Remember When… (pt.III): Premier League Decade in Review

In Part 1 & Part 2 of our Remember When… retrospective look at the decade we dipped into the past ten years of international football to bring you some of the game’s most memorable moments on the world stage. Now for Part 3 we turn our attentions to domestic football, with our English Premier League decade in review:

Remember when Bradford City stayed up and Rodney Marsh lost his hair (2000)

Around the turn of the new millennium quite a few people fancied themselves as clairvoyants. All the talk was of Y2K this, the end of the world that and scientists and ‘experts’ confidently took turns to affirm that we should all stock up on tins of spam and baked beans because everything around us would soon crumble. Sky Sports pundit Rodney Marsh also fancied himself as a bit of a Mystic Meg. Following Bradford City’s promotion to England’s top flight for the first time in 77 years Marsh was nonplussed, stating they had ‘no right’ to be in the Premier League and would be swiftly relegated. This cause a huge, angry stir in that part of Yorkshire. So when David Wetherall’s memorable goal on the last day of the 1999/2000 season saw off Liverpool in a 1-0 win to secure Bradford’s safety, Marsh had to pay the price.

Remember when Manchester United were an unstoppable force (1999 – 2001)

I was listening to some press guys talk about FC Barcelona’s all conquering 2009 team the other day and the question was put forward asking if they were the greatest team ever. Many other teams got a mention but I was surprised not to hear Manchester United’s team circa 1999-2001 come up. United were rampant during this period, winning an unprecedented treble before Sir Alex Ferguson became the first ever manager in English football to win three league titles in a row. In 1999/2000 the team of Keane, Beckham, Scholes, Giggs and co were phenomenal, winning the league by an incredible 18 points, before strolling to a 10 point winning margin the following year. This era of early 21st century dominance is perhaps best captured by their 6-1 smashing of closest rivals Arsenal in 2001, a result that summed up just how big the gap was between Manchester United and the rest at that time.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK6T1u3ioAk]

Remember when the Tractor Boys rattled the big boys (2001)

After winning promotion to the Premier League in 2000, Ipswich Town had been tipped to plunge straight back down to where they came from in the 2000/2001 season. George Burley’s team weren’t good enough for this level or so many thought. How wrong they were. Under Burley’s guidance Ipswich not only comfortably avoided relegation but incredibly qualified for Europe on the back of a stunning campaign that saw them push the league’s top teams all the way to the end.

With four games remaining the Tractor Boys were 3rd, and it was only on the final day of the season that their remarkable push for a Champions League place ended at the hands of Liverpool, who sneaked in just ahead of them. Ipswich ended the season in 5th, just four points behind runners-up Arsenal. Burley was named Manager of the Year. Perhaps the highlight of this thriving era for the Suffolk club was when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the UEFA Cup the following season, triumphant against a team that included star names such as Adriano, Javier Zanetti and Clarence Seedorf. An implausibly brilliant time for Ipswich Town.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmyXyTywE2k]

Remember when Thierry Henry rose to prominence as Arsenal won the Double (2001/2002)

By 2001 Thierry Henry had been in England for two years, during which time he had shown hugely promising glimpses of his ability and an avalanche of goals. But Arsenal still went trophyless during the early part of Henry’s career in North London and at the end of the 2000/2001 season the Frenchman expressed his discontent at failing to help win the club any silverware. Then, in 2001/2002, it all clicked. With a team packed full of quality and attacking verve, Arsenal won the league and FA Cup double. Henry’s 32 goals in all competitions cemented his newfound status as one of English football’s blockbuster stars.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J27spV-_0sQ]

Remember when United wrestled ‘their’ trophy back (2002/2003)

English football in the early part of the decade was like a Dickensian drama between two warring families. Manchester United and Arsenal were the two outstanding teams of the era and out of the regular head-to-head battles for the title and spiky, bitter, on-pitch affairs grew a real animosity between Ferguson and Wenger’s clubs. It was thrilling drama. After Arsenal’s successful double in 2002, one commonly held theory (at least in the press) was that United’s period of dominance was about to make way for the Arsenal years.

After Wenger’s side beat Leeds 4-1 away in September 2002 The Guardian, measured as ever, wondered if Arsenal were better than the great Brazil teams of generations past. “We’re all fighting for second place now,” Leeds midfielder Olivier Dacourt chipped in. But while Arsenal were silky and slick United had qualities of their own, amongst them dogged determination and a relentless refusal to lie down. Ferguson’s side waited in the wings, clinging to Arsenal’s coattails all season before mounting an assault of their own. In early March 2003 Arsenal led by eight points, but United put together a stubborn run of 18 games unbeaten (including this superb 6-2 win at St. James’ Park) something the Gunners could not cope with. A 2-2 draw in an epic encounter at Highbury all but wrapped it up for United, who went on to win their 8th league title in 11 years.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Hm0OFQA7U]

United were champions again, but of course the next season Arsenal were planning a comeback of their own…

To be continued...

Follow this link for Part IV of our Remember When… series – Premier League Decade in Review (2004 – 2009),

and this one to go back to Part II of our International Football Decade in Review.

Arsenal, Bradford City, England, English Premier League, Ipswich Town, Manchester United, Thierry Henry