1992–93 FA Premier League
The 1992–93 FA Premier League was the inaugural season of the Premier League, the top division of English football. The season began on 15 August 1992 and ended on 11 May 1993. The league was made up of the 22 clubs that broke away from The Football League at the end of the 1991–92 season. The new league was backed up by a five-year, £305 million deal with Sky to televise Premier League matches. In concept, the Premier League was identical to the old First Division of the Football League, which was now reduced to three divisions.
Overview
Background
In May 1992–93, the breakaway league signed a broadcasting rights contract with Sky and the BBC valued at £304 million, the largest such agreement in the history of British sport.[2] The league's executive committee was unable, however, to secure title sponsorship for the new competition after eight clubs blocked a proposed £13 million deal with brewers Bass.[3] Nonetheless, clubs began to utilise their dramatically increased wealth to fund a series of high-profile transfers.[4]
Although the idea of a super league had been mentioned by football's governing bodies and evaluated by the media since the mid 1980s, plans for a new Premier League of 22 clubs were first unveiled by the Football Association in October 1990, and included in the Football Association's Blueprint for the Future of Football, published in June 1991.[5] The majority of First Division clubs, particularly long-established top clubs including Arsenal and Manchester United, were in favour of a breakaway from the Football League, although Football League president Bill Fox criticised the planned Premier League as an attempt by the Football Association to "hijack" the First Division.
Shortly before the season began, newly promoted Blackburn Rovers signed Southampton's 21-year-old England international striker Alan Shearer for a new British record fee variously reported as £3.3 million,[6] £3.4 million,[7] or £3.6 million.[8] Several other players moved for fees of £2 million or more, including Arsenal's David Rocastle, who joined Leeds United,[9] Dean Saunders, who moved from Liverpool to Aston Villa,[10] and Teddy Sheringham, who left Nottingham Forest for Tottenham Hotspur.[11]
The structure of the new league was identical to that of the previous season's Football League First Division, comprising 22 teams, with each playing the other 21 twice for a total of 42 matches. Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough had been promoted from the old Second Division as champions and runners-up respectively, and Blackburn Rovers took the third promotion place after winning the 1991–92 Second Division playoff.[12]
Season summary
The first Premier League title went to Manchester United, the club's first title for 26 years. Their title was achieved with a 10-point lead over runners-up Aston Villa. Norwich City led the table for much of the season, but their challenge faded in the final weeks of the season and were out of contention three games before the season was over after they lost 3–1 to Ipswich Town. Norwich did however finish in third place, achieving European qualification in Mike Walker's debut season as manager; with a goal difference of −4, this is the highest Premier League finish by a team with a negative goal difference. Blackburn, in the top division for the first time in almost 30 years, finished in fourth place. They briefly led the league early in the season, but suffered a shortage of goals after Alan Shearer, who had scored 16 times before the turn of the year, suffered a torn cruciate ligament and missed the second half of the season. The title race was largely between the clubs who finished in the top four after early challenges from the likes of Arsenal, Coventry City, and Queens Park Rangers were not sustained.
Nottingham Forest's league form had suffered through the sale of key players like Des Walker and Teddy Sheringham, and they were bottom of the Premier League for much of the 1992–93 season. Their relegation was confirmed in early May when they lost to Sheffield United, and manager Brian Clough announced his retirement after 18 years as manager, which had yielded one league title, two European Cups and four League Cups. Next to go were newly promoted Middlesbrough, who fell from mid-table at Christmas to go down in second from bottom place. Last to go down were Crystal Palace, who failed to win their final game of the season which would have instead consigned Oldham Athletic to the final relegation place - Oldham's survival was secured with a thrilling 4–3 win over Southampton.[13]
Title holders Leeds United finished 17th, which was the lowest finish from a defending league champion since Ipswich Town finished 17th in 1962–63 after having won the title in 1961–62, and the lowest any top tier champions have so far finished in the Premier League. Leeds failed to win an away game in the league. The lowest a defending champion has finished since then has been 12th (Leicester City in 2016–17, having won the title in 2015–16).[14]
The top scorer in the new Premier League was Teddy Sheringham, who found the net for Nottingham Forest in their opening game of the season before being sold to Tottenham Hotspur, scoring a further 21 goals for the North London side in the league. PFA Player of the Year was Paul McGrath of Aston Villa. FWA Player of the Year was Chris Waddle, who helped Sheffield Wednesday achieve runners-up spot in both of the cups after ending his three-year spell in France. PFA Young Player of the Year was Ryan Giggs, who won the award for the second year running, and also picked up a league title medal with Manchester United.
Teams
Twenty-two teams competed in the league – the top nineteen teams from the First Division and the three teams promoted from the Second Division. The promoted teams were Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers, returning to the top flight after an absence of six, three and twenty-six years respectively. They replaced Luton Town, Notts County and West Ham United, ending Luton Town's ten-year spell in the top flight, whilst both Notts County and West Ham United were relegated after only one year in the top flight.
Stadiums and locations
- ^ Due to Wimbledon lacking a home stadium, they played their home games at Selhurst Park, which is the home stadium of Crystal Palace.
Personnel and kits
(as of 9 May 1993)
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich City |  David Williams
|
End of caretaker spell | 1 May 1992 | Pre-season | Mike Walker
|
1 June 1992 |
| Coventry City |  Don Howe
|
14 May 1992 | Bobby Gould
|
6 June 1992 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | Peter Shreeves
|
Sacked | 19 May 1992 | Doug Livermore Ray Clemence
|
19 May 1992 | |
| Chelsea |  Ian Porterfield
|
15 February 1993 | 12th | David Webb
|
15 February 1993 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United (C) | 42 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 67 | 31 | +36 | 84 | Qualification for the Champions League first round |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 57 | 40 | +17 | 74 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a] |
| 3 | Norwich City | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 61 | 65 | −4 | 72 | |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 68 | 46 | +22 | 71 | |
| 5 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 63 | 55 | +8 | 63 | |
| 6 | Liverpool | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 59 | |
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 59 | |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 60 | 66 | −6 | 59 | |
| 9 | Manchester City | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 56 | 51 | +5 | 57 | |
| 10 | Arsenal | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 40 | 38 | +2 | 56 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[b] |
| 11 | Chelsea | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 51 | 54 | −3 | 56 | |
| 12 | Wimbledon | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 56 | 55 | +1 | 54 | |
| 13 | Everton | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 53 | 55 | −2 | 53 | |
| 14 | Sheffield United | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 52 | |
| 15 | Coventry City | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 52 | 57 | −5 | 52 | |
| 16 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 52 | |
| 17 | Leeds United | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 57 | 62 | −5 | 51 | |
| 18 | Southampton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 54 | 61 | −7 | 50 | |
| 19 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 63 | 74 | −11 | 49 | |
| 20 | Crystal Palace (R) | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 49 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 21 | Middlesbrough (R) | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 54 | 75 | −21 | 44 | |
| 22 | Nottingham Forest (R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 41 | 62 | −21 | 40 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Since League Cup winners Arsenal had qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners Cup by also winning the FA Cup, the UEFA Cup berth for the League Cup reverted to the league and was awarded to Norwich City. England was considered for an extra slot for the UEFA Cup after the 1993 Polish football scandal, but another one was given to Scotland, and it was thought excessive to give both two slots to Great Britain, and the extra place was awarded to Hungary.
- ^ Arsenal qualified by winning the FA Cup and therefore did not take up their UEFA Cup spot for winning the League Cup, which reverted to the league.
Results
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
The top goalscorer in the Premier League's inaugural season was Teddy Sheringham, who scored one goal for Nottingham Forest before his early-season transfer followed by 21 for Tottenham Hotspur for a total of 22.[15] Alan Shearer had scored 16 goals by Christmas before suffering a season-ending injury.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[16] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teddy Sheringham
|
Nottingham Forest Tottenham Hotspur |
22 |
| 2 | Les Ferdinand
|
Queens Park Rangers | 20 |
| 3 | Dean Holdsworth
|
Wimbledon | 19 |
| 4 | Micky Quinn
|
Coventry City | 17 |
| 5 | Alan Shearer
|
Blackburn Rovers | 16 |
| David White
|
Manchester City | ||
| 7 | Chris Armstrong
|
Crystal Palace | 15 |
 Eric Cantona
|
Leeds United Manchester United | ||
| Brian Deane
|
Sheffield United | ||
| Mark Hughes
|
Manchester United | ||
| Matt Le Tissier
|
Southampton | ||
| Mark Robins
|
Norwich City | ||
| Ian Wright
|
Arsenal |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Cantona |
Leeds United | Tottenham Hotspur | 5–0 (H) | 25 August 1992 | [17] |
| Mark Robins |
Norwich City | Oldham Athletic | 3–2 (A) | 8 November 1992 | [18] |
| John Hendrie |
Middlesbrough | Blackburn Rovers | 3–2 (H) | 5 December 1992 | [19] |
| Andy Sinton |
Queens Park Rangers | Everton | 4–2 (H) | 28 December 1992 | [20] |
| Brian Deane |
Sheffield United | Ipswich Town | 3–0 (H) | 17 January 1993 | [21] |
| Teddy Sheringham |
Tottenham Hotspur | Leeds United | 4–0 (H) | 22 February 1993 | [22] |
| Gordon Strachan |
Leeds United | Blackburn Rovers | 5–2 (H) | 10 April 1993 | [23] |
| Les Ferdinand |
Queens Park Rangers | Nottingham Forest | 4–3 (H) | 10 April 1993 | [24] |
| Chris Bart-Williams |
Sheffield Wednesday | Southampton | 5–2 (H) | 12 April 1993 | [25] |
| Les Ferdinand |
Queens Park Rangers | Everton | 5–3 (A) | 12 April 1993 | [26] |
| Chris Sutton |
Norwich City | Leeds United | 4–2 (H) | 14 April 1993 | [27] |
| Mark Walters |
Liverpool | Coventry City | 4–0 (H) | 17 April 1993 | [28] |
| Rod Wallace |
Leeds United | Coventry City | 3–3 (A) | 8 May 1993 | [29] |
| Matt Le Tissier |
Southampton | Oldham Athletic | 3–4 (A) | 8 May 1993 | [30] |
- Note: (H) – Home; (A) – Away
Top assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists[31] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Cantona
|
Leeds United Manchester United |
16 |
| 2 | Darren Anderton
|
Tottenham Hotspur | 11 |
| Matt Le Tissier
|
Southampton | ||
 Niall Quinn
|
Manchester City | ||
| 5 | Brian Deane
|
Sheffield United | 10 |
| Jason Wilcox
|
Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 7 | Jason Dozzell
|
Ipswich Town | 9 |
| Rick Holden
|
Manchester City | ||
| Lee Sharpe
|
Manchester United | ||
| Teddy Sheringham
|
Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Andy Sinton
|
Queens Park Rangers | ||
| Ian Woan
|
Nottingham Forest |
Individual awards
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) presented its annual Players' Player of the Year award to Paul McGrath, a veteran central defender who contributed to Aston Villa's second-place finish in the Premier League. Manchester United's Paul Ince came second and Blackburn's Alan Shearer third.[32] The Young Player of the Year award was given to Ryan Giggs, the 19-year-old Manchester United left winger who had also won the award in the previous season. Giggs, who finished ahead of Tottenham's Nick Barmby and Nottingham Forest's Roy Keane, became the first player to win the award more than once.[32]
The Football Writers' Association (the FWA) chose Chris Waddle as its Footballer of the Year.[33] Waddle, who made his return to English football with Sheffield Wednesday after three years in France with Olympique Marseille, became the first Wednesday player to win the award in its 45-year history. McGrath and Giggs finished in second and joint third place respectively in the writers' poll.[34]
The PFA also selected eleven players to form its Team of the Year. The team included four Manchester United players (Giggs, Ince, Peter Schmeichel and Gary Pallister) and two from Leeds United (Tony Dorigo and Gary Speed). The other members of the team were McGrath, Keane, Shearer, David Bardsley (Queens Park Rangers) and Ian Wright (Arsenal).[32] The Manager of the Year award, chosen by a panel representing football's governing body, the media, and fans, was given to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.[35] The newly formed League Managers Association also presented its own Manager of the Year award for the first time, specifically designed to recognise "the manager who made best use of the resources available to him". This award went to Dave Bassett of Sheffield United.[35]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "English Premier League 1992–93". statto.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Ball, Peter (19 May 1992). "Premier League kicks off with £304m TV deal". The Times. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
- ^ Signy, Dennis (18 September 1992). "Clubs ask Parry to resolve dispute over sponsorship". The Times. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
- ^ Dobson, Stephen; Goddard, John A. (2001). The Economics of Football. Cambridge University Press. p. 377. ISBN 0-521-66158-7.
- ^ "How the FA betrayed their own game". 14 November 2004 – via The Guardian.
- ^ "The Kenny Dalglish file". BBC. 27 August 1998. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ "Shearer to move for £3.4 million". The Times. 27 July 1992. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ Kannas, Sofia (22 July 2004). "Can money buy success?". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ Ross, Ian (24 July 1992). "Rocastle completes transfer to Leeds". The Times. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ White, Clive (11 September 1992). "Saunders signs for Villa after compromise deal". The Times. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ Signy, Dennis (28 August 1992). "Sheringham joins Spurs in £2.1m deal". The Times. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ "England 1991/1992". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 5 June 2004. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
- ^ Croke, Ruaidhrí (10 August 2017). "The 22 original Premier League teams: Where are they now?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "The 10 worst English top-flight title defences ever". FourFourTwo. Haymarket. 21 November 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ Bateson, Bill; Sewell, Albert (1993). News of the World Football Annual 1993–1994. Invincible Press. p. 56. ISBN 0-85543-208-X.
- ^ "Barclays Premier League Statistics". Premier League. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ Andrews, Phil (26 August 1992). "Football: Cantona hits hat-trick to crush Spurs". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Oldham 2–3 Norwich". Sky Sports. 9 November 1992. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Dobson, Frank (6 December 1992). "Football: Rovers rocked by Hendrie hat-trick". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Fox, Norman (29 December 1992). "Football: Everton's day of dismissals". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Andrews, Phil (16 January 1993). "Football: Deane gets about Town". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Haylett, Trevor (22 February 1993). "Football: Barmby poses a national problem". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Edworthy, Niall (11 April 1993). "Football: Strachan inspires". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Elliott, Sam (11 April 1993). "Football: Forest full of goals and holes". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Andrews, Phil (13 April 1993). "Football: Wednesday's strength in depth". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Everton 3–5 QPR". Sky Sports. 12 April 1993. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Haylett, Trevor (15 April 1993). "Football: Sutton does the trick to inspire Norwich: Champions still without an away win as Canaries rediscover their scoring touch". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Brown, Geoff (18 April 1993). "Round-Up: Walsh stays ahead". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Brown, Geoff (9 May 1993). "Football: Lions fans dig up Den". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Slot, Owen (9 May 1993). "Football: Oldham triumph against the odds: Royle's men produce the performance to ensure survival as Coppell's worst fears come true". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Statistical Leaders – 1993". Premier League. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ a b c "McGrath wins PFA award". The Times. 29 March 1993. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
- ^ "England – Players Awards". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
- ^ "Waddle receives award". The Times. 3 May 1993. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
- ^ a b Barnes, Stuart (2007). News of the World Football Annual 2007–2008. HarperSport. p. 62. ISBN 0-00-725555-1.
External links
- League and cup results for all the 1992/93 Premier Division clubs at footballsite
- 1992–93 Premier League season at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
