Glory, Goals and Greed: Twenty Seasons of the Premier League

An enlightening account of the FA Premier League's eventful first 20 years

Born 20 years ago, in September 1991, the FA Premier League has since established itself as the most popular club competition in world football. But first it endured a struggle to survive in the face of opposition from the players' union and the Football League. It was touch and go for a year, then the breakaway elite faced a new crisis with the exposure of the game's "bungs" culture (payment made outside official arrangement), staining the reputations of Brian Clough and George Graham, among others. The new league was threatened again by the very real possibility of financial meltdown, averted only by a widespread and controversial takeover of many top clubs by predatory owners from overseas. Joe Lovejoy, chief football writer at the Independent at the time, reported on the creation of the Premier League, and revisits the story here, interviewing many of the "founding fathers" to cast new light on its arrival. Later, as chief football correspondent at the Sunday Times, Lovejoy had an up close and personal view of all the main events, and has spoken again to those involved to shed new light on the best matches, best players, and stand-out incidents of the Premier League's enthralling first 20 years.