Teams who failed to live up to the hype: Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal and more
“I was told [when taking the job] that this is the golden generation," said Wales manager Chris Coleman, after watching his side lose 6-1 to Serbia. "[Wales] had just won four out of five games."
Aside from the fact that the generation of Rush, Ratcliffe, Southall, Hughes and co. couldn't qualify for a World Cup in the 1980s, the current crop - now on a run of five straight defeats, with 13 goals conceded and just one goal to their name - appear to have been severely overhyped. Expectation is a dangerous thing, as the teams below will attest to...
Arsenal: tomorrow never comes
When Arsenal won trophies under Arsene Wenger, they did so with a mix of experience and battle-hardened players. Since 2005 and Wenger's last trophy, however, youth has been a feature of his Arsenal teams, as has a lack of silverware. Every spring, as Arsenal's hopes of a trophy fade, Wenger's mantra is the same: success is just around the corner. “For a long time we needed to adjust to the Premiership to find confidence,” said Wenger of his young team in 2006. “We were a very young side last year but when you are young and intelligent you can improve quickly,” he claimed in 2007. “We have a very young team, which is also very promising,” said Wenger in 2008. Did the tune change in 2011? “This team is a young team,” said Wenger before losing the Carling Cup final to Birmingham. “They have the advantage of a team that has grown together.” Maybe this year, Monsieur Wenger, maybe this year…
Manchester United's big European push
When you're three times defending champs and outspend your rivals massively, you expect to win. In the summer of 2001 Sir Alex Ferguson spent big, adding nearly £50m worth of talent in the shape of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastian Veron. The intent was to give Man United the quality they needed to win the 2002 Champions League, the final of which was in Fergie's home town of Glasgow. With Ferguson stating it would be his last season, the pressure was on for the new-look team to deliver at home and, more importantly, abroad. The result was a massive anti-climax, as United were outplayed in Europe by little Bayer Leverkusen and finished a disappointing third in the Premier League. Despite surprisingly snatching the title from Arsenal in 2003, the van Nistelrooy/Veron era proved to be a total non-event in Europe and was Fergie's worst domestic spell for years, with Arsenal and Chelsea ruling the Premier League roost.
England's 'Golden Generation'
Before quitting in the Wembley lavs, Kevin Keegan oversaw a Euro 2000 debacle that marked the end for England's 1990s old guard, including captain Alan Shearer. In swept Sven-Goran Eriksson as England destroyed Germany 5-1 in Munich, heralding an exciting 'Golden Generation' of players, including Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole. Alongside talents from Man United's youth system – David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt – John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole further strengthened optimism that England had a team to take on the world. It never quite happened, as the Golden Generation threw away golden opportunities at two World Cups, as well as Euro 2004, never making it past the quarter final stage. A 4-1 thrashing at the 2010 World Cup by a youthful Germany was an apt reversal of that night in Munich, nearly a decade earlier.
Liverpool are 10 games from greatness
When Gerard Houllier took over at Anfield in 1998, Liverpool were going backwards, but steady progress under the Frenchman led to a unique cup treble in 2001. As the 2001/02 season reached its climax, the Reds were in the hunt for both the Champions League and Premier League trophies. “Hopefully we are ten games from greatness,” declared Red Ged. Sadly for him and Kopites everywhere, Champions League elimination swiftly followed and Arsenal pulled away to leave Liverpool second in the title race. The next season was supposed to be the year Liverpool made the next step, but disastrous summer signings El-Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou only succeeded in taking them to fifth, out of the Champions League and it was soon au revoir, Gerard.
Crystal Palace: 'Team of the '80s'
Having won back-to-back FA Youth Cups in 1977 and 1978, Crystal Palace won promotion to the old First Division under their young manager Terry Venables in 1979. The Eagles were flying so high that they stayed unbeaten longer than any other club in the top flight during 1979/80, leading Jimmy Greaves to tag them 'The Team Of The 80s'. No pressure there, then, especially when star player Kenny Sansom was nabbed by Arsenal. Palace lost nine out of the first 10 games the following season, Venables quit and 'The Team Of the 80s' were relegated in the first full season of the decade.
Leeds: Champions League dreamers
'Doing a Leeds' is the phrase every Premier League club is afraid of. Manager David O'Leary assembled an exciting young team at Elland Road (and boy did O'Leary like to remind everyone how young they were), the only slight complication being that it cost a shedload of cash to do it. Still, things looked very promising when the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Keane and Lee Bowyer took Leeds to the 2001 Champions League semi finals and, in 2002, they were in the mix for the title in the new year. Then it all went wrong. Failure to qualify for the Champions League again cost them dear as huge debts racked up and a shocking decline to the third tier followed. Taxi for Peter Ridsdale!
Newcastle United: The great entertainers
When Kevin Keegan rode into Toon as manager in 1992, he saved Newcastle from relegation to the third tier, before taking them up to the Premier League in 1993. By 1996 Keegan's side, labelled 'The Entertainers' by Sky Sports, were 12 points clear at the top and seemingly on the up and up. Manchester United had other ideas, however, and Keegan quit shortly after having blown the title. Kenny Dalgish steered Newcastle to second place again in 1997, followed by an FA Cup final spot in 1998, but the Toon lost to an Arsenal team who eclipsed them as Manchester United's main rivals. A Cup final defeat to Man United in 1999 and Champions League places under Sir Bobby Robson followed, but Newcastle faded as a top level force before they could turn potential into silverware.
West Ham's missed opportunity
In 2001/02 West Ham finished an impressive 7th in the Premier League, with an impressive crop of young players coming through the ranks. Future England stars Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick and Glen Johnson were all on the books, but just one year later these players were part of a West Ham team relegated from the top flight. A fire sale saw Cole and Johnson join fellow former Hammer Frank Lampard at Chelsea, while Defoe and Carrick were sold to Spurs (Carrick ending up eventually at Man United, alongside another ex-Upton Park product, Rio Ferdinand). West Ham managed to bounce back with promotion in 2005, but Hammers fans will always be left wondering how the club failed to capitalise on a remarkable pool of talent.
Ipswich Town's Tractor Boys
When Ipswich were promoted to the Premier League in 2000, via the play-offs, relegation was roundly predicted for George Burley's side. Dubbed 'The Tractor Boys', Burley's Ipswich shocked everyone that season by finishing fifth and qualifying for Europe. Burley himself was named Premier League Manager Of The Year, an award that normally goes to the title-winning manager. In direct contrast to the previous year, great things were now predicted for his Ipswich team, but they sunk almost as fast as they had risen. After 18 games in 2001/02 Ipswich had just one win, they were relegated in May and have yet to return to the Premier League.
Portugal's Golden Generation
Portugal won consecutive FIFA World Youth Championships in 1989 and 1991, as a talented generation including Lusi Figo, Rui Cosa and Fernando Couto emerged to lead them out of the international wilderness. A semi final defeat to France at Euro 2000 highlighted Portugal's growing strength and with Euro 2004 being played on home soil, just a month after FC Porto had won the Champions League, hopes were high that Figo's Golden Generation would win. Portugal beat England's slightly crappier Golden Generation on penalties in the quarters, but agonisingly lost the final to Greece. Another quarter final win against England followed at the 2006 World Cup, but France did for Portugal again in the last four. Slightly more successful than England's Golden Generation, but still potless.