Season | 2002β03 |
---|---|
Champions |
Portsmouth (3rd divisional title) |
Promoted |
Portsmouth Leicester City Wolverhampton Wanderers |
Relegated |
Sheffield Wednesday Brighton & Hove Albion Grimsby Town |
Matches played | 557 |
Goals scored | 1,512 (2.71 per match) |
Top goalscorer |
Svetoslav Todorov (26 goals) |
Biggest home win |
Nottm Forest 6β0
Stoke, Wolves 6β0 Gillingham |
Biggest away win | Millwall 0β6 Rotherham |
Highest scoring |
Grimsby 6β5
Burnley, Burnley 4β7 Watford |
Longest winning run | 7 games
[1] Portsmouth |
Longest unbeaten run | 15 games
[1] Leicester City |
Longest winless run | 16 games
[1] Stoke City |
Longest losing run | 12 games
[1] Brighton & Hove Albion |
Average attendance | 15,599 [2] |
β
2001β02
2003β04 β |
The 2002β03 Football League First Division (referred to as the Nationwide First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the eleventh season of the league under its current format as the second tier of English football.
Portsmouth won the division to return to the Premier League after a fifteen-year absence. In Harry Redknapp's first full season in charge the team secured the title on 27 April, with a victory over Rotherham, having been promoted with four games to spare by defeating Burnley. [3] [4]
Leicester City were promoted at the first attempt following their relegation. Their promotion was contentious as they entered administration during the season due to debts in excess of Β£50 million stemming from their loss of Premier League income and major investment in a new stadium, but were able to write-off these entirely when a new consortium took control and therefore avoided having to sell off players. [5] Following this incident, the Football League would introduce rules that penalised any club entering administration with a ten-point points deduction; [6] although Leicester would still have finished in second place had been this been applied.
Wolverhampton Wanderers won the play-offs to reach the modern-day Premiership for the first time after a 3β0 win in the play-off final against a Sheffield United team which had reached the semi-finals of both domestic cup competitions. [7] This marked a return to top-flight football for Wolves after a nineteen-year exodus that had seen them fall as low as the fourth tier. Also leaving the division were Sheffield Wednesday, Brighton & Hove Albion and Grimsby Town, who were all relegated.
Promoted to the Premiership:
Relegated to the Second Division:
Relegated from the Premiership:
Promoted from the Second Division:
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brighton & Hove Albion | Peter Taylor | Resigned | 29 April 2002 [8] | Off season | Martin Hinshelwood | 15 July 2002 [9] |
Brighton & Hove Albion | Martin Hinshelwood | Moved to director of football position | 7 October 2002 [10] | 24th | Steve Coppell | 7 October 2002 [10] |
Stoke City | Steve Cotterill | Resigned to become assistant manager at Sunderland | 10 October 2002 [11] | 15th | Tony Pulis | 1 November 2002 [12] |
Ipswich Town | George Burley | Sacked | 11 October 2002 [13] | 19th | Joe Royle | 28 October 2002 [14] |
Sheffield Wednesday | Terry Yorath | Resigned | 31 October 2002 [15] | 22nd | Chris Turner | 7 November 2002 [16] |
Crystal Palace | Trevor Francis | Mutual consent | 18 April 2003 [17] | 11th | Steve Kember | 23 May 2003 [18] |
Derby County | John Gregory | Sacked | 9 May 2003 2 [19] [20] | 18th (end of season) | George Burley | 5 June 2003 3 [21] [22] |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Portsmouth (C, P) | 46 | 29 | 11 | 6 | 97 | 45 | +52 | 98 | Promotion to 2003β04 FA Premier League |
2 | Leicester City (P) | 46 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 73 | 40 | +33 | 92 | |
3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 72 | 52 | +20 | 80 | Qualification for First Division Playoffs |
4 | Reading | 46 | 25 | 4 | 17 | 61 | 46 | +15 | 79 | |
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (O, P) | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 81 | 44 | +37 | 76 | |
6 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 82 | 50 | +32 | 74 | |
7 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 80 | 64 | +16 | 70 | |
8 | Norwich City | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 69 | |
9 | Millwall | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 69 | −10 | 66 | |
10 | Wimbledon | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 76 | 73 | +3 | 65 | |
11 | Gillingham | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 56 | 65 | −9 | 62 | |
12 | Preston North End | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 68 | 70 | −2 | 61 | |
13 | Watford | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 54 | 70 | −16 | 60 | |
14 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 59 | 52 | +7 | 59 | |
15 | Rotherham United | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 59 | |
16 | Burnley | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 65 | 89 | −24 | 55 | |
17 | Walsall | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 57 | 69 | −12 | 54 | |
18 | Derby County | 46 | 15 | 7 | 24 | 55 | 74 | −19 | 52 | |
19 | Bradford City | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 51 | 73 | −22 | 52 | |
20 | Coventry City | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 50 | |
21 | Stoke City | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 50 | |
22 | Sheffield Wednesday (R) | 46 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 56 | 73 | −17 | 46 | Relegation to 2003β04 Second Division |
23 | Brighton & Hove Albion (R) | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 45 | |
24 | Grimsby Town (R) | 46 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 48 | 85 | −37 | 39 |
Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
3 | Sheffield United | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||
6 | Nottingham Forest | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
3 | Sheffield United | 0 | |||||||||
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 | |||||||||
4 | Reading | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Month | Manager of the Month | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | ||
August | Harry Redknapp | Portsmouth | [23] |
September | Micky Adams | Leicester City | [24] |
October | Ray Lewington | Watford | [25] |
November | Alan Pardew | Reading | [26] |
December | Gary McAllister | Coventry City | [27] |
January | Neil Warnock | Sheffield United | [28] |
February | Alan Pardew | Reading | [29] |
March | Joe Royle | Ipswich Town | [30] |
April | Mark McGhee | Millwall | [31] |
Season | 2002β03 |
---|---|
Champions |
Portsmouth (3rd divisional title) |
Promoted |
Portsmouth Leicester City Wolverhampton Wanderers |
Relegated |
Sheffield Wednesday Brighton & Hove Albion Grimsby Town |
Matches played | 557 |
Goals scored | 1,512 (2.71 per match) |
Top goalscorer |
Svetoslav Todorov (26 goals) |
Biggest home win |
Nottm Forest 6β0
Stoke, Wolves 6β0 Gillingham |
Biggest away win | Millwall 0β6 Rotherham |
Highest scoring |
Grimsby 6β5
Burnley, Burnley 4β7 Watford |
Longest winning run | 7 games
[1] Portsmouth |
Longest unbeaten run | 15 games
[1] Leicester City |
Longest winless run | 16 games
[1] Stoke City |
Longest losing run | 12 games
[1] Brighton & Hove Albion |
Average attendance | 15,599 [2] |
β
2001β02
2003β04 β |
The 2002β03 Football League First Division (referred to as the Nationwide First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the eleventh season of the league under its current format as the second tier of English football.
Portsmouth won the division to return to the Premier League after a fifteen-year absence. In Harry Redknapp's first full season in charge the team secured the title on 27 April, with a victory over Rotherham, having been promoted with four games to spare by defeating Burnley. [3] [4]
Leicester City were promoted at the first attempt following their relegation. Their promotion was contentious as they entered administration during the season due to debts in excess of Β£50 million stemming from their loss of Premier League income and major investment in a new stadium, but were able to write-off these entirely when a new consortium took control and therefore avoided having to sell off players. [5] Following this incident, the Football League would introduce rules that penalised any club entering administration with a ten-point points deduction; [6] although Leicester would still have finished in second place had been this been applied.
Wolverhampton Wanderers won the play-offs to reach the modern-day Premiership for the first time after a 3β0 win in the play-off final against a Sheffield United team which had reached the semi-finals of both domestic cup competitions. [7] This marked a return to top-flight football for Wolves after a nineteen-year exodus that had seen them fall as low as the fourth tier. Also leaving the division were Sheffield Wednesday, Brighton & Hove Albion and Grimsby Town, who were all relegated.
Promoted to the Premiership:
Relegated to the Second Division:
Relegated from the Premiership:
Promoted from the Second Division:
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brighton & Hove Albion | Peter Taylor | Resigned | 29 April 2002 [8] | Off season | Martin Hinshelwood | 15 July 2002 [9] |
Brighton & Hove Albion | Martin Hinshelwood | Moved to director of football position | 7 October 2002 [10] | 24th | Steve Coppell | 7 October 2002 [10] |
Stoke City | Steve Cotterill | Resigned to become assistant manager at Sunderland | 10 October 2002 [11] | 15th | Tony Pulis | 1 November 2002 [12] |
Ipswich Town | George Burley | Sacked | 11 October 2002 [13] | 19th | Joe Royle | 28 October 2002 [14] |
Sheffield Wednesday | Terry Yorath | Resigned | 31 October 2002 [15] | 22nd | Chris Turner | 7 November 2002 [16] |
Crystal Palace | Trevor Francis | Mutual consent | 18 April 2003 [17] | 11th | Steve Kember | 23 May 2003 [18] |
Derby County | John Gregory | Sacked | 9 May 2003 2 [19] [20] | 18th (end of season) | George Burley | 5 June 2003 3 [21] [22] |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Portsmouth (C, P) | 46 | 29 | 11 | 6 | 97 | 45 | +52 | 98 | Promotion to 2003β04 FA Premier League |
2 | Leicester City (P) | 46 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 73 | 40 | +33 | 92 | |
3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 72 | 52 | +20 | 80 | Qualification for First Division Playoffs |
4 | Reading | 46 | 25 | 4 | 17 | 61 | 46 | +15 | 79 | |
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (O, P) | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 81 | 44 | +37 | 76 | |
6 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 82 | 50 | +32 | 74 | |
7 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 80 | 64 | +16 | 70 | |
8 | Norwich City | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 69 | |
9 | Millwall | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 69 | −10 | 66 | |
10 | Wimbledon | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 76 | 73 | +3 | 65 | |
11 | Gillingham | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 56 | 65 | −9 | 62 | |
12 | Preston North End | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 68 | 70 | −2 | 61 | |
13 | Watford | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 54 | 70 | −16 | 60 | |
14 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 59 | 52 | +7 | 59 | |
15 | Rotherham United | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 59 | |
16 | Burnley | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 65 | 89 | −24 | 55 | |
17 | Walsall | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 57 | 69 | −12 | 54 | |
18 | Derby County | 46 | 15 | 7 | 24 | 55 | 74 | −19 | 52 | |
19 | Bradford City | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 51 | 73 | −22 | 52 | |
20 | Coventry City | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 50 | |
21 | Stoke City | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 50 | |
22 | Sheffield Wednesday (R) | 46 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 56 | 73 | −17 | 46 | Relegation to 2003β04 Second Division |
23 | Brighton & Hove Albion (R) | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 45 | |
24 | Grimsby Town (R) | 46 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 48 | 85 | −37 | 39 |
Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
3 | Sheffield United | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||
6 | Nottingham Forest | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
3 | Sheffield United | 0 | |||||||||
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 | |||||||||
4 | Reading | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Month | Manager of the Month | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | ||
August | Harry Redknapp | Portsmouth | [23] |
September | Micky Adams | Leicester City | [24] |
October | Ray Lewington | Watford | [25] |
November | Alan Pardew | Reading | [26] |
December | Gary McAllister | Coventry City | [27] |
January | Neil Warnock | Sheffield United | [28] |
February | Alan Pardew | Reading | [29] |
March | Joe Royle | Ipswich Town | [30] |
April | Mark McGhee | Millwall | [31] |