"Since the Premiership began" bullshit bingo

[Gangster Octopus]

Time to reminisce about the half-time alphabet scores...

[ursus arctos]

It is always time to reminisce about the half-time alphabet scores

[3 Colours Red]

Realise I misunderstood the question. Not sponsors of the top flight post 1992, but sponsors of it pre 1992, I now realise is the question.

In which case I have no idea

Canon? Even gave out their own trophy.

[ad hoc]

Yes, Canon were mentioned in tee rex's original question

[tee rex]

Today newspaper?

Yes, it was the Today League for one season: 1986-87.

[jdsx]

I know Rumbelows sponsored the League Cup for a while. Did they go on to sponsor the league?

Wasn’t the Rumbelows strap line ‘We save you money and serve you right...’?

[tee rex]

Time to reminisce about the half-time alphabet scores...

Have we had a thread on that? A while back I saw a post (another forum, sorry) where somebody had noticed the alphabets in old photos and wondered what they were for. People helpfully suggested lottery numbers, stand safety info, etc. Yep.

[tee rex]

Here's better evidence of the Today League (really unhelpful name to Google, that one):

[ursus arctos]

We definitely discussed the alphabet boards in one of the earlier incarnations of the site.

On the Today League, see also

[caja-dglh]

I know Rumbelows sponsored the League Cup for a while. Did they go on to sponsor the league?

Littlewoods got in on the cup game as well. In fact sponsoring a football cup seems to be a real good indicator that your business is going to hell in a handcart. That energy drink thing hasn't got a hope.

[ursus arctos]

Not as good an indicator as stadium naming rights.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Here's better evidence of the Today League (really unhelpful name to Google, that one):

Alex Ferguson's first season in charge, that. Nowadays they'd have sacked him.

[Billy Casper]

I don't know about that. He at least got the league to put their name in capital letters apparently.

[caja-dglh]

Not as good an indicator as stadium naming rights.

I was surprised not to see Conseco in that top 10. My Indiana bias showing up there.

[3 Colours Red]

Yes, Canon were mentioned in tee rex's original question

Serves me right to skim read.

[Jah Womble]

Here's better evidence of the Today League (really unhelpful name to Google, that one):

Just trying to imagine any team winning the title with eight defeats these days...

[DCI Harry Batt]

Sixth. Pretty cool, huh?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Wimbledon beat Liverpool at Anfield that year as well (you won't need me to remind you). Yet people persist in suggesting the following year's Cup Final was a seismic shock to compare with Sunderland beating Leeds.

Mind you, despite the oft spun line that "the big clubs" no longer care about the Cup, that's another thing that hasn't happened in the Premier League era. A proper good old-fashioned Cup Final upset. Except Wigan beating Man City I suppose and that one year when the final ended up Portsmouth-Cardiff, although the actual final didn't produce an upset.

[Jah Womble]

Liverpool in 1988 were a different gravy, though - so Wimbledon winning it was always going to be viewed thus. ("It could be...ten-nil!" - Bob Wilson, BBC TV, 14/5/88, about 2.45pm.)

That was the best Liverpool side, IMO - better than the 1979 vintage.

[San Bernardhinault]

Eighteenth! Pretty cool, huh?

[Bored Of Education]

Let's just all call it the Prem, for simplicity's sake

Let's not.

[Sporting]

.

Mind you, despite the oft spun line that "the big clubs" no longer care about the Cup, that's another thing that hasn't happened in the Premier League era. A proper good old-fashioned Cup Final upset. Except Wigan beating Man City I suppose and that one year when the final ended up Portsmouth-Cardiff, although the actual final didn't produce an upset.

The big clubs win it without really going out all guns to win it...sometimes because it helps to semi-hide a poorish league campaign but usually because Man Utd B is better than, say, Sheffield Wednesday's first team.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Alex Ferguson's first season in charge, that. Nowadays they'd have sacked him.

Except he took over a third of the way through the season, and they had already lost six of their first eight games.

[Jobi1]

Enron? Barings? The South Sea Company?

I considered the pedantic thing about 'Premiership' as well, but at least in Bored's thread title it's actually fine, since he's clearly complaining about the idea that football began in 1992. That is, when they renamed the top division 'the Premiership'.

For extra pedant points, that's also not quite right either – in its inaugural season, 1992/93, it was just the FA Premier League, and only became the Carling Premiership in 93/94.

[Sam]

Ah in that case, Bored deserves hounding off the forum.

And why is Manchester United written in all caps on that Today league table?