Season | 2007–08 |
---|---|
Champions | Manchester United 10th Premier League title 17th English title |
Relegated | Reading Birmingham City Derby County |
Champions League | Manchester United (Group stage) Chelsea (Group stage) Arsenal (Third qualifying round) Liverpool (Third qualifying round) |
UEFA Cup | Portsmouth (First round; via FA Cup) Everton (First round) Tottenham Hotspur (First round; via League Cup) Manchester City (First qualifying round; via Fair Play) |
Intertoto Cup | Aston Villa (Third round) |
Goals scored | 1,002 |
Average goals/game | 2.64 |
Top goalscorer | Cristiano Ronaldo (31) |
Biggest home win | Middlesbrough 8–1 Manchester City (11 May 2008) |
Biggest away win | Derby County 0–6 Aston Villa (12 April 2008) |
Highest scoring | Portsmouth 7–4 Reading (11 goals) (29 September 2007) |
Highest attendance | 76,013 – Man Utd v West Ham |
Lowest attendance | 14,007 – Wigan v M'boro |
Average attendance | 36,076 |
← 2006–07
2008–09 →
|
The 2007–08 Premier League season (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the sixteenth since its establishment. The first matches of the season were played on 11 August 2007, and the season ended on 11 May 2008. Manchester United went into the 2007–08 season as the Premier League's defending champions, having won their ninth Premiership title and sixteenth league championship overall the previous season. This season was also the third consecutive season to see the "Big Four" continue their stranglehold on the top four spots and places in the UEFA Champions League.
The first goal of the season was scored by Michael Chopra, who scored a 94th minute winner for Sunderland against Tottenham in the early kick-off.[1] The first red card of the season was given to Reading's Dave Kitson after a challenge on Patrice Evra in their opening game against Manchester United.[2] The first hat-trick was scored by Emmanuel Adebayor in the match between Arsenal and Derby County.[3]
On 29 September 2007, Portsmouth beat Reading 7–4 in the highest scoring match in Premier League history.[4] On 15 December 2007, both Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers) and Marcus Bent (Wigan Athletic) scored hat-tricks during Wigan's 5–3 home win over Blackburn. This was the first occasion in Premier League history that two players on opposing teams had scored hat-tricks during the same match.
On 29 March 2008, Derby County drew 2–2 with Fulham while Birmingham City, who were 17th in the table at the time, beat Manchester City 3–1, to make Derby County the first team in Premier League history to be relegated in March, ending the season with a League record low points tally of just 11.
On 11 May 2008, the final day of the season, Manchester United beat Wigan Athletic 2–0 while Chelsea drew 1–1 with Bolton Wanderers, thus crowning Manchester United with their tenth Premier League title, and 17th championship overall, just one behind Liverpool's total of 18. Meanwhile, despite Birmingham beating Blackburn Rovers 4–1 and Reading beating Derby 4–0, both Birmingham and Reading were relegated due to Fulham's 1–0 win over Portsmouth. This meant that Fulham avoided relegation by a goal difference of −22, compared to Reading's −25. On the same day, Middlesbrough beat Manchester City 8–1 to claim the biggest win of the season.
The season was notable for the return of the English league to the top of UEFA's official ranking list, overtaking La Liga for the period from 1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009. This followed the success of English clubs in the UEFA Champions League, with both champions Manchester United and runners-up Chelsea reaching the European Cup final. This was the first time that the English league had topped the UEFA rankings since the events at the Heysel Stadium in 1985.
Pos |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Manchester United (C) | 38 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 80 | 22 | +58 | 87 | 2008–09 UEFA Champions League Group stage |
2 | Chelsea | 38 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 65 | 26 | +39 | 85 | |
3 | Arsenal | 38 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 74 | 31 | +43 | 83 | 2008–09 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round |
4 | Liverpool | 38 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 67 | 28 | +39 | 76 | |
5 | Everton | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 65 | 2008–09 UEFA Cup First round |
6 | Aston Villa | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 71 | 51 | +20 | 60 | 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round |
7 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 58 | |
8 | Portsmouth | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 57 | 2008–09 UEFA Cup First round 1 |
9 | Manchester City | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 45 | 53 | −8 | 55 | 2008–09 UEFA Cup First qualifying round 2 |
10 | West Ham United | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 42 | 50 | −8 | 49 | |
11 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 66 | 61 | +5 | 46 | 2008–09 UEFA Cup First round 3 |
12 | Newcastle United | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 45 | 65 | −20 | 43 | |
13 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 42 | |
14 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 40 | |
15 | Sunderland | 38 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 36 | 59 | −23 | 39 | |
16 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 37 | |
17 | Fulham | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 38 | 60 | −22 | 36 | |
18 | Reading (R) | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 41 | 66 | −25 | 36 | Relegation to the 2008–09 Football League Championship |
19 | Birmingham City (R) | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 35 | |
20 | Derby County (R) | 38 | 1 | 8 | 29 | 20 | 89 | −69 | 11 |
Source: Barclays Premier League
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd number of goals scored.
1 via 2007–08 FA Cup
2 via UEFA Fair Play ranking (0.8 of a point ahead of Fulham)
3 via 2007-08 Football League Cup
For further information on European qualification see Premier League – Competition.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
Home \ Away1 | ARS | AST | BIR | BLB | BOL | CHE | DER | EVE | FUL | LIV | MCI | MUN | MID | NEW | POR | REA | SUN | TOT | WHA | WIG |
Arsenal | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
Aston Villa | 1–2 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | |
Birmingham City | 2–2 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | |
Blackburn Rovers | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | |
Bolton Wanderers | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | |
Chelsea | 2–1 | 4–4 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 6–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
Derby County | 2–6 | 0–6 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–5 | 0–1 | |
Everton | 1–4 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 7–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
Fulham | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | |
Liverpool | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | |
Manchester City | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | |
Manchester United | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 4–0 | |
Middlesbrough | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 8–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | |
Newcastle United | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | |
Portsmouth | 0–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 7–4 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | |
Reading | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | |
Sunderland | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |
Tottenham Hotspur | 1–3 | 4–4 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–4 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 6–4 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | |
West Ham United | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
Wigan Athletic | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 5–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
Source: Barclays Premier League
1The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For coming matches, an a indicates there is an article about the match.
Top scorers
|
Top assistants
|
Scorer | Time (seconds) | Team | Opponent |
---|---|---|---|
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28 | Manchester City | Wigan Athletic |
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32 | Birmingham City | Derby County |
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47 | Everton | Portsmouth |
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50 | Fulham | Arsenal |
Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month |
---|---|---|
August 2007 | ![]() |
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September 2007 | ![]() |
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October 2007 | ![]() |
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November 2007 | ![]() |
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December 2007 | ![]() |
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January 2008 | ![]() |
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February 2008 | ![]() |
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March 2008 | ![]() |
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April 2008 | ![]() |
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The LMA Manager of the Year award was won by Sir Alex Ferguson after leading Manchester United to back-to-back league title wins. The award was presented by Fabio Capello on 13 May 2008.[30]
The PFA Players' Player of the Year award for 2008 was won by Cristiano Ronaldo for the second year in a row.[31]
The shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, in alphabetical order, was as follows:
The PFA Young Player of the Year award was won by Cesc Fàbregas of Arsenal.[31]
The shortlist for the award was as follows:
Goalkeeper: David James (Portsmouth)
Defence: Bacary Sagna, Gaël Clichy (both Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić (both Manchester United)
Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Cesc Fàbregas (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Attack: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Last year's winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Year for 2008. Liverpool striker Fernando Torres finished second, with Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fàbregas finishing third.[32]
BBC broadcaster and former England and Blackpool full-back Jimmy Armfield received the PFA Merit Award for his services to the game.[31]
The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award for 2008 was won by Cristiano Ronaldo for a second successive season. The Manchester United winger saw off the challenges of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James, who finished second and third respectively.[33]
Cristiano Ronaldo (23) won the Barclays Player of the Season accolade for the second season in succession.[34]
Sir Alex Ferguson, 66, picked up the Barclays Manager of the Season for the eighth time. During his hugely successful spell with Manchester United, which began in 1986, he has won ten Premier League titles, five FA Cups and three European titles.[34]
Cristiano Ronaldo was named the winner of the Barclays Golden Boot Award. The Manchester United winger's 31 goals from 34 league appearances helped see off stiff opposition for this award from Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor and Fernando Torres of Liverpool. This was the first Premier League season that a player has scored more than 30 goals since Alan Shearer's 31-goal haul for Blackburn Rovers twelve years prior.[34][35]
Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has claimed the Premier League's golden gloves award for the third season in succession. Clean sheets in 18 out of the 38 games meant Reina kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in the top flight during the 2007–08 campaign.[36]
Cristiano Ronaldo, the 23-year-old Portuguese winger, collected the Barclays Premier League Merit Award for reaching 30 league goals this season.[35]
Team | Manager | Captain | Kit maker | Shirt sponsor | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | ![]() |
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Nike | Emirates | Same home kit as 2006–07. New white and redcurrant away kit with watermark in tribute to former manager, Herbert Chapman. New third kit for Champions League ties features red and blue hoops. |
Aston Villa | ![]() |
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Nike | 32red | Nike takes over from hummel. New crest design. The new home strip was unveiled on 17 July 2007, there is a small white lion on the back of the neck. Away kit is white with sky blue pinstripes and also features a lion on the back of the neck (claret). Black third shirt released in November. |
Birmingham City | ![]() |
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Umbro | F&C Investments | Lonsdale dropped as kit manufacturers as Umbro come in. F&C Investments replace flybe as sponsors. "Penguin" shirt design returns. White away shirt, with blue shorts and white socks. All-red third kit with blue and white trim. |
Blackburn Rovers | ![]() |
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Umbro | Bet 24 | Umbro replace Lonsdale as new kit manufacturers. Minor alterations to home kit. New red and black halved away kit. |
Bolton Wanderers | ![]() |
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Reebok | Reebok | New white home kit, with watermark, red sleeve design and navy blue trim. New indigo blue away kit with turquoise shapes and dark watermark. Last season's third kit unchanged. |
Chelsea | ![]() |
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adidas | Samsung Mobile | Home kit same as 2006–07. New 'electric yellow' away kit with black trim, new white and blue third/European kit.[37] Both of the new kits have a small Chelsea Lion embossed on the lower back. |
Derby County | ![]() |
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adidas | Derbyshire Building Society | adidas replaces Joma. New white home kit and black away kit. New crest design. Third kit is bright yellow. |
Everton | ![]() |
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Umbro | Chang Beer | New royal blue home kit and white away kit designs. New navy blue alternative kit. |
Fulham | ![]() |
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Nike | LG | Nike replaces Airness as kit maker; LG replaces Pipex as shirt sponsor. All-white home kit and red-and-black striped away kit, honouring Fulham's 1975 FA Cup Final team, with white V-neck collar.[38] Third kit of all-sky blue. |
Liverpool | ![]() |
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adidas | Carlsberg | Home kit same as 2006–07. New white away kit with red trim. Also, new black and red third/European away kit. New Adidas kit for 2008–09 was previewed in the final home game of the season against Manchester City on 4 May. |
Manchester City | ![]() |
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le coq sportif | Thomas Cook.com | Reebok replaced by French sports kit makers. White shorts replace sky blue in home kit, with shirt having white pinstripes. New indigo away kit also with white pinstripes. Third kit is white with a blue cross white shorts and socks. |
Manchester United | ![]() |
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Nike | AIG | New red home shirt with a white line which runs down the centre of the back, blue goalkeeper shirt were released on 1 August. Away kit is black with red trim and red line on the back. Last year's white away kit has been confirmed as the third kit. |
Middlesbrough | ![]() |
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Erreà | Garmin | 888.com replaced as sponsor by satellite navigation company Garmin.[39] New home kit with red pinstripe, and new white and gold away kit. New crest design. |
Newcastle United | ![]() |
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adidas | Northern Rock | New home kit with solid black back and sky blue trims. New sky blue away kit with black trim. New sky blue and white third kit. |
Portsmouth | ![]() |
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Canterbury | Oki | Rugby jersey manufacturer Canterbury replaces Jako in the New Zealand brand's first venture into football. Home shirt is blue with white and gold trim. Away shirt is white with blue and gold trim. Third shirt is black with gold trim. Each kit has a number of reflective circles on the sleeves and down the sides. |
Reading | ![]() |
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Puma | Kyocera | Home kit same as 2006–07. New black and grey hooped away kit with black back and 'arch' design. Third kit is the same as last season's. |
Sunderland | ![]() |
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Umbro | boylesports.com | Another change from Lonsdale to Umbro; Reg Vardy out as sponsor. New home kit is red-and-white stripes with Umbro diamond design on shoulders. Away kit is all white with red and black trimmings. Third kit is all blue with red and white trimmings. |
Tottenham Hotspur | ![]() |
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Puma | Mansion Casino | Celebrating their 125th season. Home strip to change to all white. Navy blue away kit and yellow third kit to carry Chinese Mandarin version of the Mansion logo. Halved white and light blue throwback to be worn on anniversary date. |
West Ham United | ![]() |
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Umbro | XL Airways | Reebok replaced by Umbro; JobServe replaced by XL Airways as sponsor. New claret-and-blue home shirt unveiled on 16 June; white away shirt unveiled on 27 July. |
Wigan Athletic | ![]() |
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Umbro | JJB Sports | New home, away and third kit. JJB replaced by Umbro as kit maker, but remains as sponsor. Home kit is a return to blue-and-white stripes with solid blue back. Away kit is white with blue and black trim, with the third kit being black with blue and white trim. |
In addition, Premier League officials are supplied with new kit made by Umbro, replacing American makers Official Sports, and are sponsored by Air Asia, replacing Emirates. The 2007–08 season saw a new font used for the names on the back of players' shirts.[40]
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Manchester United | Old Trafford | 76,212 |
Arsenal | Emirates Stadium | 60,355 |
Newcastle United | St James' Park | 52,387 |
Sunderland | Stadium of Light | 49,000 |
Manchester City | City of Manchester Stadium | 47,726 |
Liverpool | Anfield | 45,522 |
Aston Villa | Villa Park | 42,640 |
Chelsea | Stamford Bridge | 42,055 |
Everton | Goodison Park | 40,157 |
Tottenham Hotspur | White Hart Lane | 36,244 |
West Ham United | Upton Park | 35,303 |
Middlesbrough | Riverside Stadium | 35,049 |
Derby County | Pride Park Stadium | 33,597 |
Blackburn Rovers | Ewood Park | 31,367 |
Birmingham City | St Andrews Stadium | 30,009 |
Bolton Wanderers | Reebok Stadium | 28,723 |
Fulham | Craven Cottage | 26,300 |
Wigan Athletic | JJB Stadium | 25,138 |
Reading | Madejski Stadium | 24,161 |
Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 20,688 |
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manchester City | ![]() |
Contract terminated | 14 May 2007[41] | ![]() |
6 July 2007[42] | Pre-season |
Chelsea | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 20 September 2007[43] | ![]() |
20 September 2007[43] | 5th |
Bolton Wanderers | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 17 October 2007[44] | ![]() |
25 October 2007[45] | 19th |
Tottenham Hotspur | ![]() |
Contract terminated | 25 October 2007[46] | ![]() |
27 October 2007[47] | 18th |
Wigan Athletic | ![]() |
Contract terminated | 5 November 2007[48] | ![]() |
26 November 2007[49] | 18th |
Birmingham City | ![]() |
Wigan purchased rights for £3m | 19 November 2007[49] | ![]() |
28 November 2007[50] | 15th |
Derby County | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 26 November 2007[51] | ![]() |
28 November 2007[52] | 20th |
Fulham | ![]() |
Contract terminated | 21 December 2007[53] | ![]() |
30 December 2007[54] | 18th |
Newcastle United | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 9 January 2008[55] | ![]() |
16 January 2008[56] | 11th |
Chelsea | ![]() |
Contract terminated | 24 May 2008[57] | ![]() |
1 July 2008[58] | Post-season (2nd) |
Manchester City | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 2 June 2008[59] | ![]() |
4 June 2008[60] | Post-season (9th) |
Blackburn Rovers | ![]() |
Manchester City purchased rights for £4.6m[61] | 4 June 2008[60] | ![]() |
22 June 2008[62] | Post-season (7th) |
|
|
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