That was the season that was

THREE STRIPS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD

ENGLAND

CARLISLE

IPSWICH

OH HAPPY DAY 10 memorable results

Manchester United 0 York 3 (Coca-Cola Cup, 20 September)

Bury 0 Blyth Spartans 2

(F A Cup, 11 November)

Blackburn 7 Nottm Forest 0

(Premiership, 18 November)

Walsall 8 Torquay 4

(FA Cup, 12 December)

Man Utd 2 Sunderland 2

(FA Cup, 6 January)

Sheffield United 1 Arsenal 0

(FA Cup, 17 January)

Chelsea 5 Middlesbrough 0 (Premiership, 4 February)

Port Vale 2 Everton 1

(F A Cup, 14 February)

Newcastle 0 Man Utd 1

(Premiership, 4 March)

Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3

(Premiership, 3 April)

EURO HORRORS six bad nights

Man Utd 2 Rotor Volgograd 2 (Uefa Cup, 26 September)

Rosenborg 2 Blackburn 1 (Champions League, 27 Sept)

Leeds 3 PSV Eindhoven 5

(Uefa Cup 18 October)

Liverpool 0 Brondby 1

(Uefa Cup, 31 October)

Rangers 0 Juventus 4

(Champions League, 1 Nov)

Nottm For 1 Bayern Munich 5

(Uefa Cup, 19 March)

EURO SHOCK one good night

Monaco 0 Leeds 3

(Uefa Cup, 12 September)

WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY Those who failed to live up to expectations

Kevin Campbell pounds 2.5m (to Nottingham Forest from Arsenal)

Andrea Silenzi pounds 1.8m (to Nottingham Forest from Torino)

Gareth Taylor pounds 1.6m (to Crystal Palace from Bristol Rovers)

Darko Kovacevic pounds 2.5m (to Sheffield Wednesday from Red Star Belgrade)

Marquez Isaias pounds 500,000 (to Coventry from Benfica)

Mark Hateley pounds 1m (to QPR from Rangers)

Tomas Brolin pounds 4.5m (to Leeds from Parma)

THE BARGAIN RACK Those who were worth every single penny

Ruud Gullit free transfer (to Chelsea from Sampdoria)

Lars Bohinen pounds 700,000 (to Blackburn from Nottingham Forest)

Sasa Curcic pounds 1.5m (to Bolton from Partizan Belgrade)

Georgiou Kinkladze pounds 2m (to Manchester City from Dynamo Tblisi)

Iain Dowie pounds 350,000 (to West Ham from Crystal Palace)

Slaven Bilic (pounds 1.3m from Karlsruhe to West Ham)

Igor Stimac pounds 1.5m (Derby from Hajduk Split)

AWAITING CONFIRMATION Moving targets that never hit the spot

Chelsea to pay pounds 10m for Matt Le Tissier (Aug)

Leeds to sign Faustino Asprilla (Sept)

Leeds to sign Paulo Futre (Sept)

Blackburn to pay pounds 10m for Le Tissier (Oct)

Internazionale to sign Eric Cantona (Oct)

Newcastle to pay pounds 10m for Alan Shearer (Nov)

Newcastle to pay pounds 6.5m for Paul Ince (Nov)

Juventus to pay pounds 10m for Shearer (Jan)

Arsenal to sign Ince (Jan)

Leeds, Newcastle, Everton, Manchester United et al to sign Trevor Sinclair (all season)

WHAT A LET-DOWN 10 major disappointments

Blackburn in Europe; Matt Le Tissier; Millwall's Russians; Bryan Roy; Andy Cole; Branco; Millwall;

Tomas Brolin; Middlesbrough; Leeds

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK 11 emerging talents

Emile Heskey (Leicester)

Lee Bowyer (Charlton)

Shay Given (Blackburn)

Dean Richards (Wolves)

Michael Duberry (Chelsea)

Michael Brown (Man City)

David Connolly (Watford)

Martin Grainger (Birmingham)

Michael Gray (Sunderland)

Michael Branch (Everton)

Andy Gray (Leeds)

MISSING PERSONS 11 talents faded from view

David Rocastle (Chelsea)

Mark Stein (Chelsea)

Neil Webb (Nottingham Forest)

Mark Kennedy (Liverpool)

Chris Sutton (Blackburn)

Erik Thorstvedt (Tottenham)

Robert Rosario (Nottm Forest)

Kevin Scott (Tottenham)

Chris Kiwomya (Arsenal)

Dale Gordon (West Ham)

Nii Lamptey (Coventry)

IT'S JUST NOT FAIR... Those Maine Road moans revisited

n It's always hard here and it doesn't help when the referee comes from around the corner. Francis Lee, Manchester City chairman, after Stockton referee Jeff Winter sent off Richard Edghill and booked five of his City team-mates during a 3-1 defeat at Newcastle

n Everyone saw it was offside - every man and his dog saw it shouldn't have been allowed. We didn't deserve to lose at home to Arsenal in our last home game and we didn't deserve to lose today. Alan Ball, Manchester City manager, after 1-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough

n Any fair person will know who was the better team. That's why 1-1 doesn't bother me. I can't be bothered with people who say it was a bad result. You're all trying to put doom, gloom and panic in. Ball after 1-1 draw at home to Coventry

n It all hinged on that decision and it was a shocker. Would he have given it at the other end? I very much doubt it. Ball after 2-1 defeat at Manchester United in the FA Cup (OK, he did have a point)

n It is the bane of a manager's life when you ask people to mark other players and they hand a header on a plate to someone [Paul Scholes] who is 5ft 7in. Ball after 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester United

AND THE BEST OF THE REST EXCUSE-WISE

n We are used to playing teams who play football, knocking the ball around like we do, not the game Huddersfield played. Glenn Roeder, seeking to explain

Watford's 1-0 defeat in August

n We were passing the ball too much and that's not our game.

Joe Kinnear, after Wimbledon lost 2-0 at Villa Park

n The players could not see one another. Alex Ferguson on that kit

n I know it sounds daft but until we let in those three goals just before half-time I thought we were the better side. Roly Howard, manager of Marine, after 11-2 defeat at Shrewsbury

COMING BACK TO HAUNT THEM I wish I hadn't said that department

n It's a boost that we don't have to play the early rounds - we don't want another Trelleborgs. Ray Harford, Blackburn manager

n I've heard all about Shearer, Bergkamp, Collymore, Cole and Wright, but I'm younger than them and very ambitious. Savo Milosevic, predicting he would be among the top three Premiership scorers

n I'll still be giving 140 per cent every match, but if I'm still a Bolton player at Christmas I'll be disappointed. Alan Stubbs in August

n If there was an offer from another Premiership club, I'd consider going. Jan Molby before joining Barnsley and Norwich on loan and taking over as player-manager at Swansea.

n He will be a sensation. He is a quality player, another great acquisition for the Premiership. Howard Wilkinson after signing Tomas Brolin

n I don't know of any other industry that would lay out pounds 8.5m on anything and not have some plan on how they're going to use it. Stan Collymore gives the November edition of Four-Four-Two magazine his opinion of Liverpool

n No approach from any club under any circumstances will be considered. Leicester chairman Martin George on speculation surrounding manager Mark McGhee, who then went to Wolves

DID I REALLY

PREDICT

THAT? n Spurs have a tradition of winning things and I want to be part of it. They are genuine title contenders. Ruel Fox on joining Spurs n We've hardly been mentioned in relation to the title but we mean business and are confident we have the talent to do well. Gary McAllister of Leeds in August. AND THE ONE WE WISHED THEY HAD SAID n Can I read the Independent after you? David Batty to Graeme Le Saux PREMIER XI TEAM OF THE SEASON: Our verdict on the most most consistent performers MIKLOSKO WEST HAM IRWIN MAN UTD M WRIGHT LIVERPOOL COOPER NOTTM FOREST A WRIGHT ASTON VILLA KANCHELSKIS EVERTON DRAPER ASTON VILLA KINKLADZE MAN CITY GIGGS MAN UTD SHEARER BLACKBURN FOWLER LIVERPOOL