West Ham United, the 2006 FA Cup finalists, remained under the guidance of former club hero Alan Curbishley who took over from Alan Pardew in December 2006.

Curbishley made a number of signings in pre-season, the most notable being Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy, Fredrik Ljungberg, Kieron Dyer and Nolberto Solano.

Yet, luck was not on their side as they lost Bellamy and Dyer for most of the campaign due to nagging injuries. Another setback was the loss of centre-back James Collins who tore his knee ligaments during a reserves match in January. Collins is expected to return to action in September.

Despite all these difficulties, the Hammers still managed to finish in a mid-table position, three points above their London neighbours and rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

It was certainly a vast improvement on the previous campaign which had seen West Ham escape the drop on the very last day of the season. In 2007-08, West Ham finished five places higher than they did the previous season and were never in the relegation mire.

Wigan Athletic found the going tough for much of the season but they still gained four points more than Reading, who were relegated after finishing third from bottom.

In November, the club decided to part with manager Chris Hutchings, the assistant of former manager Paul Jewell, who was sacked after a six-year spell at the JJB Stadium.

Steve Bruce took charge of Wigan after leaving Birmingham City. For a very short period early in the season, Wigan were top of the league following two wins and a draw. But then things started to go wrong and after a miserable run of eight straight defeats, Hutchings was led to the exit door. Wigan had to pay £3m in compensation to Birmingham to appoint Bruce as their manager.

The Latics fans were glad to see their hero Emile Heskey recalled to the England squad following his excellent displays at club level. The former Liverpool forward became the first Wigan player to represent England.

When current Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland played for England, he was on loan from Liverpool. After his appearance for the national team, Heskey was sidelined for six weeks after breaking his foot in a club match.

Wigan all but secured their place in the Premier League for another season following an excellent 1-1 draw with title challengers Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

After West Ham went all the way to the FA Cup final in 2006, this time they stumbled at the very first hurdle. After a home draw against Manchester City, the Londoners lost the replay 0-1.

In the League Cup, the Clarets saw off Bristol Rovers away, Plymouth at home, and Coventry away before they were edged out by Everton 1-2 in the quarter-finals at Upton Park.

Hull City, who will play in the top flight this coming season, shocked Wigan in the League Cup with a 2-0 victory at the JJB Stadium in round two. Wigan recorded an impressive 3-0 triumph at Sunderland in round three of the FA Cup but they were knocked out by Chelsea at home in the next round after a 2-1 defeat.

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