6 January 2012 - Apparently, You Can Go Home Again

On 6 January 2012, Arsenal confirmed the return of striker Thierry Henry, the club's all-time leading goalscorer, on loan.

Henry played for the Gunners from 1999 to 2007, making 369 appearances and scoring 226 goals. While there, he won two league titles (including the undefeated "Invincibles" run in the 2003-04 season) and three FA Cups before leaving for Barcelona in a deal worth €24M. He continued to collect silverware in Spain, with a record six-trophy haul in 2009 that included the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League.

Arsenal, however, had failed to win any trophies after Henry's departure. Halfway through the 2011-12 season, as a rocky start left them struggling to capture a Champions League qualification spot, they looked to Henry, who had by then moved to the New York Red Bulls.

He joined them in January for a two-month loan. On 9 January, he made his first appearance, coming on as a substitute to score the only goal in a FA Cup win over Leeds United. He went on to make another six appearances and scored again in his final match, a 1-2 away win over Sunderland, before returning to New York.

30 July 1996 - Shearer Comes Home

On 30 July 1996, Newcastle signed 25-year old striker Alan Shearer from Blackburn for a world record fee of £15M.

Shearer, who was born in Newcastle, started his career with Southampton, where he scored 43 goals in 158 appearances across all competitions from 1987 to 1992. But he blossomed at Blackburn, claiming the Premier League Golden Boot in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, with Rovers winning the league in 1995. He scored over thirty league goals in his last three years there, for a four-season total of 130 in 170 appearances. His scoring prowess attracted the attention of several clubs, including Manchester United. But shortly before he was set to move to Old Trafford, Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan persuaded him to join Newcastle.

He maintained his form at St. James's Park, collecting another Golden Boot for the 1996-97 season with 25 league goals. But injuries and a succession of managerial changes hampered his effectiveness, resulting in uneven production from him over the next several years (he crossed the 20-goal barrier in the league only three more times in his ten seasons at Newcastle) and he retired in 2006. Still, his Newcastle total of 206 remains the most of any player in club history.

Shearer returned to Newcastle as manager in 2009, taking over from Chris Hughton for the last eight games of the season in a bid to save the club from relegation. He was unable to prevent the drop, however, and left at the end of the season.

21 July 1960 - Trevor Fords The North Sea

On 21 July 1960, striker Trevor Ford returned to Great Britain after serving a three-year ban related to an illegal payment scheme.

A Welsh international considered by many to be one of the greatest forwards of his era, Ford once set a British transfer record for his position when Sunderland paid £30,000 to sign him from Aston Villa in 1950. He justified the expense by scoring 67 times in 108 league appearances. After three and a half seasons, he moved to Cardiff for a club-record £29,500.

After retiring in 1956, he published his autobiography, I Lead the Attack, in which he claimed to have been involved in an illegal payment scheme while at Sunderland. The Football League pressed him for details and his refusal to provide any information led them to ban him from the league.

He came out of retirement in 1957, but had to go overseas due to the ban. He signed with PSV Eindhoven and stayed there until the Football League lifted the ban in 1960. Upon his return, he signed with Division Three side Newport County, though he made only eight appearances and scored only three goals before ending his league career after the season.

16 April 1905 - Liverpool Runs The Table

On 16 April 1905, Liverpool secured their second league title. It was the first time in league history that a newly-promoted team won the top flight.

Liverpool won their first league title in 1901, but three seasons later, they finished the season as the seventeenth-placed team out of eighteen and were relegated to the Second Division. But they returned at the first opportunity and were back in the top flight for the 1904-05 season.

Their return started poorly, with three losses in their first three matches. They turned things around quickly, however, winning twelve of their next fifteen to reach the top of the table by mid-December. Their good form continued into the second half of the season, with Preston North End in hot pursuit.

At the start of the day on 16 April, Preston were five points back with three games left to play. Liverpool were away to Bolton, where they lost 3-2. But fortunately for them, Preston also lost, falling 2-0 at Sunderland. That result put the title out of Preston's reach and made Liverpool the champions.

5 January 1963 - The FA Cup Gets Put On Ice

On 5 January 1963, the longest round in FA Cup history kicked off, as severe winter weather forced postponements that stretched out into the middle of March.

Britain's coldest winter since 1740 delivered a combination of snow and ice, sending the country into what commentators called "the Big Freeze." Consequently, all of the FA Cup matches scheduled for that Saturday were postponed except for three--two in the North West (Sunderland's 1-4 win at Preston North End and Tranmere Rovers' 2-2 draw with Chelsea) and one in the South West (West Brom's 1-5 win at Plymouth).

Some matches were played a few days later while others suffered repeated postponements. Birmingham City's contest against Bury included a replay, one match that had to be abandoned, and a total of 14 postponements before Bury claimed a 2-0 victory on 7 March. In all, there were 261 postponements over the course of three weeks.

The round finally ended on 11 March when Middlesbrough beat Blackburn in a replay.

24 September 1962 - The Rise Of The Super Ranger

On 24 September 1962, two-time European Golden Boot winner Ally McCoist was born in Bellshill, Scotland.

The striker, nicknamed "Super Ally," started his professional career in 1979 with St. Johnstone. He had a breakout season in 1980-81, scoring 22 goals in 38 league appearances, which led to a move to Sunderland. But after two unsuccessful seasons there, he returned to Scotland, signing with Rangers in 1983 for a fee of £185,000.

Rangers hadn't won the league since 1978, but with McCoist contributing 34 goals, they won it in 1987 and followed that one with nine straight between 1989 and 1997. In both 1992 and 1993, McCoist matched his tally of 34 league goals, winning the European Golden Boot for both seasons. Along the way, McCoist also won nine Scottish League Cups and the 1992 Scottish Cup. While at Rangers, he made 61 appearances for Scotland, where his 19 goals rank him fifth on their list of all-time scorers.

His played the last three seasons of his career for Kilmarnock (1998-2001), then moved into management. In 2004, he served under Scotland manager Walter Smith, then moved with Smith back to Rangers in January 2007. Upon Smith's retirement in 2011, McCoist took the reins for the 2011-12 season, which ended with the club in administration and re-forming as a fourth-tier club. McCoist guided them back to the second tier before resigning in 2014.  

21 July 1960 - Trevor Fords The North Sea

On 21 July 1960, striker Trevor Ford returned to Great Britain after serving a three-year ban related to an illegal payment scheme.

A Welsh international considered by many to be one of the greatest forwards of his era, Ford once set a British transfer record for his position when Sunderland paid £30,000 to sign him from Aston Villa in 1950. He justified the expense by scoring 67 times in 108 league appearances. After three and a half seasons, he moved to Cardiff for a club-record £29,500.

After retiring in 1956, he published his autobiography, I Lead the Attack, in which he claimed to have been involved in an illegal payment scheme while at Sunderland. The Football League pressed him for details and his refusal to provide any information led them to ban him from the league.

He came out of retirement in 1957, but had to go overseas due to the ban. He signed with PSV Eindhoven and stayed there until the Football League lifted the ban in 1960. Upon his return, he signed with Division Three side Newport County, though he made only eight appearances and scored only three goals before ending his league career after the season.

25 June 1960 - Buchan's Goodbye

On 25 June 1960, former Sunderland and Arsenal forward Charlie Buchan died in Monte Carlo at the age of 68. One of the best footballers of his age, he is also remembered for his post-playing career as a football journalist and editor of Charlie Buchan's Football Monthly.

Born in Plumstead, London, Buchan began his career in 1909 as an amateur with Woolwich Arsenal, but left the club over a disagreement with the manager about expenses. In 1911, he signed with Sunderland and proceeded to win the league with them in 1913. That same year, Sunderland advanced to the FA Cup Final, but lost to Aston Villa 1-0.

Buchan made 370 league appearances for Sunderland between 1911 and 1925 (a period interrupted by World War I), and was their leading scorer in seven of those seasons. In 1925, he returned to Arsenal (who had dropped the "Woolwich" by then). He returned to the FA Cup Final with them in 1927, but was again on the losing side.

By the time he retired in 1928, he had scored 257 league goals, making him the Football League's all-time sixth-highest goalscorer. But he contributed more than goals, helping Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman develop the influential new W-M formation that led to great success for the Gunners in the 1930s.

After his playing days ended, he turned to journalism, writing for the Daily News and co-founding the Football Writer's Association. In September 1951, he started Charlie Buchan's Football Monthly, which ran until June 1974, fourteen years after his death.

30 January 1937 - A Good Day To Stay At Home

On 30 January 1937, the home sides went undefeated in all 35 FA Cup and Football League matches.

Of the 16 FA Cup matches that day, only one involved two top-ten First Division clubs, as 6th place Derby County rolled to a comfortable 3-0 win over 3rd place Brentford in the FA Cup. Other First Division match-ups in the Cup included 15th place Preston North End hammering 14th place Stoke City 5-1, 10th place Everton beating 19th place Sheffield Wednesday 3-0, and 1st place Arsenal crushing 22nd place Manchester United, 5-0. Both Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester United would end the season in the two relegation spots.

Arsenal's margin of victory was the largest in the Cup that day, but was both matched and exceeded in Division Two, where Blackburn beat Newcastle 6-1 and, in the day's most lopsided result, Blackpool rode over Bradford Park Avenue, 6-0.

Meanwhile, Luton Town provided the Cup's shock of the day, as the Third Division South side held reigning League champions Sunderland to a 2-2 draw. Two other Third Division South teams provided upsets, as Millwall defeated First Division Chelsea 3-0 and Exeter City beat Second Division Leicester City 3-1. Exeter's victory looked even more impressive at the end of the season, as Leicester won the Second Division, while Exeter finished 21st in the Third Division South.

Four Cup matches went to replays, including York City's scoreless draw at Swansea. It was part of a pattern for York, who had earned home replays in the two previous rounds. But the pattern broke with Swansea, who won at York, 1-3. In fact, the visiting teams won three of the four replays for that round, with the only exception being Sunderland's 3-1 victory over Luton. Sunderland (pictured) proceeded to win the FA Cup that year, beating Preston North End in the Final.

17 October 2009 - Sunderland's Day At The Beach

On 17 October 2009, Sunderland defeated Liverpool 1-0 with a little help from a beach ball.

Playing before a crowd of 47,327 at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, striker Darren Bent's 5th-minute shot hit a beach ball that had been thrown onto the pitch (presumably by a Reds supporter, as the ball bore the Liverpool crest). As goalkeeper Pepe Reina followed the beach ball to his right, the football flew past him on the left and into the net. Although the laws of the game suggested that referee Mike Jones should have disallowed the goal in favor of a dropped ball at the site of the deflection, he let the score stand.

Liverpool struggled to mount a comeback, playing without injured skipper Steven Gerrard and forward Fernando Torres. Their attack was reduced to a handful of long-range chances, while Bent came the closest to adding to the scoreline on a couple of opportunties. With seven minutes of added time in the second half, Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon twice denied shots for Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog to preserve the win.

30 April 2006 - Reading Makes A Few Points

On 30 April 2006, Reading concluded the Championship season by beating QPR 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium before a crowd of 23,156. The win gave Reading a total of 106 points for the season, setting an English Football League record.

It was a fitting end to an amazing season for the Royals, who suffered only two League losses all year - at home to Plymouth Argyle in the season opener and away to Luton Town on 17 February. The remainder of their matches consisted of 28 wins and 16 draws, setting a record pace that saw them take the table's top spot on 22 November and keep it through the end of the season.

Reading's Dave Kitson gave his side the lead against QPR, tapping the ball into the net in the 40th minute. The visitors found a late equalizer from Paul Furlong in the 72nd minute, before Reading captain Graeme Murty clinched the victory with an 84th-minute penalty kick. It was the first goal of the season and only his second ever in 280 appearances for the Royals.

The win pushed Reading to 106 points, one past the previous points record of 105 set by Sunderland in the 1998-99 season. Reading moved into the Premier League for the following season, where they finished in eighth place - their highest finish ever - before getting relegated back to the Championship at the end of the 2007-08 season.

4 September 2007 - Put Another Way, That's 6.25 Ronaldos

On 4 September 2007, Deloitte announced that English transfer spending for the 2007 summer window exceeded £500 million, up from £300 million the previous summer. The figure includes spending for the Premier League and all three levels of the Football League. 

Manchester United spent the most at £51 million, with Liverpool a close second at £50 million. Tottenham was a surprising third at £40 million, while newly-promoted Sunderland was fourth at £35 million.

More than half of Manchester United's fees--£30 million--went to Porto in exchange for midfielder Anderson and winger Nani. They also signed midfielder Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich for £17 million.

Liverpool's major signing was striker Fernando Torres, whom they prised from Atlético Madrid for an undisclosed fee believed to be over £20 million, making Torres the most expensive signing in England that summer. They also pulled winger Ryan Babel from Ajax for £11.5 million and midfielder Yossi Benayoun from West Ham for £5 million.

Tottenham's most expensive purchase was striker Darren Bent, whom they acquired from Charlton Athletic for £16.5 million. Spurs also brought in midfielder/back Younes Kaboul from Auxerre for £7 million and left back Gareth Bale from Southampton for £5 million.

Sunderland brought keeper Craig Gordon in from Hearts for £9 million, striker Kenwyne Jones from Southampton for £6 million, striker Michael Chopra from Cardiff City for £5 million and midfielder Kieran Richardson from Manchester United for £5.5 million.

The results on the pitch for those four clubs were mixed. United won its second consecutive Premier League title, with Anderson, Nani, and Hargreaves each playing significant roles. Liverpool finished fourth, with Torres contributing 15 League goals.

Spurs, on the other hand, failed in their push for a top-4 finish, ending the season in 11th place. Darren Bent lasted only two season at White Hart Lane before transferring to Sunderland in the summer of 2009 for an initial fee of £10 million, with clauses that could raise the value to £16.5 million.

Sunderland achieved their primary goal of avoiding relegation, finishing 15th, and have remained in the Premier League since.

19 May 1977 - Who's In The Top Flight Now, Jimmy Hill?

On 19 May 1977, Sunderland were controversially relegated out of the English top flight after losing 2-0 away to Everton on the last day of the season.

At the start of the day, Sunderland were battling Coventry City and Bristol City for the final relegation spot. Sunderland were in the third-bottom position with 34 points, one point behind the other two clubs, who were playing against each other. Coventry chairman Jimmy Hill (pictured) delayed the start of their match for 15 minutes, claiming "crowd congestion" as the reason for the late start. As soon as he learned of the Sunderland result, Hill had the score announced in the stadium, where the match was tied 2-2. Sunderland's loss meant that both teams each needed only a draw to stay ahead of the Black Cats and avoid the drop. Both Coventry and Bristol switched to very conservative game plans and the match ended 2-2.

Hill was subsequently reprimanded by the Football Association for delaying the kick-off, but the results of that day were allowed to stand.

Hill, who later became a television pundit, attended Fulham's 2008 match against Sunderland at Craven Cottage. When the Black Cat supporters in the stands saw him, they made clear that they remembered his role in their 1977 relegation, showering him with boos and verbal abuse. Hill had to be led out of the stadium under police escort.

4 February 1948 - Shackleton Unchained

On 4 February 1948, Len Shackleton moved from Newcastle to Sunderland for a record fee of £20,500 and went on to become a star at his new club.

Twenty-seven years old at the time, Shackleton, who played both inside forward and outside left, had turned professional in 1939 with Bradford Park Avenue, but lost several years to World War II. He returned to Bradford when league play resumed in 1946, but moved to Newcastle in 1946. On his debut there, he scored six times as Newcastle beat Newport County 13-0.

Skilled on the ball, he would often tease opposing players by beating them, then waiting for them to recover before beating them again. That flair for showmanship earned him the nickname "the clown prince of football," but also created a rift between him and the club. After two seasons, they sold him to rivals Sunderland for what was then a British-record transfer fee.

At Sunderland, he went on to score 101 goals in 348 league appearances before an ankle injury forced his retirement in September 1957.

5 December 1908 - Sunderland Storms Newcastle

On 5 December 1908, Sunderland got their largest league win, beating rivals Newcastle 1-9.

It was the twenty-first league meeting in a rivalry that dates back to 1898. Of those, Sunderland had won ten and Newcastle had won five, with five draws (they also met once in the FA Cup, with Newcastle taking that one). Up to that point, neither team had won by more than two goals and neither had scored more than four in any match.

That changed in 1908 when Sunderland visited St. James' Park. There, Sunderland captain Billy Hogg put the Black Cats up in the eighth minute, but Newcastle pulled level before the break with a penalty. The second half, though, belonged to the visitors.

Within the span of 28 minutes, Sunderland got eight goals, including a hat-trick from inside-left George Holley (pictured). Hogg matched him with two more goals of his own, with Arthur Bridgett (2) and Jackie Mordue making up the balance. According to a post-match report, "The Sunderland forwards simply lined up in procession time after time, left their opponents floundering in the roar, and bombarded and shelled the goal as easily they would light a cigarette."

In addition to being Sunderland's largest margin of victory, the 1-9 scoreline matched an English top-flight record for an away win, first set by West Brom in 1893. Although Wolves got the same margin in 1955, it remains unsurpassed.

Newcastle may have lost the day, but they got their revenge by winning the league that season, nine points clear of Sunderland who finished third.

10 September 2005 - The Premier League's Most Pointless Run

On 10 September 2005, Chelsea handed Sunderland their record 20th consecutive Premier League defeat, a tally that stretched back to 2003.

The run of losses started against Everton on 18 January 2003 and continued through the remaining fourteen games of the season. Unsurprisingly, the Black Cats finished at the bottom of the table and were relegated to Division One. After two seasons in the second tier, they made their way back to the Premier League for the 2005-06 season.

But they had not left their losing streak behind in the intervening years and started the new season with losses to Charlton, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Wigan to bring the run to nineteen consecutive Premier League defeats. That brought up the game against Chelsea, who started their season with four consecutive wins.

Playing at Stamford Bridge, Sunderland fought hard to end their frustration and managed to go into the break level at 0-0. But they conceded second half goals from Geremi (54') and Didier Drogba (82') to push their losing streak to twenty games.

It ended there, as Sunderland drew their next match at home to West Brom, then they won the one after that, beating Middlesbrough 2-0. But another run of bad form followed and they finished the season at the bottom of the table again and were relegated for the next season.

6 January 2012 - Apparently, You Can Go Home Again

On 6 January 2012, Arsenal confirmed the return of striker Thierry Henry, the club's all-time leading goalscorer, on loan.

Henry played for the Gunners from 1999 to 2007, making 369 appearances and scoring 226 goals. While there, he won two league titles (including the undefeated "Invincibles" run in the 2003-04 season) and three FA Cups before leaving for Barcelona in a deal worth €24M. He continued to collect silverware in Spain, with a record six-trophy haul in 2009 that included the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League.

Arsenal, however, had failed to win any trophies after Henry's departure. Halfway through the 2011-12 season, as a rocky start left them struggling to capture a Champions League qualification spot, they looked to Henry, who had by then moved to the New York Red Bulls.

He joined them in January for a two-month loan. On 9 January, he made his first appearance, coming on as a substitute to score the only goal in a FA Cup win over Leeds United. He went on to make another six appearances and scored again in his final match, a 1-2 away win over Sunderland, before returning to New York.

Rumors swirled in December 2012 of yet another return to Arsenal, but the move never materialized. Henry has said, however, that he would like to rejoin Arsenal in a coaching capacity after he retires from his playing career.

30 July 1996 - Shearer Comes Home

On 30 July 1996, Newcastle signed 25-year old striker Alan Shearer from Blackburn for a world record fee of £15M.

Shearer, who was born in Newcastle, started his career with Southampton, where he scored 43 goals in 158 appearances across all competitions from 1987 to 1992. But he blossomed at Blackburn, claiming the Premier League Golden Boot in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, with Rovers winning the league in 1995. He scored over thirty league goals in his last three years there, for a four-season total of 130 in 170 appearances. His scoring prowess attracted the attention of several clubs, including Manchester United. But shortly before he was set to move to Old Trafford, Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan persuaded him to join Newcastle.

He maintained his form at St. James's Park, collecting another Golden Boot for the 1996-97 season with 25 league goals. But injuries and a succession of managerial changes hampered his effectiveness, resulting in uneven production from him over the next several years (he crossed the 20-goal barrier in the league only three more times in his ten seasons at Newcastle) and he retired in 2006. Still, his Newcastle total of 206 remains the most of any player in club history.

Shearer returned to Newcastle as manager in 2009, taking over from Chris Hughton for the last eight games of the season in a bid to save the club from relegation. He was unable to prevent the drop, however, and left at the end of the season.

21 July 1960 - Trevor Fords The North Sea

On 21 July 1960, striker Trevor Ford returned to Great Britain after serving a three-year ban related to an illegal payment scheme.

A Welsh international considered by many to be one of the greatest forwards of his era, Ford once set a British transfer record for his position when Sunderland paid £30,000 to sign him from Aston Villa in 1950. He justified the expense by scoring 67 times in 108 league appearances. After three and a half seasons, he moved to Cardiff for a club-record £29,500.

After retiring in 1956, he published his autobiography, I Lead the Attack, in which he claimed to have been involved in an illegal payment scheme while at Sunderland. The Football League pressed him for details and his refusal to provide any information led them to ban him from the league.

He came out of retirement in 1957, but had to go overseas due to the ban. He signed with PSV Eindhoven and stayed there until the Football League lifted the ban in 1960. Upon his return, he signed with Division Three side Newport County, though he made only eight appearances and scored only three goals before ending his league career after the season.

16 April 1905 - Liverpool Runs The Table

On 16 April 1905, Liverpool secured their second league title. It was the first time in league history that a newly-promoted team won the top flight.

Liverpool won their first league title in 1901, but three seasons later, they finished the season as the seventeenth-placed team out of eighteen and were relegated to the Second Division. But they returned at the first opportunity and were back in the top flight for the 1904-05 season.

Their return started poorly, with three losses in their first three matches. They turned things around quickly, however, winning twelve of their next fifteen to reach the top of the table by mid-December. Their good form continued into the second half of the season, with Preston North End in hot pursuit.

At the start of the day on 16 April, Preston were five points back with three games left to play. Liverpool were away to Bolton, where they lost 3-2. But fortunately for them, Preston also lost, falling 2-0 at Sunderland. That result put the title out of Preston's reach and made Liverpool the champions.