TOTTANHAM HOTSPUR

overview

Tottenham Hotspur have been in the Premier League since its inception and have lit the competition up with their flamboyant style of play. With Jurgen Klinsmann and Ilie Dumitrescu, the team was built around goals, but points were harder to come by. Relegation was only narrowly avoided in 1998, but fans' relief was short lived as their next manager was a legend from fierce north London rivals Arsenal - George Graham.

He led the team to a League Cup victory in his first season - Spurs' first trophy since the Premier League began. However, it wasn't until Martin Jol took over in 2004 and started building a team for the future - firmly placing his faith in youth - that Spurs began to climb the table. They only narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification in the 2005/06 season and secured another fifth place finish the following campaign.

But a slow start to the 2007/08 season saw Jol replaced by Juande Ramos. The Spaniard repeated Graham's trick of winning the League Cup in his first season by defeating Chelsea in the final at Wembley Stadium and also lifted the club up to 11th place in the league.

club heritage

Boys from Hotspur Cricket Club and the local grammar club formed Hotspur FC in 1882. The name was changed to Tottenham Hotspur in 1884. Three years later, they played their first north London derby, but the match was called off after 15minutes "owing to darkness" - Spurs were beating Arsenal 2-1.

The club turned professional in 1885, but didn't join the football league until 1908. In the meantime, they became the only non-league team to win the FA Cup (in 1901) since the formation of the Football League in 1888.

Spurs became perceived as a big club when Bill Nicholson took over in 1958. He won his first match 10-4 - a sign of what was to come. In his 16 years at the club, Spurs won eight major trophies - becoming the first club in the 20th century to complete the league and cup 'double' in 1961 and the first British team to win a major European competition in 1963.

Further league success eluded Spurs and, following Nicholson's retirement, they even spent a brief stint in the Second Division in 1977/78. Their ethos of playing attacking football continued though - players that wowed the White Hart Lane faithful include Ossie Ardiles, Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker.

premier league history

1993/94 - Ossie Ardiles becomes manager
1994/95 - Ardiles sacked in September. Replaced by Gerry Francis
1997/98 - Francis replaced by Christian Gross, who re-signs Jurgen Klinsmann
1998/99 - Gross replaced by George Graham. Win League Cup
2000/01 - Glenn Hoddle replaces Graham in April. ENIC complete takeover with Daniel Levy becoming chairman
2003/04 - David Pleat replaces Hoddle in September
2004/05 - Jacques Santini becomes head coach, but quits after just 13 matches. Replaced by Martin Jol
2007/08 - Sign Darren Bent for club record £16.5m from Charlton Athletic
2007/08 - Martin Jol sacked as manager in October
2007/08 - Juande Ramos appointed manager and names Spurs old boy Gus Poyet as assistant
2007/08 - Win League Cup
2008/09 Juande Ramos sacked as manager along with coaches Gus Poyet, Marcos Alvarez and sporting director Damien Comolli. Harry Redknapp leaves Portsmouth to take the reins. Spurs lose the Carling Cup final to Manchester United on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Wembley.

SUNDERLAND

overview

Sunderland stormed to the Championship title in 2006/07 to reclaim their place in the top-flight at the first time of asking.

After their relegation in 2006, the club was taken over by Drumaville - a consortium of mainly Irish-based businessmen, headed up by former player Niall Quinn - which appointed Republic of Ireland legend and former Manchester United hero Roy Keane as manager, his first managerial post since hanging up his boots.

The club have not looked back since as Keane guided them from the bottom of the Championship to title winners in May. Keane led them to a 15th Barclays Premier League place finish in 2007/08 but left the club midway through the following season with the Black Cats struggling at the foot of the table.

Coach Ricky Sbragia moved up to take charge until the end of the campaign and guided the Black Cats to safety. Majority shareholder Ellis Short has assumed 100 per cent control of the club with Quinn staying on as chairman.

club heritage

Glaswegian schoolteacher James Allan founded Sunderland and District Teachers' Association Football Club in 1879, changing the name to Sunderland AFC a year later. They were elected to the newly-formed Football League in 1890/91 and were to remain in the top flight for 68 consecutive years - a record only recently passed by Arsenal.

Sunderland won the title three times in five years, only losing one home match in their first six seasons. The Mackems won another title in 1902, but a better prize in their fans eyes' was a 9-1 thrashing of fierce rivals Newcastle United - still a record away win in the top flight. The team came close to doing the double in 1913 but they lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Aston Villa.

A post-war slump saw them beaten by Yeovil Town in the FA Cup - the first time a non-league club had beaten a top-flight team - and worse, relegated in 1958. Sunderland have spent most of their time since then bouncing between the top two divisions, with their only real glory being a 1973 FA Cup win over Leeds United - the first time in 40 years a club outside the top flight had won the trophy.

The Black Cats reached their lowest point in 1987 as they were relegated to the Third Division. But successive promotions saw them back in the top flight two years later.

premier league history

1992/93 - Avoid relegation to Division Two by one point
1993/94 - Mick Buxton replaces Terry Butcher as manager
1994/95 - Peter Reid becomes manager with seven matches remaining
1995/96 - Win Division One
1996/97 - Relegated from FA Carling Premiership
1997/98 - First season at Stadium of Light. Lose play-off final on penalties
1998/99 - Win Division One with a record 105 points
2002/03 - Break record signing with Tore André Flo for £6.75million. Reid replaced by Howard Wilkinson. Mick McCarthy takes over with nine matches left. Relegated with lowest points tally ever (19)
2004/05 - Win Division One
2005/06 - McCarthy leaves in March after just two wins. Kevin Ball appointed as caretaker. Relegated with new record low number of points (15).
2006/07 - Consortium headed by former hero Niall Quinn takes over. Quinn appointed as manager but sacks himself after four straight defeats. Roy Keane becomes manager. Win promotion to the Barclays Premier League
2007/08 - Break British transfer record for a goalkeeper - paying Hearts £9million for Craig Gordon
2008/09 - After a disappointing run, Roy Keane resigns from his post as manager in December. Ricky Sbragia takes temporary charge and keeps the Black Cats up. Steve Bruce takes becomes new pemanent manager in June.

STOKE CITY

overview

The 2008/09 season was Stoke City's first appearance in the Premier League and they marked it with a fine midtable finish.

Manager Tony Pulis proved the doubters wrong to confirm the Potters' place in the top flight with a handful of matches to spare.

This is Pulis' second spell in charge at the club. He originally parted company with the Potters at the end of the 2004/05 season. Dutch manager Johan Boskamp stepped in but left at the end of the season after a mid-table finish.

Boskamp's departure came as former-chairman Peter Coates was completing a takeover of the club and he reappointed Pulis who, after leading the club to eighth in the 2006/07 season, guided them to promotion.

Prior to their promotion, Stoke had not competed in the top flight since the 1984/85 season.

Their most recent trophy was won in 2000 when their first overseas manager, Gudjon Thordarson, guided them to The Auto Windscreens trophy. It was the Icelander who led them to promotion into the First Division in 2001.

club heritage

There is some doubt over when Stoke came into existence. It is reported that a club was formed in 1863 by former pupils of the Charterhouse School, but there is little evidence of matches being played.

A report in The Field magazine on 1868 stated that a club had been formed in Stoke-on-Trent and that its founder member was ex-Charterhouse School pupil Henry Almond.

So it is possible that matches had been played over the previous five years but the first on record played by Almond's team was in October 1868 and consisted mainly of railway employees. The team was called Stoke Ramblers.

The club turned professional in 1885, and became owners of their stadium, the Victoria Ground, around 1919. The club's most celebrated player Stanley Matthews made his debut in the 1930s and helped the club achieve promotion to the top flight in 1933.

Stoke mounted a serious title challenge in the 1946/47 season but missed out on the final day. Matthews, at the age of 32, opted to join Blackpool two matches earlier.

The club won its first major trophy in 1972 when beating Chelsea 2-1 to win the League Cup. They played a staggering 11 matches before achieving this feat.

The Potters have enjoyed sustained spells in the top tier of English football, while also residing in the Second Division, notably for a ten-year period in the 1950s and early 60s. Under Tony Waddington they remained in the First Division between 1963 and 1977, and it was in that period that they won their only major trophy.

Stoke had been back in the top flight for six successive seasons before they were relegated in 1984/85. The Potters remained in the Second Division for the rest of the decade. Between 1980 and 1990, the club had five managers and five chairmen.

Under Alan Ball, the club were relegated to the Third Division in 1991 and he failed to earn them promotion the following season. Lou Macari, though, steered them back up in time for the 1992/93 season, and made it two promotions in two campaigns by taking the club up to Division One that season.

Stoke consolidated their position for five seasons before relegation in 1997/98. Four seasons in the Second Division followed, until Thordarson took them back up.

premier league history

2008/09 - Stoke consolidate their place in the Barclays Premier League.

PORTSMOUTH

overview

Portsmouth have not looked back since Harry Redknapp steered them to promotion into the Barclaycard Premiership in 2003. The top flight's most southern team comfortably remained in the division the following season and were successful in their fight against relegation in the 2005/06 campaign.

Once survival was secured, Alexandre Gaydamak took over the club and has injected several million pounds into bolstering the squad. The 2006/07 season saw Portsmouth come within a whisker of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Redknapp's ability to attract the likes of Sol Campbell and David James as well as a number of overseas players such as Kanu helped the club to a ninth-place finish, beating the likes of Manchester United and avoiding defeat against Arsenal.

They achieved the goal of UEFA Cup football last season as they won the FA Cup for the first time since 1939 after beating Cardiff City 1-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium. They also went one better in the league, finishing eighth.

Redknapp had resigned from his post in November 2004 but was reappointed in December 2005 after a stint at local rivals Southampton.

He left in October 2008 to take over at Tottenham Hotspur with assistant Tony Adams taking over as the new manager. However Adams lasted just 16 matches in charge and youth team coach Paul Hart was given the task up keeping Pompey up and he achieved that feat.

Portsmouth were the first club to stage a Football League match under floodlights when Newcastle United visited Fratton Park in 1956.

club heritage

The club was founded in 1898 and played its first league match against Chatham Town on 2nd September 1899. A record of 20 wins from 28 matches earned Pompey a runners-up spot that season in the Southern League. They won the division for the first time in the 1901/02 season.

In 1927, the club made their debut in the First Division and they went on to reach the FA Cup final the following campaign. It was third time lucky in the FA Cup final in 1939. After the previous two finals ended in defeat, Pompey swept to a 4-1 win over favourites Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The first of back-to-back titles were claimed in the 1948/49 campaign in the club's Golden Jubilee season. A 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa on the last day of the following season sealed the title again. Pompey are one of only five clubs to have won two consecutive titles since the Second World War.

In 1976, the club found itself in the Third Division and needing to raise £25,000 in order to pay off debts and avoid bankruptcy. Local newspaper The News led a campaign to save the club and the money was raised by supporter contributions.

premier league history

1999/00 - Milan Mandaric takes over club
2004/05 - Harry Redknapp resigns as manager and Velimir Zajec becomes caretaker manager
2004/05 - Alain Perrin appointed manager, with Zajec reverting to director's role
2005/06 - Perrin sacked and Redknapp appointed manager for the second time.
2005/06 - Mandaric sells 50 per cent stake to Alexandre Gaydamak in January 2006, then his remaining half to the Russian after the club avoided relegation
2006/07 - Mandaric resigns as chairman on 21st September 2006
2007/08 - Striker John Utaka signs club record transfer of a reported £8.1m
2007/08 - Set new record for goals scored in a Premier League match (11) beating Reading 7-4 in September
2007/08 - Win FA Cup
2008/09 - Redknapp leaves to take over at Tottenham Hotspur. Tony Adams appointed manager in October 2008.
2008/09 - Adams is sacked on 9th February 2009 after just two wins in 16 matches. Director of youth operations Paul Hart takes caretaker charge.
2009/10 - Hart signs a two-year deal as manager following the club's takeover by Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim.

HULL CITY

overview

Hull City had a memorable first-ever top flight campaign in 2008/09 by exceeding many people's expectations and staying up.

The Tigers survived on the last match of the season and finished one place above the relegation zone despite losing at home to Manchester United.

They secured promotion the previous season by beating Bristol City in the Play-off Final at Wembley Stadium in May 2008, Hull native Dean Windass' stunning 38th minute volley the only goal of the match.

club heritage

Hull City Association Football Club was founded in 1904 after several attempts to establish a football club over the years. These were undermined by the dominance of rugby in the city. The club initially played friendly matches at The Boulevard (the home of the Hull Rugby League club), Anlaby Road Cricket Ground and Dairycoates. They were elected to the Second Division of the Football League a year later.

City moved to a new home in Anlaby Road where they stayed until 1941, before wartime matches saw a brief return to The Boulevard.
The 1909/10 season was the nearest Hull came to a place in the top flight when they finished third, missing out on an automatic promotion place to Oldham Athletic as a result of an inferior goal average.

Before the First World War, Hull reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, and they went one better than that in the 1929/30 season when reaching the semis. They lost 1-0 to Arsenal in a replay following an initial 2-2 draw. However, this fine run meant their concentration was deflected away from the league and they were relegated to the Third Division (North).

They were promoted in the 1932/33 season, with Bill McNaughton scoring a record 41 goals. Indeed, the club has spent most of its history in the 'old' Second Division and 'old' Third Division.
Hull, who have never won a major trophy, were the first club in the world to go out of a cup competition on penalties, when doing so against Manchester United in the semi-final of the Watney Mann Invitation Cup on 1st August 1970.

In the 1970/71 season, Hull pushed for promotion to the First Division, but eventually finished in fifth place, their best position in post-war seasons. However, relegation in the 1977/78 campaign ended 12 consecutive seasons in the Second Division.

Things would go from bad to worse in February 1982 when, with the club now in Division Four, they went into receivership. The financial situation was eventually solved, and Don Robinson became chairman of the club. Under manager Colin Appleton, Hull secured promotion with 90 points.

1985 saw the club promoted into the Second Division under Brian Horton and they would stay there until 1991 when they were again relegated.

The club could not stay out of financial difficulties and were hindered by a series of High Court winding up orders in the 1993/94 season. Key players Windass and Alan Fettis were sold to Aberdeen and Nottingham Forest respectively to ease the burden.

The end of the 1995/96 season saw Hull relegated to Division Four. They remained in the bottom league and went on to finish 22nd in the 1997/98 season, their worst-ever position, just two places away from non-league football. The following season, the Tigers only guaranteed their status in the Football League in the penultimate match of the campaign, a remarkable escape from relegation as they had found themselves well adrift in December.

In the summer of 2002, former owner David Lloyd, who had previously acquired the Hull Rugby League club and run the two in a joint operation, called in the bailiffs due to a wrangle over rent and monies allegedly outstanding from the rugby association. Hull were locked out of Boothferry Park, before being allowed back ahead of the 2000/01 season.

The club's financial plight continued and the club was placed into administration in February 2001 after Lloyd again called in the bailiffs. A creditors meeting was held in March that year where it was decided to accept one of the five firm offers that had been made for the club. The shareholders approved the deal and a few days later the identity of the new owner was revealed to be Adam Pearson, former commercial director of Leeds United.

In the new surroundings of the KC Stadium, manager Peter Taylor, who had been appointed in late 2002, secured back-to-back promotions in the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons, and they found themselves in the Championship.

Their ascent from the bottom division of the football league to the top in just five seasons is the third fastest ever.

premier league history

2008/09 - Consolidate first season in the Barclays Premier League.

FULHAM

overview

Fulham have maintained Premier League status ever since their promotion to the top flight under Frenchman Jean Tigana in 2001. This represented a third promotion in just five seasons for the Cottagers and they have not looked back, establishing themselves in the Premier League.

The 2006/07 season's 16th place finish was the first campaign where the club failed to finish between 9th and 14th position in the Premier League. In the 2005/06 season, Fulham's home form was the best outside the top six as they secured 13 wins from 19 matches.

Manager Chris Coleman was sacked as the 2006/07 season neared its end, with Lawrie Sanchez taking over on a temporary basis. The former Northern Ireland manager steered the Cottagers to safety and was subsequently rewarded with the full-time job.

But after the team struggled in the opening months of the 2007/08 season, Sanchez was also fired. Ray Lewington briefly took over as caretaker manager before Roy Hodgson was appointed and guided the club to safety with a dramatic last day win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park. In 2008/09, Hodgson guided Fulham to seventh and a place in the Europa League.

Fulham are the oldest professional team in London.

club heritage

The club was formed in 1879 as Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School.Fulham were founded by worshippers of the C of E church in Star Road, West Kensington. The church is still in existence today, with a plaque commemorating the team's foundation. The club's name was shortened to its present form in 1888.

Fulham started playing at Craven Cottage in 1896 and gained professional status on 12th December 1898. The club's first recorded all-white kit was worn in 1903 and since then they have played in a white shirt with black shorts.

Fulham's Premier League consolidation is quite an achievement in view of the lowest ebb of the 1990s. The club was relegated to the Third Division in 1994 and two years later finished 17th out of 24 teams.

But the appointment of Micky Adams as manager saw the Cottagers quickly promoted again, and two more subsequent promotions under Kevin Keegan and then Tigana earned Fulham a swift return to the top flight. With just 1,000 season ticket holders and seven full-time staff during the darkest days of the mid-nineties, Fulham's transformation is no mean feat.

Their training ground and Youth Academy can be found near to Motspur Park and was where Chariots of Fire was filmed.

premier league history

2000/01 - Promoted to the FA Carling Premiership
2001/02 - Steve Marlet signs from Lyon for a club record £11.5million
2002/03 - Jean Tigana replaced by Chris Coleman
2006/07 - Chris Coleman replaced by Lawrie Sanchez
2007/08 - Lawrie Sanchez replaced by Roy Hodgson
2008/09 - Hodgson leads Fulham to seventh as they finish in the European places for the first time

EVERTON

overview

Everton have maintained their place in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. The Toffees claimed a famous 1-0 win over Manchester United in the 1995 FA Cup final courtesy of a goal from Paul Rideout. Everton have often been overshadowed by their Merseyside rivals Liverpool but they have a glorious history of their own.

A fourth place finish under manager David Moyes in the 2004/05 campaign, coupled with sixth and fifth place finishes respectively in the 2006/07 and 07/08 seasons, have cemented the club's status in the upper echelons of English football. Another fifth-placed finish came in 2008/09 along with an FA Cup final appearance.

The club have contested more seasons in the top flight than any other and are the fifth most successful English club in terms of trophies won.

club heritage

In 1878, the club was founded as St. Domingo FC so that the people from the parish of St Domingo's Church could participate in a sport outside of the summer months, when they played cricket. The team began playing on Stanley Park with no dressing rooms, carrying their own goalposts out onto the pitch. When people outside of the parish wanted to participate, the club was renamed Everton a year later.

Players recruited from other clubs were allowed to wear the shirts of their former teams and this caused much confusion. The need for a unified kit led to the dieing of the many different shirts black in order to avoid purchasing a brand new strip. The first league title arrived in the 1890/91 season. Royal Blue was settled on for the 1901/02 campaign.

The signing of Dixie Dean in 1925 prompted the Toffees' first sustained period of success. His 60 goals in 39 league matches in the championship-winning 1927/28 season is still a top flight record.

A subsequent relegation and immediate promotion two years later, was followed by another title triumph on their return to the top flight in 1931/32. A second FA Cup victory was achieved with a 3-0 win over Manchester City a season after and the era ended with a title win in the 1938/39 season.

The appointment of Howard Kendall as manager in 1981 heralded the most successful period in Everton's history. The league title was claimed in the 1984/85 and 1986/87 seasons, while the FA Cup was won in 1984. The Toffees' only European trophy arrived in the form of a Cup Winners' Cup final defeat of Rapid Vienna in 1984/85.

premier league history

1993/94 - Mike Walker appointed manager
1993/94 - Peter Johnson takes over as chairman
1994/95 - Joe Royle appointed manager
1994/95 - Win FA Cup
1997/98 - Howard Kendall appointed manager
1998/99 - Sir Phillip Carter reappointed chairman after Peter Johnson steps down
1998/99 - Bill Kenwright takes over club and Sir Phillip Carter becomes chairman
1998/99 - Walter Smith appointed manager
2001/02 - David Moyes appointed manager
2004/05 - Bill Kenwright takes over as chairman in 2004, succeeding Sir Phillip Carter
2006/07 - Andy Johnson signs for a then club record £8.6million from Crystal Palace
2007/08 - Yakubu signs from Middlesbrough in the summer transfer window for a new club record of £11.25million

BURNLEY

overview

Burnley are making their first appearance in the Premier League after winning promotion via the Championship play-offs. The Clarets ran out 1-0 winners against Sheffield United at Wembley thanks to a brilliant Wade Elliott strike.

The Lancashire club are back in England's top flight after an absence of 33 years but they have a glorious past with two league titles and an FA Cup among their trophy cabinet. They are one of the few clubs to have won the title in each of the four divisions.

club heritage

Burnley were among the 12 founder members of The Football League in 1888 and ended their first campaign in ninth. Their first trophy arrived in 1890 with the Lancashire Cup after a 2-0 final triumph over local rivals Blackburn Rovers.

They dropped down to the Second Division in 1897 and changed their colours from green to their now traditional claret and sky blue for the 1910/11 season. They returned to the top flight two years later, then claimed the FA Cup win with victory over Liverpool in 1914.

The league title was clinched in 1921 after Burnley came second the previous season. On the way to the championship, they went on a 30-match unbeaten run, which was a record for unbeaten matches in a season until Arsenal's unbeaten streak during the whole of 2003/04.

Relegation to the second tier came in 1930 but the Turf Moor club bounced back in 1946 before reaching the FA Cup final a year later.

In 1960, Burnley claimed another league title sealing it on the final day with a 2-1 win at Manchester City. In their debut season in Europe, the Clarets reached the 1961 quarter-finals of the European Cup when they bowed out to Hamburger SV.

They finished league runners-up in 1962 and also reached the FA Cup final but lost out to Tottenham Hotspur. Seven years later, Burnley went on a run to the quarter-finals of the Fairs Cup before exiting to Eintracht Frankfurt.

The year 1971 saw Burnley relegated but they won promotion with the second Division title two years after. Things went downhill fast for the Clarets as they fell into the Second Division again in 1976 and then four years later came relegation into the Third Division followed by a drop into the Fourth Division in 1985.

Burnley clinched the Fourth Division title in 1992 and two years later won promotion through the play-offs to the league's second tier. They went down after just a season but won promotion back to England's second level in 2000 and remained there until their triumphant promotion in 2009. That season included a fine run to the Carling Cup semi-final claiming the scalps of Barclays Premier League sides Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal.

BOLTON WANDERERS

overview

Bolton Wanderers have established themselves as a respected Premier League club since rejoining the top flight in 2001. The Trotters made their Premier League bow in 1995 but were relegated after just one season when they finished bottom.

They returned to football's elite a year later after winning the Division One title, but went down again - this time on goal difference. Sam Allardyce guided Bolton back up in 2001 and the club has gone from strength to strength.

Bolton qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history in 2005 after finishing sixth. After an eighth-place finish the year after, they came seventh in the 2006/07 season to make the UEFA Cup again.

But Allardyce left the club for Newcastle United at the end of that season and was replaced by his assistant Sammy Lee. A poor start to the 2007/08 season saw Lee relieved of his duties and Gary Megson took over. Megson narrowly steered his side clear of relegation then consolidated their top flight position in 2008/09.

club heritage

The club was founded as Christ Church FC in 1874, but changed its name to Bolton Wanderers three years later. They were one of 12 founder members of the Football League which was formed in 1888. Bolton finished FA Cup runners-up in 1894 and were losing finalists again 10 years later, before making it third time lucky with victory over West Ham United in the 1923 final. More FA Cup success arrived in 1926 when they beat Manchester City and again in 1929 with a triumph over Portsmouth.

There was another FA Cup Final appearance in 1953, but Bolton suffered a 4-3 defeat at the hands of a Stanley Matthews-inspired Blackpool. Five years later, they made up for the disappointment by winning the FA Cup for the fourth time with victory over Manchester United.

Bolton had a 29-year spell from 1935 in the top flight and eventually slipped into the league's lowest tier in 1987. They eventually clawed their way back to the top flight in 1995. And as a Division One team, made an heroic run to the League Cup Final but lost out to Liverpool.

They suffered the same fate again - losing to Middlesbrough in the 2004 League Cup Final - although a club-best finish of eighth in the Barclaycard Premierhip softened the blow.

premier league history

1994/95 - Reach FA Carling Premiership
1994/95 - Lost League Cup Final
1995/96 - Roy McFarland replaces Bruce Rioch as manager
1995/96 - Colin Todd appointed manager
1995/96 - Relegated from FA Carling Premiership
1996/97 - Division One winners
1997/98 - Bolton leave Burnden Park for new Reebok Stadium
1997/98 - Relegated from FA Carling Premiership
1999/00 - Sam Allardyce becomes manager
2000/01 - Promoted to Barclaycard Premiership via play-offs
2003/04 - League Cup Finalists
2006/07 - Nicolas Anelka becomes record signing for £8million
2006/07 - Sammy Lee takes over as manager after Allardyce leaves to take Newcastle United job
2007/08 - Sammy Lee leaves the manager's post by mutual consent
2007/08 - Gary Megson appointed manager