3-Winners and Losers

Deciding which team wins

In all competitions there has to be a method of deciding who wins and who loses. In League football points are awarded for a win and for a draw. The team scoring the most points at the end of the season is the champion of their league.

The first winners of the Football League Championship in 1888 were Preston North End. They won without losing a single match. The same year they also won the FA Cup without giving away a single goal. They were known as "The Invincibles". As fast photography was not very far advanced all action shots were left to artists to draw their impressions of the game.

Points

Originally, two points for a win and one for a draw were awarded. The following examples demonstrate how this and subsequent rules worked based on the performance of the following two teams.

.	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost.	Goal For	Goals Against
Bristol Rovers	40	12	14	5	60	30
Tranmere Rovers	40	23	8	9	80	41

Example 1 - Two points for a win and one point for a draw
.	Wins	.	Draws	.	Points
Bristol Rovers points total is	(21 x 20)	+	(14 x 1)	=	56
Tranmere Rovers points total is	23 x 2)	+	(8 x 1)	=	54

Bristol Rovers win on points

The system remained the same until 1981 when it was changed to three points for a win and one point for a draw.

Example 2 - three points for a win and one point for a draw
.	Wins	.	Draws	.	Points
Bristol Rovers points total is	(21 x 3)	+	(14 x 1)	=	77
Tranmere Rovers points total is	(23 x 3)	+	(8 x 1)	=	77

Both Teams equal on points

Goals

Originally it was decided that if two or more clubs were equal on points, the winner was the team with the best goal average.

Goal average means the total number of goals a team scores, divided by the total number of goals conceded.

.	Goals For	Goals against	.	Goal Average
Bristol Rovers	60	30	(60÷30) =	2
Tranmere Rovers	80	41	(80÷41) =	1.9

Both teams equal on points - Bristol Rovers win on goal average.

This way of resolving tied positions was replaced in 1976 by the simpler goal difference method.

Goal difference means the number of goals scored minus the number of goals conceded.

.	Goals for	Goals against	.	Goal Average
Bristol Rovers	60	30	(60-30) =	30
Tranmere Rovers	80	41	(80-41) =	39

Both teams equal on points - Tranmere Rovers win on goal difference.

Once the winners of the Leagues and the Cups Competions have been decided the trophies are awarded, usually in front of the jubilant fans.

The Trophies

- The League

Since 1888, at the end of each season, this most elegant silver trophy has been presented to the champions of English Football - the winner of the First Division of the Football League.

In 1992 the FA Premier League was formed. This meant that the Champion team of English football was now the winner of the Premier League.

The Football League Championship Trophy is still presented to the winners of the Championship (The old First Division of the Football League now called The Championship.)

The FA commissioned a new trophy called the FA Premier League Trophy to be presented to the champions of the Premier League. It is a sleek silver trophy of modern design, surmounted by a gold crown flanked by a pair of 'FA' lions.

The "Double"

Only seven clubs have ever managed 'TO DO THE DOUBLE'. That is to win the League Championship and the FA Cup in the same season. They are:

Clubs achieving 'The Double'

1960 - The League Cup

The Competition

It was not until 1960 that a third competition was introduced when the Football League decided to organise a cup competition for all its member clubs (Divisions 1-4). Entry was optional in the early years and several top clubs shunned it.

It was 1967 before the Football League Cup really gained popularity. That year the final was played at Wembley Stadium for the first time. This added interest and boosted the overall crowd figures as well as attracting attention from television.

Perhaps of more importance, the winning team gained entry into Europe to play in what is now the UEFA Cup. However, it was 1969 before all 92 clubs took part. In 1971 entry became compulsory.

First and second round matches are played over two legs, one home and one away, as are the semi-finals. All other matches are a single knock-out.

The Trophy

The Football League Cup is solid silver and perhaps looks more like a 'cup' than most other trophies. It was used from 1960 - 1981. In 1981 the Football League Cup became the first major tournament in the country to be sponsored.

Then the original trophy was placed in store because the first three sponsors each decided to present their own trophy. Happily in 1992, at the request of the Football League, Coca-Cola agreed that the original trophy should be reinstated.

During its life the Trophy has been known as:

1960 - 81 The Football League Cup

1981 - 86 The Milk Cup

1986 - 90 The Littlewoods Challenge Cup

1990 - 92 The Rumbelows Cup

1992 - 98 The Coca-Cola Cup

1998 - 03 The Worthington Cup
2004 - ... The Carling Cup

Only two clubs have ever won both the FA Cup and The Football League Cup in the same season: