The Premiership Years: the Runners-Up

2003: Arsenal

^^^underrated

I can only remember a couple of these to be honest. I could've condensed the options a bit, but the Newcastle ones have to be considered separately I feel. Also to make sure the spectacular chokes get proper credit.

idgi. Utd won league in 99 seemx strange to denote from year of season starting?

Huh? United won three in a row from 98/99, with Arsenal in second each time. All denoted by year season actually finished, to keep things wieldy.

What's the question - who was best? Probably Chelsea 2007, but it seems wrong to vote for a club that had just steamrollered its way to back-to-back titles. United 95 and Arsenal 99 deserve a shout too: both the last hurrahs of great teams who came very very close but won nothing. But those three clubs have won enough to not really need this consolation prize, so I'm giving my vote to Newcastle 96.

yeah i'm totally confused by all of this

how did i miss that this was a runners up poll? gah.

yeah, gotta agree with newcastle 96 for all sorts of reasons. great team.

What's the question - who was best?

Hm, hadn't really thought that far ahead tbh - I guess there was clamour for a 'Liverpool 2008/9 - rubbish or shite?' thread and I kind of hoped it'd get lost in here. I gave them a vote, for being one of my favourite ever club sides basically - that's how to not win a title imo.

I have a fondness for the big choke too. 96, 98 and 99 all good - not sure there's been anything comparable since. I gotta accept the answer's Newcastle 96 though, whatever the metric. Last time it was acceptable to like that lot without reservation.

99 wasn't a choke, though, it was a really tight battle all the way

I will love it if Newcastle 96 win. Love it. I kind of have a soft spot for Ranieri's last Chelsea team as well but could never vote for a team with Jesper Gronkjaer in it.

1999 was the year Arsenal and Man United could both have won on the last day, right? That was probably the "best" runner up. Arsenal 2003 was a classic choke though.

But yeah, Newcastle 96.

There's been several seasons where two teams could still have won it on the last day (95,96,99,08 and last season). Although everyone remembers Arsenal 2003 as a classic choke, I'm not sure if they were ever *that* far ahead. Certainly nothing like Newcastle.

Warning: this is probably boring.

Just been checking on statto.com - Arsenal were 9 or 10 points clear of United in early November 2002, but United had closed the gap to just one point about a month later (after beating Arsenal and Liverpool), then United promptly lost two games in a row at Xmas time and the gap very briefly went back out to 7 points. For most of January and February the gap was 5 points, then in mid-March United closed it to two, then in April went level. Then they went ahead by three points (but had played a game more) before finally pulling legitimately ahead of Arsenal towards the end of April and going on to win the league by 4 points.

Newcastle were only 4 points clear of United in mid-December 1995, but United hit rocky form and the gap had climbed to 10 by Xmas. Then United beat Newastle and narrowed the gap, but by late January Newcastle had opened up a 12-point lead. United overtook Newcastle in mid-March, but had played two games more, and by the start of April United had properly overtaken Newcastle.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Kinda forget that Arsenal finished in the top two eight seasons in a row. That's proper Revie-Leeds/Paisley-L'pool stuff, that. Obv eclipsed by Man Utd in the very same era, mind.

Has to be Keegan '96.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

so ... Villa 93 then?

They did play some great football. That was a great season.