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Bolton v Birmingham – Closer than you might think …Part One

Wednesday May 5th, 2010

Another instalment from bwfc forum’s resident Stat man – Wakey – who over the next 3 days leading up to our final premier league game this season, gives us a very interesting insight into previous encounters and shows the history and rivalry of the two clubs are closer than you would think….

On face value, Bolton and Birmingham don’t have a great deal in common. Bolton have always struggled to compete against local big-city clubs, whereas Birmingham are based in England’s second city. Birmingham have enjoyed several high-profile- and sometimes controversial – owners, whilst Bolton have been quietly run by the local bakers for much

of their history.

Scratch the surface (and clutch a few straws) and you can find the odd similarity. Both were formed within a year or so of each other, initially as church sides. Both have lived largely in the shadow of more successful local rivals. Both would see their rightful place as mid-table (ish) in the Premier League, although there are probably at least twenty other clubs with similar aspirations.

Scratch even deeper, and there’s a much closer similarity between the two.

Bolton fans would probably claim that the Trotters are the more successful of the two clubs. Founder members of the Football League, they have four FA Cup wins plus three losing final appearances to Birmingham’s two losing finals. They have completed – or will have by Sunday evening – 71 seasons in the top flight to Birmingham’s 56. Of the 107 seasons both teams have been league clubs, including this season, Bolton have finished higher than Birmingham 69 times. Bolton even edge the meetings between the two, with 46 wins to Birmingham’s 39.

But it’s in terms of league success that the two clubs share their greatest similarity.

The method we use to measure how successful a team is historically is to take the overall average league position, i.e. ranking every team’s league position each season from the winner of the Premier League (1st), to the bottom of League Two (92nd), or less in seasons with less than 92 league clubs. Follow the same principle from the inception of the league to present and you can give each team an overall average league position.

In this respect, the two clubs couldn’t be closer.

Historically – including this year and working on the basis that professional league football in England began in the late 1880’s, rather than the early 1990’s as Sky would have you believe – Bolton are the 21st most successful league side in England. Birmingham are 22nd.

Incidentally, and annoyingly for Bolton and Birmingham fans respectively, our local rivals Manchester United and Aston Villa are 5th and 6th most successful, although all four teams are one place higher if you ignore founder members Accrington’s five years as a First Division side.

Bolton fans and regular readers of Manny Road will know that Bolton’s “all-time league” position has dramatically worsened since the 1960’s. In 1960 Bolton were England’s 5th most successful team, and despite the club’s decline, didn’t slip out of the all-time top 10 until the early 1970’s. But how do the two teams’ performances compare?

In anticipation of Sunday’s clash, Manny Road takes a decade-by-decade view of the respective league history of both clubs.

1889-1899
Founder members Bolton spent the first decade (and a bit) in the top flight without ever setting the division alight – a third place finish in 1892 being their highest – and ending the century as the 7th most successful side overall. However, 1899 saw the club finish 17th and face relegation from the top flight for the first time.

Birmingham joined the league as founder members of the newly formed Second Division, and won the inaugural title in 1893 but failed to gain promotion, losing a Test Match (a.k.a. play-off) to Newton Heath (a.k.a. Man Utd). The following year they did go up, finishing second but beating Darwen in a Test Match. Incidentally, Liverpool beat Newton Heath via the same system to take their place in the top flight.
Two years later, Birmingham were relegated after a Test Match against Liverpool, and spent the remainder of the decade in the Second Division.

Birmingham ended the period as the 19th best side, one place ahead of Manchester United. Villa were the most successful club, winning the title 4 times and with an overall average of 3.6, well clear of 2nd best Everton’s average position of 4.1.

1900-1909
The first decade of the twentieth century saw both clubs spend six years in the First Division and four in the second.

Bolton bounced back at the first attempt in 1900, but were relegated again two years later. The following year they had their worst finish to date – 7th in the Second Division – before gaining promotion again in 1905. After two 6th place finishes, Bolton were relegated again in 1908, before going back up as champions the following year, ending the decade as the 16th most successful club, a significant drop on the previous decade, but still comfortably above neighbours Manchester United in 23rd.

Birmingham had their own mini yo-yo spell, with promotion in 1901, relegation in 1902, and promotion again in 1903. They then spent five years in the top flight, with best finishes back-to-back 7th place in 1905 and 1906, before being relegated in 1908 and finishing the decade mid-table in Division Two. Over the decade as a whole, Birmingham were the 18th most successful side.

Newcastle were top dogs for the decade, pushing Birmingham’s arch-rivals Villa into 2nd place.

1910-1919
Only six seasons were completed due to the outbreak of WWI, with Birmingham spending all six in the second tier. They started the decade with their worst year, finishing bottom, and had a best finish of 3rd in 1913.

Bolton briefly continued to yo-yo, finishing bottom in 1910 and bouncing stright back, but then spent an extended period mostly in the top half of the First Division, and – apart from a 17th place finish in 1915 – didn’t face a serious relegation threat again until the 1930’s.

For the six completed seasons of the decade, Bolton were the 13th most successful club, with Birmingham 33rd. Local rivals Villa were again 2nd (Blackburn were top dogs), whilst Manchester United had established themselves as a top flight club, and were in 6th place overall.

1920-1929
The 1920’s saw Bolton’s best ever decade, spending the entire period in the top flight – mostly in the top half – with best placed finishes of 3rd in 1921 and 1925. They also won the FA Cup three times in the decade, including the first Wembley final in 1923.

The period also saw an improvement in Birmingham’s fortunes, with promotion in 1921 followed by an extended run in the First Division. Their best finish was 8th in 1925, which was also their only top half finish in the decade.

Bolton were the 3rd best side in the 1920’s with Birmingham 16th. Local rivals Villa and Manchester United were 5th and 17th respectively, with Liverpool top dogs overall.

1930-1939
The ten years up to WWII saw Birmingham’s best ever decade in terms of league performance, spending the whole period in the top flight, albeit mostly in the lower half. Their best performance was 9th in 1932, and they flirted with relegation in 1931 (19th), 1934 (20th), 1935 (19th) and 1938 (18th), before ending the decade – and the break for WWII – with relegation in 1939 in 21st position. The Blues also reached their first FA Cup final in 1931, losing 2-1 to West Brom.

The first four years of the 1930’s saw Bolton struggle in the bottom half of the First Division, finally being relegated in 1933. They narrowly missed out on promotion in 1934, before regaining top-flight status the following season. After finishing mid-table in 1936, they narrowly avoided relegation the following year, finishing 20th. The final two years of the decade saw Bolton finish comfortably in the top half.

The period saw Birmingham enjoy the 14th best average league placing to Bolton’s 16th, the first of three decades in which the Blues would come out on top. Arsenal were top dogs, with Villa 8th and Manchester United – yet to emerge as a major force and spending six of the ten years in the second tier – 26th.

The war was to cut short the 1939-40 season after just three games, and the league programme didn’t resume until the 1946-47 season, so this is as good as any a point to look at the overall average league positions from 1889-1939.

Bolton, having spent 40 of the 47 completed seasons in the top flight, were 7th overall. Birmingham had missed the first four years, and spent 26 years in the top flight and 17 in the second tier, and were 20th best overall, one place above Man United, who had spent almost half of their 43 years in the second tier.

Overall top dogs were Sunderland, who had spent all of their 45 league seasons in the top flight and won the title six times, followed by Villa, who had also won the title six times, but spent two years in the Second Division, and five times champions Everton, who had spent all bar one year in the top division.

Look out for parts 2 and 3 over the next couple of days.

Alan Gowling, BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Football Association, Gary Megson, Premier League

Tags: AstonVilla, bcfcforum.co.uk, BirminghamCity, BoltonWanderers, bwfc.co.uk, MatchOfTheDay, ReebokStadium, SkySports

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