Royce Franklin, a life member of the Association of Football Statisticians, digs up yet more fascinating facts about football
WITH CARDIFF’S promotion to the Premier League for the forthcoming season they become the 46th team to play in that division since its inception in 1992.
This represents exactly half of all the current 92 clubs if we include the Football League. In this calculation I have counted the present day Milton Keynes Dons as the same club as the former Wimbledon which strictly speaking it is not.
Of the 46, seven have been in the division throughout: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Spurs.
Barnsley, Blackpool, Burnley and Swindon have each appeared for only one season while Latics and Bradford City have two seasons under their belt.
For the first three seasons the Premier league had 22 clubs. Since 1995-6 it has been 20. Of the initial 22 Blackburn, Coventry, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Oldham, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and Wimbledon (Milton Keynes) are no longer members.
Coventry, Leeds, Manchester City, Norwich, Nottingham Forest, Latics, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday have spent time in the third tier of football since 1992. Latics and Sheffield United are the only two who remain there.
Crystal Palace, who were promoted at the end of last season through the play-offs, are about to spend only their fifth season in the Premier League. Each of the previous four has been for one season only.
Former European champions Nottingham Forest were last in the top flight in 1998-9; Coventry in 2000-1 and Leeds in 2003-4.
