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The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England. The Premier League started on 16 August 2008, while the Championship, League One, and League Two matches started on 9 August 2008. The regular season of the Football League ended on 3 May 2009, while the Premier League ended on 24 May 2009.
The Premier League title was won by Manchester United, capturing their 18th top-division title and third in a row. Three teams, Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, and West Bromwich Albion were relegated at the end of the season. They were replaced by three teams from the Championship, being the champion Wolverhampton Wanderers alongside regular season runner up Birmingham City, and Burnley, which won a four-team playoff for the third promotion spot. Relegated from Championship to League One were Norwich City, Southampton, and Charlton Athletic. The League One teams promoted to the Championship include champions Leicester City, runners up Peterborough United, and playoff winners Scunthorpe United. Relegated from League One to League Two were Northampton Town, Crewe Alexandra, Cheltenham Town and Hereford United. Promoted from League Two were the champions Brentford, runners up Exeter City, third place finishers Wycombe Wanderers, and playoff winners Scunthorpe United. Relegated to Conference were Chester City and Luton Town
The England national football team played in four friendlies, winning two, losing one, and playing to a draw in the other. During the season, England played seven of its ten Group 6 matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, winning all seven.
The FA Cup was won by Chelsea who defeated Everton 2–1 in the final.
Managerial changes
In-season managerial changes
| Name | Club | Date of departure | Replacement | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Bond | Bournemouth | 1 September 2008[1] | Jimmy Quinn | 2 September 2008[2] |
| Alan Curbishley | West Ham United | 3 September 2008[3] | Gianfranco Zola | 11 September 2008[4] |
| Kevin Keegan | Newcastle United | 4 September 2008[5] | Joe Kinnear1 | 26 September 2008[6] |
| Keith Downing | Cheltenham Town | 13 September 2008[7] | Martin Allen | 15 September 2008[8] |
| Alan Buckley | Grimsby Town | 15 September 2008[9] | Mike Newell | 6 October 2008[10] |
| Geraint Williams | Colchester United | 22 September 2008[11] | Paul Lambert | 9 October 2008[12] |
| Lee Sinnott | Port Vale | 22 September 2008[13] | Dean Glover2 | 6 October 2008[14] |
| Iain Dowie | Queens Park Rangers | 24 October 2008[15] | Paulo Sousa | 19 November 2008[16] |
| Juande Ramos | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 October 2008[17] | Harry Redknapp | 26 October 2008[17] |
| Harry Redknapp | Portsmouth | 26 October 2008[17] | Tony Adams3 | 28 October 2008[18] |
| John Ward | Carlisle United | 3 November 2008[19] | Greg Abbott4 | 5 December 2008[20] |
| Aidy Boothroyd | Watford | 3 November 2008[21] | Brendan Rodgers | 24 November 2008[22] |
| Stan Ternent | Huddersfield Town | 4 November 2008[23] | Lee Clark | 11 December 2008[24] |
| Simon Davies | Chester City | 11 November 2008[25] | Mark Wright | 14 November 2008[26] |
| Maurice Malpas | Swindon Town | 14 November 2008[27] | Danny Wilson | 26 December 2008[28] |
| Steve Holland | Crewe Alexandra | 18 November 2008[29] | Gudjon Thordarson | 24 December 2008[30] |
| Alan Pardew | Charlton Athletic | 22 November 2008[31] | Phil Parkinson5 | 31 December 2008[32] |
| Roy Keane | Sunderland | 4 December 2008[33] | Ricky Sbragia6 | 27 December 2008[34] |
| Danny Wilson | Hartlepool United | 15 December 2008[35] | Chris Turner | 15 December 2008 |
| Gary McAllister | Leeds United | 21 December 2008[36] | Simon Grayson | 23 December 2008[37] |
| Simon Grayson | Blackpool | 23 December 2008[37] | Ian Holloway | 21 May 2009 |
| Colin Calderwood | Nottingham Forest | 26 December 2008[38] | Billy Davies | 1 January 2009[39] |
| Paul Fairclough | Barnet | 28 December 2008[40] | Ian Hendon9 | 21 April 2009 |
| Paul Jewell | Derby County | 29 December 2008 | Nigel Clough | 6 January 2009[41] |
| Jimmy Quinn | Bournemouth | 31 December 2008[42] | Eddie Howe7 | 19 January 2009[43] |
| Jimmy Mullen | Walsall | 10 January 2009[44] | Chris Hutchings | 20 January 2009[45] |
| Glenn Roeder | Norwich City | 14 January 2009[46] | Bryan Gunn8 | 21 January 2009[47] |
| Martin Ling | Leyton Orient | 18 January 2009[48] | Geraint Williams | 5 February 2009[49] |
| Jan Poortvliet | Southampton | 23 January 2009[50] | Mark Wotte | 23 January 2009[50] |
| Tony Adams | Portsmouth | 9 February 2009[51] | Paul Hart | 3 March 2009[52] |
| Luiz Felipe Scolari | Chelsea | 9 February 2009[53] | Guus Hiddink | 11 February 2009[54] |
| Russell Slade | Yeovil Town | 16 February 2009[55] | Terry Skiverton | 18 February 2009[56] |
| Micky Adams | Brighton & Hove Albion | 21 February 2009[57] | Russell Slade | 6 March 2009[58] |
| John Sheridan | Oldham Athletic | 15 March 2009[59] | Joe Royle | 15 March 2009[60] |
| Paulo Sousa | Queens Park Rangers | 9 April 2009[61] | Jim Magilton | 3 June 2009 |
| Jim Magilton | Ipswich Town | 21 April 2009 | Roy Keane | 22 April 2009 |
| Graham Turner | Hereford United | 24 April 2009 | John Trewick | 24 April 2009 |
| Joe Royle | Oldham Athletic | 30 April 2009 | Dave Penney | 30 April 2009 |
| Dave Penney | Darlington | 30 April 2009 | Colin Todd | 20 May 2009 |
End-of-season managerial changes
| Name | Club | Date of departure | Replacement | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dean Glover | Port Vale | 2 May 2009 | Micky Adams | 1 June 2009 |
| Jim Gannon | Stockport County | 6 May 2009 | Gary Ablett | 8 July 2009 |
| Lee Richardson | Chesterfield | 6 May 2009 | John Sheridan | 9 June 2009 |
| Steve Coppell | Reading | 12 May 2009 | Brendan Rodgers | 5 June 2009 |
| Ricky Sbragia | Sunderland | 24 May 2009 | Steve Bruce | 2 June 2009 |
| Guus Hiddink | Chelsea | 30 May 2009 | Carlo Ancelotti | 1 June 2009 |
| Steve Bruce | Wigan Athletic | 2 June 2009 | Roberto Martínez | 16 June 2009 |
| Brendan Rodgers | Watford | 5 June 2009 | Malky Mackay | 15 June 2009 |
| Ronnie Moore | Tranmere Rovers | 5 June 2009 | John Barnes | 15 June 2009 |
| Roberto Martínez | Swansea City | 16 June 2009 | Paulo Sousa | 29 June 2009 |
| Tony Mowbray | West Bromwich Albion | 17 June 2009 | Roberto Di Matteo | 1 July 2009 |
| Mark Wright | Chester City | 22 June 2009 | Mick Wadsworth | 29 June 2009 |
| Roberto Di Matteo | Milton Keynes Dons | 1 July 2009 | Paul Ince | 3 July 2009 |
| Mark Wotte | Southampton | 9 July 2009 | Alan Pardew | 17 July 2009 |
Notes
- 1 Joe Kinnear was named interim manager on 26 September, and signed as permanent manager on 28 November.
- 2 Dean Glover had previously been caretaker manager at Port Vale since Sinnott's departure.
- 3 Tony Adams had previously been caretaker manager at Portsmouth since Redknapp's departure.
- 4 Greg Abbott had previously been caretaker manager at Carlisle United since Ward's departure.
- 5 Phil Parkinson had previously been caretaker manager at Charlton Athletic since Pardew's departure.
- 6 Ricky Sbragia had previously been caretaker manager at Sunderland since Keane's departure.
- 7 Eddie Howe had previously been caretaker manager at Bournemouth since Quinn's departure.
- 8 Bryan Gunn had previously been caretaker manager at Norwich City since Roeder's departure.
- 9 Ian Hendon had previously been caretaker manager at Barnet since Fairclough's departure.
National team
The home team is on the left column; the away team is on the right column.
Friendly matches
England  | 2–2 |  Czech Republic |
|---|---|---|
Brown  45'J. Cole 90' |
(Report) | Baroš 22' Jankulovski 48' |
World Cup qualifiers
England is currently in Group 6 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification process.[62]
| England | 2–1 |  Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
| Crouch 29' Terry 85' |
(Report) | Shevchenko 74' |
Honours
| Competition | Winner | Details | Match Report |
|---|---|---|---|
| FA Cup | Chelsea | FA Cup 2008–09 Beat Everton 2–1 |
Report |
| League Cup | Manchester United | Football League Cup 2008–09 Beat Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 on penalties (0–0 final score) |
Report |
| Premier League | Manchester United | Premier League 2008–09 | Report |
| Football League Championship | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Football League Championship 2008–09 | Report |
| Football League One | Leicester City | Football League One 2008–09 | Report |
| Football League Two | Brentford | Football League Two 2008–09 | Report |
| FA Community Shield | Manchester United | 2008 FA Community Shield Beat Portsmouth 3–1 on penalties (0–0 final score) |
Report |
| Football League Trophy | Luton Town | Football League Trophy 2008–09 Beat Scunthorpe United 3–2 a.e.t |
Report |
| FA Trophy | Stevenage Borough | FA Trophy 2008–09 Beat York City 2–0 |
Report |
| Conference League Cup | A.F.C. Telford United | Conference League Cup 2008–09 Beat Forest Green Rovers 3–0 on penalties. (0–0 final score) |
Report |
League tables
Premier League
Manchester United won their 18th league title, drawing level with Liverpool for the record of most league titles. Liverpool pushed them all the way; they actually had a superior goal difference and completed the double over United, even winning 4–1 at Old Trafford in March, but also suffered 11 draws which enabled United to overtake and win the title. Chelsea broke records for all the wrong reasons as their 86-game unbeaten home record finally came to an end, with several surprise away losses effectively ending their title challenge (as well as resulting in manager Luiz Felipe Scolari being sacked), though they did win the FA Cup under caretaker manager Guus Hiddink. Arsenal finished fourth to claim the final Champions League spot, which meant that last season's top 4 all qualified for Europe's elite for the fifth time in six seasons.
Aston Villa had looked like breaking into the Champions League spots for most of the season, but a late collapse that saw them win just twice in their last 13 league games saw them join FA Cup finalists Everton in qualifying for the newly formed UEFA Europa League (which replaced the UEFA Cup). Fulham were the other team to qualify for Europe, marking a remarkable turnaround since Roy Hodgson had taken over 18 months earlier when relegation from the Premier League looked a certainty. This was not only the first time they had qualified for Europe via their league position, but in finishing 7th in the first tier, this was also the highest ever league finish in the club's history. Stoke City, despite being pre-season relegation favourites for many, defied their critics and finishing comfortably in mid-table.
West Bromwich Albion made an immediate return to the Championship after propping up the table for most of the season. Joining them on the final day were Middlesbrough and Newcastle United, ending 11 and 16-year spells in the top flight respectively, the latter going through four managers in Kevin Keegan, Joe Kinnear, Chris Hughton and even former striker Alan Shearer during the campaign. Sunderland survived relegation, thanks to the efforts of caretaker manager Ricky Sbragia after Roy Keane's surprise resignation in December; meaning next season they would be the only North-East team in top flight football. Despite a brilliant start to the season (Which included victories at Arsenal and Tottenham, a draw at Liverpool and a narrow 4–3 loss at Manchester United, and climbing as high as third place in October), Hull City won just one league game after the new year, but avoided relegation by a single point.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United (C) | 38 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 68 | 24 | +44 | 90 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage[a] |
| 2 | Liverpool | 38 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 77 | 27 | +50 | 86 | |
| 3 | Chelsea | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=2008–09_in_English_football