hammer9
24-12-2006, 18:27
skysports.com...
The festive season is upon us and it is the time for skysports.com to look back on another fantastic year of football.
There were some fabulous moments on both the club and international front and you can cast your eye over an action-packed 12 months with our review of the year.
Chelsea held sway in the Premiership for a second successive season, while Arsenal went agonisingly close to landing the UEFA Champions League.
The highlight for many was a fantastic World Cup staged in Germany, which was won on penalties by Italy. Click on the links below to see the pick of each month.
JANUARY:
The typical scramble ensued in January with the opening of the transfer window. West Ham dipped into their coffers to sign Dean Ashton from Norwich, Arsenal grabbed Emmanuel Adebayor and rising star Theo Walcott and Liverpool topped them all with the shock re-signing of Robbie Fowler.
England coach Sven Goran Eriksson announced that he would step down from one of football's most handsomely rewarded jobs after the World Cup.
FEBRUARY:
The month started with a sacking as Newcastle axed Graeme Souness, replacing him with Glenn Roeder, following a dire run of results, while Manchester United striker Alan Smith suffered an horrific injury during a 1-0 loss to Liverpool.
MARCH:
Steve Staunton took control of Republic of Ireland, Jens Lehmann signed a new deal at Arsenal and Sunderland axed Mick McCarthy.
APRIL:
Chelsea secured back-to-back Premiership titles with a comfortable 3-0 win over Manchester United, a game which prompted Sven Goran Eriksson to take a gulp of air as England striker Wayne Rooney broke a metatarsal.
Celtic clinched the title in the SPL with a win over Hearts, while Alan Shearer's illustrious career was brought to a premature close by the injury he picked up against Sunderland.
MAY:
As the 2005/6 season drew to a close in dramatic fashion, Liverpool lifted the FA Cup and Barcelona triumphed in the UEFA Champions League, while Steve McClaren was named as the next England manager as the focus switched towards the World Cup.
McClaren would remain Eriksson's right-hand man in Germany, and the Swede stunned many with a World Cup squad that contained just four strikers, including rookie teenager Theo Walcott.
JUNE:
The World Cup in Germany took centre stage, although there were a couple of domestic developments. Roy Keane called time on his glittering career, Middlesbrough appointed Gareth Southgate as their new boss and Eidur Gudjohnsen left Chelsea for Barcelona.
JULY:
The World Cup dominated the headlines with Italy claiming their fourth title, while Juventus were relegated to Serie B for their part in the match-fixing scandal in Italy. Manchester United shelled out £18.6million to sign Michael Carrick from Tottenham.
AUGUST:
August saw the start of the new football season in England, while clubs completed their last transfer dealings before the summer window shut.
SEPTEMBER:
September was perhaps the most controversial month of the year as the footballing community grappled with bung allegations, but on the pitch the European Championship qualifiers got going with some memorable results.
Fulham lost Jimmy Bullard to a serious knee injury but the midfielder's troubles paled in comparison to former Portsmouth striker Dario Silva who lost a leg in a car accident.
OCTOBER:
Steve McClaren's honeymoon period as England coach came to an abrupt end in October with two disappointing performances in Euro 2008 qualifying.
Headlines were made at Reading as Chelsea saw keepers Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini stretchered off, with the former suffering a serious head injury.
NOVEMBER:
November saw Fabio Cannavaro crowned European Footballer of the Year, but football lost one of its greats as Ferenc Puskas passed away.
DECEMBER:
December claimed a managerial casualty, as West Ham's new owners axed Alan Pardew and replaced him with Alan Curbishley, while Lord Stevens delivered his findings into football's finances.
The festive season is upon us and it is the time for skysports.com to look back on another fantastic year of football.
There were some fabulous moments on both the club and international front and you can cast your eye over an action-packed 12 months with our review of the year.
Chelsea held sway in the Premiership for a second successive season, while Arsenal went agonisingly close to landing the UEFA Champions League.
The highlight for many was a fantastic World Cup staged in Germany, which was won on penalties by Italy. Click on the links below to see the pick of each month.
JANUARY:
The typical scramble ensued in January with the opening of the transfer window. West Ham dipped into their coffers to sign Dean Ashton from Norwich, Arsenal grabbed Emmanuel Adebayor and rising star Theo Walcott and Liverpool topped them all with the shock re-signing of Robbie Fowler.
England coach Sven Goran Eriksson announced that he would step down from one of football's most handsomely rewarded jobs after the World Cup.
FEBRUARY:
The month started with a sacking as Newcastle axed Graeme Souness, replacing him with Glenn Roeder, following a dire run of results, while Manchester United striker Alan Smith suffered an horrific injury during a 1-0 loss to Liverpool.
MARCH:
Steve Staunton took control of Republic of Ireland, Jens Lehmann signed a new deal at Arsenal and Sunderland axed Mick McCarthy.
APRIL:
Chelsea secured back-to-back Premiership titles with a comfortable 3-0 win over Manchester United, a game which prompted Sven Goran Eriksson to take a gulp of air as England striker Wayne Rooney broke a metatarsal.
Celtic clinched the title in the SPL with a win over Hearts, while Alan Shearer's illustrious career was brought to a premature close by the injury he picked up against Sunderland.
MAY:
As the 2005/6 season drew to a close in dramatic fashion, Liverpool lifted the FA Cup and Barcelona triumphed in the UEFA Champions League, while Steve McClaren was named as the next England manager as the focus switched towards the World Cup.
McClaren would remain Eriksson's right-hand man in Germany, and the Swede stunned many with a World Cup squad that contained just four strikers, including rookie teenager Theo Walcott.
JUNE:
The World Cup in Germany took centre stage, although there were a couple of domestic developments. Roy Keane called time on his glittering career, Middlesbrough appointed Gareth Southgate as their new boss and Eidur Gudjohnsen left Chelsea for Barcelona.
JULY:
The World Cup dominated the headlines with Italy claiming their fourth title, while Juventus were relegated to Serie B for their part in the match-fixing scandal in Italy. Manchester United shelled out £18.6million to sign Michael Carrick from Tottenham.
AUGUST:
August saw the start of the new football season in England, while clubs completed their last transfer dealings before the summer window shut.
SEPTEMBER:
September was perhaps the most controversial month of the year as the footballing community grappled with bung allegations, but on the pitch the European Championship qualifiers got going with some memorable results.
Fulham lost Jimmy Bullard to a serious knee injury but the midfielder's troubles paled in comparison to former Portsmouth striker Dario Silva who lost a leg in a car accident.
OCTOBER:
Steve McClaren's honeymoon period as England coach came to an abrupt end in October with two disappointing performances in Euro 2008 qualifying.
Headlines were made at Reading as Chelsea saw keepers Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini stretchered off, with the former suffering a serious head injury.
NOVEMBER:
November saw Fabio Cannavaro crowned European Footballer of the Year, but football lost one of its greats as Ferenc Puskas passed away.
DECEMBER:
December claimed a managerial casualty, as West Ham's new owners axed Alan Pardew and replaced him with Alan Curbishley, while Lord Stevens delivered his findings into football's finances.