The 1991–92 Football League First Division was the 93rd edition in
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
existence, and the division's final season as the top flight of English football.
Overview
Leeds United won the last ever league championship before the launch of the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, thanks to the efforts of players such as
Gordon Strachan,
Lee Chapman,
David Batty and
Gary McAllister. On 26 April 1992, Leeds beat
Sheffield United 3–2 at
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...
, and their title triumph was confirmed with
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
's 2–0 defeat to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
at
Anfield.
Newly promoted
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
finished in third and secured
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
qualification.
The previous season's defending champions
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
slipped to 4th place and never made a serious threat to retain their title. The previous season's runners-up
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
slipped to 6th in their first full season under the management of
Graeme Souness, although they did win the FA Cup. Liverpool's
Merseyside rivals Everton finished a disappointing 12th – a three-place setback on their finish the previous season.
On 25 April 1992, newly promoted
West Ham United were relegated after their 1–0 defeat at
Coventry City. This win for Coventry also relegated
Notts County – another newly promoted side – rendering their 2–0 defeat at
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
on the same day as academic. The last day of the season saw
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
lose their top flight status after ten seasons. They needed to win at
Notts County and for Coventry to lose at
Aston Villa. Coventry did lose 2–0 at
Villa Park
Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
but unfortunately for Luton, they lost 2–1 which kept Coventry up and sent Luton down.
For much of the season,
Southampton's 21-year-old striker
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
was the target of much media speculation about a move to a leading First Division club. The likes of
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
were strongly linked with his signature during the autumn, but Shearer decided to stay put on the south coast before making a decision about his future at the end of the season. Shearer was capped for the senior
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
side for the first time in February 1992, and scored on his debut. Another English striker who established himself as a top scorer at this level this season was the
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
striker
David Hirst, scoring the goals that helped the Owls win the
League Cup and an instant return to the First Division in 1990–91, and finishing among the First Division's leading scorers in
1991–92.
Manchester United's teenage winger
Ryan Giggs, who had played twice for the first team the previous season, received plaudits for his outstanding performances and picked up the
PFA Young Player of the Year award as well as a
League Cup winner's medal, establishing himself as a regular player before his 18th birthday. Other young players who made the headlines this season were
Liverpool's teenage winger
Steve McManaman and new signing
Rob Jones,
Aston Villa's Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...
ian striker
Dwight Yorke and
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
midfielder
Roy Keane.
As a wave of new names began to dominate the English game,
Tottenham Hotspur's high scoring striker
Gary Lineker announced in November that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season to sign for the
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese side
Grampus Eight, and also confirmed his decision to retire from the England team after the
European championships that summer.
Personnel and kits
(As of May 1992)
:a. Souness was absent from his duties after being diagnosed with a heart condition on 8 April 1992. Though Souness officially remained team manager,
Ronnie Moran effectively took over the role for the remainder of the season.
:b.
Trevor Peake is understood to have been team Captain in January but it is unknown when he was appointed.
Managerial changes
League standings
Results
Top scorers
Hat-tricks
:Note: (H) – Home; (A) – Away
References
RSSSF
{{DEFAULTSORT:1991-92 Football League First Division
Football League First Division seasons
Eng
1991–92 Football League
1991–92 in English football leagues
lt:Anglijos futbolo varžybos 1991–1992 m.