The Story of a Premiership Season

January 1999

Bottom club Nottingham Forest and Dave Bassett part company and he becomes the seventh Premier League manager to lose his job since the end of last season.

The Premier League announce that next season referees and assistants will wear radio-mike links to improve communication.

True to script Blackburn Rovers’ resurgence earns Brian Kidd the Manager of the Month award for December.

Nottingham Forest make it 18 games without a win when they are hammered at Coventry with Darren Huckerby scoring a hat-trick. Chelsea take their unbeaten run to 20 by beating Newcastle and join Aston Villa, separated only by goal difference, at the top.

Although 17-year-old Joe Cole makes his much anticipated Premiership debut, in the 4–1 hammering by Manchester United, the headlines are made by the ‘power-cut’ at Old Trafford that delays the start by 45 minutes.

Nottingham Forest appoint Ron Atkinson and the new manager flies in from his Barbados hotel to meet his new team. In the same week the Football Association confirm they have secured purchase of Wembley and it’s site for a budget of £320 million. For a little less, by some £305 million, Wimbledon break their transfer record in signing John Hartson from West Ham on a six year deal.
Without Hartson The Hammers crash to Sheffield Wednesday and a Dwight Yorke ‘triple’ helps Manchester United swamp Leicester while Robbie Fowler completes his second hat-trick of the season to devastate Southampton, who slump to 19th. Fellow strugglers Charlton are just seconds away from a new Premier League record of nine successive defeats when they stage a comeback to draw with Newcastle, Martin Pringle getting the point saver in the 90th minute. Meanwhile Julian Joachim nets a brace as Villa beat Everton to join Chelsea at the top.

A sign of the times, perhaps, as Aston Villa’s record signing Stan Collymore reveals he is to seek stress-counselling. Presumably the Premier League sanctioning an extension of the domestic season for 1999–2000 will only add to the pressures of top flight footballers. But Steve McManaman won’t suffer such problems, domestically, as he announces his signing of a transfer agreement with Real Madrid and looks set to be the first high-profile British beneficiary of the Bosman ruling.

Back on the field Alan Shearer ends a near three month goal drought when he scores after just four minutes to help Newcastle to victory over Aston Villa, who drop to third. At the other end of the table Nottingham Forest end their 19 game run without a victory by beating Everton at the City Ground, Pierre Van Hoijdonk is the match-winner. Fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers climb out of the ‘drop zone’ with a draw at Spurs but have a player sent off for the third successive game, Jason Wilcox.

Chelsea hand a boost to the other title-chasers by losing for the first times since the opening day of the campaign, Dennis Bergkamp nets the Highbury winner as Arsenal stretch their record, for not conceding a League goal, to nearly eight hours.

Story of a Premiership Season - January 1999

Story of a Premiership Season -
January 1999