User:03md/Sandbox

Liverpool
Having ended the previous season in second place, and guaranteeing an automatic spot in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, big things were expected of Liverpool and Gérard Houllier's desire to win the club their first domestic league trophy, in over twelve years. The season however ended on a sour spot, missing out on the league through a bleak second half to the season, winning just the Worthington Cup and finishing in fifth spot.

Despite losing out to Arsenal in the FA Community Shield, The Reds started the season in impressive fashion, winning two and drawing one in the first month. A succession of 2-2 draws in September exploited Liverpool’s defense just before the start of the Champions League initial group stages. A late winner by Emile Heskey at Bolton Wanderers propelled a series of seven straight wins, which earned Houllier the right to be named Barclaycard Manager of the Month for October. Michael Owen was also amongst the goalscorers – scoring a clinical hat trick against Manchester City and Spartak Moscow to silence his Premiership critics. A second half goal by Salif Diao, in the early lunchtime kick off against Leeds United helped leapfrog Arsenal at the top of the Premiership after their 2-1 defeat at Everton. Pundits noted that Liverpool were winning games, without their full potential – An early sign of champions. Going into the match against Middleborough in early November, Liverpool had a four point lead at the top of the Premiership summit and only lost one in thirty league matches – to Tottenham in April 2002. The lead was cut after a late Gareth Southgate header bemused goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek and punished their cautious defensive approach to the game. It became a fortnight to forget for Liverpool as they crashed out of the Champions League away to Basle, the match at home to Sunderland ended stalemate despite 24 shots on target for Liverpool and a double strike from Sava wounded any chance of a Liverpool comeback at Fulham. The manager publicly pointed his finger directly at Gerrard after his poor performances and promptly dropped him from the team altogether. A defeat to Manchester United at Anfield sparked a dramatic change in form. Liverpool started December in second place but after a month without a win, Gérard Houllier found his team lying in sixth at the turn of the New Year.

A perfected free kick by Laurent Robert for Newcastle on New Year’s Day all but eliminated the team from the title race. Due to this, Houllier endured the worst run a Liverpool manager had for almost fifty years, having seeing his side just taking three points from eleven matches. The following week, Heskey ended his goalscoring drought and the Merseyside club finally took the three points, breaking Southampton’s unbeaten home run along the way. A draw to Arsenal at the end of January turned their attentions to fourth place and qualification to next season’s Champions League. They were trailing league leaders and current champions by 17 points and were five points behind their Merseyside rivals Everton, who were level with Chelsea in fourth place. A series of wins in March as well as earning their first piece of silverware put Liverpool on course for a possible Champions League place.

An empathic loss to rivals Manchester United meant that the Reds couldn’t afford any more slipups, but a loss at home to Manchester City in the penultimate game of the season meant that the race for fourth place would be decided on the final game of the season, after Newcastle guaranteed third spot. Despite starting positive against Chelsea and rewarded by a Sami Hyypia header, Liverpool in due course lost the match and had to settle for a UEFA Cup spot. Testing times for the Anfield boardroom as the boss was far from happy with his side.

Aston Villa
An unremarkable season with one notable match. Being the only team to not win away from home you would not have been blamed for expecting an away game to the only side with an unbeaten home record for the season to date, Middlesbrough, to be a sure home bet. An unusually thrilling game saw Villa rip Middlesbrough apart on a cold Tuesday night winning by 5 goals to 2. Also of note was a first, if somewhat fortuitous goal from new Icelandic loan signing Joey Gudjohnson. The season was typified by the fact that they finished below fierce rivals Birmingham City.

Birmingham City
Newly Promoted Birmingham City made their first ever showing in the Premier League as it is known today. Steve Bruce made astute signings such as Robbie Savage and Aliou Cisse who ensured Birmingham's survival, and led to them to, more pleasingly to the fans, finishing above local rivals Aston Villa - for the first time since the 1970s.

Blackburn Rovers
Dwight Yorke was brought in from Manchester United to rekindle his successful partnership with Andy Cole, although the pairing was not as successful this time around. The outstanding players this season for Rovers were Damien Duff who followed up his impressive World Cup performances with 10 league goals from midfield and keeper Brad Friedel who was named in the Premier League team of the season. A sixth place finish was achieved on the final day of the season with a 4-0 win at Spurs, meaning qualification for the UEFA cup and a highest league finish since the 1997-98 season. There was also a run to the semi finals of the League Cup and impressive wins over Manchester United, Chelsea and a double over Arsenal.

Bolton Wanderers
For the second season running, Bolton Wanderers were in the Premiership relegation battle, and for the second season running they beat the drop, though this time they had to win their final game of the season to be sure of staying up. Memorable moments included Bolton beating West Ham 1-0 at the Reebok Stadium thanks to a "goal of the season" effort from Jay-Jay Okocha, which effectively sealed West Hams fate, and kept Bolton in the Premier League.

Chelsea
Claudio Ranieri guided Chelsea to their first Champions League qualification in 4 years. Gianfranco Zola was the club's top scorer, and there were also impressive performances from Frank Lampard, John Terry & Eidur Gudjohnsen. However, the success of breaking into the top four of the Premiership was tempered by the threat of looming financial instability over the club's signifiant debts.

The club finished the season in fine form with a 2-1 win over Liverpool, their rivals for the final Champions league berth, on matchday 38. This match was arguably one of the most significant in Chelsea's modern history, as it was later reported to be a deciding factor for Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich backing Chelsea (rather than Liverpool) with a massive financial takeover the following summer.

Everton
Everton had a fantastic year, and comfortably held a European spot for most of the season, however a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on the final game of the season meant that Everton had to settle for 7th place. The positives coming from Goodison Park was 16-year old Wayne Rooney and his formidable partnership with Tomasz Radzinski and Kevin Campbell. Defeats to Chelsea in the League Cup and a surprise 2-1 defeat at the hands of lowly Shrewsbury Town in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, meant Everton were left trophyless for another year.

Fulham
Manager Jean Tigana's three-year reign as manager came to an end in March when chairman Mohammed al-Fayed sacked him, frustrated with a lack of success in Fulham's first two top division seasons since the 1960s. His dream of turning Fulham into a leading English club was rapidly turning into a nightmare, with a relegation battle rather than a title challenge now on the cards. Chris Coleman, who had recently retired from playing due to a long-term leg injury sustained in a car crash, was given the manager's job on a caretaker basis, although he insisted that he didn't want to take over permanently. Coleman managed to confirm Fulham's Premiership survival and was finally persuaded to take over on a permanent contract, but was now faced with an uphill battle to keep Fulham in the Premiership.

Leeds United
Although qualifying for Europe last season and starting the season in good form, Leeds narrowly avoided relegation in their penultimate game of the season.

After a summer of change in management, Terry Venables' side got off to a dream start by destroying Manchester City and following the win with a free-flowing display against West Brom. Leeds finished fourth at the end of month one, a point behind Liverpool and Arsenal. However, the team lost the services of striker Robbie Keane, who transferred to Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of August. Rio Ferdinand returned to Elland Road in early September, and clearly wasn't missed as Leeds took their revenge, thanks to a Harry Kewell goal. The month ended on a sour note, as a rampant Arsenal side scored four goals at will. Still though, Leeds moved up to third still behind unbeaten Arsenal and Liverpool.

The team's fortunes turned dramatically in October and November amid rumours of the disasterous financial situation at the club, that had contributed to the departure of several top players, and went from third place to sixteenth. Christmas didn't help, and the January transfer market saw Robbie Fowler, Olivier Dacourt and Jonathan Woodgate heading to Manchester City, AS Roma and Newcastle United, respectively.

A string of losses in January and February, confirmed the sacking of Terry Venables. He was replaced by ex-Sunderland boss Peter Reid, who was signed on a six month contract with a view of the Leeds United board to extend it at the end of the season. Reid didn't get the best of starts - Liverpool produced a thrilling display to beat Leeds and leave them five points ahead of Bolton, having placed one game more.

The results soon came and by May, Leeds needed to beat current champions, Arsenal to avoid relegation. Despite losing the reverse fixture, Leeds beat the Gunners at Highbury - thus handing the title to Manchester United and made Reid permanent manager.

Harry Kewell was at his best during his last season at Elland Road, as his exploits were enough to keep Leeds United in the Premiership. Fellow Australian Mark Viduka also obliged and proceeded to go on an end of season scoring spree to contribute to Leed's survival.

Manchester City
The 2002-03 season was the last at Maine Road, and included a 3-1 derby victory over rivals Manchester United, ending a run of 13 years without a derby win.[6] City also qualified for the UEFA Cup through the "Fair Play ranking", earning the club's first entry into European competition in 25 years. In the 2003 close season the club moved to the new City of Manchester Stadium.

Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe was loaned to City for the 2002-03 season, and scored nine goals in 35 Premiership games before returning to Olympique Lyonnais to consider his future. But tragedy struck on 26 June 2003, when Foe collapsed and died from an undetected heart condition during a Confederations Cup tie.

Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough enjoyed a good campaign in the Premier League finishing 11. However the season offered so much more for Middlesbrough as they lost two games at home all season. Middlesbrough unveiled they record 8.15 Million Pounds for Italian Striker Massimo Maccarone who finished the season with 9 goals next to his name. Boro away record cost them badly as they were placed 3rd after 9 games behind Liverpool and Arsenal. The highlight for them would have had to have been the 3-1 victory over Manchester United on Boxing day, with Boskic, Job and Nemeth netting for the Boro. Middlesbrough's 13-game unbeaten run ended at the hands of Aston Villa in a crushing 5-2 defeat. Against Arsenal (19 April) made it the first time they had not scored in a home fixture since the 27th of April the previous year against Chelsea.

Newcastle United
After the first round of games, Newcastle United signalled their intent for the Premiership crown by routing struggling West Ham at St James' Park and lept straight at the top of the table. The match introduced new close season signings - Hugo Viana and Titus Bramble, who amazed manager Sir Bobby Robson along with goalscorer Lua Lua. Their early season fortune was about to change as Keegan’s promoted Manchester City wrapped up three points with a swashbuckling performance leaving the Geordie defence in tatters. A spirited comeback against Liverpool failed to kick off Newcastle’s season as they were pegged back in the Champions League group stages and by Premiership outfits – Leeds and Chelsea all in the space of a week.

Despite a landmark 300th career goal from Alan Shearer, it couldn’t prevent Newcastle from slumping to a 5-2 defeat against Blackburn, followed soon by an Arsenal masterclass. Results and goals soon flowed in November and with qualification into the second group stage of the UEFA Champions League ensured, thanks to a late winner from Craig Bellamy, Robson’s pressure from the Geordie faithful soon eased. By early December a sequence of home wins, most notably a Shearer brace against Everton kept the club in the chase in the race of the title and following a thrilling loss to Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle won their eighth straight home game convincingly against Tottenham. At the end of the year, Newcastle were in fourth position with a game in hand, eight adrift of Arsenal who were heading the table.

2002 turned into 2003 and Newcastle made a flawless start to the year, rewarded with Sir Bobby being named as Barclaycard Manager of the Month. Four wins and a draw kept the side in contention for the title and moved them into third spot, where they remained for the rest of the season. Laurent Robert's crisp equaliser against Arsenal left them eight points still behind the leaders in an exhilarating match and things went from better to worst after United’s European journey ended by Inter Milan. A dismal run in April effectively ended any chance of snatching the title away from Manchester United or Arsenal and winning at Birmingham City in the last home game of the season confirmed third place and with that, Champions League qualification for a second season.

Southampton
A season for mix fortunes for the south coast club as although manager Gordon Strachan guaranteed a spot in Europe’s elite next season and their highest position since the formation of the Premiership, it came as a cost after being overcome in the FA Cup Final by an early Robert Pires strike for Arsenal.

Southampton suffered from gloomy start to the league campaign, having drawing two and losing two, notably a comfortable win for Liverpool in which El-Hadji Diouf helped guide his new team to the top of the Premiership table. Unfortunately for the Saints, they had to wait until mid September to record their first league win of the season; Substitute Marian Pahars scored with a debatable penalty 18 minutes from time as Everton’s hopes were left in tatters. Leaking goals in was causing problems for Strachan as well as scoring them, but by October moved fourth places into 13th place, largely down to the form of star striker, James Beattie. He recorded his first hat trick for Southampton in a sensational comeback which cancelled out Fulham’s 2-0 advantaged and left the Cottagers in despair. By the end of the season he scored an impressive 23 goals, two lower than the leader, Ruud van Nistelrooy and one behind Arsenal’s Thierry Henry.

As the season progressed, so did the form of the Saints. A fortnight after drawing to Manchester United at Old Trafford, James Beattie came up with the goods again, scoring twice as Southampton defeated the defending champions, Arsenal convincingly at St. Mary’s. However, the main talking point was the sending off of Sol Campbell, just after the break which Wenger couldn’t really dispute about the decision. Southampton’s surge in form continued and made a bright start to 2003 having moved into eighth place thanks to win against Tottenham. The side lost their first home game of the season; first since April 2002 to a revitalized Liverpool side, who failed to win in their last eleven games.

After booking their place in the FA Cup final, Southampton booked their place in Europe for the first time in 19 years and quickly turned their attention to their blip in domestic form. With only one loss in April, to Birmingham, the Saints moved into eighth place, where they remained for the rest of the season. May approached and the game that was billed as the curtain raiser for the FA Cup final, ended emphatically to Arsenal who shattered the Saints defence thanks to two hat tricks from Robert Pires and Jermaine Pennant. However, there was something to look forward to in the last day of the season, beating Manchester City in their last match at Maine Road.

Sunderland
With a total of 19 points, Sunderland earned the dubious record of having the worst season of a team in the history of the Premier League to date. The club would later break the record in the 2005-06 season, when they earned 15 points. The record was broken yet again in 2007–08, when Derby County earned just 11 points. Three players - Ruud van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry, and James Beattie - scored more goals than the entire Sunderland team in 2002–03. Henry would then repeat this feat in 2005-06.

Tottenham Hotspur
A great start to the season saw Tottenham finish August top of the Premiership and Glenn Hoddle receiving the Manager of the Month award. While few people expected Tottenham to stay there, it was still a major disappointment when the side finished 10th in the final table and failed to make an impact in the cup competitions, placing Hoddle under intense pressure from fans and putting his future as manager in serious doubt.

West Bromwich Albion
Albion began their first top division season in nearly 20 years with a three-match losing run, but then came a three-match winning run which saw them occupy eighth place in mid September, suggesting that Gary Megson's team were good enough to achieve Premiership survival. However, they won just three more games all season and were relegated in 19th place with a mere 26 points and only Sunderland below them.

Striker Lee Hughes returned to the club early in the season, but was unable to reproduce the brilliant form of his first spell at The Hawthorns and finished the campaign without a single league goal.

West Ham United
The fact that no other team had been relegated with 40 or more points since the streamlining of the Premier League to 20 clubs was of no consolation to West Ham United, who went down with 42 points after failing to win their final game of the season at St. Andrews, against Birmingham City which ended 2-2.

The season had started dreadfully for West Ham, and they didn't win a Premiership home fixture until January. A 6-0 exit to Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup was easily the worst performance of the season, and in late April manager Glenn Roeder was admitted to hospital for surgery after he collapsed with a brain tumour. Director of Football Trevor Brooking took over as temporary manager while Roeder recovered, but was unable to keep West Ham in the top division.