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If you took every professional team in English football and compiled an all-time league table that calculated the number of points the clubs have earned since their existence, which teams would be at the top? You may be surprised by the findings:
<ol>
<li>Manchester United, 5559 points</li>
<li>Liverpool, 5513</li>
<li>Arsenal, 5346</li>
<li>Wolverhampton Wanderers, 5137</li>
<li>Preston North End, 5105</li>
<li>Aston Villa, 5005</li>
<li>Sheffield United, 5002</li>
<li>Sunderland, 4993</li>
<li>Everton, 4987</li>
<li>Burnley, 4979</li>
</ol>
Where do the other Premier League clubs rank?
<ul>
<li>Blackburn, 11th position</li>
<li>Bolton, 12th position</li>
<li>West Bromwich Albion, 13th position</li>
<li>Manchester City, 14th position</li>
<li>Newcastle United, 15th position</li>
<li>Chelsea, 27th position</li>
<li>Stoke, 29th position</li>
<li>Hull, 31st position</li>
<li>Middlesbrough, 34th place</li>
<li>Tottenham, 39th place</li>
<li>Fulham, 40th place</li>
<li>Portsmouth, 63rd place</li>
<li>West Ham, 64th position</li>
<li>Wigan, 91st position</li>
</ul>
Who would have guessed that clubs like Burnley, Bury, Grimsby, Barnsley and Blackpool would have a better all-time points total than Chelsea?!
How can you account for the 46 point gap between Liverpool and Manchester United? It’s simple. United were founded in 1878 as Newton Heath, while Liverpool was formed 14 years later in 1892.
What for you are some of the surprising statistics from the all-time league table?
Source: <a href="http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/all-time-table" target="_blank">Statto</a>.

Who Are The All-Time League Leaders in English Football?

Who Are The All-Time League Leaders in English Football? - World Soccer Talk

Now there’s a headline that you might not usually associate with the Premier League but after an ugly exchange during Chelsea’s Carling Cup match with Burnley last week, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will be spending a bit more time on the bench.&nbsp; Injuries have already limited the Chelsea hit man to just a handful of appearances this season.&nbsp; The resurgence of Nicolas Anelka, who currently leads the EPL scoring chart with 12 goals, has seen Drogba’s playing time further reduced, and once again, he was on the bench this past weekend at West Brom.
<a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/drogba-coin.jpg" title="drogba coin"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/drogba-coin.jpg" alt="drogba coin"></figure></div></a>
Unfortunately, Drogba took the bait from the taunting visitors section at the Bridge and hurled a coin back into the crowd after giving them a single finger salute.&nbsp; Without a doubt a moment of madness from the player but he is not entirely to blame.&nbsp; Idiot drunken fans who elect to abuse players to the degree of hurling objects onto the field of play have no place in football or any sport.&nbsp; Once again, we see the act of a few morons overshadowing a great event for their team, as Burnley went on to win the match.
<a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/drogba-throws-coin.jpg" title="drogba throws coin"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/drogba-throws-coin.jpg" alt="drogba throws coin"></figure></div></a>
Players reacting to taunts and abuse from the crowd is hardly new.&nbsp; Jamie Carragher was suspended for 3 games after a similar incident at Arsenal in 2002.&nbsp; Who can forget the ultimate reaction from a player when Eric Cantona literally took matters into his own hands (or feet) when he went into the stand to exact revenge against a Crystal Palace supporter that was giving him the hump in 1995.&nbsp; Cantona received a 9-month ban for his efforts but that was an extreme situation.
<a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/cantona.jpg" title="cantona"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/cantona.jpg" alt="cantona"></figure></div></a>
Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the latest exchange involving the Chelsea star, and to his credit, he has not attempted to justify or defend his actions, and will seemingly accept his 3 game punishment with no further word.&nbsp; As usual, the media played their role in dramatizing the incident and chose to focus on coin tossing and finger shadows rather than a great cup-tie.
I’m not under&nbsp;stating the severity of objects being thrown to the field, but why in football is it always labeled as a missile?&nbsp; The dictionary buffs can go and quote the definition of said “missile” but just for once can we not just call it as it is?&nbsp; A coin was thrown and the player threw it back; simple, to the point and describes what happened, but that doesn’t make much news so it’s a “missile.”&nbsp; If a fan throws a roll of toilet paper on the field, it’s a missile.&nbsp; Paper airplane – missile.&nbsp; Inflatable banana – missile??&nbsp; Was the balloon that appeared to deflect the ball into the goal during a Sheffield United FA Cup match against Man City last year, not a missile?&nbsp; If it’s a bunker penetrating laser guided high-explosive weapon, call it a missile, but please just for once it would be nice if the media powers could keep things in perspective rather than blowing up ugly incidents to sell another paper.
There is not a simple solution to this problem.&nbsp; There will always be a small minority of fans that look to intimidate or antagonize any target they can find.&nbsp; If players are punished too severely then it sends a message of encouragement to the idiots that perpetuate this stupidity.&nbsp; On the other side, players have a responsibility to maintain their composure and to not respond to these types of actions from the so-called fans.&nbsp; Drogba will sit for 3 games and I think that’s about right.&nbsp; The suspension itself, however, will not garner nearly the news that the actual incident did, after all there is nothing left to blow up.

Drogba Suspended for Missile Attack

Drogba Suspended for Missile Attack - World Soccer Talk

<a rel="attachment wp-att-197" href="http://www.championshiptalk.com/carling-cup-quarter-final-draw/198/197/" title="carling_cup_logo_large1.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://www.xslt-tutorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/carling_cup_logo_large1.jpg" alt="carling_cup_logo_large1.jpg"></figure></div></a>
Three Championship teams remain in the hunt for the Carling Cup and there will be no all Championship ties for the quarter-finals. The fixtures will be played on December 2, and at 2:45 pm eastern time. Here are the opponents for the three remaining Championship clubs:
Stoke City v Derby County – Britannia Stadium
Burnley v Arsenal – Turf Moor
Watford v Tottenham – Vicarage Road Stadium
Manchester United v Blackburn – Old Trafford

Carling Cup Quarter-Final Draw

Carling Cup Quarter-Final Draw - World Soccer Talk

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It has been 40 years since a side from outside the top flight of English football has won the League Cup, when Swindon beat Arsenal 3-1 way back in 1969. However the lose of Liverpool and Chelsea last night has opened the way for the clubs from the Championship to claim some major silverware.
Lower league clubs have been in the final in recent history with Birmingham the last one, pushing Liverpool all the way only to lose on penalties. The year before that Tranmere narrowly lost to Leicester. So this year could be the year that someone goes that step further and perhaps shows that despite being less prestigious than the FA Cup this competition can provide just as big an upset.
Looking through the sides left in the draw for the quarter finals the obvious favourites in the <a href="http://betting.betfair.com/football/carling-cup/">football betting</a> will be Arsenal, Manchester United and current holders Tottenham. However if the draw throws two of those three together then we could easily see the likes of Burnley, Watford or Derby reach the semi-finals at least.
Burnley will certainly fancy their chances against anyone after their victory at Chelsea and with the Clarets flying high in the league they are the ones to avoid for the Premier League sides if they don’t want to become their next cup victims.
Despite my head telling me that the winners will come from either Spurs, Arsenal or Man Utd my heart is praying for it to be one of the Championship sides left in the competition. Whilst my head is telling me that one of those three sides will be lifting the trophy at Wembley in February it is far from impossible that we won’t be seeing Paul Connolly or Jay DeMerit taking that long walk up the steps to collect the three handled trophy.
With the big clubs failing to take this competition seriously due to European or relegation concerns then this, as we head for the quarter finals, is a major opportunity to create a piece of history.
Derby and Watford both have recent Premier League experience, albeit unsuccessful, and so will know what to expect if they draw a Premier League side. As for Burnley they have already knocked out Fulham and now Chelsea so whatever the football odds say I believe there is a chance, even if it is a small, for a Championship side to win the tournament.
Chances are that one will reach the semi-finals, Wycombe being the last side to do it although it was a 100-1 shot that they would make all the way, whilst Watford narrowly missed out in 2005 to Liverpool.
So lets hope the upsets continue for the neutral, obviously if your side is still left in the competition and isn’t in the Championship you won’t be hoping for the same thing. Everyone else will be hoping for a repeat of this years FA Cup, albeit a better game to watch than that dull affair!

Will the Carling Cup have a winner from outside the top flight?

Will the Carling Cup have a winner from outside the top flight? - World Soccer Talk

Burnley 
Founded: 1880
Nickname: The Clarets
Ground: Turf Moor (22,546)
Last Season: 13th in the CCC 62 points
FA Cup Winners: 1913/14
Community Shield Winners: 1973
Old Division One Winners: 1920/21, 1959/60
Second Division/CCC Winners: 1897/1898, 1972/73
Third Division/ League One Winners: 1981/82
Fourth Division/ League Two Winners: 1991/92
Only one of three clubs to win the championship of all top four professional divisions.

CCC Club Snapshots: Burnley

CCC Club Snapshots: Burnley - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/premier-league-logo1.png" alt="premier-league-logo1.png" align="right" vspace="15" hspace="15"></figure></div>I’m a free transfer in search of a new club! 🙂
As I follow the EPL this season, I will not be following Manchester United. I have decided to pick a club outside the Big Four as ‘my club’ for this season. It will be a tough change (I’ll probably still root for them when they are not playing against my newly adopted club) as I’ve been a United fan for about 10 years and have enjoyed that but I think its time to change.
I think Kevin Keegan (inappropriate to say as it might have been) was spot on when he said the Premier League is boring at the top and that it’s essentially a league within a league. However, I disagree with his assessment that its down to a simple matter of cash. I think that beyond simple cash outlay, clubs are struggling to compete beacause of an over-reliance on the transfer market and not enough investment in scouting and development systems. Middlesbrough comes to mind as a potential exception but even they splashed out 10 – 12 million on Alfonso Alves last season. They say the English talent pool is not as strong as it used to be but when clubs even in the Championship or League One are preferring to look abroad rather than develop talent, what chance does the English player have? A similar situation is threatening to occur in MLS with increased reliance on imported Latin and European players while North American players are cut loose.
Gone are the days of a club like Burnley (First Division Champs in 1960) who won the title in the final season before the maximum wage rule (then £20/week) was abolished. Contracts binding players to clubs for life were also scrapped. Both of those moves were great for the players but also started the trend of ever upward spiraling salaries. It in fact did not take long for salaries to escalate as the first £100-a-week player was Johnny Haynes who was bumped to that level by Fulham in 1961. Clubs of that era also contended with gate sharing and no Bosman rule transfers or TV income. The Bosman ruling caused salaries to take that next spiral upwards.
So how does a smaller club break into the Top 4? One way would be to focus on their league fixtures at the expense of any potential cup runs. Forget about the FA Cup and League Cup (depsite the potential for added ticket revenue) for a season and focus on winning your league fixtures. Rest your best XI for the league matches and blood your young academy/reserve players in the Cup games. The cash to be made from qualifying for the Champions League will more than make up any lost income that those domestic cup fixtures might have brought. And who knows, the kids might just shock a few people and win a round or two for you !
Anyhow, I’m sidetracking and need to get back to the focus of this post. I’m soliciting ideas for a new club to follow from you. If you’re a fan of a non-BigFour club, post a comment and tell me why you support the club that you do. What’s your connection with the club beyond wins and losses? How did you come to support your club and why have you stuck by them?
Related Posts:<a href="http://epltalk.com/the-history-of-english-football-before-the-big-four/2561"> 
English Football Before The Big Four</a>

Bored By The EPL&#039;s Big Four

Bored By The EPL&#039;s Big Four - World Soccer Talk

Bored By The EPL's Big Four

After Saturday’s shocks, more David-v-Goliath matchups were on tap for Sunday. We start with Luton Town, who ignored the fact that they are 60 league places below Liverpool and forced a very deserved replay at Anfield. This was one of the games I checked out on Sunday and I felt it was an entertaining 1-1 draw. The football on display was not always the most fluid but there was plenty of hustle and passion from Luton. Both goals came off of defensive errors as John Arne Riise scored an own goal just three minutes after Peter Crouch’s 74th-minute opening goal. It was Chris Perry’s misplaced header that gave Andriy Voronin a breakaway. The Stoke goalkeeper parried the Ukrainian’s shot but the ball fell right at Crouch’s feet and he rolled it into the net.
Drew Talbot was my man of the match in this one. It was his dangerous cross that Riise turned into his own goal and he kept the Liverpool defence on their heels most of the afternoon.
The replay at Anfield on January 15th will bring in £250,000 to the Luton Town coffers as the club fights for its future. The League One outfit are currently in administration and struggling to pay the wages of their staff. They will be forced to sell off their best players should a buyer not be found.
The other game I checked out on Sunday was the Stoke City – Newcastle United tie. Stoke City forced a replay against after holding the struggling Premier League side to a draw. The game lacked quality and only came to life for spells of the second half. There were a couple of close calls either way but the defenders and goalkeepers on both sides were determined to keep the ball out of their net. Stoke will now travel to St James’ Park next Wednesday.
The draw sees more criticism and pressure heaped on Newcastle gaffer Sam Allardyce. Stoke are among the Championship promotion places, but for all their size and energy, they should not have posed such a serious threat to a mid-table Premier League team that aspires to be amongst the “big” clubs. Newcastle face an away fixture to Manchester United and then a replay with Stoke next Wednesday. It’s shaping up to be another pressurized week for Newcastle.
Fulham had to come from behind twice to force a replay with League One strugglers Bristol Rovers. Rovers, near the foot of the League One table, defended resiliently and capitalized on Fulham’s nervous start. Fulham did look better in the second half and could have won the game on a few occasions. I expect they will win the replay but will not be pleased to have an extra match on their plate.
In a less shocking result, Premier League strugglers Derby County were held to a 2-2 draw by Sheffield Wednesday. Wednesday side went two up within the first 23 minutes. Mark Beevers’ (linked in the press with a move to Everton) speculative shot was woefully mishandled by Derby keeper Lewis Price as he spilled it into the goal to gift a 1-0 lead to the visitors. 24-year-old striker Marcus Tudgay, sold to Sheffield Wednesday two years ago after five years at Pride Park, drilled home the Championship side’s second as they thrilled the 5,500 fans that had travelled with the team. Tudgay pounced on Darren Moore’s awful attempted header to his own keeper and put Wednesday up 2-0.
Cue the comeback! More poor defending, this time from Wednesday, as Kenny Miller outmaneuvered three defenders to colect a cross into the area and fire low into the corner past another former Derby man, Lee Grant. Giles Barnes drew Derby level with a lovely left-foot volley just before the interval. The second half was unremarkable by comparison to the first. Derby’s finishing was poor and Grant was a solid presence in goal. He made one particularly good stop to keep out a Gary Teale volley. Another former Ram, Deon Burton, had a goal disallowed late on. The replay of this tie will be at Hillsborough next Wednesday.
The only non-shock was Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Burnley. Arsenal largely played their “B” team though recent first-team regulars such as Eduardo, Justin Hoyte and Bacary Sagna featured for the Premier League leaders. Burnley did not roll over and capitulate, giving Arsenal a run for their money with a performance that evoked memories of their shock third-round win over Liverpool in 2005.
Kyle Lafferty’s header hit the bar for the hosts before Eduardo slotted home in the 9th minute. Robbie Blake and Chris McCann both spurned chances in front of goal in the first half. Lafferty’s afternoon came to an abrupt end in the second half. On the hour he was deemed to have made a dangerous challenge on Gilberto and referee Alan Wiley pulled out the red card without hesitation. Wiley’s angle on the play was not great and the replays showed that he got the decision wrong. It may have been beneficial for Wiley to have consulted the assistant on the opposite side for his opinion. In any event, a red was very harsh and did change the face of the game. To their credit, Burnley poured forward with even more purpose and tried to find an equalizer. However, Eduardo was at the heart of the second goal as well, playing a perfectly weighted through ball for Bendtner. He rounded Kiraly and finished the game off as a contest with 15 minutes left on the clock.

Road to Wembley: FA Cup 3rd Round Sunday Recap

Road to Wembley: FA Cup 3rd Round Sunday Recap - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from Burnley. Find out about all the news related to Burnley on worldsoccertalk.com

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Burnley - Page 6"

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Who Are The All-Time League Leaders in English Football?

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Drogba Suspended for Missile Attack

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Carling Cup Quarter-Final Draw

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Will the Carling Cup have a winner from outside the top flight?

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CCC Club Snapshots: Burnley

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Bored By The EPL's Big Four

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Road to Wembley: FA Cup 3rd Round Sunday Recap