1995–96 in English football Bolton Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City were relegated, while Coventry City and Southampton stayed up on goal difference. Leading goalscorer: Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers) - 31 Sunderland gave their best performance in years by clinching the Division One title, and were joined among the elite by runners-up Derby County and play-off winners Leicester City. Crystal Palace conceded a last-minute Leicester winner at Wembley, and would have gone up automatically had it not been for their dismal first half of the season. Luton Town, Watford and Millwall, who had all played in the top flight at some stage in
History of Blackburn Rovers F.C. to the position of Director of Football at the end of the championship season, and handed over the reins to his assistant Ray Harford (1945–2003). Alan Shearer was sold to hometown club Newcastle United for a then world record fee of £15million in the summer of 1996. Rovers failed to win in their opening 10 games of the 1996–97 Premiership and Harford resigned. They were relegated in 1998-99. They were promoted back to the Premier League in 2000–01. In 2001–02 they won their first-ever League Cup by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. In 2004–05 they