1996–97 FA Premier League

The 1996–97 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth season of the FA Premier League since its formation in 1992. The majority of the season was contested by the reigning champions, Manchester United, along with Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool. The title was eventually won by Manchester United, after Liverpool's and Newcastle's failure to win in their penultimate games of the season; at 75 points it is the lowest points total for a Premier League champion club and lowest since the 3-1-0 points system was introduced in the 1981–82 season.

FA Premier League
Season1996–97
Dates17 August 1996 – 11 May 1997
ChampionsManchester United
4th Premier League title
11th English title
RelegatedSunderland
Middlesbrough
Nottingham Forest
Champions LeagueManchester United
Newcastle United F.C.
Cup Winners' CupChelsea
UEFA CupArsenal
Liverpool
Aston Villa (through UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking)
Leicester City
Matches played380
Goals scored970 (2.55 per match)
Top goalscorerAlan Shearer
(25 goals)
Best goalkeeperNigel Martyn (19 clean sheets)
Biggest home winEverton 7–1 Southampton
(16 November 1996)
Newcastle United 7–1 Tottenham Hotspur
(28 December 1996)
Biggest away winLeeds United 0–4 Manchester United
(7 September 1996)
Nottingham Forest 0–4 Manchester United
(26 December 1996)
Sunderland 0–4 Tottenham Hotspur
(4 March 1997)
Highest scoringSouthampton 6–3 Manchester United
(26 October 1996)
Longest winning run7 games[1]
Newcastle United
Wimbledon
Longest unbeaten run16 games[1]
Manchester United
Longest winless run16 games[1]
Nottingham Forest
Longest losing run6 games[1]
Everton
Highest attendance55,314
Manchester United 2–1 Wimbledon
(29 January 1997)
Lowest attendance7,979
Wimbledon 2–0 Leeds United
(16 April 1997)
Total attendance10,818,380[2]
Average attendance28,469[2]

Middlesbrough, who had high-profile foreign players like Juninho, Emerson, Fabrizio Ravanelli (who scored 31 goals in all competitions), Branco and Gianluca Festa, were relegated on the final day of the season and were on the losing side in both the FA Cup final and the League Cup final. Middlesbrough finished in 19th place, but would have been placed 14th without a three-point deduction imposed for unilaterally postponing a 21 December 1996 fixture at Blackburn Rovers, with the Middlesbrough board making the decision due to the absence of 23 players ill or injured.[3][4] The club consulted the Premier League prior to calling off the fixture and was told to do 'what they thought best'. To protect the integrity of the game, and avoid fielding a team of untried teenagers including three goalkeepers, Middlesbrough called off the match. The Premier League subsequently absolved itself of all responsibility and deducted the three points. This sanction meant Coventry City, who had been in the top division since 1967, finished in 17th place and avoided relegation. The decision was controversial, and later resurfaced in 2006–07 when West Ham escaped a points deduction and subsequently avoided relegation.

Another relegation place went to Nottingham Forest, who sacked manager Frank Clark in December. Stuart Pearce took over as temporary player-manager, spending three months in charge and winning the January 1997 Manager of the Month award. In March, Pearce quit as manager to be replaced by Dave Bassett, formerly of Crystal Palace. Also relegated, due to a 1–0 defeat to Wimbledon in their last game of the season, was Sunderland, who were leaving Roker Park after 99 years and relocating to the 42,000-seat Stadium of Light on the banks of the River Wear for the start of the 1997–98 season in Division One.

Teams

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Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Sunderland, Derby County (both teams returning to the top flight after a five-year absence) and Leicester City (immediately returning to the top flight after a season's absence). This was also both Sunderland and Derby County's first season in the Premier League. They replaced Manchester City, Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers, who were relegated to the Division One.

Newcastle United broke the world transfer record fee before the season began, paying Blackburn Rovers £15million for England striker Alan Shearer, who went on to top the Premier League goal charts with 25 goals throughout the season. Manchester United, whose efforts to sign Shearer failed, paid a fraction of that fee for Norwegian strike Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who finished the season as United’s top league scorer on 18 goals, with a further goal on United’s run to their first European Cup semi final since 1969.

The title was won by Manchester United, who topped the table from late January onwards and finished seven points ahead of their nearest rivals Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Aston Villa’s fifth place finish was enough for a fourth UEFA Cup campaign in five seasons. Chelsea F.C. finished sixth and won the FA Cup to end their 26-year wait for a major trophy, with new Dutch player-manager Ruud Gullit becoming the first foreign manager to win a major trophy with an English club. Arsenal also appointed a foreign manager, Frenchman Arsene Wenger, several games into the season, following the dismissal of Bruce Rioch a few days before the league campaign commenced.

Howard Wilkinson, one of the longest serving managers in the English league, was sacked by Leeds United in September after eight years in charge. He was succeeded by George Graham, who returned to management 18 months after being dismissed by Arsenal for accepting illegal payments from an agent who had overseen two transfers several years earlier.

Newly promoted Leicester City also ended their own long wait for silverware by winning the League Cup, also finishing an impressive ninth in the league.

Blackburn Rovers, bottom of the division and winless until November, a mere 18 months after being league champions, enjoyed an upturn in form after manager Ray Harford resigned, with long serving coach Tony Parkes steering the club to survival before handing over the reins to Roy Hodgson.

Nottingham Forest, UEFA Cup quarter finals the previous season, were relegated in bottom place with just six wins all season. Middlesbrough, with a squad containing several multi million signings including Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, were deducted three points after postponing a mid-season fixture due to an injury and illness crisis - a penalty which ultimately cost them their Premier League status on the final day of the season. They were also losing finalists in both the FA Cup and the League Cup. Coventry City survived relegation at Middlesbrough’s expense. Also going down to Division One were newly promoted Sunderland, in their final season at Roker Park before relocating to the new Stadium of Light.

Wimbledon emerged as surprise title contenders in an excellent first half of the season, peaking at second place in the league in early December before eventually finishing eighth. They also reached the semi finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup.

There was a major shock just after the end of the campaign, when champions Manchester United announced that their captain Eric Cantona was retiring from football after five seasons at Old Trafford.

Stadiums and locations

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Greater London Premier League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Arsenal London (Highbury) Arsenal Stadium 38,419
Aston Villa Birmingham Villa Park 39,399
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Chelsea London (Fulham) Stamford Bridge 36,000
Coventry City Coventry Highfield Road 23,489
Derby County Derby Baseball Ground[a] 18,300
Everton Liverpool (Walton) Goodison Park 40,157
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 40,204
Leicester City Leicester Filbert Street 22,000
Liverpool Liverpool (Anfield) Anfield 42,730
Manchester United Manchester Old Trafford 55,314
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 30,000
Newcastle United Newcastle upon Tyne St James' Park 36,649
Nottingham Forest West Bridgford City Ground 30,539
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Hillsborough Stadium 39,859
Southampton Southampton The Dell 15,200
Sunderland Sunderland Roker Park 22,500
Tottenham Hotspur London (Tottenham) White Hart Lane 36,230
West Ham United London (Upton Park) Boleyn Ground 28,000
Wimbledon London (Selhurst) Selhurst Park[b] 26,309
  1. ^ This was Derby County's last season at Baseball Ground as they were scheduled to relocate to the Pride Park Stadium at the end of the season.
  2. ^ Due to Wimbledon lacking a home stadium, they played their home games at Selhurst Park, which is the home stadium of Crystal Palace.

Personnel and kits

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(as of 11 May 1997)

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal   Arsène Wenger   Tony Adams Nike JVC
Aston Villa   Brian Little   Andy Townsend Reebok AST Research
Blackburn Rovers   Tony Parkes   Tim Sherwood Asics CIS
Chelsea   Ruud Gullit   Dennis Wise Umbro Coors
Coventry City   Gordon Strachan   Gary McAllister Le Coq Sportif Peugeot
Derby County   Jim Smith   Igor Štimac Puma Puma
Everton   Dave Watson (caretaker)   Dave Watson Umbro Danka
Leeds United   George Graham   Lucas Radebe Puma Packard Bell
Leicester City   Martin O'Neill   Steve Walsh Fox Leisure Walkers
Liverpool   Roy Evans   John Barnes Reebok Carlsberg
Manchester United   Alex Ferguson   Eric Cantona Umbro Sharp
Middlesbrough   Bryan Robson   Nigel Pearson Erreà Cellnet
Newcastle United   Kenny Dalglish   Peter Beardsley Adidas Newcastle Brown Ale
Nottingham Forest   Dave Bassett   Stuart Pearce Umbro Labatt's
Sheffield Wednesday   David Pleat   Peter Atherton Puma Sanderson
Southampton   Graeme Souness   Matt Le Tissier Pony Sanderson
Sunderland   Peter Reid   Kevin Ball Avec Vaux Breweries
Tottenham Hotspur   Gerry Francis   Gary Mabbutt Pony Hewlett-Packard
West Ham United   Harry Redknapp   Julian Dicks Pony Dagenham Motors
Wimbledon   Joe Kinnear   Vinnie Jones Lotto Elonex

Managerial changes

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Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Chelsea   Glenn Hoddle Signed by England 10 May 1996 Pre-season   Ruud Gullit 10 May 1996
Southampton   Dave Merrington Sacked 14 June 1996   Graeme Souness 3 July 1996
Arsenal   Bruce Rioch 12 August 1996   Stewart Houston (caretaker) 12 August 1996
Leeds United   Howard Wilkinson 10 September 1996 9th   George Graham 10 September 1996
Arsenal   Stewart Houston Signed by Queens Park Rangers 16 September 1996 7th   Pat Rice (caretaker) 16 September 1996
  Pat Rice End of caretaker spell 30 September 1996 3rd   Arsène Wenger 30 September 1996
Blackburn Rovers   Ray Harford Resigned 25 October 1996 20th   Tony Parkes (caretaker) 25 October 1996
Coventry City   Ron Atkinson Promoted to director of football 5 November 1996 18th   Gordon Strachan 5 November 1996
Nottingham Forest   Frank Clark Resigned 19 December 1996 20th   Stuart Pearce (caretaker) 20 December 1996
Newcastle United   Kevin Keegan 8 January 1997 4th   Terry McDermott (caretaker) 8 January 1997
  Terry McDermott End of caretaker spell 14 January 1997   Kenny Dalglish 14 January 1997
Everton   Joe Royle Resigned 27 March 1997 13th   Dave Watson (caretaker) 1 April 1997

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 38 21 12 5 76 44 +32 75 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Newcastle United 38 19 11 8 73 40 +33 68 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3 Arsenal 38 19 11 8 62 32 +30 68 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
4 Liverpool 38 19 11 8 62 37 +25 68
5 Aston Villa 38 17 10 11 47 34 +13 61
6 Chelsea 38 16 11 11 58 55 +3 59 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[b]
7 Sheffield Wednesday 38 14 15 9 50 51 −1 57
8 Wimbledon 38 15 11 12 49 46 +3 56
9 Leicester City 38 12 11 15 46 54 −8 47 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[c]
10 Tottenham Hotspur 38 13 7 18 44 51 −7 46
11 Leeds United 38 11 13 14 28 38 −10 46
12 Derby County 38 11 13 14 45 58 −13 46
13 Blackburn Rovers 38 9 15 14 42 43 −1 42
14 West Ham United 38 10 12 16 39 48 −9 42
15 Everton 38 10 12 16 44 57 −13 42
16 Southampton 38 10 11 17 50 56 −6 41
17 Coventry City 38 9 14 15 38 54 −16 41
18 Sunderland (R) 38 10 10 18 35 53 −18 40 Relegation to the Football League First Division
19 Middlesbrough (R) 38 10 12 16 51 60 −9 39[d]
20 Nottingham Forest (R) 38 6 16 16 31 59 −28 34
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
  2. ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.
  3. ^ Leicester City qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.
  4. ^ Middlesbrough were docked three points for failing to fulfill their original fixture at Blackburn Rovers on 21 December 1996.

Results

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Home \ Away ARS AVL BLB CHE COV DER EVE LEE LEI LIV MUN MID NEW NFO SHW SOU SUN TOT WHU WIM
Arsenal 2–2 1–1 3–3 0–0 2–2 3–1 3–0 2–0 1–2 1–2 2–0 0–1 2–0 4–1 3–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 0–1
Aston Villa 2–2 1–0 0–2 2–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–3 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–2 2–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 5–0
Blackburn Rovers 0–2 0–2 1–1 4–0 1–2 1–1 0–1 2–4 3–0 2–3 0–0 1–0 1–1 4–1 2–1 1–0 0–2 2–1 3–1
Chelsea 0–3 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–2 0–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–0 6–2 3–1 3–1 2–4
Coventry City 1–1 1–2 0–0 3–1 1–2 0–0 2–1 0–0 0–1 0–2 3–0 2–1 0–3 0–0 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–3 1–1
Derby County 1–3 2–1 0–0 3–2 2–1 0–1 3–3 2–0 0–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 0–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 4–2 1–0 0–2
Everton 0–2 0–1 0–2 1–2 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 7–1 1–3 1–0 2–1 1–3
Leeds United 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 1–3 0–0 1–0 3–0 0–2 0–4 1–1 0–1 2–0 0–2 0–0 3–0 0–0 1–0 1–0
Leicester City 0–2 1–0 1–1 1–3 0–2 4–2 1–2 1–0 0–3 2–2 1–3 2–0 2–2 1–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–0
Liverpool 2–0 3–0 0–0 5–1 1–2 2–1 1–1 4–0 1–1 1–3 5–1 4–3 4–2 0–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 0–0 1–1
Manchester United 1–0 0–0 2–2 1–2 3–1 2–3 2–2 1–0 3–1 1–0 3–3 0–0 4–1 2–0 2–1 5–0 2–0 2–0 2–1
Middlesbrough 0–2 3–2 2–1 1–0 4–0 6–1 4–2 0–0 0–2 3–3 2–2 0–1 1–1 4–2 0–1 0–1 0–3 4–1 0–0
Newcastle United 1–2 4–3 2–1 3–1 4–0 3–1 4–1 3–0 4–3 1–1 5–0 3–1 5–0 1–2 0–1 1–1 7–1 1–1 2–0
Nottingham Forest 2–1 0–0 2–2 2–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 0–4 1–1 0–0 0–3 1–3 1–4 2–1 0–2 1–1
Sheffield Wednesday 0–0 2–1 1–1 0–2 0–0 0–0 2–1 2–2 2–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 0–0 3–1
Southampton 0–2 0–1 2–0 0–0 2–2 3–1 2–2 0–2 2–2 0–1 6–3 4–0 2–2 2–2 2–3 3–0 0–1 2–0 0–0
Sunderland 1–0 1–0 0–0 3–0 1–0 2–0 3–0 0–1 0–0 1–2 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–4 0–0 1–3
Tottenham Hotspur 0–0 1–0 2–1 1–2 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–0 1–2 0–2 1–2 1–0 1–2 0–1 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–0 1–0
West Ham United 1–2 0–2 2–1 3–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–2 1–0 1–2 2–2 0–0 0–0 0–1 5–1 2–1 2–0 4–3 0–2
Wimbledon 2–2 0–2 1–0 0–1 2–2 1–1 4–0 2–0 1–3 2–1 0–3 1–1 1–1 1–0 4–2 3–1 1–0 1–0 1–1
Source: 11v11
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

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Scoring

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Top scorers

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Newcastle's Alan Shearer was the top scorer for the third and final time, with 25 goals.
Rank Player Club Goals
1   Alan Shearer Newcastle United 25
2   Ian Wright Arsenal 23
3   Robbie Fowler Liverpool 18
  Ole Gunnar Solskjær Manchester United
5   Dwight Yorke Aston Villa 17
6   Les Ferdinand Newcastle United 16
  Fabrizio Ravanelli Middlesbrough
8   Dion Dublin Coventry City 13
  Matt Le Tissier Southampton
10   Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal 12
  Steve Claridge Leicester City
  Stan Collymore Liverpool
  Juninho Middlesbrough

Hat-tricks

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Middlesbrough's Fabrizio Ravanelli was the only player to score a hat-trick more than once during the 1996–97 season.
Player For Against Result Date Ref
  Kevin Campbell Nottingham Forest Coventry City 3–0 (A) 17 August 1996 [5]
  Fabrizio Ravanelli Middlesbrough Liverpool 3–3 (H) 17 August 1996 [6]
  Ian Wright Arsenal Sheffield Wednesday 4–1 (H) 16 September 1996 [7]
  Dwight YorkeL Aston Villa Newcastle United 4–3 (A) 30 September 1996 [8]
  Gary Speed Everton Southampton 7–1 (H) 16 November 1996 [9]
  Robbie Fowler4 Liverpool Middlesbrough 5–1 (H) 14 December 1996 [10]
  Alan Shearer Newcastle United Leicester City 4–3 (H) 2 February 1997 [11]
  Ian Marshall Leicester City Derby County 4–2 (H) 22 February 1997 [12]
  Steffen Iversen Tottenham Hotspur Sunderland 4–0 (A) 4 March 1997 [13]
  Fabrizio Ravanelli Middlesbrough Derby County 6–1 (H) 5 March 1997 [14]
  Kevin Gallacher Blackburn Rovers Wimbledon 3–1 (H) 15 March 1997 [15]
  Paul Kitson West Ham United Sheffield Wednesday 5–1 (H) 3 May 1997 [16]
Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; L Player finished on the losing side; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Top assists

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Manchester United's Eric Cantona assisted 12 goals for the club in the 1996–97 Premier League season.
Rank Player Club Assists[17]
1   Eric Cantona Manchester United 12
2   Neal Ardley Wimbledon 11
3   Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal 9
  Andy Hinchcliffe Everton
  Gary McAllister Coventry City
  Gianfranco Zola Chelsea
7   Nick Barmby Everton 8
  David Beckham Manchester United
  Stig Inge Bjørnebye Liverpool
  Les Ferdinand Newcastle United

Awards

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Southampton's Graeme Souness was the only manager to win the Manager of the Month award more than once.

Monthly awards

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Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August   David Pleat Sheffield Wednesday   David Beckham Manchester United
September   Joe Kinnear Wimbledon   Patrik Berger Liverpool
October   Graeme Souness Southampton   Matt Le Tissier Southampton
November   Jim Smith Derby County   Ian Wright Arsenal
December   Gordon Strachan Coventry City   Gianfranco Zola Chelsea
January   Stuart Pearce Nottingham Forest   Tim Flowers Blackburn Rovers
February   Alex Ferguson Manchester United  [a] Robbie Earle Wimbledon
March   Bryan Robson Middlesbrough   Juninho Middlesbrough
April   Graeme Souness Southampton  [b] Mickey Evans Southampton

Annual awards

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Award Winner Club
Premier League Manager of the Season   Alex Ferguson[18] Manchester United
Premier League Player of the Season   Juninho[18] Middlesbrough
PFA Players' Player of the Year   Alan Shearer[19] Newcastle United
PFA Young Player of the Year   David Beckham[20] Manchester United
FWA Footballer of the Year   Gianfranco Zola[21] Chelsea
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper   David Seaman (Arsenal)
Defence   Gary Neville (Manchester United)   Tony Adams (Arsenal)   Mark Wright (Liverpool)   Stig Inge Bjørnebye (Liverpool)
Midfield   David Beckham (Manchester United)   Roy Keane (Manchester United)   David Batty (Newcastle United)   Steve McManaman (Liverpool)
Attack   Alan Shearer (Newcastle United)   Ian Wright (Arsenal)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Earle was born in England, but made his debut for Jamaica in September 1997.
  2. ^ Evans was born in England, but made his debut for the Republic of Ireland in October 1997.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "English Premier League 1996–97". statto.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Premier League 1996/1997 » Attendance » Home matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Football's biggest punishments". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  4. ^ "Funny Old Game|Happened on this day – 20 December". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  5. ^ Culley, Jon (18 August 1996). "Campbell calls tune". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  6. ^ "Middlesbrough v Liverpool". The Times. London. 9 November 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2009.[dead link]
  7. ^ Moore, Glenn (17 September 1996). "Football: Wright's hat-trick lifts the gloom". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  8. ^ Turnbull, Simon (1 October 1996). "Yorke hat-trick in vain for Villa". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  9. ^ Brown, Geoff (17 November 1996). "Football: Speed puts foot down". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  10. ^ "Liverpool 5–1 Middlesbrough". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  11. ^ Hodgson, Guy (3 February 1997). "Football: Shearer provides Newcastle fantasy". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  12. ^ Fox, Norman (23 February 1997). "Football: Marshall's triple tale of the unexpected". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  13. ^ Stamiforth, Tommy (5 March 1997). "Football: Spurs boosted by Iversen's hat-trick". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  14. ^ Turnbull, Simon (6 March 1997). "Football: Ravanelli hat-trick bodes well for Boro". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  15. ^ Hadfield, Dave (17 March 1997). "Football: Gallacher takes advantage of Sullivan's sudden relapse". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  16. ^ Houston, Bob (4 May 1997). "Kitson glory day". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  17. ^ "Statistical Leaders – 1997". Premier League. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Seasonal Awards 1996/97" Archived 18 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  19. ^ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  20. ^ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
  21. ^ "England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
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  NODES
Association 3
Note 5