The No.5ive Club...

For the past 10 years of English Premier League(Since I was in Sec 1), it has been dominated by the Big 4 (Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal) while there are teams eager to break into this monopoly. For this lifespan of the league, four teams(Or I should say five as Aston Villa is the latest one this season) had been trying to challenge the big four...some has succeeded by finishing in the top 4 and enters the lucrative UEFA Champions League, while some has tried but finishing the no.5 and the UEFA Cup spot. Today, I shall review these teams for the past 10 years...Some teams(Or I should say most teams) faded, but some's not.

1) Leeds United (For the past 10 years)
"Golden" period: 1998/99 - 2001/02
Highest Standing: 3rd place (1999/00)
Major Achievements: None... but reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2000/01 season
Where are they now?: Sorry... they are in League One.(The 3rd tier of English football Pyramid)

Once, they boasted a team of youthful talent in the early 2000s, consisting of players like Harry Kewell, Rio Ferdinard, Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, Jonathan Woodgate and Robbie Keane...etc. It's a dream team soo much soo that I used to 'manage' them in Football Manager(then Championship Manager) for the 2001/02 version of the game. They had been challenging the likes of the Big 4 and even reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2001 season, where they succumbed to Valencia in 2 legs.

Unfortunately, their chairman then(Peter Ridsdale) was over ambitious that he bought many footballers, as much as those they trained, some transfer-fees even broke some records (Such as the one of Rio Ferdinard)... that they eventually went into debts. After the 2001/02 season where they could only finish in fifth place, David 'O' Leary was sacked and their players were sold eventually one-by-one due to their financial turmoil.

In 2003-04, they were eventually relegated and then 2006-07 again... which is League One where they are now.

I do like this club besides Liverpool and do hope one day they will bounce back and to where they used to stand.

2) Newcastle United
"Golden" period": 2001/02 - 2003/04
Highest Standing: 3rd place (2002/03)
Major Achievements: None...
Where are they now?: Still in EPL, but a mid-table side.

A very ambitious club since EPL has started...Used to challenge Man U for the title before making some little downfall at the very late 1990s and early 2000s, finishing in mid-table during that period. They emerged again and challenged the Big Four at the 2001/02 season under the guidance of Sir Bobby Robson, with a very effective partnership of Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy. They went closer in the following season, almost challenging Man U and Arsenal for the title, and pipping Liverpool and Chelsea away from the 3rd spot. However, after finishing 5th in the 2004 season, things were back to square one.

After Sir Bobby was sacked due to poor form in the early season of 2004/05, Newcastle United would eventually changed their manager after their manager, like how a person changes his clothing, from Graeme Souness to Glenn Roeder, from Glenn Roeder to Kevin Keagan and soo on... In the end, their owner was also changed. The fans thought they had a better owner who will bring the team to glory... they are wrong.

Now, the team was soo bad (Even though at least they are now a mid-table side) that their chief striker cum captain, Michael Owen(Who was USED to be the pin-up boy of Liverpool), had lost his place in Fabio Capello's England squad.

zzz...

3) Everton FC
"Golden" period": 2002/03 - Now (Except for 2003/04 and 2005/06 season)
Highest Standing: 4th place (2004/05)
Major Achievements: None...
Where are they now?: Still in EPL, a team who is at least fighting for a UEFA cup spot

Well, after their hey days in the 1980s, they were struggling to be a mid-table team who even had to fight against relegation at times. Until David Moyes, a young Scottish manager came to manage the team, and a great English young talent by the name of Wayne Rooney that they started to emerge.

In Rooney's first season, they came close to secure a UEFA Cup spot, but at least they broke into the top 10 in the standings. They might have struggling a little in the following season and Rooney's departure to Man U in the beginning of 2004/05 season, they will eventually finished above their derby rivals, Liverpool, for the 4th place.(Even without the wonderkid... Meanwhile, Liverpool also got to play in the Champions League for the following season, cause they won that memorable final in 2005 =D)

For the past few seasons, Everton had been giving the Big Four a run of their money and they had been entering the UEFA Cup quite consistently, getting some positive results in the 2nd tier European Competition...and this can be done despite limited resources, and not having some foreign "sugar daddy"

(To be continued on the other two 'No 5' teams...)