The 2003–04 season was the 124th season of
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
in England.
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 ...
completed the season without losing a league match, becoming
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 ...
champions in the process.
Leeds United avoided going into administration, but were unable to avoid relegation and lost their place in the Premier League - along with
Leicester City and
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
.
Norwich City won promotion to the Premier League as Champions after nine years in
Division 1. They were joined by runners-up
West Bromwich Albion and
Crystal Palace, who beat
West Ham United in the play-off final.
Wimbledon completed their relocation to
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
and moved into the
former England National Hockey Stadium, which would be used as a temporary home until a new stadium was built at Denbigh North. At the end of the season, following the Dons' relegation, club directors changed its name to
Milton Keynes Dons.
Bradford City and
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
joined them in relegation to
Football League One.
Plymouth Argyle were
Division Two champions and ensured that they would be playing in the second tier of English football for the first time in 12 years.
Queens Park Rangers joined them together with
Brighton & Hove Albion who won the play-off. At the bottom,
Rushden & Diamonds were relegated to
Division Three along with
Grimsby Town, who suffered a second consecutive relegation after losing the last game of the season.
Notts County and
Wycombe Wanderers were also relegated. In the same division,
Oldham Athletic were in financial difficulties but they avoided going into administration after a takeover bid was confirmed.
Doncaster Rovers became
Division Three champions to earn their second successive promotion, having been Conference play-off winners the previous season. They had not played above the league's lowest tier for nearly 20 years; they were joined by
Hull City,
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
and play-off winners
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
.
Carlisle United were relegated to the Conference from Division Three. They had spent all but two of the previous 17 seasons in the league's fourth tier.
York City followed them out of the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
after a poor second half of the season.
Chester City and
Shrewsbury Town were promoted to the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
from the
Football Conference.
Telford United, who had been members of the Conference for every season since its formation in 1979, went out of business at the end of a season in which they had reached the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. The club was quickly reformed as
A.F.C. Telford United and joined the
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
.
Diary of the season
*26 June 2003:
Marc-Vivien Foé, who scored 9 goals in 35 games on loan 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 ...
—and had previously had a spell with
West Ham United between 1999 and 2000—collapsed and died during a
FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBO ...
tie for
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
.
*1 July 2003:
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 ...
signed defender
Steve Finnan from
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
for £3.6 million.
*2 July 2003:
David Beckham completed his £25 million move from
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 ...
to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
.
*3 July 2003:
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
paid a club record £5.5 million for
Blackburn Rovers midfielder
David Dunn.
*9 July 2003: Liverpool signed Leeds United's
Harry Kewell for £5 million.
*15 July 2003: Manchester United signed American goalkeeper
Tim Howard from
MetroStars for £2.3 million; Chelsea paid £6 million for 19-year-old West Ham defender
Glen Johnson.
*16 July 2003: Chelsea signed Cameroon midfielder
Geremi from Real Madrid for £7 million.
*21 July 2003: Chelsea signed
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
defender
Wayne Bridge for £7 million and Blackburn winger
Damien Duff for a club record £17 million.
*30 July 2003: The Premier League was officially declared the richest football league in Europe.
*4 August 2003: The Premier League ruled out the possibility of
Rangers and
Celtic gaining membership.
*6 August 2003: Chelsea signed
Juan Sebastián Verón from Manchester United for £15 million and
Joe Cole from West Ham for £6.6 million.
*12 August 2003: Manchester United signed 18-year-old Portuguese winger
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...
for £12.24 million from
Sporting CP
Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries, and
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
's
World Cup-winning midfielder
Kléberson for £5.93 million from
Atlético Paranaense.
*14 August 2003: Chelsea signed Romanian striker
Adrian Mutu from
Parma
Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
for £15.8million.
*25 August 2003: Chelsea signed Russian midfielder
Alexei Smertin from
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
for £3.45 million and immediately
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
ed him to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
for the season.
*26 August 2003: Chelsea signed
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
striker
Hernán Crespo from
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
for £16.8 million.
*29 August 2003: Blackburn paid £7.5 million for Rangers and
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
midfielder
Barry Ferguson.
*31 August 2003: The first month of the season ended with Arsenal and Manchester United at the top of the league with three wins from their first three Premier League games, while their nearest challengers were Portsmouth (newly promoted), Manchester City and Chelsea. Meanwhile,
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
lost the first three games of their first top flight campaign for 20 years;
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
and
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
completed the bottom three. The race to get into the Premier League was headed by
West Bromwich Albion, who were a point ahead of their nearest rivals
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
and
Sheffield United at the top of Division One.
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
,
Crystal Palace and West Ham completed the top six.
*1 September 2003: Chelsea signed Real Madrid and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
midfielder
Claude Makélélé for £16.6 million.
*21 September 2003:
Tottenham Hotspur sacked
Glenn Hoddle after two-and-a-half years as manager. Director of football
David Pleat
David John Pleat (born 15 January 1945) is an English association football, football player turned manager (association football), manager, and sports commentator. Pleat made 185 Football League appearances for five clubs, scoring 26 goals. He ...
took temporary charge.
*27 September 2003:
Wimbledon relocated to
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
where they would play at the
National Hockey Stadium, but this was a temporary measure; there were plans to build a new 25,000-seat stadium at
Denbigh North which was expected to be completed in either 2006 or 2007.
*30 September 2003: Arsenal led the Premier League, but their nearest challengers Chelsea and Manchester United were just a point behind. Surprise title contenders Birmingham City and Southampton completed the top five, but there was widespread doubt as to whether they could continue their good form and make a serious challenge to record their first-ever top division title. Wolverhampton Wanderers were still bottom and looking for their first win of the season;
Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur completed the bottom three. Sheffield United led the way in Division One, a point ahead of former leaders West Brom. Wigan Athletic,
Norwich City,
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
and West Ham occupied the play-off zone.
*31 October 2003: Chelsea were ahead of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with equal goal difference but with more goals scored; Manchester United were a point behind in third place. Birmingham remained fourth, while
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
moved into the top five at the expense of Southampton.
Leicester City and Middlesbrough propped up the Premier League after an upturn in fortunes for Wolves and Tottenham; Leeds had slipped into the relegation zone as the mass sale of players to help pay off mounting debts took its toll on the field. Newcastle were in eighth place, just below Manchester City. West Brom were top of Division One, where Wigan were playing for the first time in their history. Norwich, Sheffield United, Sunderland and West Ham completed the top six.
Ipswich Town were a single goal short of the play-off places.
*8 November 2003: Senior executives from the 20 Premier League clubs backed plans for clubs to be deducted ten points if they enter
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
.
*10 November 2003:
Peter Reid was sacked after eight months as manager of Leeds United, who were bottom of the Premier League after losing 8 of their opening 12 games. Long-serving coach and former manager
Eddie Gray took over on a temporary basis.
*30 November 2003: Chelsea lead the Premier League, one point ahead of Arsenal and four points ahead of Manchester United. Debt-ridden Leeds propped up the top flight, joined in the relegation zone by Wolves and Everton. West Brom and Norwich were top of Division One, followed by Sheffield United, Ipswich, Wigan and Reading.
*19 December 2003:
Rio Ferdinand received an eight-month ban from football and a £50,000 fine as penalty for missing a drugs test on 22 September. The ban commenced on 19 January, though Ferdinand was intent on appealing against it.
*31 December 2003: Manchester United were leaders of the Premier League; their nearest contenders Arsenal (unbeaten) and Chelsea were four points behind.
Charlton Athletic and Fulham completed the top five, with Liverpool and Newcastle close behind. Wolves and Leeds were bottom of the division; Everton were comfortably clear of the bottom three. Norwich held a six-point lead over West Brom at the top of Division One followed by Sheffield United, Sunderland, Ipswich and Wigan.
*9 January 2004:
Gordon Strachan announced that he would not renew his contract as Southampton manager when it expired at the end of the season, amid speculation that he will return to his old club Leeds as their new manager.
*14 January 2004: Manchester City signed goalkeeper
David James from West Ham for £2 million, prompting the retirement of 40-year-old
David Seaman.
*23 January 2004: Manchester United signed Fulham striker
Louis Saha
Louis Laurent Saha (born 8 August 1978) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. Saha was capped 20 times for the France national team and scored four goals. Louis Saha was a former scholar at the Clairefontaine foo ...
for £12.8 million.
*28 January 2004: Arsenal signed
Sevilla striker
José Antonio Reyes for £10.5 million.
*30 January 2004: Chelsea signed Charlton midfielder
Scott Parker for £10 million.
*31 January 2004: Manchester United topped the Premier League, with unbeaten Arsenal a point behind and a game in hand. Chelsea's bid for the title took a setback; they were in third place with a seven-point gap between them and the top spot followed by Charlton and Liverpool. Leeds, Wolves and Leicester occupied the bottom three places. Norwich and West Brom were still leading the way at the top of Division One. Sheffield United, Sunderland, Ipswich and Wigan occupied the play-off zone.
*2 February 2004: Tottenham paid £7 million for West Ham striker
Jermain Defoe.
*29 February 2004: Middlesbrough won their first ever trophy as a professional club by beating Bolton Wanderers in the
League Cup final. In the Premier League, Arsenal were still unbeaten and were top of the league with a nine-point advantage over Chelsea and Manchester United. Newcastle and Charlton completed the top five, followed closely by Liverpool and Aston Villa. Leeds and Leicester remained in the bottom three, but Wolves had climbed out of the drop zone at the expense of Portsmouth. Norwich and West Brom remained at the top of Division One, and West Ham edged Sheffield United out of an otherwise unchanged play-off zone.
*2 March 2004: Gordon Strachan, who was due to depart as Southampton manager at the end of the season, resigned from the club with immediate effect.
*4 March 2004:
Paul Sturrock departed from Division Two leaders
Plymouth Argyle to become Southampton's new manager.
*5 March 2004: Three Leicester City players –
Paul Dickov,
Keith Gillespie
Keith Robert Gillespie ( ; born 18 February 1975) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Mindwell in the Mid-Ulster Football League.
He began his career at Manchester United after winning the FA Yo ...
and
Frank Sinclair – were charged with sexual assault while on a training camp in
La Manga, Spain.
*7 March 2004: A brace from
Malky Mackay followed up by a goal from
Darren Huckerby secured
East Anglian derby victory for Norwich over Ipswich.
*31 March 2004: Arsenal, the first team to complete 30 matches unbeaten at the start of a league season, led Chelsea by seven points with Manchester United a further five points behind. They were also in contention for both the Champions League and the FA Cup. Liverpool and Newcastle completed the top five as Charlton's bid for a European place was fading fast, the competition now coming from Birmingham and
Aston Villa. At the other end of the table, time was running out for Wolves and Leeds; Leicester were still giving the rest of the bottom ten a good run for their money. Norwich and West Brom were equal on points at the top of Division One, and
Millwall had edged Wigan out of the top six.
*10 April 2004: Arsenal's double hopes ended when they lost 1–0 to Manchester United in the
FA Cup semi-final 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 ...
.
*25 April 2004: Arsenal clinched the Premier League title – and were still unbeaten – after a 2–2 draw with Tottenham at
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
. Norwich and West Brom had their promotion from Division One confirmed. The play-off places were still being contested between seven clubs: Sunderland, Ipswich, West Ham, Wigan, Sheffield United, Reading and Crystal Palace, who had climbed from 19th to 7th since the appointment of
Iain Dowie as manager four months previously.
*30 April 2004: Arsenal finished April as Premier League champions while Chelsea and Manchester United fought closely for second place. Liverpool and Aston Villa completed the top five, though the seven teams below them still stood a chance of a top-five finish and European qualification. Wolves and Leicester needed a miracle to avoid relegation, and Leeds were still giving most of the rest of the bottom ten a run for their money.
*1 May 2004: Leicester's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed just one season after promotion; Wolves needed to win both of their remaining games by a significant margin and hope that Manchester City would suffer heavy defeats in both of theirs to survive, despite beating Everton. Leeds still needed at least a draw against Bolton to have any chance of avoiding relegation. At the top of the Premiership, Chelsea looked set for second place while Manchester United seemed certain to settle for third place, with Liverpool and Newcastle completing the top five.
*2 May 2004: Leeds lost 4–1 to Bolton (despite taking the lead) at the
Reebok Stadium, effectively sealing their relegation to the soon-to-be rebranded
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
(exactly three years after contesting a Champions League semi-final), joining Leicester and Wolves.
*15 May 2004: Arsenal completed the Premier League season unbeaten with a 2–1 win over Leicester, only the third time since the formation of
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
in 1888 that a team has gone an entire season unbeaten in the league. Joining them in next season's Champions League were Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool (occupying second, third and fourth place respectively), while fifth-placed Newcastle qualified for the
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 ...
with League Cup winners Middlesbrough.
*16 May 2004: Arsenal signed Dutch winger
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional association football, footballer who is the head coach of Eredivisie club Feyenoord. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and was ...
from
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...
for £2.75 million.
*17 May 2004: Goalkeeper
Paul Robinson left relegated Leeds in a £1.5 million move to Spurs.
*20 May 2004: Birmingham City paid a club record £6.25 million for Liverpool striker
Emile Heskey.
*22 May 2004: Manchester United beat Millwall 3–0 to clinch the FA Cup for the 11th time in their history. The losers had played their first-ever major cup final; however, Manchester United's participation in the Champions League meant that Millwall would be competing in the
UEFA Cup next season, the first time they will have ever played in a European competition.
*24 May 2004:
Gérard Houllier was sacked after six years as manager of Liverpool.
*27 May 2004:
Telford United, who reached the FA Cup fourth round in this season, were liquidated and removed from the
Conference
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
as a result. Leeds sold striker
Alan Smith to
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Manchester United for £7 million.
*29 May 2004: Crystal Palace, who were 19th in Division One when Iain Dowie became manager on 22 December, won promotion to the Premier League with a 1–0 win over West Ham in the
play-off final.
Neil Shipperley scored the only goal of the game. Ironically, Dowie was a former player of both of these clubs.
*1 June 2004: Chelsea signed
Rennes
Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
and
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
goalkeeper
Petr Čech for £7 million.
*2 June 2004:
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...
took over as manager of Chelsea, replacing the sacked
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Serie A club AS Roma, Roma but will leave on 30 June 2025, followin ...
.
*11 June 2004: Manchester United signed Argentine defender
Gabriel Heinze from
Paris Saint-Germain for £6.9 million.
*13 June 2004: England's
UEFA Euro 2004
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...
campaign began with a 2–1 defeat by France.
*16 June 2004:
Rafael Benítez took over as manager of Liverpool.
*17 June 2004: England confirmed their quarter-final qualification with a 3–0 win over
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
at Euro 2004.
*21 June 2004: Wimbledon announced that they would change their name to
Milton Keynes Dons, reflecting its highly controversial move from
South London
South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...
to Milton Keynes. England's Euro 2004 group stage campaign finished with a 4–2 win over
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
.
*24 June 2004: England lost on penalties to Euro 2004 hosts
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
after a 2–2 draw, with penalty misses from David Beckham and
Darius Vassell ending their chances of progressing to the semi-finals.
National team
*ECQ – Euro 2004 qualifiers
*ECF – Euro 2004 finals
*F – Friendly; scores are written England first
*FA – FA Summer Tournament (friendly)
*(FT) – Full-time
*(aet) – After extra time
*(P) – After penalty shoot out
Honours
European qualification
League tables
FA Premier League
Despite the Premiership title picture being a three-horse race for much of the campaign, Arsenal remained unbeaten all season long and clinched the title with 90 points and an 11-point gap over runners-up Chelsea, who had been most people's favourites for the title after a £100 million summer spending spree. After losing defender Rio Ferdinand to an eight-month ban for missing a drugs test in September, defending champions Manchester United turned in some lacklustre performances during the second half of the season, which put paid to their hopes of retaining their crown and restricting them to a third-place finish, some 15 points behind Arsenal. Solace came in the form of a record 11th FA Cup triumph, defeating Millwall 3–0 in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
at the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
.
Liverpool were the final team to qualify for the Champions League, finishing in fourth place, but leaving them 30 points behind Arsenal and slightly closer to the relegation zone than the title winners, and manager Gérard Houllier was sacked shortly after the season's end.
League Cup winners Middlesbrough qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history, joined by fifth-placed Newcastle United, who edged out Aston Villa – who had recovered from as low as 18th place in November – on goal difference. Seventh-placed Charlton Athletic and eighth-placed Bolton Wanderers both achieved their highest league finishes since the 1950s, while ninth-placed Fulham (many people's pre-season relegation favourites) defied the odds under 33-year-old manager
Chris Coleman and achieved the highest league finish of their history. Birmingham City, in their second season since promotion, also enjoyed a solid year, finishing tenth.
Portsmouth, also considered favourites for relegation pre-season, finished a respectable 13th in their first top-flight season for
16 years, despite finishing behind bitter rivals Southampton, who recovered from the sudden resignation of
Gordon Strachan in March to finish 12th.
Newly promoted Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers both went down after just one season (Wolves not gaining one away win all season), while Leeds United's Premiership status was crushed under a multi-million pound debt which had been mounting relentlessly for the best part of three years, as their relegation ultimately became a matter of when rather than if, ending their top-flight membership after 14 successive seasons among the elite.
Leading goalscorer:
Thierry Henry (Arsenal) – 30
Football League First Division
The top three led the division for most of the season, but Sunderland could not shake off their poor start and lost out to Norwich, who returned to the Premiership after nearly a decade, and West Brom, who bounced back to the Premiership after relegation the previous season. Crystal Palace achieved one of the most unlikely promotions of recent times, spending the entire first half of the season in the relegation zone under manager
Steve Kember before surging into the play-off places under new manager
Iain Dowie.
West Ham continued to sell most of their top players following relegation the previous season, but overcame the sudden sacking of
Glenn Roeder only three games into the season as his replacement Alan Pardew guided them to 4th place, with the loss to Crystal Palace in the playoff final the only disappointment. Wigan's first season in the First Division saw them finish two points off the play-off places in seventh, failing to win any of their last 4 games, although they did finish above last season's playoff finalists Sheffield United on goal difference.
Wimbledon's move to Milton Keynes took its toll on the club, and they finished bottom of the table in an abysmal final season for the club before it was renamed as
MK Dons. Bradford fared little better, despite the presence of former England captain
Bryan Robson in the manager's chair. Walsall made a respectable start to the season before slumping somewhat later on, and finally crashing into the relegation zone; just a single point from any of their last three games would have ensured survival.
Millwall qualified for the UEFA Cup for finishing as runners-up in the FA Cup, as winners Manchester United already qualified for the Champions League.
Leading goalscorer:
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
(Crystal Palace) – 27
Football League Second Division
Plymouth Argyle finished top of the division, though they lost manager
Paul Sturrock to Southampton.
Queens Park Rangers grabbed the second spot from under the noses of
Bristol City, who proceeded to lose the play-off final to
Brighton & Hove Albion, another side who bounced back from relegation the previous season.
Tony Adams, previously suggested by many as a possible future manager of Arsenal and England, failed to keep
Wycombe Wanderers up, ending their ten-year spell in the division.
Notts County nearly went bankrupt during the course of the season and the effect on the club was evident, as they slipped into Division Three (or League Two, as it would be called the next season).
Rushden & Diamonds' years of success came to a grinding halt as they suffered their first-ever relegation and crashed out of the division after being promoted the previous year.
Grimsby Town filled the final relegation spot, resulting in their second consecutive relegation; they had looked safe in the final weeks, but ultimately went down after a poor sequence of results combined with revivals by Chesterfield and Stockport County.
Leading goalscorer:
Leon Knight (Brighton & Hove Albion) and
Stephen McPhee (Port Vale) – 25
Football League Third Division
Doncaster Rovers earned a second successive promotion, showing that the club was firmly back on track after the years of struggle and scandal that the club had endured in the late 1990s. Hull City were another team who had suffered much strife in the previous decade, but this time their extensive investment in players finally paid off, and they were promoted as runners-up. Torquay United earned the third automatic promotion spot from Huddersfield on the last day of the season. Huddersfield Town would make up for this by beating Mansfield in the play-off final, earning an immediate return after the previous year's relegation.
Despite winning 4 out of their last 5 games, Yeovil missed out on the playoffs on goal difference in their first ever season in the Football League, while Swansea, nearly relegated the previous season, finished 10th, but were still closer to the drop zone than the playoffs.
York City were in play-off contention for a large part of the campaign, but a disastrous end to the season saw them lose 16 of their last 20 games, costing them their 80-year-old League status. Conversely, Carlisle United started the season horrendously, but a late run saw them finish 23rd. A few years ago this would have seen them complete an amazing escape from relegation, but with the introduction of two relegation places from the League it was no longer sufficient, and they dropped into the Conference, becoming the first former top-flight team to suffer this indignity.
Leading goalscorer:
Steve MacLean (Scunthorpe United) – 23
National league system
Cup competitions
Football Conference
*Champions:
**
Chester City
*
Playoff winners:
**
Shrewsbury Town
*Relegated:
**
Margate
Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...
''(forced relegation to
Conference South due to failing ground requirements)''
Northern Premier League
*Champions:
**
Hucknall Town ''(to
Conference North)''
*Also promoted ''(to Conference North)'':
**
Droylsden,
Barrow,
Alfreton Town,
Harrogate Town,
Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
,
Worksop Town,
Lancaster City,
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors Limited , ;Company No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. is a British Automoti ...
,
Gainsborough Trinity,
Stalybridge Celtic,
Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...
,
Runcorn FC Halton,
Bradford Park Avenue ''(playoff winners)''
Southern League
*Champions:
**
Crawley Town ''(to
Conference National
The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
)''
*Also promoted ''(to
Conference North)'':
**
Stafford Rangers,
Nuneaton Borough,
Worcester City,
Hinckley United,
Moor Green
*Also promoted ''(to
Conference South)'':
**
Weymouth,
Newport County,
Cambridge City,
Welling United,
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...
,
Eastbourne Borough,
Havant & Waterlooville,
Dorchester Town ''(playoff winners)''
Isthmian League
*Champions:
**
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames Estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office for National Statistics. ...
''(to
Conference National
The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
)''
*Also promoted ''(to
Conference South)'':
**
Sutton United,
Thurrock
Thurrock () is a unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Essex, England. It lies on the north bank of the River ...
,
Hornchurch,
Grays Athletic,
Carshalton Athletic,
Hayes,
Bognor Regis Town,
Bishop's Stortford,
Maidenhead United,
Ford United,
Basingstoke Town,
St Albans City ''(playoff winners)''
*Also promoted ''(to
Conference North)'':
**
Kettering Town
Other leagues
Transfer deals
Summer transfer window
The summer transfer window ran from the end of the previous season until 31 August 2003.
January transfer window
The mid-season transfer window runs from 1 to 31 January 2004.
For subsequent transfer deals see
2004–05 in English football.
Famous debutants
*
Anton Ferdinand – 18-year-old defender, made his debut for West Ham in their 2–1 away win over
Preston North End on 9 August 2003.
*
Darren Fletcher – 19-year-old midfielder, made his debut for Manchester United in their 4–1 win over Leicester City at
Walkers Stadium on 27 September 2003.
*
Ashley Young – 18-year-old winger, made his debut for
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
in their 3–1 home win over Millwall on 13 September 2003.
*
Aaron Lennon – 16-year-old winger, made his debut for Leeds United in their 2–2 home draw with Newcastle on 17 August 2003.
*
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...
– 18-year-old Ronaldo made his debut as a substitute in a 4–0 home win over
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
in the Premier League on 16 August 2003, and received a standing ovation when he came on for
Nicky Butt. His performance earned praise from
George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...
, who hailed it as "undoubtedly the most exciting debut" he had ever seen.
*
Scott Carson – 18-year-old goalkeeper made his debut as a substitute for
Leeds United in a 3-0 defeat to
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
on 31 January 2004, replacing
Paul Robinson who was sent off.
Retirements
*13 January 2004:
David Seaman, 40, retired from playing halfway through a one-year contract at Manchester City, having joined them seven months ago after 13 years at Arsenal. He was England's regular goalkeeper for a decade.
*15 May 2004:
Denis Irwin, 38, retired from playing following a two-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers after joining them from Manchester United where he spent 12 years. A regular for the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
in the 1990s, he also had spells playing for Leeds United and Oldham Athletic.
Deaths
*6 July 2003:
Bert Hoyle, 83, kept goal in 82 league games for
Exeter City and 105 for
Bristol Rovers in the seven seasons following the end of World War II before his senior career was ended by injuries sustained in a car crash.
*9 August 2003:
**–
Jimmy Davis, 21, Manchester United and England under-21 striker, died in a car crash on the M40 just hours before the club to whom he had been loaned – Watford – were due to play. He had played once for Manchester United in a League Cup game, and had spent part of the 2001–02 season on loan to Swindon Town.
**–
Ray Harford, 58, was best remembered for his managerial and coaching career – he was manager of Luton Town when they won the League Cup in 1988 and assistant manager of Blackburn Rovers when they were Premiership champions in 1995. He was promoted from the role of assistant manager to the manager's seat at three clubs – Luton Town, Wimbledon and Blackburn Rovers. He also had spells in charge of Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and finally Queens Park Rangers. His last post was as first-team coach at Millwall, and helped them win the Division Two title in 2001. He was still on the club's payroll at the time of his death from lung cancer.
*4 September 2003:
Harold Atkinson, 78, scored 91 league goals as a centre-forward for
Tranmere Rovers in the nine seasons following the end of World War II before finishing his senior career with a spell at
Chesterfield.
*26 October 2003:
Steve Death, 54, made one appearance in goal for West Ham under
Ron Greenwood before signing for
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
in 1969 and remaining with them until his retirement 13 years later, playing 471 league games. He was the club's player of the year four times, won promotion from the Fourth Division twice, kept 26 clean sheets in a single season and went a record 1,103 minutes of league football without conceding a goal.
*28 November 2003:
Ted Bates, 85, served Southampton for 66 years until his death as a player, coach, manager, director and president. He scored 63 goals for the club as a forward and during his 18-year spell as manager took the club into the top flight for the first time in 1966.
*1 February 2004:
Bob Stokoe, 73, was manager of the Sunderland side who achieved a shock FA Cup victory over Leeds United in the 1973 final. He later managed Carlisle United and returned to Sunderland during the 1986–87 season, but quit after failing to save them from relegation to the old Third Division for the first time in their history.
*14 February 2004:
Steve Cooper, 39, former striker who played nine Football League clubs during his career, most notably Tranmere Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, where he was a key member of promotion-winning sides. Later joined Scottish side
Airdrie where he was a member of the side that surprisingly reached the Scottish FA Cup final in 1995.
*21 February 2004:
John Charles, 72, was the most famous Leeds United player in the pre-Don Revie era. His exploits for Leeds and the Welsh national team attracted attention from all over the world and he was sold to Italian side Juventus in 1958.
*19 March 2004:
Bert Barlow, 87, scored in Portsmouth 1939 FA Cup triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers, a year after he joined the
Fratton Park club from their
Wembley opponents. He was still at the club a decade later when they won the league title. Having started his career at
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
, he later played for Leicester before winding up at
Colchester United in 1954.
*21 June 2004:
Ron Ashman, 78, was a full-back for most of his 592 league appearances for Norwich City between 1947 and 1963, during which time they reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1959 and won the League Cup in 1962. He became manager soon after the club's League Cup triumph and remained in charge until 1966. In the first of two spells as manager of
Scunthorpe United, he sold
Kevin Keegan to Liverpool.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2003-04 in English football