Remember When… (part IV): Premier League Decade in Review (2004 – 2009)

In Part 3 of our retrospective Remember When… series we looked at the teams, names and events that defined the early part of a decade of Premier League football. Now in Part 4 we look at the rest of the decade, between 2004-2009. Here are the moments we’ll be remembering for a long time to come:

Remember when Arsenal went a season unbeaten (2003/2004)

In 1889, Preston North End made history by becoming the first Football League side in England to go an entire league season unbeaten. 115 years later this extraordinary feat was repeated by Arsenal. Playing a style of fast-paced, attacking football that yielded 73 goals in 38 games (far from a record but an impressive rate of almost 2 goals per game nonetheless), the Arsenal team of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira and co won not only football matches but rave reviews. Champions by a clear 11 point margin with a record that read played 38, won 26, drawn 12, lost 0 it was a vintage year for the club. “I believe forever these boys will be remembered,” said Arsene Wenger, mastermind of Arsenal’s great success. In North London, they most certainly will.

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Remember when Leeds’ financial problems came home to roost (2004)

At the turn of this century Leeds United were a force in English football. If you were talking about a ‘big four’ back then, Leeds were in it without question. Not only were they big spenders but Leeds also boasted some of the most promising young players around – Alan Smith, Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate to name but a few. Champions League glory nights, top of the table clashes against fierce rivals – Leeds enjoyed it all. But in the process Leeds overspent massively and the wheels began to fall off when the true extent of Leeds’ financial frivolity was revealed. The club plunged into over £100 million worth of debt. As a result the firesale began, results took a huge dip and before long the seemingly unthinkable happened: Leeds United were relegated to the Championship. It was a serious fall from grace for such a big club. But things could only get better from there…couldn’t they?

Remember when Mourinho entered stage left and set the Chelsea juggernaut rolling (2004-2006)

By mid-2004 a brash young Portuguese chap named Mourinho was already on the peripheries of English football’s national consciousness by virtue of a Champions League win with FC Porto and an exuberant touchline dash at Old Trafford. But heads well and truly turned when Jose Mourinho rocked up at Chelsea and casually declared himself ‘the Special One’ in his very first press conference. This was a seminal moment in Premier League history – football at the highest level had become an extremely bitter and increasingly tedious battle between Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger’s two clubs, the ultimate two-horse race. It needed a breath of fresh air. Jose Mourinho was that breath of fresh air, a refreshing gust of wind that shook things up completely. Not only that but he was here to win, and win he most certainly did. Cue the Mourinho era and with it Chelsea’s first league title in 50 years.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_ai5C-pBhc]

Remember when Keane met Vieira (2005)

With new kid on the block Chelsea now the number one team in England, the aforementioned rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal did simmer down a level in the latter part of the decade. But there was still time for one explosive final clash between two of the main protagonists, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira, at Highbury in 2005. Vieira had reportedly threatened to ‘break Gary Neville’s legs’ in the warm-up before the game; words which did not go down too well with the United captain. This infamous tunnel incident duly followed. While a relatively trivial incident in the grand scheme of things, the exchange does I think provide fitting insight into the great sporting rivalry that existed between the two most successful sides of the Premier League era, as well as a look at the ferocious competitive spirit embodied in two of the finest and most combative midfielders in modern British football history. I’ll see you out there.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwcpFXOsrY8]

Remember when West Brom completed the great escape (2005)

West Bromwich Albion were certainties for relegation in 2004/2005. Statistics showed that whoever was bottom of the league at Christmas always went down, and the stats never lie. West Brom were not only bottom of the league at Christmas by a cavernous eight point margin, they were also bottom of the league with one game to go. They were even bottom with seventeen minutes of the season left. Nonetheless, with an act of escapism that would have impressed Steve McQueen himself, a Kieran Richardson-inspired West Brom managed to beat Portsmouth 2-0 on the final day of the season to complete a great escape of their very own. Cue pandemonium in the stands. A mass pitch invasion promptly ensued at the Hawthorns but no-one really cared: West Brom had done the impossible and survived.

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Remember when the empire struck back at Old Trafford (2007-2009)

When pressed about the threat posed by Chelsea in the Jose Mourinho years, Sir Alex Ferguson described the West London outfit as ‘one of the greatest challenges I’ve faced as a manager.’ Here was a team with nigh on unlimited funds for players, who under the guidance of their inspiring Portuguese coach had raised the bar at the top of the Premier League to newfound heights. To topple such a mighty force would not be easy. But then again, Ferguson was never one to back down from a challenge. While Chelsea were winning comfortable back-to-back titles, United plotted their return to the top. In 2006/2007 the plan came to fruition.

A new generation of players had been brought through at Old Trafford – Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo at the forefront, and alongside fresh signings like Michael Carrick, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic and old heads Sc
holes, Giggs and Neville, United were geared for another onslaught. After a first league title in four years in 06/07 Mourinho was soon gone and from there the Red Devils went on to win three straight championships yet again, capping it off with the Champions League in 2008. As the decade drew to a close Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United were right back where they started it: at the top of the Premier League food chain.

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What are your memorable moments of the Premier League decade? Any we’re missing here? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

To read about other great football moments from the decade 2000-2009, both at international and Premier League level don’t forget to check out the rest of our Remember When… series:

Remember When… part 1 (international football 2000-2002)
Remember When… part 2 (international football 2004-2009)
Remember When… part 3 (English Premier League 2000-2004)

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Arsenal, Chelsea, English Premier League, Jose Mourinho, Leeds United, Manchester United, West Bromwich Albion