2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Overview
Illinois celebrated its 100th season of varsity basketball in 2004-05. In his second season as head coach at Illinois, Bruce Weber’s Illini put together the most successful season in U of I history. The Illini tied the all-time NCAA record for victories in a season with 37 wins en route to its 37–2 record (since surpassed by 2011–12 Kentucky with a 38–2 record and 2014–15 Kentucky with a 38–1 record). Illinois made its fifth all-time NCAA Final Four appearance and first since 1989. The Illini defeated Louisville in the national semifinal to advance to the championship game for the first time in school history. Illinois finished as the national runner-up, falling by five points to North Carolina in the title game.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Overview
Above all else, the team was noted for its impeccable ball movement on offense, and led the nation in assists. A constant flow of passes allowed for open looks from the three-point line on every play. Led by a three-guard starting lineup, the team did not rely upon sheer size and height like many other teams in order to dominate, but rather skill and teamwork. Illinois relied upon three-point shooting for its offensive firepower. Illinois' effective offense was largely attributable to the team chemistry that had developed amongst the starting five, which had gone unchanged over the two previous seasons. Defensively, the team was one of the best at guarding against the three-point shot. Illinois averaged 77.0 points per game, while allowing 61.1 points per game, for an average point differential of nearly 16 points.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Overview
In blowout home games, 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) senior Nick Smith, the tallest player in University of Illinois basketball history, would take three-point shots from the top of the key. He made 4 of 11 on the season.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Regular season
The Illini started the season by setting a school record with 29 straight wins, the third best start in Big Ten history and tying the 12th best start in NCAA annals. Illinois won its second-ever game over a No. 1-ranked opponent, crushing Wake Forest 91-73 at the Assembly Hall on December 1. After the win, the Illini took over the number 1 overall spot in the national polls and held it for the remainder of the regular season, a run of 15 straight weeks.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Regular season
On January 25, 2005, Illinois defeated Wisconsin 75-65 at the Kohl Center, snapping the Badgers' nation-leading 38-game home court winning streak. In the process, Illinois handed the Badgers their first home court loss since a defeat to, coincidentally, Wake Forest, on December 4, 2002, and also assumed the nation's longest home court winning streak themselves.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Regular season
Illinois was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll of 2005, another first for the program. The Illini then went on to win to its second straight outright Big Ten Championship with a 15-1 record, as Weber became the first coach in 100 years of Big Ten basketball to win consecutive outright league championships in his first two seasons.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Post-Season
The Illini won the Big Ten Tournament, becoming just the second team to win both an outright Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten Tournament in the same season. In the NCAA tournament, the overall number 1 seeded Illini won their first three games by double digits.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Post-Season
In an Elite Eight matchup, Illinois fell behind early to the University of Arizona due to poor shooting behind the three-point line and sensational play by Arizona's leaders Salim Stoudamire and Channing Frye. The game featured a 15-point comeback from the Illini, triggered by several steals and Deron Williams' clutch three-point shooting, including several NBA range threes, in the last 3 minutes and 30 seconds of the game.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Post-Season
The Illini then defeated The University of Louisville 72-57, the team's largest margin of victory in the tournament, to move on to the 2005 National Championship Game against North Carolina.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Post-Season
In the national championship game, Illinois was defeated by North Carolina 70-75. North Carolina relied upon stellar post play from Sean May, who managed to get James Augustine and Jack Ingram into foul trouble, while Illinois struggled offensively with what had succeeded the rest of the season, converting only 12 of a championship game record 40 three-point field goal attempts. James Augustine played 9 minutes due to foul trouble, forcing Jack Ingram to play a huge role in the second half comeback the Illini made. For almost the entire season, Illinois was ranked #1 and North Carolina was ranked #2, respectively, in all polls, and both teams were the favorites to meet in the national championship game. The North Carolina squad would go on to field six players in the NBA draft.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Season, Accolades
Bruce Weber was named National Coach of the Year by nine organizations. Dee Brown, "The One Man Fast Break", was named The Sporting News National Player of the Year and swept the conference honors as well, being named both Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The Illini had three players earn consensus All-America honors in the same season for the first time ever. In addition to Brown earning consensus first-team All-America honors, Deron Williams and Luther Head were named consensus second-team All-Americans. Following the season, both Williams and Head were chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft, with Head being drafted No. 24 overall by the Houston Rockets while Williams became the highest Illinois player ever drafted when he was chosen No. 3 overall by the Utah Jazz.


2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, Team, Injuries
Freshman Brian Randle took a medical redshirt after punching a wall in frustration and breaking his hand during preseason practice.


2004–05 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team
The 2004–05 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds, led by second year head coach Porter Moser, played their home games at Redbird Arena and competed as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.


2004–05 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team
They finished the season 17–13, 8–10 in conference play to finish in sixth place. They were the number six seed for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. They were defeated by Creighton University in their quarterfinal game.


2004–05 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team
The 2004–05 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represented Indiana University in the 2004–05 college basketball season. Their head coach was Mike Davis, who was in his fifth season. The team played its home games at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.


2004–05 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team
Indiana finished the season with an overall record of 15–14 and a conference record of 10–6, finishing 4th place in the Big Ten Conference. After missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, Indiana was invited to play in the NIT. However, IU lost in the first round, which ended their season.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the Pacers' 29th season in the National Basketball Association, and 38th season as a franchise. The Pacers finished third in the Central Division with a 44–38 record. This season also marked the final season for All-Star guard Reggie Miller. (See 2004–05 Indiana Pacers season#Regular season)


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Offseason, Summary
Before the regular season began, the Indiana Pacers were considered a favorite in the Eastern Conference to possibly reach the NBA Finals, due to a very deep, talented roster including established names such as Reggie Miller, Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, etc.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Offseason, Summary
Al Harrington, a combination forward who had established himself as one of the best sixth-men in the NBA in the past two years, was dealt in the offseason to the Atlanta Hawks in return for swingman Stephen Jackson, after Harrington allegedly demanded that the Pacers start him or trade him.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Malice at the Palace
The Pacers started off the 2004-05 season in extremely strong fashion– until the infamous events of November 19, 2004.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Malice at the Palace
Towards the end of a blowout over the Detroit Pistons (who had eliminated the Pacers in the previous year's Eastern Conference Finals) at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pacers' Ron Artest committed a hard foul against Ben Wallace. Wallace retaliated by pushing Artest, and Artest ran over to the scorer's table and laid atop it in order to prevent himself from being provoked into an altercation with Wallace. Pistons fan John Green threw a cup of beer at Artest, causing Artest to charge into the stands.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Malice at the Palace
The situation escalated to a full-scale brawl, with fans and several Pacers taking part. Stephen Jackson followed Artest into the stands while Jermaine O'Neal struck a fan who came onto the court. Jamaal Tinsley picked up a long-handled dustpan in order to use as a weapon, although he was never forced to use it. The game was called a Pacers victory with 45.9 seconds left on the clock and the score 97-82, and the Pacers left the floor amid a shower of beer and other beverages that rained down from the stands. Artest was suspended for the rest of the season without pay for his role in the 'basketbrawl.'


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Malice at the Palace
Several of the involved players were suspended by NBA Commissioner David Stern, but the hardest hit were Artest (suspended for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs), Jackson (suspended for 30 games), O'Neal (25 games), Wallace (6 games) and the Pacers' Anthony Johnson (5 games) (O'Neal's suspension was later reduced to 15 games by arbitrator Roger Kaplan, a decision that was upheld by U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels). O'Neal was charged with two counts of assault and battery, while Artest, Jackson, Johnson and David Harrison were charged with one count each.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Malice at the Palace
Artest's suspension was the longest in NBA history for any suspension unrelated to substance abuse issues, keeping Artest out of a record 73 regular season games and 13 playoff games.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Aftermath
After the brawl and the consequences that followed, the Pacers fell downward in the Central Division. They went from a legitimate title contender with a record of 7-2, to a team that hovered around .500 in winning percentage, while the Detroit Pistons eventually became the Central Division champions with a 54-28 record. In addition to all the players rendered unavailable due to suspensions, the Pacers also struggled with several injuries to key players.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Aftermath
In one game, the Pacers were forced to activate and dress an injured Jeff Foster even though the coaching staff had no intention of letting him play, just so that they could meet the NBA's requirement that each team has at least eight active players at the start of the game; if they did not activate an eighth player, they would have been forced to forfeit the game. Meanwhile, Fred Jones played 40 or more minutes in six consecutive games, simply because the Pacers did not have any shooting guards in reserve due to an injury to Reggie Miller.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Aftermath
Despite the difficulties with the suspensions and injuries, the Pacers earned a sixth seed in the playoffs with a record of 44-38, due to strong play by many talented members of the Pacers' deep bench, including Jones, Anthony Johnson, and Austin Croshere, and a resurgence by Miller, whose career had been dwindling in recent years. Despite Miller's resurgence, he announced in February 2005 through his sister Cheryl Miller that he would be retiring from basketball at the conclusion of the 2004-05 season.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Aftermath
Throughout the season, the Pacers signed several different players to replace the bench players who had been promoted to starters, including Michael Curry, Marcus Haislip, and others. In a blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks on January 4, 2005, Jermaine O'Neal scored a career high in points, with 55. During the fourth quarter, however, he asked to be removed from the game out of respect for Reggie Miller, because he did not wish to break Miller's franchise record of 57 points, which was set during the 1992–93 NBA season.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Aftermath
An important reason for their strong finish was the re-acquisition of Dale Davis in March, who had been released by the New Orleans Hornets after being traded there by the Golden State Warriors. He played the final 25 games of the regular season and every playoff game, contributing a strong presence at center. However, Davis' signing coincided with an injury to Jermaine O'Neal that would knock him out for virtually the remainder of the regular season—indeed, O'Neal's first missed game due to his injury was Davis' first game back with the Pacers.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Aftermath
So despite the adversity they had gone through, the Pacers made the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 years. In the first round, Indiana defeated the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics in seven games, winning Game 7 in Boston by the decisive margin of 97-70.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The Aftermath
The Pacers then advanced to the second-round against the Detroit Pistons, in a rematch of the previous year's Eastern Conference Finals. The series featured games back at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the scene of the brawl that many assumed at the time had effectively ended the Pacers' season. After losing game 1, the Pacers won the next two games to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Pacers could not repeat their victories against the Pistons and lost the next 3 games, losing the series 4-2.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The End of An Era
The Pacers' last game of the playoffs was on May 19, 2005, at home; Reggie Miller, in his final NBA game, scored 27 points and received a huge standing ovation from the crowd. Despite Miller's effort, the Pacers lost, sending Miller into retirement without an NBA Championship in his 18-year career, all with the Pacers. Next season, Miller was honored by the Pacers during halftime of a game against the Phoenix Suns on March 30, 2006, when his #31 jersey was retired and he was presented with a Bentley Continental GT.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The End of An Era
After the 2004-05 season, the Pacers completed a major overhaul of their roster, including moving Ron Artest, Anthony Johnson, Fred Jones, Austin Croshere, James Jones, and others over the next year.


2004–05 Indiana Pacers season, Regular season, The End of An Era
Indeed, the Indiana Pacers' 2004–05 campaign, with the retirement of Reggie Miller and the Pacers' last winning season record until 2012, marked the end of an era in Pacers basketball.


2004–05 Inter Milan season
The 2004–05 season was Football Club Internazionale Milano's 96th in existence and 89th consecutive season in the top flight of Italian football.


2004–05 Inter Milan season, Season overview
The summer of 2004 saw Inter choose a new coach, Roberto Mancini coming from Lazio. Inter started the season qualifying for the Champions League group phase, but also collected many draws in the league.


2004–05 Inter Milan season, Season overview
Inter, achieved better results in cups, made a known comeback (3–2) in a match against Sampdoria, scoring all goals in the last six minutes. The derby with Milan was lost 1–0 which broke a positive streak, in May 2004. the rivals also knocked Inter out of the Champions League, tournament in which – during the previous two-legs – Mancini's squad had been beaten by reigning champions Porto. Inter achieved a third-place finish in the league. The win of the Coppa Italia final against Roma, 3–0 on aggregate, closed the season.


2004–05 Inter Milan season, Players, Squad information, From youth squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Interliga season
The 2004–05 Interliga season was the sixth season of the multi-national ice hockey league. Six teams participated in the league, and Jesenice from Slovenia have won the championship.


2004–05 Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. season
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. in their 11th season in Scottish football competed in the Scottish Premier League, Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup in season 2004–05.


2004–05 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team
The 2004–05 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represented the University of Iowa as members of the Big Ten Conference during the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at Carver–Hawkeye Arena. They finished the season 21–12 overall and 7–9 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as #10 seed in the Austin Regional. The season ended with an opening round loss to #7 seed Cincinnati, 76–64.


2004–05 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team
The 2004–05 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represents Iowa State University during the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Wayne Morgan, who was in his 2nd season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, and competed in the Big 12 Conference.


2004–05 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team, Previous season
The Cyclones finished 20–13, 7–9 in Big 12 play to finish 8th the regular season conference standings. They lost to Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NIT Tournament where they defeated Georgia, Florida State, Marquette and lost to Rutgers in the Final Four.


2004–05 Ipswich Town F.C. season
During the 2004–05 English football season, Ipswich Town competed in the Football League Championship.


2004–05 Ipswich Town F.C. season, Season summary
Ipswich missed automatic promotion in the 2004–05 season, finishing third, only two points behind second-placed Wigan Athletic. Again, they lost to West Ham United in the play off semi-finals, this time by a 4–2 aggregate score.


2004–05 Ipswich Town F.C. season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Ipswich Town F.C. season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Ipswich Town F.C. season, First-team squad, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Ipswich Town F.C. season, Pre-season
Ipswich traveled to Denmark for a pre-season tour in July 2004. Ipswich also played a friendly match against Newcastle United on 28 July, a testimonial match which was played in honour of former assistant manager and player Dale Roberts.


2004–05 Iran 2nd Division
During the 2004–05 season, League 2, which is in fact the third tier of the Iranian football league system, was organised in two groups each of ten teams. At the end of the season Shahrdari Langarud and Pegah Khozestan as group winners were promoted to the Azadegan League.


2004–05 Iran 2nd Division, Promotion play off
Nassaji Mazandaran in Group 1 and Ararat in Group 2 as 2nd-placed team faced play-off 11th-placed team of Azadegan League 2004/05, Niroye Zamini in Group 1 and Ekbatan in Group 2


2004–05 Iran 2nd Division, Relegation play off
Fajr Sepah Tehran in Group 1 and Chooka Talesh in Group 2 as 9th-placed team faced play-off winners of 2004–05 Iran Football's 3rd Division, Zob Ahan Ardabil in Group 1 and Sepahan Novin in Group 2.


2004–05 Iran Futsal's 1st Division
The 2004–05 Iranian Futsal 1st Division will be divided into two phases.


2004–05 Iran Futsal's 1st Division
The league will also be composed of 16 teams divided into two divisions of 8 teams each, whose teams will be divided geographically. Teams will play only other teams in their own division, once at home and once away for a total of 14 matches each.


2004–05 Iran Pro League
The 2004–05 Iran Pro League was the 22nd season of Iran's Football League and fourth as Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001. PAS Tehran were the defending champions. The season featured 14 teams from the 2003–04 Iran Pro League and two new teams promoted from the 2003–04 Azadegan League: Saba Battery as champions and Malavan as runner-up. The league started on 13 September 2004 and ended on 20 June 2005. Foolad won the Pro League title for the first time in their history (total first Iranian title).


2004–05 Iranian Basketball Super League
The following is the final results of the Iran Super League 2004/05 basketball season. After passing a season of hard work for all participating teams, the 2004-05 Iranian Super League came to its end, crowning Sanam as the Champions of Iran. Sanam thrashed its arch-rival, Saba Battery, 94-79 in the final match. This difference seemed to give a real shock to Saba, which came to this game, almost as an unbeatable team during the whole season. Even Andre Pitts and Lorenzo Hall could not help Saba to survive from the quagmire made by Sanam. In the first game, Saba beat Sanam 79-75.


2004–05 Iranian Futsal Super League
The 2004–05 Iranian Futsal Super League will be the 2nd season of the Futsal Super League.


2004–05 Iranian Volleyball Super League
The following is the final results of the Iranian Volleyball Super League (Velayat Cup) 2004/05 season.


2004–05 Iraqi Premier League
The 2004–05 Iraqi Premier League kicked off on October 20, 2004. The 36 teams were split into four groups. At the end of the group stage, the top three teams from each group (a total of 12 teams) advanced to the Elite Stage, while the bottom three in each group were demoted to the lower division.


2004–05 Iraqi Premier League
In the Elite Stage, the 12 teams were split into four groups of three, with teams playing home and away against each team in their group respectively. The top team in each of the four groups moved on to the two-legged semi-finals which determined who played for the championship game; a single match held in Baghdad. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won their fifth Premier League title with a 2–0 victory over Al-Minaa.


2004–05 Irish Cup
The 2004–05 Irish Cup was the 125th edition of Northern Ireland's premier football knock-out cup competition. It concluded on 7 May 2005 with the final.


2004–05 Irish Cup
Glentoran were the defending champions, winning their 20th Irish Cup last season after a 1–0 win over Coleraine in the 2004 final. This season the Glens reached the semi-final stage, but were defeated by Portadown, who then went on to lift the cup for the third time with a 5–1 victory over Larne in the final.


2004–05 Irish Cup
It was the highest scoring final in 36 years, since the 1969 final replay when Ards defeated Distillery 4–2. It was also the first time in 43 years that the final had been won by a four-goal margin, when Linfield defeated Portadown 4–0 in 1962. This was Larne's fifth appearance in the final without ever winning; a record in the competition that still stands. They had previously been runners-up in the 1928, 1935, 1987 and 1989 finals. Derry Celtic (1898 and 1904) and Limavady (1885 and 1886) are the only other clubs to have reached the final more than once, but never won.


2004–05 Irish Cup, Fifth round
1Newry City were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player. Bangor were reinstated.


2004–05 Irish League Cup
The 2004–05 Irish League Cup (known as the CIS Insurance Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 19th edition of Northern Ireland's secondary football knock-out cup competition. It concluded on 9 November 2004 with the final.


2004–05 Irish League Cup
Cliftonville were the defending champions after their first ever League Cup win the previous season; a penalty shootout victory over Larne in the previous final. This season Cliftonville reached the semi-finals but were defeated by Linfield, who were then defeated 2–1 in the final by cup winners Glentoran. This was the eighth final in nine years that had featured either Linfield or Glentoran, and the third time in four years that both clubs had faced each other in the final. It was also Glentoran's second cup win in three years, taking their tally to five League Cups overall.


2004–05 Irish League Cup
The 16 clubs taking part were divided into four groups of four clubs. The clubs in each group played each other at home and away. The top two clubs from each group then advanced to the quarter-finals where they played a single knock-out tie against another quarter-finalist. The semi-finals were played in the same format with the two winners of the ties advancing to the single match final.


2004–05 Irish Premier League
The Irish Premier League in season 2004–05 comprised 16 teams, and Glentoran won the championship. Omagh Town were relegated after finishing bottom of the table and subsequently dissolved on 7 June 2005 owing to financial problems. Crusaders were relegated after a 3-1 defeat on aggregate to Glenavon in the promotion play-off.


2004–05 Irish Premier League
Before the start of the season Newry Town changed name to Newry City following the change in official status of Newry in 2002.


2004–05 Irish Premier League, Results
Each team played every other team twice (home and away) for a total of 30 games.


2004–05 Irish Premier League, Promotion/relegation play-off
Crusaders, the club that finished in the relegation play-off place, faced Glenavon, the runners-up of the 2004-05 Intermediate League First Division in a two-legged tie for a place in next season's Irish Premier League.


2004–05 Irish Premier League, Promotion/relegation play-off
Glenavon won 3–2 on aggregate and were promoted, Crusaders were relegated.


2004–05 Isle of Man League
The final league standings of the two Isle of Man Football League tables; as well as the results in of the domestic cup competitions for the 2004–05 season.


2004–05 Israel State Cup
The 2004–05 Israel State Cup was the 66th season of Israel's nationwide football cup competition and the 51st after the Israeli Declaration of Independence.


2004–05 Israel State Cup
The competition was won by Maccabi Tel Aviv, who had beaten Maccabi Herzliya on penalties after 2–2 in the final.


2004–05 Israel State Cup
By winning, Maccabi Tel Aviv qualified to the second round of the UEFA Cup.


2004–05 Israel State Cup, Results, Eighth Round
The draw for the Eighth Round was held on 27 January 2005. Most matches were played on 8 February 2005, except for the match between Hapoel Marmorek and Maccabi Tirat HaCarmel, which was played on 22 February 2005.


2004–05 Israel State Cup, Results, Ninth Round
Most matches were played between 1 March 2005 and 9 March 2005.


2004–05 Israeli Hockey League season
The 2004–05 Israeli Hockey League season was the 14th season of Israel's hockey league. Five teams participated in the league, and HC Maccabi Amos Lod won the championship.


2004–05 Israeli Noar Leumit League
The 2004–05 Israeli Noar Leumit League was the 11th season since its introduction in 1994 as the top-tier football in Israel for teenagers between the ages 18–20.


2004–05 Israeli Noar Leumit League
Maccabi Tel Aviv won the title, whilst Hapoel Acre and F.C. Neve Yosef were relegated.


2004–05 Israeli Premier League
The 2004–05 Israeli Premier League season saw Maccabi Haifa win their second consecutive title and ninth overall. It took place from the first match on 21 August 2004 to the final match on 28 May 2005.


2004–05 Israeli Premier League
Two teams from Liga Leumit were promoted at the end of the previous season: Hapoel Haifa and Hapoel Nazareth Illit. The two teams relegated were Maccabi Netanya and Maccabi Ahi Nazareth.


2004–05 Israeli Premier League, Teams and Locations
Twelve teams took part in the 2004-05 Israeli Premier League season, including ten teams from the 2003-04 season, as well as two teams which were promoted from the 2003-04 Liga Leumit.


2004–05 Israeli Premier League, Teams and Locations
Hapoel Haifa were promoted as champions of the 2003-04 Liga Leumit. Hapoel Nazareth Illit were promoted as runners up. Hapoel Haifa returned to the top flight after an absence of two seasons, while Hapoel Nazareth Illit made their debut in the top flight.


2004–05 Israeli Premier League, Teams and Locations
Maccabi Netanya and Maccabi Ahi Nazareth were relegated after finishing in the bottom two places in the 2003-04 season.


2004–05 Israeli Premier League, Teams and Locations
The club played their home games at a neutral venue because their own ground did not meet Premier League requirements.


2004–05 Israeli Women's Cup
The 2004–05 Israeli Women's Cup (Hebrew: גביע המדינה נשים, Gvia HaMedina Nashim) was the 7th season of Israel's women's nationwide football cup competition.


2004–05 Israeli Women's Cup
The competition was won, for the third consecutive time, by Maccabi Holon, who had beaten ASA Tel Aviv University 2–1 in the final.


2004–05 Isthmian League
The 2004–05 season was the 90th in the history of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England.


2004–05 Isthmian League
Also, it was the first season after the creation of the Conference North and South, one step above the Isthmian League. Therefore, it was the inaugural season for the league at the seventh, eighth and ninth tiers in the English league system.


2004–05 Isthmian League, Premier Division
After the creation of the Conference North and South, placed above the Isthmian League before the start of the season most of the Premier Division clubs were transferred to the newly created divisions.


2004–05 Isthmian League, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured seven clubs from the previous season and 15 new clubs:


2004–05 Isthmian League, Premier Division
Yeading won the division and were promoted to the Conference South along with play-off winners Eastleigh. Tonbridge Angels, Dover Athletic and Kingstonian finished bottom of the table and were relegated to Division One, while 19th-placed Cheshunt were reprieved as the club with a better record than the equivalent Northern Premier League and Southern League clubs after Conference South side Hornchurch folded.


2004–05 Isthmian League, Division One
After the creation of the Conference North and South one step above the Isthmian League, most of the Premier Division clubs were transferred to the newly created divisions. Consequently, the best Division One clubs took up the empty spots in higher divisions. Remaining Division One North clubs were transferred to the Southern Football League. Two Isthmian League Division One sections were merged into single Division One.


2004–05 Isthmian League, Division One
Division One consisted of 13 clubs transferred from Division One South and nine new clubs:


2004–05 Isthmian League, Division One
AFC Wimbledon won the division to earn a second promotion in a row along with runners-up Walton & Hersham and play-off winners Bromley. Dorking returned to Division Two along with Croydon.


2004–05 Isthmian League, Division Two
Division Two consisted of 16 clubs, including 12 clubs from the previous season, and four new clubs:


2004–05 Isthmian League, Division Two
Ilford won the division and were promoted to Southern League Eastern Division along with runners-up Enfield. There was no relegation from Division Two, though Abingdon Town resigned from the league at the end of the season.


2004–05 Isthmian League, League Cup
The Isthmian League Cup 2004–05 was the 31st season of the Isthmian League Cup, the league cup competition of the Isthmian League. Sixty clubs took part. The competition commenced on 26 October 2004 and finished on 28 April 2005.


2004–05 Isthmian League, League Cup, Fixtures and results
Fixtures are listed in alphabetical order, not that which they were drawn in.


2004–05 Isthmian League, League Cup, Fixtures and results, First round
In the First round, the thirty-six lowest ranked clubs in the Isthmian League played each other for a place in the Second round.


2004–05 Isthmian League, League Cup, Fixtures and results, Second round
The eighteen clubs to have made it through the First round were entered into the Second round draw with Fleet Town and Whyteleafe, making twenty teams.


2004–05 Isthmian League, League Cup, Fixtures and results, Third round
The ten clubs to have made it through the Second round were entered into the Third round draw with the twenty-two Premier Division clubs, making thirty-two teams.


2004–05 Isthmian League, League Cup, Fixtures and results, Final
The only red card of the match came for Hampton & Richmond Borough's Dean Wells. There was also a yellow card for Slough Town's Josias Carbon.


2004–05 Ivy League men's basketball season
The 2004–05 Ivy League men's basketball season was the Ivy League's 51st season of basketball. The team with the best record (Penn Quakers) progressed to play in the 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. It would be their 23rd NCAA tournament appearance. Tim Begley, a senior shooting guard, won the Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He was the eleventh player from the Penn Quakers to win the award.


2004–05 JS Kabylie season
The 2004–05 season was JS Kabylie's 40th season in the Algerian top flight. They competed in National 1, the Algerian Cup and the Champions League.


2004–05 JS Kabylie season, Squad list
Players and squad numbers last updated on 25 September 2005.Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 JS Kabylie season, Squad information, Goalscorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total goals are equal.


2004–05 Japan Figure Skating Championships
The 2004–05 Japan Figure Skating Championships was the 73rd edition of the event. They were held from December 24 through 26, 2004 at the Shinyokohama Stake Center in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Skaters competed on the senior level in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The competition was used to decide Japan's entries to the 2005 World Championships and the 2005 Four Continents Championships. The entries to the 2005 World Junior Championships were decided at the Japanese Junior Championships.


2004–05 Japan Figure Skating Championships, Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships
The 2004–05 Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships took place between November 20 and 21, 2004 at the Osaka Pool arena in Osaka.


2004–05 Japan Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, World Championships
Following the national championships, Honda, Arakawa, and Ando were assigned to the World team. All other places were filled following the 2005 Four Continents Championships, with the highest placing Japanese skater earning the available Worlds spot.


2004–05 Jordan League
The 2004–05 Jordan League was the 53rd season of Jordan Premier League, the top-flight league for Jordanian association football clubs. The championship was won by Al-Wehdat, while Al-Ahli and That Ras were relegated. A total of 10 teams participated.


2004–05 Juventus F.C. season
The 2004–05 season was Juventus Football Club's 107th in existence and 103rd consecutive season in the top flight of Italian football. Juventus won the league title for the 28th time in this season, however, the following year's Calciopoli stripped Juventus of this title and sent them to Serie B.


2004–05 Juventus F.C. season, Season summary
Juventus Football Club returned to domestic glory in the first season under Fabio Capello's reign. The former Juventus midfielder had a positive influence on the Juventus squad, and it seemed as though he had led the club to its 28th league title. However, that was all to change a year afterwards when Calciopoli sent Juventus to Serie B.


2004–05 Juventus F.C. season, Season summary
On the pitch in 2004–05, Swedish signing Zlatan Ibrahimović was the biggest positive surprise. Not known as an outright goalscorer at previous club Ajax, Ibrahimović hit the back of the net 16 times in his debut Serie A season. Another signing, Fabio Cannavaro, gave the team the stability it had lacked in the 2003–04 season, and helped the defense to be rock-solid. Juventus conceded just 27 goals throughout the league season and this, combined with the 67 goals scored, gave the club both the best defence and best attack of 2004–05 in Italy.


2004–05 Juventus F.C. season, Season summary
The lowest point of the season was not being able to get past Liverpool in the quarter-finals Champions League. Sami Hyypiä and Luis García scored early goals at Anfield, from which Juventus could not recover, despite a second half goal by Fabio Cannavaro that meant they could go through to a semi-final showdown with Chelsea if they won the return leg in Turin just 1–0. In this second leg, Ibrahimović missed a golden chance when all he had to do was turn in a Gianluca Zambrotta cross. After that, Juventus failed to pose any threat to the well-organized English side. Liverpool would go on to win the competition.


2004–05 Juventus F.C. season, Players, Squad information
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Juventus F.C. season, Players, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 KBL season
The 2004–05 Anycall Professional Basketball season was the ninth season of the Korean Basketball League.


2004–05 KF Laçi season
The 2004–05 was KF Laçi's fourth season competing in the Kategoria Superiore. It covered a period from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. They were relegated back down to Albanian First Division after just one season in the top flight.


2004–05 KF Laçi season, Season overview
Laçi set very negative records during its one-season stay at top flight. They did not win any games, and were able to gain only 2 points from 2 draws. They also set the record for the most consecutive losses, 31, and the record most consecutive matches without taking points, also 31. Laçi also changed management four times, starting with Ritvan Kulli,  Hysen Dedja, Luan Metani and Sinan Bardhi. They all failed to make an impact. Laçi also become the first team to concede more than 100 goals in one season and the first with less goals in one season, netting only 13. Seven hat-tricks were scored against Laçi during this season, a record in Albanian football.


2004–05 KF Tirana season
The 2004–05 season is Klubi i Futbollit Tirana's 66th competitive season, 66th consecutive season in the Kategoria Superiore and 84th year in existence as a football club.


2004–05 KNVB Cup
The 87th edition of the KNVB Cup (at the time called Amstel Cup) started on 7 August 2004. The final was played on 29 May 2005. PSV beat Willem II 4–0, winning the trophy for the eighth time.


2004–05 KNVB Cup, Participants
A total of 85 clubs participated in this year's edition:


2004–05 KNVB Cup, First round
The matches of the first round were played on August 7 and 10, 2004.


2004–05 KNVB Cup, Second round
The matches of the second round were played on September 21, and 22, 2005. NEC Nijmegen received a bye for the first round and entered the tournament here.


2004–05 KNVB Cup, Third round
The matches of the third round were played on November 9, and 10, 2004.


2004–05 KNVB Cup, Round of 16
The matches were played on January 25, 26 and 27, 2005. Six Eredivisie clubs entered the tournament here, because they had been playing in the Champions League and UEFA Cup.


2004–05 KNVB Cup, Final
PSV also won the Dutch Eredivisie championship, thereby taking the double. They would participate in the Champions League, so finalists Willem II could play in the UEFA Cup.


2004–05 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 2004–05 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas Jayhawks for the NCAA Division I men's 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by Bill Self in his second season as head coach. The team played its home games at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks finished the season with a record of 23–7, 12–4 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for first place in conference. The season marked the first of an NCAA record-setting 14 consecutive conference championships for Kansas. They lost to Oklahoma State in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed in the Syracuse Region. The Jayhawks were upset in the First Round by Bucknell on a last second shot.


2004–05 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team, Previous season
The Jayhawks finished the 2003–04 season with a record of 24–9, 12–4 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for second place in conference. They lost to Texas in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks advanced to the Elite Eight, losing to Georgia Tech.


2004–05 Karnataka State Film Awards
The 2004–05 Karnataka State Film Awards, presented by Government of Karnataka, to felicitate the best of Kannada Cinema released in the year 2004. The awards were announced on 21 September 2005.


2004–05 Karnataka State Film Awards, Jury
A committee headed by Kodalli Shivaram was appointed to evaluate the feature films awards.


2004–05 Kategoria Superiore
The 2004–05 Kategoria Superiore was the 69th season of top-tier football in Albania and the seventh season under the name Kategoria Superiore.


2004–05 Kategoria Superiore, Results
Each team plays every opponent four times, twice at home and twice away, for a total of 36 games.


2004–05 Kategoria e Parë
The 2004–05 Kategoria e Parë was the 58th season of a second-tier association football league in Albania.


2004–05 Kazakhstan Hockey Championship
The 2004–05 Kazakhstan Hockey Championship was the 13th season of the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, the top level of ice hockey in Kazakhstan. Eight teams participated in the league, and Kazzinc-Torpedo won the championship.


2004–05 Kent Football League
The 2004–05 Kent Football League season was the 39th in the history of Kent Football League a football competition in England.


2004–05 Kent Football League, Clubs
The league featured 16 clubs which competed in the previous season, no new clubs joined the league this season.


2004–05 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
The 2004–05 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky. The head coach was Tubby Smith. The team was a member of the Southeast Conference and played their home games at Rupp Arena.


2004–05 Kilmarnock F.C. season
The 2004–05 season was Kilmarnock's sixth consecutive season in the Scottish Premier League, having competed in it since its inauguration in 1998–99. Kilmarnock also competed in the Scottish Cup and the League Cup.


2004–05 Kilmarnock F.C. season, Summary, Season
Kilmarnock finished seventh in the Scottish Premier League with 49 points. They reached the third round of the League Cup, losing to Hearts and the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, also losing to Hearts.


2004–05 Kuwaiti Premier League
14 teams took part in the 2004–05 season of the Kuwaiti Premier League with Al Qadisiya Kuwait winning the championship.


2004–05 LEB 2 season
The 2004–05 LEB 2 season was the 5th  season of the LEB Plata, second league of the Liga Española de Baloncesto and third division in Spain.


2004–05 LEB 2 season, Competition format
16 teams play the regular season. This is a round robin, where each team will play twice against every rival. After the regular season, the eight first qualified teams played a playoff, were the two finalists promoted to LEB.


2004–05 LEB 2 season, Competition format
The last qualified team was relegated to Liga EBA, with the loser of the relegation playoffs, played by the 14th and the 15th qualified teams.


2004–05 LEB 2 season, Competition format
If two or more teams have got the same number of winning games, the criteria of tie-breaking are these:


2004–05 LEB season
The 2004–2005 LEB season was the 9th season of the Liga Española de Baloncesto, second tier of the Spanish basketball.


2004–05 LEB season, LEB Oro Playoffs
The two winners of the semifinals are promoted to Liga ACB.


2004–05 LEN Euroleague
The 2004–05 LEN Euroleague was the 42nd edition of LEN's premier competition for men's water polo clubs. It ran from 29 September 2004 to 21 May 2005, and it was contested by thirty five teams from fifteen countries. CN Posillipo defeated defending champion Budapest Honvéd in the final to win its third title, while Pro Recco was third and Jug Dubrovnik fourth.


2004–05 LEN Euroleague, Knockout stage, Quarter-finals
The first legs were played on 30 March, and the second legs were played on 20 April 2005.


2004–05 LNAH season
The 2004–05 LNAH season was the ninth season of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (before 2004 the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League), a minor professional league in the Canadian province of Quebec. 10 teams participated in the regular season, and Radio X de Quebec won the league title.


2004–05 La Liga
The 2004–05 La Liga season, the 74th since its establishment, started on 28 August 2004 and finished on 29 May 2005.


2004–05 La Liga, Teams
Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the Segunda División. The promoted teams were Levante (playing top flight football for the first time in thirty nine years), Getafe (playing in the top flight for the first time ever) and Numancia (returning after a three-year absence). They replaced Valladolid, Celta de Vigo and Murcia after spending time in the top flight for eleven, twelve and one years respectively.


2004–05 La Liga, Awards, Pichichi Trophy
The Pichichi Trophy is awarded to the player who scores the most goals in a season.


2004–05 La Liga, Awards, Zamora Trophy
The Zamora Trophy is awarded to the goalkeeper with least goals to games ratio.


2004–05 La Liga, Awards, Fair Play award
This season, the award was not published neither given to any club due to an administrative affair.


2004–05 Latvian Hockey League season
The 2004-05 Latvian Hockey League season was the 14th season of the Latvian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Latvia. Eight teams participated in the league, and HK Riga 2000 won the championship.


2004–05 Lebanese Premier League
The 2004–05 season of the Lebanese Premier League was the 44th season of Top-Flight Professional League Football (soccer) in Lebanon. This season featured 11 clubs once more from across the nation. Two of the competing teams were eligible for qualifying for international competitions(AFC Cup for 1st Position and FA Cup Winners while 2nd and 3rd enter the Arab Champions League) while the bottom 3 would be relegated to make way for 2 teams from the 2004–05 Second Division for 2005–06 season. This Due to the league being reduced to 10 teams for the 2005–06 season.


2004–05 Leeds United A.F.C. season
During the 2004–05 English football season, Leeds United competed in the Football League Championship, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the previous season after 14 years in the top flight. With debts of over £100 million, Leeds were not expected to make a push for an automatic return to the Premiership, with preventing a second successive relegation the priority.


2004–05 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Season summary
In 2004–05 season, Leeds began signing players prepared to accept lower wages. The club were eventually forced to sell both their training ground, for £4.2m, and their Elland Road stadium in the autumn of 2004.


2004–05 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Season summary
On 21 January 2005, Krasner announced the sale of a 50% stake to Ken Bates for £10m and Bates became the club's new chairman, replacing Krasner. This investment effectively saved Leeds United from going into administration. Bates had previously headed three other league football clubs, most famously Chelsea.


2004–05 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Season summary
Blackwell was forced to sell most of the remaining players, including Aaron Lennon; somehow he managed to build a team using loan players and experienced professionals nearing the end of their careers. Despite a promising opening day win against Derby County, Leeds's form at the start of the 2004–05 Coca-Cola Championship was little better than in the previous season, and they spent the first half of the campaign looking in serious danger of a second successive relegation. Their form gradually picked up after the club was taken over by Bates and Leeds finished in a relatively safe 14th place.


2004–05 Leeds United A.F.C. season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Leeds United A.F.C. season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Lega Basket Serie A
The 2004–05 Lega Basket Serie A season, known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons, was the 83rd season of the Lega Basket Serie A, the highest professional basketball league in Italy.


2004–05 Lega Basket Serie A
The regular season ran from October 3, 2004 to May 2005, 18 teams played 34 games each. The top 8 teams made the play-offs whilst the lowest ranked team, Sicc Cucine Jesi and the bankrupt club Scavolini Pesaro, were relegated to the Legadue.


2004–05 Lega Basket Serie A
Climamio Bologna won their second title by winning the playoff finals series against Armani Jeans Milano.


2004–05 Lega Basket Serie A, Regular Season 2004/05
Guido Saibene (next 1 game, 0-1) Svetislav Pešić (last 16 games, 9-7)


2004–05 Lega Basket Serie A, Regular Season 2004/05
Maurizio Bartocci (next 1 game, 0-1) Attilio Caja (next 11 games, 5-6) Maurizio Bartocci (last 15 games, 8-7)


2004–05 Lega Basket Serie A, Regular Season 2004/05
Gianni Molina (next 1 game, 0-1) Ruben Magnano (last 25 games, 10-15)


2004–05 Lega Basket Serie A, Regular Season 2004/05
Teams marked in green qualified for the playoffs. Teams marked in red were relegated to Serie A2. Scavolini Pesaro has gone bankrupt after the season and moved to Serie B, sparing Reggio Calabria relegation.


2004–05 Leicester City F.C. season
During the 2004–05 English football season, Leicester City F.C. competed in the Football League Championship.


2004–05 Leicester City F.C. season, Season summary
Leicester City were hoping to make an immediate return to the FA Premier League following relegation the previous season, but got off to a poor to indifferent start to the season, seeing them drawing too many games and prompting Micky Adams to resign in October despite claims by the club that they wanted him to continue. He was replaced by Hearts' Craig Levein, but he couldn't inspire Leicester to improve and the club finished the season in a disappointing 15th place.


2004–05 Leicester City F.C. season, Kit
Leicester retained the previous season's kit, manufactured by French company Le Coq Sportif and sponsored by Narborough-based bank Alliance & Leicester.


2004–05 Leicester City F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Leicester City F.C. season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2004–05 Libyan Premier League
The 2004–05 Libyan Premier League was the 37th edition of the Libyan Premier League, the top tier of Libyan football organised by the Libyan Football Federation. The season started on September 10, 2004, culminating on July 12, 2005. Al Ittihad secured their 11th league title, with newly promoted Urouba finishing as runners-up and champions Al Olomby only managing to finish 3rd.


2004–05 Libyan Premier League, Competition
The season contained 14 sides, who each played each other twice. However, after Nasr and Ahly Tripoli's expulsion from the league on May 9, 2005, all matches that were played against these two clubs were cancelled.


2004–05 Libyan Premier League, Relegation play-offs
The Promotion/Relegation Play-off took place between the 10th placed team Rafik Sorman and the 3rd placed team in the 2004-05 Libyan Second Division Playoffs, Al Wahda. A one-off match took place at the 9 July Stadium. The winner, Rafeeq, retained their top flight place for the next season, and Al Wahda remained in the Libyan Second Division for the 2005-06 season.


2004–05 Liechtenstein Cup
The 2004–05 Liechtenstein Cup was the sixteenth season of Liechtenstein's annual cup competition. Seven clubs competed with a total of sixteen teams for one spot in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. Defending champions were FC Vaduz, who have won the cup continuously since 1998.


2004–05 Liga Alef
The 2004–2005 Liga Alef season saw Maccabi Tzur Shalom (champions of the North Division) and Hapoel Bnei Lod (champions of the South Division) winning the title and promotion to 2005–06.


2004–05 Liga Alef
At the bottom, Hapoel Tuba, Maccabi Tur'an (from North division), Hapoel Qalansawe and Hapoel Jaljulia (from South division) were all automatically relegated to Liga Bet.


2004–05 Liga Alef, Relegation play-offs, North play-off
The 12th placed club in Liga Alef North, Maccabi Shefa-'Amr, faced Liga Bet North A and North B runners-up, Hapoel Karmiel and Hapoel Umm al-Fahm. The teams played each other in a round-robin tournament, with all matches held at a neutral venue, Nahariya Municipal Stadium.


2004–05 Liga Alef, Relegation play-offs, North play-off
Hapoel Umm al-Fahm won the play-offs and was promoted to Liga Alef. Maccabi Shefa-'Amr remained in Liga Alef after Hapoel Majd al-Krum (which relegated from Liga Artzit to Liga Alef) folded during the summer.


2004–05 Liga Alef, Relegation play-offs, South play-off
The 12th placed club in Liga Alef South, Beitar Giv'at Ze'ev, faced Liga Bet South A and Liga Bet South B runners-up, Hapoel Azor and Ironi Nes Tziona. The teams played each other in a round-robin tournament, with all matches held at a neutral venue, Bat Yam Municipal Stadium.


2004–05 Liga Alef, Relegation play-offs, South play-off
Ironi Nes Tziona won the play-offs and was promoted to Liga Alef. Beitar Giv'at Ze'ev remained in Liga Alef after a vacancy was created in the South division, following the merger of Liga Artzit club, Maccabi Ramat Amidar, with Hakoah Ramat Gan.


2004–05 Liga Artzit
The 2004–05 Liga Artzit season saw Hapoel Ashkelon win the title and promotion to Liga Leumit alongside runners-up Maccabi Be'er Sheva. Hapoel Majd al-Krum were relegated to Liga Alef, whilst Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata, who finished second from bottom, were reprieved after Maccabi Ramat Amidar left the league and merged with Hakoah Ramat Gan.


2004–05 Liga Bet
The 2004–05 Liga Bet season saw Maccabi Sektzia Ma'alot (champions of the North A division), Hapoel Bnei Tamra (champions of the North B division), Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam (champions of the South A division) and Hapoel Arad (champions of the South B division) win their regional divisions and promoted to Liga Alef.


2004–05 Liga Bet
The runners-up in each division entered a promotion/relegation play-offs with the clubs ranked 12th in Liga Alef. In the north section, Hapoel Umm al-Fahm (from North B division) won the play-offs and was promoted. In the south section, Ironi Nes Tziona (from South B division) won the play-offs and was promoted.


2004–05 Liga Bet
At the bottom, Beitar Acre (from North A division) and Maccabi Bnei Tira (from South A division) were relegated to Liga Gimel, whilst Maccabi Majd al-Krum (from North A division) and Beitar Kiryat Ono (from South A division) folded during the season. However, Maccabi Daliyat al-Karmel, Hapoel Kafr Misr/Nein (from North B division) (from North B division), Moadon Tzeirei Rahat and Maccabi Yehud (from South B division), which finished in the relegation zone, were all reprieved from relegation, after several vacancies were created in Liga Bet for the 2005–06 season, mostly due to withdrawals of clubs.


2004–05 Liga Bet, North A Division
During the season, Maccabi Majd al-Krum (after 11 matches) folded and its results were annulled.


2004–05 Liga Bet, South A Division
During the season, Beitar Kiryat Ono (after 13 matches) folded and its results were annulled.


2004–05 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, North play-off
Liga Bet North A and North B runners-up, Hapoel Karmiel and Hapoel Umm al-Fahm faced the 12th placed club in Liga Alef North, Maccabi Shefa-'Amr. The teams played each other in a round-robin tournament, with all matches held at a neutral venue, Nahariya Municipal Stadium.


2004–05 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, North play-off
Hapoel Umm al-Fahm won the play-offs and was promoted to Liga Alef. Maccabi Shefa-'Amr remained in Liga Alef after Hapoel Majd al-Krum (which relegated from Liga Artzit to Liga Alef) folded during the summer.


2004–05 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, South play-off
Liga Bet South A and Liga Bet South B runners-up, Hapoel Azor and Ironi Nes Tziona faced the 12th placed club in Liga Alef South, Beitar Giv'at Ze'ev. The teams played each other in a round-robin tournament, with all matches held at a neutral venue, Bat Yam Municipal Stadium.


2004–05 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, South play-off
Ironi Nes Tziona won the play-offs and was promoted to Liga Alef. Beitar Giv'at Ze'ev remained in Liga Alef after a vacancy was created in the South division, following the merger of Liga Artzit club, Maccabi Ramat Amidar, with Hakoah Ramat Gan.


2004–05 Liga Gimel
The 2004–05 Liga Gimel season saw 99 clubs competing in 8 regional divisions for promotion to Liga Bet.


2004–05 Liga Leumit
The 2004–05 Liga Leumit season saw Hapoel Kfar Saba win the title and promotion to the Premier League. Runners-up Maccabi Netanya were also promoted.


2004–05 Liga Leumit
Maccabi Ahi Nazareth (who had been relegated from the Premier League the previous season) and Tzafririm Holon were relegated to Liga Artzit.


2004–05 Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo season
The 2004–05 Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo season was the 31st season of the Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo, the top level of ice hockey in Spain. Seven teams participated in the league, and CH Jaca won the championship.


2004–05 Ligat Nashim
The 2004–05 Ligat Nashim is the seventh season of women's league football under the Israeli Football Association. The league began on 26 January 2005, following a Supreme Court ruling which ordered Minister of Education, Culture and Sport, Limor Livnat to introduce measures to equal funding for women football clubs.


2004–05 Ligat Nashim
The league was won by Maccabi Holon, its second title. By winning, Maccabi Holon qualified to 2005–06 UEFA Women's Cup.


2004–05 Ligat Nashim, League format
With a record number of 19 teams registered to play, the league was split into two divisions, Northern and Southern. Following a single round of play, the top four teams in each division progressed to the Championship Group, which was played as double round-robin tournament, while the rest of the teams were placed in the bottom group, which was played as a single round-robin tournament. For the second phase, all points gathered by the teams in the first phase was erased and both groups started with a clean slate.


2004–05 Ligat Nashim, Regular season results, Northern Division
With 9 teams in the division, teams played 8 matches in the regular season.


2004–05 Ligat Nashim, Regular season results, Southern Division
With 10 teams in the division, teams played 9 matches in the regular season.


2004–05 Ligue 1
The 2004–05 season of Ligue 1 was a very close-run battle. Separating fourth placed Rennes, who enter the UEFA Cup and 18th placed Caen, who get relegated to Ligue 2, were 13 mere points. Lyon were long time leaders and had won the league back in April 2005. On the last day, 4 teams could have got the 4th place guaranteeing a place in the UEFA Cup and any 2 from 6 teams could have been relegated before the final games.


2004–05 Ligue 2
The Ligue 2 season 2004/2005, organised by the LFP was won by AS Nancy and saw the promotions of AS Nancy, Le Mans UC72 and Troyes AC, whereas Angers SCO and SC Bastia were relegated to National.


2004–05 Ligue Magnus season
The 2004–05 Ligue Magnus season was the 84th regular season of the ice hockey elite league in France and the first to take the name of Ligue Magnus.


2004–05 Ligue Magnus season, Results, Relegation matches
Clermont-Ferrand faces Caen, vice champion of Division 1 in two matches the 23 and 26 April 2005. After a tie in the first leg match 4-4, Caen won the serie in the second leg matches with a victory 8 to 2. Caen is promoted in Ligue Magnus at the expense of Clermont-Ferrand.


2004–05 Ligue Magnus season, Season Champion
Clermont is relegated in Division 1, but due to financial difficulties, the club filed for bankruptcy. For similar reasons, Tours and Mulhouse were not allowed by the federation to rejoin ligue Magnus the next season. Tours is relegated to Division 2, Mulhouse filed for bankruptcy.


2004–05 Lille OSC season
The 2004–05 season was the 60th season in the existence of Lille OSC and the club's fifth consecutive season in the top flight of French football. In addition to the domestic league, Lille participated in this season's editions of the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, the UEFA Intertoto Cup and UEFA Cup. The season covered the period from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005.


2004–05 Lille OSC season, Competitions, UEFA Cup, Group stage
The group stage draw was held on 5 October 2004.


2004–05 Lithuanian Hockey League season
The 2004–05 Lithuanian Hockey League season was the 14th season of the Lithuanian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Lithuania. Four teams participated in the league, and SC Energija won the championship. SC Energija received a bye until the finals, as they played in the Latvian Hockey League. Sturm Kaliningrad from Russia participated in the league, but were ineligible for the playoffs.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season
The 2004–05 season was the 113th season of competitive football played by Liverpool. It began on 1 July 2004 and concluded on 30 June 2005, with competitive matches played between August and May. Liverpool finished fourth in the previous Premier League season. However, they were unable to improve on this position finishing in fifth place, 37 points behind eventual winners Chelsea with a record of 17 wins, 7 draws and 14 defeats. Liverpool fared better in cup competitions.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season
Although they were eliminated by Burnley in the third round of the FA Cup, they reached the final of the League Cup, which they lost 3–2 to Chelsea. Despite their lack of success domestically, Liverpool were successful in the UEFA Champions League. They won the competition for the fifth time, defeating Italian team Milan in the final.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season
Liverpool acquired eight players in the transfer market, including Djibril Cissé, Xabi Alonso and Luis García. They were supplemented by the arrival of Mauricio Pellegrino, Fernando Morientes and Scott Carson during the January transfer window. A total of four players departed including Markus Babbel, Danny Murphy, Michael Owen and Stéphane Henchoz.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season
Thirty-two different players represented the club in four competitions, and there were 17 different goalscorers. Liverpool's top goalscorer were Milan Baroš, Steven Gerrard and García with 13 goals each. Defender John Arne Riise made the most appearances during the season with 57.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League
A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2004–05 season. Each team played 38 matches; two against every other team and one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top two teams qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League; teams in third and fourth needed to play a qualifier. The provisional fixture list was released on 24 June 2004, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, international football, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, FA Cup
Liverpool entered the competition in the third round, as a result of their Premier League status. Their opponents in the third round were Burnley. The match was played at Burnley's home ground, Turf Moor, with Liverpool resting several regular first-team players and opting to field "a collection of reserve and youth team players" according to The Guardian. The decision was unsuccessful. Burnley won the match 1–0 due to an own goal by defender Djimi Traoré in the second half.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, League Cup
Liverpool entered the League Cup in the third round due to them qualifying for European competition, their opponents were Millwall. A "second-string Liverpool", according to BBC Sport, won 3–0 courtesy of a goal from Salif Diao in the first half and two from Milan Baroš in the second. They were drawn against fellow Premier League team Middlesbrough in the fourth round. Two goals from Neil Mellor secured a 2–0 win for Liverpool to progress to the quarter-finals.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, League Cup
Benítez opted to field a reserve side again against Tottenham Hotspur, in a match which went to extra time after a goalless first 90 minutes. Tottenham opened the scoring in the 108th minute when Jermain Defoe scored from a Frederic Kanoute cross. Three minutes before the end, Liverpool were awarded a penalty kick after Kanoute handled the ball in the Tottenham penalty area. Florent Sinama-Pongolle scored from the penalty spot to level the match at 1–1 and set up a penalty shoot-out, which Liverpool won 4–3.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, League Cup
Liverpool were drawn against Championship side Watford in the semi-finals. Played over two-legs, Liverpool won the first leg at Anfield 1–0 after Gerrard scored in the 56th minute. The second leg at Watford's home ground, Vicarage Road, was "a game of few chances" according to BBC Sport. A goal from Gerrard in the 77th minute secured a 1–0 victory, and a 2–0 win on aggregate to secure Liverpool's place in the final.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, League Cup
Liverpool faced Chelsea in the final, which Benítez felt would favour Liverpool: "There will be more pressure on them, they have spent a lot of money and are the best team in the league, because they are in first position, but they've lost their last two important games. That means they will be under pressure. People will see them as the favourites, I'm sure, so the pressure is on them and not us."


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, League Cup
Liverpool took the lead within a minute of the kick-off. A cross from Fernando Morientes was met by John Arne Riise, who volleyed the ball past Petr Čech in the Chelsea goal. It was the fastest goal scored in a League Cup final. The score remained 1–0 until the 79th minute when Gerrard scored an own goal, after he headed a Chelsea free-kick into his own goal. The match finished 1–1 after 90minutes and wen to extra-time.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, League Cup
Chelsea took the lead in the 197th minute when Didier Drogba scored and they extended their lead further six minutes later following a Mateja Kežman goal. Liverpool scored through Antonio Núñez a minute later, but they were unable to score another goal and Chelsea won the match 3–2 to win the League Cup.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
As Liverpool had finished fourth in the league the previous season, they needed to play a qualifying round against Grazer AK to ensure progression into the group stages. Liverpool won the first leg 2–0 courtesy of two goals from Gerrard. They lost the second leg 1–0 at Anfield, a Mario Tokić goal securing victory for Grazer, but they progressed 2–1 on aggregate. Liverpool were drawn in Group A along with Deportivo La Coruña, Monaco and Olympiacos.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool won their first match against Monaco at Anfield 2–0, courtesy of goals from Cissé and Baroš. A 1–0 loss against Olympiacos at the Karaiskakis Stadium was the first time Liverpool had lost to Greek opposition. Deportivo La Coruña were the opposition in Liverpool's third group game at Anfield. The match ended 0–0 with Liverpool dominating the game and lacking a 'cutting edge' according to BBC Sport. Liverpool won the reverse fixture at the Estadio Riazor 1–0 thanks to an own goal by Deportivo defender Jorge Andrade.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
A 1–0 defeat to Monaco at the Stade Louis II meant Liverpool needed to win their final match against Olympiacos at Anfield by two clear goals to progress to the knockout stages. Liverpool started the game well but went behind to a free-kick from Rivaldo. This meant they needed to score three goals to ensure they progressed to the next round. Sinama-Pongolle levelled the scores in the 47th minute after coming on as a substitute at half-time. Mellor scored a second in the 81st minute to put Liverpool ahead.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
In the 86th minute, Gerrard's "stunning half-volley, speared majestically from the edge of the area," according to The Guardian secured a 3–1 victory and Liverpool's place in the round of 16. Gerrard was delighted with the result after it looked like Liverpool might exit the competition after falling a goal behind in the first half: "I'd be a liar if I didn't say I thought we were down and out at the break. They were spoiling the game and were strong defensively, so there was a mountain to climb at half-time."


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool were drawn against Bayer Leverkusen of Germany in the round of 16. Liverpool took the lead in the first leg at Anfield when García scored in the 15th minute. Riise scored from a free-kick in the 35th minute to make it 2–0 and Hamman added a third in the second half. An error in the last minute by goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek saw França score for Leverkusen to make the score 3–1 at full-time. The second leg at Leverkusen's home ground, the BayArena finished with the same scoreline.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Two goals in quick succession in the first half by García, was followed by a goal from Baroš in the second half. Jacek Krzynówek scored late in the match, but Liverpool's 3–1 victory meant they won 6–2 on aggregate to progress to the quarter-finals. Liverpool were drawn against Juventus. This was the first time the clubs had met since the Heysel Stadium disaster at the 1985 European Cup Final, where 39 people, many of them Juventus supporters, lost their lives.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool took the lead in the first leg at Anfield in the tenth minute when Sami Hyypiä scored and García added a second fifteen minutes later. Juventus replied in the second half, when Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson allowed a Fabio Cannavaro header to slip through his fingers. But they were unable to score a second goal and the match finished 2–1. Liverpool captain Gerrard was pleased with the result and optimistic about their prospects in the second leg: "I was delighted with the first half, unfortunately the first half and second half were very different.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
They pressed us back after the break and made it difficult for us to keep the ball. The blow was conceding a goal in the second half," added the captain Steven Gerrard. "I'm sure Scott will be disappointed with it but to be fair to him he stopped one in the first half and it was one of the best saves I've seen all season. It means we've got to keep a clean sheet over there, but we won't play for a 0-0 in the second leg. We've got the ability to nick a goal so that will be our game plan and if we keep a clean sheet we're into the last four." Liverpool progressed to the semi-finals after a 0–0 draw in a game of few chances at Juventus' home ground, the Stadio Delle Alpi.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool faced Chelsea in the semi-finals, who were the favourites as they had already beaten Liverpool three times during the season. The match was a close match with both sides close to scoring in the early stages. Riise and Baros missed chances for Liverpool, while Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard had chances to put Chelsea in the lead too. The second half was a 'sterile affair' according to BBC Sport with neither side able to score the match finished 0–0.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Despite failing to score an away goal, Benítez was confident Liverpool would progress following the second leg at Anfield: "It is a good situation. We have very good supporters, they will be with us at Anfield and we need to win, we always have confidence and we need to believe in ourselves. We played a good game. The team worked hard and controlled the game, they had chances but a draw is a good result."


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool took the lead within the first four minutes at Anfield, when Baros beat Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to the ball and García tapped the ball into Chelsea goal, despite the protestations of Chelsea players who claimed the ball hadn't gone over the line. For the remainder of the match, Liverpool withstood Chelsea's attacks, whose best chance came in the final minute when Eiður Guðjohnsen's volley went just wide of the Liverpool goal. A 1–0 victory meant Liverpool progressed to their first European Cup final since 1985.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Chelsea manager was critical of the officials following over the Liverpool goal: "The linesman scored the goal. No one knows if that shot went over the line and you must be 100%, but they are in the final and from my heart I hope they win it. The night belongs to them and I don't want to criticise them."


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Goalscorer García was adamant the ball was over the line when he scored and was delighted to have reached a final in his first season at the club: "I hooked the ball towards the goal, I felt it went in and I am very happy now. When I arrived here last summer I was intent on winning some trophies, but I do not expect to get to the Champions League final in my first season in England. For us to get to the final is beyond all our dreams, and for me to score the goal is a special moment too."


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, Squad statistics
Liverpool used a total of 32 players during the season, with 17 different goalscorers. There were also five squad members who did not make an appearance during the season. Riise featured in 57 matches, the most of any Liverpool player during the campaign. Carragher was the only player to appear in every Premier League match. Baroš, Gerrard and García were topscorers with 13 goals each.


2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season, Squad statistics
Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Players with number struck through and marked  left the club during the playing season.


2004–05 Livingston F.C. season
Season 2004-05 saw Livingston compete in the Scottish Premier League. They also competed in the League Cup and the Scottish Cup.


2004–05 Livingston F.C. season, Summary
Livingston finished third bottom of the SPL in 10th place and reached the Quarter Finals of both the Scottish Cup and Co-operative Insurance Cup.


2004–05 Livingston F.C. season, Summary, Managers
Livingston started the season under Allan Preston who was sacked by the club on 5 November 2004 with Richard Gough being appointed as his replacement on 30 November.


2004–05 Logan Cup
The 2004–05 Logan Cup was a first-class cricket competition held in Zimbabwe from 26 October 2004 – 29 April 2005. It was won by Mashonaland, who won five of their six matches to top the table with 97 points.


2004–05 Los Angeles Clippers season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the Clippers' 35th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 21st season in Los Angeles. With a young team with some promising talent led by Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, the Clippers got off to a solid start with an 11–7 record, but then lost five straight as they played around .500 for the first half of the season. However, after holding a 23–23 record as of February 3, the team struggled and lost eight straight games, losing nine of their twelve games during the month.


2004–05 Los Angeles Clippers season
The Clippers continued to struggled as they finished third in the Pacific Division with a 37–45 record, which was three more wins than their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the Clippers missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons. Bobby Simmons was named Most Improved Player of The Year averaging 16.4 points per game. Following the season, he left to sign as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks.


2004–05 Los Angeles Clippers season, Transactions
The Clippers were involved in the following transactions during the 2004–05 season.


2004–05 Los Angeles Kings season
The 2004–05 Los Angeles Kings season would have been the King's 38th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). However, the 2004–05 NHL lockout cancelled all of the scheduled games for the season.


2004–05 Los Angeles Kings season, Transactions
The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 2004–05 season.


2004–05 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 2004–05 Los Angeles Lakers season was the franchise's 57th season in the National Basketball Association, and 45th in the city of Los Angeles. The previous season had ended with a crushing defeat in five games to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, despite the Lakers being heavily favored. The 2004–05 season is best remembered as a tough one for the Lakers, winning only 34 games and missing the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.


2004–05 Los Angeles Lakers season
It was also the Lakers first season since 1995-96 without either center Shaquille O'Neal, who was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and future draft picks or point guard Derek Fisher, both of whom had been instrumental in the Lakers' previous three championship victories, on the roster. The Lakers had the worst team defensive rating in the NBA.


2004–05 Los Angeles Lakers season
Phil Jackson was also fired in the offseason and replaced by former Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich. However, in February of 2005, Tomjanovich's struggle with cancer forced him to resign and be replaced by Jackson's assistant coach Frank Hamblen for the rest of the season. Following the season, Butler was traded to the Washington Wizards, and Vlade Divac retired.


2004–05 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The 2004–05 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 91st season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in Conference USA and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his fourth season. The team played home games at Freedom Hall.


2004–05 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The Cardinals won the Conference USA Tournament Championship (their 2nd), defeating Memphis 75-74. Louisville defeated West Virginia 93-85 (OT) to win the NCAA Tournament Albuquerque Regional and advance to the Final Four (their 8th) where they fell to eventual runner-up Illinois 72-57. The Cardinals finished with a 33-5 (14-2) record.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season
The 2004–05 season was the 119th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club, and club's 84th consecutive year in the Football League. Luton ended the season as champions of the rebranded League One competition, formerly known as the Second Division, with 98 points, achieving promotion to the Championship; the club's first elevation to that level since the 1981–82 season.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season
The club spent very little money bringing in new players to win the title, instead relying on existing players, use of the loan system and the robust youth set-up.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season
Much of the success was built on a strong defence, headed by youth graduate Curtis Davies, which let in the fewest goals of any team; the leadership of combative midfielder and captain Kevin Nicholls, who unlike in previous years remained uninjured for the whole season; and the team's ability to score late goals – of the 87 goals the team scored in the league, almost a fifth came in the last ten minutes of matches.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season
This article covers the period from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Background
With Luton Town losing up to £500,000 per month and the very real threat of its history and heritage being destroyed by controversial owner John Gurney, supporters' trust Trust in Luton deliberately placed the club into administrative receivership in July 2003 after taking a controlling interest in the club's major creditor. Gurney was successfully forced out as a result, but administration meant that the club was unable to sign players without special dispensation from the authorities during the 2003–04 season and, therefore, a finish of tenth place in the league was viewed by many to be a success.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Background
On 12 May 2004, four days after the last game of the campaign, businessman Bill Tomlins completed his takeover of the club, securing its immediate future. Manager Mike Newell began the process of keeping key players, committing defenders Chris Coyne and Russell Perrett, midfielders Paul Hughes, Michael Leary and Steve Robinson, and youth players Curtis Davies, Rob Beckwith and Stephen O'Leary to two-year contracts, as well as rejecting an offer from Sheffield Wednesday for leading scorer Steve Howard. Popular striker Adrian Forbes left the club and dropped down to the league below, signing for Swansea City on a free transfer in late June.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, July
Experienced goalkeeper Marlon Beresford returned to Luton, where he had spent three months during the previous season, on a free transfer on 1 July from Barnsley. The same day, midfielder Matthew Spring, who had started his career at Luton and made nearly 300 appearances for the team, joined Championship club Leeds United on a Bosman free transfer. On 12 July 2003–04 Player of the Year Emmerson Boyce, another who had graduated through the youth system, turned down the offer of a new contract and joined Premier League club Crystal Palace on a free transfer. The club signed Slovenian goalkeeper Dino Seremet on a two-year contract on 23 July from NK Maribor, the player arriving on a free transfer following a successful trial period.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, July
After five friendly victories against local sides, Luton were brought back to earth with a 4–0 home loss to Dutch champions and former European Cup winners Ajax on 23 July. Striker Matthew Blinkhorn joined Luton on a three-month loan from Blackpool a week later.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, July
A 1–1 draw with Premier League club Charlton Athletic on 31 July rounded off pre-season, with the first league game of the campaign beginning a week later.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, August
A day before the first game with Oldham Athletic, Luton signed Portsmouth's 21-year-old striker Rowan Vine on a three-month loan, with a view to extending this for the whole season. Vine started in the team that beat Oldham 2–1 on 7 August, with goals from Steve Howard and Paul Underwood resulting in a Luton victory in an otherwise even game. Narrow, albeit high-scoring, victories away to Swindon Town and Barnsley pushed Luton into second place in the table, and marked the first time since the 1981–82 season that the club had won their first three games of a campaign.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, August
The team kept their first clean sheet with a 1–0 win over Torquay United on 21 August that pushed them into first place. A week later, Luton won 3–1 away to Blackpool in a game they dominated, scoring three goals in the second half to win their third away game – the same number of away wins achieved in the entirety of the previous season. Howard scored again to make it five goals in five League One games and, including the previous season, ten goals in ten consecutive games. A 1–0 home win against AFC Bournemouth two days later, captain Kevin Nicholls scoring the winning goal late on with a 25-yard curling shot, gave Luton a six-point lead at the top of the table.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, August
These six wins in a row saw Mike Newell presented with the Manager of the Month award, and Steve Howard awarded the Player of the Month trophy for his five goals.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, September
Youth player Keith Keane, who had played a number of games in August in place of the injured Kevin Foley, was rewarded for his performances with a two-year professional contract on 3 September. Soon after, on-loan striker Rowan Vine extended his loan until the end of the season following a strong start.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, September
Luton's 100% record came to an end on 4 September when they drew 0–0 at Sheffield Wednesday. Three days later, the club was knocked out of the League Cup after a 4–3 extra time loss to League Two club Boston United.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, September
Luton clearly did not dwell on either of these setbacks, winning their next three league games to extend the gap to second-placed Tranmere Rovers to nine points. In this period, the club signed striker Gary McSheffrey on a one-month loan, a player who had proved a success in a three-month loan spell the previous season. First-choice goalkeeper Marlon Beresford was injured in a 2–1 home win against Peterborough United, meaning back-up Dino Seremet made his debut as a substitute. Seremet's first start did not go so well, as Luton were knocked out of the Football League Trophy, again by lower league opposition, in a 2–0 loss to Swansea City on 28 September. Youth players Calvin Andrew and Leon Barnett both signed three-year professional contracts the same day.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, September
A Luton player won the League One Player of the Month award for the second month in a row, Rowan Vine picking up the award after scoring three goals in four league games.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, October
A 1–1 draw away to closest rivals Tranmere Rovers on 2 October was described as "the toughest test for [the team] yet" by Mike Newell. Following a 3–0 win against Hartlepool United six days later, the club had gone over a quarter of the league season unbeaten.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, October
This record quickly evaporated with three defeats in a row, to Huddersfield Town, Walsall, and a heavy 3–0 loss against Hull City, who had now overtaken Tranmere as Luton's nearest rivals. Newell refused to be flustered despite dropping nine points, stating that "there isn't a lot wrong" and that bad luck had played a part in the defeats.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, October
The injury to Marlon Beresford and poor goalkeeping performances from Dino Seremet led Luton to sign Simon Royce on a one-month loan from Charlton Athletic on 29 October. A 4–0 home win against Bradford City came one day later, with Ahmet Brković opening the scoring with a "sensational" bicycle kick.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
Director of Football Mick Harford left the club on 5 November to take up the post of assistant manager at Nottingham Forest.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
The club remained unbeaten throughout November, winning convincingly against Wrexham and Milton Keynes Dons, drawing against Doncaster Rovers, and claiming an FA Cup first round victory over Southend United.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
Luton rejected a bid for Steve Howard during November from Championship club Nottingham Forest, managed by former Luton boss Joe Kinnear. Leon Barnett, who had graduated through the youth team, signed for non-League Aylesbury United on loan for a month on 19 November.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
Central defender Curtis Davies became the third Luton player in four months to win the League One Player of the Month award for his performances in November.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December
Luton secured a place in the FA Cup third round following a 3–0 win away to Wycombe Wanderers on 4 December.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December
Steve Howard was sent off early in Luton's game at Brentford on 7 December, with the club losing 2–0 in their fourth league defeat of the season and reducing their lead at the top of the table to just one point. However, wins against Port Vale, Bristol City, and Chesterfield allowed Luton to pull out a lead once again. The performances of squad players such as Russell Perrett and Enoch Showunmi, filling in for injuries and suspensions, were cited by Mike Newell as key to these three victories.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December
On 16 December, defenders David Bayliss and Ian Hillier both joined League Two club Chester City on one-month loans.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December
2004 ended in a 2–2 home draw with Colchester United, Rowan Vine scoring twice.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
Two draws in the league saw Luton usurped as league leaders by Hull City, marking the first time during the season that they had been in a place other than top since 28 August. Luton were then knocked out of the FA Cup with a 2–0 home defeat to Brentford on 8 January.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
The loans of David Bayliss and Ian Hillier at Chester City were both extended for a further month on 14 January.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
The club returned to the top of the table with their first win in four games, beating bottom-of-the-table Stockport County 3–0 on 15 January. Further draws with Colchester United and Tranmere Rovers still left Luton as leaders, as Hull began to drop points.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February
Left-back Sol Davis signed a one-year contract extension on 3 February.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February
On 5 February, Luton drew for the third time in a row, this time with Huddersfield Town, conceding in the fourth minute of added time. A draw for Hull left them one point behind Luton in the table, with the next match taking place between the two sides at Kenilworth Road one week later. A close match was eventually won by Luton, Ahmet Brković scoring in the last minute of the game to pull out a four-point lead.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February
Three further wins in quick succession over Hartlepool United, Bradford City and Walsall saw this four-point gap increase to nine, and even a loss to Port Vale in late February, described by Newell as their "worst performance of the season", that ended a 14-game unbeaten league run kept Luton comfortably in first place.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
Luton put the defeat to Port Vale behind them with a 5–0 thrashing of Bristol City and then a 3–1 win over Swindon Town.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
Influential midfielders Kevin Nicholls and Ahmet Brković both signed one-year contract extensions on 3 March. On 10 March, manager Mike Newell signed a two-year contract extension alongside his assistant manager Brian Stein. Young goalkeeper Dean Brill signed a one-year contract extension on 14 March. Two days later, Wycombe Wanderers rejected a £100,000 bid from Luton for their top scorer Nathan Tyson.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
The club drew 2–2 with Oldham Athletic on 19 March, with a last-minute Steve Howard goal earning a point that saw Hull City close the gap to the top.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
Northern Ireland international striker Warren Feeney signed for Luton on 24 March for a £150,000 fee from Stockport County, where he had scored 17 goals. A 3–1 defeat the next day to Barnsley, coupled with a draw for Hull, meant Luton conceded top place in the table again, though both clubs were still safely above the play-off places. A 4–1 win over Torquay United on 28 March, along with Hull losing, lifted Luton back into first.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, April
Luton went the entirety of April without losing or drawing, with consecutive victories against Blackpool, Bournemouth, Milton Keynes Dons, Wrexham and Brentford securing promotion to the Championship and first place in the table; the club's first promotion to the second tier of English football since the 1981–82 season.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, April
Chris Coyne was awarded the Player of the Month trophy for April, making him the fourth Luton player in nine months to win the accolade, while Mike Newell won the Manager of the Month award for the second time during the season.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May and June
Luton ended the season with an incident-packed 3–3 draw with Doncaster Rovers on 7 May.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May and June
The club had six players named in the League One Team of the Year – goalkeeper Marlon Beresford; centre-backs Curtis Davies and Chris Coyne; midfielders Kevin Nicholls and Ahmet Brković; and top scorer Steve Howard. Curtis Davies was also named as the overall League One Player of the Year, a notable achievement considering this was the 20-year-old's first full season.


2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May and June
On 17 May, it was announced that Wrexham's Trinidadian international winger Carlos Edwards would join Luton on a free transfer on 1 July 2005, signing a three-year contract. Lee Mansell, who had played only three times during the season, joined Oxford United on a free transfer on 7 June. Steve Howard, who had been the subject of bids from Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Burnley throughout the season, committed himself to Luton on 16 June by signing a new two-year contract. Midfielder Peter Holmes also agreed a one-year extension to his contract. On 30 June, defender David Bayliss left Luton to join Wrexham.


2004–05 Luxembourg National Division
The 2004–05 Luxembourg National Division was the 91st season of top level association football in Luxembourg. The competition ran from 7 August 2004 to 29 May 2005 with F91 Dudelange winning the title.


2004–05 Luxembourg National Division, Teams
The 2004–05 season saw the National Division's roster of twelve clubs include:


2004–05 Luxembourg National Division, Format
The twelve teams completed the round-robin by playing each other twice (once home and once away) by 24 April. Then, the league divided into three. The top four teams were separated from the rest and formed the  'Title group' . The bottom eight teams were then subdivided into two groups of four, titled  'Relegation group A'  and  'Relegation group B' . In the event, the top four were F91 Dudelange, FC Etzella Ettelbruck, Jeunesse Esch, and FC Victoria Rosport.


2004–05 Luxembourg National Division, Format
In each of the three mini-leagues, each team played each of the three other teams in the mini-league twice (once home and once away). To these results were added the 22 results of the first stage. The overall points totals (and goal difference, etc.) were used to determine each club's position in its respective mini-league.


2004–05 Luxembourg National Division, Format
After calculating the final results after 28 games, F91 Dudelange, the top team in the title group, was declared the league champion. The fourth-placed team in each of the relegation groups (Union Luxembourg and CA Spora Luxembourg in groups A and B respectively) was relegated to the Division of Honour.


2004–05 Luxembourg National Division, Format
This format is no longer used; the current season, 2006–07 uses a straightforward round-robin.


2004–05 Luxembourg National Division, European qualification
Luxembourg was assigned one spot in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, for the league champions; it was also assigned two spots in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup, for the runners-up and the winners of the Luxembourg Cup. As league champions, F91 Dudelange qualified for the Champions League. Etzella Ettelbruck qualified for the UEFA Cup as runners-up. CS Pétange qualified for the UEFA Cup by the Luxembourg Cup.


2004–05 Luxembourg National Division, Team changes for 2005–06 season
The champions and runners-up of the Division of Honour, UN Käerjeng 97 and US Rumelange, were promoted automatically.