Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur


Full Name: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1882
Stadium: White Hart Lane (36,237)
Colors: Dark Blue, White
Previous Name: Hotspur FC (1882-84)
Nicknames: Spurs, Lillywhites, Yids
Rivals: Arsenal
Stadium: White Hart Lane
Official Website: tottenhamhotspur.com

Description:

Tottenham Hotspur were formed as Hotspur FC in 1882 by members of a Tottenham-area grammar school and cricket club. The name is taken from Harry Hostpur, an English nobleman of the 14th century, and later a major character in Shakespeare's Henry IV. Two years later they added Tottenham to their name, Tottenham being the neighborhood of North London where they are based. In 1896 Spurs joined the Southern League where they stayed for 12 years before entering the Football League in 1908. Spurs won the Southern League title in 1900.The Lilywhites nickname is a reference to their all-white uniforms. The Yids nicknames is a reference to Yiddish, the language theoretically spoken by the rather large Jewish fan base of Spurs. Yids was used as an insult by rival Arsenal fans but has been turned on its head and used as a badge of pride by Spurs fans. In 1961 Tottenham Hotspur became the first English club in the twentieth century to win the League and FA cup double. Their rivalry with Arsenal is known as the North London derby - the two clubs' stadiums are located just a few miles apart in North London. The cockerel on the club's emblem is a reference to their Spurs name - the cockerel bird was often used in cock fights and fitted with spurs. The stadium is located on White Hart Lane in Tottenham.


Tottenham Hotspur FC History

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. is a North London association football team, also known by the nickname Spurs. Their home ground is White Hart Lane in Tottenham.
Their motto is Audere Est Facere (To Dare Is To Do).The club was formed in 1882 by boys from Hotspur cricket club and from the local grammar school. Originally the club was known as Hotspur FC. In 1884 the club was renamed Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic Club.

The club has a long standing rivalry with its North London neighbours Arsenal (formerly Woolwich Arsenal - originally from South East London).In the 1960-61 season, Spurs became the first team to achieve the league and FA Cup double in the 20th century.They are one of only three teams to win the FA Cup in consecutive years since the end of the 19th century, the others being Arsenal and Newcastle United and the only team to have done so on two occasions. Tottenham Hotspur were the first and so far only team to win the FA Cup as a non-league club; this was in 1901 when Spurs were in the Southern League. Tottenham were the first British club to win a European trophy - the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.

Tottenham Hotspur have traditionally been one of the biggest clubs in England.Daniel Levy became chairman of the club in February 2001. Frank Arnesen was appointed Sports Director in May 2004, and in June it was announced that French national team coach Jacques Santini would join Tottenham Hotspur as head coach following Euro 2004, with Martin Jol taking up a post as his assistant. On November 5th 2004 however, Santini resigned for 'personal reasons'. Jol was confirmed as his successor on November 8.

The most successful manager in Tottenham's history is Bill Nicholson, who guided the club to major trophy success three seasons in a row during the early 1960's - the League Championship/F.A Cup double in 1961, F.A Cup in 1962 and European Cup Winners Cup in 1963. Key players in the early 1960's Tottenham side included Danny Blanchflower, John White, David Mackay and Jimmy Greaves. Blanchflower, the club captain, later had a spell as Chelsea team manager and was later a football writer until his death in 1993 at the age of 67. Greaves also turned out for AC Milan and Chelsea and is the third highest goalscorer of all time for the England team with 44 goals. White died at the age of 27 after being hit by lightning on a golf course. Mackay later enjoyed success in management when he guided Derby County to the League Championship in 1975.Tottenham still enjoyed some success in the early part of the 1980's, winning the F.A Cup in 1981 and 1982 and the UEFA Cup in 1984 under Keith Burkinshaw. The early 1980's team included Argentinian players Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa.

The club's next trophy success came in 1991 when they won the F.A Cup for a then record eighth time under Terry Venables. Stars of the 1991 F.A Cup winning side included Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne and Vinny Samways. After winning the F.A Cup, Venables went into partnership with Alan Sugar to take over the club (which was £20million in debt) and became chief executive. In 1991-92, Peter Shreeves took charge of team affairs (having previously been in charge from 1984 to 1986) but quit after one season to make way for the partnership of Doug Livermore and Ray Clemence. In the inaugural 1992-93 Premier League, Livermore and Clemence failed to establish themselves as top class managers and quit after just one season. Soon after that, Venables was controversially dismissed by the club's board and in came former player Osvaldo Ardiles as his replacement. Ardiles had just won the Division Two playoffs with West Bromwich Albion and was hopeful of bringing the glory days back to White Hart Lane.

In 1993-94, Tottenham finished a disappointing 15th in the Premiership after 14-goal striker Teddy Sheringham played just 19 games through injury. Soon after the end of the season the club was investigated over illegal payments made to players during the late 1980's and it was feared that they could be demoted to Division One as punishment. When Tottenham admitted financial irregularities, the club received the most severe punishment ever handed out in English football - a £600,000 fine, 12 league points deducted and a 1-year ban from the F.A Cup. On appeal, the fine was increased to £1.5million but the number of points deducted was cut to six, while the F.A Cup ban remained in place. But the deducted points and F.A Cup ban were eventually quashed in a second appeal.

By the start of the 1994-95 season, Osvaldo Ardiles had added three foreign stars to the Tottenham squad - German striker Jurgen Klinsmann and Romanian midfielders Gheorghe Popescu and Ilie Dumistrescu. Despite these additions to the squad, and the consistency of striker Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham struggled in the early stages of the season and Ardiles was sacked to make way for QPR manager Gerry Francis.Francis guided Tottenham to the F.A Cup semi finals and to a seventh-place finish in the Premiership - still their highest league finish since 1990. He remainedin charge until November 1997, by which time Tottenham were bottom of the Premiership. Swiss coach Christian Gross, who had won two Swiss league championships with Grasshoppers Zurich, was appointed as the club's new manager and guided them to safety, but soon after the start of the 1998-99 season he was sacked with Tottenham battling relegation again. The club's directors made surprise decision when appointing Leeds United manager George Graham as the new manager at White Hart Lane - Graham was the man who had delivered 6 major trophies to Tottenham's deadly rivals Arsenal between 1986 and 1994.

Graham had a reasonable effect on Tottenham's fortunes. They won the League Cup in his first season in charge and thus qualified for the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup. But this improvement was inconsistent and by the time he was sacked for breach of contract in March 2001, the club was once again hovering above the relegation zone.

George Graham's replacement was Glenn Hoddle, who had been a key player at the club during the 1980's and had enjoyed moderate success as a manager with Swindon Town, Chelsea, the England team and more recently Southampton. He was full of ambition on his arrival at Tottenham, intent on re-establishing them as one of England's best teams. But a League Cup final losing appearance in the 2001-02 season was as good as it got for Tottenham under Hoddle, and he was sacked in September 2003 after two-and-a-half years in charge.
Director of Football David Pleat remained in charge until the end of the 2003-04 season, when former France national coach Jacques Santini was named as Hoddle's permanent replacement.

The 2004-05 Premiership campaign started well for Santini, who was working under sporting director Frank Arnesen. But he suddenly quit the club in November 2004, citing personal reasons, and was replaced by assistant manager Martin Jol.Tottenham are currently mid table in the Premiership - their regular league position for most of the last 15 years - and it remains to be seen whether Martin Jol is the right man to restore this famous club's fortunes.

Tottenham Hotspur FC Honours, Trophies & Awards

* Football League First Division (1951, 61)
* Football League Second Division (1920, 50)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1921, 51, 61, 62, 67, 81, 91)
* FA Cup (1901, 21, 61, 62, 67, 81, 82, 91)
* Football League Cup (1971, 73, 99, 2008)

International Titles:

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1963)
* UEFA Cup (1972, 84)

Aston Villa Football Club

Aston Villa Football Club

Full Name: Aston Villa Football Club
City: Birmingham
Founded: 1872
Stadium: Villa Park (43,275)
Colors: Claret, Blue
Nicknames: Villa, Villans
Rivals: West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City
Official Website: avfc.co.uk

Description:

Aston Villa were formed by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel cricket team, who were looking for a sport to play during the winter months. Villa Cross was a road junction in the Birmingham neighborhood of Aston. Villa were founder members and the of the Football League in 1888 and early giants of English football, although they were later eclipsed by Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool. Matches with arch-rival Birmingham City are known as the Second City Derby, Birmingham being England's second-largest city. West Bromwich Albion is also a significant rivalry. Villa famously came out of nowhere to win the League title in 1981 (the first time in 71 years) and then compounded the surprise by defeating Bayern Munich in the European Cup final the following season.

The rampant lion of the club's emblem was supposedly suggested by early vice-president William McGregor to remind him of his Scottish roots, the lion also being present in the Scottish emblem. The club's colors are supposed to have similar origins, being claret (for Hearts) and blue (for Rangers). Prepared (also featured on the emblem) is the club's motto. Villa Park was originally known as Aston Lower Grounds. Previous stadiums - Wilson Road and Aston Park (1872-78), Perry Barr (1878-97).

Aston Villa FC History

Aston Villa Football Club play at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. They currently play in the Premier League. Aston Villa were founding members of the Football League in 1888 and of the Premier League in 1992. It is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England.Aston Villa Football Club was formed in March 1874 by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Aston, Birmingham. Members of the Aston Villa cricket team were looking for a way to stay fit during the winter months and decided to adopt the new sport of football. The 'Four Founding Fathers' were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood. Little did they know that the team they formed would go on to become the most famous and admired football club in the world by the end of Queen Victoria's reign.

Aston Villa's first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team and as a condition of the match, the Villa side had to agree to play the first half under rugby rules and the second half under football rules! Amazingly Villa managed to hold St Mary's to a pointless draw up to half time and in the second half won the historic affair by one goal, scored by Jack Hughes. Villa won their first honour, the Birmingham Challenge Cup in 1880, under the captaincy of Scotsman George Ramsay. The club won its first FA Cup in 1887, by which time football had become professional. However, the Scottish draper and director of Aston Villa, William McGregor had become frustrated with one-sided friendly matches and low attendances for all games but FA Cup ties. He saw that in order to keep interest in the game alive the top teams needed to play each other in a league much like American baseball teams did. So he wrote to the 12 leading clubs in England proposing the formation of a league. The reason the Football League was never called the English League is because McGregor intended Scottish and Welsh teams to join eventually. Naturally, Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888 finishing runners-up.

It didn't take long for Villa to lift their first League Championship trophy, and this was achieved in 1893/94. This would signal the start of Aston Villa's 'Golden Age' and by the start of the First World War the club had won the League Championship six times and the FA Cup five times, including in 1896/97, a League and Cup Double, a feat which would not be repeated for more than 60 years.Although they remained a major force after the war, winning their sixth FA Cup in 1920, the club began a slow decline. This can be attributed in large part to a complacency which culminated in the unthinkable, the most famous and successful football club in world being relegated to the Second Division in 1936. However, throughout the 1920's and into the 1930's the club had many fine international players (in 1933/34 Villa had no fewer than 14 full internationals) and continued to challenge for honours, Villa were FA Cup runners-up in 1924 and second in the League in 1931 and 1933. Throughout this period the Villa Park crowds were entertained with attacking football and goals galore, in season 1930/31 Tom 'Pongo' Waring scored 49 of Aston Villa's 128 league goals, however Villa were denied the title by the sensational Arsenal team of the 30's.

The club's decision to appoint their first manager coincided with relegation for the first time in 1935/36. This was largely due a dismal defensive record, they conceded 110 goals, 7 of them coming from Arsenal's Ted Drake in the infamous defeat at Highbury. However 'The Grand Old Man' of football was crowned Second Division Champions in 1937/38 under the guidance of Jimmy Hogan, Aston Villa were back where they belonged by the outbreak of The Second World War. Seven seasons were lost and many careers were finished due to the conflict and Aston Villa went about rebuilding the team under the guidance of formerplayer, Alex Massie. The remainder of the 1940s and the 1950s saw Villa try to re-establish themselves as a top team. However, Villa could only be described as mediocre during this period, although they had some good players and attendances were high. Season 1956/57 saw Villa go on an unexpected FA Cup run that would culminate in them defeating the 'Busby Babes' of Manchester United in the final. It was Aston Villa's first trophy for 37 years.

However this success proved to be a false dawn with the team finishing 14th in the league the following season. Eric Houghton was sacked (after refusing to resign) when relegation loomed in 1958/59. His successor Joe Mercer was unable to prevent the club being relegated for the second time in 1959. Again a complacency had set in at the club, the famous Aston Villa had won the FA Cup for a record seventh time, this only served to fuel the belief that Villa were too good to go down. A return to the top flight was assured however in 1960 when Villa were crowned Second Division Champions. Season 1960/61 saw Villa win the inaugural League Cup and finish repectably in the league, this was achieved with an exciting nucleus of youth players who became known as 'Mercer's Minors'.

The slow decline continued throughout the 1960s due to a deep seated malaise; the club had failed to adapt to the new football reality, they had a non-existent scouting network, coaching was conducted in the same way as it had been 40 years earlier and the 5 man board contained 3 members over the age of 70. It was the board who decided that they couldn't refuse offers for their two most reliable goalscorers, Phil Woosnam and Tony Hateley. Without their goals Villa were in real trouble and were relegated for the third time, under manager Dick Taylor in 1967. The fans' calls for the board to resign became more and more urgent when Villa finished 16th in the Second Division in 1968. In a desperate attempt to avert total disaster, relegation to the Third Division, the manager, Tommy Cummings was given £200,000 to spend on new players, and with supporters boycotting Villa's home games in protest at the board, debts mounted. Events on the pitch came to a head in November 1968, with Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two; the board sacked Cummings and within weeks the entire board resigned due to overwhelming pressure from fans. After much speculation, control of the club was bought by London financier Pat Matthews, he also brought in Doug Ellis as chairman and Tommy Docherty as manager.

However, despite breathing new life into the club and initial success, Docherty was unable to lift the team out of the danger zone and he was sacked after just a year in charge. His successor Vic Crowe, was unable to prevent Aston Villa from being relegated to the Third Division for the first time its history. Amazingly the following season Villa reached the League Cup final after beating Manchester United in the semi-final. They were eventually defeated in the final by two late Tottenham goals. The only way was up for Villa and in 1971/72 they finished top of the league with a team that was simply too good for Division Three.

The team narrowly missed out on successive promotions when they finished third on their return to Second Division football in 1972/73. However the following season Villa struggled and Doug Ellis sacked Crowe replacing him with Ron Saunders.
Aston Villa's centenary season provided the double success of a League Cup final victory over Norwich and promotion to the First Division after an absence of eight seasons in 1974/75. Villa were back and due to their League Cup success were in Europe for the first time. Although Villa were knocked out in the first round by Antwerp, Saunders was assembling a team that would go on to win the European Cup seven years later. Villa won the League Cup again in 1977 by beating Everton after two final replays. The following season saw Villa reach the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup where they held their own against Spanish giants, Barcelona. That night at the Nou Camp finally laid to rest the nightmare of the previous 10 years; Aston Villa were finally back amongst the footballing elite.The ups and downs of the 1980's

The 1980's was another mixed era in the history of Aston Villa football club. Villa won the Football League Championship, fighting off competition from Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, in 1981 under the managership of Ron Saunders. Saunders quit halfway through the following season (1981-82) and was replaced by his assistant manager Tony Barton. In May 1982, just three months after being appointed manager, Barton guided Villa to a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup final. Key players in this side included Des Bremner, Peter Withe and Gordon Cowans. Barton remained in charge until the summer of 1984, when he was sacked after a disappointing season which had seen the club finish 10th in the First Division. His successor was Graham Turner who had taken Shrewsbury Town from being Fourth Division strugglers into being an established Second Division side. Turner was sacked in September 1986 and his successor Billy McNeill was unable to save the club from finishing bottom of the First Division and being relegated - just five years after Villa had been champions of Europe.

McNeill left in the summer of 1987 to become manager of Glasgow Celtic. Villa chairman Doug Ellis gave the manager's job to Graham Taylor, who had transformed the fortunes of Watford in 10 years of management. A significant addition to the Villa squad was attacking midfielder David Platt, a 21-year-old signing from Crewe Alexandra for £200,000. Platt was instrumental in getting Villa back into the top flight at the first time of asking as they finished Second Division runners-up in 1988.

Villa narrowly avoided relegation from the First Division in 1989 but in 1990 they surprised everyone by finishing runners-up to Liverpool in the First Division.Taylor left shortly afterwards to replace Bobby Robson as England manager, but Taylor would eventually be villified by the British press for his failures as national coach. Villa meanwhile appointed Czech coach Jozef Venglos as their new manager - the first time that a foreign manager had taken charge of a top division club.

The 1990's: more mixed fortunes

Jozef Venglos spent one season as manager of Aston Villa (1990-91). He stepped down after they finished just two places above the First Division relegation zone and David Platt was sold to Italian side Bari for £5 million. Aston Villa's new manager was Ron Atkinson, who had achieved considerable success with West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United and more recently Sheffield Wednesday. He spent heavily, making expensive additions to the squad including Earl Barrett, Dean Saunders, Dalian Atkinson, Kevin Richardson, Ray Houghton and Shaun Teale. The policy nearly paid off in 1993 when Aston Villa finished runners-up to Manchester United (Atkinson's old club) in the inaugural Premier League. Villa gained their revenge over United with a 3-1 League Cup final victory the following season (which prevented United from winning a unique domestic treble) but Villa's league form slipped and they finished tenth in 1994.

Atkinson was sacked in November 1994 with Villa battling relegation, just 18 months after they had almost won the league. His successor Brian Little did well to keep a demoralised team in the Premiership and in the summer of 1995 reshaped the squad by selling most of the club's older players and buying in many younger players. New arrivals included Alan Wright, Gary Charles, Ian Taylor, Mark Draper, Savo Milosevic, Gareth Southgate and Tommy Johnson. Several home grown players were also progressing well, especially striker Dwight Yorke and defender Ugo Ehiogu.

Aston Villa made huge progress in 1995-96 under Brian Little. They won the League Cup, reached the F.A Cup semi finals and finished fourth in the Premiership. Dwight Yorke was now established as a world class striker and other players like Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate were already gaining international recognition. Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1996 and again in 1997, without making any real progress, and Little resigned in February 1998 with Villa 15th in the Premiership and with relegation looking a real possibility.

Little's successor John Gregory, a former Aston Villa coach who had left to take charge of Wycombe Wanderers 18 months earlier, revitalised the club's fortunes and they finished seventh in the Premiership and qualified for the UEFA Cup - due to the progress of other teams in the top seven it was the only time that a seventh placed club has automatically qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Despite the £12.6million sale of Dwight Yorke to Manchester United in August 1998, John Gregory had guided Aston Villa to the top of the Premiership by the middle of the 1998-99 season. New signings Paul Merson and Dion Dublin were proving to be worth the money, while 18-year-old defender Gareth Barry was easily the most competent young player in the Premiership that season. But Villa's form slipped during the final weeks and they finished sixth - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.

The New Millennium

So far, the new Millennium has brought more 'average' performances for Aston Villa. They did reach the F.A Cup final in 2000 (for the first time since 1957), but lost 1-0 to Chelsea. Gregory quit the club in January 2002 and chairman Doug Ellis made a surprise decision on appointed Graham Taylor as manager for the second time. Villa finished the 2001-02 season in eighth place, which was similar to most of their other Premiership finishes. But a 16th place finish in the 2002-03 Premiership campaign saw Taylor quit as manager and make way for ex-Leeds United manager David O'Leary.

After a poor start to the season, O'Leary transformed the team's fortunes and by Spring 2004 they were in contention for a Champions League place. But a 2-0 home defeat against Manchester United saw them finish sixth in the Premiership and narrowly miss out on a UEFA Cup place. Nevertheless, such an improvement in league form reflected well on how David O'Leary had rejuvenated the club's fortunes. By February 2005, they were mid table in the Premiership but there is still time for an improvement which could see Villa qualify for European competition in the 2005-06 season.

Aston Villa FC Honours, Trophies & Awards

* European Cup
o 1982
* European Super Cup
o 1983
* Inter-Toto Cup
o 2001
* FA Cup
o 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957
* League Cup
o 1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996
* First Division Champions
o 1893-1894, 1895-1896, 1896-1897, 1898-1899, 1899-1900, 1909-1910, 1980-1981
* Second Division Champions
o 1937-1938, 1959-1960
* Third Division Champions
o 1971-1972
* FA Youth Cup
o 1972, 1980, 2002
* Charity Shield (1981*)

Celtic Football Club

Celtic Football Club


Full Name: The Celtic Football Club
City: Glasgow
Founded: 1888
Stadium: Celtic Park (60,355)
Colors: Green, White
Nicknames: The Bhoys, The Hoops
Rival: Rangers
Official Website: celticfc.net

Description:

Formed on November 6, 1887 in East Glasgow, where the club is still based. The first match was against eternal rival Rangers. The Glasgow derby between Celtic and Rangers, known as the Old Firm, is one of the fiercest in the world. Celtic are traditionally the club of Catholic Scotland and of its Irish community. Bhoys is the traditional Irish spelling of Boys. Hoops is a reference to the "hoops" on the jerseys. Celtic were the first British (and still only Scottish) club to win the European Cup.

Honors

League Titles:

* Scottish Football League (1893)
* Scottish Football League First Division (1894, 96, 98, 1905, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, 26, 36, 38, 54, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
* Scottish Football League Premier Division (1977, 79, 81, 82, 86, 88, 98)
* Scottish Premier League (2001, 02, 04, 06, 07, 08)
* Scottish Cup (1894, 99, 1900, 04, 07, 08, 11, 12, 14, 23, 25, 27, 31, 33, 37, 51, 54, 65, 67, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 77, 80, 85, 88, 89, 95, 2001, 04, 05, 07)
* Scottish League Cup (1957, 58, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 75, 83, 98, 2000, 01, 06, 09
* Drybrough Cup: 1974.
* Coronation Cup: 1953.

International Titles:

* European Cup (1967)

Porto FC

Porto FC

Full Name: Futebol Clube do Porto
City: Porto
Founded: 1906
Stadium: Estádio do Dragão (50,948)
Colors: Blue, White
Nicknames: Os Dragões (The Dragons), FCP, Tripeiros, Azuis e Brancos (Blue and White)
Rivals: Benfica, Boavista, Sporting Lisbon
Official Website: fcporto.pt

Description:

Founded in 1893, but football action was suspended until 1906. Have been the most successful Portuguese club over the last 25 years, one of the Portuguese Big Three. The colors were chosen to represent an earlier incarnation of the Portuguese flag. The emblem includes the city shield of Oporto. The Dragões nickname is a reference to the Dragon atop the club's emblem. Tripeiros = resident of the city of Oporto. The stadium name = Stadium of the Dragons. Previous stadiums - Campo da Rainha (1906-12), Campo da Constitucão (1912-52), Das Antas (1952-2004).

HONORS

League Titles:

* Portuguese Championship (1922, 25, 32, 37)
* Portuguese League (1939, 40, 56, 59, 78, 79, 85, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2003, 04, 06, 07, 08, 09)

Cup Titles:

* Portuguese Cup (1956, 58, 68, 77, 84, 88, 91, 94, 98, 2000, 01, 03, 06, 09)
* Portuguese Super Cup (1981, 83, 84, 86, 90, 91, 93, 94, 96, 98, 99, 2001, 03, 04, 06, 09)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1987)
* Champions League (2004)
* UEFA Cup (2003)
* Intercontinental Cup (1987, 2004)

Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club

Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club


Full Name: Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax
City: Amsterdam
Founded: 1900
Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA (51,859)
Colors: Red, White
Nicknames: De Godenzonen, Superjoden
Rivals: Feyenoord, PSV
Official Website: ajax.nl

Description:

Ajax were founded at the Café Oost Indie on Kalverstraat on March 18, 1900. They are named in honor of the Ancient Greek warrior of the same name.Famous for playing attractive, attacking football and for being the birthplace of 'total football'.They also have traditionally had one of the world's best youth programs, known simply as De Toekomst - The Future. The supporters have a curious reputation as being Jewish,though few actually are. Anti-semitic chants are sung by opposing fans, and Israeli flags are regularly seen at Ajax matches. The nickname Superjoden meansSuper Jews while De Godenzonen means Sons of the Gods. Ajax are the symbol of the city of Amsterdam and that of the artistic/creative class of Holland. Their arch-rivals are Feyenoord,their matches are called 'De klassieker' - the classic one. The club adopted their now trademark uniforms of white shirts with vertical red stripe in1911 to avoid conflict with already established Sparta Rotterdam. Previous stadiums - Het Houten (1900-28), Olympic Stadium (1928-34), De Meer (1934-96).

Ajax Amsterdam History

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also referred to as Ajax Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax (pronounced i-yax), is a football club from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Ajax is one of the top football clubs in the world. It is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands that dominate the Dutch football scene. The other "bigthree" clubs are Feyenoord Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven. Ajax is also one of only four clubs to have won all three major European trophies.
The club was founded in March 18, 1900 by the brothers Han and Johan Dade and based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The club is probably well-known by all football fans around the world with its recognizable white with a single red stripe home jersey. The club is also famous for its respectable youth program and has introduced to the world many great professional footballers such as Johan Cruijff and Marco van Basten. Its satellite club is the Ajax Cape Town of South Africa where youth players were drafted in the first team squad at some point of the seasonal campaign of the Eredivisie such as Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena. In 1995, the year that they won the European Champions' League, the first team was best remembered as the team that could best represent the Dutch national team in all departments, with Edwin van der Sar in goalkeeping position, players such as Michael Reiziger, Frank de Boer, Danny Blind in defense, Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf in midfield, as well as Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars in attack. The team was coached by Louis van Gaal. Its current fortunes are mostly domestic-based notwithstanding some minor successes in the 2002-2003 Champions League campaign although its youth team continues to develop talented individuals like Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Nigel de Jong and Johnny Heitinga who regularly represented their nation.

Ajax’s first stadium was built in 1911 out of wood and was simply called The Stadium. Ajax later played in the stadium that was build for the 1928 Olympic games of Amsterdam. This stadium designed by Jan Wils is know as the Olympic Stadium. Ajax also played in stadium called De Meer from 1934on. In 1996,Ajax changed from the Olympic stadium and De Meer to a new home ground known as the Amsterdam ArenA that was built at the cost of $134 million. The stadium is capable of holding up to approximately 52 000 people. Amsterdam Arena, also written in camel case: ArenA (Amsterdam southeast). The Arena has a retractable roof and was the example for other modern stadiums that were build in the EU in the following years. In the Netherlands the Arena has earned a reputation for having a terrible grassfield. The condition of the field is caused by the roof that, even when open, takes away to much sunlight and ventilation of the field.

Ajax Amsterdam Honours, Trophies & Awards

League Titles:

* Dutch Championship (1918, 19, 31, 32, 34, 37, 39, 47)
* Eredivisie (1957, 60, 66, 67, 68, 70, 72, 73, 77, 79, 80, 82, 83, 85, 90, 94, 95, 96, 98, 2002, 04)

Cup Titles:

* Dutch Cup (1917, 43, 61, 67, 70, 71, 72, 79, 83, 86, 87, 93, 98, 99, 2002, 06, 07)
* Dutch Super Cup (1993, 94, 95)
* Johan Cruyff Shield (2002, 05, 06, 07)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1971, 72, 73)
* Champions League (1995)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1987)
* UEFA Cup (1992)
* Intercontinental Cup (1972, 95)

Olympique Lyonnais

Olympique Lyonnais

Full Name: Olympique Lyonnais
City: Lyon
Founded: 1950
Stadium: Stade de Gerland (41,184)
Colors: Blue, Red, White
Previous: Olympique de Lyon et du Rhône
Nicknames: OL, Les Gones (The Kids), Les Quenelles
Rival: Saint-Etienne
Official Website: olweb.fr

Description:

Formed as a football-only breakaway from multi-sport Lyon Olympique Universitaire, which was formed in 1899. This date is often given as the club's foundation. Les Gones is 'kids' in the Lyonnais dialect. Quenelle is a specialty of Lyon cuisine and it's color is all-white (like the jerseys of Lyon). Gerland is a neighborhood of Lyon.

Olympique Lyonnais History

Olympique Lyonnais is a French football club which plays at the Stade Gerland in Lyon.The club has dominated the top French level, Ligue 1, in the early years of the 21st century. After a second-place finish in 2001, OL won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles (2002-2004).

HONORS

League Titles:

* Ligue 1 (2002, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08)

Cup Titles:

* Coupe de France (1964, 67, 73, 2008)
* Coupe de la Ligue (2001)
* Trophée des Champions (2002, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07)

Bayern München

Bayern München

full Name:Fußball-Club Bayern München
City: Munich
Founded: 1900
Stadium: Allianza Arena (66,000)
Colors: Red, White
Nicknames: Die Bayern (The Bavarians), Bayern Munich, Die Roten (The Reds)
Rivals: 1860 München, 1. FC Nürnberg
Stadium: Olympiastadion
Official Website: fcbayern.de

Description:

Created by disaffected members of MTV 1879 München. In 1906, became the soccer department of Münchner SC. This club disappeared after World War I, so

the soccer department merged with TSV Jahn Munich. In 1923 FC Bayern München became an independent association. Bayern = Bavaria, the region of

southern Germany of which München is the capital. The blue and white diamond pattern in the center of Bayern's emblem is that of the state of Bavaria.

Considered the club of the establishment within Bavaria, and have support from throughout the region. Previous stadiums - Leopoldstrasse (1907-49),

Grünwalderstrasse Stadion (1949-72), Olympiastadion (1972-2005).


Bayern Munich History

Bayern Munich (German: FC Bayern München) is a German football club.
Founded in 1900, it is based in Munich. It currently plays in the Olympic Stadium, but will move to a new ground, Allianz Arena, in 2005. The club is themost famous and successful in Germany and has a fanbase consisting of 97,745 members. The club is also one of only four to have won all three major European trophies.

Bayern Munich Honours, Trophies & Awards

* German Championship (1932)
* Bundesliga (1969, 72, 73, 74, 80, 81, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 94, 97, 99, 2000, 01, 03, 05, 06, 08)

Cup Titles:

* DFB Pokal (1957, 66, 67, 69, 71, 82, 84, 86, 98, 2000, 03, 05, 06, 08)
* DFB Super Cup (1982, 87, 90)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1974, 75, 76)
* Champions League (2001)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1967)
* UEFA Cup (1996)
* Intercontinental Cup (1976, 2001)

AS ROMA

Full Name: Associazione Sportiva Roma

City: Rome
Founded: 1927
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico (82,307)
Colors: Red, Yellow, White, Black
Nicknames: Giallorossi, Lupi
Rival: Lazio
Stadium: Olimpico
Official Website: asroma.it


Description:

Associazione Sportiva Roma were formed on July 22, 1927 by the merger of Alba-Audace, Roman and Fortitudo (who themselves had just absorbed Pro
Roma). The Fascist government of the time encouraged the creation of one club for each major city within the center and south of the country in an effort to bring more balance to northern-dominated Italian football. Roma have only missed one season of Serie A, although three scudetti seems a bit a poor result for all those years at the top. On the positive side they've recently equaled Juventus for the most Coppa Italia trophies won.

Roma’s emblem (the she-wolf and her twins) is the symbol of historic Rome. The Lupi nickname is a reference to this. The colors red and gold symbolize
imperial dignity and the Christian God respectively. They are taken from the banner of Campidoglio, one of the seven hills of Rome and a promiment place in the psychology of the Roman Empire. The nickname Giallorossi means The Yellow and Red. The derby with Lazio (il Derby della Capitale) is probably the
fiercest in Italian soccer. Roma supporters are traditionally from the south and center of the city. The two clubs share the city's Stadio Olimpico, built for the
1960 Olympics. Previous stadiums - Motovelodromo Appio (1927), Testaccio (1927-40), and Flaminio (1940-1952).


AS Roma History

A.S. Roma (Associazione Sportiva Roma) is a Italian football club. Nicknamed the giallorossi, it plays in Serie A. Roma's home uniforms are dark red shirts
with dark yellow borders, white shorts and black socks.
The emblem is the Capitoline she-wolf lactating twins, symbol of Rome, superimposed a bipartite golden-yellow over red shield; official colors are the same as those of Rome, red for imperial dignity, gold for the Christian God.
The current stadium is the 82,656 seater Stadio Olimpico, which is shared with S.S. Lazio. The two teams compete against one another each year in the Rome derby, a major and emotional event in Italian football.

A.S. Roma was founded in July 1927, when Rome already had three teams in the Italian football league - Alba, Fortitudo and Lazio. The Fascist regime's idea at the time was to merge all the Rome clubs into one which the many newly-arrived immigrants could identify with, Lazio considered very much a patrician club of the Roman social elite, and strong enough to challenge the northerners. Lazio refused even a meeting but Alba, Pro Roma, Fortitudo and Roman attended and Roma was formed. Roma was named after the city and with the red and yellow strip of the Roman club. The initial stadium was Motovelodromo Appio.They took part in their first league in the 1929-30 season.

A.S. Roma won their first scudetto in the 1941-42 season. The second was won in the 1982-83 season and the third in 2000-01. They were runners-up in 1930-31, 1935-36, 1980-81, 1983-84, 1985-86, 2001-02 and 2003-04. They were relegated only once,at the end of the 1950-51 season.
The club has won the Coppa Italia seven times: 1963-64, 1968-69, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1983-84, 1985-86, and 1990-91, and the UEFA Cup (Fairs Cup) once in 1960-61, defeating Birmingham City. In 1984, A.S. Roma lost the final match of the European Cup, played in Rome, against Liverpool F.C., after a penalty shootout.


AS Roma Honours, Trophies & Awards

* Serie A (1942, 83, 2001)
* Coppa Italia (1964, 69, 80, 81, 84, 86, 91, 2007, 08)
* Supercoppa Italiana (2001, 2007)
* Fairs Cup (1961)

ACF FIORENTINA

ACF FIORENTINA

Full Name: ACF Fiorentina
City: Florence
Founded: 2002 (1926)
Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi (47,232)
Colors: Purple, White
Previous: AC Fiorentina (1926-2002), Florentia Viola (2002-03)
Nicknames: Viola (The Purple), Fiore
Rival: Juventus
Official Website: it.violachannel.tv


Description:

Fiorentina were formed on August 26, 1926 by the merger of Club Sportivo Firenze and Polisportiva Giovanile Libertas. Many Italian clubs in the center and

south have similar merger stories as the Fascists encouraged a number of mergers to create a single club from each city to better compete with the powerful

northern clubs. Fiorentina went bankrupt in 2002, reformed as Florentia Viola, and started again in the 4th division. The name changed back to Fiorentina the

following season. Fiorentina translates as "Florentine". The club's emblem incorporates the lily of the coat of arms of Florence. The club are occasionally

known as Gigliati (The Lilies) as a result. The club’s colors were initially red and white, those of the two founding clubs. A few years later the jerseys turned

purple due to a washing error (seriously) and the club decided to keep the new color. Fiorentina are one of the few clubs to have reached the final of all three

European tournaments. The Stadio Artemio Franchi is named for a former president of FIGC, the Italian soccer association. Until 1991 it was known as the

Stadio Communale. It was designed by Pier Luigi Nervi and is widely regarded as one of Italy's most architecturally significant stadiums. Previous Stadiums:

Bellini (1926-31).


Fiorentina History

ACF Fiorentina, formerly Associazione Calcio Fiorentina, is an Italian football club based in Florence (Firenze). The club traditional colors were originally red

and white but were changed to purple and white in 1928; since then, the club has been generally known as "la Viola" (the purple ones).
The club was founded on August 26, 1926 by the merger of Libertas and Club Sportivo Firenze. The club won its first trophy in 1939-40 with the Coppa Italia

and its first scudetto (Italian championship) in 1955-1956, the club were runners-up in the four following seasons. In the 1960-1961 season the club won the

Coppa Italia again and was also successful in Europe, winning the first Cup Winners' Cup against Rangers.
In the 1960s the club won the Coppa Italia and the Mitropa Cup in 1966 and were league champions again in 1968-1969. In 1974 Viola won the

Anglo-Italian Cup. Success in the Coppa Italia was repeated in 1975, but from then until the late 1990s the club was in the doldrums, culminating in a season

in Serie B (second division) in 1993-1994. Upon return to Serie A the club again proved able in the cup competitions, winning the Coppa Italia again in 1996

and 2000 and the Italian SuperCoppa.

The club's financial situation was revealed to be poor in mid 2001, the club was unable to pay wages and had debts of around USD 50 million. The club

owner, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, came in with more money but soon proved to have insufficient resources to sustain the club. The club was then relegated at the end

of the 2001-2002 season and went into judicially controlled administration in June 2002. Due to a sort of bankruptcy (sport companies don't precisely fail in

Italy, but can suffer a similar procedure), the club was refused a place in Serie B for the 2002-2003 season. The club was then re-established in August as

Florentia Viola with a new owner, Diego Della Valle, and admitted to Serie C2. In the club's year in Serie C2, it easily won its regional section, which would

normally have led to a promotion to Serie C1. In the 2003 off-season, the club bought back the right to use the Fiorentina name, reincorporated as ACF

Fiorentina, and was kicked up to Serie B, skipping Serie C1, after the Italian Football Federation decided to increase the number of teams in Serie B from 20 to

24 because of Caso Catania. The unusual double promotion caused some controversy; however, Fiorentina ended the 2003-2004 season in sixth, placing the Viola in a two-legged test match against Perugia (the 15th-place finisher in Serie A) for a position in Serie A.

The Viola completed a remarkable return to Serie A by winning the test match 2-1 on aggregate.

HONORS

* Serie A (1956, 69)
* Coppa Italia (1940, 61, 66, 75, 96, 2001)
* Supercoppa Italiana (1996)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1961)