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The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
in England. The season began on 6 August 2010 for
the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
s, with the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
and
Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...
both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May 2011. The
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
finished on 22 May 2011.


Promotion and relegation

Teams promoted to
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
*
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
*
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
*
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
Teams relegated from
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
* Hull City *
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
*
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
Teams promoted to
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 sys ...
*
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
*
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
*
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 Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
Teams relegated from
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 sys ...
*
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
* Plymouth Argyle *
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...
Teams promoted to League One *
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
*
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
*
Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
* Dagenham & Redbridge Teams relegated from League One * Gillingham *
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...
* Southend United *
Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...
Teams promoted to League Two *
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...
*
Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
Teams relegated from League Two *
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
*
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...


Managerial changes


Diary of the season


July 2010

1 July 2010:
Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstad in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to t ...
signs a three-year contract to manage
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, a month after
Rafael Benítez Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. He was most recently the manager of La Liga club RC Celta de Vigo, Celta Vigo. Beníte ...
left. 2 July 2010: Israeli winger
Yossi Benayoun Yossi Shai Benayoun (; born 5 May 1980) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in Israel and England and captained the Israel national team. Born in Dimona, he is sometimes nicknamed ...
joins Chelsea from
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
for an undisclosed fee. Ivorian midfielder
Yaya Touré Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently an assistant coach for the Saudi Arabia national team. Touré aspired to be a striker during h ...
joins
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
for a fee of "about £24 million" from
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...
. 7 July 2010:
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
appoint Swansea City's
Paulo Sousa Paulo Manuel Carvalho de Sousa (; born 30 August 1970) is a Portuguese football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current manager of UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli. Starting his career ...
as manager to replace
Nigel Pearson Nigel Graham Pearson (born 21 August 1963) is an English association football, football coach (sport), manager and former professional player. He last managed EFL Championship, Championship club Bristol City F.C., Bristol City. During his playi ...
, who moved to Hull City at the end of June. 8 July 2010:
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
captain and Albanian international midfielder
Lorik Cana Lorik Agim Cana (; born 27 July 1983) is an Albanian former professional Association football, footballer. He is currently the grassroots ambassador for children's football in Albania, named by the Albanian Football Association on 26 October 201 ...
departs to
Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...
of Turkey for £5 million, after one season 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. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. The ...
. 9 July 2010: Sheffield United reject an approach from Swansea City for assistant manager
Gary Speed Gary Andrew Speed (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. As manager of Wales, Speed is often credited as being the catalyst for the change in fortunes of the national team and as setting t ...
to take over as manager of the south Wales club. 14 July 2010:
Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
winger
David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
rules out taking over as England manager in the future, but declares his desire to play at
Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
and the
2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
.
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
sign
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
winger
David Silva David Josué Jiménez Silva (born 8 January 1986) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played mainly as a Midfielder#Central midfielder, central or an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder and o ...
from
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
for £24 million. 16 July 2010:
Trevor Brooking Sir Trevor David Brooking (born 2 October 1948) is a former England national football team, England international Association football, footballer, manager, pundit and football administrator; he now works as director of football development in En ...
urges the
Football Association A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
to appoint an English successor when
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, AS Roma, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus FC, Juventus. H ...
eventually departs from the role of England manager. Former Watford and Reading manager
Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed until h ...
is appointed as Swansea City's new manager. Manchester City sign
Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
and
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
left-back
Aleksandar Kolarov Aleksandar Kolarov (, ; born 10 November 1985) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a left back. He is the current assistant coach of Serie A club Inter Milan. Kolarov began his career at Red Star Belgrade, but he did not br ...
for £16 million. 19 July 2010: English international midfielder Joe Cole signs a four-year deal with Liverpool, following the expiry of his contract at Chelsea in June. 22 July 2010:
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
manager
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...
announces that he is willing sell to midfielder James Milner after the player expressed his desire to leave the club. He is widely tipped to sign for Manchester City, who recently had a £20 million offer for him turned down. 23 July 2010: Former
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 Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
,
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...
and
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
striker Gavin Grant, 26, is found guilty (along with another man) of committing murder in London in May 2004. Grant was initially cleared of the murder three years earlier but charged again when new evidence came to light. 26 July 2010:
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
express interest in moving to London's
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
after the
2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
.
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
is the only club to have officially bid for the venue so far, while
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
decided against moving. 28 July 2010: After six months back at
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 ...
, former England defender
Sol Campbell Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player. Widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, he spent 20 years playing in the Premier League and had a ...
signs for
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
on a one-year contract. This means that Campbell, 35, will be playing in the Premier League for the 19th season running. He and
Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; born 29 November 1973) is a Welsh football coach, former player and co-owner of Salford City. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, and one of the best wingers in the history of footba ...
are the only players who have played in every single Premier League season since its inception. 29 July 2010:
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
, sacked as Manchester City manager seven months earlier, is confirmed as manager of Fulham. 30 July 2010: England goalkeeper David James signs a one-year contract with
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
.


August 2010

2 August 2010: Ipswich Town coach Gary Ablett, who managed
Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...
the previous season and won honours as a player with Liverpool and Everton, announces that he is suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 9 August 2010:
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
manager
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...
resigns after four years in charge, during which he guided them to
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
qualification in three successive seasons. He is replaced on a caretaker basis by Villa reserve team manager Kevin MacDonald until a permanent successor is appointed. 10 August 2010: Exeter City striker Adam Stansfield dies of cancer aged 31. 12 August 2010:
Steve Coppell Stephen James Coppell (born 9 July 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player. As a player, Coppell was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed, technical ability and work rate. He won domestic honours with ...
resigns after less than four months and just two competitive games in charge of
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
. 13 August 2010: Manchester City take their summer spending past £100 million with the signing of Italy and
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
striker
Mario Balotelli Mario Balotelli Barwuah (; ''Birth name, né'' Barwuah; born 12 August 1990) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club Genoa CFC, Genoa. Balotelli started his ...
for a fee in the region of £24 million. 14 August 2010: The 19th Premier League season gets underway, with newcomers
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
winning their first top division game since 1971 4–0 away to
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. Kevin Blackwell leaves Sheffield United by mutual consent following a 3–0 loss to
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
, having been manager for two and a half years. 17 August 2010: Sheffield United promote coach and former player
Gary Speed Gary Andrew Speed (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. As manager of Wales, Speed is often credited as being the catalyst for the change in fortunes of the national team and as setting t ...
, aged 41, to be their new manager on a three-year contract. Chelsea striker
Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly featur ...
is suspended from the French national team's next 18 matches following a dispute with coach Raymond Domenech at the World Cup. 21 August 2010:
Theo Walcott Theo James Walcott (born 16 March 1989) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He represented England at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2012 and won 47 caps, scoring eight goals. Walcott currently appears as a cl ...
scores the first club hat-trick of his career as
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 ...
defeat Blackpool 6–0 at the
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...
. 30 August 2010:
Alan Pardew Alan Scott Pardew (born 18 July 1961) is an English football manager and former professional footballer, who most recently managed Greek Super League club Aris Thessaloniki. Pardew's highest achievements in the sport include reaching the FA Cup ...
is sacked as manager of
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
, League One promotion favourites and Football League Trophy holders, despite guiding them to a 4–0 away win over
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...
two days previously. 31 August 2010: August draws to a close with Chelsea top of the table with nine points out of nine, scoring fourteen goals and conceding none against West Brom,
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
and Stoke.
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 ...
and
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
are joint second on seven points, Arsenal ahead on goal difference following the win over
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
, while
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
, still without a manager, are fourth, after recovering from a 6–0 thrashing at
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
to narrowly beat Everton 1–0. Bolton, Birmingham and Wolves complete the top seven. Propping up the table are Stoke and
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
, neither with a point this season, and Everton. Queens Park Rangers lead the Championship, with Cardiff City, Ipswich Town, Millwall, Burnley and Leeds United (joint sixth with Norwich City) completing the top six; Bristol City, Leicester City and Portsmouth lie in the relegation zone. In the transfer market, Sunderland confirm the transfer of Ghana striker
Asamoah Gyan Asamoah Gyan ( ; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. He is a former Captain (association football), captain of the Ghana national foo ...
in a club record £13m deal whilst Tottenham began contact with Dutch midfielder
Rafael van der Vaart Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (; born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Van der Vaart began his career at AFC Ajax, Ajax's Ajax Youth Academy, youth academ ...
.


September 2010

4 September 2010:
Jermain Defoe Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982) is an English football coach and former professional player. He was most recently the under-18s coach at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Defoe was a striker and began his career with Charlto ...
scores a hat-trick as England open their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a 4–0 win over Bulgaria at Wembley. 8 September 2010:
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
name
Gérard Houllier Gérard Paul Francis Houllier (; 3 September 194714 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, ...
, former Liverpool and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
manager, as their successor to Martin O'Neill. 12 September 2010:
Nigel Adkins Nigel Howard Adkins (born 11 March 1965) is an English professional football manager and former footballer and physiotherapist. He was most recently the manager and technical director at Tranmere Rovers. Adkins played as a goalkeeper for Tran ...
leaves Scunthorpe United after four years as manager (during which they won promotion to the Championship twice) to become the new manager of Southampton. 13 September 2010: Gary McAllister, first team coach at Middlesbrough, is reported to have been offered the role of assistant manager at Aston Villa after Phil Thompson rejected the offer for the role. 18 September 2010: Gary McAllister completes his move to Aston Villa as assistant manager. Bobby Smith, who scored 208 goals for Tottenham Hotspur and helped them win the league title/FA Cup double in 1961, retain the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
a year later and win the
European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
in 1963, dies aged 77. 25 September 2010: The last 100% start in any of the professional divisions ends when Chelsea, who won their opening five games of the Premier League season, are beaten 1–0 at
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, with
Carlos Tevez Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...
scoring the only goal of the game. 30 September 2010: Despite loss at Manchester City, Chelsea still lead the Premier League by three points. Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham complete the top seven, while Wigan Athletic, West Ham United and Everton lie in the relegation zone. QPR and Cardiff lead the Championship, with Norwich, Watford, Burnley and Reading in the play-off zone and Crystal Palace, Bristol City and Leicester City in the relegation zone.


October 2010

1 October 2010:
Paulo Sousa Paulo Manuel Carvalho de Sousa (; born 30 August 1970) is a Portuguese football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current manager of UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli. Starting his career ...
is sacked after just nine league matches in charge of
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, who were bottom of the Championship having qualified for the play-offs last season under Sousa's predecessor
Nigel Pearson Nigel Graham Pearson (born 21 August 1963) is an English association football, football coach (sport), manager and former professional player. He last managed EFL Championship, Championship club Bristol City F.C., Bristol City. During his playi ...
.
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
announce that they made a loss of £121million in the year leading up to 31 May. 3 October 2010: Former
England national football team The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...
manager
Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; 5 February 1948 – 26 August 2024) was a Swedish association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager. After a playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management ...
is appointed manager of Leicester City on a two-year contract. 4 October 2010:
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
striker Kevin Davies, aged 33 and uncapped at senior level, is called up to the England squad for the following week's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro. 5 October 2010: Two potential buyers, one Asian and the other American, table bids to buy control of
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
from American co-owners
Tom Hicks Thomas Ollis Hicks Sr. (born February 7, 1946), is an American private equity investor and sports team owner living in Dallas, Texas. ''Forbes'' magazine estimated Hicks' wealth at $1 billion in 2009, but it dropped to $700 million in 2010 ...
and George Gillet. 8 October 2010: Liverpool directors reported to be on the verge of surrendering the club to the
administrators Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...
and risk a nine-point deduction in an attempt to oust the club's unpopular owners
Tom Hicks Thomas Ollis Hicks Sr. (born February 7, 1946), is an American private equity investor and sports team owner living in Dallas, Texas. ''Forbes'' magazine estimated Hicks' wealth at $1 billion in 2009, but it dropped to $700 million in 2010 ...
and George Gillett, as they facilitate the sale of the club to an American consortium. 10 October 2010: It is reported that Liverpool's prospective new owners are planning to abandon the plan for a new stadium in
Stanley Park Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada, that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Vancouver, Downtown peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay, Vancouver, English Bay. The park bor ...
in favour of expanding
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
. 11 October 2010:
UK Athletics UK Athletics (UKA) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (sport), athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics o ...
announces its support for West Ham United's bid to take over the
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
after the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. Tottenham Hotspur have also expressed interest in taking over the stadium as a possible alternative to the revamp of
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
. 12 October 2010: Singapore billionaire Peter Lim becomes Liverpool's latest bidder when he tables a £320million bid for the club. 15 October 2010: Liverpool's new owners are
New England Sports Ventures Fenway Sports Group Holdings, LLC (FSG), is an American multinational sports holding conglomerate which owns Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, Premier League’s Liverpool, National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, NASCAR's RFK Racin ...
, who complete a £300million takeover deal of the club. 17 October 2010: In the first game under their owners, Liverpool lose the
Merseyside derby The Merseyside derby is an association football match between Everton F.C., Everton and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, two clubs based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is the longest running top-flight local derby, derby in England, with its fi ...
2–0 to Everton at
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
. 18 October 2010:
Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player who is currently Technical Director of Dundee. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Sc ...
resigns after 12 months as manager of
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
, who began the season as Championship promotion favourites but now occupy 20th place. 19 October 2010:
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
manager Sir Alex Ferguson reveals that striker
Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
wants to leave the club, having recently decided against signing an extension to his contract which will expire at the end of next season. 22 October 2010: Wayne Rooney makes a surprise u-turn on his future and signs a new five-year contract with Manchester United.
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
are reported to be on the brink of bankruptcy after talks with former owner and key creditor Sacha Gaydamak broke down. 24 October 2010: Portsmouth are saved after former owner Alexander Gaydamak agrees to sell the club to Balram Chainrai, another former owner of the club. 25 October 2010:
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
will be without the services of captain
Stiliyan Petrov Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov ( Bulgarian: Стилиян Альошев Петров, born 5 July 1979) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Petrov joined Celtic from CSKA Sofia in 1999, and won ten trophies ...
for at least two months due to a knee injury suffered in the 1–0 league defeat by
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
on Saturday. Promising
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
midfielder James McCarthy, 19, is expected to be out of action until the New Year as a result of an ankle injury suffered in Saturday's 1–1 league draw with
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
. 31 October 2010:
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
beat local rivals
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
5–1 at
St James' Park St James' Park is a Association football, football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,305, it is the List of football stadiums in England, 8th la ...
in the Premier League, with
Kevin Nolan Kevin Anthony Jance Nolan (born 24 June 1982) is an English former professional footballer and coach, who manages Northampton Town. He has represented England at under-21 level. After growing up in Toxteth, Liverpool, Nolan signed for Bolton ...
scoring a hat-trick – the first player to do so in a game between the two clubs since
Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley (born 18 January 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder. In 1987, he set a record transfer fee in the English game and represented his country 59 times between 1 ...
in the 1984–85 season. In the Championship, Cardiff have overtaken QPR at the top of the table, with Swansea City, Coventry City, Norwich and Reading also in the top six and Bristol City, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace in the bottom three.


November 2010

6 November 2010: A late winning goal from Park Ji-sung gives Manchester United a 2–1 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, cutting Chelsea's lead to two points – although the West (London sub region), West London side, who play Liverpool at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
tomorrow, have a game in hand. In the first round of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, Conference South side Dover Athletic eliminate fellow Kent club Gillingham, managed by former Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler, with a 2–0 win on the League Two club's own soil. 11 November 2010: Blackpool manager Ian Holloway threatens to resign if the
Football Association A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
penalise him for fielding a weakened side in his side's 3–2 league defeat at Aston Villa yesterday evening. 13 November 2010:
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, AS Roma, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus FC, Juventus. H ...
announces his England squad for the friendly against France on 17 November. It includes first call-ups for Jay Bothroyd of Cardiff City, Andy Carroll of Newcastle United, Jordan Henderson of Sunderland and Chris Smalling of Manchester United. 14 November 2010: League One side Sheffield Wednesday are reported to be on the brink of going into administration. 16 November 2010: West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady announces that Avram Grant's job as manager is safe despite the club being bottom of the Premier League with just one win from their opening 13 games. Fabio Capello confirms that Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Kieran Gibbs will all play in England's friendly against France. 19 November 2010: Blackburn Rovers are taken over by the Rao family in a £43million deal, making them the first Indian owned English football club. 25 November 2010: Mayor of London Boris Johnson gives the go-ahead from Tottenham Hotspur to rebuild
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
as a 56,000-seat stadium which is set to cost around £450million. 27 November 2010: In the FA Cup second round, FC United of Manchester (the club created five years ago by Manchester United fans protesting against Malcolm Glazer's takeover) hold League One leaders Brighton & Hove Albion to a 1–1 draw to force a replay. 30 November 2010: November ends with unbeaten Manchester United top of the Premier League after thrashing Blackburn 7–1 at home, with Dimitar Berbatov scoring five goals. Chelsea, having only picked up four points from their last five matches, have slipped to second, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. Manchester City remain in fourth, with Tottenham Hotspur one point behind. Despite beating fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic, West Ham United remain bottom of the table, joined in the relegation zone by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan. In the championship, Queen's Park Rangers, still unbeaten, hold a five-point lead for promotion over second placed Cardiff City, who in turn have a three-point lead over arch-rivals and third placed Swansea City. Derby County, Norwich City and Coventry City are also in the play-off zone, while Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Preston North End prop up the table.


December 2010

2 December 2010: England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup fails; FIFA awards the tournament to Russia instead. 6 December 2010: Newcastle United sack manager Chris Hughton after just over a year in charge. 9 December 2010: Alan Pardew is appointed manager of Newcastle United on a contract until the end of the 2015–16 season. 10 December 2010: Queen's Park Rangers suffer their first league defeat of the season when they lose 3–1 at home to Watford. 11 December 2010: Newcastle United continue to pile the pressure on Liverpool by winning 3–1 in the Premier League in their first game under the management of Alan Pardew. West Ham United fall deeper into relegation trouble with a 3–1 home defeat to Manchester City, who go level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. 12 December 2010: Manchester City captain
Carlos Tevez Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...
announces his intention to leave the club. Wolverhampton Wanderers give their survival hopes a major boost with a 1–0 home win over local rivals Birmingham City. Chelsea continue to drop points as a Didier Drogba penalty miss restricts them to a 1–1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur. 13 December 2010: Blackburn Rovers sack manager Sam Allardyce, after two years in charge, following a 2–1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers.
Gary Speed Gary Andrew Speed (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. As manager of Wales, Speed is often credited as being the catalyst for the change in fortunes of the national team and as setting t ...
, the Sheffield United manager, is given permission to speak to the Welsh football association about the national team manager's job left vacant by the recent resignation of John Toshack, and is expected to be confirmed as Wales manager within the next 24 hours. 14 December 2010: Gary Speed is confirmed as the new Wales manager on a contract until July 2014. 15 December 2010: Dale Roberts (footballer born 1986), Dale Roberts, goalkeeper with Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds, dies suddenly at the age of 24. 31 December 2010: The year ends with Manchester United top of the Premier League, separated from second-placed Manchester City by goal difference. Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Bolton and Sunderland make up the rest of the top seven and Fulham, Wolves and West Ham the bottom three. In the Championship, the top three of QPR, Cardiff and Swansea remain unchanged, with Leeds, Norwich and Reading in the top six and Scunthorpe, Crystal Palace and Preston in the relegation zone.


January 2011

6 January 2011 – The Aston Villa board announce that Gérard Houllier's position as manager is safe in spite of recent results. 7 January 2011 – Roy Keane is sacked by Ipswich Town after less than two years as manager, with the Suffolk club League Cup semi-finalists but struggling the Championship. 8 January 2011:
Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstad in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to t ...
leaves Liverpool after six months as manager and is succeeded by Kenny Dalglish as caretaker manager until the end of the season. It is Dalglish's first managerial job since he left Celtic F.C., Celtic more than 10 years ago, and his return as Liverpool manager comes a month before the 20th anniversary of his sudden resignation. The FA Cup third round sees a number of upsets as League Two Burton Albion eliminate Middlesbrough 2–1 at the Pirelli Stadium. Football League newcomers Stevenage defeat mid-table Premier League side Newcastle United 3–1 and Sunderland lose 2–1 at home to League One strugglers Notts County. 9 January 2011: Kenny Dalglish's first match back in charge of Liverpool ends in a 1–0 FA Cup third round defeat at Manchester United, with a second-minute penalty by
Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; born 29 November 1973) is a Welsh football coach, former player and co-owner of Salford City. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, and one of the best wingers in the history of footba ...
winning the game, while Liverpool's Steven Gerrard is sent off. 10 January 2011: Macclesfield Town F.C., Macclesfield Town midfielder Richard Butcher (footballer), Richard Butcher dies suddenly aged 29, just 10 months after Keith Alexander (footballer), Keith Alexander, who had brought him to the club. 12 January 2011: Ipswich Town beat Arsenal in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final 1–0 at Portman Road, three days after losing 7–0 in the FA Cup at Chelsea. 15 January 2011:
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
and England legend Nat Lofthouse dies aged 85.Nat Lofthouse dead at 85 – remember his finest football moments – mirror.co.uk
/ref> 25 January 2011: Arsenal reach the Football League Cup final with a 3–1 aggregate victory over Ipswich Town in the semi-finals. 26 January 2011: Birmingham reach the Football League Cup final with a 4–3 aggregate victory over West Ham after extra time in the semi-finals. 29 January 2011: The FA Cup fourth round sees Manchester United win 2–1 at Southampton, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic draw a blank at the Reebok Stadium Burton Albion's FA Cup dream end in a 3–1 defeat at Burnley, Crawley Town match the record FA Cup run for a Conference club by winning 1–0 at Torquay United, and Brighton & Hove Albion win 1–0 at Watford. The highlights of the league action include Norwich City's goalless draw at Crystal Palace putting them into second place in the Championship, while Walsall keep their League One survival hopes alive with a 6–1 win over fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers. 31 January 2011: Chelsea pay a British record 50 million pounds for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Liverpool paid 35 million pounds for Andy Carroll – breaking the transfer record for a British footballer.


February 2011

2 February 2011: Gary Neville, who has played 602 times for Manchester United since his debut in September 1992, announces his retirement from playing just before his 36th birthday. He has won a total of 14 major trophies at United, and also been capped 85 times for England, but has played just over 30 games in all competitions over the last four years following injury and competition from other players at United for the right-back position. 5 February 2011: A record-breaking day for the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
sees Arsenal take a 4–0 lead at Newcastle United after 26 minutes, only to concede four times after half-time to see the game end 4–4 – the first time in Premier League history that a team has been four goals ahead and still not won. Louis Saha scores four goals as Everton beat Blackpool 5–3 at
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
.
Carlos Tevez Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...
scores a first half hat-trick as Manchester City beat West Bromwich Albion 3–0 to boost their own title hopes and push their opponents deeper into the relegation battle. Manchester United suffer their first league defeat of the season when they are beaten 2–1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers. 6 February 2011: West Bromwich Albion sack manager Roberto Di Matteo after a season and a half in charge. 10 February 2011: West Ham United win the backing of Olympic Games bosses to take over the Olympic Park, London, Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012 games. 11 February 2011:
Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstad in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to t ...
is appointed as manager of West Bromwich Albion. 18 February 2011:
Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; born 29 November 1973) is a Welsh football coach, former player and co-owner of Salford City. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, and one of the best wingers in the history of footba ...
signs a new one-year contract at Manchester United, tying him to the club for at least another season and taking him into his 22nd year at Old Trafford. 21 February 2011: Plymouth Argyle issue a notice for administration, resulting in a 10-point deduction which leaves them bottom of League One and 10 points adrift of safety as their battle against a second successive relegation is made much harder. 27 February 2011: Birmingham City win the first silverware of the season, beating Arsenal 2–1 in the League Cup Final and thus ending their 48-year wait for a trophy 28 February 2011: February ends with Manchester United still top of the Premier League, four points clear of second-placed Arsenal. Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers complete the top seven. Wigan Athletic prop up the table with West Ham and Wolves fill the relegation zone. In the Championship, Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City remain in the automatic promotion spots. Cardiff, Norwich, Nottingham Forest and Leeds make up the play-offs, with Preston, Sheffield United and Scunthorpe in the relegation zone.


March 2011

6 March 2011: Dirk Kuyt scores a hat-trick in Liverpool's 3–1 Premier League home win over Manchester United, making him the first Liverpool player to score a competitive hat-trick against United since
Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley (born 18 January 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder. In 1987, he set a record transfer fee in the English game and represented his country 59 times between 1 ...
in September 1990. West Ham United boost their survival hopes with a 3–0 home win over Stoke City. 12 March 2011: Manchester United beat Arsenal 2–0 in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
quarter-final at Old Trafford. Bolton Wanderers win 3–2 at Birmingham City to reach their first FA Cup semi-final for 11 years. 13 March 2011: Reading F.C., Reading, the last non-Premier League side in the FA Cup, lose 1–0 to Manchester City in the quarter final, with the winners reaching the semi-finals for the first time in 30 years. Stoke City F.C., Stoke City beat
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
2–1 to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1972. 14 March 2011: Jens Lehmann, the German goalkeeper who kept goal 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 ...
from 2003 to 2008, is reported to be on the verge of coming out of retirement to act as an emergency goalkeeper for Arsenal until the end of the season to ease an injury crisis. 19 March 2011:
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, AS Roma, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus FC, Juventus. H ...
re-instates John Terry as England captain a year after he was stripped of the position following allegations about his personal life. 31 March 2011: Manchester United remain top of the Premier League, 5 points ahead of closest rivals Arsenal. Manchester City and Chelsea fill the two remaining Champions League places, whilst Tottenham, Liverpool and Bolton complete the top seven. At the bottom Birmingham City have slipped into the relegation zone barely a month after lifting the League Cup, they are joined by West-Midlands rivals Wolves and bottom club Wigan. In the Championship Queens Park Rangers continue to lead the way and have a nine-point cushion over second-placed Norwich City. Welsh rivals Swansea and Cardiff are joined in the play-off places by Leeds and Nottingham Forest, whilst at the bottom, Preston remain at the foot of the league with Scunthorpe and Sheffield United also in the relegation zone.


April 2011

2 April 2011: Manchester United move closer to the Premier League title after coming from 2–0 down at half–time to win 4–2 at West Ham United, in which
Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
scores a hat-trick. In the Championship, Yakubu (footballer), Yakubu scores a hat-trick for Leicester City in their 3–3 draw at Middlesbrough. 6 April 2011: Torquay United are deducted one point and Hereford United deducted three points for fielding ineligible players in the League Two game at Plainmoor on 1 February, which Hereford won 3–1. 8 April 2011: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is ruled out for the rest of the season with a groin injury. 9 April 2011: Crawley Town secure the Conference National title and promotion to the Football League with a 3–0 win at Tamworth. 11 April 2011: Liverpool's record signing, Andy Carroll, scores his first two goals for the club in their 3–0 home win over Manchester City in the Premier League. 12 April 2011: Manchester United reach the semi-finals of the Champions League when a 2–1 quarter-final second leg win over Chelsea at Old Trafford gives them a 3–1 aggregate triumph. Brighton and Hove Albion become the first Football League side to be promoted after they beat Dagenham & Redbridge 4–3 at home. 16 April 2011:
Yaya Touré Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently an assistant coach for the Saudi Arabia national team. Touré aspired to be a striker during h ...
fires Manchester City to their first FA Cup final 1981 FA Cup Final, for 30 years by beating rivals Manchester United 1–0, who were reduced to 10 men after the dismissal of Paul Scholes. 17 April 2011: Stoke City reach the FA Cup final for the first time in their history with a 5–0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the other semi-final. 22 April 2011: Chesterfield become the second Football League side to win promotion this season after the last side capable of overhauling them, Wycombe Wanderers, drew 0–0 with Torquay. Blue Square Premier champions Crawley Town F.C. break the 100-point barrier with a 4–0 home win over Rushden & Diamonds, with leading scorer Matt Tubbs taking his tally for this season to 36 goals. 23 April 2011: British record signing Fernando Torres scores his first goal in thirteen appearances for Chelsea in their 3–0 home win over West Ham United. 25 April 2011: Preston North End, bottom of the Championship, lose 1–0 at home to Cardiff City and are relegated to League One after 11 successive seasons in the league's second tier. Swindon Town are relegated to League Two after losing 3–1 at Sheffield Wednesday. Bury join Chesterfield in League One as a 3–2 win at the division's leaders ends their nine-year stay in the league's basement division. 30 April 2011: Queens Park Rangers seal the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League after a 15-year exile by beating Watford 2–0 at Vicarage Road. Sheffield United are relegated to League One (a level they last played at in 1989) after they could only manage a 2–2 draw at home to Yorkshire rivals Barnsley. Scunthorpe United's relegation is also confirmed as they crash to a 5–1 defeat at a Nottingham Forest side whose victory virtually seals a playoff place. Stockport County's relegation from the Football League is confirmed by a 2–0 defeat at Crewe Alexandra.


May 2011

2 May 2011: Norwich City seal a second successive promotion to reach the Premier League by beating Portsmouth 1–0 at Fratton Park. They are the first team since Manchester City in 2000 to reach the Premier League with two successive promotions. Plymouth Argyle are relegated from League One, their second successive relegation, with a 3–1 home defeat to a Southampton side whose promotion is virtually ensured by virtue of having a vastly superior goal difference to third-placed Huddersfield, three points adrift with one game left. 7 May 2011: QPR escape points deduction, while Nottingham Forest confirm their play-off place. Southampton's promotion to the Championship is confirmed. Dagenham & Redbridge and Bristol Rovers are relegated from League One. Lincoln City's 3–0 home defeat to Aldershot costs them their Football League status and they are relegated to the Conference National. Wycombe Wanderers seal an immediate return to League One by beating Southend United 3–1 at Adams Park. 8 May 2011: Manchester United beat Chelsea 2–1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League, meaning that they need just a point from their final two games to win a record 19th top division title. Arsenal's faint title hopes are ended with a 3–1 defeat at FA Cup finalists Stoke City. Wolverhampton Wanderers climb out of the relegation zone with a 3–1 home win over Black Country derby, Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion, whose survival (and highest league finish since 1985) has already been confirmed. 14 May 2011: Manchester City defeat Stoke City 1–0 in the FA Cup final, with
Yaya Touré Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently an assistant coach for the Saudi Arabia national team. Touré aspired to be a striker during h ...
scoring the only goal which ends the club's 35-year wait for a major trophy. It is a double success story on the same day for the city of Manchester, as United's 1–1 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park confirms their status as Premier League champions – giving them a record 19th top division title. Blackpool keep their survival hopes alive with a thrilling 4–3 home win over Bolton Wanderers, while Wolverhampton Wanderers take a step further to survival with a 3–1 win at Sunderland. 15 May 2011: West Ham United lose 3–2 at Wigan Athletic, despite taking a 2–0 lead after 26 minutes, and are relegated from the Premier League after six successive seasons there. Chelsea effectively secure second place with a 2–2 draw at home to Newcastle United. Birmingham City remain on the brink of the relegation zone, with only goal difference keeping them clear, after losing 2–0 at home to a Fulham side occupying eighth place. Later that day West Ham manager Avram Grant is sacked. 21 May 2011: AFC Wimbledon beat Luton Town F.C., Luton Town 4–3 on penalties following a goalless draw in the Conference play-off final. Wimbledon reach the Football League only nine years after their formation, which occurred when The FA approved the Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes, relocation of the original Wimbledon F.C., Wimbledon side to Milton Keynes. AFC Wimbledon and the since-renamed Milton Keynes Dons F.C., Milton Keynes Dons will now be just one division apart. 22 May 2011: On the final day of the Premier League, Blackpool are relegated by a 4–2 defeat at Manchester United after taking a 2–1 lead, while League Cup holders Birmingham City also go down after conceding a last minute goal as they lose 2–1 to a Tottenham Hotspur side whose victory confirms their Europa League qualification, while Blackburn Rovers beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 at Molineux, and both sides avoid relegation. Wigan Athletic win 1–0 against Stoke City and also avoid the drop. Elsewhere, Manchester City pip Arsenal to third place, and Tottenham's win over Birmingham City means that Liverpool (who lose 1–0 at Aston Villa) miss out on a place in Europe for the first time in 12 years. 28 May 2011: Stevenage are promoted to League One, beating Torquay United 1–0 in the League Two play-off final at Old Trafford. 29 May 2011: Peterborough United win promotion to the Championship, beating Huddersfield Town 3–0 in the League One play-off final at Old Trafford. 30 May 2011: Swansea City become the first Welsh club to earn promotion to the Premier League, beating Reading 4–2 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.


June 2011

1 June 2011:
Gérard Houllier Gérard Paul Francis Houllier (; 3 September 194714 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, ...
steps down as
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
manager by mutual consent following his illness. Also on 1 June, Convers Sports Initiatives owned by Russian Vladimir Aleksandrovich Antonov, Vladimir Antonov completed its takeover of
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. 2 June 2011:
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
resigned as a Fulham F.C., Fulham manager after having spent 11 months as manager. 3 June 2011: Tottenham Hotspur signed Aston Villa's goalkeeper veteran Brad Friedel on a free transfer as his contract set to expire next season. Also, Frank Arnesen's Hamburger SV signed Jacopo Sala from Chelsea, becoming a second player to join Hamburg from Chelsea this following Michael Mancienne's £1.75 million move to Germany. 6 June 2011: Millwall top scorer last season Steve Morison joined newly promoted side
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
for an undisclosed fee. 7 June 2011: Newly promoted side Swansea City A.F.C., Swansea City signed Watford F.C., Watford's top scorer Danny Graham (footballer), Danny Graham for £3.5 million. 8 June 2011: Arsenal make their first signing of the transfer window in Carl Jenkinson from Charlton Athletic F.C., Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed fee. 9 June 2011: Liverpool make their first signing of the transfer window in Jordan Henderson from
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
for £16 million. 10 June 2011: Newcastle United made their first signing Yohan Cabaye from Lille OSC, Lille for an undisclosed fee. 13 June 2011: Manchester United made their first signing Phil Jones (footballer, born 1992), Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers F.C., Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee. 23 June 2011:
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
sign midfielder Ashley Young from
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
for an undisclosed fee. 29 June 2011: Manchester United sign Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea from Atlético Madrid for £18.9 million.


New clubs

* Bromsgrove Sporting F.C. was formed by fans of Bromsgrove Rovers F.C., Bromsgrove Rovers before the season began and before the original club folded. They were accepted into the Midland Football Combination Division two (level 12) while the original club was expelled from the 2010–11 Southern Football League, Southern League, Division One South & West (Level 8) * Chester F.C. was formed by fans of Chester City F.C. which had folded. They were accepted into the Northern Premier League Division One North (level 8), while the original club had been expelled from the Conference National (level 5). * Merthyr Town F.C. (2010), Merthyr Town F.C. was formed by fans of Merthyr Tydfil F.C. which had folded. They were accepted into the Western Football League Division One (level 10), while the original club had been expelled from the Southern Football League Premier Division (level 7)


Clubs removed

* Bromsgrove Rovers F.C., Bromsgrove Rovers, expelled from 2010–11 Southern Football League, Southern League, Division One South & West (Level 8), 11 August 2010. * Ilkeston Town F.C. (1945), Ilkeston Town, expelled from 2010–11 Football Conference, Conference North (Level 6), 8 September 2010. * Leyton F.C., Leyton, expelled from 2010–11 Isthmian League, Isthmian League, Division One North (Level 8), 14 January 2011. * Atherstone Town F.C., Atherstone Town, resigned from 2010–11 Southern Football League, Southern League Division One Central (Level 8) at the end of the season. Announced 18 December 2010. * Windsor & Eton F.C. (1892), Windsor & Eton, expelled from 2010–11 Southern Football League, Southern League, Premier Division (Level 7), 2 February 2011. ** Windsor F.C. (2011), Windsor formed out of club's demise, and competed in the Combined Counties Football League (level 9) in 2011–12 * Almondsbury Town A.F.C., Almondsbury Town, resigned from 2010–11 Southern Football League, Southern League, Division One South & West (Level 8) at end of season. Announced 7 April 2011. * Leigh Genesis F.C., Leigh Genesis, resigned from North West Counties Football League (level 9) after season finished. Announced 2 June 2011. * Rushden & Diamonds F.C., Rushden & Diamonds, expelled from 2011–12 Football Conference, 2011–12 Conference National (level 5) after season finished. Announced 11 June 2011. ** AFC Rushden & Diamonds formed out of club's demise and will field a senior team in 2012–13. * Rossendale United F.C., Rossendale United, expelled from 2011–12 North West Counties Football League (level 9) after season finished. Announced 18 June 2011.


Retirements

* July 2010 – Chris Lumsdon, 30, former
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, Barnsley F.C., Barnsley, Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United and
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
midfielder. * 24 August 2010 – Sam Hutchinson, 21, former Chelsea defender. * 26 August 2010 – Matt Murray (English footballer), Matt Murray, 29, former Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper. * January 2011 – Gavin McCann, 33, former Everton, Sunderland F.C., Sunderland,
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
and
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
midfielder who won one cap for England national football team, England. * 2 February 2011 – Gary Neville, 35, former England national football team, England and
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
full back. * 5 March 2011 – Miki Roqué, 22, former
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and Oldham Athletic F.C., Oldham Athletic defender. * 8 March 2011 – Chris Armstrong (footballer, born 1982), Chris Armstrong, 28, former Bury F.C., Bury, Oldham Athletic F.C., Oldham Athletic, Sheffield United and Reading F.C., Reading defender. * 10 March 2011 – Sean McDaid, 25, former Doncaster Rovers F.C., Doncaster Rovers and Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United defender. * 29 April 2011 – Michael Bridges, 32, former Sunderland F.C., Sunderland, Leeds United F.C., Leeds United,
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
, Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United, Hull City and Milton Keynes Dons F.C., MK Dons striker. * 22 May 2011 – Jerzy Dudek, 38, former Poland national football team, Poland and
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
goalkeeper. * 30 May 2011 – Claude Makélélé, 38, former
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and Chelsea midfielder. * 31 May 2011 – Paul Scholes, 36, former England national football team, England and
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
midfielder. * 6 June 2011 – Jon Dahl Tomasson, 34, former Denmark national football team, Denmark and
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
striker. * Summer 2011 – Edwin van der Sar, 40, former Netherlands national football team, Netherlands, Fulham F.C., Fulham and
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
goalkeeper. * Summer 2011 – Sami Hyypiä, 37, former Finland national football team, Finland and
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
defender. * Summer 2011 – Robbie Savage, 36, former Wales national football team, Wales, Crewe Alexandra F.C., Crewe Alexandra,
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, Birmingham City F.C., Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers F.C., Blackburn Rovers and Derby County F.C., Derby County midfielder. * Summer 2011 – Paul Hartley, 34, former Scotland national football team, Scotland,
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 Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
and
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
midfielder. * Summer 2011 – Tony Roberts (footballer), Tony Roberts, 41, former Dagenham & Redbridge, Queens Park Rangers F.C., QPR & Wales National Football Team, Wales goalkeeper.


Deaths

* 14 July 2010 – Ken Barnes (English footballer), Ken Barnes, 81, wing-half who made 283 appearances for
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, and was a member of the City side that won the FA Cup in 1956. Later became manager of Wrexham F.C., Wrexham before returning to City as chief scout * 17 July 2010 – Shaun Mawer, 50, full back who made 60 appearances for Grimsby Town from 1977 to 1980 * 30 July 2010 – Stanley Milburn, 83, played for Ashington, Chesterfield, Leicester City and Rochdale and had one England B team cap. Uncle of Jack and Bobby Charlton. * 10 August 2010 – Brian Clark (footballer born 1943), Brian Clark, 67, forward who made over 600 appearances in The Football League, most notably with Cardiff City F.C., Cardiff City and
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
. * 10 August 2010 – Adam Stansfield, 31, Exeter City F.C., Exeter City forward who made over 300 career appearances for Yeovil Town F.C., Yeovil Town, Hereford United F.C., Hereford United and Exeter City F.C., Exeter City. * 10 August 2010 – Markus Liebherr, 62, owner of Southampton F.C. * 15 August 2010 – John Green (footballer, born 1939), John Green, 71, midfielder who made 250 league appearances for Tranmere Rovers F.C., Tranmere Rovers,
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
and Port Vale F.C., Port Vale. * 18 September 2010 – Bobby Smith, 77, who was a key member of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur's double (association football), double winning side of 1961 . * 1 October 2010 – Ian Buxton, 72, inside-forward who made 215 league appearances for Derby County F.C., Derby County, Luton Town F.C., Luton Town,
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
and Port Vale F.C., Port Vale; also a captain of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. * 13 October 2010 – Eddie Baily, 85, inside-forward who made 419 league appearances for
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
, Port Vale F.C., Port Vale, Nottingham Forest F.C., Nottingham Forest, and
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
, and the England national football team, England national team; part of the Spurs 1950–51 League winning side. * 15 October 2010 – Malcolm Allison, 83, best remembered for his spell as coach under Joe Mercer at
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
during the successes of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and for his later but less successful spell as the club's manager. * 29 October 2010 – Ronnie Clayton (footballer, born 1934), Ronnie Clayton, 76, Right-half who made 35 appearances England national football team, England, many as the skipper. Clayton was one of the most recognised wing-halves of his generation, during his 21-year career from 1950 to 1971, he spent 19 years at Blackburn Rovers F.C., Blackburn Rovers. * 30 October 2010 – John Benson (footballer, born 1942), John Benson, 67, Scottish football player and manager. Notably playing for Torquay United in the 60's, and for managing and directing
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. * 14 December 2010 – Dale Roberts (footballer born 1986), Dale Roberts, 24, former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper playing for Conference National team Rushden & Diamonds. Roberts also featured for the England C national football team, England C team. His death was a suspected suicide. * 17 December 2010 – Ralph Coates, 64, former Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur, Leyton Orient and England forward. * 28 December 2010 – Avi Cohen, 54, former
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
defender who scored the club's title-clinching goal in 1980. Was also a captain of the Israel national football team. Died from injuries sustained in a motorcycling accident in his native Israel. * 10 January 2011 – Richard Butcher (footballer), Richard Butcher, 29, Macclesfield Town F.C., Macclesfield Town midfielder, who also enjoyed spells with Northampton Town F.C., Northampton Town, Kettering Town F.C., Kettering Town, Oldham Athletic F.C., Oldham Athletic,
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...
,
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
and Lincoln City F.C., Lincoln City. * 15 January 2011 – Nat Lofthouse, 85, spent his entire career at Bolton Wanderers F.C, Bolton Wanderers as a striker, scoring 285 goals in 503 appearances from 1946 to 1960, along with scoring 30 goals in 33 appearances for England national football team, England. * 26 January 2011 – David Knowles (footballer), David Knowles, 69, former
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. * 3 February 2011 – Neil Young (footballer born 1944), Neil Young, 66, former
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
striker. * 20 February 2011 – Tony Kellow, 58, former Exeter City, Blackpool, Plymouth Argyle, Swansea and Newport County striker. * 26 February 2011 – Dean Richards (footballer), Dean Richards, 36, former Tottenham and Wolves defender. * 23 March 2011 – Trevor Storton, 61, former Tranmere Rovers,
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and Chester City F.C., Chester City defender.


Honours


Trophy and League Champions


Playoff Winners


League tables


Premier League

Manchester United won their 12th Premier League title and their 19th championship overall, beating Liverpool's record of 18 championships set in 1990. A late surge consigned Chelsea to a second-place finish; their season fell apart following the departure of first-team coach Ray Wilkins in early November and this coincided with a horrendous run of form in the winter as they picked up just 10 points from 11 games, with manager Carlo Ancelotti losing his job on the final day. Arsenal qualified for the Champions League in 4th, having been realistic outsiders for the league title until losing the League Cup final, at which point they won just two of their last 11 league games, falling behind 3rd placed Manchester City, who entered Europe's elite competition for the first time after overturning a 5-point deficit with 3 games left. Tottenham settled for the Europa League spot, though they had an impressive first Champions League run that took them to the quarterfinals. Liverpool – who managed to put a terrible League start under
Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstad in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to t ...
behind them – seemed as if they were going to finish 5th under Kenny Dalglish, but lost their last two games and had to settle for 6th. This meant that they failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time in 12 years. Merseyside rivals Everton finished immediately behind them in seventh place, after a much improved second half of the campaign. Fulham rose up the table to finish eighth, and qualify for the Europa League via the Fair Play League. Stoke also qualified for the Europa League by reaching their first ever FA Cup Final, despite losing by a single goal to eventual winners Manchester City.
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...
, just days before the campaign began, resigned from his position as Aston Villa manager. This hit Villa immensely and they found themselves in a relegation battle for much of the season, despite the efforts of former Liverpool manager
Gérard Houllier Gérard Paul Francis Houllier (; 3 September 194714 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, ...
. They confirmed survival with a 9th-place finish, but only after Houllier took a leave of absence following a heart scare with a few weeks to go. Newly promoted West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United also enjoyed decent finishes, in eleventh and twelfth places respectively. Albion began the season well under Roberto di Matteo until a loss in form saw them fall down the table. With Albion just above the drop zone, the Italian was replaced by Roy Hodgson, who recovered from his disappointing Liverpool tenure to steer the Baggies away from relegation trouble. Newcastle's twelfth place was achieved despite the surprise sacking of Chris Hughton, who was replaced by Alan Pardew, and the departure of striker Andy Carroll to Liverpool for £35 million in January. West Ham United were the first team to go down, despite the efforts of their star midfielder Scott Parker (footballer), Scott Parker (who won the FWA Footballer of the Year, Footballer of the Year Award); the Hammers' relegation was confirmed following a 3–2 defeat at Wigan. Blackpool returned to the Championship after a run of only three wins from their last 21 games, despite a league double over Liverpool. Despite winning the Football League Cup (and thereby qualifying for the following season's Europa League), Birmingham were relegated on the last day after they suffered a late season slump in form, enabling close rivals Wolves, as well as Blackburn and Wigan, to survive in one of the top-flight's tightest relegation battles. Leading goalscorers: Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United) and
Carlos Tevez Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...
(Manchester City) – 21


Football League Championship

Queens Park Rangers won the Championship and returned to the Premier League after a fifteen-year absence. Neil Warnock became the first manager in six years to complete a full season in charge with the club, and equalled the record for the most promotions ever won by a single manager. The runners-up spot was taken by Norwich City, who earned their second successive promotion under Paul Lambert and became only the third English club to achieve back to back promotions to the top flight, and the first since Manchester City 11 years previous. Swansea City were promoted via the play-offs after beating Reading in the play-off final, becoming the first Welsh club ever to play in the Premier League. Ironically, Swansea manager
Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed until h ...
was a former manager of Reading, having been sacked by the Royals midway through the previous season. None of the three teams relegated from the Premier League in the previous season were able to mount a challenge for promotion. Burnley, whom many tipped for an immediate return to the top flight, ultimately fell just short of the top six, but the efforts of Hull City and Portsmouth were hindered by respective financial constraints. Cardiff City were the league's biggest chokers as they threw away their chances of automatic promotion in shocking fashion, amid reports of several players seen out drinking in the early hours before a crucial game against Middlesbrough, meaning they had to settle for the play-offs. Dave Jones (footballer born 1956), Dave Jones was sacked at the end of May after they were crushed by losing play-off finalists Reading. Scunthorpe United were unable for a consecutive season to escape the consequences of competing against teams with more financial resources and were relegated, despite the arrival of Alan Knill. Sheffield United were relegated only a year after their Sheffield Wednesday F.C., cross-city counterparts, meaning that the Steel City derby would now be taking place in the third tier since 1980, the sacking of Kevin Blackwell after just two games and subsequent managerial instability proving their downfall. The third relegated club was Preston North End, who had been the longest-serving members of the Championship, having been in the division since 2000. Much like Sheffield United, their decision to replace manager Darren Ferguson backfired on them. Leading goalscorer Danny Graham (footballer), Danny Graham (Watford) – 24


Football League One

Brighton and Hove Albion gave their old Withdean Stadium a memorable send-off as they dominated the division for nearly the whole season and won the League One title, ensuring that the new Falmer Stadium would open to Championship football. Fellow south coast club Southampton, whose promotion challenge had been derailed by a ten-point administration penalty in the previous season, were promoted at the second time of asking, finishing as runners-up. At first, they didn't look like promotion chasers when
Alan Pardew Alan Scott Pardew (born 18 July 1961) is an English football manager and former professional footballer, who most recently managed Greek Super League club Aris Thessaloniki. Pardew's highest achievements in the sport include reaching the FA Cup ...
was sacked in early September and replaced by
Nigel Adkins Nigel Howard Adkins (born 11 March 1965) is an English professional football manager and former footballer and physiotherapist. He was most recently the manager and technical director at Tranmere Rovers. Adkins played as a goalkeeper for Tran ...
. But Adkins gave Saints fans what they wanted for years; attacking football and a 2nd-place finish. Peterborough United, who were the top scorers in any of the top four divisions, won the play-offs and clinched an immediate return to the Championship after the previous year's relegation. It meant that manager Darren Ferguson – who had left the Posh 2 years ago – had achieved his third successive promotion with the club. Swindon Town suffered a shock relegation: having been runners-up in the play-off final the previous season, they struggled for the entire campaign and were eventually relegated in bottom place after the departures of strike-duo Billy Paynter and Charlie Austin. Plymouth Argyle suffered their second successive relegation, the loss of ten points for entering administration proving fatal. Bristol Rovers, who had been promoted alongside Swindon in 2007, were relegated with them this year. Dagenham & Redbridge battled until the final day of the season, but ultimately suffered relegation in their first-ever season at this level. Coincidentally, had it not been for Plymouth's points deduction then Walsall would have been relegated, meaning that three of the four clubs promoted from League Two at the end of the 2006–07 in English football, 2006–07 season would have gone down together. Leading goalscorer: Craig Mackail-Smith (Peterborough United) – 27


Football League Two

Chesterfield enjoyed a dream start to life at their new stadium, winning the title. Runners-up were Bury, who had been in impressive form for most of the season and secured second place with a blistering late run of form under new manager Richard Barker (footballer born 1975), Richard Barker, even threatening to overtake Chesterfield in the final weeks of the season. Wycombe Wanderers were the final automatically promoted team, making an immediate return to League One after being relegated the previous season. Stevenage won the play-offs and earned promotion in their first ever Football League season. Stockport suffered their second successive relegation, with continued financial problems and the worst defensive record in the whole Football League costing them dearly. Barnet escaped relegation on the last day of the season with a 1–0 win over Port Vale at Underhill, and along with Lincoln City losing 3–0 to Aldershot, condemned Lincoln to their second relegation from the Football League. They had looked safe with two months to go, but an appalling run, with only two points gained from their last eleven matches saw them dumped into the relegation zone on the last day (their first relegation from the League in 1987 occurred under nearly identical circumstances). Promoted from the
Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...
as champions were Crawley Town F.C., Crawley Town, who entered the Football League for the first time in their history. Also promoted (via the play-offs) were AFC Wimbledon, who were technically also newcomers to the League, but widely seen as the continuation of the original Wimbledon F.C., Wimbledon, who became the Milton Keynes Dons at the start of the 2004–05 in English football, 2004–05 season. Leading goalscorer: Clayton Donaldson (Crewe Alexandra) – 28


England national football team


Euro 2012 qualification

During the season, the
England national football team The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...
played the first five of their eight scheduled UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group G, Group G UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, qualifying matches for
Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
.


Friendlies

England also participated in a number of Exhibition game, friendly matches.


English clubs' performance in Europe

These are the results of the English teams in European competitions during the 2010–11 season. (English team score displayed first) * For group games in Champions League or Europa League, score in home game is displayed
** For group games in Champions League or Europa League, score in away game is displayed


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2010-11 in English football 2010–11 in English football,