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October 25, 2018

All-time Bundesliga (Germany/1st division): Chart of all clubs with at least one season in the German 1st division (56 seasons/since 1963-64/55 clubs); with German titles listed.

Filed under: Football: All-time 1st Div,Germany — admin @ 9:50 am

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List: All-time Bundesliga + German titles



By Bill Turianski on 25 October 2018; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Sources…
-Germany – Bundesliga All-Time Tables 1963/64-2017/18 (rsssf.com).
-All-time Bundesliga table;
-List of German football champions/Performance by club;
-Bundesliga (en.wikipedia.org).
-Small kit illustrations from each team’s page at en.wikipedia.org.

This chart is similar to the one I made for England earlier this year {here: England, 1st division – all-time: List of all clubs with at least one season in the English 1st division (120 seasons/since 1888-89/65 clubs).}.

The German chart here is a bit more complicated than the England chart. That is because Germany did not have a country-wide national (pro) league until the Bundesliga was instituted in 1963-64. Before that, starting in 1903, the German football title was decided by round-robin tournaments with representative teams from the several regional leagues. So unlike in England, in Germany, there were national football titles long before there was a national 1st division league.

There are 7 clubs that won German titles in the pre-Bundesliga era (1903-63), that ended up never playing in the Bundesliga. Those clubs are shown in the section at the foot of the chart. Most of these clubs have evolved into small and amateur lower-leagues clubs. The exceptions are Holstein Kiel, a 2nd division side; and Austrian club Rapid Vienna. (SK Rapid Vienna [Wein] played in the German football system from 1938-45; Rapid Vienna currently play in the Austrian Bundesliga [Div I, Austria].)

There are a few other things different on this All-time-1st-Div-Germany list than on the All-time-1st-Div-England list…
A). At the centre of the chart, I combined two columns: the column for “Consecutive Seasons in the 1st Division” is now combined with the column for “Last season that the club was previously in the 1st Division”. I combined them because it is an either/or situation.
B). I had to scrap the column, at the right-centre of the chart, that shows a segment of the jersey worn by each club from the most recent season that the club was in the 1st division {via historicalkits.co.uk}. I had to scrap that because, to my knowledge, no such imagery exists online for any country on the Continent. So I had to settle for the primitive kit illustrations that Wikipedia uses for football clubs. The plus side of this is that it is easier to tell which clubs on the chart are currently [2018-19] in the top flight.
C). Clubs are listed with their most popularly-used name at the far left of the chart, and with their full name at the far right of the chart.

I will continue on with this format with All-time-1st-Div-Italy, to be posted in mid-December 2018. All posts in this format will be in the new category >Football: All-time 1st Div, which can be found near the very top-right of the Categories list.

I also have ones ready for All-time-1st-Div-France (to be posted in mid-January 2019), plus one for All-time-1st-Div-Spain.

Below: the 10 clubs in German football with the most seasons spent in the Bundesliga…
Sources: club-membership numbers from worldfootball.net/competition/bundesliga, in the Profile section on each club’s page there; attendance figures from european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm; population figures from en.wikipedia.org.
Joint-1st. Werder Bremen (55 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). A founding member of the Bundesliga in 1963-64, Werder Bremen are from Bremen, which is a city-state in the northwest of Germany. (Bremen is one of 3 city-states in Germany, and is the smallest of the 16 federal states of Germany.) Bremen has a population of around 568,000 and a metro-area population of around 2.4 million {2017 figures}. Werder Bremen claims 36,500 members, which is slightly less their recent average attendances (Bremen drew 38.7 K last season and drew 40.8 K in 2016-17). Werder Bremen have only been relegated once, in 1980, and they bounced straight back to the Bundesliga the following year. Werder Bremen have won 4 German titles (1965, 1988, 1993, 2004). Werder Bremen wear Blue/Green-with-White.

Joint-1st. Hamburg (55 of 56 Bundesliga seasons.) A founding member of the Bundesliga, Hamburger SV are from the city-state of Hamburg in northwest Germany. (Hamburg is the 2nd-largest city in Germany after Berlin.) For years, Hamburg took pride in the fact that they were the sole German club to have played in every season of the Bundesliga. They even had a clock at their stadium which displayed how long, consecutively, they had been in the top flight. As the decade of the 2010s wore on, that clock became an albatross on the shoulders of the team. {See this article from the New York Times from Feb. 2017, Time and a Relentless Clock Weigh on Hamburg Soccer Team (by Andrew Keh at nytimes.com/soccer).} And so the relegation that Hamburg had been flirting with for years, became a reality, in the spring of 2018. Hamburg have won 6 German titles (1923, 1928, 1957, 1976, 1980, 1983). That last title in 1983 coincided with their winning of the 1983 European Cup. Hamburg sport a flag-shaped blue crest which features a black and white diamond, but despite that, their primary colour is red: they wear White-and-Red-with-Blue-socks.

3rd. Bayern Munich (54 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). Fußball-Club Bayern München are called Bayern Munich in the Anglophone world. In Germany, because of the giant shadow they cast – and all the drama they create, and all the self-entitlement they project – they are often called FC Hollywood. Bayern Munich are basically one of the most successful football clubs in the world, with 28 German titles [the most by far] and 4 European titles (last in 2013). They could easily be called the New York Yankees of Germany. Bayern Munich have the most club-members by far in Germany – over 290,000. Bayern Munich are the second-best-drawing club in Germany (behind only Dortmund), and they always play to 100% capacity, drawing exactly 75 K, in their space-age Allianz Arena (or so they say). The odd thing is, the club was not selected to join the inaugural season of the Bundesliga in 1963-64. That was because of the rule which stipulated that only one club per city could be part of the first Bundesliga…and at that point in the mid-1960s, the now-3rd-division club 1860 Munich was the most successful club from the Bavarian city of Munich. Bayern Munich did not join the Bundesliga until the 3rd season. Since then, Bayern Munich have essentially dominated German football. The club currently has a 6-consecutive-titles streak, but that streak is in jeopardy this season, as there is looking to be a multi-team title race, and Dortmund, or Bremen, or ‘Gladbach (or Leipzig), could wrest the title from Bayern Munich come April 2019. Bayern Munich’s crest features the white-and-blue-diamonds that are on the flag of the Free State of Bavaria (which is the largest state in Germany). They wear Red-with-White-trim, and often feature dark-blue trim.

4th. Stuttgart (53 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). A founding member of the Bundesliga, VfB Stuttgart are from Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. (Stuttgart is called the cradle of the automobile and is home to Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.) Stuttgart were a founding member of the Bundesliga; they have been relegated twice: in 1974-75 (spending 2 seasons in the 2nd tier), and in 2015-16 (bouncing straight back to the top flight). Stuttgart have won 5 German titles (1950, 1952, 1984, 1992, 2007). Stuttgart wear White-with-Red; their badge features black deer antlers on a yellow field. (Deer antlers are part of the coat of arms of Württemberg. By the way, deer antlers are also featured on the Porsche logo.)

5th. Dortmund (52 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). A founding member of the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund are the highest-drawing football club in Germany, and have been drawing between 79 K and 81 K per game since 2010-11. In fact, Dortmund are the highest-drawing football-club in the whole of Europe, and have been filling their 81.3-capacity Westfalenstadion in excess of 97-percent-capacity for eight straight seasons. Dortmund have 155,000 club members, which is basically the same amount as their nearby rivals Schalke, and only Bayern Munich have more club members. Dortmund are from Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, which is part of the Rhine-Ruhr mega-city, the largest urban area in Germany, with a population exceeding 5 million {see this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine-Ruhr}. (Each season in the Bundesliga there are usually around 4 or 5 top-flight clubs which are from the Rhine-Ruhr region, and in 2018-19 there are 6 Rhine-Ruhr clubs: Dortmund, Schalke, Mönchengladbach, Köln, Bayer Leverkusen, and Fortuna Düsseldorf.) Dortmund have won 8 German titles, and have been repeat-champions twice (1995 & 1996, 2011 & 2012). Dortmund wear Yellow-and-Black.

Joint-6. Schalke (51 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). A founding member of the Bundesliga, FC Schalke 04 are from Gelsenkirchen, in the Rhine-Ruhr mega-city, only about 22 miles, by road, west of Dortmund. Schalke and Dortmund contest the Revierderby. Schalke are the 3rd-highest-drawing club in Germany, usually drawing between 60 and 61 K, and they boast over 155,000 club members. But Schalke have under-achieved for years, and have not won a German title in over half a century: the last of their 7 titles was won pre-Bundesliga, in 1958. Scalke wear Blue-with-White.

Joint-6. Mönchengladbach (51 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). Borussia Mönchengladbach are from the far-western edge of the Rhine-Ruhr mega-city, very close to the border with the Netherlands. ‘Gladbach’s glory days were in the early-to-mid-1970s, when they won 5 titles in 8 seasons, including back-to-back-to-back titles in 1975-77. (Bayern Munich are the only other club to have won 3 Bundesliga titles in a row.) Their nickname of Die Fohlen (the Foals) came from this era, reflecting the squad’s youth and dynamism. But the club evolved into a bottom-half of the table side by the 1990s, and suffered relegations in 1999 and in 2007. But since moving into their 54-K-capacity stadium in 2004, ‘Gladbach’s fortunes have, in general, improved. Borussia Mönchengladbach boasts 83,000 members, and by that metric, are the 6th biggest club in Germany. They wear White-with-Green-and-Black-trim.

8th. Eintracht Frankfurt (50 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). A founding member of the Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt are from Frankfurt, Hesse (the 5th-largest city in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne). (“Eintracht” means harmony, and is the German equivalent of a club having “United” in its name.) Frankfurt may have participated in the lion’s share of Bundesliga seasons, but (like Schalke) they have never won the competition: Eintracht’s sole German title came in 1959. But the Eintracht Frankfurt team these days is rather competitive, and they won the DFB-Pokal [German Cup] in 2018. Eintracht Frankfurt usually wear Red-and-Black, but are sporting Black-and-Grey this season.

9th. Köln (48 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). A founding member of the Bundesliga, 1. FC Köln, are currently in the 2nd division. Köln are from Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, on the southern edge of the Rhine-Ruhr mega-city. (Köln are often called Cologne in the English-speaking sports world.) FC Köln have 102,000 members, making them, by that measurement, the 4th largest club in Germany. But that is a bit misleading, because Koln usually are the 7th or 8th-best drawing team in the country, drawing between 46 and 48 K. Since the mid-1990s, the team has periodically imploded, and they have suffered 4 relegations in the last 31 years. Köln were relegated in 1998, in 2006, in 2012, and once again in 2018. Köln have won 2 German titles (in the inaugural season of the Bundesliga in 1964, and in 1978). Köln wear White-with-Red-trim, and sport a crest that features a billy-goat (their mascot) and a silhouette image of the Cologne Cathedral (Germany’s most-visited landmark).

10th. Kaiserslautern (44 of 56 Bundesliga seasons). A founding member of the Bundesliga, Kaiserslautern, are currently in the 3rd division. They are from Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. Kaiserslautern are probably most renowned for being the most-recent team in the Big Five Western European leagues to gain promotion to the 1st division and then go on to win the title the following season. This happened in 1997-98. (The most recent team to achieve this unique accomplishment in England was, of course, Nottingham Forest in 1977-78; and before that it was Ipswich Town in 1961-62.) Kaiserslautern are the team in this top ten list that is from the smallest city, by a large margin: the city of Kaiseslautern has a population of only 99,000 {2017 figure}. So it is not surprising that Kaiserslautern have had a tough time of maintaining their status as a top-flight club, and indeed, they found themselves relegated to the 3rd division in 2018. Kaiseslautern wear Red-with-White.
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
Germany – Bundesliga All-Time Tables 1963/64-2017/18 (rsssf.com).
All-time Bundesliga table; List of German football champions/Performance by club; Bundesliga (en.wikipedia.org).

October 14, 2018

NFL 1961 season, map with helmets/jerseys & final standings + offensive stats leaders; champions: Green Bay Packers.

Filed under: NFL>1961 map/season,NFL/ Gridiron Football,Retro maps — admin @ 8:26 am

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NFL 1961 season, map with helmets/jerseys and final standings + offensive stats leaders; champions: Green Bay Packers.




By Bill Turianski on 14 October 2018; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-1961 NFL season
-1961 NFL Championship Game (en.wikipedia.org).
-1961 NFL season (pro-football-reference.com).
-Article on Green Bay Packers’ “Heisman/Wisconsin” logo used in late -1950s/early-1960s, The Return of an Old Friend (by Chance Michaels at packersuniforms.blogspot.com from Sept 2010).

    1961 NFL Championship Game: the Green Bay Packers demolish the New York Giants 37-0.
    (The win started the Packers’ unequaled run of 5 NFL titles in 7 years.)

-Birth of a dynasty 1961 Packers would not be denied (by Martin Hendricks on Oct 5 2011 at Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

green-bay-packers_1961-nfl-champs_packers-beat-giants_37-0_new-city-field_vince-lombardi_paul-hornung_jim-taylor_ron-kramer_ray-nitschke_willie-davis_bart-starr_k_.gif

Photo and Image credits above -
1961 NFL title game ticket, from sports.ha.com. New City Field was covered with one foot of hay, to protect the turf from the cold, for a whole month prior to the 1961 NFL Championship Game, photos from Green Bay Press-Gazette Archive via packerville.blogspot.com. Packers TE Ron Kramer scores a TD mid-way through the 2nd Q (21-0), photo unattributed at pinterest.com. Packers FB Jim Taylor on a run, screenshot from pinterest.com via packersnews.com [link broken]. Packers HB/K Paul Hornung on a run, photo by Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated at si.com. Packers MLB Ray Nitschke sacks Giants QB Y.A. Tittle, photo by Robert Riger at gettyimages.com. Packers DE Willie Davis sacks Y.A. Tittle, photo by Green Bay Press-Gazette at greenbaypressgazette.com. After the final whistle, Packers players carry their head coach, Vince Lombardi, off the field, photo by Green Bay Press-Gazette via lohud.com. Packers fans tear down the goal posts, photo by AP via archive.jsonline.com. Vince Lombardi with his 3 main offensive threats in 1961 (L-R): FB Jim Taylor, HB/K Paul Hornung, QB Bart Starr [photo from Dec 3 1961 after clinching the '61 NFL West], photo unattributed at reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool. “Heisman/Wisconsin” logo used by Packers in late-1950s/early-1960s, packersuniforms.blogspot.com.

1961 Green Bay Packers: 6 All-Pro players; plus 9 from the ’61 Packers were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Note: All-Pro, below, means: 1961 AP, 1st team.
-Paul Hornung (HB/K): 1961 All-Pro (RB), and 1961 MVP [AP]; Hornung was inducted to the HoF in 1986.
-Jim Ringo: 1961 All-Pro (C); Ringo was inducted to the HoF in 1981.
-Bill Forester: 1961 All-Pro (LB).
-Henry Jordan: 1961 All-Pro (DT).
-Fuzzy Thurston: 1961 All-Pro (G).
-Jesse Whittenton: 1961 All-Pro (CB).
-Jim Taylor (FB); Taylor was inducted into the HoF in 1976.
-Bart Starr (QB); Starr was inducted into the HoF in 1977.
-Forrest Gregg (T); Gregg was inducted into the HoF in 1977.
-Herb Adderley (CB/KR); Adderley was inducted into the HoF in 1980.
-Ray Nitschke (LB); Nitschke was inducted into the HoF in 1981.
-Willie Davis (DE); Davis was inducted into the HoF in 1981.
-Vince Lombardi (Head coach of the Packers from 1959-67). Lombardi was inducted into the HoF in 1971.

Helmet and uniforms changes for 1961 NFL…
Below: In 1961, four NFL teams introduced helmet-logos (Vikings, Packers, Lions, Giants).
nfl_1961_4-new-helmet-logos_vikings_packers_lions_giants_e_.gif
1961 NFL teams’ uniforms at Gridiron Uniform Database.
-Expansion team (1961 Minnesota Vikings): the Vikings were so named to reflect the large Scandinavian population in the state of Minnesota. Since their inception in 1961, the Vikings have always worn a purple helmet with viking-horns on each side, with a bit of yellow trim at the base of the viking-horn. Unfortunately, this is a miss-representation of history, because viking invaders (Norsemen) never wore horned helmets. Just think for a moment how impractical and downright dangerous a horned helmet would be to wear into battle: you would always be snagging the horns on things, to say nothing about how it would throw your balance off. The fact is, the only time Norsemen wore horned helmets in battle was in the theatrical productions of Wagner operas first staged in the late Nineteenth century. ‘When Wagner staged his “Der Ring des Nibelungen” opera cycle in the 1870s, costume designer Carl Emil Doepler created horned helmets for the Viking characters, and an enduring stereotype was born.’ {-quote from history.com/news/did-vikings-really-wear-horned-helmets.} So the Minnesota Vikings helmet-logo is based on an historical myth, because vikings never wore horned helmets, at all, when they were busy invading, sacking and pillaging back in the 8th through 11th centuries.

-In 1961, the Green Bay Packers introduced their helmet-logo…‘The oval “G” logo was added in 1961 when [Vince] Lombardi asked Packers equipment manager Gerald ‘Dad’ Braisher to design a logo. Braisher tasked his assistant, St. Norbert College art student John Gordon. Satisfied with a football-shaped letter “G”, the pair presented it to Lombardi, who then approved the addition.’ {-from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bay_Packers#Logo.} The football-shaped-letter-G helmet-logo remains, though in 1970, the football-shaped-G became more oval-shaped (less pointed at the ends; see below).
Below: the Packers’ helmet-logo was introduced in 1961. In 1970, the Packers’ logo became more oval-shaped…
green-bay-packers_1969_1970_helmet-logo-made-oval-shaped_c_.gif

-In 1961, the Detroit Lions introduced their helmet-logo, of a blue rampant lion in silhouette. The blue-rampant-lion helmet-logo remains, and since 2003, the rampant-lion has had detailing: a thin black outline was added in 2002, and interior details in white were added in 2009.

Below: the Lions’ helmet-logo was introduced in 1961. It remains essentially the same, w/ outline added in 1970, and detailing added in the 2000s…
detroit-lions_1961_helmet-logo_rampant-lion_1970_2003_2009_c_.gif

-In 1961, the New York Giants introduced their helmet-logo, of their city’s initials, NY, in a bold lower-case sans-serif font, with the tail of the y stretched to fit under the n-y, thus forming a square-block shape. The block-shaped-lowercase-N-Y helmet-logo was dropped following the 1974 season, but was re-introduced in 2000.

Below: the NY Giants’ lowercase-NY helmet-logo was introduced in 1962; it remained for 14 years & was re-introduced in 2000…
new-york-giants_1961_helmet-logo_lower-case-ny-logo_1975_1976_2000_b_.gif"

___
Photo and Image credits on map page…
Packers players on map page,
Reproduction of early-1960s Packers helmet, from ebay.com. Early-1960s Packers pennant, from sports.mearsonlineauctions.com. Bart Starr [photo circa 1964], photo unattributed at citelighter.com. Bart Starr and Paul Hornung [photo from 1962], photo by Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated at si.com/nfl/photos.Jim Ringo [photo circa 1962], photo unattributed at ebay via thepostgame.com. Forrest Gregg [photo circa 1964], photo unattributed at packers.com. Fuzzy Thurston and Paul Hornung [photo circa 1964], photo unattributed at valpoathletics.com.
Henry Jordan and Willie Davis [photo circa 1962], photo Vernon Biever at nfl.com via pinterest.com. Bill Forester [1963 Topps trading card], from footballcardgallery.com. Ray Nitschke [photo circa 1962], photo unattributed at dailydsports.com/ray-nitschke. Herb Adderley [photo from 1961 or '62], photo unattributed at ebay.com via pinterest.com. Jesse Whittenton [photo from 1960], photo unattributed at packers.com. Jim Taylor [photo from 1961], photo unattributed at pinterest.com. Max McGee [photo from 1961], photo by Marvin E. Newman at gettyimages.com.
Willie Wood

Offensive stats leaders on map page,
Bill Wade (Bears) [photo from 1961], photo by Ray Gora/Chicago Tribune at chicagotribune.com. Sonny Jurgensen (Eagles) [photo from 1963], photo unattributed at pinterest.com. Jim Brown (Browns) [photo from 1961], photo by Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated at si.com/nfl/photos/jim-brown-rare-photos. Jim Taylor (Packers) [photo from 1962], photo by Green Bay Press-Gazette via packershistory.net. Tommy McDonald (Eagles) [photo from 1960], photo unattributed at thenumerati.net.

-Blank map by anonymous US federal government employee, at File:StatesU.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Thanks to the contributors at pro-football-reference.com
-Thanks to the contributors at NFL 1961 season (en.wikipedia.org).
Special thanks to Tim Brulia, Bill Schaefer and Rob Holecko of The Gridiron Uniform Database, for giving billsportsmaps.com the permission to use football uniforms illustrations from Gridiron Uniform Database {GUD}.

October 4, 2018

2018-19 Football League Two (4th division England, incl Wales): map w/ 17/18-crowds-&-finish + titles-&-seasons-in-1st-division./+ 2 promoted clubs for the 2018-19 4th division (Macclesfield Town, Tranmere Rovers).

Filed under: 2018-19 English football,Eng-4th Level/League Two — admin @ 11:37 am

2018-19_football-league-two_map_w-2018-crowds_titles_seasons-in-1st-division_post_b_.gif"
2018-19 Football League Two (4th division England, incl Wales): map w/ 17/18-crowds-&-finish + titles-&-seasons-in-1st-division



By Bill Turianski on 4 October 2018; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-2018-19 EFL League Two (en.wikipedia.org).
-Table, fixtures, results, attendance, stats…LEAGUE TWO [Summary] (soccerway.com).
-Sky Bet League Two 2018 – 2019 [kits] (historicalkits.co.uk).


A brief re-cap of 2017-18 League Two [the 4th division]…
Promoted to the 3rd division…Accrington Stanley, Luton Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Coventry City {see this post: http://billsportsmaps.com/?p=45230}.
Relegated from the 3rd division down to the 4th division are…Oldham Athletic, Northampton Town, Milton Keynes, Bury.
Relegated from the 4th division down to the non-League 5th division are…Barnet, Chesterfield.
Promoted up from the 5th division [non-League], and into the 4th division are the two clubs profiled below…

    Below: the 2 promoted clubs for the 2017-18 fourth division (Macclesfield Town, Tranmere Rovers)…
    •Macclesfield Town FC.

Est. 1876 (as Macclesfield FC). Nickname: the Silkmen. Colours: Blue-and-White. Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire. Population of Macclesfield: around 52,000 {2011 figure}. Macclesfield is situated (by road) 21 miles (30 km) S of Manchester. Macclesfield is situated (by road) 181 miles (290 km) NW of London.

Manager of Macclesfield Town, Mark Yates (age 48; b. Birmingham, West Midlands). Yates, the former Kidderminster, Cheltenham, Crawley, and Solihull manager, was hired by Macclesfield in June 2018. He replaced longtime former Macclesfield player and manager John Askey {see photos and captions below}. Askey had just unexpectadly guided Macclesfield back into the Football League, so his stock was up. And he took the opportunity to take on the manager’s role at a larger club, so he signed on with 3rd-division-side Shrewsbury Town. Askey replaced Paul Hurst at Shrewsbury (Hurst is now manager of 2nd-tier side Ipswich Town). As John Brewin tweeted earlier this week…‘Summer EFL managerial moves: Paul Hurst from Shrewsbury to Ipswich, John Askey from Macclesfield to Shrewsbury, Mark Yates to Macclesfield. The three clubs have one win between them all season.’ {twitter.com/JohnBrewin_/status/1047384525179895808.}

A key player in Macclesfield Town’s unlikely 5th division title was 37-year-old MF Danny Whitaker, who was born only a few miles from Macclesfield, in Wimslow, Cheshire {see photos and captions below}. Whitaker was one of three Macclesfield players who made the 2018 National League Team of the Year. The other two were the Kurdish Iraqi-born-/-Hastings-E Sussex-raised GK Shwan Jalal (age 35), and Shrewsbury-born MF/RW Elliott Durrell {Silkmen Trio In National League Team Of The Year (starlaneend.com)}. Jalal has moved on, remaining in the 5th division, now as GK for the just-relegated Chesterfield. Durrell and Whitaker are still with Macclesfield, and Whitaker has scored twice this season, but Durrell has not been playing and is battling a groin injury.

As of the 4th of October, Macclesfield Town, now under Mark Yates, have had a tough time of it back in the 4th division, and are currently without a win, and are at the foot of the table. Although in Macclesfield’s last two matches, they drew against two teams that are currently in the play-off places (1-1 v Forest Green Rovers, and 3-3 away v Newport County). Macclesfield are drawing 2.1 K (22nd-highest in the 4th tier; Crawley Town and Morecambe are drawing lower).

Below: Macclesfield Town makes a surprise return to the Football League, after a 6-season spell in non-League…
macclesfield-town_promoted-2018_moss-rose_john-askey_scott-wilson_tyrone-marsh_mitch-hancox_danny-whitaker_shwan-jalal_elliott-durrell_t_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Macclesfield 17/18 jersey, photo from umbro.co.uk/macclesfield-town. Macclesfield Borough coat of arms, photo by Bernt Rostad at File:Macclesfield Borough coat of arms.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Macclesfield town centre, photo by Daniel Case at File:View of Macclesfield from Macclesfield train station 2014.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Aerial image of Moss Rose, from bing.com/maps [Bird's Eye View]. Main Stand at Moss Rose, photo by John Campion at allroadsleadsomewhere.blogspot.com. John Askey as manager of Macclesfield [photo from 2014], photo by Dave Thompson/PA Images via gettyimages.com. John Askey as a player for Macclesfield [photo circa 2001], photo unattributed at thenonleaguefootballpaper.com. Shwan Jalal, photo by Chelsie Wilson via starlaneend.com. Elliott Durrell, photo by Chelsie Wilson via starlaneend.com. Danny Whitaker, photo from mtfc.co.uk. Scott Wilson, photo from Macclesfield Town at twitter.com/@thesilkmen [27 Oct 2017]. Some of the 494 traveling Macclesfield fans celebrate, after Tyrone Marsh scores v Eastleigh, photo by Warren Little/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. 17/18 Macclesfield Town away jersey, photo from mtfcdirect.co.uk. Tyrone Marsh celebrates goal v Eastleigh, photo by Warren Little/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Mitch Hancox scores 2nd goal v Eastleigh, photo by Action Images via thes*n.co.uk. Danny Whittaker is carried off the field by Macclesfield fans after the promotion-clinching win, photo by Warren Little/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.

    •Tranmere Rovers FC.

Est. 1884 (as Belmont FC). Nicknames: Super White Army; Rovers. Colours: White with Blue trim. Location: Tranmere, Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside [along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool]. Population of Birkenhead: around 88,000 {2011 figure}. Birkenhead is situated (by road) 2 miles (3 km) W of Liverpool. Birkenhead is situated (by road) 219 miles (352 km) NW of London.

Manager of Tranmere Rovers, Micky Mellon (age 46; b. Paisley, Scotland). Micky Mellon was a DMF  who made 173 league appearances for Tranmere Rovers (1997-99; 2001-04); Mellon also made 125 appearances for Blackpool, and 85 appearances for Burnley. After retiring from the playing field in 2006, Mellon got into coaching: first with Northern League side Lancaster City, then with Burnley as an assistant. Then in 2009, Mellon became the coastal Lancashire-based Fleetwood Town’s first full-time manager. Fleetwood, now a 3rd division side, were back then a well-funded 6th-tier-team that was on the rise. Mellon led Fleetwood to promotion to the Conference [the 5th division], by winning the 2010 Conference North play-off final over Alfreton Town. Two seasons later, in 2011-12, Mellon led Fleetwood to promotion again, by winning the Conference title (beating out 2nd-place Wrexham by 5 points), thus sending Fleetwood Town up to the Football League for the first time. But a bad run of form half a year later, in December 2012, saw Mellon sacked. Mellon was then caretaker manager of then-2nd-division-side Barnsley, from Nov 2013 to March 2014.

After that, Micky Mellon was hired by then-4th-division-side (and just-relegated) Shrewsbury Town, in May 2014. Mellon led Shrewsbury to an immediate return to the 3rd tier, by winning the 2014-15 League Two title. But, a year-and-a-half later, a run of  just 2 wins in the first 11 matches of the 2016-17 season led to Mellon’s dismissal from Shrewsbury, on 6 October 2016. That same day, Mellon, as manager, returned to the club he had played for the longest – Tranmere Rovers.

Tranmere Rovers were a longtime Football League club (with a 86-consecutive-season stint in the League). But the Merseyside-based club had fallen into the bottleneck that is the non-League Wilderness the previous season, and had become the highest-drawing club in non-League football (drawing 5.1 K). That Tranmere were a rather large club to be stuck in non-League was shown by the fact that, despite their diminished standing, the Rovers were still drawing better than over two-dozen Football League clubs {source: european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn}. Mellon almost got Tranmere back to the League in 2016-17, finishing in 2nd place, 4 points behind Lincoln City, but then lost in the 2017 National League play-off final to Forest Green Rovers, 3-1.

In 2017-18, Tranmere Rovers again finished in 2nd place in the 5th division, this time ending up 10 points behind the surprise team of the season, Macclesfield Town. But the second time around, Mellon’s Tranmere navigated the tricky 5th tier play-offs successfully. Tranmere beat Ebbsfleet 4-2 (aet) in the semifinals, then beat Boreham Wood 2-1 in the 2018 National League play-off final, despite being a man down for 89 minutes; the winning goal was scored by James Norwood in the 81st minute, on a header from a deftly chipped cross from substitute AMF Connor Jennings {see illustration below}.

So once again, Mickey Mellon got a team promoted. That makes 4 teams that Mellon has gotten promoted as manager. The English record for most teams led to promotion as a manager is 8, by Cardiff City’s Neil Warnock {see this post [2018-19 Premier League map/post], in the Cardiff section there}.

The 4 teams that manager Mickey Mellon has led to promotion:
Fleetwood Town promoted to the 5th Div (2010).
Fleetwood Town promoted to the 4th Div (2012).
Shrewsbury Town promoted to the 3rd Div (2015).
Tranmere Rovers promoted to the 4th Div (2018).

Two Tranmere Rovers players made the 2018 National League Team of the Year: the Liverpool-born 35-year-old DF Steve McNulty [captain], and FW Andy Cook (age 28) {see photos and captions below}. Andy Cook scored 27 for Tranmere last season, and the County Durham-born Cook was top-scorer in the 5th division. Cook has moved on (to 3rd-tier side Walsall), but the solid rock that is Steve McNulty remains, as does crowd-favourite James Norwood (who netted 23 last season, including that promotion-winner at Wembley). This is the 4th team that Steve McNulty has played on which has won promotion (McNulty has won promotion with Barrow in 2008 as captain; with Fleetwood Town in 2010 as captain; with Luton Town in 2014; and now with Tranmere Rovers in 2018 as captain).

Tranmere Rovers’ return to the 4th division has gone well so far.…as of 4th October they sit 10th and, on Tuesday the 2nd of October, Tranmere beat League Two leaders Lincoln City 1-0, on a goal by current league top scorer James Norwood (with 8 goals). Tranmere Rovers are drawing 6.0 K so far this season, which is 5th-highest in the 4th division. (Lincoln City are drawing best in League two, at 8.6 K {source: us.soccerway.com/national/england/league-two/20182019}.)

-The story of Tranmere Rovers: How one club survive and prosper in the shadow of such powerful neighbours (by Simon Hughes at independent.co.uk/sport/football).

Below: Tranmere Rovers return to the Football League after a 3-season spell in non-League…
tranmere-rovers_promoted-2018_2018-national-league-playoff-final_prenton-park_mickey-mellon_andy-cook_steve-mcnulty_james-norwood_n_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – 17/18 Tranmere jersey, from trfcshop.co.uk. Aerial shot of Prenton Park, photo from liverpoolecho.co.uk/football . Steve NcNulty, photo unattributed at roversrearguard.com. Andy Cook, photo unattributed at leaderlive.co.uk/sport. Tranmere supporters with informative banner, outside Wembley [2018 National League playoff Final], photo by Lorna Hughes at twitter.com/@lorna-hughes via liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/tranmere-rovers-v-boreham-wood. Liam Ridehalge tackle/red card (1′), screenshot from Captura/BT Sport via besoccer.com; photo by Richard Ault/talru.com via roversrearguard.com. Andy Cook scores (6′), photo by PA via sport.net. Andy Cook celebrates his goal, screenshot from video uploaded by Tranmere Fan TV at youtube.com. (45+8′), Bruno Andrade’s goal evens the score, photo by PA via dailymail.co.uk. (81′), James Norwood scores on a far-post header from a chipped cross by substitute AMF Connor Jennings, screenshot from video uploaded by Official Tranmere Rovers at youtube.com. Norwood’s goal, photo unattributed at sport.bt.com. James Norwood, photo unattributed at pinterest.com. Tranmere players celebrate winning goal with fans, screenshot from video uploaded by Official Tranmere Rovers at youtube.com. Mickey Mellon celebrating right after final whistle, photo from twitter.com/[@TranmereRovers].

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Thanks to the following…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.

-Attendances from E-F-S site, european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm.
-5th division attendances from us.soccerway.com.
-Thanks to the contributors at en.wikipedia, at 2018-19 EFL League Two.

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