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January 7, 2008

Football Clubs of Northern and Northeastern England, including Cumbria, Tyne-and-Wear, Durham, Humberside, and Lincolnshire.

Filed under: England's Regions — admin @ 6:47 am

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[Listed numerically in order of highest average attendance, within the context of the entire 92-club English Football League.]

3. Newcastle United: 50,686 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; up 0.4%, this season. Newcastle sit 11th, in the Premiere League. Alex Ferguson took 3 and a half years to finally win a trophy with Manchester United (hired in Nov., 1986/ FA Cup, in May, 1990). Many Newcastle fans aren’t even giving Sam Allardyce 6 months to show results.

11. Sunderland: 31,887, avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; up 36%, this season. Sunderland are in the relegation zone, at 18th place, in the Premier League. The Black Cats might be doomed to be the biggest yo-yo club in the world. When you have the country’s 11th-biggest average gate, while not even in the top flight, you are a relatively big club. When you are relegated, then promoted 4 times in 12 seasons, then you are a yo-yo club. And when you are back in the Premier League’s relegation zone this late into the season, nothing has changed.

13. Middlesbrough: 27,730 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 5%, this season. Middlesbrough sit 15th, in the Premier League. Middlesbrough finds a way to get a good result, every few games (like beating league-leaders Arsenal). But then they look uninspired, for games at a time. One wonders when owner Steve Gibson’s patience with Gareth Southgate will end.

32. Hull City: 18,758 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 9%, this season. Hull sit 9th, in the League Championship (the 2nd Level). The Tigers continue their gradual climb. Hull City was a 4th Level club as recently as 2004. Hull is the 10th largest city in Great Britain [and until 2008 promotion, was the largest city to have never had a football club in the English first division].

50. Carlisle United: 7,907 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 5%, this season. Carlisle sit in the promotion places, at 2nd, in League One (the 3rd Level). Carlisle is hampered by being the most isolated club in the League. The Cumbrians have had 2 promotions in 3 years; they could go up again, but the presence of 2 big clubs in this league this season (Leeds and Nottingham Forest) will make it difficult.

62. Scunthorpe United: 5,669 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; up 19%, this season. Scunthorpe sit in the relegation zone, at 22nd, in the League Championship. The Iron might be a victim of the highly competitive caliber of the current League Championship. Anyone can literally beat anyone, but someone has to be relegated, and it will probably be at least 2 of the 3 minnows (Scunthorpe, Colchester, and Blackpool) punching above their weight in the second tier, this season.

69. Lincoln City: 5,176 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 28%, this season. Lincoln City sit 21st, in League two (the 4th Level). The Imps have lost in the playoffs for an astounding 5 straight seasons. This season, they started out so poorly, they were in the relegation zone. But new manager Peter Jackson (ex-Huddersfield Town boss) has righted the ship.

70. Hartlepool United: 5,087 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 3%, this season. Hartlepool sit 15th, in League One (the 3rd Level). Relegated in ’06, ”Pools” bounced right back to the third tier last spring.

79. Grimsby Town: 4,379 avg. attendance; down 0.3%, this season. Grimsby sit 15th, in League Two (the 4th Level). Talk about keeping the status quo: The Mariners are at the same spot they finished last season, 15th; and their attendance is almost exactly the same.

82. Darlington: 3,814 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; up 8%, this season. Darlington are in the playoff places, at 6th, in League Two (the 4th Level). The Quakers ownership might have over-estimated their potential fan base. The club currently plays to a creepy 16% capacity in their new white elephant, The Balfour Webnet Stadium. Crowds are up from last year, though, and will likely increase further, if they gain promotion. Last year they faltered down the stretch, finishing 11th.

92. Boston United: 2,152 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 32%, this season. Boston United are now out of the League, after double-relegation (one relegation for finishing second-to-last place in League Two; one more relegation for financial irregularities). They sit 10th, in the Blue Square North Division (6th Level).

**List of all 92 Clubs from the 2006-’07 English Football League [with Average Attendance/ Titles/ FA Cups/ Seasons in First Level.**

List, Clubs #1 to #46 (Manchester United, to Southened United), click here.

List, Clubs #47 to #92 (Milwall to Boston United), click here.

!!!Note: To best read the lists, left-click on thumbnail (duh), then left-click to enlarge the list; then diminish screen twice [via pressing "SHIFT," and "-" keys simultaneously.]

Comments (4)

January 5, 2008

Football Clubs of Essex, Herts, and East Anglia (and adjacent areas).

Filed under: England's Regions — admin @ 11:32 pm

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East Anglia comprises Norfolk (Norwich City), Suffolk (Ipswich Town), and Cambridgeshire (Peterborough United). East Anglia is very rural, and agricultural-based. Ipswich Town’s nickname is the Tractor Boys, and Norwich is the only major city in Britain not linked to a motorway, or waterway. Herts is short for Hertfordshire (Watford), and is in the heart of the north London commuter belt. It is home to many large corporations, like Tescos supermarket chain. In recent years, this county has increasingly become a bedroom community for the expanding London metropolis. I have also included the clubs from Bedfordshire (Luton Town), Buckinghamshire (Wycombe Wanderers and MK Dons), and Kent (Gillingham).

Essex (Southend United, and Colchester United) has been a dormitory area for London workers for decades. The southern half of the county can be described as built up/run down: Southend is a famous sea-side resort area that has seen better days. The northern half of Essex is similar to Suffolk, in terms of it being less citified and more bucolic. Layer Road, Colchester United’s home, is a real throwback. Other League Championship clubs do not like coming to this 6,200-capacity bandbox relic.

Layer Road will be gone after this season, when Colchester United move to a new 10,000 seat stadium, outside of town, called (believe it or not) Cuckoo Farm. I really hope Colchester survives the drop this season [Editor's note: they didn't].

2006-’07 Season Average Attendance/ % Change, this season (so far)./ League Standing. [Clubs listed in numerical order, within the context of the entire 92-club English Football League.]

16. Norwich City: 24,545 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 0.5%, this season. Norwich sit 20th, in the League Championship (the 2nd Level). The Canaries have been playing much better since Glen Roeder took over, as manager. They look like they will soon be safe from relegation worries. This is a club with a large, and loyal fan base, and they don’t deserve to be in the third tier.

22. Ipswich Town: 22,445 avg. attendance; down 7%, this season. Ipswich sit in the playoff place, at 6th place, in the League Championship (the 2nd Level). The Tractor Boys are undefeated, at home, in the league, but are dreadful away. They play exciting up-tempo passing football, much in the tradition of the Ipswich side that won the 1978 FA Cup, under Bobby Robson. But don’t expect them to have a serious run at promotion, unless they start winning on the road.

33. Watford: 18,751 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 11%, this season. Watford are in the promotion places, at 2nd place (tied on points, for first place, with West Bromwich, and Bristol City), in the League Championship (the 2nd Level). The Hornets has been slipping, lately, after a great start. This was following their humiliating last-place finish in, and relegation from, the Premier League last season. Their promotion chances have went from a near-lock, to more like 50-50, due to their poor recent form and the glut of competitive clubs in the second tier.

46. Southend United: 10,024 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 22%, this season. Southend sit 11th, in League One (the 3rd Level). The Shrimpers haven’t recovered from their single season foray into the 2nd Level, and selling prolific striker Freddy Eastwood (to Wolves). They have a pretty large fan base for an historically third level club. But in the last 20 years, they have spent more time on either side of the third tier…8 seasons in the 4th Level, 5 seasons in the 3rd Level, and 7 seasons in the 2nd Level.

49. Luton Town: 8,580 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 23%, this season. Luton, after going into administration, and being deducted 10 points, are in the relegation zone, at 21st place, in League One (the 3rd Level). Luton were helped tremendously by making it to the 3rd Round of the FA Cup, and receiving broadcast revenues from their fixture with Liverpool, on Sunday. It meant the players could actually get paid, for the first time in several weeks. They seem to have been through the worst of it, and are playing well in the league, recently, so they will probably avoid back-to-back relegations. What the Hatters really need is a new stadium. Their Kenilworth Road Ground is dilapidated, and the club are unable to expand it, due to it’s location in a residential neighborhood. One entrance to the ground actually goes under some homes. This is a club that won the League Cup in 1988, and has spent 16 seasons in the top flight, so their current plight is a shame.

56. Gillingham: 6,282 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; up 0.2%, this season. Gillingham sit 18th, in League One (the 3rd Level). The Gills are a club that has spent most of it’s existence in the 3rd Level, except for a 5-year spell recently in the second tier (2000-’05).

57. MK Dons: 6,034 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; up 40 %, this season. Milton Keynes Dons are in First place in League Two (the 4th Level), leading by 11 points. Energized by their brand new, 22,000-seat “stadium:mk,” the high-scoring Dons seem a sure bet to return to the 3rd Level. Whether they will ever make it back to the top-flight, where the original club (Wimbledon FC) spent 14 legendary seasons (and won the 1988 FA Cup), remains to be seen. There is much ill-will towards this club, which pulled up stakes, and moved to a gentrified “new town,” like some cynical American sports franchise fleeing to the Sun Belt.

67. Colchester United: 5,466 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 0.6%, this season. Colchester are in the relegation zone, at 21st place, in the League Championship (the 2nd Level). Colchester shocked the League Championship last season , with a 10th place finish. It was the U’s first-ever season in the second tier. But en route, they were forced to sell versatile fullback/midfielder Greg Halford last January (he’s now on Sunderland). Then they sold a big offensive threat, Chris Iwelumo (who is racking them up now with Charlton). Then league-leading 24-goal scorer Jamie Cureton asked out, saying the club lacked ambition (he’s now on Norwich). All this has seriously set Colchester back, and they’ll likely be in a relegation battle until May. Manager Geraint Williams has admitted he has to try to find talent on the cheap, during the January transfer window. Lead scorer/ assists leader is 22-year old Irish winger Mark Yeates, who is deadly accurate with his curling free kicks. 42-year old Teddy Sheringham is doing his swan song here.

72. Wycombe Wanderers: 4,983 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; down 12%, this season. Wycombe are in the promotion places, at 7th place, in League Two (the 4th Level). The Chairboys spent 10 seasons in the 3rd Level, and are keen to return; they’ve fizzled in the playoffs 2 of the last 3 years.

83. Peterborough United: 4,662 avg. attendance, in ’06-’07; up 14 %, this season. Peterborough sit in the promotion spots, at 5th, in the League Two. “The Posh” are on the upswing, with deep pocketed new ownership, and a place in the 4th Round of the 2007-’08 FA Cup. They are favored by many to gain promotion to League One.

Thanks to Colours Of Football for the kits (www.colours-of-football.com).

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January 4, 2008

Non-League Football in England, Attendance Map.

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 4:56 pm

[ This map was made in connection with the Pitch Invasion site (www.pitchinvasion.net). ]

The statistics used for the map are from December 28, 2007, courtesy of the King’s Lynn FC official website, which you can access, here.**

Since then, no other club has broken into the top 32 Non-League average attendances, although Worcester City, Stafford Rangers, and Dover Athletic have all now broken the 900-per-game mark (which was my cut-off point, for the map).

Using the latest gate figures (January 2, 2008), here is the list of the biggest gate increases, from last season to this season, of clubs that made the map.

A. (#20) Histon, up 56% (from 790 to 1,229).; B. (#15) Salisbury City, up 34% (from 1,118 to 1,498).; C. (#3) Cambridge United, up 27% (from 2,818 to 3,519). D. (#4) Torquay United, up 26% (from 2,633 to 3,320). E. (#22) Chelmsford City, up 19% (from 1,001 to 1,193).; F. (#4) Stevenage Borough, up 18% (from 2,126 to 2,520).

Histon and Salisbury were both promoted last spring, with their debut in the 5th Level (The Conference). Cambridge and Stevenage did not move from the 5th Level, but are both doing well this season (both are in the playoff places). Chelmsford City is a 6th Level club that is in the top 5 of their league (the Conference South). And Torquay, believe it or not, got relegated out of the Football League, yet has increased their gate by 667 fans a game. Maybe they are pulling a Bradford City (ie, get relegated, then slash ticket prices.)

I just checked around, and their prices are about the same as Oxford and Stevenage Borough’s. Torquay’s unusual gate increase must be because of the optimism engendered by the club’s new ownership. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they are playing well. The Gulls are in 2nd place, four points behind Aldershot Town. Still, to be cast from the promised land of The League, and then see such a marked increase in attendance, is a good sign for Non-League football.

Other clubs (that did not make this map) with big increases in crowds are (#38) Farsley Celtic, up an astounding 186% (from 308 to 880); and (#40) Lewes, up 55% (from 520 to 805). Farsley Celtic are from Leeds, and were just promoted up to the Conference, for the first time. Lewes, known as The Rooks, are from East Sussex, and are leading the Conference South (in the 6th Level) by 9 pts. **(See this feature); **(see this photo gallery).

There are a couple other burgeoning minnows, but the one that deserves the final mention here is Chasetown FC. On Saturday, they will play in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. As an 8th Level club, Chasetown will become the lowest ranked club in history to reach the 3rd Round of the FA Cup, when they host Cardiff City, in their 3,000 capacity ground. (See this article.) This club is from south Staffordshire (just north of Birmingham). Nicknamed The Scholars, they play in the Southern League, Division One-Midlands (see standings, with attendances, here… some of the clubs in this league don’t even average 100 per game.)

Chasetown’s average gate this season is #68 in Non-League football, at 462, up 51% from last season. Go Scholars ! **(Here is BBC-Staffordshire’s coverage of the story.) **(Chasetown FC Official site, here.)

Comments (2)

Football Clubs of Hampshire, Berkshire, the West Country, and South Wales.

Filed under: England's Regions — admin @ 8:19 am

The logos of the bigger clubs on the map are sized to 2006-’07 average attendances, and reflect the size of the club’s fan base.

Almost all of the League clubs from this region are doing very well. Both Bristol clubs were promoted, last season (City to the 2nd Level, Rovers to the 3rd Level). In fact, Bristol City are currently tied, on points, for the lead in the 2nd Level. This is a stunning development, and great to see. Bristol is the 6th-largest city in England, but has not seen top-flight football since Bristol City were relegated out of the old First Division, in 1980. Manager Gary Johnson is an unassuming bloke, who worked miracles with mighty minnows Yeovil Town ( 2 promotions in 4 seasons). At BCFC, he has assembled a tenaciouis squad that can beat anyone, even on the road. People are now actually starting to take this club seriously, as promotion candidates.

Former Conference dwellers Yeovil Town had their highest ever finish last season (5th place, 3rd Level). Cheltenham, a tiny club, are punching above their weight, hanging on for dear life in the 3rd Level (they have the fan base of a 5th Level [Conference] club, really). Plymouth are actually competing for a playoff place in the 2nd Level (they have never been in the top-flight). Reading’s debut season in the Premier League, last term, produced a dream-finish of 8th place, and it looks like they will survive the inevitable sophmore slump. Swindon won promotion back to the 3rd Level. And in 2006-’07, Portsmouth had their best season in 52 years.

Of the two Welsh clubs, Swansea City is definately faring better, what with a new stadium, solid attendance figures (for the 3rd Level), and a three-point lead in League One. Cardiff City are doing OK, but they seem to be treading water, and their perpetually delayed new ground is really needed.

That leaves just Southampton (stuck in the purgatory of the 2nd Level), and poor Torquay (relegated out of the League, and into the Conference [5th Level], only to start drawing significantly more fans than last season).

2006-’07 Season Average Attendance/ % Change this Season (so far)/ Club standing in The League. [Clubs listed in numerical order, within context of the entire 92-club English Football League.]

17. Reading: 23,829 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); avg. attendance down 2%, this season. Reading sit 13th, in the Premier League, on January 2, 2008. 20. Southampton: 23,556 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 11%, this season. Southampton sit 15th place, in the 2nd Level. 31. Portsmouth: 19,862 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 2%, this season. Portsmouth sit 8th, in the Premier League. 37. Cardiff City: 15,223 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 10%, this season.

39. Plymouth Argyle: 13,012 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 1%, this season. Plymouth sit 7th, in the 2nd Level. 41. Bristol City: 12,818 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); Up 17%, this season. Bristol City sit 3rd, in the 2nd Level. 42. Swansea City: 12,720 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 6%, this season. Swansea City sit First, in the 3rd Level. 52. Swindon Town: 7,419 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 6%. Swindon Town sit 12th, in the 3rd Level.

58. Bournemouth: 6,028 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 6%, this season. Bournemouth sit in the relegation zone, at 22nd, in the 3rd Level. 60. Yeovil Town: 5,765 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 5%. Yeovil Town sit 8th, in the 3rd Level. 66. Bristol Rovers : 5,476 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); Up 28%, this season. Bristol Rovers sit 19th, in the 3rd Level. 80. Cheltenham Town: 4,359 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); down 0.6%, this season. Cheltenham sit in the relegation zone, at 22nd, in the 3rd Level. 86. Torquay United : 2,633 avg. attendance (in ’06-’07); Up 26%, this season. Torquay United sit 2nd, in the 5th Level (The Conference).

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January 2, 2008

Blue Square Premier League. (The Conference). 2007-08 Clubs.

Filed under: Eng-5th level — admin @ 7:09 am

This Map was made in connection with the Pitch Invasion site, which is featuring Non-League Football all this week. See these figures for England, here.) **(For Germany, here {scroll to the bottom, for lower leagues}.) **(For all Non-League clubs’ gate figures, click here.)Media coverage is decent for non-league football. In 2006, Setanta Sports began broadcasting 2 live matches a week, in-season. Sky Sports News shows standings of Levels 5 through 7 on their sidebar scroll, and it is not unusual to see a feature, or a report, on a non-league club, especially during FA Cup season. Then the romance of a minnow taking on a big club is played to the hilt. You’d have to be a pretty cynical fan not to get a kick out of seeing Exeter City take Manchester United, at Old Trafford, to a 3rd-round replay, then hold their own in their quaint West Country home grounds, as they did in January, 2005. Not incidently, the windfall from all this helped Exeter City avoid dissolution.

There are 24 teams in the “Conference” (as most call it). First place gains automatic promotion to the League (into League Two, the 4th Level Level). A playoff decides the second promotion spot. Last season, east London club Dagenham & Redbridge won automatic promotion, and Lancashire-based Morecambe won the playoff, at Wembley. It is both clubs’ first time ever in the “League.” Almost all of the clubs in the 5th Level (Conference) field squads composed of full-time players. Invariably, some of the smaller clubs, as well as most every other club in the 6th Level on down, field part-time players. In the Conference, the bottom 4 clubs are sent down to the 6th Level, to either the Northern or Southern League, depending on location of the club in question.

Here is a chart. ** Click on it, for the FULL CHART (Enlarged). **

There are several clubs that have successfuly “graduated” from the Conference, in recent years. I have copied a list of these clubs, from Wikipedia . **To see it, click on the thumbnail icon below.**

Aldershot lead the Conference, as 2008 begins, followed by Torquay United, 4 points behind. **Click here, for Conference standings.

** Here are 2 good articles about 2 Non-League clubs I like, Forest Green (because they are an underdog club, with a quirky ground),and Stevenage Borough (because they were shafted by the League [denied promotion to League, due to inadequete facillities, in 1996], and have overcome this.) BBC, on Forest Green, click here. BBC, on Stevenage Borough, click here.

Thanks to King’s Lynn FC Official site for gate figures…Go Linnets ! Also thanks to Tony’s English football Site, which i just discovered yesterday. It has great maps of all the lower levels of Non-League (no logos, alas) . Thanks to BBC, FourFourTwo, and Wikipedia, for information, and images. Thanks to Tom Dunmore, of Pitch Invasion, for the impetus, and encouragement

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January 1, 2008

Manchester City, part 2 (1956-2007).

Filed under: English Football Clubs — admin @ 12:09 am

Winning the 1956 FA Cup would prove to be the high point of Les McDowell’s tenure as manager of Manchester City. They finished in 4th in the League, that year. In 1957, they slid all the way down to 18th place, but righted themselves, with a 5th place finish, in 1958. City would not finish any higher than 12th, in the next 4 seasons, though, as the club failed to adequetely replace their aging squad. Manchester City was relegated, once again, in 1963, and McDowell left. His replacement, George Poyser, failed to improve the club’s standing. The low point of this era had to be an 8,015 attendance, at Maine Road, in January, ’65. And so, after an 11th place (2nd Division) finish, in 1965, Poyser was sacked. His replacement was Joe Mercer.

Joe Mercer had a successful career as a defensive half-back, at Everton, and Arsenal, from 1932-’55. He won championships with Everton and Arsenal; as well an FA Cup with Arsenal, in 1950. After retiring from play, he managed Sheffield United; and Aston Villa, whom he led to victory in the inaugural League Cup, in 1961. Mercer suffered a stroke in 1964. He recovered, and went against his doctor’s orders by returning to sidelines. But the board at Villa sacked him. He arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 1965. That first season, Mercer, and assistant manager Malcolm Allison, made two crucial aquisitions. First, they procured fiery winger Mike Summerbee from Swindon. Then, early in 1966, midfielder Colin Bell was bought from Bury. Bell would prove to be Manchester City’s greatest-ever player, scoring 117 goals, in 394 league appearances for the club (1966-’79). He became known as “the King of the Kippax,” (after the Maine Road stand renowned for it’s boisterous fans).

Mercer’s first season as manager was a success, as City won the Second Division, and returned, once more, to the top tier. [Note: Manchester City's 7 second division titles is a record. In Manchester City's entire history, the club has been relegated to the 2nd Level 10 times, and relegated to the 3rd Level once. They have won promotion to the top flight 11 times. (The term yo-yo club was pretty much invented for them.)] The club’s first season back in the First Division (’66-’67) was a struggle, and they finished in 15th place.
In October 1967, stocky forward Francis Lee made his debut for the club. Man City paid Bolton 60,000 pounds for him, a club record. It became money well spent, as Lee became a crucial part of City’s 5-man attacking formation. With Colin Bell as midfield general, Mike Summerbee and Tony Coleman on wings, and Francis Lee and Neil Young up front, Manchester City played a fluent passing game that got better as the season progressed. In December, on a frozen Maine road pitch, they schooled Tottenham, 4-1. It was called “the ballet on ice,” and Spurs legend Jimmy Greaves remarked how the City players “had moved so gracefully in those conditions, while we were falling about like clowns at the circus.”

In March of ’68, Manchester City faced reigning champs (and local rivals) Manchester United, at Old Trafford. George Best scored in the first minute for United, but City recovered, dominating the rest of the match, and racking up three unanswered goals. But Man City had started the season so poorly, it took the full season to make up lost ground, and outldistance Man.United. City won the Title on the last game, 3-4 away to Newcastle, thus beating United by 2 points. So in April, 1968, 31 years after their first crown, Manchester City won their second National Title.

To see Nigel’s Webspace Man City trading cards gallery, from 1968-’69, click here.

The following season (’68-’69), City fared poorly in the League, finishing 13th. But their fine FA Cup run led them all the way to the final, where they faced Leicester City. Assistant manager Malcolm Allison had the idea of the club wearing a change strip of black-and-red stripes, like AC Milan, in order to inspire the squad.

. **Click here, for highlights of Manchester City’s 1969 FA Cup victory**City’s league form for the 8 seasons after their 1968 Championship was mediocre, at best, with an average finish of 9th place. They did finish in 4th place, in 1972, though. I have included a Youtube highlights of a Manchester derby from that season, mainly because I enjoyed watching it, and it gives a good portrayal of that era. **See City v. United, November, 1971, here.**However, Manchester City did win more silverware during this time. In March, 1970, they won the League Cup, beating West Bromwich Albion, 2-1. One month later, they won the the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup, 2-1, over Gornik Zabreze, of Poland. City had to beat Athletic Bilbao, of Spain; and Schalke, of Germany, to get to the final. **See Man City demolish Schalke, in the 1969-’70 ECWC Semi-Final, 2nd Leg, at Maine Road, here. ** The 2 successful Cup runs help to explain why City finished in 10th place in the League, that season.

No on knew it at the time, but City were about to start their long spell as hapless underachievers. There was one more moment of glory, though, when the club won their second League Cup, and last trophy, in 1976. They beat Newcastle, 2-1. The next season, Man City just missed winning the Title. Liverpool beat them out, by one point. The club’s only appearance in a Cup Final since then was an FA Cup replay loss, to Tottenham, in 1981.**Click, here, for a good article about Maine Road.**Here is a 6-part documentary, about the 1980-’81 Manchester City club. ** CITY ! Part One, click here. (time-9:34). CITY ! Part Two, click here. (time-8:43). CITY ! Part Three, click here. (time-8:53). CITY ! Part Four, click here. (time-8:13). CITY ! Part Five, click here. (time-8:42). CITY ! Part Six, click here. (time-7:46). The years from then to now can best be summed up by the fact that since Manchester United hired Alex Ferguson, in November, 1986, Manchester City has fired 13 managers. Maybe new manager Sven-Goran Erikksen is the one to change Manchester City’s culture of failure. BBC Man City picture gallery, from 2003, click here.Thanks to: (historicalkits[dot]co[dot]uk)- the 5 kits on the bottom left of the chart are copyrightt Historical Football kits, and reproduced by permission; (colours-of-football[dot]com); (webbaviation[dot]co[dot]uk); (happyaxeman[dot]co[dot]uk/mcfc/); (rtfact[dot]com); (viewimages[dot]com); Nigel’s Webspace; bbc; wikipedia; and (uit[dot]no/mancity).

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December 30, 2007

College Basketball Rankings, December 30, 2007. AP Poll.

Filed under: NCAA Men's Basketball — admin @ 1:44 pm

The A.P. Poll is from 5 AM, this morning. The school’s logos are sized progressively smaller, as the rankings go from # 1, to # 25. I last did this map 5 weeks ago, on November 23rd.
The North Carolina Tar Heels stay at # 1, and the Memphis Tigers, the Kansas Jayhawks, and the UCLA Bruins still are in the top 5. Gone from the top 25, since November 23rd, are Louisville, Oregon, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Southern Illinois, Syracuse, Virginia, and Florida.

I will try to do a couple more of these maps, up to March Madness, and then I will make a map of all 65 schools that make it to the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

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December 28, 2007

Football Clubs of the West Midlands.

Filed under: England's Regions — admin @ 6:21 am

The kits of each club on the map are proportionally sized, to reflect their 2006-07 average attendance figures.

Average attendance. / Percent change in gate figures this season. / Current placement in the table:

8. Aston Villa: 36,214 average attendance, last season. This season: Up (+ 9.3 %). Aston Villa are in 8th place, in the Premier League (the 1st Level). 15. Derby County: 25,945 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Up (+ 32.7 %). Derby are in last place, in the Premier League. 21. Leicester City: 23,206 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Down (-11.2 %). Leicester are in 18th place, in the League Championship (the 2nd Level). 24. Birmingham City: 22,274 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Up (+ 15.8 %). Birmingham are in 14th, in the Premier League.

27. Wolverhampton Wanderers: 21,968 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Up (+ 9.7 %). Wolves are in 8th place, in the 2nd Level. 28. Nottingham Forest: 20,617 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Down (- 5.3 %). Forest are in 2nd place, in League One (the 3rd Level). 29. West Bromwich Albion: 20,472 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Up (+ 1.7 %). WBA are in 1st place, in the 2nd Level. 30. Coventry City: 20,342 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Down (-6.3 %). Coventry are in 16th place, the 2nd Level.

36. Stoke City: 15,749 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Down (-10.0 %). Stoke are in 3rd place, in the 2nd Level. 62. Walsall: 5,716 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Up (+5.8 %). Walsall are in 7th place, in the 3rd Level). 73. Notts County: 4,974 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Down (-13.6 %). Notts Co. are in 18th place, in League Two (the 4th Level). 77. Port Vale: 4,725 avg. attendance, last season. This season: Down (-1.1 %). Port Vale are in last place, in the 3rd Level.

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December 26, 2007

Football Clubs of South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and surrounding area.

Filed under: England's Regions — admin @ 4:55 pm

With the exception of Doncaster and Barnsley, the clubs on this map are currently in varying degrees of doldrums. Leeds has turned the corner, and will probably get back to the 2nd Level by season’s end. But how far Leeds United has fallen, since playing in the Champions League Semi-Final in 2001, can be seen simply by the small size of their kit on the map. This is a club with an historically huge fan base, and as recently as 2001, they drew 39,000 per game. Leeds sits third in the 3rd division, on Boxing Day. The two Sheffield clubs look like they’ll be spending another season in the second tier, so their fans will be assured of displaying their mutual loathing twice next season. Sheffield United are in 11th, in the 2nd division; Sheffield Wednesday are just above the drop zone there, in 21st place. Bradford has the unwanted distinction of currently leading the 4th Level in attendance (13,500), after being relegated last season, then slashing ticket prices. Bradford City sits 15th, in the 4th division.

Now that I think about it, Huddersfield isn’t really doing that bad, but I’m sure their respectably sized fan base feels that a club of their (medium) size and history (3 National Titles, and 1 FA Cup, all between 1922-26) deserves to be in a higher level than League One (3rd Level). Huddersfield Town sit 12th, in the 3rd division. Barnsley have spent 66 seasons at the Second Level, more than any other club. Barnsley sit 12th, in the 2nd division. Doncaster has went from non-league to the upper half of the 3rd Level, in 5 seasons. Plus, they have a nice new ground, The Keepmoat Stadium. Doncaster Rovers sit in the playoff places, at 6th, in the 3rd division. Rotherham was in the second tier 3 years ago, but financial difficulties have dropped them to the 4th Level. Rotherham United sit in the playoff places, at 5th, in the 4th division.

I included the two clubs in northern Derbyshire and northern Nottinghamshire, because of their proximity to South Yorkshire. Chesterfield was relegated to the 4th Level last season, but could bounce back. Chesterfield sit in the playoff places, at 5th, in the 4th division. Mansfield might be relegated out of the League. Mansfield Town sit second from last (23rd), in the 4th division.

As with my last posting, this map shows the 2006-07 average attendances by the size of the clubs’ kit. The larger the club’s average gate, the larger the kit is on the map.

2006-07 Average attendance. (Clubs listed numerically in ranking, within the context of the entire 92-club English Football League).

12. Sheffield United: 30,512 average attendance. 18. Sheffield Wednesday: 23,638. 25. Leeds United: 21,613. 42. Barnsley: 12,773. 45. Huddersfield Town: 10,573. 48. Bradford City: 8,694. 51. Doncaster Rovers: 7,746. 76. Rotherham United: 4,673. 81. Chesterfield: 4,235. 84. Mansfield Town: 3,176.

This is the anniversary of the fire at the Valley Parade ground, in Bradford, in 1985, in which 56 were killed. See this article, on the Pitch Invasion site.

Comments (4)

December 24, 2007

Football Clubs of Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside.

Filed under: England's Regions — admin @ 11:18 pm

The Manchester/Lancashire/Liverpool area is crammed full of storied football clubs. This map shows a generalized kit design of the football clubs of this region, proportionally sized to reflect their 2006-07 average attendance. [Clubs shown on the map are listed below, by average attendance, in numerical order within the context of all 92 clubs in the English Football League (2006-07 Season).]

1. Manchester United: 75,826 average attendance. 4. Liverpool: 43,561. 6. Manchester City: 39,997. 7. Everton: 36,739. 19. Bolton Wanderers: 23,606. 26. Blackburn Rovers: 21,275. 33. Wigan Athletic: 18,159. 38. Preston North End: 14,430. 44. Burnley: 11,956. 54. Tranmere Rovers: 6,930. 55. Blackpool: 6,877. 56. Oldham Athletic: 6,334. 72. Stockport County: 5,514. 85. Rochdale: 2,898. 87. Bury: 2,588. 91. Accrington Stanley: 2,260.

For this season (2007-08), another club would be added to the map. Morecambe FC (“the Shrimps”) were promoted to the 4th Division (League Two), last spring. {Wikipedia profile, here.} {kit(tens), here} It’s their first-ever season in the League. I indicated where Morecambe is, on the map. It’s the dot north of Blackpool. Morecambe’s average gate this season, so far, is 3,386. If they keep up their form (8-6-5: 30 pts.), they’ll stay up. Go Shrimps !

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