Chelsea land their second Premier League title in as many seasons. They headed the table virtually all season long and amassed 91 points in retaining the trophy.
The rebuiltWembley Stadium was due to open in time for theFA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005,The Football Association reserved theMillennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether Wembley would be ready. The doubts were confirmed on 21 February 2006, when The FA announced that the final would indeed be held at Millennium Stadium. On 31 March 2006 The FA confirmed that the new Wembley would not be opened until 2007.
Two clubs opened new stadiums at the beginning of this season:
Reading broke the previous points record of 105 points, taking 106 points from 46 games, scoring 99 goals to earnpromotion to thePremier League.
Wigan Athletic, who earnedpromotion to the Premier League by finishing second in theFootball League Championship, played their first ever season in the top division of English football and comfortably stayed up, staying clear from the threat of relegation all season.
Wigan were the first club to play an inaugural season in the top tier of English football sinceBarnsley in1997–98, and the first to avoid relegation in an inaugural top tier season sinceMillwall in1988–89.
4 August 2005 —Phil Neville, who has spent his entire 12-year career at Manchester United, is sold toEverton for £3.5 million.
7 August 2005 — Chelsea claim the first silverware of the season when they beat Arsenal 2–1 at theMillennium Stadium in Cardiff to win theFA Community Shield.
8 August 2005 — Manchester United misfitKléberson is sold toBeşiktaş ofTurkey for £2.5 million.
31 August 2005 — August draws to a close with Chelsea looking well placed to defend theirPremier League title having won their first four games of the season.Stuart Pearce's Manchester City have made an impressive start to the season as they occupy second place.Charlton Athletic, Manchester United andBolton Wanderers complete the top five. Newly promotedSunderland are bottom after losing their first four games of the league season, with Newcastle United andPortsmouth completing the bottom three. Newcastle United break their club transfer record by paying £17 million toReal Madrid forMichael Owen.[5] In the Championship, Sheffield United lead the table with Reading in second place, ahead of newly promoted Luton Town on goal difference. Watford, Southampton and Wolves complete the playoff places. Norwich City, narrowly relegated from the Premier League the previous season, have made a poor start to a campaign thought by many to be a challenge for an immediate return to England's elite and stand one place off the bottom of the Championship, sandwiched by Millwall (bottom) and Sheffield Wednesday.
30 September 2005 — Chelsea's 100% start to the season continues after seven games as they finish September with their Premier League leadership intact. Charlton Athletic are their nearest challengers in second place, with Bolton Wanderers,West Ham United (newly promoted) and Manchester United completing the top five. Sunderland remain bottom with just one point so far this season, while Everton andWest Bromwich Albion complete the bottom three.[6] In the Championship, Sheffield United hold a six-point advantage over Reading. Luton, Wolves, Watford and Leeds make up the rest of the top six. Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle and Crewe Alexandra prop up the table.
8 October 2005 — England defeatAustria 1–0 atOld Trafford, with theNetherlands defeating theCzech Republic the same night, thus assuring England automatic qualification for the2006 FIFA World Cup, either as the top team in their qualifying group or one of the top two second-placed European teams.
12 October 2005 — England defeatPoland 2–1 at Old Trafford to finish top of their World Cup qualifying group.
17 October 2005 —Middlesbrough defenderAbel Xavier is banned from all football after failing a drugs test.
29 October 2005 — Manchester United become the first team to score 1,000 Premier League goals, in its 14th season.
31 October 2005 — October draws to a close with Chelsea now runaway leaders with 10 wins and a draw from their first 11 games, while their nearest challengers areWigan Athletic, playing their first top-division season and only their 28th as a professional league club. Tottenham Hotspur, Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic complete the top five, while a disappointing Manchester United and Arsenal are sixth and seventh respectively. Sunderland have at last recorded their first league win of the season but still occupy bottom place, withBirmingham City and Everton completing the bottom three.[8] In the Championship, Reading have closed the gap between them and Sheffield United to three points, with Luton, Watford, Leeds and Crystal Palace completing the top six and Brighton, Crewe and Millwall in the relegation zone.
6 November 2005 — Manchester United become the first team to beat Chelsea in 41 Premier League games, with aDarren Fletcher header securing a 1–0 victory at Old Trafford.
18 November 2005 —Roy Keane leaves Manchester United by mutual consent, ending his 12-year association with the club.
24 November 2005 —Alain Perrin is sacked as manager of Portsmouth after eight months in charge.
30 November 2005 — November ends with Chelsea still top of the Premier League, their nearest contenders now being Manchester United who are 10 points behind and with a game in hand. Arsenal, Wigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top five. Sunderland remain bottom with a mere five points and one win so far, with Birmingham City and Portsmouth completing the bottom three.[9] In the Championship, Reading have overtaken Sheffield United with a four-point advantage. Watford, Leeds, Luton and Cardiff complete the top six, while Crewe, Brighton and Millwall remain in the relegation zone.
3 December 2005 —Harry Redknapp walks out of Southampton after being refused permission to discuss terms with Portsmouth over returning as manager.
5 December 2005 — Paul Gascoigne resigns after just over a month in charge of Kettering Town, during which time they won two, lost two and drew two of their six games.[10]
7 December 2005 — Harry Redknapp is appointed manager of Portsmouth for the second time under contract until the end of the season.
22 December 2005 —George Burley is appointed Harry Redknapp's replacement at Southampton.
31 December 2005 — Chelsea's Premier League continues into 2006 by 11 points over Manchester United, while Liverpool's good run of form has taken them into third place. Tottenham Hotspur and Wigan Athletic complete the top five. Sunderland, Birmingham City and Portsmouth occupy the relegation places.[11] Reading still lead the Championship, with Sheffield United, Leeds, Watford, Crystal Palace and Wolves completing the top six. Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall and Crewe finish the year in the relegation zone.
6 January 2006 — Portsmouth signBenjani fromAuxerre for £4.1 million.
8 January 2006 —Burton Albion of theConference National hold Manchester United to a 0–0 draw in the FA Cup third round, earning a lucrative replay at Old Trafford on 18 January 2006 which they lose 5–0.
10 January 2006 — Manchester United sign French defenderPatrice Evra fromAS Monaco for £5.5 million.
13 January 2006 — Arsenal signEmmanuel Adebayor from AS Monaco for £7 million.
20 January 2006 — The Premier League formally charges Portsmouth with "tapping up" Harry Redknapp. Arsenal pay £5 million to Southampton for strikerTheo Walcott, who turns 17 on 16 March.
31 January 2006 — Chelsea now lead the Premier League by 14 points ahead of Manchester United and 18 points ahead of Liverpool, with Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal completing the top five. Sunderland, Portsmouth and Birmingham City occupy the three relegation places.[12] Reading lead the Championship by ten points and look almost certain to gain promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history, while Sheffield United (with a game in hand) are eleven points clear of Leeds and Watford in joint third place. Preston North End and Cardiff City complete the top six. Brighton, Millwall and Crewe prop up the table.
2 February 2006 —Graeme Souness is sacked as manager of Newcastle United, andGlenn Roeder was made caretaker manager withAlan Shearer his assistant manager.
4 February 2006 — Alan Shearer becomes Newcastle United's top goalscorer of all time, scoring his 201st goal for the club, against Portsmouth at St. James' Park, beatingJackie Milburn's 200 goal tally which had stood for 49 years.
11 February 2006 — Middlesbrough comfortably defeat reigning Premier League champions Chelsea 3–0 at theRiverside Stadium, the first timeJosé Mourinho's Chelsea have lost by more than a single goal.
18 February 2006 — Liverpool beat Manchester United in the FA Cup for the first time since 1921. The draw was a 5th round matchup.
21 February 2006 — The FA announce that the2006 FA Cup Final, set for 13 May, will be held at the Millennium Stadium, as the builders of the newWembley Stadium are unable to guarantee that it will be ready for the match. They also announce that the national team's pre-World Cup friendlies originally scheduled for Wembley will instead be held at Old Trafford.
26 February 2006 — Manchester United defeat Wigan Athletic 4–0 at the Millennium Stadium to win theCarling Cup. Should they finish in the top five this season, there will be aUEFA Cup place for the league's sixth highest placed team.
28 February 2006 — The month ends with Chelsea's lead over Manchester United at the top of the Premier League narrowed slightly to 12 points. Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal once again complete the top five, while Bolton Wanderers occupy the now sought-after sixth place. Sunderland continue to prop up the top flight, having gained just nine points so far this season. Portsmouth and Birmingham City complete the bottom three, with Portsmouth now eight points adrift of safety.[13] The top six remain unchanged from the previous month, although Watford have moved to third and Crystal Palace to fifth. Millwall has changed places in the relegation zone with Brighton, whom they lead on goal difference, while Crewe prop up the table.
6 March 2006 —Mick McCarthy is sacked as manager of Sunderland after his team accumulated just 10 points in 28 matches, withKevin Ball made caretaker manager for the remainder of the season.
25 March 2006 —Reading became the first side to bepromoted to the 2006–07 Premier League after drawing 1–1 at Leicester City. 2006–07 will be theBerkshire club's first ever season in England's top flight (though they would have been automatically promoted in 1995 as Division One runners-up had it not been for a reorganisation of the league which saw them forced into the playoffs where they had lost to Bolton Wanderers in the final).
31 March 2006 — March draws to a close with Chelsea now nine points ahead of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League. Liverpool, Tottenham, Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal complete the top six, while Wigan Athletic are now eighth and their dreams of European football are fading fast. Sunderland are still bottom with 10 points though their relegation has yet to be confirmed. Portsmouth and Birmingham City complete the bottom three, both of them being three points behind 17th-placed West Bromwich Albion and with a game in hand.[14] Reading need only one more win from their last six games to confirm the Championship title, while Sheffield United appear almost certain to join Reading in the top flight. Watford, Leeds, Crystal Palace and Preston North End complete the top six. At the other end of the table, Crewe and Brighton look dead and buried, needing four wins each from their last six games and other results to go their way to avoid relegation. Millwall are only five points adrift in the relegation zone but still look bound for relegation as well, just two seasons after competing in theUEFA Cup.
14 April 2006 — Sunderland arerelegated from the Premier League after a 0–0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. This is the first relegation in the league.
15 April 2006 — Sheffield United become the second side to secure promotion to the Premier League after they beatCardiff City whileWatford and Leeds United only draw withWolverhampton Wanderers and champions Reading respectively.
15 April 2006 —Accrington Stanley regain their Football League status 44 years after the previous club of the same name lost it due to bankruptcy, after they beatWoking to win the Conference National title.
17 April 2006 —Sheffield Wednesday's 2–0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion ensures that the trio of Brighton,Crewe Alexandra andMillwall are all relegated from the Championship.
17 April 2006 — Alan Shearer plays his last competitive match against, rather fittingly, Sunderland, after aJulio Arca tackle tore hismedial collateral ligament.
18 April 2006 —John Lyall, formerIpswich Town and West Ham United manager, dies of a heart attack aged 66.
20 April 2006 —Altrincham of the Conference National have 18 points deducted for fielding an ineligible player 13 times. This points deduction relegates the club to the Conference North.
22 April 2006 —Carlisle United secure promotion toLeague One after a 1–1 draw atMansfield Town whileLeyton Orient were also held to a draw by the same scoreline atLincoln City. This promotion comes just one season after Carlisle returned to the Football League following a one-season exile.
29 April 2006 — Chelsea successfully retain their Premier League title after beating Manchester United 3–0. On the same occasion, Portsmouth win 2 - 1 at Wigan to confirm their safety and relegated both West Brom and Birmingham, who can only hold on to a goalless draw against Newcastle.
29 April 2006 — Charlton Athletic managerAlan Curbishley announces that he will resign at the end of the season, ending a 15-year-long tenure as manager atThe Valley.
29 April 2006 —Southend United secure promotion from League One after they draw 2–2 at Swansea City whileBrentford also draw againstHartlepool United. Also in League One,Swindon Town are relegated to League Two after they could only draw 1–1 againstBristol City.
30 April 2006 — Reading break Sunderland's record for most points in any professional English league, beating Queens Park Rangers 2–1 to finish on 106 points.
30 April 2006 — April draws to a close with Chelsea confirmed as champions, while Manchester United and Liverpool are the next highest teams level on points. Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers complete the top six. Sunderland are bottom and were relegated two weeks ago, while West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City's relegation has just been confirmed. It is a brilliant time for Portsmouth, who looked dead and buried barely two months ago.[15]
4 May 2006 — Current Middlesbrough managerSteve McClaren signs a four-year contract agreeing to succeed Sven-Göran Eriksson as England head coach after the World Cup. The contract begins on 1 August.
4 May 2006 — Newcastle United are refused permission to appoint caretaker manager Glenn Roeder on a permanent basis as he does not possess the required coaching qualifications.[16]
6 May 2006 — Southend United, after defeating Bristol City, become League One champions, whileColchester United secure the second automatic place to the Championship after managing a draw at Yeovil while Brentford can only draw away atAFC Bournemouth; Colchester will play in the top two tiers in English football for the first time in their history after their promotion. Around the same time, both Hartlepool United andMilton Keynes Dons are relegated to League Two after both teams can only draw while Rotherham United survive.
6 May 2006 —Oxford United lose their league status after 44 years and are relegated from the football league following a 3–2 defeat by Leyton Orient, who are promoted to League One after their win while Grimsby Town can only draw against already promoted Northampton Town.
7 May 2006 — Sunderland finish the season on 15 points, the lowest points total ever in top-flight English football since 3 points for a win was introduced in the 1981–82 season.
9 May 2006 — Roy Keane'stestimonial is played at Old Trafford, with Manchester United beatingCeltic 1–0 thanks to a second halfCristiano Ronaldo goal.
10 May 2006 — Middlesbrough lose the UEFA Cup final 4–0 to Sevilla in Steve McClaren's last game in charge at thePhilips Stadion inEindhoven. On the same day, the Premier League change their mind over the Glenn Roeder situation at Newcastle United and give him permission to take on the manager's role on a permanent basis despite him not having the requiring coaching qualifications.[17]
11 May 2006 — Alan Shearer'stestimonial is played atSt James' Park, with a Newcastle XI beating Celtic 3–2, with Shearer scoring the winning penalty.Joe Royle leaves Ipswich Town "by mutual consent".
13 May 2006 — Liverpool win the 125th FA Cup final beating West Ham United 3–1 onpenalties after a thrilling 3–3 draw afterextra time.
16 May 2006 — Lincoln City become the first team to lose four consecutive play-off competitions following a 3–1 aggregate defeat to neighborsGrimsby Town in the League Two semi-finals.
27 May 2006 —Barnsley win promotion to the Championship after overcoming Swansea City in the League One play-off final. They win 4–3 on penalties after both sides remained level at 2–2 after extra time.
28 May 2006 —Cheltenham Town win promotion to the League One by defeating Grimsby Town 1–0 in the League Two play-off final.
4 June 2006 —Scarborough are relegated from the Conference National for a breach of league rules. They take Altrincham's relegation place.
8 June 2006 — TheBBC'sMatch of the Day will show Premier League highlights for at least another four seasons after £171.6 million bid for television rights was accepted.[18]
10 June 2006 — England open their World Cup campaign with a 1–0 win overParaguay.
14 June 2006 — Everton sign defenderJoleon Lescott from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £5 million, and Chelsea sell strikerEiður Guðjohnsen to Barcelona for £8 million.
15 June 2006 — England beatTrinidad and Tobago 2–0 to confirm their qualification for the last 16 of the World Cup.
20 June 2006 — England draw 2–2 withSweden in their final group game.
22 June 2006 — Liverpool pay £6 million to Blackburn Rovers for winger Craig Bellamy.
25 June 2006 — England reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the second tournament in succession with a 1–0 win overEcuador in the second round.
1 July 2006 — England lose on penalties toPortugal after a goalless draw in the World Cup quarter-finals. Tottenham Hotspur signBulgarian strikerDimitar Berbatov fromBayer Leverkusen for £10.9 million. Former Tottenham Hotspur and England managerGlenn Hoddle resigns at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In lieu ofLeague Cup winners (qualification awarded as next-highest (6th) Premier League finishers to have not qualified for Europe because League Cup winners Manchester United had already qualified for the Champions League)
Chelsea, on 91 points, won their second Premier League title in a row.Manchester United, whose 83-point tally would have been enough for title glory in most seasons, finished runners-up. Liverpool's league form improved drastically following the previous season and they finished in third place, just one point behind United; they also won theFA Cup, giving managerRafael Benítez his second major trophy in just his second season.Arsenal snatched the last Champions League spot from under the noses of local rivalsTottenham Hotspur, after the latter's players went down with a bout of food poisoning.The Gunners' 4–2 victory overWigan Athletic on the final day of the season saw them end 92 years of playing atHighbury before they moved into their new 60,000-seatEmirates Stadium.
Ultimately joining Tottenham in theUEFA Cup wereBlackburn Rovers andWest Ham United who were promoted the previous season and took the European spot by virtue of being FA Cup runners-up. Despite narrowly losing on penalties to Liverpool, the Hammers enjoyed a successful first season back amongst the elite, finishing in a comfortable 9th place.
Fellow newly promoted sideWigan Athletic, who were many pundits'[who?] tip for relegation in pre-season, defied the odds to finish 10th in their first season in the top-flight.Everton crashed out of the Champions League early and were in the relegation zone by October, but a good run of results both after Halloween and in the new year saw them comfortably finish in 11th.Middlesbrough finished 14th after a disappointing league season, but reached theUEFA Cup Final – the first European final in their history – where they were beaten 4–0 bySevilla.
In contrast to the other promoted sides,Sunderland, the previous season's Championship winners, were relegated with a league record low of 15 points, breaking the previous record that they set themselves in2002–03, whileWest Bromwich Albion andBirmingham City both hit the 30-point mark and battled bravely, but both were unable to avoid relegation after dismal runs of league form (the Baggies going winless from February onwards, with Birmingham unable to shake off poor away form).Portsmouth spent almost the entire season in the relegation zone, but after the return ofHarry Redknapp, they stayed up after a late run of good results.
Source:Premier League Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champions;(R) Relegated Notes:
^Since Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup asLeague Cupwinners passed down to the league and was awarded to Blackburn Rovers as the highest-placed team not already qualified for European competitions.
^Since Liverpool had already qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup berth as theFA Cupwinners went to West Ham, who were the FA Cup runners-up.
Reading entered the top flight for the first time in their history, breakingSunderland's points record of 105 in the process by accumulating 106 points (coincidentally, Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League while breaking the record forlowest number of points under the current scoring system).Sheffield United joined them, returning to the Premier League after twelve years and earningNeil Warnock his fourth promotion as a manager. Surprise packageWatford, initially tipped for relegation, entered the play-offs and beat Leeds United 3–0 in theMillennium Stadium final, who were unable to shake off a bad run of form (worse than any of the three relegated sides) that saw them lose out in the race for automatic promotion.
Crystal Palace fared the best out of the teams relegated from the Premier League the previous season, by getting to the play-offs but losing in the semi-finals.Norwich City never managed better than mid-table, whileSouthampton endured an awful season that sawSir Clive Woodward take up a much-criticized role asdirector of football, managerHarry Redknapp return to local rivals Portsmouth and the side looking in danger of relegation for much of the season, only managing a mid-table finish with a late surge in form, thanks to the appointment ofGeorge Burley. ChairmanRupert Lowe ultimately paid the price by being forced to resign after the end of the season.
The relegation battle was principally fought by four sides:Crewe,Brighton,Millwall andSheffield Wednesday. Wednesday ultimately won the battle, and the remaining three were relegated all on the same day, after Wednesday beat Brighton 2–0. Although Crewe and Brighton had not spent long in the division and were considered to be punching above their weight, Millwall underwent a disastrous season, getting through five managers and four chairmen before relegation.
Updated to match(es) played on 2 December 2011. Source:RSSSF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champions;(O) Play-off winners;(P) Promoted;(R) Relegated
Southend United surprised many by winning a second successive promotion, returning to the Championship after nearly a decade (when it was called Division One).Colchester United also made the Championship for the first time in their history, but their promotion was tempered by the loss of managerPhil Parkinson to Hull City. A highly competitive play-off race sawBarnsley emerge as winners, beatingSwansea City at theMillennium Stadium 4–3 on penalties after both normal time and extra-time finished 2–2, to return to the Championship after three seasons of struggle in Division Two/League One.
Following relegation and becoming the first former European champions to be subsequently relegated to the third tier of their domestic league,Nottingham Forest struggled for most of the season and were in danger of suffering a second successive relegation. The departure ofGary Megson saw a late upturn in form and surge towards the play-offs; however, they missed out on the last day of the season, finishing 7th.
At the bottom,Walsall endured their second relegation in three seasons,Swindon became the first former Premier League side to slip to the bottom division.Hartlepool crashed out of the division after nearly earning promotion last season, whileMK Dons suffered the relegation they only avoided the previous season whenWrexham were docked points for entering administration.
Carlisle United were another side who earned a second successive promotion, only two years after a relegation from the League that some predicted would see the end of the club.Northampton Town joined them, making up for two seasons of play-off disappointment, andLeyton Orient ended a decade in the bottom division by earning promotion in almost the last minute of the season.Grimsby Town conceded on 91 minutes, and 14 seconds after the fans of Orient celebrated,Lee Steele scored to seal promotion for Orient.Wycombe started the season with a 21-game unbeaten run that saw five of their players named in the PFA League Two team of the year. Two tragic off-the-field events, however, saw them fall away in the second part of the season before losing toCheltenham Town in the playoff semi-finals. Grimsby Town lost 1–0 to Cheltenham in the final at theMillennium Stadium.
Rushden & Diamonds failed to improve on the previous season, and paid the price with relegation to the Conference.Oxford United joined them, despite the return of managerJim Smith, and became the first former winners of a major trophy to be relegated to the Conference, doing so on the last day of the season.
Source:[citation needed] Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD). (C) Champions;(O) Play-off winners;(P) Promoted;(R) Relegated Notes:
^Bury deducted one point for fielding an ineligible player.[20]
Theo Walcott, 16-year-old forward, makes his debut forSouthampton on the opening day of the Championship season as a substitute in the goalless home draw withWolverhampton Wanderers – the club's first game outside the top flight for nearly 30 years.[22]
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22 April 2006 —Alan Shearer, 35, retires after being ruled out for the rest of the season by an injury suffered on 17 April in his 404th appearance forNewcastle United since joining them in 1996. He was due to retire at the end of the season but the injury meant that the game againstSunderland was his last.[23]
8 May 2006 —Duncan Ferguson, 34, leavesEverton on a free transfer at the end of his playing career which has also taken in spells atDundee United,Glasgow Rangers and Newcastle United, the last of which came between his two spells with Everton.[24]
8 June 2006 —Nigel Martyn, 39, retires due to an ankle injury. He spent the final three seasons of his career at Everton having signed fromLeeds United in September 2003, and earlier in his career had spells withBristol Rovers andCrystal Palace, as well as being anEngland goalkeeper.[25]
12 June 2006 —Roy Keane, 34, who until 18 November spent more than 12 years with Manchester United before joiningCeltic, retires due to a long-standing hip injury. He arrived onto the English football scene in 1990 withNottingham Forest.[26]
8 September 2005 —Noel Cantwell, 72, died of cancer. He was a Republic of Ireland international at left-back during the 1950s and 1960s. He also captainedManchester United'sFA Cup winning team in 1963. As a manager he ledCoventry City to their only European campaign in 1969–70.
18 October 2005 —Johnny Haynes, 71, formerEngland andFulham midfielder, who became the first English footballer to be paid £100-a-week, died after suffering abrain haemorrhage while driving in Edinburgh, resulting in a head-on collision with another vehicle.
26 October 2005 —George Swindin, 90, was a former goalkeeper ofArsenal in the 1930s to the 1950s. He helped them win two league titles and one FA Cup. After retiring, he served Arsenal as manager.
25 November 2005 —George Best, 59, Northern-Irish-born striker who enjoyed the early and most successful years of his career Manchester United, died inLondon'sCromwell Hospital frommultiple organ failure, the result of more than 30 years of heavy drinking, three years after he underwent a liver transplant.[27] Personal problems meant that he played his last game for United at the age of 27, but he continued at various smaller clubs – including a brief spell with the Los Angeles Aztecs in America – until the age of 37, when he played his last professional game atAFC Bournemouth. His death dominated news bulletins and his funeral was shown live on theBBC.
14 January 2006 —Mark Philo, 21,Wycombe winger, was killed in a car crash.
9 February 2006 —Ron Greenwood, 84, formerWest Ham United and England manager. He managed West Ham to victory in the FA Cup in 1964 and Cup Winners' Cup success a year later. Greenwood later managed the England team, achieving qualification for Euro 80 and the 1982 World Cup.
1 March 2006 —Peter Osgood, 59, former England striker, died of a heart attack while attending a family funeral. He played in Chelsea's 1970 FA Cup and 1971 Cup Winners' Cup victories, and won another FA Cup medal in 1976 with his next club Southampton.
18 April 2006 —John Lyall, 66, former West Ham United andIpswich Town manager, died of a heart attack. He completed his first season in management at West Ham with FA Cup glory in 1975, winning the trophy again in 1980 and taking West Ham to their highest-ever league position – third – in 1986. He was sacked when West Ham were relegated in 1989, but made a comeback the following year with Ipswich Town. Lyall took Ipswich into the inaugural Premier League as Second Division champions in 1992, and remained in charge for another2+1⁄2 years before he was sacked in December 1994. Lyall never returned to management after his dismissal from Ipswich.
24 April 2006 —Brian Labone, 66, formerEverton captain who played in Harry Catterick's successful 1960s side, died of a heart attack. He helped them win the FA Cup in 1966 as well as the league title in 1963 and 1970. Labone was also capped 26 times by England between 1962 and 1970, but did not make the squad for England's victorious 1966 World Cup campaign.
Denmark
Wales
Northern Ireland
Austria
Poland
Argentina
Uruguay
Belarus
Hungary
Jamaica
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago
Sweden
Ecuador
Portugal![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg)
