The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive association football in England.
Overview
Manchester United regain the league title for the first time in four years, overcoming a stiff challenge from defending champions Chelsea to be crowned Premier League victors for the 9th time in 16 seasons The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five. Level 9 decreased from fifteen divisions to fourteen. Wembley Stadium was completed to host the FA Cup Final,Wembley 'ready for 2007 FA final' BBC News. Retrieved 21 December 2006 however it was not ready for the national team's first three 2008 UEFA European Football Championship home qualifiers. The three matches were played at Old Trafford in Manchester. Arsenal moved into their new home, the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium.Arsenal open doors on new stadium BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 Emirates became the club's shirt sponsor.Arsenal name new ground BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 Following promotion from the Championship, Reading played in the Premiership and the "top flight" of English football for the first time in their 135-year history and won their first game, coming back from 0–2 down to beat Middlesbrough 3–2.Reading 3–2 Middlesbrough BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 They went on to finish 8th. Accrington Stanley (the third, present version) played in the Football League for the first time.Accrington Stanley, who are they? BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 The previous club of the same name dissolved with massive debts and in 1962 became the first club to leave the Football League mid-season. Oxford United played in the Conference National after being relegated from the Football League.Burgess hits a screamer thisisunited.com. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 They are the first former winners of a major trophy to play at this level, having won the League Cup in 1986.Club history – The highs thisisunited.com. Retrieved on 2 January 2007
Diary of the season 22 June 2006 – Fixtures for the Premier League and the Football League are released.Barclays Premiership fixtures 2006–07 ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 30 June 2006 – Rupert Lowe resigns from Southampton. Michael Wilde's consortium takes control of the club.Saints chairman Lowe stands down BBC News. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 27 July 2006 – A consortium led by Niall Quinn takes full control of Sunderland after previously buying out the former chairman Bob Murray.Quinn takes control of Sunderland BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 1 August 2006 – Steve McClaren begins his job as England manager.McClaren named as England manager BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 2 August 2006 – Leeds United chairman Ken Bates reports his former club Chelsea to The Football Association, Premier League and FIFA over the alleged 'tapping-up' of three Leeds youth team players.Bates makes Chelsea tap-up claim BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 5 August 2006 – The Football League season begins, with Luton Town beating Leicester City 2–0 in the first game.Luton 2–0 Leicester BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 8 August 2006 – The 500,000th goal in the history of English league football (FA Premier League and Football League) was scored by Huddersfield Town's Gary Taylor-Fletcher in their 3–0 victory over Rotherham United.Huddersfield 3–0 Rotherham BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 10 August 2006 – John Terry is appointed as the new captain of England.Terry named new England skipper BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 12 August 2006 – The Football Conference begins, along with most other non-league campaigns.Conference Results for August 2006 footballconference.co.uk. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 13 August 2006 – Liverpool take the first silverware of the season, as they beat Chelsea 2–1 in the FA Community Shield at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.Chelsea 1–2 Liverpool BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 19 August 2006 – The Premier League season begins with Sheffield United and Liverpool drawing 1–1.Sheffield United 1–1 Liverpool BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 23 August 2006 – Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher elbows Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes in the face at the City of Manchester Stadium, after the two challenged for the same ball. This left Mendes unconscious and needing hospital treatment.Man City 0–0 Portsmouth BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 January 2007 Thatcher was shown a yellow card for the incident, but he was later banned by his club and charged with violent misconduct by The FA.Thatcher dropped & charged by FA BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 Ole Gunnar Solskjær scores his first competitive goal in more than three years in Manchester United's 3–0 away league win over Charlton Athletic. 31 August 2006 – Chelsea are fined £40,000 by The FA for breaching doping regulations.Chelsea fined TheFA.com. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 31 August 2006: August ends with last season's runners-up Manchester United top of the Premiership with three wins out of three. Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Everton, Chelsea, West Ham United and Liverpool complete the top seven. Watford, Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers prop up the table with one point each from their opening three matches, with Arsenal only above the relegation zone on goal difference. Cardiff City lead the Championship, with Norwich City, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers all three points behind the Welsh club and Burnley completing the top six, ahead of Plymouth Argyle and West Bromwich Albion on goal difference. Sunderland, despite playing in a lower division, have failed to turn around their poor form from the previous season and stand in the Championship drop zone, sandwiched by Colchester United and Hull City. Nottingham Forest lead the way in League One, with Port Vale second. Bradford, Tranmere, Brentford and Cheltenham Town completing the top six. Rotherham, only bottom after a 10 point deduction for due to entering a Company Voluntary Agreement, Scunthorpe United and Northampton Town sandwiching Millwall, failing to turn around their fortunes after relegation last season. Swindon Town, Walsall and Milton Keynes Dons lie in the automatic promotion places, with Peterborough and Lincoln a point behind. Wycombe and Wrecham complete the play-off places. Macclesfield and Rochdale in the drop zone. 4 September 2006 – Andy Webster's controversial move to Wigan Athletic is ratified by FIFA.Fifa allows Webster to join Wigan BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 8 September 2006 – Liverpool get permission from Liverpool city council to build a new 60,000 all-seater stadium in nearby Stanley Park.Liverpool get go-ahead on stadium BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 January 2007 18 September 2006 – Bryan Robson is sacked after less than two years as manager of West Bromwich Albion. 19 September 2006 – After becoming majority shareholder at the club, Randy Lerner officially becomes chairman of Aston Villa, replacing 82-year-old Doug Ellis.Ellis replaced by Lerner Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 20 January 2007 A BBC Panorama programme is aired, alleging widespread corruption in the English game.Panorama: Who is accused of what? BBC Sport. Retrieved on 1 January 2006 30 September 2006 – September ends with reigning champions Chelsea top of the Premiership. Bolton Wanderers are keeping up their push for a European place, being only two points behind in second place. Manchester United, Portsmouth, Everton, Aston Villa and Arsenal complete the top seven, with Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and Charlton Athletic in the relegation zone. Cardiff have extended their lead in the Championship to five points, ahead of Birmingham. Preston North End, Crystal Palace, Southampton and West Brom stand in the play-off places and Southend United, Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday in the relegation zone. Nottingham Forest continue to lead League One, with a three point cushion over their nearest challenges Yeovil Town and Bristol City, with Yeovil above Bristol City on goal difference. Bradford, Tranmere and Carlisle in the play-off places, with Scunthorpe a point behind, recovering from their slow start. Rotherham, Leyton Orient, Millwall and Blackpool in the bottom four. Walsall lead League Two, with Swindon and Wycombe completing the automatic promotion places. Lincoln, MK Dons, Notts County and Hartlepool complete the top seven. Macclesfield and Boston United in the drop zone. 1 October 2006 – Norwich City, 17th in the Championship, sack manager Nigel Worthington after nearly six years in charge. 14 October 2006 – Chelsea goalkeepers, Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini, both received head injuries during their match against Reading.Chelsea pays a heavy price for Reading win The Hindu. Retrieved 31 December 2006 Čech underwent surgery for a depressed skull fracture and is expected to be out for six months,Chelsea goalie Cech recovers from head surgery Sina English.com. Retrieved 31 December 2006 while Cudicini was treated and released. 16 October 2006 – Norwich City appoint West Ham United assistant manager Peter Grant as their new manager. 18 October 2006 – Hibernian's Tony Mowbray is appointed manager of West Bromwich Albion. 28 October 2006 – Aston Villa, the last unbeaten team in any professional English division, lose 3–1 to Liverpool at Anfield.Liverpool 3–1 Aston Villa BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 December 2006 30 October 2006 – Manchester United have moved to the top of the Premiership on goal difference; both United and Chelsea have 25 points apiece. Bolton, Portsmouth, Arsenal, Everton and Aston Villa complete the top seven, while Watford, Sheffield United and Charlton Athletic finish the month in the relegation zone. Cardiff remain top of the Championship and Preston have claimed second place, with Burnley, Birmingham, West Brom and Plymouth not far behind. Hull, Barnsley and Southend stand in the bottom three. 21 November 2006 – West Ham United accept Eggert Magnússon's £85 million takeover bid for the club.West Ham accept £85m takeover bid BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 November 2006 29 November 2006 – England National Game XI, the English semi-professional team, win the inaugural European Challenge Trophy after a 4–1 win over the Netherlands.England take the trophy TheFA.com. Retrieved 31 January 2007 30 November 2006 – Manchester United remain top of the Premiership, three points ahead of Chelsea. Portsmouth, having narrowly avoided relegation the previous season, are maintaining their European push although they are 11 points adrift of Chelsea in third. Bolton, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Liverpool complete the top seven, while Sheffield United, Watford and Charlton Athletic remain in the relegation zone. Preston have leaped to the top of the Championship, a point ahead of Cardiff, Birmingham and Derby County. Burnley and Stoke City are also challenging for a play-off spot, while Leeds United, Hull and Southend are battling relegation. 5 December 2006 – Macclesfield Town, the last team without a win in the Football League, beat Rochdale 1–0 at Moss Rose.Macclesfield 1–0 Rochdale BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 December 2006 20 December 2006 – Bury are thrown out of this season's FA Cup after they fielded an ineligible player, Stephen Turnbull, on-loan from Hartlepool United in their 3–1 second round replay win at Chester City on 12 December. Chester will replace Bury in the third round.Chester take Bury's FA Cup place BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 December 2006 Lord Stevens releases the results of his inquiry in the allegation of corruption in the English game, pin-pointing seventeen transfers that he will investigate further.Bung inquiry targets 17 transfers BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 December 2006 23 December 2006 – Doncaster Rovers play their final game at Belle Vue against Nottingham Forest. They move into the 15,000 seat Keepmoat Stadium.All change at Doncaster BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 December 2006