| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? 17:10 - Aug 23 with 6242 views | Cedar_Room |
Given that this Friday's game marks 100 years in the football league, it got me thinking about how unique this feat actually was. So a question to stimulate the brain cells - out of the current 92 football league clubs - how many have also been continuously in the football league for the past 100 years?
The answer I got was actually a fair bit lower than I expected. |  | | |  |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 10:02 - Aug 24 with 1476 views | fermin |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 23:36 - Aug 23 by YadHoDale |
Exeter and Millwall have been in the league 100 years. Exeter, like Dale, are proud lower division lurkers, whilst I think Millwall's latest spell in the top flight was just before the Premiership. Rotherham only have 96 years as they were founded by merger of Rotherham County and Thornhill Utd in about 1925,whilst Gillingham were out of the league from 1938-1950. |
I didn't know Gillingham had dropped out for a while. You're right about Millwall - I saw them at Liverpool around 1989 which was pre-Premier League. You have a point about Rotherham technically but they were already in the League when they merged, so I would be inclined to include them! Doesn't matter that much really. |  | | |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 11:33 - Aug 24 with 1386 views | Cedar_Room |
For those interested, here is my working out for this question. Of the current 92 football league clubs, 55 (including Rochdale) have spent all of the past 100 years inside the football league. The 37 teams who didn’t make the cut are:
AFC Bournemouth (joined league 1923)
Luton Town (relegated to non league 2009)
Peterborough United (joined league 1960)
Accrington Stanley (formed 1968)
AFC Wimbledon (formed 2002)
Burton Albion (formed 1950)
Cambridge United (joined league 1970)
Cheltenham Town (joined league 1999)
Doncaster Rovers (joined league 1923 & relegated to non league 1998)
Fleetwood Town (formed 1997; joined league 2012)
Gillingham (relegated to non league 1938)
Ipswich Town (joined league 1938)
Lincoln City (relegated to non league 1987)
MK Dons (formed 2004. Old Wimbledon joined league 1977)
Morecambe (joined league 2007)
Oxford United (joined league 1962)
Rotherham United (formed 1925)
Shrewsbury Town (joined league 1950)
Wigan Athletic (formed 1932)
Wycombe Wanderers (joined league 1992)
Barrow (relegated to non league 1972)
Bristol Rovers (relegated to non league 2014)
Carlisle United (joined league 1928)
Colchester United (formed 1937)
Crawley Town (joined league 2011)
Exeter City (relegated to non league 2003)
Forest Green Rovers (joined league 2017)
Harrogate Town (joined league 2020)
Hartlepool United (relegated to non league 2017)
Leyton Orient (relegated to non league 2017)
Mansfield Town (joined league 1931)
Newport County (relegated to non league 1931)
Salford City (formed 1940)
Scunthorpe United (joined league 1950)
Stevenage (formed 1976)
Sutton United (joined league 2021)
Tranmere Rovers (relegated to non league 2015)
So there is clearly a majority of teams in Leagues One and Two that have at some point been in non league. So that is something of an achievement for Rochdale.
Of the 55 ever-present clubs that remain, 46 have played in the Premier League as well:
Arsenal
Aston Villa
Barnsley
Birmingham City
Blackburn Rovers
Blackpool
Bolton Wanderers
Bradford City
Brentford
Brighton and Hove Albion
Burnley
Cardiff City
Charlton Athletic
Chelsea
Coventry City
Crystal Palace
Derby County
Everton
Fulham
Huddersfield Town
Hull City
Leeds United
Leicester City
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Middlesbrough
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Norwich City
Oldham Athletic
Portsmouth
QPR
Reading
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
Southampton
Stoke City
Sunderland
Swansea City
Swindon Town
Tottenham Hotspur
Watford
West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
So there are actually 9 clubs that must count as the most mediocre of the lot. Never good enough to get promoted to the Prem, never crap enough to get relegated to the Conference. 100 years consistently in the football league:
Bristol City
Crewe Alexandra
Millwall
Northampton Town
Plymouth Argyle
Port Vale
Preston North End
Rochdale
Walsall
Of those there is only 1 team that has spent all of those 100 years in only 2 of the 3 football league divisions. I’m sure you can guess who that is….
Feel free to throw in anything I’ve missed as I found this a right pain to get to the bottom of.
Other observations from my look through the stats:
Despite getting off to a terrible start in our football league life by finishing rock bottom in 1921/22 — the rest of the 1920s were actually pretty decent for Rochdale. We finished second on two occasions (when only the top team got promoted) — behind Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1923/24 and behind Stoke City in 1926/27.
I actually hadn’t realised that when the Third Divisions North and South were rearranged into Divisions Three and Four, we stayed in Division Three for a whole season by virtue of finishing in the top half of Third Division North in its last season of existence (1957/58). Of course we then finished rock bottom in 1958/59 and got relegated to Division Four, but that’s another season in the third tier I was not aware of. | | | |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:18 - Aug 24 with 1327 views | D_Alien |
Without replying to a copy of all that, pretty sure Bristol City have spent time in the top flight sincec1921, which should be the criterion applied for 'mediocrity'
[Post edited 24 Aug 2021 12:21]
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| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:20 - Aug 24 with 1323 views | Cedar_Room |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:18 - Aug 24 by D_Alien |
Without replying to a copy of all that, pretty sure Bristol City have spent time in the top flight sincec1921, which should be the criterion applied for 'mediocrity'
[Post edited 24 Aug 2021 12:21]
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Yes but not in the Prem | | | |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:20 - Aug 24 with 1320 views | AtThePeake |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:18 - Aug 24 by D_Alien |
Without replying to a copy of all that, pretty sure Bristol City have spent time in the top flight sincec1921, which should be the criterion applied for 'mediocrity'
[Post edited 24 Aug 2021 12:21]
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As have Millwall, but I think Cedar's point is that it was still known as 'The Football League' then. Technically speaking, teams that have reached the top flight since 1992 have left the Football League and joined the Premier League. |  |
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| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:22 - Aug 24 with 1308 views | D_Alien |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:20 - Aug 24 by Cedar_Room |
Yes but not in the Prem |
I get that, but doesn't meet a 'mediocrity' test, or rather, definition
[Post edited 24 Aug 2021 12:30]
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| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:44 - Aug 24 with 1265 views | Cedar_Room |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:22 - Aug 24 by D_Alien |
I get that, but doesn't meet a 'mediocrity' test, or rather, definition
[Post edited 24 Aug 2021 12:30]
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thanks. now I remember why I had you muted. | | | |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:49 - Aug 24 with 1253 views | TVOS1907 |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:18 - Aug 24 by D_Alien |
Without replying to a copy of all that, pretty sure Bristol City have spent time in the top flight sincec1921, which should be the criterion applied for 'mediocrity'
[Post edited 24 Aug 2021 12:21]
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I remember around that time Alan Dicks was their manager.
When the Ashton Gate faithful wanted him sacked, they used to chant "Dicks Out"!
True story. |  |
| When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf? |
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| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 13:46 - Aug 24 with 1178 views | pioneer |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:49 - Aug 24 by TVOS1907 |
I remember around that time Alan Dicks was their manager.
When the Ashton Gate faithful wanted him sacked, they used to chant "Dicks Out"!
True story. |
Thats up there with a rugby game i took my son to many years ago, refereed by a bloke called Alan Cox. My son was six at the time and after disallowing a try my lad asks me what the referee was called and proceeded to shout at the top of his voice “you suck, Cox”. |  | | |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? (n/t) on 14:33 - Aug 24 with 1099 views | D_Alien |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:22 - Aug 24 by D_Alien |
I get that, but doesn't meet a 'mediocrity' test, or rather, definition
[Post edited 24 Aug 2021 12:30]
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[Post edited 24 Aug 2021 14:36]
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| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 14:36 - Aug 24 with 1088 views | D_Alien |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 12:44 - Aug 24 by Cedar_Room |
thanks. now I remember why I had you muted. |
Good lad, very wise! | |
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| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 15:00 - Aug 24 with 1057 views | dingdangblue |
| who else has 100 continuous years in the football league? on 21:30 - Aug 23 by pioneer |
No takers yet?
Well we are in a group of…..1 |
100 years in the bottom 2 divisions - we are a unique club to support 👠|  |
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