emergence of the extremely talented 18-year-old Welsh winger Ryan Giggs. But the season ended in disappointment when they were overhauled by Leeds United in the race for the last ever Football League Championship before the creation of the F.A Premier League.

Champions at Last

Manchester United had a mixed first few months in the Premier League, slipping up and down the top ten of the 22-club division. But the acquisition of Eric Cantona, the Frenchman who had helped Leeds win the previous season's title, in late November helped United improve their league form and cruise to the league title after a 26-year wait. Young winger Ryan Giggs was voted PFA Young Player of the Year for the second running. After the season was over, United paid an English record fee of £3.75million for Nottingham Forest's 22-year-old Irish midfielder Roy Keane. Alex Ferguson saw keen as a long-term replacement for the ageing Bryan Robson, who would remain at Old Trafford for one more season before leaving to become player-manager of Middlesbrough.

The Double

Manchester United led the 1993-94 Premiership table virtually all season long, with Eric Cantona scoring 25 goals in all competitions and the likes of Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe providing their own fair share of goals. United finished as champions with a seven-point gap over runners-up Blackburn and completed the double by beating Chelsea 4-0 in the F.A Cup final. Eric Cantona, who scored two penalties in the final at Wembley, was voted PFA Player of the Year.

1994-95

The 1994-95 season rarely saw Manchester United out of the headlines, although they were not always the sort of headlines the club wanted.

Eric Cantona was banned for 8 months and ordered to serve 120 hours' community service for kicking a Crystal Palace supporter who had taunted him after being sent off in a January fixture at Selhurst Park. United were also without players like Paul Parker, Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis for long periods of time due to injury.

On a brighter note, United broke the English transfer record again by paying £7million for Newcastle United's free-scoring striker Andy Cole. He had been signed just two weeks before the Cantona incident as an eventual replacement for Mark Hughes, but with Cantona suspended it was Hughes who ended up being Cole's partner for the rest of the season.

United almost made it three Premiership titles in a row, but just couldn't get the better of West Ham United who held them to a 1-1 away draw on the final day of the season. The disappointment was made all the more frustrating because champions Blackburn had lost their final game of the season to Liverpool (the former club of manager Kenny Dalglish) and a victory for United would have seen Alex Ferguson's side win the title. The F.A Cup also slipped out of United's grasp when they lost 1-0 to unfancied Everton in the final at Wembley. This left United without a major trophy for the first time since 1989.

The Double Double

Before the 1995-96 season began, United announced the sale of three of their star players - Paul Ince to Inter Milan, Mark Hughes to Chelsea and Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton - for a combined fee of £14million.

Alex Ferguson was expected to splash out a large sum of money on a world class player - Roberto Baggio, Marc Overmars, Darren Anderton, David Platt (who had been a United youth player in the mid 1980's) and Paul Gascoigne (who had snubbed the club in favour of Tottenham in 1988) were all linked with moves to United. But United began the season without a major signing and a side made up of young players like David Beckham (20), Gary Neville (20), Phil Neville (18), Paul Scholes (21) and Nicky Butt (20) lost 3-1 at Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. Many pundits wrote United's title chances off and expected big spending clubs like Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal to win the season's honours.

Alex Ferguson was defiant of the critics, and following the return of Eric Cantona in early October, United went into overdrive. They chased Newcastle United for the top-of-the-table position and didn't give up hope even when trailing Kevin Keegan's side by 10 points at Christmas.

United finally went top of the Premiership in mid March, shortly after beating Newcastle at St James's Park, and their title success was confirmed with a 3-0 away win at Bryan Robson's Middlesbrough on the final day of the season. A week later United beat Liverpool 1-0 in the F.A Cup final to become the first ever English club to win the league title/F.A Cup double twice. Eric Cantona, who scored 19 goals in 1995-96 (including the F.A Cup final winner), was voted Footballer of the Year by football journalists who were impressed at the way he had returned from his suspension. Cantona was made team captain following the departure of veteran Steve Bruce to Birmingham City.

1995-96 was one of the most successful seasons in the history of Manchester United football club, and the success was perhaps made even sweeter by the fact that so many people had written the club's chances off almost before the season began.

More success

Manchester United won their fourth Premiership title in five seasons in 1996-97, with little-known Norweigan striker Ole Solskjaer forcing his way into the side after his £1.5million move from FK Molde and scoring 19 goals in all competitions. Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Gary Neville all had an impressive seasons while Eric Cantona and Andy Cole both fell below their expected standards.

The club's most expensive acquisition in the summer of 1996 had been Karel Poborsky, the 23-year-old Czech winger signed from Slavia Prague for £3.5million. But he was unable to claim the right-wing position from the brilliant young David Beckham and eventually moved to Benfica.

At the end of the season, Eric Cantona sent shockwaves throughout the footballing world by announcing his retirement from football just a few days before his 31st birthday. Cantona explained his relatively early retirement by saying that he wanted to retire while still at his peak, and not wallow away into mediocrity. He was replaced by the respected England international Teddy Sheringham, a £3.5million signing from Tottenham who was initially disappointing but would later start to repay his fee in style.

The 1997-98 season saw Manchester United overhauled by Arsenal in the Premiership and finish empty-handed for only the second time in the 1990's. Shortly after this disappointment, Alex Ferguson went on a spending spree of £28.35million (twice breaking the club's transfer record) by signing Dutch defender Jaap Stam from PSV, Trinidadian striker Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa and Swedish winger Jesper Blomqvist from Parma. He was determined to avoid disappointment in 1998-99, although even he could surely not have predicted just how successful United would be.

The Treble

Manchester United won their final game of the 1998-99 season to ensure that they, and not Arsenal, would be Premiership champions. A week later they completed a unique third championship/F.A Cup double by beating Newcastle United 2-0, and four days after the F.A Cup success they took on Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, in the Champions League (European Cup) final. Mario Basler's early strike appeared to have won it for the Germans as they led 1-0 after 90 minutes, but the referee allowed 3 minutes of injury time. Teddy Sheringham appeared to have forced extra time when he fired in an equaliser within the first minute of extra time, but Ole Solskjaer scored the winner and made history with the last kick of the game. Manchester United became the first English team to win the championship/F.A Cup/European Cup treble. Alex Ferguson was later awarded a knighthood for his contribution to United's success.

Into the New Millennium

The new millennium has seen Sir Alex Ferguson's side land more silverware, although they have faced some stiff competition off other teams - first Arsenal and now Chelsea.

Many players have come and gone. Since the 1999 treble success, Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Ronny Johnsen, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke have all left to be replaced by a new generation of players including Tim Howard, Roy Carroll, Rio Ferdinand, Gabriel Heinze, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney. Other expensive players like Fabien Barthez and Juan Sebastian Veron have arrived and left within the space of a few seasons.

United won the Premiership title in 1999-2000 with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and just three league defeats all season. They won their third successive title the following season, making United the fourth team to achieve that success and Sir Alex Ferguson the first manager to stay in charge of any team thoughout a championship hat-trick.

Sir Alex Ferguson had intended to retire at the end of 2001-02, but then decided to postpone his retirement by at least three seasons. This uncertainty could not have helped United's playing fortunes after a disastrous run of six defeats in seven Premiership fixtures earlier in the season counted against United and they finished third in the table - the first time they had been out of the top two since 1991.

United won another Premiership title in 2002-03, overhauling Arsenal to secure their eigth title in 11 seasons. Sir Alex Ferguson even described this success as his greatest achievement since becoming United manager in 1986.

But the sale of David Beckham and the suspension of Rio Ferdinand (for a total of 8 months, including the final 4 months of the season) sabotaged United's title challenge in 2003-04 and they finished third in the Premiership, which was won by unbeaten Arsenal. United were knocked out of the Champions League by FC Porto and the League Cup by Aston Villa, but they salvaged some success by beating Millwall 3-0 in the F.A Cup final.

To date, Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in English football. He has so far won eight Premiership titles, five F.A Cups, one League Cup, one European Cup, one Cup Winners Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and seven charity shields (one shared) - 24 trophies in all. He had expressed a desire to continue in his job for a good few years yet, and there is surely more to come. He may even help United emulate Liverpool's record as winning the most trophies than any other English football club.
The Red Devils (initially yellow and green) were founded in 1878 under the name Newton Heath (L&YR) FC - the works team of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, a neighborhood of East Manchester. Their first ground was named North Road, located in Newton Heath on a road of the same name (though it's actually now named Northampton Road). The North Road ground was actually owned by Manchester Cathedral and only rented out to the football club.

These early years were spent in local competitions such as the Lancashire Cup and Manchester & District Cup and their debut at the national level didn't come until the 1886-87 FA Cup. In 1889 Newton Heath began league competion as founder members of the Football Alliance. The league lasted only three seasons before being absorbed into the Football League and Newton Heath joined that same season, 1892-93.

In the summer of 1893, after increasing friction with the North Bank ground's owners, Newton Heath were evicted and moved to a new ground in another eastern Manchester suburb, Clayton. This new ground - Bank Street - was just a few miles south of North Road and interestingly only a few hundred yards from the City of Manchester Stadium where United rivals Man City are now based.

At the turn of the century Newton Heath were in serious financial difficulty and near extinction when a most unlikely series of events turned their fortunes for the better. The club hosted a fundraiser and in the midst of this fundraiser a dog with a money tin attached to its collar (a major attraction of the fundraiser apparently) escaped. The dog somehow found its way to the home of John Henry Davies, a local brewer. Davies was intrigued by the story of the club and decided to invest in the club. Soon after Davies had the club pushing for a bigger profile and in 1902 Newton Heath was no more, its name changed to Manchester United (chosen over Manchester Celtic and Manchester Central) and the famous red and white colors adopted.

Eight years later United were on the move again, this time to the borough of Trafford on the southwest side of Manchester, just outside the city limits. The new stadium had a much larger capacity than Bank Street and the increased number of supporters were treated to a league title that first season, the club's second. It would be a long wait until that third title.

The 1920 and 1930s were a turbulent period for United as they shuttled between the first and second division of the Football League. In World War II Old Trafford suffered heavy damage and United were forced to share Manchester City's Maine Road stadium for eight long seasons. At about this time the first great Man United manager arrived, Matt Busby in 1945. He would go on to lift the club out of their long stagnation, bring them several league titles with a wonderful young side named the Busby Babes, see the club through the dark tragedy of Munich and on to ultimate success in the European Cup.

Busby's first title was the 1948 FA Cup, followed by three league titles in the 1950s. However it all came to halt on February 6, 1958 when a plane carrying the team home from a European Cup match in Belgrade crashed after refueling in Munich. Seven players (and an eighth two weeks later) died and the memory of that day still burns brightly in Manchester United supporters. Busby amazingly survived the crash, recovered and set about rebuilding his squad. It took nearly a decade but United were First Division champions in 1965 and 1967 and in 1968 the Red Devils became the first English side to win the European Cup, knocking out Benfica 4-1 in extra time at Wembley.

Sadly for United this was the end of an era and the club drifted from the heights of that success to mediocrity to downright disaster when they were relegated from the First Division in 1974, losing to Manchester City on the final day of the season. 28 seasons of top-flight football came to an end. While United bounced straight back, winning the Second Division at first attempt, it was not until the arrival of Alex Ferguson in 1986 that the club truly began to climb back upwards.

26 seasons without a league title finally ended with Manchester United winning the debut season of the English Premier League. Since that time United have gone from strength to strength, winning 11 EPL titles and equalling Liverpool's record of 18 top-flight league titles. The Red Devils have also won two Champions League finals, including the spectacular 2-1 win over Bayern Munich which included two injury time goals to overturn the Germans.

During this period Manchester United have been transformed into a massively popular global club, with tens if not hundreds of millions tuning in for every match. Old Trafford has been transformed beyond recognition and a series of superstars have plied their trade at the "Theater of Dreams" including Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and so many more. United were also controversially bought out by American investor Malcom Glazer, who borrowed heavily to fund the purchase and then transferred that debt back to the (previously debt-free) club. This was the last straw for some supporters and a rival supporter-run club called FC United of Manchester was launched in 2005.

On the field though very little has changed, Manchester United have won three English Premier League titles in succession, not to mention Community Shields, League Cups, Champions League and World Club Cup titles. The Red Devils keep marching on.

Nicknames:

Manchester United's most common nickname is The Red Devils, which actually goes back to the Manchester rugby club Salford, who were given the nickname Les Diables Rouges (The Red Devils) during an unbeaten 1934 tour of France. It was later adopted by supporters of Manchester United for their own similarly colored club. The club are also known as simply United or Man United.

Rivals:

Manchester United are in the enviable position of being their opponent's game of the season in virtually every fixture they play. There are only a handful of clubs that really get Manchester United supporters up in arms and out of these two stand out from the crowd.

The Manchester United-Liverpool rivalry can in some ways be considered the "English derby" as the Reds and Red Devils represent the two most successful clubs in the history of English football. Add to that the relative proximity of the two cities (28 miles) and their position as the two biggest cities in the Northwest of England (it's also called the Northwest Derby) and you can understand how the struggle between the two grows and grows. In fact no player has been transferred between the two clubs since 1964. Manchester United hold a slight edge in the overall series.

The second major match on the Man United calendar is the Manchester derby with Manchester City. While Manchester United are light years ahead of Manchester City in trophies won, the balance of results between the two is not as lopsided as you might imagine. United have won about 40% of the matches, City 30% and the rest have been drawn.

Stadium:

The stadium is located near the Old Trafford cricket ground in the borough of Trafford, on the southwest side of Manchester just outside the city limits. The Red Devils played for eight seasons in the 1940s at Manchester City's Maine Road stadium because of war damage to Old Trafford.

Previous stadiums: North Road (1880-93), Bank Street (1893-1910), Old Trafford (1910-41), Maine Road (1941-49).

HONORS
League Titles:

* Football League First Division (1908, 11, 52, 56, 57, 65, 67)
* English Premier League (1993, 94, 96, 97, 99, 2000, 01, 03, 07, 08, 09)

* Football League Second Division (1936, 75)

Cup Titles:

* FA Cup (1909, 48, 63, 77, 83, 85, 90, 94, 96, 99, 2004)
* Football League Cup (1992, 2006, 09)
* Charity Shield (1908, 11, 52, 56, 57, 65*, 67*, 77*, 83, 90*, 93, 94, 96, 97)
* Community Shield (2003, 07, 08)

Titles marked * were shared with another club.
International Titles:

* European Cup (1968)
* UEFA Champions League (1999, 2008)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1991)
* Intercontinental Cup (1999)
* World Club Cup (2008)

League History:

* Football League First Division: 70 seasons (1892-94, 1906-15, 19-22, 25-31, 36-37, 38-39, 46-74, 75-92)
* English Premier League: 18 seasons (1992-2010)

* Football League Second Division: 23 seasons (1894-1906, 22-25, 31-36, 37-38, 74-75)

* Football Alliance: 3 seasons (1889-92)