The birth of the Premier League also heralded Blackburn Rovers' return to the top flight for the first time in 26 years. They underlined their ambition by breaking the English transfer record to sign a 22-year-old Alan Shearer for £3.2m. Other expensive signings ensured they finished an impressive fourth.

Owner Jack Walker continued to splash his cash and in their second season, his team were runners-up to arch North Western rivals Manchester United in 1993/94. The positions were reversed the following season as Rovers pipped United to the title on the last day of the season.The team have failed to reach those heights since then and in 1999, Rovers became the first former Premier League champions to be relegated. The club bounced back in 2001 and progress under Graeme Souness and then Mark Hughes has seen them qualify for Europe four times in six years.
Hughes left the club for Manchester City in June 2008 after helping them to a seventh place finish. He was replaced by Paul Ince later that month. However Ince was sacked on 16th December 2008 after a poor start to the season which brought just three wins from 17 matches. Sam Allardyce took over as manager, charged with the task of hauling Rovers away from the drop zone. They finished 15th, seven points clear of relegation. That finish was significantly bettered in the 2009/10 season when the club secured 10th place.


Club Heritage

Blackburn Rovers were born at a hotel meeting on 5th November 1875, organised by Shrewsbury school old boys Arthur Constantine and John Lewis. The club's patronage by the wealthy middle classes helped it stay afloat and outlive many of the other clubs in the area. As one of the top clubs, they were approached in 1888 to become one of the 12 founding members of the Football League. They finished the inaugural season in fourth place and unbeaten at home.

Rovers moved into their permanent home at Ewood Park in September 1890 and marked their first season there with a fifth FA Cup win. But a downturn in fortunes saw them narrowly escape relegation on several occasions and the 1928 FA Cup victory was their last major trophy for 67 years.

Rovers were relegated from the top flight for the first time in 1936, signaling the start of their long struggle to regain their status as a top team. Relegation in 1966 saw the beginning of their 26-year exile from the top flight and it was not until Walker and his millions came on board in 1991 that Blackburn returned to their glory days.

Arsenal may have been off the pace in the inaugural Premier League season in 1992/93, but they made up for it by winning both the FA and League Cups.

The Premier League crown eluded them until 1998 - two years into manager Arsene Wenger's tenure - when they did the league and FA Cup double. Under the Frenchman, the Gunners shook off their "boring" image and began to play some of the most attractive football in England. In eight of his 14 seasons at the club, Arsenal have finished first or second. And together with star players such as Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp, Wenger took Arsenal to another "double" in 2002.

The Gunners reached the Champions' League final in 2006, becoming the first London team to do so, but lost to Barcelona. Their Barclaycard Premiership title in 2003/04 saw them become only the second team to win the league without losing a match - earning them the title "The Invincibles." Overall they went 49 matches unbeaten, which is a national record.
Club Heritage

In 1886, a group of workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory formed a team called Dial Square, renaming themselves to Royal Arsenal shortly afterwards. The team turned professional in 1891 and changed its name again to Woolwich Arsenal, eventually dropping the prefix completely in 1913 when they moved to Highbury.

The Gunners joined the Second Division in 1893 and were promoted in 1904. Success eluded them until the arrival of Herbert Chapman in 1925 when they won the league five times between 1930 and 1938 and the FA Cup twice. Chapman, who died in 1934, was also behind the renaming of the nearest London Underground station to Arsenal.

Arsenal had to wait until the 1970s for their next period of success. But their first double in 1971 was followed by several near-misses - finishing second in 1972, and losing three FA Cup finals and the 1980 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

It was not until the return of ex-player George Graham as manager that the club rose to greatness again - winning six trophies during his nine-year reign. That included League Cup success in 1987 and 1993, the FA Cup in 1993, the league title in 1989 and 1991 and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. Arsenal hold the enviable record of the most consecutive seasons in the top flight - 91 at present.