Gourt Home::Gourt :: 2002-03 in English football
The 2002-2003 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.
Overview
Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.
Sheffield Wednesday went down to Division Two, just 10 years after reaching the finals of both domestic cup competitions and 11 years after coming two places short of the league title.
Events
- Manchester United overhauled Arsenal in the Premiership title race during the final three months of the season and were crowned champions for the eighth time in eleven seasons.
- Arsenal compensated for their failure to retain the Premiership title by retaining the F.A Cup after a 1-0 win over Southampton at the Millennium Stadium.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Sheffield United 3-0 in the Division One playoff final to return to the top flight for the first time since the 1983-84 season.
- Sunderland were relegated from the Premiership with a record low of 4 wins, 19 points and 21 goals.
- Cameroon international midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe, 28, whose clubs included Premiership sides West Ham United and Manchester City, collapsed and died from an undetected heart condition in a Confederations Cup tie.
- Shrewsbury Town beat Everton 2-1 in a shock F.A Cup Third Round victory, but were relegated to the Conference at the end of the season, ending 53 years of Football League membership.
- Manchester United broke the English transfer record for the third time in just over a year after they paid Leeds United £29million for central defender Rio Ferdinand.
- Legendary goalkeeper David Seaman, approaching 40, left Arsenal after 13 years and nine major trophies to join Manchester City on a free transfer.
- Peter Schmeichel called time on his footballing career six months before his 40th birthday after helping Manchester City finish ninth in the Premiership.
- Leeds United, £80million in debt come March, sacked Terry Venables as manager and replaced him with former Manchester City and Sunderland manager Peter Reid - on a temporary basis. After ensuring their Premiership survival, Reid was given a one-year rolling contract.
Successful managers
Sir Alex Ferguson guided Manchester United to their eighth Premiership title in 11 seasons.
Arsene Wenger helped Arsenal retain the F.A Cup.
Gerard Houllier guided Liverpool to success in the League Cup.
Graeme Souness steered Blackburn to sixth place in the Premiership and UEFA Cup qualification.
Harry Redknapp rejuvenated a Portsmouth side whose greatly improved squad lifted the Division One championship trophy.
Micky Adams took Leicester back into the Premiership at the first attempt despite his employers beginning the season bankrupt and banned from buying players.
Dave Jones took Wolves into the Premiership after a 19-year absence from the top flight of English football.
Paul Jewell took Wigan into the upper half of the English league for the first time in their history after they were crowned champions of Division Two.
Brian Talbot continued the revolution at Rushden & Diamonds by guiding them to the Division Three title.
Gary Johnson won the Conference title at Yeovil Town, who were promoted to the Football League after decades of trying.
England national team
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | England scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7, 2002 | Villa Park, Birmingham | 1-1 | F | Alan Smith | |
| October 12, 2002 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava | 2-1 | ECQ | David Beckham, Michael Owen | |
| October 16, 2002 | St Mary's Stadium, Southampton | Macedonia2-2 | ECQ | David Beckham, Steven Gerrard | |
| February 12, 2003 | Upton Park, London | 1-3 | F | Francis Jeffers | |
| March 29, 2003 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz | 2-0 | ECQ | Michael Owen, David Beckham | |
| April 2, 2003 | Stadium of Light, Sunderland | 2-0 | ECQ | Darius Vassell, David Beckham | |
| May 22, 2003 | Durban | 2-1 | F | Gareth Southgate, Emile Heskey | |
| June 3, 2003 | Walkers Stadium, Leicester | 2-1 | F | Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole | |
| June 11, 2003 | Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough | 2-1 | ECQ | Michael Owen (2) |
Key: ECQ = 2004 European Championship qualifiers, F = Friendly; scores are written England first
European club competitions
UEFA Champions League
- Manchester United - Quarter finals
- Arsenal - Second group phase
- Newcastle United - Second group phase
- Liverpool - First group phase (dropped into UEFA Cup)
UEFA Cup
- Liverpool - Quarter finals
- Fulham - Third round
- Leeds United - Third round
- Blackburn Rovers - First round
- Chelsea - First round
- Ipswich Town - First round
UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Fulham - Winners (qualified for UEFA Cup)
- Aston Villa - Semi finals
Honours
League competitions
FA Premier League
P W D L F A W D L F A GD Pts 1 Manchester United 38 16 2 1 42 12 9 6 4 32 22 +40 83 Champions League 2 Arsenal 38 15 2 2 47 20 8 7 4 38 22 +43 78 Champions League 3 Newcastle United 38 15 2 2 36 17 6 4 9 27 31 +15 69 Champions League (qualifying) 4 Chelsea 38 12 5 2 41 15 7 5 7 27 23 +30 67 Champions League (qualifying) 5 Liverpool 38 9 8 2 30 16 9 2 8 31 25 +20 64 UEFA Cup (League Cup winners) 6 Blackburn Rovers 38 9 7 3 24 15 7 5 7 28 28 +9 60 UEFA Cup 7 Everton 38 11 5 3 28 19 6 3 10 20 30 -1 59 8 Southampton 38 9 8 2 25 16 4 5 10 18 30 -3 52 UEFA Cup (FA Cup runners up) 9 Manchester City 38 9 2 8 28 26 6 4 9 19 28 -7 51 UEFA Cup (Fair Play winners) 10 Tottenham Hotspur 38 9 4 6 30 29 5 4 10 21 33 -11 50 11 Middlesbrough 38 10 7 2 36 21 3 3 13 12 23 +4 49 12 Charlton Athletic 38 8 3 8 26 30 6 4 9 19 26 -11 49 13 Birmingham City 38 8 5 6 25 23 5 4 10 16 26 -8 48 14 Fulham 38 11 3 5 26 18 2 6 11 15 32 -9 48 15 Leeds United 38 7 3 9 25 26 7 2 10 33 31 +1 47 16 Aston Villa 38 11 2 6 25 14 1 7 11 17 33 -5 45 17 Bolton Wanderers 38 7 8 4 27 24 3 6 10 14 27 -10 44 18 West Ham United 38 5 7 7 21 24 5 5 9 21 35 -17 42 Relegated 19 West Bromwich Albion 38 3 5 11 17 34 3 3 13 12 31 -36 26 Relegated 20 Sunderland 38 3 2 14 11 31 1 5 13 10 34 -44 19 RelegatedLeading goalscorer: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United), 25
Football League First Division
- Champions:
- Also promoted to Premier League:
- Leicester City
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (playoff winners)
- Relegated to Second Division:
P W D L F A GD PTS 1. Portsmouth 46 29 11 6 97 45 +52 98 2. Leicester City 46 26 14 6 73 40 +33 92 3. Sheffield Utd 46 23 11 12 72 52 +20 80 4. Reading 46 25 4 17 61 46 +15 79 5. Wolves 46 20 16 10 81 44 +37 76 6. Nottm Forest 46 20 14 12 82 50 +32 74 7. Ipswich Town 46 19 13 14 80 64 +16 70 8. Norwich City 46 19 12 15 60 49 +11 69 9. Millwall 46 19 9 18 59 69 -10 66 10. Wimbledon 46 18 11 17 76 73 +3 65 11. Gillingham 46 16 14 16 56 65 -9 62 12. Preston NE 46 16 13 17 68 70 -2 61 13. Watford 46 17 9 20 54 70 -16 60 14. Crystal Palace 46 14 17 15 59 52 +7 59 15. Rotherham Utd 46 15 14 17 62 62 0 59 16. Burnley 46 15 10 21 65 89 -24 55 17. Walsall 46 15 9 22 57 69 -12 54 18. Derby County 46 15 7 24 55 74 -19 52 19. Bradford City 46 14 10 22 51 73 -22 52 20. Coventry City 46 12 14 20 46 62 -16 50 21. Stoke City 46 12 14 20 45 69 -24 50 22. Sheffield Wednesday 46 10 16 20 56 73 -17 46 23. Brighton 46 11 12 23 49 67 -18 45 24. Grimsby Town 46 9 12 25 48 85 -37 39
Football League Second Division
- Champions:
- Also promoted to First Division:
- Crewe Alexandra
- Cardiff City (playoff winners)
- Relegated to Third Division:
P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1. Wigan Athletic 46 14 7 2 37 16 15 6 2 31 9 +43 100 2. Crewe Alexandra 46 11 5 7 29 19 14 6 3 47 21 +36 86 3. Bristol City 46 15 5 3 43 15 9 6 8 36 33 +31 83 4. Queens Park Rangers 46 14 4 5 38 19 10 7 6 31 26 +24 83 5. Oldham Athletic 46 11 6 6 39 18 11 10 2 29 20 +30 82 6. Cardiff City 46 12 6 5 33 20 11 6 6 35 23 +25 81 7. Tranmere Rovers 46 14 5 4 38 23 9 6 8 28 34 +9 80 8. Plymouth Argyle 46 11 6 6 39 24 6 8 9 24 28 +11 65 9. Luton Town 46 8 8 7 32 28 9 6 8 35 34 +5 65 10. Swindon Town 46 10 5 8 34 27 6 7 10 25 36 -4 60 11. Peterborough United 46 8 7 8 25 20 6 9 8 26 34 -3 58 12. Colchester United 46 8 7 8 24 24 6 9 8 28 32 -4 58 13. Blackpool 46 10 8 5 35 25 5 5 13 21 39 -8 58 14. Stockport County 46 8 8 7 39 38 7 2 14 26 32 -5 55 15. Notts County 46 10 7 6 37 32 3 9 11 25 38 -8 55 16. Brentford 46 8 8 7 28 21 6 4 13 19 35 -9 54 17. Port Vale 46 9 5 9 34 31 5 6 12 20 39 -16 53 18. Wycombe Wanderers 46 8 7 8 39 38 5 6 12 20 28 -7 52 19. Barnsley 46 7 8 8 27 31 6 5 12 24 33 -13 52 20. Chesterfield 46 11 4 8 29 28 3 4 16 14 45 -30 50 21. Cheltenham Town 46 6 9 8 26 31 4 9 10 27 37 -15 48 22. Huddersfield Town 46 7 9 7 27 24 4 3 16 12 37 -22 45 23. Mansfield Town 46 9 2 12 38 45 3 6 14 28 52 -31 44 24. Northampton Town 46 7 4 12 23 31 3 5 15 17 48 -39 39
Football League Third Division
- Champions:
- Also promoted to Second Division:
- Hartlepool United
- Wrexham
- A.F.C. Bournemouth (playoff winners)
- Relegated to Football Conference:
P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1. Rushden & Diamonds 46 16 5 2 48 19 8 10 5 25 28 +26 87 2. Hartlepool United 46 16 5 2 49 21 8 8 7 22 30 +20 85 3. Wrexham 46 12 7 4 48 26 11 8 4 36 24 +34 84 4. Bournemouth 46 14 7 2 38 18 6 7 10 22 30 +12 74 5. Scunthorpe United 46 11 8 4 40 20 8 7 8 28 29 +19 72 6. Lincoln City 46 10 9 4 29 18 8 7 8 17 19 +9 70 7. Bury 46 8 8 7 25 26 10 8 5 32 30 +1 70 8. Oxford United 46 9 7 7 26 20 10 5 8 31 27 +10 69 9. Torquay United 46 9 11 3 41 31 7 7 9 30 40 0 66 10. York City 46 11 9 3 34 24 6 6 11 18 29 -1 66 11. Kidderminster Harriers 46 8 8 7 30 33 8 7 8 32 30 -1 63 12. Cambridge United 46 10 7 6 38 25 6 6 11 29 45 -3 61 13. Hull City 46 9 10 4 34 19 5 7 11 24 34 +5 59 14. Darlington 46 8 10 5 36 27 4 8 11 22 32 -1 54 15. Boston United 46 11 6 6 34 22 4 7 12 21 34 -1 54 16. Macclesfield Town 46 8 6 9 29 28 6 6 11 28 35 -6 54 17. Southend United 46 12 1 10 29 23 5 2 16 18 36 -12 54 18. Leyton Orient 46 9 6 8 28 24 5 5 13 23 37 -10 53 19. Rochdale 46 7 6 10 30 30 5 10 8 33 40 -7 52 20. Bristol Rovers 46 7 7 9 25 27 5 8 10 25 30 -7 51 21. Swansea City 46 9 6 8 28 25 3 7 13 20 40 -17 49 22. Carlisle United 46 5 5 13 26 40 8 5 10 26 38 -26 49 23. Exeter City 46 7 7 9 24 31 4 8 11 26 33 -14 48 24. Shrewsbury Town 46 5 6 12 34 39 4 8 11 28 53 -30 41
Football Conference
- Champions:
- Also promoted to Third Division:
- Doncaster Rovers (playoff winners)
- Relegated:
- Nuneaton Borough (to Southern League)
- Southport (to Northern Premier League)
- Kettering Town (to Isthmian League)
National League System
Transfer deals
Summer transfer window
The summer transfer window runs from the end of the previous season until 31 August.- Franck Queudrue from Lens to Middlesbrough, £2.5m
- Juninho from Atletico Madrid to Middlesbrough, £6m
- Tore André Flo from Rangers to Sunderland, £8m
- Robbie Keane from Leeds United to Tottenham Hotspur, £7m
January transfer window
The mid-season transfer window runs from 1 to 31 January 2006.- Jonathan Woodgate from Leeds United to Newcastle United, £9m
For subsequent transfer deals see 2003-04 in English football.
Deaths
- Alan Ashman, 74, former football manager who took Carlisle United into the old First Division in 1974 and West Bromwich Albion to F.A Cup glory in 1968.
- Sir Bert Millichip, 88, chairman of the Football Association from 1981 until 1996 and a former director of West Bromwich Albion.
- Arthur Rowley, 76, a former centre forward of Leicester City player and Football League record scorer who scored an English league career record of 434 goals.
- Marc-Vivien Foé, 28, Cameroon midfielder who spent the 2002-03 season on loan to Manchester City from French side Lyon, collapsed and died during a FIFA Confederations Cup game. A post mortem revealed that Foe, who had played for West Ham United earlier in his career, had suffered from an undetected heart condition.
"2002-03 in English football"