English football : English Premier League 2011/2012 season preview
Manchester United clinch record 19th Premier League titleManchester United moved ahead of Liverpoolin England's all-time rankings by clinching their 19th league crown. They ultimately finished nine points clear of deposed titleholders Chelsea and Manchester City, who clinched third place and a UEFA Champions League debut as well as a first FA Cup since 1969. Arsenal remain without a trophy in six years after a League Cup final loss to Birmingham City, who will compete in the UEFA Europa League from the second tier after relegation. Blackpool and West Ham were also relegated. The trio were replaced in the Premier League by Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City, Swansea City.
Fulham awarded Europa League spotFulham play in the UEFA Europa League this season after qualifying via the Fair Play League. Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United finished as the top three in the Fair Play League but had already qualified for Europe so fourth-placed Fulham, who finished eighth in the Premier League last term, were awarded the berth. Fulham had just one player sent off in league matches all year.
The overall number of titles for each club in English Premiership since 1889 and their league standings in the last five seasons. Andre Villas-Boas heads to ChelseaAndre Villas-Boas has been appointed as Chelsea manager on a three-year deal. Blues owner Roman Abramovich paid a reported €15m release clause in his contract at Portuguese champions Porto, the most expensive coaching appointment in football history. Before Porto, Villas-Boas was the manager at Portuguese side Academica for the 2009/10 season. The 33-year-old has only been a coach for two years, but he also was a former assistant of compatriot Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and is regularly compared to the current Real Madrid coach. Chelsea have been without a manager since Carlo Ancelotti was fired minutes after the team's final match of last season. Meanwhile, Villas-Boas led Porto to a domestic double as well as winning the UEFA Europa League last campaign. He becomes the youngest manager in the Premier League and Chelsea's seventh manager in eight years. Kenny Dalglish given new Liverpool dealIn May, Kenny Dalglish has signed a three-year contract to manage Liverpool after impressing in a caretaker capacity. The 60-year-old returned for a second spell in charge of Liverpool in January when he replaced the fired Roy Hodgson on a six-month deal. When Dalglish returned to the helm, Liverpool were 12th in the Premier League, four points above the relegation zone. They finished the campaign sixth, but failed to qualify for this season's UEFA Europa League. This page is introduction to the 2010/11 English Premier League season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > England page. Aston Villa appoint Alex McLeishAlex McLeish completed his move to manage Aston Villa after quitting archrival Birmingham. The rare switch in managerial jobs between neighboring clubs not only enraged Birmingham, which demanded compensation to cover the final two years of McLeish's contract, but also some Villa fans, who dislike McLeish because of his connection to their main rivals. But Villa's American owner Randy Lerner pressed ahead with appointing the 52-year-old Scot as his third manager in less than a year. McLeish, whose contract details have not been announced, is replacing Gerard Houllier, who left Villa in June because of heart problems after just nine months in charge. Martin Jol named new Fulham managerMartin Jol has been appointed the new manager at Fulham following the departure of Mark Hughes. The 55-year-old Dutchman has agreed to a two-year contract with the west London side, with the option for a one-year-extension. Former Ajax and Hamburger boss Jol has experience of managing in the English Premier league, having spent three largely successful years at Tottenham Hotspur between 2004 and 2007. However, he was sacked three months into the 2007/08 season and replaced by Juande Ramos.
The English Premier League standings for the 2009/2010 season. Manchester United favourites to win 2011/12 Premier League titleThe last time a side other than Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal won the Premier League title was way back in 1995. The surprising outfit were the Blackburn Rovers! For 16 years, this threesome has dominated the Premier League and none more so than Manchester United. The Red Devils have cleaned up ten titles during this stretch while the Londoners, Chelsea and Arsenal, have split three titles each. This season, Premier League champions Manchester United have been made favourites with most bookmakers to retain their crown.
The preseason odds for the outright winner of the 2010/11 English Premier League FA Cup finals in last five years2007 Chelsea - Manchester United 1:0 (after extra time) League Cup finals in last five years2007 Chelsea - Arsenal 2:1 |
collapse | expand
key players
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||