Where do clubs belong

[Didcotox]

Surely you just look at which teams have spent the most time in the top flight;

Seasons in the Top Flight of English Football by Clubs 1888-89 to 2023-24 - My Football Facts

Seasons Spent in the Top Flight of English Football by Clubs from 1888-89 to 2023-24 My Football Facts ⇒ England Footy ⇒ Football League Table showing the Total Number of Seasons spent by Clubs in the Top Flight of English football from 1888-89 to 2023-24. Includes a table of Consecutive…

www.myfootballfacts.com

Very good way of looking at it. Surprised that Huddersfield and Bury have spent so many years in the top flight.

 

[MarkG]

Good HITC article on the first seven clubs to be relegated from the rebranded League 2 (including us of course).

First 7 Teams Relegated From League Two: Where Are They Now?

At the end of every season, two teams face the ignominy of relegation from the Football League. This season, it was Notts County and Yeovil...

www.hitc.com

Wrexham I would say belong back in the league but the rest have got back to what perhaps is their natural level.
ie. OUFC mid-table L1, Cambridge L2, Luton Championship, Mansfield L2, others in Conference, Conference North.

 

[horseman]

Bit harsh on Nottingham Forest, they have won the Champions League, but you've chucked them out of the league entirely ?

i kept looking when i did it and still couldn't spot who i'd missed, is it too late for breaking news they've merged with Derby due to the Clough connection

 

[Deleted member 222]

Six current non-league teams I'd like to see back in: Notts County, Wrexham, Chesterfield, York, Hartlepool, Stockport

Six league teams I'd like to see replaced by them (eventually): Macclesfield, Morecambe, Fleetwood, Crawley, Stevenage, FGR

I'd like to see Stockport, Torquay, York, Hartlepool, Chesterfield, Wrexham, Notts County, Darlington, Hereford, Kidderminster and Chester back in the league.

I'd replace them with Stevenage, Crawley, Fleetwood, Morecambe, AFC Wimbledon, Wycombe, FGR, Burton, Newport, MK Dons and Yeovil.

 

[tonyw]

The OP has to have had his formative football-watching moments in the early 90s.

No other way you can end up with Tranmere in Tier 2 (despite only playing there for 11 years in their entire history) and QPR in Tier 1 - but leave Sunderland and West Brom in Tier 2 (despite them having played 87 and 81 seasons respectively in the top tier in their history).

I think a club's natural position has to come down to the size of its fanbase, first and foremost; then its history; then the current quality/size of its stadium/infrastructure.

But I'd argue that under any of those metrics, Sunderland is a bigger club than QPR, and Oxford is a bigger club than Tranmere!

 

[tonyw]

I'd like to see Stockport, Torquay, York, Hartlepool, Chesterfield, Wrexham, Notts County, Darlington, Hereford, Kidderminster and Chester back in the league.

I'd replace them with Stevenage, Crawley, Fleetwood, Morecambe, AFC Wimbledon, Wycombe, FGR, Burton, Newport, MK Dons and Yeovil.

Kidderminster? Really?

The club who've only ever played five football league seasons in their history - and never averaged crowds higher than 3,500 for any of them?

Have to say that they're substantially more tinpot than Wycombe. And we all know that Wycombe are pretty tinpot.

 

[Didcotox]

The OP has to have had his formative football-watching moments in the early 90s.

No other way you can end up with Tranmere in Tier 2 (despite only playing there for 11 years in their entire history) and QPR in Tier 1 - but leave Sunderland and West Brom in Tier 2 (despite them having played 87 and 81 seasons respectively in the top tier in their history).

I think a club's natural position has to come down to the size of its fanbase, first and foremost; then its history; then the current quality/size of its stadium/infrastructure.

But I'd argue that under any of those metrics, Sunderland is a bigger club than QPR, and Oxford is a bigger club than Tranmere!

Correct. Born in 80 so guess the early 90s will have influenced me.

 

[Deleted member 222]

Kidderminster? Really?

The club who've only ever played five football league seasons in their history - and never averaged crowds higher than 3,500 for any of them?

Have to say that they're substantially more tinpot than Wycombe. And we all know that Wycombe are pretty tinpot.

Kidderminster is more about missing going there as it’s a great away day and easy to get to.

 

[Marked Ox]

Kidderminster? Really?

The club who've only ever played five football league seasons in their history - and never averaged crowds higher than 3,500 for any of them?

Have to say that they're substantially more tinpot than Wycombe. And we all know that Wycombe are pretty tinpot.

Big difference between Kiddy and Wycombe for me is that I enjoyed going to Kiddy. Wycombe was result driven as the ground is in an awful location. This bears no relation to the point you are making though.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

But that doesn't necessarily show where they should be now.

Surely you just look at which teams have spent the most time in the top flight;

Seasons in the Top Flight of English Football by Clubs 1888-89 to 2023-24 - My Football Facts

Seasons Spent in the Top Flight of English Football by Clubs from 1888-89 to 2023-24 My Football Facts ⇒ England Footy ⇒ Football League Table showing the Total Number of Seasons spent by Clubs in the Top Flight of English football from 1888-89 to 2023-24. Includes a table of Consecutive…

www.myfootballfacts.com

Yes, I've always thought that Glossop and Darwen should both be in L1

 

[Robie]

But that doesn't necessarily show where they should be now.

Yes, I've always thought that Glossop and Darwen should both be in L1

Above Swindon absolutely

 

[bashamwonderland]

Now that the play offs have finished, and we read the forums of other clubs either celebrating being back where they belong or hating being in this poxy league (Sunderland), it begged the question where do I think clubs belong.

On a quiet Tuesday morning, whilst I wait for my wife to get ready before I take her clothes shopping for her birthday (kill me now), I compiled a list of where I thought clubs belonged. This will vary amongst pretty much every single one of us, depending on your age mostly I guess and where teams were during your informative years, ie youngsters will consider Wigan maybe a premiership or Championship team where as in my initial draft I had them in league 2.

Premiership was fairly easy to compile, as was league 2 but the Championship and league 1 were difficult.

For what it’s worth, here is my list and it may be fun, or take up some close season boredom!

In no particular order;

Premiership
1. Man Utd
2. Liverpool
3. Arsenal
4. Chelsea
5. Man City
6. Villa
7. Norwich
8. Everton
9. Forest
10. Spurs
11. West Ham
12. Southampton
13. Newcastle
14. Leeds
15. Palace
16. Coventry
17. Sheff Utd
18. Sheff Wed
19. QPR
20. Derby

Championship
1. Cardiff
2. Birmingham
3. West Brom
4. Middlesbrough
5. Sunderland
6. Preston
7. Bolton
8. Fulham
9. Millwall
10. Portsmouth
11. Charlton
12. Barnsley
13. Leicester
14. Wolves
15. Stoke
16. Ipswich
17. Bristol City
18. Watford
19. Burnley
20. Hull City
21. Luton
22. Reading
23. Tranmere
24. Blackburn

League 1
1. Peterborough
2. Gillingham
3. Blackpool
4. Bristol Rovers
5. Shrewsbury
6. Huddersfield
7. Bradford
8. Rotherham
9. Brighton
10. Cambridge
11. Oxford
12. Wigan
13. Swindon
14. Oldham
15. Notts County
16. Bournemouth
17. Brentford
18. Swansea
19. Southend
20. Port Vale
21. Walsall
22. Grimsby
23. Plymouth
24. MK Dons (found this the hardest to place as the history is somewhat distorted)

League 2
1. Doncaster
2. Lincoln
3. Crewe
4. Bury
5. Northampton
6. Scunthorpe
7. Carlise
8. AFC Wimbledon
9. Wycombe
10. Rochdale
11. Accrington Stanley
12. Fleetwood
13. Burton
14. Newport
15. Colchester
16. Yeovil
17. Stevenage
18. Cheltenham
19. Mansfield
20. Exeter
21. Morecombe
22. Macclesfield
23. Forest Green
24. Crawley

Also makes you think how many good teams we have lost from the league, Torquay, Stockport, Wrexham, Chesterfield, Orient and Hartlepool off the top of my head.

Swap Forest for WBA
Swap QPR for Wolves
Liquidate Stevenage and Crawley.

Otherwise I agree with this.