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Hello and welcome to the first edition of a brand new weekly publication in which we will be covering all the important soccer news and views from around Europe. We will be keeping all you football fans up to date with the latest happenings in the major European leagues and many of the minor ones too. We will be bringing you all of the key results and each week we will have an in depth look at one of the European Divisions and highlight our Match of the Week.
Most of the Continent is gearing up to a brand new season and we intend to keep you abreast of their pre-season activities. However, in some countries the season is already well underway. In this, our inaugural issue, we will take a brief look back at last season for all of the national leagues that will be featured throughout the year.
So, without further ado, let's get started.
Belgium (starts August 8th)
Last season the recent dominance of Anderlecht was broken by Lierse, who caused a major upset by finishing as First Division champions. They pipped equally unfancied Charleroi to the title by a single point when the runners-up could only draw their final match of the season. Anderlecht finished the season without a trophy as they were beaten in the Cup Final by Racing Genk thanks to a stoppage-time goal.
Croatia (started July 26th)
There was another surprise title winner in Croatia last season when Slaven Belupo beat both Dinamo and Hajduk to the First Division championship. The "big two" did contest the cup final however, with Dinamo triumphing 5-3 on aggregate.
Denmark (started July 27th) Brøndby will be going for a third successive Premiership title after their triumph last season. They won the title by a 9-point margin over second-placed OB with rivals FC København a further 3 points back. However, København did have the consolation of winning the Cup, beating AaB in a one-sided final.
England (starts August 9th)
Liverpool won their first Premier League title last season, holding off the challenge of defending champions Arsenal. Newly-promoted Preston found things tough and finished in last place, managing just 5 wins all season. The other new boys, Wolves and Millwall, both avoided the drop, with Manchester City and Birmingham the other teams relegated. Charlton won the First Division championship and will be joined in the Premiership by Brighton and Everton. The Toffees were relegated in 2001/2002 but have bounced straight back. Liverpool added the League Cup to their league title with a victory over Arsenal, and Manchester United beat the Gunners in the FA Cup Final. It just wasn't Arsenal's season as they also finished runners-up in the Charity Shield to Manchester United. Bristol City beat Oldham in the Vans Trophy Final and in the FA Trophy Yeovil triumphed over Barnet.
Finland (started April 26th)
In Finland MyPa won the Premiership for the first time in their history. The Cup was won by Tampere Utd who beat Jaro on penalties after a 2-2 draw. After 16 games of this season the defending champions are in 2nd place, 11 points behind leaders HJK.
France (starts August 8th) Lens captured the First Division crown with the previous seasons champions Lyon finishing second. Lens missed out on a double, losing the League Cup Final to PSG. However, this cup win did little to satisfy the PSG fans following a disastrous league campaign in which they finished 12th. PSG are now on their third manager in 12 months, with the ex-coach of the national side, Henri Michel, now in charge. The Cup Final saw a victory for Second Division underdogs Toulouse over St. Etienne. The Cup winners rounded off a memorable season by gaining promotion to the First Division. In the Champions Trophy Lyon had a comfortable victory over Troyes.
Germany (started July 27th)
Last season FC Bayern continued their recent domination by capturing their 5th successive title, squeezing past Dortmund on goal difference. In the most thrilling finish for many years Bayern overtook Dortmund in the final match of the season, thanks to a 5-0 win over relegated Bielefeld. Dortmund beat Nürnberg 4-1, but it was not enough and Bayern ended up just a single goal better off on goal difference. Dortmund also lost out to Bayern in the League Cup, with a narrow 1-0 defeat but did gain some consolation by beating 1860 München 2-1 in the German Cup Final with Jan Koller getting the injury-time winner.
Greece (starts September 14th) Olympiakos captured their 7th title in the last 8 years, their winning sequence only broken by great rivals PAO (Panathinaikos) in 2001/2002. This was another championship decided on goal difference, with AEK Athens finishing level on points but losing out by a single goal. PAO defeated AEK in the Super Cup and PAOK beat Iraklis in the Greek Cup.
Holland (starts August 6th) PSV won their 4th Premier title in a row, although they were unable to complete the domestic clean-sweep that they had achieved in season 2001/2002. They did beat Ajax in the Super Cup but suffered a shock defeat in the Dutch Cup Quarter Final when Groningen triumphed on penalties. However, an even better treble was completed when PSV won the UEFA Cup, beating England's Blackburn Rovers 2-0. Feyenoord won the Dutch Cup, beating Heerenveen 2-1 after extra time.
Italy (starts August 31st) Roma captured the Serie A title, finishing 7 points ahead of Milan and thus reversing the positions of the previous season. They completed the domestic double by beating Juventus 3-1 on aggregate in the Italian Cup. Unfortunately, the third leg of a magnificent treble was just beyond them as they lost the Champions League Final to Barcelona on penalties after a scoreless match. Milan beat Parma in the Super Cup and Genoa beat Venezia in the Serie C Cup. However, Venezia did get some compensation by beating Avellino in the C1 Super Cup. Fiorentina just missed out on a second successive promotion following on from their promotion from Serie C2/B the previous season. They will be trying to get into Serie B this season and so keep up their fairy-tale climb back to the top level.
Northern Ireland (starts August 9th) Linfield were runaway Premier Division champions, with a 20 point lead over their nearest rivals. Portadown, champions the previous season, had a terrible campaign, eventually finishing in 5th position. Linfield completed the domestic double with a victory over First Division Carrick in the Irish Cup Final. Carrick's appearance in the final was all the more surprising considering that they finished last in Division One. Bangor defeated favourites Portadown in the League Cup Final and rounded off a marvellous season by also capturing the First Division title. Portadown's only trophy of the season came in the Charity Shield where they defeated Distillery.
Norway (started April 13th)
Norwegian football is dominated by one team - Rosenborg. Last season they won their 11th straight Premier Division title. In the Cup, Viking repeated their triumph of 2001 with a 1-0 victory over Molde after a replay. At this point in the season Rosenborg are top of the league with a 2-point lead over Brann.
Poland (started July 19th) Wisla Krakow have won the Polish First Division for the last two seasons and are looking to make it a hat trick this year. A free-scoring team, their main strength is in attack and they have some skilful forwards. Their main threats are likely to come from Legia Warsaw and Zaglebie. Legia won the Polish Cup last season but finished some way off the pace in the league. After just a couple of games both Legia and Wisla head their respective groups.
Portugal (starts August 24th) Sporting dominated the Premier League last season, winning by a margin of an incredible 27 points. They completed the domestic double by defeating Porto in the Cup Final and in the Super Cup, previous champions Benfica triumphed over cup winners Vit. Guimarães.
Republic of Ireland (starts August 15th)
This season Dundalk will be trying to capture their third consecutive Premier Division title. Last season the titleholders also walked off with the League Cup, beating Shamrock Rovers in the final but finished runners-up in the Presidents Cup, losing out to Bohemians. Shamrock Rovers won the Senior Challenge Cup with a victory over Shelbourne. First Division U.C.D. (University College Dublin) were surprise winners of the Super Cup after finishing first in a very tough group. The Munster Senior Cup saw a victory by Waterford Utd over Leeds Utd (not that Leeds!) and in the Leinster equivalent St. Pat's Athletic beat Longford. One of the oddities of the Irish league is that the Super Cup is played in June and therefore this season's trophy has already been contested. Dundalk, St. Pat's Athletic, Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians battled it out with Dundalk coming out on top to take their first trophy of the season.
Russia (started March 22nd)
Last season Spartak Moscow won their 10th Premier title in 11 years. The Cup competition is another that spans two seasons and the 2002 winners were Saturn who beat Spartak Moscow 1-0 in the final. Once again the 2003 competition is complete with Spartak having beaten First Division Sokol Saratov 3-2 in a thrilling match. Moscow were 3-0 ahead at half time and their opponents were down to 10 men but they fought back strongly and almost took the match to extra time. In the 2003 Premiership surprise package Krylja Sovetov hold a two-point lead at the top after 17 matches.
Scotland (started July 26th)
In 2002/2003 Celtic just missed out on the domestic treble. They won the Premier League, beat Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup but lost out to Dundee United in the League Cup. United were the holders of the trophy from the previous season, a season in which they narrowly lost out to Rangers in the Premier League. Alloa won the Challenge Cup, defeating Partick Thistle in the final.
Spain (starts August 24th) Barcelona ran away with the First Division title in Spain and capped off a fabulous season by defeating Roma in the Champions League final in Paris. Athletic Bilbao upset Deportivo in the Super Cup at the start of last season and repeated the feat against Real Madrid in the Spanish Cup final at the end of the season.
Sweden (started April 6th)
Last season the surprise winners of the Premier League were IF Elfsborg, seeing off the challenge of better-known teams such as Malmo, Helsingborg and AIK. The Swedish Cup was won by IFK Göteborg who defeated First Division Sylvia in the two-legged final. Sadly their opponents were relegated to the Second Division that season. Oddly, the cup competition straddles two seaons, with the first three rounds played in the "previous" season and the remaining games played in the "current season". So this season's final has already been played with Trelleborg beating Malmo 3-2 on aggregate. In the Premier Division, the current pacesetters with 12 games played are AIK with Malmo, Helsingborg and Elfsborg close behind.
Turkey (starts August 8th) Fenerbahçe captured the Premier Division last season, finishing above great rivals Galatasaray and defending champions Besiktas. In the Turkish Cup Malatyaspor beat holders Çaykur Rizespor.
Wales (starts August 16th)
Last season Cwmbran Town went from zero to hero as the side that finished bottom of the Premiership in 2001/2002 won the title by a clear 12 points - talk about a turnaround. Caersws triumphed over Carmarthen Town in the Welsh Cup and Port Talbot Town beat Newtown in the League Cup. Port Talbot just lost out to Cardiff in the Premier Cup.
Thanks for your messages of support. PM - I am running CM01/02 so I hadn't planned on any screenshots. As for page 3 - you do not want to see me topless, believe me
Friday August 8th, 2003
There is no doubt that the main news story this week concerns the transfer activities of Milan and Real Madrid. French superstar Zinedine Zidane (31, AM C) has been out of favour at Real and he has now been transferred to Milan for £16.5M. A few days later it was announced that Clarence Seedorf (27, DM RLC) was moving in the opposite direction from Milan to Real for £14.25M. The other big transfer this week was the move of young French striker Djibril Cisse (21, SC) from Auxerre to Betis for £16.25M.
Champions League
The first leg matches of the Third Qualifying Phase took place on Wednesday and some big names were in action. Manchester United beat Levski of Bulgaria 5-1 at Old Trafford and Real Madrid had a 2-1 victory over Slovenian team Maribor. But probably the biggest match of this round was between Rangers and Feyenoord with the Scots recording a 2-1 win at Ibrox.
UEFA Cup
The Qualifying Round First Leg matches were played on Thursday and there were some interesting ties. Barry Town of Wales faced the once-mighty Red Star of Belgrade. Alas there was no fairytale result as Barry were thumped 5-0. Northern Ireland's Distillery (a grand name for team) had a creditable 1-1 draw in Slovenia against Olimpija. Their compatriots from the Republic, St. Pat's Athletic, went one better with a 1-0 win in Lithuania against Zalgiris. But probably the most noteworthy performance came from another team from the Republic as Shamrock Rovers beat Motherwell 1-0 in Dublin.
Spotlight on.....The Scottish Premier League
Last season Celtic regained the Premier League title having relinquished it to Rangers the previous season. Season 2001/2002 is not one that the Celts will be keen to remember, having finished a disappointing 4th, a full 18 points behind the Gers. Dundee United pushed Rangers all the way that season, eventually ending up just 2 points adrift in second place. But last season normal service was resumed with the Old Firm totally dominating the league. Another two-horse race is expected this season, but maybe there will be another surprise package.
Aberdeen 2001/2002 - 7th
2002/2003 - 7th
Despite finishing outside the top 6 for the second season in succession, the Dons had a good run in the cup competitions. They reached the League Cup Quarter Finals and lost the Scottish Cup Final to Celtic. Aberdeen put a strong emphasis on youth development and manager Steve Patterson has one of the youngest squads in the Division. Last season's top scorer was Murray Watson (19, S C) with 24 goals. Key acquisitions this season include Frederic Dindeleux (29, DC) for £2.1M and James Fowler (22, F RC) for £1.2M, both from Kilmarnock.
Celtic 2001/2002 - 4th
2002/2003 - 1st John Toshack took over as Manager when Martin O'Neill was poached by Newcastle to replace the retiring Bobby Robson. It was a good first season for the Welshman, with a league and cup double. There have been no additions to the squad in the off-season but Sylvain Legwinski (29, DM RC) was sold to Lille for £2.2M. He was bought from Fulham last November for £1.5M but never managed to establish a first team position. Last summer he purchased Argentinean forward Julio Ricardo Cruz (28, SC) from Bologna for £8.5M. At the turn of the year Toshack sold Parkhead legend Henrik Larsson (31, F C) to Deportivo for £9.25M. In 177 games for the club the Swede scored 126 goals. He also disposed of influential midfielders Alan Thompson (29, AM LC) to Chelsea for £5.5M and Neil Lennon (32, DM C) to Everton for £1.2M. Chris Sutton (30, S C) was last season's Scottish Player of the Year and hot prospect Mark Kerr (21, MC) was the Young Player of the Year.
Dundee 2001/2002 - 3rd
2002/2003 - 4th
Manager Jim Duffy has established Dundee as a top-6 team but the squad lacks the class required to really challenge for the title. Last summer Dundee spent nearly £4M on players, with the single biggest outlay being the £2.1M paid to Aston Villa for Robert Edwards (21, D RC). There has been no transfer activity at Dens Park so far this season. Without doubt their key player over the last couple of seasons has been Beto (31, AM/F RLC). Last season he was the club's top scorer with 21 goals and was voted Supporters Player of the Year.
Dundee United 2001/2002 - 2nd
2002/2003 - 5th
Having almost won the league title the previous season much was expected from Alex Smith's team last season. Unfortunately they couldn't sustain their league form but they did go on to retain the League Cup. With Icelandic international Arnar Gunnlaugsson (30, F LC) transfer listed after a disagreement with Smith, United rely too much on the veteran Billy Dodds (34, SC) for their goals. Last season he was top scorer with 17 goals.
Dunfermline 2001/2002 - 10th
2002/2003 - 8th
Having sacked manager Jimmy Calderwood in March last year much was expected of his replacement, the up and coming David Moyes. But after a mediocre season Moyes left East End Park for the bright lights of Nottingham Forest. A rather interesting hiring decision by the board meant that Moyes was replaced by Walter Smith who had just recently been fired by.....Nottingham Forest! Dunfermline's big problem recently has been a lack of goals. Consider that for each of the past two seasons the top scorer has been Stephen Crawford (29, S C) with 10 and 11 goals respectively and you can see the problem!
Hearts 2001/2002 - 11th
2002/2003 - 11th
Despite having just avoided relegation for the last two seasons, the Hearts board continue to show faith in manager Craig Levein, although another season of underachievement may stretch their patience too far. With limited funds available to strengthen the squad, Levein's prospects do not look good. Hearts are another side that lacks a good goalscorer, with Andy Kirk (24, S C) finishing as top scorer last season with 10 goals.
Hibs 2001/2002 - 8th
2002/2003 - 9th
When manager Bobby Williamson was sacked in 2002 and replaced by ex-Wolves manager Dave Jones, much was expected by the Easter Road faithful. Unfortunately Jones gave them little to cheer about last season and, with no squad improvements made in the summer, it looks like more of the same this season. Some key players are now the wrong side of 30, including Eduardo Hurtado (34, S C), Paul Fenwick (33, D C), John O'Neil (32, AM LC) and Luna (31, S C).
Livinsgstone 2001/2002 - 9th
2002/2003 - 6th
Working on a tight budget, and with few star players, manager Jim Leishman continues to work miracles by keeping Livingstone in the Premier Division. Javier Sanchez Broto (31, GK) and Marvin Andrews (26, D C) are key players for the club. They also have a good young goalscorer in the shape of Stephen Whalen (23, AM/F C) who found the net 21 times last season.
Motherwell 2001/2002 - 6th
2002/2003 - 3rd
Manager Terry Butcher guided Motherwell to a fine third-place finish last season, although they were a long way behind the Old Firm at the top of the table. In the off-season Butcher has signed the experienced Craig Nelson (32, GK) from Ayr for £660K and Andrius Skerla (26, DC) on a Bosman from Dunfermline. With last season's top scorer (23 goals in 40 games) Jerry Simons (33, S C) out for 3 months with a serious hip injury suffered in a pre-season friendly, Motherwell may struggle to find the net this season.
Raith Rovers 2001/2002 - Second Division Champions
2002/2003 - First Division Champions
Raith Rovers are the fairytale club of Scottish football at the moment, as under the guidance of manager Jocky Scott, they have achieved back-to-back promotions. Raith have one of the oldest squads in the division, with more that half of the first team regulars the wrong side of 30, and this may cost them this season. Jocky is one of the more active manager in the transfer market, having signed no fewer than 19 players in the last 10 months. Pick of the bunch is probably Dariusz Adamczuk (33, D/M RC) who cost 350K from Rangers and is now a key element in Raith's success. Most people's favourites for relegation but the romantics amongst us will be hoping that Jocky can keep the Raith bandwagon rolling along.
Rangers 2001/2002 - 1st
2002/2003 - 2nd Alex McLeish has brought domestic success to Rangers but has failed to make any kind of impression in Europe, with the Gers having failed to get to the Champions League group stages for the past two seasons. In Barry Ferguson (25, MC) Rangers possess the jewel of Scottish football and the squad was strengthened further by the £5.5M purchase of John Terry (22, DC) from Chelsea. McLeish also has at his disposal ace striker Michael Mols (32, S C) who scored 24 goals last season.
St. Johnstone 2001/2002 - First Division Champions
2002/2003 - 10th
Last year's promoted team proved that it can be done as they maintained their Premier Division status. In the early part of the season this achievement looked unlikely as the Perth club were bottom of the table with just a single point near the end of September. This spelt the end for Manager Billy Stark, who was fired and replaced by the experienced Jim Jeffries. Jim slowly turned things around and 5 wins in their last 6 matches made then safe for another season. St. Johnstone's best player is probably teenage prospect Kiegan Parker (19, F RC) who was the club's top scorer last year with 14 goals.
Wednesday August 6th, 2003
Champions League Third Qualifying Phase, First Leg
Rangers 2 Feyenoord 1
Feyenoord came to Ibrox with a very defensive game plan and for the first 30 minutes or so they frustrated the home team. Rangers were working hard but had little to show for their efforts apart from an early free kick from Neil McCann that was well saved by Edwin Zoetebier. But as Feyenoord started to put slightly less emphasis on defence, a few more opening were created. Barry Ferguson found Peter Lovenkrands in the area, but his shot was tipped around the post for a corner. Then youngster Stephen Hughes had a powerful run and shot that was also well saved. The Rangers pressure continued as McCann latched on to a knockdown from Mikel Arteta but once again Zoetebier saved well.
Big Defender Craig Moore was the next player to bring the best out of the Feyenoord keeper as he got his head to a McCann cross. Seconds later Zoetebier was the hero again, somehow keeping out a Ronald De Boer header. Song Jong-Kook cleared the ball up field, Sylvain Wiltord latched on to the clearance and spotted Pierre van Hooijdonk free in the Rangers area. His chipped pass found the big striker and he volleyed home spectacularly to give Feyenoord the lead. Rangers didn't let their heads go down and just two minutes later they were all square. A superb through ball from Ferguson found Lovenkrands unmarked and the Danish forward made no mistake, guiding the ball past the Feyenoord keeper for the equaliser.
In the second half Rangers continued to pressurise the visitors but were unable to create any clear openings. But then in the 64th minute we saw a sublime piece of skill from Lovenkrands as his exquisite turn lost his marker and a pinpoint pass found De Boer who smashed the ball home. The visitors almost snatched an equaliser near the end, but Anthony Lurling's powerful shot grazed the top of the crossbar, much to the relief of Ranger's keeper Stefan Klos.
Teams Rangers: Stefan Klos, Fernando Ricksen, Michael Ball, Craig Moore, John Terry, Barry Ferguson (captain), Stephen Hughes, Mikel Arteta, Peter Lovenkrands (MOM), Ronald De Boer, Neil McCann
Subs not used: Isaac Osbourne, Jesper Christiansen, Michael Symes, Kevin Muscat, Shota Arveladze, Steven Thompson, Bert Konterman
Feyenoord: Edwin Zoetebier, Pieter Collen, Ramon van Haaren, Song Jong-Kook, Glenn Loovens, Shinji Ono, Paul Bosvelt (captain), Carlos Alberto (Gerard de Nooijer 59), Sylvain Wiltord, Pierre van Hooijdonk (Mariano Bombarda 50), Anthony Lurling
Subs not used: Zbignlew Malkowski, Ebi Smolarek, Leonardo, Brett Emerton, Johan Elmander
Scorers Rangers: Lovenkrands 41, De Boer 64 Feyenoord: van Hooijdonk 39
Author's Note
This is a Cm01/02 game that has all of the European Leagues running in foreground. I put it on holiday until the current date. It is my intention to post a weekly update in (more or less) real time.
European Soccer Weekly 
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