| 1990-91 In English Football |
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OVERVIEW First Division Arsenal took their second league title in three seasons despite a season during which it often looked as though the good points would be outnumbered by the bad points. A player brawl in a league fixture against Manchester United in October saw Arsenal have two points deducted, and a few weeks later captain Tony Adams was given a four-month prison sentence for Drink-driving (he ended up serving 8 weeks). But Arsenal managed to keep up a great run of form throughout the season and were crowned league champions having lost just one league game all season long. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool , who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager Kenny Dalglish . Rangers boss Graeme Souness was brought in as his successor but was unable to bring a major trophy to Anfield . Third place in the league went to Crystal Palace , who joined Liverpool for the 1991-92 UEFA Cup - their first ever foray into Europe . Newly promoted Leeds United had a good season back in the First Division as they finished fourth but never really looked like challenging for the title. Down at the bottom end of the table, Derby County went down in bottom place with just five wins all season despite the 24 league goals of Welsh striker Dean Saunders . The final relegation place went to Sunderland on the last day of the season. Second Division Joe Royle 's cavalier Oldham Athletic side won the Second Division championship to end their 68-year exile from the First Division. They were joined by runners-up West Ham United and League Cup winners Sheffield Wednesday , who finished in third place. Neil Warnock guided Notts County to a second successive victory in the promotion playoffs. Hull City struggled throughout the 1990-91 season and not even the appointment of new manager Terry Dolan could save their Second Division status. They were joined on the last day of the season by West Bromwich Albion , who went down to the Third Division for the first time in their history. Leicester City were saved from suffering the same humiliation by winning their final game of the season. Third Division Champions Cambridge United , runners-up Southend United and third-placed Grimsby Town occupied the automatic promotion places to achieve second successive promotions. The fourth promotion place went to playoff winners Tranmere Rovers , who ended a 53-year absence from the Second Division and made it clear they were prepared to stay there when they signed ex-Liverpool striker John Aldridge . Going down to the Fourth Division were Crewe Alexandra , Rotherham United and Mansfield Town . Fourth Division Brian Little's Darlington won the Fourth Division championship to earn a second successive promotion, while the other four promotion places went to Stockport County , Hartlepool United , Peterborough United and Torquay United . Wrexham finished bottom of the league but their league status was saved by the expansion of the Football League to 93 clubs for the 1991-92 season. FA Cup Tottenham Hotspur compensated for a slump in form during the second half of the 1990-91 league campaign by beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 in the F.A Cup final, although their triumph was overshadowed by a knee injury to star midfielder Paul Gascoigne in the opening 15 minutes. League Cup Ron Atkinson 's Sheffield Wednesday earned a shock 1-0 victory over his old club Manchester United thanks to a goal from John Sheridan - a self-confessed United supporter. Biggest rise Oldham Athletic won the Second Division championship to return to the First Division after a 68-year absence. Biggest fall West Bromwich Albion fell into the Third Division for the very first time, 11 years after reaching the UEFA Cup quarter finals and 12 years after missing the league championship by just two places. SUCCESSFUL PLAYERS The PFA Player Of The Year was Manchester United Striker Mark Hughes , whose prolific goalscoring included two goals in United's Cup Winners Cup triumph over Barcelona . The FWA Player Of The Year was experienced Leeds United midfielder Gordon Strachan , who helped his newly promoted side reach a creditable fourth place in the First Division. The PFA Young Player Of The Year was Manchester United's 19-year-old winger Lee Sharpe , who collected a Cup Winners Cup medal in his first season as a regular player. Welsh striker Dean Saunders scored 24 league goals for Derby County but couldn't save them from Relegation and was sold to Liverpool for a British record fee of nearly £3million. Tottenham's Gary Lineker had another great season and helped his side win the F.A Cup to end their seven-year trophy drought. SUCCESSFUL MANAGERS George Graham guided Arsenal to their second league title in three years after they lost just one out of 38 league games. Alex Ferguson took Manchester United to glory in the European Cup Winners Cup in the first season back in Europe for English clubs after the Heysel Disaster. Terry Venables ended Tottenham's seven-year trophy drought with an F.A Cup triumph at the expense of Nottingham Forest. Joe Royle won the Second Division championship for Oldham Athletic to end their 68-year absence from the First Division. Ron Atkinson took Sheffield Wednesday to glory in the League Cup and promotion to the First Division. EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS League champions Arsenal were England's first post- Heysel entrants for the European Cup . Runners-up Liverpool and third-placed Crystal Palace would be England's representatives for the 1991-92 UEFA Cup . Holders Manchester United and F.A Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the 1991-92 Cup Winners Cup . SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
DEATHS
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