The 2008-09 football season promises a gripping climax across the Premier League and Football League, the FA Cup and European competitions. Plus a resurgent England under new boss Fabio Capello are gaining momentum in their bid to qualify for World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

Some say it promises to be one of the best seasons they’ve ever seen, but is it?
Are current fans watching the game in 2009 through rose-tinted spectacles? Or are the critics of today’s game just stuck in the past, convinced that football isn’t what it was "in the old days"?

Whether it’s on the telly or in the stands, we’re all asking the same questions:

• Is football more exciting today than in years gone by?
• How do Wenger and Fergie compare with the likes of Shankly and Cloughie?
• And is this really one of the best seasons of the modern era?

Here at The New Football Pools, we’ve looked to answer those questions by analysing every season in English football since the summer of 1966, when we reached the pinnacle of the world game.

Our statisticians and football experts, including legends such as Alan Hansen, Gordon Banks and John Barnes, have looked in detail at the various factors that make up a truly memorable season, namely;

• The title/relegation thrillers in each of the four divisions
• The number of goals scored
• Average attendances
• Exciting domestic and European cup competitions (dramatic finals, cup upsets etc)
• Those great European nights for English clubs
• International success (or not) for England
• Individual matches and players that make a season particularly memorable

From this we’ve produced a series of reports including:

• The top 10 seasons since 1966
  


• The top 5 seasons across each of the 92 league clubs
  


• The top 5 Barclays Premier League seasons
  

So read on to find out which seasons came out on on top and why.

You can also download previous reports using the links below:

• Football Fever 1 - The Stress Report
  
• Football Fever 2 - The Fan-tasy Report
  
• Football Fever 3 - The Rivalries Report
  
• Football Fever 4 - The Achievers Report