THAT WAS THE DECADE THAT WAS

TEN MEMORABLE MATCHES

April 1988 Liverpool 5 Nottingham Forest 0, First Division... arguably the finest team display by any Liverpool side

June 1988 Holland 3 England 1, European Championship finals... England destroyed by Marco van Basten at his peak

May 1989 Liverpool 0 Arsenal 2, First Division ... Michael Thomas's last- minute goal takes the title to Highbury instead of Anfield

April 1990 Crystal Palace 4 Liverpool 3, F A Cup semi-final, Villa Park... Palace recover from 2-3 down to claim an incredible triumph

June 1990 England 1 West Germany 1, World Cup semi-final... England's heartbreak in Turin, settled 4-3 on penalties in Germany's favour

February 1991 Everton 4 Liverpool 4, FA Cup 4th-round replay... called the best cup-tie in 50 years, and Kenny Dalglish's last match as Liverpool manager

November 1993 Bayern Munich 1 Norwich City 2, UEFA Cup, 2nd round, 1st leg... the result that made Mike Walker's name as a coach

May 1994 Milan 4 Barcelona 0, European Cup final... possibly the finest performance of all time in club football

January 1994 Liverpool 3 Manchester United 3, Premiership... with two goals by Nigel Clough, Liverpool recover from 3-0 down

April 1996 Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3, Premiership ... the Anfield epic that tilted the title balance towards Old Trafford

David Bardsley, Brian Deane, Gary Charles, Keith Curle, John Fashanu, Andy Gray, Mick Harford, Kevin Richardson, Stuart Ripley, Geoff Thomas.

(all capped between one and three times in last 10 years)

January 1988 Port Vale 2 Tottenham 1, F A Cup 4th round

March 1988 Luton 3 Arsenal 2, Littlewoods Cup final

January 1989 Sutton United 2 Coventry City 1, F A Cup 3rd round

December 1989 Whitley Bay 2 Preston NE 0, F A Cup 2nd round

June 1990 Cameroon 1 Argentina 0, World Cup finals

September 1990 Faroes 1 Austria 0, European championships qualifier

January 1991 West Bromwich Albion 2 Woking 4, F A Cup 3rd round

January 1992 Wrexham 2 Arsenal 1, FA cup 3rd round

January 1994 Birmingham City 1 Kidderminster Harriers 2, F A Cup 3rd round

June 1994 Bulgaria 2 Germany 1, World Cup quarter-final

Ron Atkinson was heading for the sack at Manchester United

Graeme Souness was breaking the bank at Rangers

Middlesbrough were just out of receivership

Sam Hammam was pondering a Wimbledon merger with Crystal Palace

Diego Maradona was leading Napoli to their first-ever Italian championship

Alan Shearer was a Southampton trainee

Eric Cantona, then 20, was in his third season with Auxerre

Fabrizio Ravanelli was a teenage hopeful with Perugia in Italy's Serie C2

Gary Lineker was earning pounds 5,000 a week with Barcelona

Rangers, Celtic, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers.

November 1986 Manchester United appoint Alex Ferguson as manager

April 1989 The Hillsborough disaster claims the lives of 95 supporters

June 1990 Promoted Swindon Town, found guilty of irregular payments, lose their First Division place without playing a game

February 1991 Kenny Dalglish resigns as manager of Liverpool

May 1991 After ban on English clubs in Europe is lifted, Manchester United win the Cup-Winners' Cup

May 1992 FIFA outlaws the deliberate back-pass

October 1993 England lose 2-0 to Holland in Rotterdam, their hopes of qualifying for the 1994 World Cup finals effectively ended

January 1995 Eric Cantona launches so-called 'kung-fu' attack on a fan at Selhurst Park

February 1995 Arsenal sack George Graham over the transfer 'bung' scandal

September 1995 Belgian footballer Jean-Marc Bosman wins restraint-of- trade claim at European Court of Justice

Nov 1986 Steve Bull (WBA-Wolves) pounds 35,000

Feb 1988 David Platt (Crewe-A Villa) pounds 200,000

Aug 1989 Paul McGrath (Man U-A Villa) pounds 400,000

Jan 1991 Jamie Redknapp (Bournemouth-Liverpool) pounds 350,000

Oct 1991 Rob Jones (Crewe-Liverpool) pounds 300,000

Feb 1992 Mark Bosnich (Sydney Croatia-A Villa) free

Nov 1992 Eric Cantona (Leeds-Man U) pounds 1.2m

Sept 1992 Robert Lee (Charlton-Newcastle) pounds 700,000

Mar 1994 Marcus Gayle (Brentford-Wimbledon) pounds 250,000

July 1995 Ruud Gullit (Sampdoria-Chelsea) free

Sept1993 Julian Dicks (W Ham-Liverpool pounds 1.25m

Oct 1993 Mark Stein (Stoke-Chelsea) pounds 1.5m

Aug 1994 Vinny Samways (Tottenham-Everton) pounds 2.2m

Jan1995 Andy Cole (Newcastle-Man U) pounds 7m

Jan 1995 Chris Kiwomya (Ipswich-Arsenal) pounds 1.55m

July 1995 Ned Zelic (B Dortmund-QPR) pounds 1.25m

July 1995 Kevin Campbell (Arsenal-Nottingham Forest) pounds 2.5m

Aug 1995 Shaka Hislop (Reading-Newcastle) pounds 1.575m

Nov 1995 Tomas Brolin (Parma-Leeds) pounds 4.5m

Dec 1995: Darko Kovacevic (Red Star Belgrade-Sheffield Wednesday) pounds 2m

"I could manage Tottenham - no danger - and it rankles me that I'm not holding down one of the better jobs." - Alan Ball, 1991, then in charge at Exeter.

"Let's kill off once and for all the rumours that his job is on the line. If he leaves it will be of his own volition." - Sir John Hall, Newcastle chairman, 1992, three days before he sacked Ossie Ardiles.

"When Eric feels an injustice, he has to prove to the whole world that he has been wronged. He cannot control his temper. That's just part of his game." - Alex Ferguson on Eric Cantona, 1994, six months before Selhurst Park.

"Footballers are only interested in drinking, clothes and the size of their willies." - Karren Brady, 1994. The Birmingham City managing director is married to striker Paul Peschisolido.

"Ardiles had a four-year contract when he signed with Spurs and that contract will be observed. If we are in the First Division next season he will be our manager." - Alan Sugar, 1994. A month later...

"This is where Kenny [Dalglish] will come into his own. No one knows the Continental scene better." - Ray Harford, before Blackburn's disastrous 1994-5 Champions League campaign, on the role of his then Director of Football.

"I know he was one of the world's greatest footballers - but 'was' is a very significant word." - Jimmy Greaves, 1995, doubting the wisdom of Chelsea in signing of Ruud Gullit.

TEN ENGLAND CAREERS

YOU MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN

TEN MEMORABLE UPSETS

WHERE WERE THEY IN OCTOBER 1986

TEN WINNERS OF THE SCOTTISH LEAGUE

TEN MOMENTOUS EVENTS

TEN BARGAIN BUYS

TEN FAILED INVESTMENTS

DID I REALLY SAY THAT?

TEN GREAT GOALS OF THE DECADE

Paul Gascoigne (England) v Scotland (above), exquisite chip and volley in Euro 96... and the celebratory antics were equally impressive

Marco van Basten (Holland) v Russia, European Championship finals, June 1988... superbly struck volley from impossible-looking angle

Roberto Baggio (Italy) v Czechoslovakia, World Cup finals, June 1990... one-two on half-way line, swerving left-right run, clinical finish

David Platt (England) v Belgium, World Cup finals, June 1990... last- gasp match-winning hooked volley on end of Paul Gascoigne cross

Nayim (Real Zaragoza) v Arsenal, European Cup-Winners' Cup final, May 1995 ...119th-minute 45-yard lob to clinch trophy as penalties beckoned

Yordan Letchkov (Bulgaria) v West Germany, World Cup finals, June 1994... diving header that put out the holders

Matt Le Tissier (Southampton) v Blackburn, Ewood Park, December, 1994 ...beat two players just inside Blackburn half before scoring with late- dipping lob

Tony Yeboah (Leeds) v Wimbledon, Selhurst Park, September, 1995 ...brilliant ball control followed by unstoppable 20-yarder

Georgi Kinkladze (Manchester City) v Southampton, Maine Road, March, 1996 ...slalom run past four defenders, chip over Dave Beasant

David Beckham (Manchester United) v Wimbledon, Selhurst Park, August, 1996 ...THAT lob, succeeding where even Pele didn't quite get it right.

TEAM OF THE DECADE

NEVILLE SOUTHALL

EVERTON

STEVE NICHOL

LIVERPOOL

TONY ADAMS

ARSENAL

STEVE BRUCE

MANCHESTER UTD

STUART PEARCE

NOTTS FOREST

JOHN BARNES

LIVERPOOL

BRYAN ROBSON

MANCHESTER UTD

PAUL GASCOIGNE

TOTTENHAM

ERIC CANTONA

MANCHESTER UTD

ALAN SHEARER

BLACKBURN

GARY LINEKER

TOTTENHAM