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The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England. The 2009 season officially began on August 8 for the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
, League One and,
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Le ...
; and August 15, 2009, for the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. The season finished on Sunday May 2, 2010, for the Championship, and the weekend of May 8-9, 2010, for the other three divisions.


Promotion and relegation (pre-season)

Teams promoted to 2009–10 Premier League *
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Ro ...
*
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. Since 2011, the first te ...
*
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
Teams relegated from
2008–09 Premier League The 2008–09 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 17th season since the establishment of the Premier League in 1992. Manchester United became champions for the 11th time on the penultimate weeken ...
*
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
*
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
*
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
Teams promoted to
2009–10 Football League Championship The 2009–10 Football League Championship (known as the Coca-Cola Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the league under its current title and eighteenth season under its current league division format. It started on 7 A ...
*
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the Nation ...
* Peterborough United *
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
Teams relegated from
2008–09 Football League Championship The 2008–09 Football League Championship (known as the Coca-Cola Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the league under its current title and seventeenth season under its current league division format. Wolverhampton ...
* Norwich City *
Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...
(started on −10 points for administration entrance) * Charlton Athletic Teams promoted to
2009–10 Football League One The Football League 2009–10 (called Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons), was the seventeenth season under its current league division format. It began in August 2009 and ended on 8 May 2010. The Football League is contested thr ...
*
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings w ...
* Exeter City * Wycombe Wanderers * Gillingham Teams relegated from
2008–09 Football League One The Football League 2008–09 (named Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons), was the seventeenth season under its current league division format. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals. ...
* Northampton Town * Crewe Alexandra * Cheltenham Town * Hereford United Teams promoted to
2009–10 Football League Two The Football League 2009–10 (called Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons), was the seventeenth season under its current league division format. It began in August 2009 and ended on 8 May 2010. The Football League is contested thro ...
* Burton Albion *
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
Teams relegated from
2008–09 Football League Two The Football League 2008–09, known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the 17th season under its current league division format. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off final ...
* Chester City (started on −25 points and expelled from the
Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called th ...
10 March 2010) *
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1 ...


Managerial changes

Notes *1 Sampson was named caretaker manager following Gray's departure on 8 September and appointed full-time on 5 October. *2 McDermott was named caretaker manager following Rogers' departure on 17 December and was appointed full-time on 27 January. *3 Simpson was named caretaker manager on 3 March and appointed full-time on 14 April. *4 Keith Millen will remain caretaker manager until the end of the season when Coppell will take charge.


Diary of the season


July 2009

1 July: Portuguese forward
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
completed his world record £80 million move from
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
to
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
. English defender Glen Johnson switched from
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
to
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
for £18 million, one of the highest fees ever paid for a defender. English midfielder Gareth Barry ended 11 years at
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
and signed for
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
for £12 million. 6 July: Chelsea signed Russian winger Yuri Zhirkov from
CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
for £18 million. 26 July: An England XI defeated a Germany XI 3–2 at
St James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Pa ...
, Newcastle, in a charity match raising money for the cancer charity of former England manager
Sir Bobby Robson Sir Robert William Robson (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English footballer and football manager. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich ...
. Robson, who has fought the illness since 1992 and gone into remission four times, attended the match in a wheelchair. 27 July: English striker Peter Crouch, who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur as an apprentice but left without playing for them, returned to
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater it had a capacity of 36,284 before demolition ...
in a £9 million move from Portsmouth. 31 July: Sir Bobby Robson died, aged 76.


August 2009

5 August:
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
paid a club record £10 million for England and Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent. Liverpool sold Spanish midfielder
Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his ho ...
to
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
for £30 million. 12 August:
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
came back from 2–0 down to draw 2–2 against
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
thanks to two goals made by Jermain Defoe. 14 August: Bryan Gunn became the first managerial casualty of the season when his contract was terminated by Norwich City of League One. 15 August: The new Premier League season kicks off, with the highlight of the opening day coming at
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpo ...
where
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 ...
trounce Everton 6–1 in the biggest opening day victory at this level for 15 years.
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
's returned to the top flight after 33 years away began on a low note when an own goal by Stephen Jordan contributed to a 2–0 defeat against
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Sto ...
. 19 August: Burnley achieved a shocking 1–0 home win over
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, with the only goal of the match coming from veteran striker
Robbie Blake Robert James Blake (born 4 March 1976) is an English former professional footballer and current coach at Bognor Regis Town. He began his career as a striker but was increasingly used as midfielder in the latter part of his career. He began his ...
. 23 August: The highlight of the second weekend of the Premier League season came when Burnley achieves another shocking 1–0 win, this time over Everton after French striker Louis Saha missed a penalty. 25 August: Some of the worst scenes of football hooliganism in years are witnessed in West Ham United's 3–1 home win over
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, ea ...
in the League Cup second round. Fans invaded the pitch twice and there was widespread violence in the stands and the streets surrounding Upton Park, including an incident in which a man suffered stab wounds. Manchester City pays £22 million for Everton and England defender Joleon Lescott. 27 August: Tottenham Hotspur manager
Harry Redknapp Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. In hi ...
suggested West Ham and Millwall should never be allowed to play each other in a cup competition again. 31 August: The first month of the Premier League season ended with Chelsea as leaders, level on 12 points with second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Defending champions Manchester United are third, with underdogs Stoke City standing fourth after a strong start to the season.


September 2009

1 September: Everton signed Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga from
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in ...
for £6 million. 9 September: England secured qualification for the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
after a 5–1 win over
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. 20 September: The Manchester derby at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after We ...
produced one of the most thrilling matches of the season as United defeated Manchester City 4–3 thanks to a stoppage time winner by
Michael Owen Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, Newcastle ...
. 30 September: Manchester United and Chelsea are levels on 18 points at the top of the Premier League, three points ahead of their nearest rivals
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
and Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal and Manchester City complete the top six.
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
are bottom of the table after starting the season with a record seven consecutive defeats, joined in the relegation zone by West Ham United and
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's ...
.


October 2009

2 October: Sheffield United striker
Jordan Robertson Jordan Steven Robertson (born 12 February 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in Sheffield he began his career with Sheffield United but failed to ever break into the first team. He was loaned out t ...
is jailed for 32 months on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving in relation to a fatal car crash on the
M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, whic ...
in December 2008. 17 October: Sunderland defeat Liverpool 1–0 at the
Stadium of Light The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in Engla ...
after Darren Bent's shot is deflected in off a beachball. 21 October: Gareth Southgate's contract as manager of
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
is terminated, despite them standing fourth in the Championship one season after relegation from the Premier League. 26 October 2009:
Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. He has since managed Co ...
is appointed as Middlesbrough's new manager, five months after resigning from Celtic. 29 October: Wigan Athletic striker Marlon King has his contract terminated by the club after receiving an 18-month prison sentence for assaulting a woman in a nightclub. It is the second time King has been in convicted and incarcerated, having also received an 18-month prison sentence in 2002 when convicted of driving a stolen car. 31 October: October draws to a close with Chelsea now two points ahead of Manchester United, with the rest of the top four unchanged from the end of last month. Portsmouth remains bottom, but have now gained their first seven points of the season, while West Ham and Hull City complete the bottom three once again.


November 2009

30 November: November ended with Chelsea two points ahead of Manchester United and with a match in hand, while the only change to the rest of the top six is that Aston Villa has displaced Liverpool, who are now seventh. Portsmouth remain bottom, now joined in the relegation zone by
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Ro ...
and
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...
.


December 2009

13 December: Brian Laws left Championship strugglers
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
after three years as manager. 15 December:
Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed ...
is sacked after six months as manager of
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
, who are battling relegation from the Championship just months after almost being promoted under his predecessor
Steve Coppell Stephen James Coppell (born 9 July 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player. As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and ...
. 16 December: The 11 venues for England's
2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
bid are announced. Three stadiums in London will feature – Wembley ( national team),
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacit ...
(Arsenal) and either the
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
or a rebuilt
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater it had a capacity of 36,284 before demolition ...
(Tottenham Hotspur).
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
(Aston Villa's
Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway statio ...
),
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
(a proposed new stadium for Bristol City),
Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
( Leeds United's
Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Premier League club Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the ...
),
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
(the current
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
stadium or its replacement), Milton Keynes ( Stadium:mk, home of Milton Keynes Dons),
Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
(new
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
stadium),
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
(Old Trafford and the
City of Manchester Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the List of Engli ...
), Newcastle (
St James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Pa ...
),
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...
( Home Park),
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
(Sheffield Wednesday's
Hillsborough Hillsborough may refer to: Australia *Hillsborough, New South Wales, a suburb of Lake Macquarie Canada *Hillsborough, New Brunswick *Hillsborough Parish, New Brunswick * Hillsborough, Nova Scotia, in Inverness County *Hillsborough (electoral d ...
) and Sunderland (Stadium of Light) have also been selected as venues if England are accepted as hosts. 19 December: Despite being sixth in the Premier League and being on course for their highest league finish in nearly 20 years, Manchester City sack manager
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City. During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, an ...
and appoint Italian
Robert Mancini Roberto Mancini (; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national team. As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for his time at Sampd ...
as his successor. 22 December: Albert Scanlon, former Manchester United winger who survived the Munich air disaster in 1958, dies at age 74 after a two-month illness. There are now just four players who survived the crash still alive. 30 December: Premier League strugglers Bolton Wanderers sack manager Gary Megson after two years in charge, while Alan Irvine is sacked after the same length of time in charge of Championship side
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syst ...
. 31 December: The decade draws to a close with Chelsea two points ahead of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League. Arsenal is two points behind United in third place, with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool completing the top seven. A surprise challenge for Europe place is coming from newly-promoted Birmingham City, who have collected 32 points from their opening 20 matches. Portsmouth is bottom of the Premier League, with Hull City and Bolton Wanderers completing the relegation zone.


January 2010

3 January: Manchester United suffer a shock exit at home to League One leader Leeds United in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
third round, their 1–0 defeat being their first defeat at the entry stage of the competition in 26 years. 5 January: The first managerial change of the decade takes place when
Owen Coyle Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Scottish Championship club Queen's Park. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made on ...
leaves Burnley to take over as manager of local rivals Bolton Wanderers. 6 January:
Darren Ferguson Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Championship club Peterborough United. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed Presto ...
is appointed manager of Preston North End and declares his ambition to take them into the Premier League and play against his father Sir Alex's Manchester United side. 8 January: Alan Irvine is appointed manager of Sheffield Wednesday. 9 January: Seven of the Premier League fixtures this weekend are postponed due to heavy snow across Britain. Four fixtures survive in the Championship and two will be played in League One, but the whole League Two program is postponed. 13 January: Another shock in the FA Cup third round takes place at Anfield, where Liverpool lose 2–1 to Championship strugglers reading in the replay, casting further doubt on the position of manager Rafael Benítez, whose job has reportedly been on the line for weeks due to sub-standard form by his team. Burnley appoint Brian Laws as their new manager. 18 January: Championship leaders Newcastle United announce a new four-year sponsorship deal with
Northern Rock Northern Rock, formerly the Northern Rock Building Society, was a British bank. Based at Regent Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Northern Rock was originally a building society. It demutualisation, demutualised and became North ...
, the bank which has been nationalized for two years after almost collapsing due to the
credit crunch A credit crunch (also known as a credit squeeze, credit tightening or credit crisis) is a sudden reduction in the general availability of loans (or credit) or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from banks. A credit cr ...
which brought on the current recession. 31 January: January draws to a close with Chelsea a point ahead of the nearest challengers Manchester United in the Premier League, with a match in hand. Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester City complete the top six. Burnley, Hull City and Portsmouth occupy the bottom three.


February 2010

19 February: Chester City, the bottom of the
Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
with −3 points due to a 25-point deduction imposed upon them for financial problems, are suspended from their league until further notice for breach of league rules. A takeover deal is still in the pipeline for the club, who last season was relegated from 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, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for the second time in a decade. 23 February: Portsmouth, bottom of the Premier League, are reported to be within 72 hours of
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"—especially in c ...
. 26 February: Portsmouth goes into administration, the first Premier League club to do so. They are set to be deducted nine points and are already bottom of the table with 16 points. The points deduction would leave with just seven points and make relegation almost certain. Chester City, bottom of the
Conference National The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...
with −3 points after a 25-point deduction for similar financial problems, are expelled from the Conference a year after being relegated from the Football League and were wound-up shortly after. Their expulsion made them the first team at this level to fold mid-season since Newport County in February 1989. 28 February: Manchester United steal the first major silverware of the season by beating Aston Villa 2–1 in the League Cup final at Wembley, retaining the trophy. It is the fourth time they have won the trophy – all of the wins have been under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson. In the Premier League, United are still looking strong contenders for the title as they stand one point behind leaders Chelsea. Arsenal's good form has seen them occupy third place with just two points less than United and a nine-point gap outside their nearest contenders Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.


March 2010

3 March: Keith Alexander, manager of League Two strugglers
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and ...
, dies suddenly at age 53. Alexander had been manager of the
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's coun ...
club since February 2008 and also been in charge of Lincoln City (twice), Peterborough United and non-league sides
Ilkeston Town Ilkeston Town Football Club is a football club based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England. They currently play in the . History On 30 June 2017, a company, Ilkeston Town F.C. Ltd was registered at Companies House. On 20 July 2017, it was conf ...
and Northwich Victoria in a managerial career which began in 1993. He had suffered a near fatal brain aneurysm in November 2003 during his second spell as Lincoln City manager. 8 March: Chester City's expulsion from the Conference Premier is confirmed and their record for this season is expunged, sparking a revised league table which sees Oxford United taking over from Stevenage Borough as leaders, while York City drop out of the playoff zone and Cambridge United move dangerously closer to the relegation zone. 14 March: England captain
David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending f ...
suffers an
Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
injury during a
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
match for
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
(where he is on loan from the
LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...
) and is expected to miss this summer's World Cup. 15 March: Newport County, the former Football League club who reformed in 1989 after going bankrupt and being expelled from the Conference, achieve an early promotion back to the highest division outside the Football League as Conference South champions. 17 March: Portsmouth's nine-point deduction for going into administration is confirmed, making relegation from the Premier League almost certain as they remain bottom of the table but are now 17 points adrift of safety with nine matches left to play. 18 March:
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswo ...
defeat Italian giants Juventus 4–1 on the night and 5–4 on aggregate to progress to the quarter-finals of the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
. 28 March:
Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...
defeat
Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Park ...
1–4 at Wembley Stadium to win the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
.


April 2010

5 April: The first of the promotions and relegations in the Football League are confirmed when Newcastle United seal promotion from the Championship to the Premier League after one season away, while the division's bottom club Peterborough United (in their last match under the management of Jim Gannon before the appointment of
Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
) are relegated back to League One after just one season. 6 April: Arsenal's dreams of a first
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
triumph are ended when they are eliminated by
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...
in the quarter-finals. 7 April: Manchester United's hopes of winning the UEFA Champions League are ended when they are eliminated in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich on away goals. 8 April: Fulham reach the UEFA Europa League semi-finals with a 3–1 aggregate win over
VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
in the quarter-finals. Liverpool also reach the semi-finals by eliminating Benfica. 10 April: Portsmouth become the first Premier League club to be relegated this season when fellow relegation side West Ham United beat Sunderland 1–0, while
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
are promoted to the Premier League for the fourth time in nine seasons. Chelsea's
double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...
hopes are given a massive boost when they defeat Aston Villa 3–0 in the
FA Cup semi-final The FA Cup semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world. Location The semi-finals have always been contested at neut ...
. In the Championship, a 3–0 victory for Nottingham Forest over Ipswich Town guarantees Forest's spot in the
2010 Football League play-offs The Football League play-offs for the 2009–10 season were held in May 2010, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs, contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th a ...
. 11 April: 24 hours after being relegated without kicking a ball, Portsmouth reach the FA Cup final with a surprise 2–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in extra-time in the semi-final. Manchester United's hopes of a unique fourth successive top division title are dealt a major blow when mid-table
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
hold them to a goalless draw at
Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the Football League and Premier League, who have played there since 1890. It is an all seater multi-sports facil ...
. 13 April: Chelsea establish a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League by defeating Bolton 1–0 at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium) ...
with a Nicolas Anelka penalty against his former club being the only goal of the match. 17 April: The gap between leaders Chelsea and second placed Manchester United is narrowed down to a single point when a
Paul Scholes Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 70 ...
goal gives United a 1–0 win over Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium, while Chelsea suffer a 2–1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The two results also see Tottenham take the fourth and final Champions League spot from Manchester City with three match to play. In the Championship, Nottingham Forest and
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
are now certain of a playoff place, with
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the Nation ...
and
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
completing the top six, and
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...
being the only club able to reach the playoff zone. Plymouth Argyle now need a run of very good results to avoid joining Peterborough in the drop to League One, while
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus ...
,
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
,
Watford Watford () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal en ...
, Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday are the teams also battling to avoid the drop. Norwich City seal promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking with a 1–0 away win over fellow promotion contenders Charlton Athletic, and could be joined by any one of the five teams Leeds United, Millwall,
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
, Charlton Athletic and
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...
.
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
and Southampton are the only two clubs now capable of creeping into the playoffs.
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
seal promotion from the league's bottom tier after six years there, while
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
have gained promotion after a record 36 successive seasons at this level. AFC Bournemouth now need only two points from their final three matches to be sure of promotion. In contrast, Grimsby Town now need a miracle to avoid relegation from the Football League and the only teams they could leapfrog are Cheltenham Town, Lincoln City and Barnet. Stevenage Borough seal the
Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
title to seal promotion to the Football League 14 years after they last won the title but were denied promotion because their stadium did not meet capacity requirements.
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1 ...
and Oxford United – arguably the biggest clubs outside the Football League – have comfortably secured playoff qualification along with fellow former Football League members Rushden & Diamonds and York City. 19 April: Newcastle United take the Championship title with a 2–0 win against Plymouth Argyle, which consigns Plymouth to relegation to League One after six years in the Championship. 24 April: Manchester United go top of the Premier League with a 3–1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur (in which 36-year-old Ryan Giggs scores his first two league penalties for them), although Chelsea will regain their lead tomorrow if they defeat Stoke City at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, a 1–0 home defeat to Sunderland by Hull City means that the
East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...
club will need to record two comprehensive victories from their final two league match and hope that West Ham United are heavily beaten in both of theirs to achieve survival. In the Championship, Watford's survival is confirmed and it is now down to Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday to fight it out and try and avoid joining Plymouth Argyle and Peterborough United in the drop to League One. In League One, Norwich City (already promoted) seal the division title with a 2–0 home win against relegation-threatened Gillingham. Southend United are relegated after being held to a 2–2 draw by Oldham Athletic at
Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bou ...
. Although nobody can now muscle in on the top six for a playoff place, second-placed Leeds United's automatic promotion hopes are still under threat from Millwall, Swindon Town and Charlton Athletic, while Huddersfield Town has achieved a playoff place at this level for the first time since their relegation from Division One (now the Championship) in 2001, thanks to a 6–0 win at relegated Stockport County. Southampton would now be second if it hadn't been for their hefty points deduction at the start of the season, but as a result, they have now been left unable to achieve even a playoff place. In League Two, AFC Bournemouth are promoted after two seasons in the division with a 2–0 win at Burton Albion. Grimsby Town's 2–0 away win over already-relegated Darlington keeps their hopes of survival alive, though the only teams they are capable of leapfrogging are Barnet and Cheltenham Town. In the Conference Premier, Stevenage Borough have already been confirmed champions, leaving four former Football League members (Luton Town, Oxford United, Rushden & Diamonds and York City) to contest the playoffs for the second promotion place, while Forest Green Rovers and Ebbsfleet United are relegated to the Conference South. Forest Green Rovers was later reprieved following the demotion of
Salisbury City Salisbury City Football Club was an English football club based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. They were formed in 1947 and played at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Salisbury had gained back-to-back promotions in recent years, first to the Conference S ...
due to a breach of Conference rules. 25 April: Chelsea return to the top of the Premier League with a 7–0 win over mid table Stoke City, giving themselves a one-point advantage over Manchester United as well as a considerably greater goal difference. Burnley's first season back in the top flight for more than 30 years ends in relegation when they are beaten 4–0 at home by a Liverpool side who are now almost certain of Europa League qualification and still have a Champions League place in their sights. 27 April: Notts County take the League Two title with a 5–0 win against relegated Darlington. 29 April: Five men are found guilty of public order offences in connection to violent clashes at a match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion in
West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography ...
town center 15 months ago.


May 2010

1 May:
Tom Huddlestone Thomas Andrew Huddlestone (born 28 December 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and coach for Premier League club Manchester United. Having progressed through the youth ranks at Nottingham Forest an ...
scores the only goal of the match as Tottenham Hotspur defeat Bolton Wanderers 1–0 at White Hart Lane, meaning a draw at Manchester City and a win on the final day of the season will end their 20-year wait for a top four finish and put themselves beyond the reach of Liverpool, who for the last four seasons have held a "big four" dominance with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. Aston Villa, meanwhile, are left with no hope of Champions League qualification after they are defeated 3–1 by a Manchester City side still in the hunt for a place in the top four. In League One, Leeds United remain in second place and needing a win from their final match of the season to guarantee automatic promotion, despite losing 1–0 to a Charlton Athletic side who still have hope of automatic promotion thanks to this win. Millwall blow the chance of creeping into the top two by losing 2–0 to relegation threatened Tranmere Rovers. Swindon Town's 3–2 home win over
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings w ...
keeps the
West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glouce ...
club in the hunt for an automatic return to the league's second tier after a decade away. Huddersfield Town have an outside chance of automatic promotion thanks to an injury time winner by Lee Novak against Colchester United. Wycombe Wanderers are relegated back to League Two after one season in League one after a 2–0 defeat by a Leyton Orient side who are now almost certainly safe. Exeter City and Gillingham are still at risk of relegation. Grimsby Town defeat Barnet 2–0 to ensure that the battle against relegation for both clubs will go down to the last match of the season Cheltenham Town are trounced 5–0 by champions Notts County and as a result are still at risk of losing their
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, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
status after 11 years, as well as suffering a second successive relegation. 2 May: Chelsea's 2–0 win at Liverpool leaves them needing only a win against Wigan Athletic in a week's time to confirm themselves as Premier League champions, and today's result also confirms the end of the "big four" which has dominated the top of the Premier League for the last four seasons – Liverpool will now finish sixth or seventh, while Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester City will seal the final Champions League place. West Ham United's 3–2 defeat at Fulham means that they will go into the final match of the season knowing that a heavy defeat at home to Manchester City and a heavy win for Hull City at home to Liverpool could see them slide out of the Premier League on goal difference. In the Championship relegation crunch, Sheffield Wednesday go down after only managing a 2–2 draw at home to Crystal Palace, whose safety is confirmed. Blackpool, who last played in the top flight in 1971, qualify for the playoffs. Newcastle United finish the season with 102 points (the highest points tally in their history) by beating mid table QPR 1–0 at Loftus Road. Back in the Premier League, Chelsea could have sealed the title today but Manchester United's 1–0 win at Sunderland ensures that the title race will go down to the wire. 3 May: Hull City's relegation from the Premier League is confirmed after they are held to a 2–2 draw by Wigan Athletic. It is only the third time in 18 seasons of the Premier League that all of the relegation places have been confirmed before the last match of the season. York City and Oxford United reach the Conference Premier playoff final to compete for the second promotion place to the Football League. 5 May: Tottenham Hotspur win 1–0 at Manchester City to seal a Champions League place and take Liverpool's place in the "big four". It is Tottenham's highest finish in 20 years and they will be their first
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
campaign for 49 years and only their second since the competition's inception. 6 May: Hartlepool United have deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their 2–0 win over Brighton on 5 April, meaning they can still be relegated from League One. 8 May: During a topsy-turvy final day, in which changing scores have Millwall, Charlton, Huddersfield and Swindon all in the automatic promotion places at one point, Leeds United seal promotion from League One after three years by winning their final match of the season 2–1 at home to Bristol Rovers, despite going down to 10 men and conceding the first goal. Gillingham are relegated from League One when losing 3–0 at already relegated Wycombe Wanderers. Grimsby Town are relegated from the Football League after 99 years. 9 May: Chelsea win the Premier League title with an 8–0 demolition of Wigan Athletic, meaning that Manchester United's hopes of a unique fourth successive title are ended despite a 4–0 home win over Stoke City. Meanwhile, Liverpool finish in their lowest position for 11 years (seventh), though this season it is enough to achieve UEFA Europa League qualification due to second placed Manchester United being League Cup holders and champions Chelsea being FA Cup finalists. Burnley, already relegated, bow out of the Premier League in style with a 4–2 home win over fourth placed Tottenham Hotspur. 11 May:
Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He was most recently the assistant manager of Chelsea. He spent the first decade of his playing career playing ...
is sacked after less than two years as manager of West Ham United. However, Steve McClaren, the former Middlesbrough and England manager whose name had been linked with the West Ham job amid previous speculation about Zola's future, is ruled out as a successor after ending his two-year spell at
FC Twente Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedes ...
of the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and accepting an offer to manage German side
VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
. A London-based manager makes the headlines for the right reasons as the League Managers Association votes Fulham's
Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is a former English football manager and player. He managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstads BK in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to ...
as manager of the year. 12 May:
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswo ...
lose 2–1 to
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in ...
in the UEFA Europa League final at the Nordbank Arena in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
, Germany. Diego Forlán, the former Manchester United striker, had put the Spaniards ahead in the 32nd minute, only for Fulham midfielder Simon Davies to equalise five minutes later. With the scores still level after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time and Forlan won the trophy with his second goal in the 116th minute. 14 May: Wayne Brown, the Leicester City defender, is forced to apologize to his teammates after revealing to them that he voted for the far-right
British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right, fascist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and its leader is Adam Walker. A minor party, it has no elected representatives at any level of UK go ...
in last week's general election. 15 May: Chelsea beat
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
1–0 in the
FA Cup final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...
at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
.
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
scored the match's only goal from a second-half free-kick, as Kevin-Prince Boateng and
Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfiel ...
missed penalties for Portsmouth and Chelsea, respectively. Chelsea's victory in the 2009–10 FA Cup secured the club's first league and cup double, as well as their third FA Cup victory in four years. 16 May: Oxford United beat York City 3–1 in the
Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
playoff final at Wembley Stadium to secure a return to 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, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
after four years away. 21 May: Avram Grant resigned as manager of Portsmouth. 22 May:
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...
defeated Cardiff City 3–2 in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium to seal promotion to the Premier League, ending their 39-year exile from the top division of English football. 24 May: England beat
Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
3–1 in a friendly at Wembley, with goals coming from Ledley King, Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson. 26 May: Following promotion to the Premier League, Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston announces that a new stand will be built at the
Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a single-tier football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two being Raikes Hall Gardens and the ...
stadium in order to achieve a 16,000 all-seated capacity. 27 May: Steve Cotterill resigns as manager of Notts County despite having led them to promotion from League Two, amid speculation that he is about to replace Avram Grant as Portsmouth manager. 29 May: A Paul Robinson goal gives
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, ea ...
promotion to the Championship as they defeat
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
in the League One playoff final. 30 May: Jon Nurse grabs the winner as Dagenham & Redbridge clinch promotion to League One following a 3–2 win over
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around ...
in the League Two playoff final.
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
beat Japan 2–1 in their final friendly before the World Cup


June 2010

1 June: England's 23-man World Cup squad is announced, with Theo Walcott, who appeared in the 2006 squad despite being only 17, being the most notable exclusion. Crystal Palace are saved from liquidation by a last minute takeover deal. 3 June: Rafael Benítez resigns from Liverpool after six seasons as manager, during which time ''the Reds'' won the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup, but failed to clinch the league title which has eluded them since 1990. Meanwhile, Avram Grant is confirmed as manager of West Ham United. 4 June: England captain
Rio Ferdinand Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and wa ...
is ruled out of the World Cup by a knee injury sustained during training. 8 June:
Philippe Senderos Philippe Sylvain Senderos (born 14 February 1985) is a Swiss retired professional footballer who played as a defender. Senderos began his career at Servette, before moving to England as a teenager with Arsenal. He made 116 appearances over s ...
leaves Arsenal after seven years and joins Fulham on a three-year contract. 9 June: Chelsea give free transfers to out-of-contract players
Joe Cole Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as on ...
and Michael Ballack. 10 June: Cardiff City pay off £1.9 million debt with
HM Revenue and Customs HM Revenue and Customs (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the His Majesty's Government, UK Government responsible fo ...
, removing any threat of club's existence from the High Court.
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
teenager
Alex Henshall Alex Charles Henshall (born 15 February 1994) is an English footballer who plays as a winger for Southern League club Melksham Town. Henshall began his football career with hometown club Swindon Town before joining Manchester City as a 16-y ...
joins
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
for an undisclosed fee. 13 June: England's World Cup campaign begins with a 1–1 draw against the United States. 18 June: England's World Cup hopes are thrown into doubt when they are held to a 0–0 draw with Algeria in their second group match. 23 June: England reach the last 16 of the World Cup with a 1–0 win over Slovenia in their final group match. 27 June: England go out of the World Cup in a 4–1 defeat by Germany.


Retirements

8 October 2009:
Stephen Roberts Stephen Roberts may refer to: * Stephen Roberts (footballer, born 1980), former Welsh football player * Stephen Roberts (Australian footballer) (born 1948), former Australian rules footballer * Stephen Roberts (darts player) (born 1957), English dar ...
, 29-year-old former
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the county ...
,
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at T ...
and
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is t ...
defender. 22 October 2009:
Marc Edworthy Marc Edworthy (born 24 December 1972 in Barnstaple) is an English former professional footballer. He started out playing as a right winger before being moved to right back. He was also occasionally deployed at left back and in central defenc ...
, 36-year-old right-back who last played for Burton Albion retired after playing over 500 senior appearances in 18-year career. He played for eight clubs in his career which included spells in the Premier League with Crystal Palace,
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...
, Norwich City and
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...
. 8 December 2009: Linvoy Primus, 36-year-old
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
defender, after failing to overcome a serious knee injury but now work ambassadorial role for Portsmouth. He previously played for Charlton Athletic, Barnet and
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
. 11 December 2009: Dean Ashton, 26-year-old
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium ...
striker, after failing to make a full recovery from an ankle injury suffered when training with the England team in August 2006. 17 December 2009: Riccardo Scimeca, 34-year-old
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
midfielder formerly of
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
,
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the Nation ...
and
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
. 6 January 2010: Neil Clement, 31-year-old
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
defender and club's longest serving player after 10 years there, after failing to make a full recovery from a knee injury suffered in August 2008. 6 January 2010: Patrik Berger, 36-year-old Czech midfielder who had spells in England with
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
,
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
and
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
before returning to
Sparta Prague ) but refer to Spartans as "''Rudí''" ( en, The Dark Reds/The Maroons).'' Letenští'' , ground = Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena , capacity = 19,416 , clubname = Sparta Prague , image = Sparta Praha logo.png , image_size = 160px , fu ...
.


Notable debutants

*2 March 2010 – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 16-year-old winger, made his debut for
Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...
as a late substitute in a 5–0 home win over
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...
in League One. * 21 March 2010 – Phil Jones, 18-year-old defender, made his debut for
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
in their 1–1 home Premier League draw to Chelsea.


National team

The home team is on the left column; the away team is on the right column.


Friendly matches

---- ---- ---- ---- ----


World Cup qualifiers

England were in Group 6 of the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
qualification process.Groups and standings
''FIFA''. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
---- ---- ----


Honours


Trophy and league champions


Playoff winners


League tables


Premier League

In one of the most closely fought title races in recent history, Chelsea were crowned
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
Champions for the second time in five years, breaking the goal-scoring record with 103 goals. Despite the disappointment in the Champions League, the club managed to retain the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
, recording their first domestic double under Carlo Ancelotti. The £80 million departure of
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
to Real Madrid in the summer meant
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
narrowly missed out on the title, though they managed to retain the League Cup.
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 ...
took third place and once again qualified for Europe's elite competition, while Tottenham Hotspur took the final spot for the Champions League by finishing fourth, with the manager
Harry Redknapp Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. In hi ...
winning the Premier League Manager of the Year award. Three teams took the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
spots. Taking fifth place were
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
, whose controversial gamble of sacking
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City. During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, an ...
at Christmas and replacing him with Roberto Mancini paid off as they finished in their best position in years. Finishing sixth once again were
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
, who again looked like breaking into the top four, but ultimately fell short. Taking seventh place were Liverpool, who were runners-up the year before, but suffered from losing key players, such as
Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his ho ...
to Real Madrid, Sami Hyypiä to Bayer Leverkusen and Fernando Torres several times to injury throughout the season; these factors resulted in indifferent form in all of their competitions, meaning they only took a Europa League spot after the FA Cup finalists were refused a UEFA licence and finished in their lowest position for eleven years. Fulham built on last season's finish of seventh place as they came close to Europa League glory in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
, losing 2–1 in extra time to
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in ...
with ex-Manchester United striker Diego Forlán scoring the winning goal. However, critics universally praised manager
Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is a former English football manager and player. He managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstads BK in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to ...
for guiding a club threatened with relegation two seasons previously to the Europa League final. By a wide margin, he won the LMA Manager of the Year award.
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. Since 2011, the first te ...
finished ninth in their best position in the top flight in years, with their season including a twelve match unbeaten run, while fellow promoted side
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Ro ...
flirted with relegation several times, but ultimately finished in a respectable 15th place.
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
endured a season of financial worries, a nine-point deduction and four different owners that effectively ended their seven-year stay in the top flight.
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's ...
failed to emulate their previous season's success and were also relegated. After the departure of promotion-winning manager
Owen Coyle Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Scottish Championship club Queen's Park. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made on ...
at the turn of the year,
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
's league form under Brian Laws declined rapidly and they were relegated to the Championship after just one season.


Table

Leading goalscorer:
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
(Chelsea) – 29


Football League Championship

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
put last season's relegation behind them as they returned to the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
at the first attempt, staying top for the majority of the season and losing just four matches under the management of Chris Hughton, remaining unbeaten at home in the process.
Roberto Di Matteo Roberto Di Matteo (; born 29 May 1970) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. During his playing career as a midfielder, he played for Swiss clubs Schaffhausen, Zürich and Aarau before joining Lazio of Italy and Che ...
's first season in charge of
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
brought success as the Midlands club enjoyed automatic promotion to the top flight for the third time in eight years. They were joined by
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...
, who were tipped by many as relegation favourites at the beginning of the season. Ian Holloway masterminded the Lancashire club's promotion with a thrilling 3–2 victory over
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
in the play-off final, returning to the top flight for the first time since 1971.
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
occupied a play-off place for most of the season but missed out on the final day, this despite scoring fewer goals than all three relegated sides.
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
made a strong start to the season, however the mid-season decision to sack Gareth Southgate while still in contention for promotion backfired. Their form subsequently declined under his replacement
Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. He has since managed Co ...
, and they fell out of the promotion race and finished in 11th place. Peterborough United went straight back down to League One, employing four different managers and propping up the table for the majority of the season. They were soon joined by
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park ...
, who did not win a game until late September and went on a five-match losing streak towards the end of the season, ending six years in the second tier. Crystal Palace, who had been on the brink of the playoffs before being deducted ten points for entering administration, faced
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
in the final match of the season as they both fought for survival. The match finished 2–2, meaning Palace survived and Wednesday dropped into League One. Leading goalscorers: Nicky Maynard (Bristol City) – 20, and Peter Whittingham (Cardiff City) – 20


Football League One

After recovering from an embarrassing 7–1 defeat to Colchester on the first day of the season, a turnaround under new manager Paul Lambert and the 24 goals from free-scoring striker Grant Holt saw Norwich City make an immediate return to the Championship. Leeds United secured automatic promotion in the runners-up spot; their season almost fell apart disastrously after they led the table by eight points at the turn of the year and also knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup. They rebounded in the final weeks of the season and a last day 2–1 victory over Bristol Rovers saw the Yorkshire side end their three-year spell in League One. Millwall, who narrowly missed out on automatic promotion by just one point, beat Swindon Town in the play-off final, returning to the Championship after a four-year absence. Despite being deducted ten points and missing out on the play-offs, Southampton managed to win the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
and striker Rickie Lambert was the league's top scorer with 31 goals. Stockport County spent the entire season in administration and were subsequently relegated. Southend United were faced with financial problems and also relegated. Wycombe Wanderers' first season at this level for six years proved a disappointment, and they were immediately relegated back to League Two. Gillingham also suffered an immediate relegation after their play-off victory the previous year, their inability to win an away fixture all season proved to be their downfall. Hartlepool stayed up on goal difference after they received a three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player, but Gillingham's loss to Wycombe confirmed their survival. Leading goalscorer: Rickie Lambert (Southampton) – 31


Football League Two

Notts County's season mostly made the headlines for all the wrong reasons, as they were involved in an abortive high-spending takeover by a consortium who brought in
Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; born 5 February 1948) is a Swedish football manager and former player. After an unassuming playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management between 1977 and 2001, winning ...
as director of football and went through four managers during the season. However, they managed to overcome their off-field problems and won the title. AFC Bournemouth continued their revival under Eddie Howe and won promotion in the runners-up spot. The last automatic promotion spot was taken by Rochdale, who were promoted for the first time since 1969. Dagenham & Redbridge won the play-offs, reaching the third tier of the Football League for the first time in their 18-year history. Darlington were unable to recover from losing many of their players during their spell in administration at the end of the previous season and finished bottom of the league, becoming the third club (after Halifax Town and Chester City) to be relegated to the Football Conference on two separate occasions. Grimsby suffered the relegation that they only avoided the previous year due to
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1 ...
's points deduction; their form improved significantly in the final weeks of the season, but they were ultimately undone by an earlier run of nearly five months without a win and were relegated to the
Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
after losing on the final day. Leading goalscorer: Lee Hughes (Notts County) – 30


Clubs that folded


Deaths

*12 July 2009 –
Tommy Cummings Thomas Smith Cummings (12 September 1928 – 12 July 2009) was an English football player and manager. Cummings was born in Sunderland, County Durham and started his football career at Hylton Colliery Juniors. Such was his quality as a centre-h ...
, 80, former defender who made 479 appearances for
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
, and was a member of the Clarets' side that won the league championship in 1959–60. Later became player-manager of Mansfield Town, and also had a short spell as
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
manager. *21 July 2009 – Dai Lawrence, 62, former full-back who played four seasons for
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
in the late 1960s. *31 July 2009 –
Sir Bobby Robson Sir Robert William Robson (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English footballer and football manager. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich ...
, 76, former inside-forward and manager. As a player, he played for
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswo ...
and
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
, and won 20 caps for
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. As manager, he reached even greater heights, being appointed to Ipswich Town in 1969 and over the next 13 years taking them to
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
and
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cla ...
glory (also finishing second in the league in his final two seasons as manager), before leaving in 1982 to manage
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
for eight years during which they reached the quarter-final of the World Cup in 1986 and to the semi-final in 1990, only losing on penalties. He later managed
PSV PSV may refer to: * Partial specific volume * PlayStation Vita, a handheld game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment * Petit Saint Vincent, an island south of St. Vincent in the Grenadine islands * Platform supply vessel, a specific typ ...
,
Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...
and
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...
before returning home to manage his boyhood favourites
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
from 1999 to 2004, during which time they qualified for Europe on three occasions. He was knighted for his services to football in 2002. His death came after a 17-year battle against cancer which had gone into remission four times. *2 August 2009 – Joe Livingstone, 67, former striker who scored 42 goals in 82 appearances for
Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Park ...
, and also played for
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and Hartlepool United. *9 August 2009 – Tommy Clinton, 83, former defender who spent eight seasons at Everton, and was capped three times by the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
. Also played briefly for
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
and Tranmere Rovers. *19 August 2009 – Bobby Thomson, 65, full-back capped eight times by
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. He played 278 league matches for
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Ro ...
, 110 for
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1 ...
and also played for
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. Since 2011, the first te ...
,
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is t ...
, Port Vale, and in the United States. *13 September 2009 – Paul Shirtliff, 46, former defender who played in The Football League for
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
and Northampton Town, and also had a long career at non-league level. *24 September 2009 – Terry Bly, 73, former striker who most notably holds the post-war single-season goalscoring record in
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, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
, having scored 52 goals for Peterborough United in 1960–61. Also played for Norwich City,
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...
and
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
. *26 September 2009 – Geoff Barrowcliffe, 77, former
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...
full-back who spent 16 seasons with the Rams, playing more than 500 first-team matches. He also played for several non-league clubs including
Ilkeston Town Ilkeston Town Football Club is a football club based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England. They currently play in the . History On 30 June 2017, a company, Ilkeston Town F.C. Ltd was registered at Companies House. On 20 July 2017, it was conf ...
and
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is know ...
. *5 October 2009 –
Tommy Capel Thomas Arthur Capel (27 June 1922 – 5 October 2009) was an English professional footballer who scored 120 goals from 276 appearances in the Football League playing for Manchester City, Chesterfield, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Coventry ...
, 87, former inside-forward who most notably played five seasons for
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
, where he scored 72 goals in 162 appearances. Also played for
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
, Chesterfield,
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. Since 2011, the first te ...
,
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...
and Halifax Town. *8 October 2009 – Alex McCrae, 89, former inside-forward who scored 49 goals in a five-year spell with
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
in the early 1950s. Also played for Charlton Athletic, and for Hearts and
Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...
in his native Scotland. *12 October 2009 –
Stan Palk Stanley Palk (28 October 1921 – 12 October 2009) was an English footballer. An inside-forward, he moved from South Liverpool to Liverpool in 1940. He remained at the club throughout World War II, whilst also serving with the Royal Navy in Mom ...
, 87, former inside-forward who played for
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
and Port Vale in the immediate post-war years. *17 October 2009 –
David Burnside David Wilson Boyd Burnside (born 24 August 1951) is an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Antrim from 2001 to 2005. Burnside was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for So ...
, 69, former midfielder who played for a number of clubs, but is probably best remembered from his five-year spell with
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
. Some of his other clubs include
Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...
, Crystal Palace,
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Ro ...
and
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park ...
. *21 October 2009 – John Jarman, 78, former Barnsley and
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is t ...
wing-half, who later worked as a coach for
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Ro ...
,
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
, Mansfield Town and
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...
. *22 October 2009 – Ray Lambert, 87, former
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
international full-back who played more than 300 matches for
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, where he won the 1946–47 league title. *2 November 2009 –
Keith Kettleborough Keith Frank Kettleborough (29 June 1935 – 2 November 2009) was an English professional footballer born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League playing for Rotherham United, Sheffield United, Newc ...
, 74, former inside-forward who spent the majority of his career with
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around ...
and Sheffield United, and also had a spell as player-manager at
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at T ...
. *7 November 2009 –
Billy Ingham William Charles Ingham (22 October 1952 – 7 November 2009) was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Stakeford, Ingham began his career with Football League Second Division side Burnley, making his senior deb ...
, 57, former
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
midfielder who spent eleven years with the Clarets, playing more than 250 matches for the club before finishing his career with a spell at Bradford City. *15 November 2009 – Ray Charnley, 74, former
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...
striker who is one of the Seasiders' most prolific scorers of all time, with 222 goals in 407 appearances for the club. He won one
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
cap while at Blackpool, and also played for
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), ...
,
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the county ...
and Bradford Park Avenue. *15 November 2009 – Don Martin, 65, former striker who scored more than 100 goals in a 16-year career with Northampton Town and
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
. *23 November 2009 –
Tony Parry Anthony John Parry (8 September 1945 – 23 November 2009) was an English footballer who made nearly 200 appearances in the Football League playing as a central defender for Hartlepool United, Derby County and Mansfield Town. Parry was born in ...
, 64, former central defender who spent the majority of his nine-year professional career with Hartlepool United, and also had a brief spell with
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...
before dropping down to non-league football. *25 November 2009 – Mike Tiddy, 80, former winger who began his career at
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
before making over 100 appearances with
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
and Brighton & Hove Albion as well as making over 50 appearances for
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 ...
. *29 November 2009 – George Cummins, 78, former inside-forward who began his career at Everton, but spent the majority of his 12-year professional career with
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1 ...
. He also had a brief spell at
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's ...
, and was capped 19 times for the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
. *1 December 2009 – Neil Dougall, 88, inside-forward or wing-half who played nearly 100 matches for
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. Since 2011, the first te ...
and more than 300 for
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park ...
, a club he later managed. Capped once for
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
. *14 December 2009 – Alan A'Court, 75, former
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
winger who spent 13 seasons with the Reds, playing 382 matches, before finishing his career at Tranmere Rovers. He was also capped five times by
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, and played for his country in the
1958 World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
. *16 December 2009 –
Dennis Herod Dennis John Herod (27 October 1923 – 16 December 2009) was an English footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for Stockport County and Stoke City, both members of the Football League. Playing career Herod was born in Basford and joined ...
, 86, former
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Sto ...
goalkeeper who was a member of the team that came within two points of winning the league title in 1946–47, and famously scored a goal for the club in 1952 against
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
. Also played for Stockport County. *20 December 2009 – Jack Brownsword, 86, former left-back who spent nearly his entire career with
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
, playing a club-record 597 league appearances for the Iron between 1950 and 1964. Also had a brief spell with
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's ...
prior to joining Scunthorpe. *22 December 2009 – Albert Scanlon, 74, former
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
winger and
Busby Babe The "Busby Babes" were the group of footballers, recruited and trained by Manchester United F.C. chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under the management of ...
who survived the Munich Air Disaster. Played 115 league matches for ''the Red Devils'', and was a member of the 1955–56 and 1956–57 championship-winning sides. Later played for
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
, Lincoln City and Mansfield Town. *7 January 2010 – Alex Parker, 74, former full-back who was a member of Everton's 1962–63 championship-winning side, and played for
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
in the
1958 World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
. Also played for
Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...
and
Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...
. *20 January 2010 – Jack Parry, 86, former goalkeeper who played for Swansea Town and Ipswich Town, and was capped once by
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
in 1951. *30 January 2010 – Jackie Newton, 84, former wing-half who spent 12 years with Hartlepool United, making 361 first-team appearances. Began his career at
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
, but failed to make an appearance for the Magpies. *3 February 2010 – Gil Merrick, 88, former
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. Since 2011, the first te ...
goalkeeper and manager who served the club for more than 25 years. As a player, he appeared in 485 league matches for ''the Blues'', and was also capped 23 times by
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, playing in the
1954 World Cup Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
. As manager, he won the 1963 League Cup, beating arch-rivals
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
in the final. *11 February 2010 – Petar Borota, 56, Serbian goalkeeper who played for Chelsea between 1979 and 1982, and whose other clubs include
Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: ** AK Partizan, athletics **Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling **Džudo Klub Partizan, judo ** FK Partizan, association fo ...
and
Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...
. Won four caps for the former
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
. *11 February 2010 –
Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey (1 May 1940 – 11 February 2010) was a Welsh professional footballer. Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960. ...
, 69, former striker who played for six clubs, most notably
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
,
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syst ...
and
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
, where he played in the 1971 League Cup final. He also won three caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, and was manager at Exeter City and several non-league clubs. *22 February 2010 – Bobby Smith, 56, former midfielder who spent eight seasons at
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the Nation ...
between 1978 and 1986, and also had a long career in his native Scotland, mostly with Hibernian and Dunfermline Athletic. *27 February 2010 –
Charlie Crowe Charles Alfred Crowe (30 October 1924 – 27 February 2010) was an English footballer who played as a defender. He spent the majority of his career at his hometown club Newcastle United. He also spent a season at Mansfield at the end of his car ...
, 85, former
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
defender who was a member of the Magpies' 1951 FA Cup winning side. Also played for Mansfield Town at the tail end of his career. *28 February 2010 –
Adam Blacklaw Adam Smith Blacklaw (2 September 1937 – 28 February 2010) was a Scottish professional football player who played as a goalkeeper. Blacklaw joined the Burnley ground staff as a schoolboy apprentice in 1954, directly from Frederick Street Scho ...
, 72, former
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
goalkeeper who played more than 300 matches for the Clarets, and was a member of Burnley's 1959–60 championship-winning squad. Also played for
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
, and
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
at international level. *3 March 2010 – Keith Alexander, 53, manager and former striker who was manager of
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and ...
at the time of his death, and had also managed Lincoln City and Peterborough United earlier in his career. As player, he was a journeyman striker who spent most of his career in non-league football, but also had a few spells in the Football League, primarily with Grimsby Town and Lincoln City. *4 March 2010 – Tony Richards, 75, former striker who is
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is t ...
's second-leading scorer of all time with 185 league goals for the Saddlers between 1954 and 1963. Also spent three seasons with Port Vale. *15 March 2010 –
Charlie Ashcroft Charlie Ashcroft (3 July 1926 – 13 March 2010) was an English footballer. His first club was Eccleston Juniors, whom he left in May 1946 for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool. He stayed with them for nine years, appearing 87 times. In June 1955 he ...
, 83, former goalkeeper who spent nine years at
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, mostly as the team's second-choice goalkeeper, and also had spells at Ipswich Town and
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...
late in his career. *19 March 2010 – Bob Curtis, 60, former right-back who made more than 350 appearances for Charlton Athletic during an 11-year spell at The Valley. Also played for Mansfield Town and
Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts ...
. *24 March 2010 –
George Luke George Luke may refer to: * George Luke (footballer, born 1933) (1933–2010), English football left-winger * George Luke (footballer, born 1948), English football midfielder See also * Luke George (born 1987), English rugby league player * Geor ...
, 76, former left-winger who spent his entire career in the
North East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
, playing almost 200 matches for Hartlepools United before joining
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
, where he stayed just over a year before finishing his career with
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington under ...
. *6 April 2010 –
Sid Storey Sidney Storey (25 December 1919 – 6 April 2010) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. Storey played for Ardsley Welfare and Grimethorpe Athletic in non-League football while working as a miner, before j ...
, 90, former inside-forward who spent nine years at York City, where he played more than 350 matches and scored 42 goals. Also had short spells with Barnsley and Accrington Stanley. *8 April 2010 –
Stan Smith Stanley Roger Smith (born December 14, 1946) is an American former professional tennis player. Smith is best known to non-tennis players as the namesake of a popular brand of tennis shoes. A world No. 1 player and two-time major singles cham ...
, 79, former inside-forward who spent most of his career with Port Vale, and also played for Crewe Alexandra and
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
. *11 April 2010 – John Batchelor, 51, controversial former owner and chairman of York City. *13 April 2010 – Charlie Timmins, 87, former
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...
full-back who spent his entire ten-year professional career at Highfield Road. *21 April 2010 – Tony Ingham, 85, former full-back who spent most of his career at
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus ...
, where he made a club-record 514 league appearances between 1950 and 1963, and later spent many years as QPR's commercial director after retiring as a player. Began his career at
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
. *25 April 2010 –
Ian Lawther William Ian Lawther (20 October 1939 – 25 April 2010) was a Northern Irish footballer who played for Sunderland and five other clubs in the English Football League. He also played four internationals for Northern Ireland. Club career Lawther ...
, 70, former
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
international striker who played 17 seasons in The Football League for six different clubs, most notably
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
and
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
. Capped four times for Northern Ireland. *11 May 2010 – Brian Gibson, 82, former
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...
full-back who played 171 first-team matches for ''the Terriers'', his only club at professional level. *15 May 2010 – Besian Idrizaj, 22,
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
striker who died from a heart attack while visiting his family in Austria. He had played three matches for the Swans during the 2009–10 season, and was previously on the books of
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, with loan spells at
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1 ...
and Crystal Palace. He was also a former Austria under-21 international.Swansea player Besian Idrizaj dies at 22
''BBC Sport''. Retrieved 16 May 2010.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 in English football