Post the History of a Random team.

DrumSteve

Im always interested in reading the history of football clubs. so the idea of this thread would be just to post information on a random club of your choice. Wiki it, google it, whatever.

Im gonna get the ball rolling with Panathanaikos (cos they were founded on my birth date lol):

Football made its appearance in Greece at the end of the 19th century, but there was no official championship since it was considered a lacklustre activity. A young athlete of the sports club Panellinios, Giorgos Kalafatis, dismayed by his club's refusal to form a football team, founded Panathinaikos in February 3, 1908 with his older brother Alexander Kalafatis as team president. The name of the club was initially P.O.A. (Podosfairikos Omilos Athinon), meaning "Athens Football Club".

In 1918 it was decided that the official color of the team would be green and white(Instead of red and white) so that the players' outfits would be standardized and the club's emblem would be the shamrock, an idea of Michalis Papazoglou, a great athlete from Constantinople who played for the team of Chalkidona, which had the same symbol. The club had its third and final name change in February 16, 1924: P.A.O. (Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos - Panathinaikos Athletic Club).

In September 2001, IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) voted Panathinaikos FC as World's Club Team of the Month [1]

Panathinaikos was also one of the first clubs that formed a women team in 1980. This department is currently inactive.


The centenary crisis
Although Panathinaikos is celebrating its centenary, negative results over the years and some disagreements between the management and the fans, have created a crisis within the football team.

On April 13, 2008, a march from Panathinaikos fans took place starting at Pedion tou Areos and ending outside the Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium, with the sole purpose of asking Vardinogiannis family to sell the club. It was advertised mainly through mobile phones and internet forums. The march was considered successful by its organisers with estimates ranging between 6,000 (police) and 10,000 (fans) . The fans later complained about a media blackout, since pictures from the march were not broadcast to the mainstream TV channels and attributed this to the control Vardinogiannis family has over two major TV channels (Mega and Star).

On April 22, 2008 the main shareholder of Panathinaikos FC, Mr Giannis Vardinogiannis, announced on a press conference the decision of his family to reduce their share in the club to 50%, for the first time since 1979 when the family took over Panathinaikos FC, through an 80 million € increase of the share capital.

Currently Vardinogiannis family owns more than 80% of the share capital, while Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (Amateur Panathinaikos) holds 10% and the rest is spread to other shareholders. After the share capital increase, Vardinogiannis family would hold 56% of the club, Amateur Panathinaikos 10% and the rest shareholders 34%.

Although the prospectus describing the full terms of the share capital increase is expected to be published in mid-May, Panathenian Unifying Movement responded immediately with a press release stating that Mr Giannis Vardinogiannis' decision is on the right direction but the full terms should be clarified in order to ensure that the new ownership model would allow Panathinaikos FC to become a club that every fan dreams.

(Honours: 41 titles)

Greek Championships: (19)
1930, 1949, 1953, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2004
Segas Championships: (1)
1911
Greek Cup: (16)
1940, 1948, 1955, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2004
Greek Super Cup: (4)
1970, 1988, 1993, 1994
European Champion Clubs' Cup Runners-Up
1971
Intercontinental Cup Runners-Up:
1971
Doubles: (7)
1969, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1995, 2004

8-10

DrumSteve wrote: »

In 1918 it was decided that the official color of the team would be green and white(Instead of red and white) so that the players' outfits would be standardized and the club's emblem would be the shamrock, an idea of Michalis Papazoglou, a great athlete from Constantinople who played for the team of Chalkidona, which had the same symbol.

I only just looked this up yesterday because I'd always wondered why they use a green shamrock.

Jugs82

Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Commonly known as Chivas)

Club Deportivo Guadalajara, commonly known as Chivas (The Goats), or El Rebaño Sagrado (The Sacred Herd) is a Mexican association football team based in Guadalajara, Jalisco that competes in the Primera División de México, the highest football division in Mexico. Chivas has the most titles in the Mexican first division with 11, their biggest rival, América, is second. They both are Mexico's most popular soccer teams. In the latest IFFHS's club rankings, Chivas ranks first among CONCACAF teams and fifty-seventh overall.[1]

C.D. Guadalajara is the only football club in Mexico to exclusively field Mexican-born players. The three colors of the team are red, white, and blue; they are symbolic of "Fraternity, Union, and Sports". Chivas is one of two teams in Mexico that has never been relegated to the Primera Division A (2nd Division), the other being América. América and Chivas share a long-standing rivalry. They are the only two clubs to have been in the First Division of the Mexican Football League from the very beginning. The team mascot, as well as their nickname, is the goat or Chiva Fighter.

Foundation and the Amateur Era (1906-1942)
The team was founded on May 8th, 1906 by a young Belgian shopkeeper named Edgar Everaert , as Club de Futbol Union. Their kit was modeled on that of the founder's favourite team, the Belgian Club Brugge K.V., which consisted of vertical stripes and the color scheme was als modeled after Brugge's (which has since changed their team colors). The first team was formed with Mexican and French players (thus being named Union because of the comraderie between these players) and mostly consisted of employees of the store Fábricas de Francia with Everaert as coach[1][2]. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Club Brugge K.V. is a football club from Brugge, Belgium. ...


Upon returning from a trip across Europe, Everaert made the observation that European teams named after their respective town or city generated more support from fans in their communities. Thus, in 1908, with the approval of Everaert and the team's players, Club de Futbol Union would rename itself Club Deportivo Guadalajara to bring about a sense of pride within the city's population. Also in 1908, it would be decided that the team would only field Mexican-born players because of the eventual oppression Mexican nationals felt towards foreigners [3]. Following the aftermath of the Mexican Revolution, amateur football tournaments throughout the country flourished and Guadalajara was always a protagonist. Between the years of 1906 and 1943 (the amateur era of Mexican football), Guadalajara would go on to win 13 amateur titles, the first one being in 1908. Also during this period, Guadalajara would go on to form, along with Futbol Club Atlas, the first major (and oldest) rivalry in Mexican football . Atlas consisted of upper class football players, while Guadalajara represented -and still does-- the working class.


[edit] Professional Era, El Ya Merito (1943-1953)
In 1943 the Liga Mayor was founded after the merging of several regional leagues and the Professional Era began. Guadalajara struggled during the first years, with exception of the 1948-49 season where it ended up ranked third. This same year Guadalajara was given the name of "Chivas brinconas" (jumping goats) during a game against Tampico-Madero. The name was initially considered an insult, but later adopted as the team's nickname. During the 1951-52 and 1954-55 seasons, the team ended ranked short of first place. These results led to them being called "los ya merito.[clarification needed] "The Almost There!"


[edit] El Campeonisimo (1955-1970)
During the 1956 season, players such as Luis Salvador " el chava" Reyes, Jaime "El Tubo" Gomez, Isidoro Lopez, and Jose Villegas were part of what is considered one of the finest teams in Mexican football history, El Campeonisimo. Guadalajara won its first championship during this season due to a last minute goal scored by Salvador Reyes. Commanded by coaches like Donald Russ, and Javier de la Torre in the following years, nhbghghhthe team obtained seven league championships, two cups, three CONCACAF titles, and seven Champion of Champions titles. It was the only team in Mexico's football history to win four league championships in a row, during the 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, and 1961-62 seasons. El Campeonisimo became internationally recognized and, in 1964, performed in matches in Europe playing against teams such Futbol Club Barcelona, Werder Bremen, Lille Olympique, resulting in two victories, four ties, and four losses for the team.


[edit] The Dark Era (1971-1983)
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Guadalajara reached the playoffs twice, with a fifth place finish in 1971-72 and a seventh place finish in 1975-76.


[edit] The Resurrection 1983-1991
During 1980-81 season, the team reached a third-place ranking. Prior to the 1981-82 season, a tragic road accident took the life of team member José Martínez.[2]. Tghhe team finished the season in seventeenth place.

After that season, the team hired coach Alberto Guerra, who had been a player for Guadalajara during the mid 60's. During the 1982-83 season, Guadalajara finished seventh in the league table and qualified for the playoffs, where it would go on to eliminate Atlante FC in Quarterfinals and Club América in Semifinals. The team reached the Finals for the first time since the playoff format was introduced in the 70's, where it would go on to lose to Puebla F.C. in a penalty shootout [3]. Guadalajara would once again reach the Finals in 1983-84, only to lose to America by an aggregate score of 5-4.

Guadalajara's 17-year streak without a championship came to an end in the 1986-87 season. The team finished first in the league standings, qualified for the playoffs, and defeated CF Monterrey in the Quarterfinals and Puebla F.C. in the Semifinals. They won the ninth championship game against Cruz Azul with an aggregate score of 4-2. After the 1987-88 season, Guadalajara was eliminated in the Quarterfinals and 1988-89 season, where it was eliminated in the Semifinals. Coach Alberto Guerra left the team.

Prominent players for Guadalajara in the 1980s include Ricardo "Snoopy" Perez, Eduardo "Yayo" de la Torre, Fernando Quirarte, Javier "Zully" Ledesma, Demetrio Madero, and Benjamin Galindo.


[edit] "La Promotora" Era (1992-02)
By the end of the 1980s, Guadalajara began to experience financial troubles. Team directors decided to create a special financial sector that would be known as La Promotora Deportiva. The team would be "sold" for 10 years starting in 1992 to a petroleum executive named Salvador Martinez Garza, who would be in charge of the Promotora and of team operations[4]. Before Guadalajara began its new era under the Promotora, the team began the 1990s in average form, reaching the Semifinals in 90-91, reaching the Quarterfinals in 91-92, and finishing in thirteenth place in 92-93.

The new directors decided to bring back Guadalajara's champion coach in 1986-87 Alberto Guerra and purchase many players that would become icons for Guadalajara in the early '90s: Missael Espinoza, Alberto "Guameru" Garcia, and Alberto Coyote. The team also decided that it would rely on young talent from its basic training schools. Such talent included Paulo Cesar "Tilon" Chavez and Joel "Tiburon" Sanchez. At the beginning of the 93-94 season, the press and fans dubbed the new and improved team Las Superchivas[4]. However, despite expectations, the team was eliminated early on in the playoffs. The 94-95 season would bring about more change for the team. Guadalajara hired player Ramon Ramirez. Also at the start of the season, directors sold all television rights of the team to Mexican giant Televisa, a move that was heavily criticized by fans because of Televisa's ownership of Club América[4]. Guadalajara would end the 1993-1994 regular season as the leader in the league table, but was narrowly defeated by Club Necaxa in Semis. The 96-97 season saw the exit of coach Alberto Guerra, being replaced by the Dutchman Leo BeenhakkerThe team failed to make the playoffs that season.

By 1996, the Primera División de México season format would be changed to two short seasons per year. The first of the seasons, Invierno 1996, saw Guadalajara bring in another coach, Brazilian Ricardo Ferretti. During Ferretti's first season, the team managed to reach third place in the league table, but would be eliminated by Club Necaxa in the Quarterfinals. Guadalajara won its 10th championship under Ferretti in the Verano 1997 season against Toros Neza with the aggregate score of 7-2. Guadalajara would once again reach the Finals in the Verano 1998 season, only to once again lose to Necaxa. The fans criticized the sale of player Ramon Ramirez to Club América[4].


[edit] Jorge Vergara Era (2002-Present)
After its tenth year in charge of Guadalajara, La Promotora was still in debt and finally put up for sale. On October 31, 2002, the team was acquired by a Guadalajara native and self-made entrepreneur, Jorge Vergara.[5]. Vergara was the founder of a dietary supplement company named Omnilife. Vergara hired directors that would be in charge of handling business affairs. He also removed all sponsorship from Guadalajara's jersey; the jersey has since had limited sponsorship.

In order to establish funding for the team, Vergara sought to market the Chivas name and capitalize on it, placing the name on anything from its own magazine to toothbrushes and its own brand of cola[6].

For the Clausura 2003 season, Guadalajara hired Eduardo "Yayo" de la Torre, who had played for the team in the 1980s. The Apertura 2003 season would see poor results in the first half of the tournament, putting an end to "Yayo" de la Torre's tenure as coach. Coaching responsibilities would be temporarily assumed by Dutchman Hans Westerhof (who was in charge of the team's basic training school) and the team would barely qualify for a wild card showdown against Club Deportivo Toluca, but was subsequently eliminated. For the Apertura 2004, Guadalajara would display an offensive style of football and managed to place third in the league standings, qualifying for the playoffs. Players such as goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez, Ramon Morales, Omar Bravo, and newly acquired Adolfo Bautista, became instant fan favorites.

They defeated Atlante FC in the Quarterfinals and Toluca in the Semifinals, but would lose in the Finals against Pumas UNAM in a penalty shootout. Nevertheless, the team had shown, since Vergara's arrival, that it was highly competitive, including in the Copa Libertadores 2005, where it defeated favorites Boca Juniors to reach Semis. Under coach José Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre, who was also a player for Guadalajara in the 1980s, the team won its 11th championship. For the Apertura 2006 season, Chivas placed eighth in the league table and qualified for the knock-out round (the "Liguilla") by defeating Veracruz 2-1 in Veracruz and 4-0 in the Estadio Jalisco in a wild card series. Guadalajara advanced to the Quarterfinals where it defeated first place qualified Cruz Azul 2-0 in the first leg and tied 2-2 in the second leg (4-2 aggregate), moving on to the semi-finals against rivals Club América.

These wins allowed Chivas to advance to the final of the Primera Division against Toluca. The first match was played at Estadio Jalisco, in which Toluca and Chivas tied 1-1 with goals from Omar Bravo for Chivas and Bruno Marioni for Toluca. On December 10, 2006, Chivas played at Toluca's home stadium Estadio Nemesio Diez and won 2-1 (3-2 aggregate), thus becoming the Mexican League champions, holding 11 titles, the most titles of any team in the league. The first goal was scored by Francisco Javier Rodriguez, and the second was by Adolfo Bautista. Bautista dedicated his goal and his team's victory to his mother, who had died shortly before. This championship was goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez's first in his career.

dsmythy

DrumSteve wrote: »

Im gonna get the ball rolling with Panathanaikos (cos they were founded on my birth date lol):

Football made its appearance in Greece at the end of the 19th century, but there was no official championship since it was considered a lacklustre activity. A young athlete of the sports club Panellinios, Giorgos Kalafatis, dismayed by his club's refusal to form a football team, founded Panathinaikos in February 3, 1908 with his older brother Alexander Kalafatis as team president. The name of the club was initially P.O.A. (Podosfairikos Omilos Athinon), meaning "Athens Football Club".

You're 101 years old? :eek: Sorry had to be done.


Club Atlético River Plate

Club Atlético River Plate was founded on May 25, 1901, close to the La Boca neighborhood (later the home of fierce rivals Club Atlético Boca Juniors). The club moved first to Palermo and then to Núñez on the northern side of the city in 1923. In the 1920s, River won only an amateur championship in 1920.


1939 shot with Minella, Vassini and Santamaría.With the onset of professionalism in the early 1930s, River acquired Bernabé Ferreyra, "La Fiera" (the fierce), from Tigre for a then unheard of sum, and paid mostly in gold. The club became known as Los Millonarios ("The Millionaires"). They won the league title in 1932 (beating Independiente in the final), 1936 and 1937.

In the 1940s Alfredo Di Stéfano and 1950s Eduardo Omar Sívori played for River before moving on to become stars in Europe - Sívori for Juventus and Di Stéfano for Real Madrid. Some River players, including Di Stéfano, had stints in the Colombian El dorado "pirate" league, which was not recognised by FIFA, when it was the world's wealthiest.

River's attractive, offensive playing style earned the side of the early 1940s the nickname La Máquina ("The Machine"). The names of the team's five forwards (Muñoz, Moreno, Pedernera, Labruna, Loustau) are well known to most Argentine fans. La Máquina is often considered as the predecessor of Holland's total football which took the 1974 World Cup by storm, reaching the final where they lost to Germany. This team crowned itself champion in 1941, 1942, 1945 "Los Caballeros de la Angustia" and 1947.

In the 1950s, River won five out of six league titles (1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957), before an 18-year drought ensued. Within those years, "The Millonaires" reached the Copa Libertadores' final in 1966. In the final's playoff in Santiago de Chile, River began winning 2-0, but finally was defeated by Peñarol 2-4. Though the club of Núñez didn't win any championship in the 1960s, it finished runner-up several years, including a final loss (1-4) against the Chacarita Juniors in the 1969 National Championship.

River returned to form in 1975 and then had a string of championship titles under coach Angel Labruna with players like Ubaldo Fillol, Daniel Passarella and Norberto Alonso. Under the command of "Angelito", River won the Metropolitano championships in 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980, and the Nacional tournaments in 1975, 1979. The famous Alfredo Di Stefano replaced Labruna in 1981 and won the National tournament of that year, with the presence of "Matador" Mario Kempes in the team's lineups.

In 1983, Enzo Francescoli was transferred from Uruguayan side Montevideo Wanderers to take Alonso's place. He had two stints with River, achieving international renown, and became known as "The Prince". In 1986, just after Francescoli's transfer to Racing Club Paris in France, River won their first Libertadores Cup. A new generation of home-grown players, led by Claudio Caniggia, went on to achieve success both with River and abroad.

River Plate have won 33 Argentine professional championships, as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 1986 and the Copa Libertadores (twice) in 1986 and 1996, both times beating the same club in the final, America de Cali. They also won the Copa Interamericana in 1987, beating LD Alajuelense from Costa Rica and the Supercopa in 1997, beating São Paulo FC. River was the first team in Argentina to simultaneously win an international title (Supercopa) and a First Division Championship (Torneo Apertura 1997). This series of successes led the club to first place in the IFFHS ranking for six consecutive months, the first Argentine club to do so. They are also the only Argentine club ranked as the best World team in a full season (1997-1998).[4]

In 1999, a special edition of the Argentine sports magazine "El Gráfico" named River Plate as "Champions Of The Century" ("Campeón Del Siglo"), noting the clubs achievements, especially their then 28 Argentine championships against Boca Juniors' 19 and Independiente's 13 (all figures as of 1999). And, the following year, in a FIFA sponsored vote River were voted the best Argentine team of the 20 Century [5].

In 2008 Diego Simeone was appointed manager of the club, in his first season he led them to their first league title in four years, winning the Clausura championship. The following season the club suffered a poor run of form resulting in Simeone's resignation mid-season. The club went on to finish in last place in the Apertura 2008, the first time they had ever finished bottom of a league in 107 years.

stevoslice

Middlesbrough Ironopolis F.C.

Middlesbrough Ironopolis Football Club were an English association football club which briefly played in the Football League in the 1890s. Their entire history was played out during the Victorian era in Middlesbrough.

Although they were only in existence for five years, the club managed to win three Northern League titles, two cup competitions and reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

History

The club was formed in 1889 by some members of Middlesbrough, who were an amateur club at the time. The men wanted Middlesbrough to have a professional club and thus formed Ironopolis.

They played their first ever non-competitive game against Gainsborough Trinity on 14 December 1889 at home, ending in a 1-1 draw.

League and Cup

Middlesbrough Ironopolis played in the Northern League from 1890 to 1893, winning three consecutive titles. In their first season, they reached the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, to face Darlington. During the 1892-93 season, they also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup before going out to Preston North End in a replay, after drawing the first game.
Ironopolis displaying their championships.

For the 1893-94 season, they were accepted into the Football League Second Division, replacing Accrington who had just resigned. Competing in the league alongside them were Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Woolwich Arsenal (now known as simply Arsenal). They finished 11th out of 15 clubs, recording impressive results against Small Heath (now Birmingham City) with a 3-0 win; they also beat Ardwick (now Manchester City) 2-0.

Ironopolis lost their stadium "Paradise Ground" (which was adjacent to Ayresome Park) at the end of the season: their financial situation had been poor, as gate receipts did not cover the cost of players' wages. Another factor was that some of the fixtures involved travelling to Lancashire and the Midlands, which put further strain on their finances. In February 1894 all the professional players were served notice of the plans to liquidate the team. They played their final game against South Bank on 30 April 1894, ending with the score 1-1. Ironopolis resigned from the Football League the following month and was disbanded.

Name and Colours

The club were formed during the late Victorian Industrial boom and adopted the name "Ironopolis" partly to emphasise this and also to distinguish themselves from the other club in town; Middlesbrough.

They went through three different kits in their history: initially they wore a maroon and dark green kit, but changed to a dark blue kit with a white sash. As they moved into the Football League, they adopted their most famous kit: cherry red and white stripes.

Honours

* Northern League Division One
o Champions: 1890-91, 1891-92, 1892-93
* FA Cup
o Quarter-finalists: 1892-93
* Cleveland Charity Cup
o Winners: 1889/90, 1892/93

DrumSteve

dsmythy wrote: »

You're 101 years old? :eek: Sorry had to be done.

I said birth date lol... not year. :-)

Redzer7

The History Of Notts County

Universally recognised as the Oldest League Club in the World. Notts County F.C. was formed in 1862 and was a founder member of the English Football League in 1888.


The Formation of Notts County Football Club took place in 1862 with the Nottingham Guardian of November 28th 1862 saying:-
"The opening of the Nottingham Football Club commenced on Tuesday last at CremorneGardens. A aide was chosen by W.Arkwright and Chas. Deakin. A very spirited game resulted in the latter scoring two goals and two rouges against one and one." Official formation came in 1864 as the 'Notts. Foot Ball Club'.



Between 1864 and 1888, friendly matches were arranged with other clubs in England and Scotland. For the first-half of the 1880s Notts were one of the best clubs in England. At one stage, Notts had 8 England Internationals in the same team. The first entry to the FA Cup was in 1877, with good runs leading to semi-final appearances in 1883 and 1884. Home games were played occasionally at TrentBridge in the early years, but regular venues were the Meadows Cricket Ground and later the Castle Cricket Ground.


From 1883 Notts' home matches were mostly played at TrentBridge until the 1909/10 season when TrentBridge was used to Cricket. 1894 was used as Notts' home turf was the Castle Cricket Ground and then Notts used NottinghamForest's Town Ground (1895 and 1986) and the City Ground (1899 to 1909). It was in 1910 that Notts moved to Meadow Lane - their home to this day.


In 1888 Notts were one of the twelve founder members of the Football League, and during the 1890/91 season Notts had one of their best ever seasons by finishing third in the league and also reaching in the FA Cup final at the Kennington Oval and were defeated 3-1 by Blackburn Rovers.
In 1894 Notts had their one and only F.A Cup win when, in front of 37,000 spectators at GoodisonPark, they beat Bolton Wanderers 4-1. Notts were the first side from the Second Division to win the FA Cup following their relegation in 1893. In 1896/97 Notts finished Champions of Division Two and were promoted to Division One after a series of 'test matches' which are now known as the play-offs.


1900 saw Notts equal their best ever finish by finishing third in Division One, but suffered relegation once again in 1912/13, but returned the following season as Champions of Division Two.


1929/30 saw relegation to Division 3 South, but returned to Division Two the following season as Champions, but once again relegation was on the cards during the 1934/35 season and were unlucky not to bounce back at the first time of asking as they narrowly missed out on promotion.
The leagues took an extended break as football was suspended between 1939 and 1946 due to the Second World War, with only regional matches and cup competitions with clubs allowed to field guest players. Bomb damage on the night on 8 May 1941 produced bomb craters at Meadow Lane and subsequently the ground was closed meaning 1941/42 was Notts' only season when there was no football played.


Notts County's most famous player was the England International Tommy Lawton, whose arrival at Meadow Lane in November 1947 put 10,000 on the gates and the Boxing Day game against Swansea caused the gates to be locked with more than 45,000 in the ground and an estimated 10,000 outside! 'The Lawton Era' were halcyon days at NottsCounty with other great players such as Jackie Sewell and Tommy Deans gracing the Third Division.


His signing at the time was for a British record fee, with the average home crowd for the next eight seasons comes in the top eight of the club's entire history. A number of attendances were over 30,000 and 40,000. 1949/50 saw Notts promoted to Division Two with an average home crowd of 34,000+, which is a higher average than NottinghamForest over the river have ever managed. 47,000 turned up for a record crowd in 1955 against YorkCity.



However, the death of Club Captain Leon Leuty sparkedthe rapid break-up of the 1954/55 side that had done so well. Relegation to Division Three and then Four followed on the trot, and despite a return to Division Three Notts were back in Division Four before long. On 21 September 1968 Notts slumped to the bottom of the Division Four table, but luckily found their form and moved clear.


Arguably the most successful period in the Club's history, under arguably the most successful manager, came in the 1970's when Jimmy Sirrel put so much pride back into the Club including promotion to Division One in 1981 after a historic win at Chelsea. Sirrel spent many years of hard work building together a team that would eventually gain top-flight status. He took over with the Magpies in Division Three, and promotion was achieved in 1970/71 from Division Four and in 1972/73 from Divison Three with the likes of Les Bradd and Don Masson doing the business. Dave Needham, Brian Stubbs, Tony Hately, Kevin Randall and Arthur Mann were the spine of the team that was so successful. Bradd scored 124 goals during eleven years with the club.


Three consecutive seasons were spent in the top-flight under Sirrel after the historic win at Chelsea the following season, but expensive signings had to be made and the wage bill also rose, yet attendances were somewhat disappointing.



Notts went to Aston Villa on the opening day of the 81/82 season and defeated the champions 1-0 while packed houses for the games against Nottingham Forest brought good times and games, with Notts claiming a superb 2-0 win at the City Ground. International players arrived too, with Rachid Harkouk (Algeria), John Chiedozie (Nigeria) and Aki Lahtinen (Finland) arriving. 15th place was where Notts ended up in their return to the top flight after 56 years.


Sirrel departed following another mid-table finish, while Brian Kilcline became the first ever Notts player to claim an England-U21 cap while Larry Lloyd took over as Manager after Howard Wilkinson left to take over at Sheffield Wednesday and the chopping and changing eventually saw Notts claim successive relegations in 1983/84 and 1984/85.



However, there were tough times and the financial situation at the club saw a crisis meeting that drew 1,500 supporters to the Astoria night club on September 15 1986, with many more locked outside. £2 Million debts had forced the directors to consider putting the club into liquidation.
Players and Directors pledged to carry on with the financial support from the fans. A friendly match with Forest brought 3.299 to Meadow Lane and added £14,000 to the survival funds as well as the formation of Notts County Lifeline. However, another new chapter in Notts' history was just about to begin.


A new period in Notts long history came in 1987 when Derek Pavis, a local businessman arrived at Meadow Lane, took over from Jack Dunnett as Chairman of Notts County Football Club, with John Mounteney arriving as Vice-Chairman alongside him. The re-building began straight away with new blood in Geoff Pike, Paul Hart, Gary Lund and Gary Mills arriving. Famous faces such as Andy Gray and Gary Birtles arrived, but promotion was not reached as the Magpies were beaten in the play-offs by Walsall.
Notts' turn for the good came from an unlikely source back in 1989 when John Barnwell was dismissed after a string of poor results, and Derek Pavis opted to move to appoint the young Neil Warnock from Scarborough as his replacement. Signings of key duo in years to come Steve Cherry and Phil Turner boosted the squad, and a third place finish was achieved, meaning a play-off spot for Notts. Bolton were beaten in the semi-finals, and Tranmere were beaten 2-0 in NottsCounty's first ever trip to the historic Wembley Stadium. The travelling fans were not left disappointed as Tommy Johnson and Craig Short struck to earn promotion.


1990/91 was expected to be a season of consolidation, but it proved to be far more than that. In fact, it proved to be a dramatic campaign which saw the Magpies gain back to back promotions and achieve top-flight status. A run of seven straight wins towards the end of the season saw Notts finish in fourth place and the fine run continued into the semi-finals with a 1-0 win over 'Boro at home following a 1-1 draw in the away encounter. Just under 60,000 attended the final, which the Magpies won 3-1 against Brighton to gain another unbelievable promotion with Johnson again the hero with two goals.


In the FA Cup, the Magpies reached Round Six of the competition after wins over Hull and Oldham in the earlier rounds, but Round Five saw a dramatic win over ManchesterCity with Gary Lund netting the only goal late on. The game only got the go-ahead after fans and the ground staff worked hours on end to clear snow from the Meadow Lane pitch. Round Six saw Notts live on national television for the first time, and despite taking a 1-0 lead at Tottenham, it wasn't to be and Paul Gascoigne showed his class by helping the home side to a 2-1 triumph.


Warnock became only the second manager in recent times to steer Notts to the top flight in 1991. After just one season at that level the club spent most of the nineties fighting to establish consistency. The stay in the top flight was eventful and brought trips to Manchester United, Arsenal and the like. Warnock did however keep the faith with a large part of the squad that had helped Notts to back-to-back promotions.


Attendances were disappointing in the top-flight, and sales of duo Tommy Johnson and Craig Short over the year 1991 eased any financial worries while £750,000 was splashed out on Tony Agana during Notts' flirtation in the top division, but he notched a disappointing one goal in thirteen appearances after becoming Notts' record signing.



Notts escaped relegation to Division Two in 1992-1993 and after missing out on the play-offs in 1993-1994 relegation was confirmed the following season and after defeat in the play-off final to Bradford the following campaign, a hangover was endured and the Magpies slid to Division Three the following season.


1994-95 brought a troubled year of managerial changes (Mick Walker, Russell Slade & Howard Kendall were all sacked after spells in charge) and an unsettled side which eventually lead to relegation to the Second Division. However, as well as winning the Anglo-Italian Cup Notts did enjoy a superb 3-0 win over Premiership giants Tottenham Hotspur at Meadow Lane in the Coca-Cola Cup. Round Four was reached, but defeat at Norwich ended the side's hopes of a long cup run.



In between the battles of promotion and relegation, the Magpies reached Wembley in successive seasons in the Final of the Anglo-Italian Cup. During 1993-94 Mick Walker's side reached the final and took on Brescia, but were beaten 1-0 with Gabrielle Ambrosetti, later to join Chelsea, the scorer in the match. However, the following season Notts were back again, this time under Howard Kendall's brief leadership, and were crowned the winners with a 2-1 victory over Ascoli.


Relegation saw a re-building process begin again under Colin Murphy & Steve Thompson in 1995 and the duo assembled a squad that finished fourth in Division Two. After being 2-0 down to Crewe in the play-off semi final's, Gary Martindale's strike completed a dramatic turn of events that eventually saw Notts finish up 3-2 winners. However, a disappointing display in the final against Bradford saw Notts stranded in Division Two for another season, and relegation duly followed the following season with Murphy & Thompson sacked and Sam Allardyce brought in to replace them. Notts went 20 matches without a win under Allardyce, and relegation was confirmed, but better times were to follow.

Season 1997-98 was quite unique with a number of National and Club records falling as NottsCounty surged to the Third Division Championship. During a campaign which saw the Club become the first to pass the 4,000 League games landmark, Sam Allardyce's team won a League Championship at the earliest ever date (March 28th) and by the largest number of points (19).

Allardyce resigned during October 1999 with the Magpies top of the Second Division, and he went on to take charge of Bolton Wanderers. He left Notts top of the table, yet they finished seven places further down after a disappointing run under Gary Brazil. Allardyce had built a solid side full of confidence, although young starlet Jermaine Pennant was sold to Arsenal, while the year before Shaun Derry departed for £700,000 a year before.

Jocky Scott came and went, and Gary Brazil had another attempt at the helm as Head Coach before Bill Dearden arrived in January 2002. Little did he know he would be working with the same squad of players for two years as the Magpies entered administration. The long and drawn out process took 18 months, and the club was close to going to the wall, and it was only due to the Blenheim Consortium that the Club survived.

Dearden left soon after their arrival, and former player Gary Mills was installed as manager. However, after such a difficult period Mills could not save the club from relegation as they slipped back into Football League's bottom division. He eventually left very early in the 2004/05 season and was replaced by long serving Ian Richardson as Player-Manager until the end of the season, who guided Notts away from the relegation zone but inconsistent performances led to a fairly disappointing season despite a good run in the FA Cup. Richardson was replaced a week after the end of the season by former Iceland International Manager Gudjon Thordarson, who signed a three-year deal at Meadow Lane but lasted only a year at the Club after a campaign that promised so much with the Magpies leading the table in August but come the end of the campaign finished only three points off the relegation zone in League Two.

A Club Statement confirmed on 26 May that Thordarson had left the Club by mutual consent at the end of a turbulent and very much disappointing campaign, and he was later the following month replaced by Steve Thompson, who was previously at Meadow Lane as Team Manager alongside Colin Murphy. The Club appointed a number of new Directors during the season to strengthen the Board, while Rugby was to head to Meadow Lane for the first time during 2006/07 after an agreement was reached with Nottingham RFC for the early games in their campaign to be played at Meadow Lane.

Thompson lasted 16 months in the job, and after a mid-table finish in his one and only full season at the helm, he was replaced by former Magpies hero Ian McParland in October 2007 as Manager. This followed a change of Chairman as Jeff Moore resigned in September 2007 and was replaced by John Armstrong-Holmes. McParland guided Notts to League Two safety in the penultimate game of the season with a 1-0 victory over Wycombe Wanderers with Richard Butcher bagging his twelfth and most important goal of the season to secure the much-needed three points.

After two highly successful 'trials' with the Notts fans in the Kop Stand against Accrington Stanley and Wycombe towards the end of the 2007/08 season, the Kop was made home territory for the 2008/09 season for the very first time with away fans moved to the X Block of the Jimmy Sirrel Stand and County finished the season in 19th place in League Two.

On 14 July 2009, Notts County moved into a new and exciting era after the Munto Finance, following successful due diligence, completed the acquisition of the Football Club. The previous month Supporters Trust members voted overwhelmingly to gift their shares to Munto to take the club forwards. Peter Trembling became executive chairman with immediate effect following the takeover. Less than two weeks later, Munto signalled their intent with the appointment of former England and Mexico Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson as the Director of Football at Meadow Lane.

Carroller16

Keith F.C. are a senior football club who currently play in the Highland League in Scotland.

They were founded in 1919 and play at Kynoch Park which is at the east end of the town..

Keith are the football team of Keith in Moray, north-east Scotland. They have sometimes been victims of their own success, losing their better members to more major teams.

They are now sponsored by Apex Tubulars who have also provided sponsorship for Aberdeen in the past.

Although the town of Keith is relatively small, and the team amateur, Keith F.C. have produced a few notable players such as Scotland captain Colin Hendry and Hamish French as well as having celebrity fans such as James Naughtie.

Due to them being a senior team they can play in the Scottish Cup.

The team are perhaps best known to many followers of higher division football, for their 1996 10–1 defeat to Rangers.


[edit] Club honours
Highland League Champions
1961–62, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1999–00, 2006–07

Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) Winners:
1960–61, 1962–63, 1984–85, 2002–03

Highland League Cup Winners:
1964–65, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1988–89, 2002–03, 2006–07

Aberdeenshire Cup Winners:
1935–36, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1966–67, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1979–80 2008–09

Aberdeenshire Shield Winners :
1997–98, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07

Aberdeenshire League Winners:
1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2006–07

SantryRed

What's the point in just copying and pasting off wikipedia?? Might as well just post the link.

jaykay74

Cork Hibernians F.C. were an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1957 and 1976 and played their home games at Flower Lodge. In 1971 they were League of Ireland champions.

History

The club was originally formed by members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and had previously played as AOH at an amateur level. Under this name the club won the FAI Intermediate Cup in 1952 and were runners-up in the same competition in 1957. 1957 also saw them change their name, turn semi-professional and join the League of Ireland, replacing Cork Athletic. During the late 1960s and early 1970s Hibs enjoyed a local rivalry with Cork Celtic. Both clubs enjoyed moderate success on the field and support for both teams was very strong. Average gates of 10,000 were not unfamiliar. Indeed at one game at Flower Lodge against Waterford United, a league decider, an attendance of 26,000 was recorded.

Hibernians enjoyed their most successful era under player-manager Dave Bacuzzi, a former Arsenal and Manchester City defender. Bacuzzi joined the club in May 1970. Initially, he thought he had been approached from a mysterious exotic location when he received a misspelled telegram asking him to contact Cork Island instead of Cork, Ireland. Bacuzzi subsequently guided Hibs to several trophies including the League of Ireland title in 1971, beating Shamrock Rovers in a play-off. In 1972 they won the FAI Cup when Miah Dennehy scored a hat-trick in the final against Waterford United and in 1973 they retained the same trophy. They also won the all-Ireland competition, the Blaxnit Cup in 1972.

After Bacuzzi left to manage Home Farm in 1974, Hibs remained a top-five club but dramatically folded in 1976. Their crowds had dwindled, and they had lost money fielding ex-England international Rodney Marsh. The club's League of Ireland status came to an end in 1977 when the club resigned from the league due to financial difficulties. The club was replaced by another Cork team, Albert Rovers the next season.

Honours

Cork Hibernians

* League of Ireland
o Winners 1970-71: 1
o Runners Up 1971-72: 1
* FAI Cup
o Winners 1972, 1973: 2
o Runners Up 1960, 1963: 2
* League of Ireland Shield
o Winners 1970, 1973: 2
o Runners Up 1961, 1962: 2
* Blaxnit Cup
o Winners 1972: 1
o Runners Up 1971, 1973: 2
* Dublin City Cup
o Winners 1971, 1973: 2
o Runners Up 1963, 1972: 2
* Munster Senior Cup
o Winners 1961, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975: 8
o Runners Up 1963, 1967, 1976: 3
* Top Four Cup
o Runners Up 1970, 1971: 2



Team records

* Record Win:
o 10-1 V's Transport. March 20 1960, Mardyke.
* Record Defeat:
o 2-8 V's Dundalk. November 10 1957, Oriel Park.
* Highest Scorer in One Season:
o Tony Marsden 22 goals (1971-72)
* Highest League Scorer Aggregate:
o Dave Wigginton 73 goals;
o John Lawson 41 goals
o Tony Marsden 38 goals
o Donie Wallace 33 goals
o Miah Dennehy 31 goals.
* Leading Scorer in all Competitions:
o Dave Wigginton 130.
* Highest Attendance:
o 26,000 V's Waterford United, April 1972, Flower Lodge.


Notable Former Players

Dinny Allen
Eddie Bailham
Miah Dennehy
Tommy Eglington
Amby Fogarty
Shay Gibbons
Alfie Hale
John Herrick
Jackie Mooney
Dave Bacuzzi
Ian Callaghan
Fred Hill
Rodney Marsh

VinylJunkie

Just seen them on Global Football :pac:

CF Rapa Nui

CF Rapa Nui is an association football team from Chile which represents the territory of Easter Island at association football. Their home games are played at the Estadio de Hanga Roa, which has a capacity of approximately 2,500 people.
The team played two unofficial games against a team from the Juan Fernández Islands in 1996 and 2000, before playing its first official match came on 5 August 2009, in the first round of the Copa Chile 2009; CF Rapa Nui lost 4-0 against Colo-Colo.

For its game against Colo-Colo the team was coached by former Chilean international Miguel Angel Gamboa, who spent several weeks honing the skills of the local players, as well as teaching them the basics of heading, shooting, and positioning.

angel01

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, a Brazilian sports club, based in São Paulo, São Paulo State, Brazil, most known for its football team, is a traditional and popular Brazilian multisport club. They have around 30 million fans in Brazil, which makes them one of the most popular clubs in the country.
Corinthians was founded in 1910 by a group of labourers - mainly of Portuguese, Italian and Spanish descent - hoping to create a popular club in the city of São Paulo to play against the elite clubs that already existed. They are named after the English amateur team Corinthian-Casuals, that played by the country at that time.
The football team is among the most successful in Brazil, having won the first edition of the FIFA Club World Championship, the Brazilian Série A four times, the Brazilian Cup three times, the São Paulo State Championship 26 times (leader), among many other victories. Corinthians fans are widely known as "Fiel", Portuguese for "faithful" or "loyal".
As a multisport club, Corinthians also have amateur and professional volleyball, handball, taekwondo, judo, swimming, tennis and futsal teams. Recently, Corinthians started competing in the Superleague Formula, a racing tournament with the biggest football teams around the world.

stovelid

SPORTING FINGAL FC

History
Created in 2007 when a County Council focus group decided that two existing North City football clubs within a ten mile radius were not enough.

Built miraculously decent squad given average gates of 38.

Waved a wad at Bucko.

Ground

Some shot-putt gaff in Santry


Honours

Nothing.