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League Play
League Play is what Makes Soccer Exciting!!
Although English professional soccer will be used as an example, it applies to most countries around the world. International soccer, unlike the American professional leagues (football, baseball, basketball, and soccer- MLS), offers excitement and hope to their fans throughout the season.
Sarah Lyall's "A Guide For Game Hunting in England's Premier League" wonderfully captures the flavor and uniqueness of British professional soccer. Combined with Bloody Confused, the craziness of soccer is explained.
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. There are more than 140 individual leagues, containing more than 480 divisions.The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 15 clubs per division implies that more than 7,000 teams of nearly 5,300 clubs are members of a league in the English mens' football league system.
The pyramid for Women's football in England is listed separately and runs to nine tiers.
Not every English-based club plays in the English football league system; see List of association football clubs playing in the league of another country.
Sarah Lyall's "A Guide For Game Hunting in England's Premier League" wonderfully captures the flavor and uniqueness of British professional soccer. Combined with Bloody Confused, the craziness of soccer is explained.
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. There are more than 140 individual leagues, containing more than 480 divisions.The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 15 clubs per division implies that more than 7,000 teams of nearly 5,300 clubs are members of a league in the English mens' football league system.
The pyramid for Women's football in England is listed separately and runs to nine tiers.
Not every English-based club plays in the English football league system; see List of association football clubs playing in the league of another country.
Relegation
Relegation and inter-league play are what makes soccer so exciting. In the last month of the season, even the last weekend, teams at the bottom are desperately fighting to avoid the 18th, 19th and 20th places, which would result in their being relegated down. In Culpepper's book, Bloody Confused, he portrays this battle to avoid relegation with all its excitement and suspense. The number of clubs still in the hunt during the Premier League's last month of the play is evident in 2010-2011 final table .
In the lower leagues, Premier League, the Champion, League One and League Top teams are regulated up and the bottom teams are regulated down. (See English Leagues below). Therefore, there are fierce battles at the end of the season at both ends of the tables.
In addition to regular league play, many Inter league and international tournaments add considerably to fan enjoyment throughout the year. (See Tournaments below). Premier League games are normally played on weekends.
In the lower leagues, Premier League, the Champion, League One and League Top teams are regulated up and the bottom teams are regulated down. (See English Leagues below). Therefore, there are fierce battles at the end of the season at both ends of the tables.
In addition to regular league play, many Inter league and international tournaments add considerably to fan enjoyment throughout the year. (See Tournaments below). Premier League games are normally played on weekends.
English Leagues
Season—August to May
- Premier League (level 1, 20 teams): The bottom three teams are relegated.
- Football League Championship (level 2, 24 teams): Top two automatically promoted; next four compete in the playoffs, with the winner gaining the third promotion spot. The bottom three are relegated.
- Football League One (level 3, 24 teams): Top two are automatically promoted; next four compete in playoffs, with the winner gaining the third promotion spot. The bottom four are relegated.
- Football League Two (level 4, 24 teams): Top three teams are automatically promoted; next four compete in playoffs, with the winner gaining the fourth promotion spot. The bottom two are relegated.
- Conference National (level 5, 24 teams): The champions are promoted; next four compete in playoffs, with the winner gaining the second promotion spot. The bottom four are relegated to either North or South division as appropriate.
- Conference North and Conference South (level 6, 22 teams each, running in parallel): The champions in each division are automatically promoted; next four teams in each division compete in playoffs, with the playoff winner in each division getting the second promotion spot. The bottom three teams in each division relegated to either Northern Premier League, Southern League or Isthmian League as appropriate. If, after promotion and relegation, the number of teams in the North and South divisions are not equal, one or more teams are transferred between the two divisions to even them up again.
- Northern Premier League Premier Division, Southern Football League Premier Division and Isthmian League Premier Division (level 7, 22 teams each, running in parallel): The champions in each division are automatically promoted; next four teams in each division compete in playoffs, with the playoff winner in each division getting the second promotion spot. The bottom four teams in each division relegated to a level 8 division as appropriate. If, after promotion and relegation, the number of teams in the divisions are not equal, one or more teams are transferred between the three divisions to even them up again.
- Northern Premier League Division One North, Northern Premier League Division One South, Southern Football League Division One Central, Southern Football League Division One South & West,Isthmian League Division One North and Isthmian League Division One South (level 8, 22 teams each, running in parallel): The champions in each division are automatically promoted; next four teams in each division compete in playoffs, with the playoff winner in each division getting the second promotion spot. The bottom two teams in each division relegated to a level 9 division as appropriate. If, after promotion and relegation, the number of teams in the divisions are not equal, one or more teams are transferred between the divisions to even them up again.
English Premier League Teams 2011-2012 Season
Premier League 2012 Manchester City 3-Queen Park Rangers 2
After 38 games, the championship came down to five minutes of stoppage time. Manchester United and Manchester City were tied, but City was ahead on goal differential. United had defeated Sunderland 1-0 and Manchester City had just five minutes of stoppage time to score two goals.
Unbelievably, Manchester City scored 2 stoppage time goals in 1 minute and 24 seconds. Hollywood does not write this stuff. CITY WINS!!!!
Note: As exciting as Manchester City's dramatic stoppage win was, Manchester United lost the championship in about eight minutes of stoppage time earlier in the season. Twice they went into stoppage time with 2 goal leads only to be tied. One less goal and the City's last minute heroics would not have earned them the long awaited title.
After 38 games, the championship came down to five minutes of stoppage time. Manchester United and Manchester City were tied, but City was ahead on goal differential. United had defeated Sunderland 1-0 and Manchester City had just five minutes of stoppage time to score two goals.
Unbelievably, Manchester City scored 2 stoppage time goals in 1 minute and 24 seconds. Hollywood does not write this stuff. CITY WINS!!!!
Note: As exciting as Manchester City's dramatic stoppage win was, Manchester United lost the championship in about eight minutes of stoppage time earlier in the season. Twice they went into stoppage time with 2 goal leads only to be tied. One less goal and the City's last minute heroics would not have earned them the long awaited title.
2012 Manchester City 3-Queen Park Rangers 2: Two Stoppage Time Goals in Slow Motion
The above video has been edited and run at 30% speed.
Look at both of the goals and evaluate the goalies positioning. The winning goal was on the short side.
Manchester City had a throw in at 93.41 minutes with the score tied and time running out. It seems to me that they took their time putting the ball in play.
Did the defender just miss deflecting the winning goal??
What do you think?
The above video has been edited and run at 30% speed.
Look at both of the goals and evaluate the goalies positioning. The winning goal was on the short side.
Manchester City had a throw in at 93.41 minutes with the score tied and time running out. It seems to me that they took their time putting the ball in play.
Did the defender just miss deflecting the winning goal??
What do you think?
Slow motion replay:
Arsenal-Newcastle: A must win for Newcastle in their hope to qualify for next year's champions League. Arsenal wins in stoppage time with a great goal and considerable excitement: Two yellow cards are issued after the goal is scored.
Tournaments
Champions League 2011 final Barcelona3 Manchester United 1
Champions League
April 17, 2012 semi-final: Chelsea 1-Barcelona 0: Chelsea had a 72% possession advantage, but Chelsea scored on their only shot of the game. Under Chelsea's interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea changes to an older style of play and away from the ball control game currently in favor.
April 17, 2012 semi-final: Chelsea 1-Barcelona 0: Chelsea had a 72% possession advantage, but Chelsea scored on their only shot of the game. Under Chelsea's interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea changes to an older style of play and away from the ball control game currently in favor.
May 26, 2012: Final: Chelsea 1-Bayren Munich 1--Chelsea Wins 4-3 Shootout
George Vecsey's commentary goes beyond the score. He correctly identified Didier Droga as the driving force behind Chelsea's win. Droga was also there for Chelsea in the late minutes against Barcelona earlier in the month.
George Vecsey's commentary goes beyond the score. He correctly identified Didier Droga as the driving force behind Chelsea's win. Droga was also there for Chelsea in the late minutes against Barcelona earlier in the month.
EUFA Euro Follow EUFA 2012 on George Vecsey's blog for an interesting dialog.UEFA Cup—Europe-wide. Consolation for clubs that do not reach European Champions League. English clubs 5th, 6th and 7th usually qualify
EUFA Super Cup Renamed EUFA Euro in 2009.
FA Cup (1871)—season long single elimination, over 600 English and Welsh clubs
Carling Cup (League Cup)—single elimination, 96 clubs from top four divisions Intertoto Cup. Was a summer football competition for European teams that did not qualify for the one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued in 2008 and teams now directly enter the qualifying stages of the UEFA Europa League.
Blackburn Rover's Fall From Grace May Continue
Blackburn's Rovers are a stricking example of the misfortunes of a team relegated from from England's Premier League at the end of the 2011-2012 season. Now, the are in danger of being relegated down from the Champions League (England's second tier).
When Venky’s, a poultry company, bought Blackburn for
£23 million (now worth $35 million) in 2010 from a trust established by Walker before his death, there was more optimism about the team’s future.
With Venky’s being part of the VH Group, described as a $1 billion conglomerate on the Venky’s Web site, Blackburn fans could dream of faring better in the Premier League. Yet suspicions were raised almost immediately.
Blackburn fired Manager Sam Allardyce, who had brought stability to both Bolton and Blackburn.
The club said the decision to replace him was part of its “wider plans and ambitions.” His job was given to the inexperienced Steve Kean, who was at the helm when Blackburn was relegated last May, ending its 11-year stay in the elite division. He resigned in September when his position became, he said, “untenable.” Reports surfaced that Kean, who made intermittent trips to India to discuss team affairs, was being told whom to play.
Now, instead of making a quick return to the Premier League, Blackburn is in danger of being demoted to the third tier, where it last played in 1980.
Blackburn beat Derby, 2-0, on Saturday to end an 11-game winless streak and escape the relegation zone with three weeks remaining. Still, Blackburn’s average league attendance of 14,715 is 17th among the 24 teams in the League Championship, England’s second-tier league.
When Venky’s, a poultry company, bought Blackburn for
£23 million (now worth $35 million) in 2010 from a trust established by Walker before his death, there was more optimism about the team’s future.
With Venky’s being part of the VH Group, described as a $1 billion conglomerate on the Venky’s Web site, Blackburn fans could dream of faring better in the Premier League. Yet suspicions were raised almost immediately.
Blackburn fired Manager Sam Allardyce, who had brought stability to both Bolton and Blackburn.
The club said the decision to replace him was part of its “wider plans and ambitions.” His job was given to the inexperienced Steve Kean, who was at the helm when Blackburn was relegated last May, ending its 11-year stay in the elite division. He resigned in September when his position became, he said, “untenable.” Reports surfaced that Kean, who made intermittent trips to India to discuss team affairs, was being told whom to play.
Now, instead of making a quick return to the Premier League, Blackburn is in danger of being demoted to the third tier, where it last played in 1980.
Blackburn beat Derby, 2-0, on Saturday to end an 11-game winless streak and escape the relegation zone with three weeks remaining. Still, Blackburn’s average league attendance of 14,715 is 17th among the 24 teams in the League Championship, England’s second-tier league.