Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Tottenham, Everton, Reading and Manchester City made up the top 10.
As we head into 2017 with Chelsea top of the Premier League and what we have come to know as the usual suspects occupying at least from 2nd to 7th place, HITC Sport takes a look at how the Premier League table was shaping up exactly a decade ago today, and there were a few more less familiar faces up at the top than the current standings show.
Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth, who now play in the third and fourth tier of English football respectively, were placed 4th and 6th on New Years Day 2007, with Arsenal sandwiched between them. Reading are the other side now playing their football outside the top flight that were flying high in 2007, placed 9th in the table ahead of Manchester City.
In fact, the 10 year old table serves as a real reminder of just how sudden Manchester City’s rise has been. Whilst it would now be considered a disaster should Pep Guardiola’s team fail to qualify for the Champions League, they finished 15th in the 2005-06 season and went on to finish 14th in the 2006-07 season.
It was a breakout season for young Micah Richards at Manchester City
Manchester United, who won 13 out of 21 available Premier League titles during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, were at the top of the table once more for New Years Day 2007. The Red Devils went on to win the Premier League relatively comfortably that season, 6 points clear of runners-up Chelsea and 21 points clear of third placed Liverpool.
The season would prove a fine one for Bolton Wanderers who, although unable to hang on to the top four place they had at New Years, did remain in a European spot, finishing seventh. Despite the success, it was tempered by the disappointment of Sam Allardyce’s resignation. Big Sam worked wonders during his 8 years at the club, and his departure was the beginning of a steep decline for the Trotters, who are currently third in League One.
Whilst top half finishes were common place during the mid-2000’s for Bolton Wanderers under Sam Allardyce, they were anything but for Reading. The Royals even managed to climb from their ninth placed standing on New Years Day to finish the season in eighth, an incredible showing on what was their first ever season in the top flight of English football.
Nicolas Anelka spearheaded Bolton Wanderers success in 2006-07
Second season syndrome him Reading hard though, and they were relegated in the 2007-08 campaign. Somewhere between Reading and Bolton, both in terms of the table on New Years Day 2007 and in familiarity with flying so high was Portsmouth. Pompey twice finished in the top half, in 2006-07 and 2007-08, as well as winning the FA Cup, before financial complications began a fall even greater than their rise.
It was business as usual for much of the rest of the Premier League. Fifth placed Arsenal climbed one place by the end of the season to finish in fourth, a position which Gunners fans are now often mocked for regularly ending the season in.
Chelsea were the only team to provide Manchester United with any serious competition for the Premier League title, Jose Mourinho’s men maintained chase for the entire campaign, but ultimately just fell short. Didier Drogba won his first Premier League Golden Boot, but the combined efforts of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were enough to see Manchester United across the line.
Drogba Drogba won the 2006-07 Premier League Golden Boot
At the other end of the table, Watford already appeared to be stranded, bottom of the Premier League and 10 points from safety, things weren’t looking good for the Hornets. Above them included teams such as current League One duo Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United, the Blades with their heads just above the water but ultimately going down that season.
Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough occupied positions 11 to 15, in what turned out to be an incredibly tight battle at the bottom, with even 13th placed Newcastle only finishing the season 5 points above the drop.
Just two days prior to New Years Day, Fulham’s Moritz Volz scored the 15,000th goal in Premier League history, prompting him to be nicknamed ‘15,000 Volz’. Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the end of season awards, being named PFA Player of the Year, PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, Barclays Player of the Season and FWA Footballer of the Year. The full top 10 is displayed below:
Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the end of season awards
1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Bolton Wanderers
5. Arsenal
6. Portsmouth
7. Tottenham Hotspur
8. Everton
9. Reading
10. Manchester City
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