Well that just about wraps it up for another Premier League season. Amazing to think how quickly time passes, isn't it? It seems like only yesterday the season was just beginning...
Anyway, congratulations to Manchester United, the new champions and to my mind the right ones given the standard of the opposition. Had Chelsea claimed the title today, I doubt it would have sat right with many fans of the Premier League. I say that only because Chelsea have barely been at the front of the title race all season and have limped along in third or fourth place for much of the time. Man United, for all their poor phases this season, have always been there or thereabouts like Arsenal were until they capitulated so dramatically when it mattered most.
That said, Chelsea did an amazing job pushing United all the way to the bitter end. Today's result has little or no significance to me today given the fact Alex Ferguson's men were such strong favourites to see off Wigan. Bolton earned a creditable draw, but it was all a fait accompli anyway. The FA in their wisdom elected to take the real Premier League trophy to the Man United match today (rather than the copy which went to Chelsea) and with some justification too. United proved again they have the pedigree to make a sustained challenge for the trophy over 38 games, so the title must be theirs.
At the other end of the table, an eventful afternoon saw Fulham and Bolton Wanderers keep their place in the Premier League at the expense of Birmingham City and Reading who are relegated to The Championship.
As I may have said before, I tend to feel that Fulham are perpetually one of those sides that seem to achieve little, perhaps flirt with relegation but ultimately retain their place every season and for that reason I wouldn't have batted an eyelid if they'd been relegated today. The thing is Roy Hodgson looks like a genuinely nice bloke who deserves great credit for all he's done thus far in his career. I want to see if he can turn Fulham around and make them more of a force to be reckoned with, and thanks to today's 1-0 win over Portsmouth, it looks like he'll get the chance to do so.
As for Reading, I have some sympathy with them. I think they've done pretty well since arriving in the Premier League and have played some exciting football at times, but they've gone steadily stale over the course of this season and as we all know, when the rot sets in the result can be fatal.
Birmingham have been brave in their approach this season, looking capable of putting up a decent fight with most of the teams in the bottom half of the table, but they too have seen their challenge run out of gas when they needed it most. Alex McLeish's arrival in November may have given the club a belief that better things were around the corner, but sadly it didn't quite turn out that way. Whether McLeish is still their manager by the time they return to the Premier League remains to be seen.
So that's it - the final curtain has fallen on the 2007/08 season, but fear not - we still have some things to discuss on this campaign before we can draw a line under this whole sorry affair, and we'll be tying up all those loose conversational ends over the coming week or so.
It's come to this, then... While Manchester United and Chelsea fight over who should have the Premier League trophy for the coming year, four teams will fight just to survive in the top flight.
Derby County have already succumbed to the executioner's axe, which means two relegation places need to be filled, and by 5pm BST today either Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Fulham or Reading will fill them.
The way things stand at the moment, Reading and Birmingham occupy those remaining places, but such is the closeness of all the teams involved that the axe could come down on almost anyone.
That said, there are a couple of things to note. Firstly Bolton are definitely in the best place at the moment, being that they're three places ahead of their nearest rivals, Fulham, and two places clear of the drop zone.
That means if Bolton get a draw away to Chelsea today, they'll be safe, no matter what the others do.
Then there's Birmingham. They're only one point behind Reading and Fulham and have a far better goal difference than the two of them. That gives us the situation that if Birmingham avoid defeat at home to Blackburn today and Reading and Fulham lose, Birmingham will stay up.
The fact of the matter, though, is that Birmingham look likely to go down today. Many of the possible permutations from today's results will see Alex McLeish's men demoted to the Championship, and if that's the case, it should be interesting seeing who takes the last place between Reading and Fulham.
All of which brings us to the handy Relegation Calculator that SPAOTP have designed for you. When all the important matches get underway today, you might want to know who's set to go down and who'll stay up, so why not use the chart below? It'll give you many of the outcome permutations just by cross-referencing who's doing what in each game involving Bolton, Fulham, Reading and Birmingham.
And before you check it out, we've left out all the permutations involving Bolton winning for the reasons mentioned above and yes, we know the writing's a bit small, but that's easily alleviated. Just click on the image to see a bigger, clearer version.
The best of British luck, then, to all the teams involved. Oh and by the way - who do you think will go down today? Leave us a comment and let us know!
19.30 Barrow v Stalybridge Celtic, Blue Square South Play-off Final, Setanta Sports 1 Prepare yourself for the weekend's Premier League nonsense with some good honest non-league action. Barrow are flying at the moment, and are this division's "team that sneak into the play-offs at the last minute and end up winning it".
19.45 Southend Utd v Doncaster Rovers, League One Play-off Semi-final 1st Leg, Sky Sports 1 & HD1 First legs are always a bit of a let down, like this tie in particular as, unfortunately, everyone knows this match is only to decide who loses to Leeds at Wembley.
Saturday 10 May 12.15 Crystal Palace v Bristol City, Championship Play-off Semi-final 1st Leg, Sky Sports 1 & HD1 I'm backing Palace to go through the play-offs. I predict a new tiresome over-used cliché about Victor Moses parting a sea of red shirts will start in this semi-final and continue until he retires in 2026.
12.30 Rangers v Dundee Utd, Scottish Premier League, Setanta Sports 1 The next two weeks see Rangers having more ties then Moss Bros. By the time they face Queen of the South in the Cup Final they're going to look like George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle.
15.00 Ebbsfleet Utd v Torquay Utd, FA Trophy Final, Sky Sports 1 & HD1 Woo, fan power! Thankfully for actual Ebbsfleet fans, Liam Daish will be picking the team.
17.35 Darlington v Rochdale League Two Play-off Semi-final 1st Leg Sky Sports 1 & HD1 Darlington have hit an awful patch of form. Rochdale should take full advantage over the two legs.
19.45 Lyon v Nancy, Le Championnat, Setanta Sports 2 According to Lyon's president everyone's conspiring to make sure Lyon don't win a seventh consecutive title (Guardian article). They're currently two points clear of Bordeaux with two games left.
21.00 TBC, La Liga, Sky Sports 1 It's all over at the top of the table with Madrid champions, Villareal second and Barcelona third, but that won't stop Sky concentrating two of their three live slots on Real and Barca rather than the half a dozen or so teams still worrying about relegation.
Sunday 11 May 12.00 Watford v Hull City, Championship Play-off Semi-final 1st Leg, Sky Sports 1 & HD1 Watford fans will be hoping that their team will suddenly jump out and say "Aha! Fooled you, we're not rubbish at all." They won't though.
12.30 Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premier League, Setanta Sports 1 All Celtic can do is keep winning and hope that the Zombie-like Rangers slip up. Anything less than a win for Celtic could end the challenge.
14.00 Inter v Siena, Serie A, Five Inter are three points ahead of Roma with two games to go and an amazingly similar run-in. This week the two have home ties against Siena and Atalanta respectively, both of which are comfortably mid-table. Next week, Inter travel to Parma while Roma visit Catania, both hosts desperately trying to avoid relegation to Serie B. Of course, it will all be over at the top this weekend if Inter win and Roma don't.
15.00 Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers, Premier League, Sky Sports Red Button Usually the title's all over by the last day and focus is drawn to the sweaty palmed basement battles: lingering shots of teary fans, heads in hands looking glumly at the prospect of playing in the Championship. But with the top two neck and neck this all important tie for Birmingham has been bumped down to the interactive service. So, if you like seeing crest-fallen Brummies rather than jubilant millionaires, then press your red button.
15.00 Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers, Premier League, Sky Sports 2 & HD2 Simple equation really, Chelsea have to do better than Man Utd. They'll do what they need to do here - leaving them reliant on Wigan. Bolton are effectively safe, so it would take Chelsea to score a hatful of goals and Derby to concede loads against Reading for them to go down... err, hang on...
15.00 Portsmouth v Fulham, Premier League, Setanta Sports 1 I honestly don't know how it's going to work on Setanta. Have they struck a deal with Sky to show pictures of celebration/despair from St. Andrews at key points during the game and vice versa? If not, some of the match switching excitement we've been used might be lost - but hey, no great shakes. Since getting to the Cup Final Portsmouth have had the drive and motivation of someone's who has just returned from a long weekend sampling the café culture of Amsterdam. Birmingham are right to be very worried.
15.00 Wigan Athletic v Manchester Utd, Premier League, Sky Sports 1 & HD1 Whatever result comes from this game, the conspiracy theorists will have a field day anyway. Personally, I'll start watching this game but the schadenfreude in me will want to switch over to the game at St Andrews. Apparently, bets have been suspended on a 3-0 win for Manchester United.
18.00 Wycombe v Stockport, League Two Play-off Semi-final 1st Leg, Sky Sports 1 & HD1 A touch of "after the Lord Mayor's show" from Sky Sports.
They say what goes around comes around, and in football that's often the case - especially if you're a Stoke City supporter. As such, you probably won't need me to tell you that The Potters secured promotion back to the top flight in England just a few days ago, thus ending an absence of 23 years. It's an incredible achievement for which SPAOTP sends its heartiest congratulations (apart from Duffman, perhaps, who no doubt wanted his Crystal Palace side to go up instead.)
Anyway, if you're of the same generation as me (i.e. you were born near the start of the 1970's), you may still be clinging onto the fading memory of Stoke City the last time they were in the top flight. Numerous names spring to mind that were in the side back then: Paul Bracewell, Adrian Heath, George Berry, Lee Chapman, Garth Crooks… ah, the heady days of the early 80's.
Except the early years of the 1980's were not the best for Stoke. In the six seasons they spent in Division One, five of them were spent languishing in the bottom half of the table before their final ignominious crash with just 17 points in 1985. It was the lowest points total for any First Division team until the record was broken in 2003 by Sunderland. With only three wins from a possible 42 matches, it was a sign that the club were standing on the verge of a huge precipice.
The thing is, if you're a little bit older than me, you'll have much happier memories of Stoke City. In the early 70's, they were a team on the up and up. Having been given a much needed boost by a soon-to-be-retiring Stanley Matthews a decade earlier, manager Tom Waddington consolidated his club's position by investing in some high profile personnel.
Gordon Banks came from Leicester on the back of his World Cup-winning heroics, swiftly followed by England team-mate Geoff Hurst, talented Chelsea midfielder Alan Hudson and Gordon Banks' successor, Peter Shilton. Together with a well-established and resolute defence, Stoke City were able to push for greater success, and it wasn't long before silverware arrived at the Victoria Ground.
The Football League Cup duly arrived in 1972 and was seen as a well-deserved triumph, especially after a semi-final against West Ham that needed four matches to decide the victors. Stoke prevailed and faced Chelsea in the Final which The Potters won 2-1.
It seemed as though the First Division championship trophy would also end up back at Stoke in 1974/75, but though they were top of the table from November all the way until three games from the end, it was ultimately to elude them. At the end of the season, they lost to Sheffield United and drew against Newcastle and Burnley, allowing Derby County to win the title while Stoke ended the campaign four points behind in fifth place.
Strangely, Stoke couldn't maintain their fine form and just two years later they were relegated to Division Two. The club continued to tread water for a few more years before they returned to Division One in 1980, but it would ultimately prove to be a false dawn.
If you're younger than me (and nowadays that seems to account for most people, the older I get), you'll look upon Stoke as perennial strugglers that have achieved very little of note. The second half of the 1980's saw a continuous spell of mid-table mediocrity prevail, mainly under the player-managership of Mick Mills, but things got even worse when the 1990's arrived.
Despite the best efforts of new manager Alan Ball, Stoke City dropped into the Third Division but their stay was to be relatively brief. In Lou Macari, an old hand at steering faltering clubs back to calmer waters was brought in and by 1993 he'd won them promotion back to the second tier.
Since then, Stoke have failed to keep a firm footing from one season to the next. In 1996, they flirted with promotion to the Premier League but were beaten by Leicester in the play-off semi-finals. By 1998, Lou Macari had left, come back again and left again as Stoke were relegated to the third tier along with Reading and Manchester City (whatever happened to them?)
1998 was also the season that Stoke moved to a new ground, the Britannia Stadium, just prior to a takeover by an Icelandic consortium that ensured The Potters had a strong following over in that particular part of Scandinavia (well somebody had to, let’s face it…)
In 2002, Stoke once again gained promotion to the second tier, this time via a win in the play-off Final, and following an initial struggle, they've ensured a continual presence in what's now known as The Championship. Their manager since June 2006 has been Welshman Tony Pulis and under his guidance, Stoke City have forged a path back to football's promised land - The Premier League.
It's fair to say that few people would have predicted such a turnaround in the club's fortunes at this precise moment in time, but whichever generation you're from, you'll surely agree it's great to see Stoke back in the big time again.
Whether they can match the recent exploits of Reading and Wigan is probably irrelevant, all in all. That's because Stoke are a club that fell a long way - not once, but twice in the last 25 years - and lived to tell the tale. We look forward to seeing them in the top flight again next season.
I was going to call this article 'The Art of Mediocrity' for reasons which will soon become apparent, but I realised its subject was far more wide-ranging. My intention was to write about the team I've supported all my life, West Ham United, and the fact that they've spent most of this season stuck in 10th spot in the Premier League.
I'm not joking. West Ham were tenth in the league at the end of November 2007 and have moved neither up or down since.
You can only wonder at the skill that's involved in keeping any team in one position week after week. I mean can you imagine it - one heavy defeat or a sound thrashing of Derby County and your whole position in the table could be seriously jeopardised, but West Ham have walked this precarious tightrope of a predicament and come out of it with nothing but… well… an acute sense of being average, I suppose.
The thing is, many of us West Ham supporters have been fighting with our consciences this season. We feel frustrated and a little hard done by that our team haven't progressed further up into the top half of the Premier League table, yet at the same time we realise that it was only one year ago that we were having to go to Old Trafford to beat Man United just to stay in the Premier League.
Things have changed, though (including the winning at Old Trafford bit, but enough of this weekend's beating by Sir Alex's men). This season West Ham have steered well clear of a relegation battle, largely thanks to a pre-Christmas spell which saw them undefeated in thirteen of their nineteen league games. All well and good up to that point, but having quickly reached the 40-point mark that's loosely used to denote safety from relegation, The Hammers seemed content to coast over the finish line safe in the knowledge they'd achieved their main objective for 2007/08.
True, Alan Curbishley has had to deal with all manner of injuries to many of his players and in getting them to a creditable mid-table finish we Hammers fans should give him our heartiest applause. Yet there's still that nagging doubt in the back of our minds that says 'Surely we could have done just a little bit better?'
I'm wondering if fans from other teams in a similar predicament are thinking something along the same lines. Tottenham Hotspur have been stuck in 11th place just behind West Ham since January, and though they're a team used to finishing much higher in the Premier League, are they thinking this has been a disappointing season even though they languished near the bottom of the table for the first few months?
The same goes for Newcastle. Many people would have put them down for a top-half finish this season and I'm sure many still feel they should have got it, but is the sense of relief at avoiding a relegation dogfight uppermost in their minds now, I wonder?
It all shows that as football fans we can be a difficult bunch to satisfy. Not content with maintaining stability in any particular league at the expense of glory, we strive only for glory and to hell with the consequences. Perhaps that's how it should be. Why else were the clubs we support created in the first place? To win, win often, and win at the expense of all others. Being average, it seems, isn't what makes us fans tick.
Ladies and gentlemen, what follows is an appeal to your hearts, your emotions, your purses and your wallets.
On July 13th 2008, yours truly, Chris O, will be doing something beyond the realms of human physical strength, mental capability and emotional limitation.
Yes folks, I will be getting up off my backside.
When I've done that, I'm going to put on my trainers, pull on a loose-fitting t-shirt and run for five kilometres. Nothing below the waist - just my trainers and a loose-fitting t-shirt.
For me, a five kilometre run will be behaviour of the most ridiculous order, but I'll be doing it with good reason. I'll be trying to raise money for The Bobby Moore Fund, a charity that, through Cancer Research UK, is carrying out research into the treatment of bowel cancer - the disease which claimed the life of the legendary former West Ham and England football captain.
I've never done a charity run like this before, but after seeing my wife do something very similar last year I was inspired to give it a try. So here I am feeling decidedly out of condition after a far-too-long period without regular exercise knowing that what I now need is a decent amount of some regular exercise.
But that, my friends, is exactly what I shall do for I will not be made to look a fool by collapsing over the finishing line in an accute state of hyperventilation on July 13th. I know that my body must be a picture of health and vitality, and to that end I have already begun going out on training runs around my local park.
Now at this stage you may be asking why I'm telling you all this. It's not for the sympathy, oh no. I'm aware I'll get none of that... No, I'm telling you about my efforts because I'm trying to shame you all into feeling unworthy - a disposition which can only be offset by sponsoring me some money in order to go away and pester someone else.
And that I promise I will do, but first I need your money, if you can spare any. By clicking on the link below, you'll be swiftly taken to my fundraising page elsewhere on the web where you can donate any amount of money you choose. In so doing, you'll be doing a tremendous amount to help raise funds for a cause that aims merely to eradicate a disease that kills many thousands of people every year.
It needs the help of all of us to ensure their research and hard work continues until the job is done, so please give whatever you can by sponsoring me on my Race For Moore this July. Your donation will be appreciated more than you'll ever know, and you can rest easy in the knowledge that you'll not only help save lives but also stop me from boring you about my ongoing training schedules.
The bottom of the Championship is a dark and murky place. For any club in the second tier there is always the knowledge that one good season, no matter how small you are, can lead to a play-off place and possibly the Premier League, even if its only one dismal humiliating season.
Its pretty unpleasant at the bottom of the Premier League too. However, if you are relegated, you can always console yourself with the, mostly misguided in recent years, belief that you can be back one year hence as though nothing had happened. Relegation from the Championship, however feels more like oblivion.
That is not to say that League 1 is a bad league. However, I'm pretty certain that supporters of teams who usually occupy the top two divisions of the professional game, it is a place they are desperate to avoid. It doesn't have that promise of glory and as Leeds and Forest will testify it's a very hard league to get out of once you are there.
This season, the Championship enters its final round of fixtures on a knife-edge at both ends of the table. This year, no less than four ex-Premier League mainstays are teetering on the edge as the relegation trap door swings open this Sunday. Some People Are On The Pitch takes a brief look at this quartet of the damned.
Coventry City Relegated from EPL: 2001 Highest ever league position since the War: 6th (1970) Highest honour: FA Cup Winners 1987 (Gary Mabbutt and all that)
The Sky Blues have struggled financially since their relegation. In fact they were saved from administration and a ten point deduction earlier this year after being bought out by former player Ray Ransom and the controversial hedge fund firm SISU Capital. In theory, relegation need not be disastrous and new manager Chris Coleman will be hoping for an injection of funds from the new owners when the transfer window opens at the end of the season.
Coventry will travel to Charlton for the final day. They haven't lost at The Valley since 1966. The problem is that almost all of those games have resulted in a draw which may still send them down on goal difference.
Sheffield Wednesday Relegated from EPL: 2000 Highest ever league position since the War: 2nd (1961) Highest honour: English Champions 1903, 1904, 1929, 1930. FA Cup winners 1896, 1907, 1935
More steeped in history than an Eric Hobsbawm lecture, Wednesday's post-war story is one of rapid decline and meteoric rise. The club are no strangers to the third tier but with their supporter base and the size of their stadium it's a matter of constant bafflement that a club of this size should have endured such a dismal run. Investment is the key and should the club ever sort that out, they may yet return to the Premier League.
Wednesday's prospects were boosted hugely after their away win against Leicester last week. On Sunday they face Norwich who will be playing in flip-flops ready for the summer. They can be caught by both Leicester and Southampton if they don't win which I think they will.
Leicester City Relegated from EPL: 2002 Highest ever league position since the War: 4th (1962) Highest honour: League Cup Winners 1964, 1997, 2000
Two-time League Cup winners during the Martin O'Neill years, City could easily be given the "team of the (late) 90's" tag. When O'Neill left, the Foxes were blighted by a foul concoction of relegation, administration and Peter Taylor (although not in that order).
The club was taken over by former Pompey owner Milan Mandaric who has finally settled on outspoken bumpkin Ian Holloway and his cab driver politics as manager. No one is quite sure how Holloway will react should Leicester go down. One thing we do know, though, is that it will probably be quite funny. City have never played outside the top two divisions of English Football so for all we know the World could end on Sunday if they are relegated.
Leicester can afford to lose if Southampton follow suit. Which is just as well as they have to go to Stoke who need a win to gain promotion to the Premier League.
Southampton Relegated from EPL: 2005 Highest ever league position since the War: 2nd (1984) Highest honour: FA Cup Winners 1976 (Bobby Stokes and all that)
The 2003 FA Cup runners-up are another club with mounting money woes. To coin a phrase from daytime TV adverts they've "…got more going out than coming in". Former chairman Rupert Lowe is coming over the hill and may take back the club he was forced out of. Failing that, it has been suggested that Southampton may go into administration if they are relegated. Such is the financial cost of failure.
On Sunday, Southampton host Sheffield United who have an outside chance of the play-offs. The Blades are unbeaten in five, drawing only once in that time. It looks bleak for the Saints.
In all likelihood, Leicester's game with Stoke will be live on Sky - at least it should be because there is something at stake for both teams. However, Sky's choice of live Championship games seems to be based on the size of the audience rather than potential for drama and unfortunately the two are not always connected. If you can plonk yourself in front of Jeff Stelling, Five Live or an open Internet connection for the afternoon, it should be a gripping finale to a truly bonkers season. For myself, it's Burnley at home for a place in the play-offs but let's not get into that now. I don't think my bowels are up to it.
The concluding part of our series looking at the First Divison title race of 1988/89.
January 1989 It was a new year but old rivalries remained the same. Arsenal and Liverpool were striving for top spot in the First Division, but The Gunners had a nine point lead over The Reds and you'd be excused for thinking Kenny Dalglish's side were loosening their grip on the League Championship trophy.
Time, then, for a little distraction to test the powers of concentration. Enter the FA Cup Third Round... Arsenal were drawn away to West Ham while Liverpool had the considerably easier task of taking on Fourth Division Carlisle United. What could be easier than that? Going off to play non-league Sutton United, perhaps? Not if you're Coventry City. The part-timers dumped out the 1987 winners 2-1 to join a rare band of clubs from outside the Football League to get one over on their professional rivals in the competition.
As it was, Liverpool made far lighter work of their tie, beating Carlisle 3-0, but Arsenal slipped up. After a 2-2 draw at Upton Park, a replay back at Highbury saw them lose 1-0 to West Ham. The Gunners were now out of both Cup competitions, but at least their league form was more promising. They reached the end of January with two wins and a draw under their belt and were able to claim their second win of the season over Tottenham in the process.
Liverpool, for all their new-found Cup form, were still struggling in the league and ended January with two wins, a draw and their biggest defeat of the season so far, 3-1 away to Manchester United.
At the end of January 1989: Arsenal: PL 21 W 13 D 5 L 3 F 48 A 22 PTS 44 GD +26 Liverpool: PL 22 W 9 D 8 L 5 F 28 A 18 PTS 35 GD +10
February 1989 There was a marked difference in the activity of our two clubs during February. Though it was a busy time for Arsenal, playing six league fixtures, Liverpool's players only took to the field once in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle. That said, they did also play their Fourth and Fifth Round FA Cup ties which, for once, didn't involve a replay. A 2-0 win away to Millwall and a 3-2 win at Hull City was enough to take them into the quarter finals.
Arsenal entered the month with a league game in hand over Liverpool, but they made up for that and more with a near unbeaten run which began with a 2-1 revenge win over West Ham. What followed was a double header against Millwall that brought them four points out of six and a defeat away to Coventry City, so come the end of February George Graham's Arsenal side could boast a massive 19 point lead over Liverpool (albeit having played four games more).
The Reds would get their chance to play their own glut of fixtures during March, but the stats going into it must have given them something to think about...
At the end of February 1989: Arsenal: PL 27 W 16 D 7 L 4 F 54 A 25 PTS 55 GD +29 Liverpool: PL 23 W 9 D 9 L 5 F 30 A 20 PTS 36 GD +10
March 1989 If Liverpool's fans were starting to despair of their side's chances in the league at the beginning of March, their worries would be just distant memories at the end of it. This was where Kenny Dalglish's side finally clicked as everything suddenly went right for them.
While Arsenal hit an indifferent patch that saw them draw against Charlton, lose to Nottingham Forest and win against Southampton, Liverpool were in sublime form. During March they beat Charlton 2-0, Middlesbrough 4-0, Luton 5-0, Coventry 3-1, Tottenham 2-1 and Derby 1-0. It meant a maximum eighteen points were taken from six games in which they scored seventeen goals and conceded just two.
This blistering sequence of wins meant the gap between themselves and Arsenal was back down to just five points. The title race, it seemed, was back on again.
Oh, and Liverpool also beat Brentford 4-0 to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, too. Did we mention that?
At the end of March 1989: Arsenal: PL 30 W 17 D 8 L 5 F 60 A 31 PTS 59 GD +29 Liverpool: PL 29 W 15 D 9 L 5 F 47 A 22 PTS 54 GD +25
April 1989 Though Liverpool's form continued in much the same vein, their achievements and those of every other club would be totally overshadowed by the events that happened at Hillsborough on April 15th 1989.
Liverpool's semi-final clash against Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's ground was abandoned after just six minutes when it became clear that many supporters at the Leppings Lane end of the stadium were being crushed. Around 5,000 people were waiting outside to get into the ground just before kick-off, prompting the police to open a set of gates that would allow them to quickly enter the stadium.
The ensuing crush resulted in 95 people losing their lives and many more being injured. It was one of the darkest days in the history of English football and no games were played for more than two weeks as the nation took stock of the harrowing scenes it saw.
As the month ended, Liverpool could at least look back on the three league wins they'd picked up prior to the events at Hillsborough that brought their run of consecutive victories to nine. Arsenal were able to boast an unbeaten run of their own too. A draw against a below-par Manchester United side and wins over Everton and Newcastle meant that when play resumed once again in May, the First Division title would be hanging delicately in the balance.
At the end of April 1989: Arsenal: PL 33 W 19 D 9 L 5 F 64 A 32 PTS 66 GD +32 Liverpool: PL 32 W 18 D 9 L 5 F 55 A 24 PTS 63 GD +31
May 1989 All eyes were on Liverpool and Arsenal as the First Division campaign reached its nail-biting finale. The gap between the two sides was now down to just three points but Arsenal had played a game more, and that became two when George Graham's side started the month with a convincing 5-0 win over Norwich.
Liverpool were next to play two days later, but their trip to bitter rivals Everton ended goalless. On May 6th, Arsenal took to the field again to face Middlesbrough, and once again, they emerged victorious - 1-0 winners away from home. Liverpool were now five points adrift with a game in hand.
The following day, May 7th 1989, saw the replayed FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, a game fuelled with emotion which Dalglish's side won 3-1 - two of the goals being scored by John Aldridge. They'd made it through to their third Cup Final in four years, and their opponents, fittingly, would be near neighbours Everton.
The Reds were back in action again just three days later when they played and beat Nottingham Forest again, this time 1-0 in the league. The following Saturday, a full card of First Division fixtures was played, and in it Liverpool won 2-1 away to Wimbledon while Arsenal lost 2-1 at home to Derby. This catastrophically-timed defeat by The Gunners meant that their lead over Liverpool was now just two points, and Liverpool still had to play their game in hand.
The following Tuesday at Anfield, Liverpool played host to Queens Park Rangers. A win would put them top of the First Division with just two games remaining, and they duly got it by two goals to nil. There was more drama to come when the following evening, Arsenal could only manage a 2-2 draw at home to Wimbledon. That meant both Arsenal and Liverpool were level on 73 points with The Gunners' goal difference better off by just two.
Before the last two fixtures could be played there was the small matter of the FA Cup Final to deal with, but a resurgent Liverpool proved there was little they couldn't handle when they won an entertaining match 3-2 after extra time. It was an incredible achievement on the part of the Liverpool players near the end of a season that had left them physically and emotionally drained. Could they last out to the end of the league competition and win the double?
Tuesday 23rd May 1989. The pressure was now building. With an incredible sense of coincidence, the last game of 1988-89 was to be played at Anfield between Arsenal and Liverpool, but before that, Dalglish's men had one extra game to squeeze in - a home tie against West Ham. With the goal difference situation being so close, Liverpool not only had to win, but win by as many goals as possible. The final score was Liverpool 5, West Ham 1.
Friday 26th May 1989. The last game of the season - Liverpool v Arsenal. Winner takes all. Having staged a monumental comeback since the start of March that had seen them win thirteen of their fourteen league matches, Liverpool were now on top of the table. They were three points ahead of Arsenal, but crucially their goal difference was +39 compared to +37 for The Gunners.
The stage was set. A 1-0 win for Arsenal would not be enough - they would have to defeat Liverpool by two clear goals to reclaim the First Division title, and only then because Arsenal had a better 'Goals Scored' figure than their opponents. Liverpool only needed a draw.
The match began, and the first half was a tense affair, ending goalless. Liverpool remained in the driving seat, but shortly after the restart, Alan Smith headed in from a Nigel Winterburn free kick to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead.
The visitors had found renewed hope, but their efforts throughout the remainder of the second half were coming to nothing. The elusive second goal they wanted so badly looked unlikely to come, but then in injury time Arsenal's Michael Thomas took up an Alan Smith pass inside the Liverpool half, got past Steve Nicol who tried and failed to win the ball from him, and with the last kick of the game and indeed the season, Thomas slotted the ball past Bruce Grobelaar in the Liverpool goal.
The visiting supporters went wild, the referee blew his whistle and that was that. Liverpool's hopes of retaining the title after an incredible late-season surge had been dashed as George Graham's side won the league when many thought their chance had gone.
End of May 1989: Arsenal: PL 38 W 22 D 10 L 6 F 73 A 36 PTS 76 GD +37 Liverpool: PL 38 W 22 D 10 L 6 F 65 A 28 PTS 76 GD +37
Number of points gained by Arsenal and Liverpool during the 1988/89 season.
It was Arsenal's first league championship win for eighteen years and the victory was made all the sweeter by the way it had been attained. The narrowest possible margin was what came between Arsenal and Liverpool at the end of the 1988-89 season, and it's doubtless we'll ever see such a remarkable finish to the season again.
We enter Week 11 of Champions League You Bet with just £3.75 in the kitty.
That's £3.75. Three hundred and seventy-five of your English pence.
We started off with £10 back in September, won £3.75 (ironically) in the first week and lost our £1 stake money every week since. The Champions League Final may yet arrive before we finally lose it all, but there's still time to win some money back for our chosen charity by taking part in this week's vote-off.
This Wednesday's main match (as far as we're concerned) is the semi-final second leg between Liverpool and Chelsea, so as usual, cast your eye over these three potential bets and ponder which one you'd bet £1 on if you had to...
Bet A Liverpool to win Potential winnings: £3.60
Bet B Didier Drogba to score first Potential winnings: £7.00
Bet C Steven Gerrard to score first Potential winnings: £11.00
THE VOTING PERIOD FOR WEEK 11 OF 'CHAMPIONS LEAGUE YOU BET' IS NOW OVER. Thanks to everyone who voted this time around. The appeal of a simple 'who do you think will win' bet was obviously right up your street this week, as the winning option was Bet A with 60% of your votes.
That means we'll be hoping for Liverpool to beat Chelsea in today's match, and let's face it, with Liverpool's form in Europe you wouldn't bet against it. Well, 40% of you did, but that's beside the point.
Fingers crossed then, ladies and gentlemen, and let's hope we can prize £3.60 from the tight grip of our chosen bookmaker this week...
