2008–09 in English football

The 2008–09 season is the 129th season of competitive football in England.

Overview

* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City will all play in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke will be returning to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while Hull will be making their debut.
* Leicester City will play in League One, the third division, for the first time after being relegated from the Championship last season.
* Colchester United will play in their new 10,000 seater stadium at Colchester Community Stadium for the start of the new season.
* Aldershot Town and Exeter City both return to The Football League after winning the Conference National championship and play-offs respectively. Exeter return after five years of Conference football, while Aldershot are an entirely new club which is the spiritual successor of the former town club which folded in 1992.
* Luton Town will begin their League Two campaign on minus 30 points following a ruling from The Football Association. Bournemouth and Rotherham United will both begin on minus 17 points, with the latter playing their home games at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield.

Managerial changes

Notes

*¹ Dean Glover had previously been caretaker manager at Port Vale.

Events

On August 9, 2008, the Football League 2008–09 season started at Glanford Park, at 12:00 BST with the match between Scunthorpe United and Leeds United, with Leeds winning 2–1.

On August 10, 2008, the FA Community Shield was won by Manchester United as they beat Portsmouth 3–1 on penalties after a 0–0 draw after 90 minutes at Wembley Stadium.

On August 16, 2008, the Premier League 2008–09 season started at the Emirates Stadium, London, at 12:45 BST with the hosts Arsenal beating visiting West Bromwich Albion 1–0.

On September 1, 2008, Manchester City were taken over by the Abu Dhabi group to become the richest club in England and immediately signed Robinho from Real Madrid.

On September 1, 2008, Bournemouth's Kevin Bond became to first manager to lose his job, after a poor run of results saw his team pick up just two points from their opening four games.

On September 3, 2008, West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley left his post and became the first Premier League manager to leave his club this season, citing players leaving without his knowledge as the reason for his sudden departure.

National team

The home team is on the left column; the away team is on the right column.

Friendly matches

footballbox
date = 20 August 2008
time =
team1 = fb-rt|England
score = 2 – 2
report = [http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/Archive/matchstats.html?m=865 (Report)]
team2 = fb|Czech Republic
goals1 = Brown goal|45
J Cole goal|90
goals2 = Baroš goal|22
Jankulovski goal|48
stadium = Wembley Stadium, London
attendance = 69,738
referee = Terje Hauge-----------footballbox
date = 19 November 2008
time =
team1 = fb-rt|Germany
score =
report =
team2 = fb|England
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Olympic Stadium, Berlin
attendance =
referee = -----------footballbox
date = 28 March 2009
time =
team1 = fb-rt|England
score =
report =
team2 = fb|Slovakia
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley Stadium, London
attendance =
referee =

World Cup qualifiers

England is currently in Group 6 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification process. [http://fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/standings/index.html Groups and standings] "FIFA" Retrieved 2008-05-31]

footballbox
date = 6 September 2008
time =
team1 = fb-rt|Andorra
score = 0–2
report = [http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/Archive/matchstats.html?m=866 (Report)]
team2 = fb|England
goals1 =
goals2 = J Cole goal|49goal|55
stadium = Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona
attendance = 10,300
referee = Cuneyt Cakir-----------footballbox
date = 10 September 2008
time =
team1 = fb-rt|Croatia
score = 1–4
report = [http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/Archive/matchstats.html?m=867 (Report)]
team2 = fb|England
goals1 = Mandžukić goal|78
goals2 = Walcott goal|26goal|59goal|82
Rooney goal|63
stadium = Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb
attendance = 35,218
referee = Lubos Michel-----------footballbox
date = 2008-10-11
time =
team1 = fb-rt|ENG
score = 5 – 1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/matches/round=250471/match=300040538/index.html Report]
team2 = fb|KAZ
goals1 = Ferdinand goal|52
Kuchma goal|65|o.g.
Rooney goal|77 goal|86
Defoe goal|90
goals2 = Kukeev goal|68
stadium = Wembley Stadium, London
attendance = 89,107
referee = Paul Allaerts (Belgium) -----------footballbox
date = 15 October 2008
time =
team1 = fb-rt|Belarus
score =
report =
team2 = fb|England
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Dinamo Stadium, Minsk
attendance =
referee = -----------footballbox
date = 1 April 2009
time =
team1 = fb-rt|England
score =
report =
team2 = fb|Ukraine
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley Stadium, London
attendance =
referee = -----------footballbox
date = 6 June 2009
time =
team1 = fb-rt|Kazakhstan
score =
report =
team2 = fb|England
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty
attendance =
referee = -----------footballbox
date = 10 June 2009
time =
team1 = fb-rt|England
score =
report =
team2 = fb|Andorra
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley Stadium, London
attendance =
referee =

Honours

Transfer deals

Retirements

* 14 July 2008 – Neil Moss (Bournemouth) [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/bournemouth/7505877.stm Cherries keeper forced to retire] "BBC Sport". Retrieved on 14 July 2008]
* 20 August 2008 – Alan Stubbs (Derby County) [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/7571823.stm Injured Stubbs forced to retire] "BBC Sport". Retrieved on 20 August 2008]
* 28 August 2008 – Andy Cooke (ex Shrewsbury Town) [ [http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sportbcfc/sportbcfcheadlines/3629074.Cooke_calls_it_a_day/ Cooke calls it a day] "Telegraph & Argus". Retrieved on 28 August 2008]
* 3 September 2008 – Rob Clare (Stockport County) [ [http://www.stockportcounty.premiumtv.co.uk/page/LatestNews/0,,10419~1383605,00.html/ Rob Clare Retires] "Stockport County Official Website".]
* 3 September 2008 – Anti Niemi (Fulham) [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/7595990.stm |title=Keeper Niemi announces retirement |date=2008-09-03 |accessdate=2008-09-03]
* 3 October 2008 - Damien Francis (Watford) [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/watford/7651663.stm |title=Watford's Francis forced to quit |date=2008-10-03 |accessdate=2008-10-03]

Deaths

*3 July 2008 – Ernie Cooksey, 28, Grays Athletic midfielder, who died from skin cancer. Also played for Oldham Athletic, Rochdale, Crawley Town and Boston United. [ [http://www.oldhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/1056642_former_latics_ace_loses_cancer_battle Former Latics ace loses cancer battle] "Oldham Advertiser". Retrieved on 3 July 2008]
*28 July 2008 – Gerry Lightowler, 67, former Bradford Park Avenue and Bradford City full back. [cite news |url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sportbcfc/sportbcfcheadlines/3556125.Bobby_Ham_s_tribute_to_Lightowler/ |title=Bobby Ham's tribute to Lightowler |date=2008-07-29 |accessdate=2008-08-03 |publisher=Telegraph & Argus]
*26 August 2008 – Bob Mountford, 56, former striker who played for a number of lower-league clubs in the 1970s, most notably Port Vale, Rochdale, Huddersfield Town and Halifax Town. [ [http://www.rochdaleafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10441~1375245,00.html Bob Mountford obituary] "Rochdale AFC official site". Retrieved on 26 August 2008]
*4 September 2008 – Tommy Johnston, 81, former striker who is Leyton Orient's all-time top scorer with 123 goals. Other clubs include Norwich City, Newport County and Blackburn Rovers [ [http://www.leytonorient.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10439~1384275,00.html Tommy Johnston obituary] "Leyton Orient official site". Retrieved on 4 September 2008]
*6 September 2008 – Bill Shorthouse, 86, former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender and vice-captain, who played 376 games for the club in their heyday of the 1940s and 1950s. [ [http://www.wolves.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/0,,10307~1387174,00.html Tributes Paid To Wolves Legend] "Wolverhampton Wanderers official site". Retrieved on 8 September 2008]
*25 September 2008 – Jimmy Sirrel, 86, former Notts County manager who took the Magpies from Division Four to the top flight during two spells at the club. Also managed Brentford and Sheffield United. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/7635181.stm Magpies legend Sirrel dies at 86] "BBC Sport". Retrieved on 25 September 2008]
*27 September 2008 – Jimmy Murray, 72, former Wolverhampton Wanderers striker who scored more than 150 goals for the club, and won two league championships and one FA Cup title while at Wolves. Also played for Manchester City and Walsall. [ [http://www.birminghammail.net/news/black-country/black-country-news/2008/09/29/wolverhampton-wanderers-legend-jimmy-murray-dies-97319-21923783/ Wolverhampton Wanderers legend Murray dies] "Birmingham Mail". Retrieved on 30 September 2008]
*27 September 2008 – Len Browning, 80, former Leeds United and Sheffield United striker whose career was cut short by tuberculosis. [ [http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/Obituary-Len-Browning.4544846.jp Obituary: Len Browning] "Yorkshire Evening Post". Retrieved on 2 October 2008]
*9 October 2008 – Bert Loxley, 74, former Notts County wing-half and Lincoln City manager. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/lincoln_city/7663061.stm Former Lincoln boss Loxley dies] "BBC Sport". Retrieved on 10 October 2008]

ee also

2008–09 season

*Arsenal Premier League
*Aston Villa Premier League
*Chelsea Premier League
*Fulham Premier League
*Hull City Premier League
*Liverpool Premier League
*Manchester City Premier League
*Manchester United Premier League
*Middlesbrough Premier League
*Newcastle United Premier League
*Sunderland Premier League
*Tottenham Hotspur Premier League

*Birmingham City Football League Championship
*Cardiff City Football League Championship
*Coventry City Football League Championship
*Derby County Football League Championship
*Norwich City Football League Championship
*Nottingham Forest Football League Championship
*Queens Park Rangers Football League Championship
*Reading Football League Championship

*Bristol Rovers Football League One
*Crewe Alexandra Football League One
*Hereford United Football League One
*Huddersfield Town Football League One
*Leeds United Football League One
*Oldham Athletic Football League One

*Aldershot Town Football League Two
*Bradford City Football League Two

*Eastbourne Borough Conference National

References