The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.
Overview 2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League Two respectively. Coca-Cola replaced the Nationwide Building Society as title sponsor. The former Wimbledon F.C. was reformed and competed in League One, under their new name of Milton Keynes Dons. There were also changes in the Football Conference with the introduction of two new regional divisions below Conference National: Conference North and Conference South. Furthermore, the Conference League Cup returned, now featuring the teams from the new divisions. Unlike the Football League and the Conference, the Premier League did not undergo any restructuring, but Barclays Bank replaced their subsidiary Barclaycard as title sponsors. Wigan Athletic reached the Premiership as Championship runners-up. They had been elected to the Football League only 27 years earlier, had been the league's fourth lowest club 11 years earlier and until two years before reaching the Premiership they had never played in the upper half of the English league. Nottingham Forest were relegated from the Championship to League One, becoming the first former European Cup winners to slide into the third tier of their domestic league – having won two-straight European Cups a quarter of a century earlier. Just ten years ago, they had finished third in the Premiership and reached the following season's UEFA Cup quarter-finals.
Diary of the season 1 July 2004 – Chelsea pay £13.2 million for Porto's Paulo Ferreira and £12 million for PSV Eindhoven's Arjen Robben. Liverpool buy Djibril Cissé from Auxerre for £14 million. 7 July 2004 – The Sun newspaper issues an apology to Liverpool fans over its infamous front-page story about the Hillsborough disaster 15 years ago, but the apology is not welcomed by many of the club's supporters; a poll on the club's official website shows an 87% disapproval rate of the newspaper's apology. 8 July 2004 – Middlesbrough sign Leeds United striker Mark Viduka for £4.5 million. 12 July 2004 – Chelsea sign Serbian striker Mateja Kežman from PSV Eindhoven for £5 million. 20 July 2004 – Chelsea pay a club record £24 million for Ivorian striker Didier Drogba from Marseille and also sign midfielder Tiago from Benfica for £8 million. 27 July 2004 – Chelsea sign Porto defender Ricardo Carvalho for £19.85 million. 29 July 2004 – Nicky Butt leaves Manchester United, where he has spent his whole career, and joins Newcastle United for £2.5 million. 30 July 2004 – West Bromwich Albion sign Hungarian midfielder Zoltán Gera from Ferencvaros for £1.5 million. 1 August 2004 – Liverpool sign Xabi Alonso from Real Sociedad for £10.5 million and Luis García from Barcelona for £6 million. 8 August 2004 – Arsenal claim the first silverware of the season when they beat Manchester United 3–1 to win the FA Community Shield. 9 August 2004 – West Bromwich Albion striker Lee Hughes is jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving in November 2003; his contract with the club is terminated. 15 August 2004 – Liverpool sell Michael Owen to Real Madrid for £8 million. 20 August 2004 – Newcastle United sell Jonathan Woodgate to Real Madrid for £13.4 million. 23 August 2004 – Southampton manager Paul Sturrock parts company with the club after just five months in charge. Saints Chairman Rupert Lowe claimed that media speculation had proved too much for Sturrock to take, despite allegations that he himself placed much pressure on Sturrock. Coach Steve Wigley takes over, though it is anticipated that the appointment will not be permanent. 25 August 2004 – With a 3–0 home win over Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal sets the all-time record for consecutive unbeaten league matches at England's top level, with 43. The record was previously held by Nottingham Forest, with 42 from November 1977 to September 1978. 30 August 2004 – Newcastle United manager Sir Bobby Robson is sacked after a poor start to the Premier League season amid reports of dressing-room discontent. His assistant John Carver takes over as caretaker manager. 31 August 2004 – Wayne Rooney, at 18 years of age, leaves Everton for Manchester United in a £27 million deal, a world record for a teenager. He joins a United side who have finished the first month of the league season in ninth place. Meanwhile, the Premier League leaders are defending champions Arsenal who are level on points with second-placed Chelsea – both have won all four games so far this season. Bolton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur and Middlesbrough complete the top five. Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City complete the bottom three. In the newly named Football League Championship, Wigan Athletic are top of the table and level on points with Stoke City. Ipswich Town, who lost in the playoffs last season, occupy third place. Plymouth Argyle, newly promoted and at this level for the first time in 13 years, stand fourth. Reading and Sheffield United complete the top six. 6 September 2004 – Graeme Souness resigns as manager of Blackburn Rovers to take over at Newcastle United. He officially takes over on 13 September, after the two clubs played each other for the first time in the season. 30 September 2004 – September draws to a close with Arsenal still top of the Premier League and now two points ahead of Chelsea, with Everton, Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United completing the top five. Crystal Palace, Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion occupy the bottom three places. Reading have taken over as Championship leaders at the expense of Wigan Athletic, who now stand second. The playoff zone is occupied by Ipswich Town, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and Watford. Pre-season promotion favourites Sunderland and West Ham United are edged out of the playoff zone on goal difference. 2 October 2004 – West Bromwich Albion beat Bolton to secure their first league win of the campaign, exiting the relegation zone as a result. In the Championship, Wigan go back to the top of the table with a win over bottom club Rotherham United, and Teddy Sheringham scores his 250th league goal with the winner for West Ham United against Wolves. 3 October 2004 – Chelsea beat Liverpool 1–0 at Stamford Bridge and extend their run of not losing a match under José Mourinho, while Newcastle United go four unbeaten since Bobby Robson's departure with a draw at Birmingham City. 24 October 2004 – Arsenal's record streak of unbeaten top-flight league matches ends at 49 after a 2–0 away loss to Manchester United. 26 October 2004 – Gary Megson is dismissed as manager of West Bromwich Albion after he notifies the club he will not extend his contract past the current season. 29 October 2004 – Chelsea cancels the contract of striker Adrian Mutu after he tests positive for cocaine. 31 October 2004 – Arsenal lead the Premier League on goal difference ahead of Chelsea, while Everton's surprise title challenge is continuing as they occupy third place with just a three-point margin keeping them off the top. Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers complete the top five, with Liverpool and Manchester United – among the pre-season title favourites – sixth and seventh respectively. Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton occupy the bottom three. Wigan Athletic are still top of the Championship, with Ipswich Town now second. The playoff zone is occupied by Reading, Queen's Park Rangers, Sunderland and West Ham United. 5 November 2004 – Jacques Santini resigns as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, citing personal reasons. Martin Jol is named caretaker manager. 6 November 2004 – Arsenal draw 1–1 at Crystal Palace, allowing Chelsea to bypass them into first place for the first time in the season, going two points clear; the latter winning 1–0 at home to Everton. 8 November 2004 – The "caretaker" is removed from Martin Jol's title, as he signs a contract to manage Spurs through the 2006–07 season. 9 November 2004 – Bryan Robson is named as the new manager of West Bromwich Albion. 13 November 2004 – AFC Wimbledon sets a United Kingdom record for consecutive unbeaten league games in senior football, at 76, with a 1–1 draw at Bromley in Ryman Division One. 17 November 2004 – The England national team loses to Spain 1–0 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. However, the match is marred by racist chants from the crowd aimed at black England players. Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips were particular targets of abuse; every time either touched the ball, monkey noises came from the crowd. 24 November 2004 – Harry Redknapp quits as manager of Portsmouth following a row with chairman Milan Mandarić over the appointment of new Director of Football Velimir Zajec at the club. Zajec then replaces Redknapp as manager with immediate effect. 24 November 2004 – Sir Alex Ferguson takes charge of his 1,000th match at Manchester United. 30 November 2004 – As November draws to a close, Chelsea have leapfrogged Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and are now five points ahead. Everton, Manchester United and Middlesbrough complete the top five, though they are now some way behind the top two in terms of points. West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City and Southampton occupy the bottom three places, while Tottenham Hotspur's promising start to the season has tailed off and they now stand just three places and one point above the drop zone. Ipswich Town are now top of the Championship, with Wigan Athletic second. Sunderland's good form has lifted them to third place, while the playoff zone is completed by Reading, West Ham United and Queen's Park Rangers. 3 December 2004 – League One side Wrexham enters financial administration. Under new Football League rules, the club is penalised 10 league points, placing the club in relegation danger. 4 December 2004 – AFC Wimbledon lose 2–0 to Cray Wanderers, ending their United Kingdom record run of consecutive unbeaten league games in senior football at 78, having last lost a league game in February 2003 when they were playing in the Combined Counties League. 8 December 2004 – Southampton sack Steve Wigley after only 14 games in charge. The Saints announce Harry Redknapp, who resigned as manager of their local rivals Portsmouth only two weeks ago, as their new manager. 31 December 2004 – Chelsea finish 2004 as Premier League leaders by an eight-point margin over second-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand. Manchester United and Everton's recent run of good results keeps them similarly competitive as they are the next nearest threat, level on points and nine points off the top. Middlesbrough complete the top five, with strong competition from Liverpool, Charlton Athletic and a resurgent Tottenham Hotspur. West Bromwich Albion, with just one win so far this season, prop up the top flight with a mere 11 points. Southampton and Norwich City, both with just two wins so far this season, complete the bottom three, but are cranking up the pressure on Crystal Palace, Fulham and Blackburn Rovers. Ipswich Town and Sunderland lead the way in the Championship, with Wigan Athletic, Reading, Sheffield United and Millwall completing the top six. 5 January 2005 – Everton pay a club record £6 million for Southampton striker James Beattie. 11 January 2005 – Everton and Liverpool announce that they have abandoned plans to groundshare at Liverpool's new stadium, which is scheduled for completion in 2007. Norwich City boost their survival hopes with a club record £3 million signing of Crewe Alexandra striker Dean Ashton. 19 January 2005 – Blackburn Rovers sign Birmingham City's Robbie Savage for £3 million. 21 January 2005 – former Chelsea chairman Ken Bates finalises a deal to buy a controlling interest in the debt-riddled Championship club Leeds United.