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102-503: The Combination was a league during the early days of English football . It had two incarnations; the first ran only for the 1888–89 season for teams across Northern England and the Midlands , and was disbanded before completion. The second was created for the 1890–91 season, but persisted until it was defunct in 1911. The league comprised teams primarily from North West England and later Wales . The league should not be confused with

204-464: A points per game (PPG) basis. This meant that Tranmere would be demoted to League Two for the 2020–21 season. Club chairman Mark Palios said that the decision was unfair and that he was considering legal action as a result. He also announced that 20 members of staff would have to be made redundant. With the team back in League Two, Mike Jackson was named as manager of Tranmere on 18 July 2020. He

306-435: A 17-year period. This spell saw Rovers rise up the league and make several appearances at Wembley. He remained with the club, on the coaching staff, until October 2000, when he left to pursue business interests. Another relegation to Division Four in 1979 put the club in financial difficulties. Debts mounted throughout the 1980s, with insolvency forestalled through a series of friendly fixtures, contributions from fans and

408-489: A British team, a record which held until 2011. Rovers certainly missed their captain, and were relegated to Division Four for the first time in 1961. The club brought in Dave Russell as manager, and Russell made some changes. Tranmere had worn a kit of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks since 1904 – the same colours as local rivals, Division One club Everton . Russell introduced an all-white strip to set

510-562: A League Cup tie in 1973, Tranmere beat First Division Arsenal 1–0 at their former Highbury home. However, Tranmere returned to the Fourth Division in 1975. The following decade was among the bleakest times in the club's history, with the team usually in the lower reaches of the Fourth Division, beset by financial problems, and attaining crowds of less than 2,000. In 1979, Steve Mungall joined Tranmere from Motherwell . He went on to make more than 500 league appearances for Rovers in

612-460: A badge on their shirt in 1962, wearing the coat of arms of the borough of Birkenhead , along with adopting their motto " Ubi fides ibi lux et robur ", meaning "Where there is faith there is light and strength". The crest was replaced in 1972 by a monogram , and, in 1981, by a simplified blue and white shield. In 1987, a complex heraldic crest was introduced, adapting the Birkenhead crest through

714-574: A goal from Connor Jennings in the 119th minute, thus securing their spot in League One for the 2019–20 season . By March 2020, the team were within the relegation zone, but with a game in hand on their nearest rivals and on a run of three successive victories. The cancellation of fixtures due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the season could not be completed, and a vote was taken by League One clubs on 9 June to resolve promotion and relegation issues on

816-666: A group of leagues that are tied together in a hierarchical fashion by promotion and relegation, and to the individual leagues within the league system. For example, in English association football , the English Football League (EFL) is a league system, while the term "National League" refers both to the league immediately below the EFL in the English pyramid and to its associated league system . An alternate system of league organization which

918-611: A kit of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks. In 1889 they adopted orange and maroon shirts, but in 1904 returned to wearing their original kit. In 1886, Tranmere entered their first competition: the Liverpool and District Challenge Cup; in 1889, they entered the West Lancashire League . They joined the Combination , a much stronger league, in 1897, and won the championship in 1908. In 1910, continuing their movement through

1020-464: A new one-year deal with Tranmere, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2012–13 season. Towards the end of the 2013–14 season, Moore admitted breaking the Football Association's betting rules, and Tranmere sacked him when the club were just clear of the relegation zone. Assistant John McMahon took over as caretaker manager, but Tranmere were relegated to League Two in the final gameof

1122-527: A place in the higher league, attracted a crowd of 19,615, which, as of 2010, remained the highest ever attendance at a Prenton Park league match. In 1961, Tranmere's inspirational captain Harold Bell left the club. Bell had been picked in the first game after the Second World War in the 1946 season, and did not miss a match until he was dropped on 30 August 1955, a total of 459 consecutive appearances for

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1224-529: A place in the sixth round of the FA Cup, but also, to a place in the 2000 Football League Cup final against Leicester City  – the first time in the club's history that Rovers had reached a major final. Matt Elliott scored Leicester's opening goal, before Tranmere's Clint Hill was sent off for a second bookable offence. Despite being reduced to ten men, David Kelly equalised; however, Elliot scored Leicester's second goal three minutes later, and Tranmere lost

1326-568: A poor start to the season, the home loss to Plymouth Argyle on 11 October 2014 saw Tranmere in last place in the Football League for the first time since 27 August 1987 after they had lost their first two matches of that season. Edwards was sacked as manager on 13 October. Mickey Adams took over a week later, with the aim of saving the club from relegation to the Conference . However, on 25 April 2015, after another defeat to Plymouth Argyle in

1428-580: A poor start, with 3 wins from the first 12 games. Tranmere slipped to 18th in the table, their lowest ever league position. A spectacular winter turnaround saw Tranmere move into the play-off spots, where they remained for the rest of the season. This turnaround included a record-breaking run of 9 consecutive home league wins. This record-breaking stint was ended in February by a 4–1 defeat to eventual title winner Macclesfield Town . Tranmere responded to this defeat by winning 8 out of their next 9 games, finishing

1530-481: A regular season in a league format, the top teams (possibly determined by conference or division) advance to the playoffs. In some such leagues having the best regular season record is relatively unimportant, though top-seeded teams in some leagues, such as the NFL , can gain byes to later rounds of the playoffs, and teams finishing with the best records usually have the advantage of playing the weakest teams that have advanced to

1632-464: A shrewd businessman. Among those sold was Pongo Waring who – having scored six goals in the 11–1 victory over Durham City  – went to Aston Villa for £4,700. As of 2010, Waring retains the record of scoring most goals for Villa in a single season. In 1934, an FA Cup tie between Rovers and Liverpool was watched at Anfield by 61,036 fans, then a record crowd for a game involving Rovers. One year later, Bunny Bell netted 57 goals during

1734-399: A single competition or a related group of competitions. Many groups use promotion and relegation , where the best-ranked team(s) in the lower division are promoted to the higher division for the next season, and the worst-ranked team(s) in the higher division are relegated to the lower division for the next season. Under this system, "league" may refer both to a league system ,

1836-695: A small amount of interleague play , with the main AL-NL competition occurring between their champions in the World Series . Thus the two leagues played mostly separate competitions within the larger framework of MLB. Finally, until 2000, they were actually separate legal entities, unlike the conferences of other leagues. Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan has a similar history, with the Central League and Pacific League not founded together. Due to this naming custom, it

1938-530: A spell of ten years in Division One. The club hired Brian Little as manager in 2003. He took Rovers to a play-off semi-final in 2004–05, and a best ever 6th round replay in the 2004 FA Cup, where they lost to eventual finalists, Millwall . At the end of the 2005–06 season, Little left the club and was replaced by former player Ronnie Moore . In Moore's three seasons in charge, the club finished 9th, 11th and 7th, narrowly missing out on qualification for in

2040-417: A strong start to the season, Tranmere sacked Mellon on 19 March 2023, following results that included a total of six wins since mid-October 2022. Dawes oversaw seven games as caretaker manager before being appoinbted the permanent manager, but Tranmere sacked him in early September 2023 after six consecutive defeats; Tranmere appointed their technical director Nigel Adkins as interim manager. Belmont F.C.,

2142-461: A turning point in Tranmere's history, the club under his ownership experiencing by far the most successful period in its history, in which manager John King took the team from the bottom of Division Four to the brink of English football's top league. King's first task was to avoid the team finishing bottom of Division Four, which would have resulted in their relegation from the football league. Safety

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2244-421: A white strip with blue trim, saying "Tranmere Rovers should have a specific identity of its own, so on Merseyside there's now Liverpool's Red, Everton's blue and Tranmere's white". Since then, the team have worn varying combinations of blue and white, moving back towards a more predominantly white kit in 2000. The team's colours are reflected in their nickname of the "Superwhites". Tranmere first introduced

2346-431: A £200,000 loan from Wirral Council . This partnership proved an enduring one, as Wirral's logo still appeared on the shirts until 2011. In July 1984, the club was sold to a Californian attorney, making Tranmere one of the first English clubs to be bought by a foreign owner. Nonetheless, in 1987, the club went into administration . Local businessman Peter Johnson took over control and ownership. This proved to be

2448-519: Is a major factor in many sports. When teams competing for a tournament championship do not play the same teams the same number of times, it is known as an unbalanced schedule. In such a set-up, the team with the best record becomes champion, based on either a strict win–loss–tie system or on a points system where a certain number of points are awarded for a win, loss, or tie, while bonus points might also be added for teams meeting various criteria. Many leagues also use playoffs , where after teams compete in

2550-543: Is a sports league where all the fixtures take place at the same venue, instead of rotating around the venues of the 'home' team, for each fixture. Several UK basketball leagues operate on this basis, intended to keep the costs of participation as low as possible, including: Many sports leagues also participate in a single-elimination tournament each year. In the United States, Mexico, and some other countries, these tournaments are commonly called "playoffs" and are played at

2652-509: Is a structure that allows teams or individuals to compete against each other in a nonrandom order on a set schedule, usually called a season , with the results of the individual competitions being used to name an overall champion. A league championship may be contested in a number of ways. Each team may play every other team a certain number of times in a round-robin tournament . Usually, teams play an equal number of games or matches at their own stadium and at other teams', because home advantage

2754-494: Is common to use slightly different terms to discuss MLB. Where someone might refer to "the best quarterback in the league" and be understood to mean the overall NFL, a similar mention of "the best outfielder in the league" is almost always a reference to the American or National League, while "in all of baseball" or similar is used to denote the larger status. Each of the major leagues also has its own set of awards to recognize

2856-550: Is especially common in individual sports, although the term "league" is sometimes used in amateur individual sports such as golf . The term "league" is also sometimes applicable to competitions that would more traditionally be called tournaments , such as the UEFA Champions League , which is organized with multiple small round-robin competitions followed by a single elimination tournament to choose an overall winner. "League" and its synonyms may be used to encompass either

2958-408: Is historically a large village that was subsumed within the later expansion of the town of Birkenhead . Tranmere played their first matches at Steeles Field in Birkenhead. In 1887, they bought Ravenshaws Field from Tranmere Rugby Club. In 1895, their ground was renamed Prenton Park , although it was 25 years later that the team moved into the current stadium of the same name. Tranmere first wore

3060-544: Is still used in many team sports around the world. One potential drawback of this simple double round-robin format is that the number of teams in the league determines the schedule. Larger leagues may not be able to play as many games as such a system would require, and smaller leagues may want more games. In addition, leagues whose teams are geographically spread out over a wide area (a common situation for leagues in North America) may face significant travel costs. One solution

3162-411: Is to allow teams to play each other whenever they see fit. In some sports, such as horse racing , the main goal of the entrants is to win individual purses , and there is little or no ranking or competition outside winning certain major races. A small amount of league organization may be imposed on these non-league sports by way of a series or tournament tying several individual events together, such as

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3264-428: Is to play an unbalanced schedule, with some teams playing additional games against some other teams; this is the way Major League Soccer has traditionally been scheduled, with the additional games being played against local rivals. Some leagues also break the league into subunits, often known as divisions and conferences , each of which may itself play a balanced or unbalanced schedule. A "central venue league" (CVL)

3366-615: Is used primarily in Australia, Canada, and the United States is a closed model which always has the same teams playing, with occasional admission of expansion teams and relocation of existing teams . There is no team movement between the higher major league and the lower minor leagues . In many of these closed-model leagues in Canada and the United States, they are divided into subdivisions on historical or geographical lines. These may be referred to as conferences or divisions . For example,

3468-427: Is used similarly in the United States to describe baseball teams that play in leagues other than those sanctioned by Major League Baseball . These teams do play in leagues and should not be confused with barnstorming teams that play truly non-league schedules. Individual sports often use an alternative type of league organization where competitors are ranked against each other. In the simplest cases, such as boxing ,

3570-512: The 2016–17 season well, ranking at the top of the non-league table at the end of August, after which Brabin received an award for manager of the month. Form later dipped which resulted in one goal scored in the next four games, with a 1–0 defeat to Sutton United resulting in Brabin being sacked on 18 September 2016. Assistant manager, ex-Southport boss Paul Carden took over on an interim basis. On 6 October 2016, former Tranmere player Micky Mellon

3672-572: The American League (AL) and the older National League (NL). They are titled leagues rather than conferences for several reasons. The National League predates the American by 25 years and was considered a "major" league in comparison to its early competitors, and in a sense it simply extended this recognition to the AL, the only league of similar financial clout. In addition, the leagues played no interlocking schedule of any kind until 1995, and then added only

3774-530: The Fourth Division in 1961, before winning promotion back to the third tier at the end of the 1966–67 season. Relegation in 1975 was followed by an immediate promotion in 1975–76 under the stewardship of manager John King , and this time they survived for just three seasons in the third tier until being relegated once again in 1979. During the 1980s, they were beset by financial problems and, in 1987, went into administration . However John King returned to manage

3876-797: The National Football League (NFL) is divided into the National Football Conference and American Football Conference ; the latter conference was formed largely from the remnants of the American Football League after it merged with the NFL , though it now contains three original NFL teams and three expansion teams. Both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) are divided into Eastern and Western Conferences. The conferences in

3978-461: The Recreation Ground saw Rovers take a 3–0 lead back to Prenton Park for the second leg, which ended in a 2–2 draw, Norwood and Stockton once again on the scoresheet. This gave Tranmere a 5–2 aggregate win and their first Wembley appearance in 17 years. Tranmere lost 3–1 in the 2017 National League play-off final the 3–1 to Forest Green Rovers . Tranmere's 2017–18 season got off to

4080-634: The Second World War largely unscathed. Tranmere rejoined the peacetime Football League in Division Three North, and stayed there until the 1958 restructuring of the football league's lower divisions. Manager Peter Farrell led Tranmere to finish 11th in the final season of the Northern Section, securing a place in the new national Division Three , where they were, again, founder members. The final match against Wrexham , also fighting for

4182-722: The Taylor Report . It now seats 16,567 in four stands: the Main Stand, the Kop, the Johnny King Stand and the Cowshed. Tranmere played in regional leagues until they were invited to become a founder member of Football League Third Division North in 1921. They finished as champions for the 1937–38 season, though were relegated out of the Second Division the following year. They dropped into

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4284-519: The Triple Crown . Even in team sports that normally use a traditional league format, some teams often exist outside any league; these teams are generally known as barnstorming teams and either schedule games against local professional or amateur competition or bring their own competition, such as the barnstorming Harlem Globetrotters did when they toured with the Washington Generals . As with

4386-536: The 1933–34 season, and nine goals in the 13–4 Boxing Day 1935 victory over Oldham Athletic. As of 2011, the aggregate of 17 goals in one game remained a league record . During this same period, Tranmere made several appearances in the Welsh Cup, reaching the final on two occasions. In 1934, they lost 3–0 to Bristol City in a replay, after a 1–1 draw. The following season, they went one better by beating local rivals Chester 1–0 to win their first silverware since joining

4488-507: The Cheshire Cup a record 11 times. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. As part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations in 2010, a hall of fame was announced, initially honouring seven former players and managers: Ian Muir , John Aldridge, John King, Ray Mathias , Steve Mungall , John Morrissey , and Pat Nevin . Harold Bell holds

4590-507: The Cowshed and the new Kop, in addition to the existing Main Stand. Capacity in the ground thus increased from 14,200 to the 16,567 of today. On 11 March 1995, having been built at a cost of £3.1 million, the new ground was officially opened. Attendances at the ground have fluctuated over its hundred-year history. Around 8,000 visitors watched the first game at the stadium, as Tranmere beat Lancaster Town 8–0. Prenton Park's largest-ever crowd

4692-484: The Football League. Rovers won their first championship in the Football League in 1938, with victory in Division Three North, and, hence, promotion to Division Two for the first time. It is still Rovers's only championship in the Football League. However, they were relegated the next season, winning six matches – the record for the worst performance of any team in Division Two. Prenton Park emerged from

4794-565: The Globetrotters, barnstorming teams sometimes emphasize spectacle over athletic competition. In Europe, the term "cup competition" is used to describe single elimination or knock-out tournaments, where the pairing of teams in each round is determined by a "draw" (see for example, the FA Cup in England), to distinguish it from league competition, in which every club in the league or division plays

4896-548: The League Cup semi-final, where they faced Aston Villa over two legs. The home leg was won 3–1 by Tranmere, with Villa scoring their only goal in the 94th minute. The score in the away leg was 2–1 in favour of Villa until the 88th minute when Villa scored again to win the game 3–1, so the match went to extra-time and penalties. With Tranmere one kick away from the final, Mark Bosnich saved Liam O'Brien's sudden death penalty, and Tranmere eventually lost 5–4. A reconstructed Prenton Park

4998-530: The Leyland DAF Trophy final , this time losing 3–2 to Birmingham City . This made the play-off victory over Bolton Wanderers Tranmere's fourth appearance in a Wembley Stadium final in just over a year. In summer 1991, former Liverpool player John Aldridge joined Tranmere Rovers, signing from Spanish club Real Sociedad for a fee of £250,000; he would remain on the club's payroll for the next 10 years, scoring 170 times to put him behind only Ian Muir in

5100-424: The NFL, NBA, and NHL are further divided into subsets, all of which are called divisions . These are geographically based, and teams play their divisional opponents more than any others, and then play the other clubs in their conference more than their non-conference opponents. Baseball has a unique nomenclature, with " Major League Baseball " (MLB) the name of the overall grouping of 30 teams in two "major leagues",

5202-563: The Tranmere Rovers Supporters Trust; in 2010, the trust raised £12,500 for the club to sign Andy Robinson on loan. In 2011, they raised £200,000 and planned to purchase a controlling interest in Tranmere. TSB (Tranmere Stand Boys) is the hooligan firm associated with the club. Tranmere Rovers have been the subject of an independent supporters' fanzine Give Us an R since the 1990s. Despite being geographically closest to Everton and Liverpool , Tranmere's time in

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5304-662: The Wirral, they are affiliated with the men's team, and play home games at Villa Park, the home of Ashville F.C. , in Wallasey . Between 1996 and 2004 they competed in the FA Premier League National Division , then the top tier of the English women's football pyramid. Since 2011, they have played in the North West Regional League, Premier Division. As of the start of the 2011–12 season, they have won

5406-602: The all-time scoring charts. Aldridge also received 30 caps for the Republic of Ireland , and was the first Tranmere player to score at a World Cup . In 1993, Scotland international Pat Nevin joined the team, forming a four-man attack alongside Aldridge, Malkin and Morrissey. In three successive seasons, Tranmere reached the play-off semi-finals, missing out on promotion to the newly formed Premier League through defeat to Swindon Town in 1993, Leicester City in 1994, and Reading in 1995. 1994 also saw Tranmere progress to

5508-485: The basis of the Football Alliance . Participating teams included Bootle , Blackburn Olympic , Burslem Port Vale , Crewe Alexandra , Grimsby Town , Lincoln City , Newton Heath , Small Heath and South Shore . Bootle, Crewe, Grimsby, Newton Heath and Small Heath went on to co-found the Football Alliance the following year. The second incarnation was founded in 1890. The twelve founder members were: Five of

5610-522: The club for a second spell and guided Rovers to promotion in 1988–89, which they followed up by winning the Associate Members' Cup in 1990 and then promotion out of the play-offs in 1991 . The 1990s would prove to be the most successful period in the club's history as Tranmere remained in the second tier, and came close to reaching the Premier League with three consecutive play-off campaigns at

5712-454: The club's home game against Charlton Athletic . Barnes's term as manager lasted considerably less time, and it was a five months before long-serving club physiotherapist Les Parry was given temporary charge. Rovers finished the season in 19th place in League One, avoiding relegation on the final day of the season, thanks to a 3–0 victory at Stockport County. In June 2010, Parry was given

5814-425: The club's record scorer, and, in 2012, the first inductee to their hall of fame . Fellow hall of fame member John Morrissey joined the club in 1986. The winger spent 14 seasons at the club, making 585 appearances. In the 1990–91 season, Tranmere won promotion to Division Two for the first time since the 1930s, with a 1–0 play-off win over local rivals Bolton Wanderers . Once again, Rovers made an appearance in

5916-482: The conference, as other sports leagues do, but the individual schools also schedule a certain number of "non-conference" games that are organized independently between two schools in different conferences, or between a conference team and a non-conference team. Also, national championships in some college sports are determined by a ranking or playoff system that is independent of the individual conferences. Most major team sports play some form of round-robin schedule, where

6018-580: The end of the season, with the teams qualifying for the playoffs based on their performance during the season. In Europe, "cup" competitions are more common, with all teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that takes place during and parallel with the regular season. Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead , Merseyside , England. The team competes in EFL League Two ,

6120-582: The end their first season in Division Three, Tranmere almost secured promotion to Division 2, losing 2–0 in the play-off final to Notts County , a week after Tranmere's 2–1 victory over Bristol Rovers at Wembley Stadium in the final of the Leyland DAF Trophy had secured the club's first trophy. The form of striker Ian Muir was key to Tranmere's success during this period. He joined the club in 1985, and scored 180 goals in eleven seasons. He became

6222-566: The final against Boreham Wood . Tranmere were 2–1 victors, their first trophy in 27 years, and were promoted back to the Football League . Under the chairmanship of Mark Palios and the management of Micky Mellon , Tranmere played in League Two for the 2018–19 season, finishing 6th and thereby reaching the play-offs. On 25 May 2019, Tranmere secured back-to-back promotions, beating Newport County 1–0 at Wembley Stadium. They did so with

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6324-451: The forerunners of today's Rovers, wore blue shirts and white shorts, as did the early Rovers, until a radical change in 1889, when a combination of maroon and orange shirts and navy blue shorts was introduced to "dazzle" their opponents in the West Lancashire League . These were abandoned in 1904 in favour of the earlier blue and white colours which have, in some form or other, remained until the present day. In 1962, Dave Russell introduced

6426-456: The founding teams would eventually go on to play in the Football League , although in the case of Macclesfield, this would not happen until 1997–98 . Glossop North End , who joined in 1894, were also elected to the League (in 1898), as were another later member team, Tranmere Rovers . As the competition evolved, the nature of the teams changed, with many more Welsh teams being involved, as well as

6528-405: The fourth level of the English football league system . Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adopted their current name in 1885. Tranmere's regular kit is an all-white strip with blue, or occasionally blue and green trim which have been their main colours since 1962. The club moved to its current home, Prenton Park , in 1912. In 1995, the ground had a major redevelopment in response to

6630-570: The goal is for each team to play a relatively balanced schedule with each other team in the league or in its league subdivision. Within this structure, there are a few significant differences between leagues, a few of which are set forth below. The simplest way to organize a sports league, and still one of the most common, is in a double round-robin format where each team plays each other team twice, once at home and once away. This ensures that every team plays an equally difficult schedule and that no team has undue home field advantage . This organization

6732-524: The ground were driven by changes in legislation . The biggest change of all took place during 1994 and 1995. The Taylor Report suggested that all stadia in the top two divisions of English football should no longer permit standing. The club's response was to redevelop three sides of the ground with entirely new all-seater stands created – the Borough Road Stand (now the Johnny King Stand),

6834-560: The inclusion of a football and a TRFC logo. The simpler badge was adopted in 1997, and modified slightly in 2009 to mark the club's 125-year anniversary. The blue and white crest incorporated simplified elements of the Birkenhead civic coat of arms: the crosier and lion originally formed part of the Birkenhead Priory seal ; the oak tree was a symbol of the Tranmere Local Board ; the star or starfish represents Bebington ;

6936-712: The leagues, they entered the Lancashire Combination and in 1912 they showed their ambition by moving to the present Prenton Park site, with an 800-seat stand. Tranmere won the Lancashire Combination Championship in 1914, and Stan Rowlands became the first Tranmere player to receive an international cap when he was selected to play for Wales . Rovers continued to play throughout the First World War , although their players were criticised for avoiding military service, despite being employed in

7038-519: The local shipyards. Following the expulsion of Leeds City Reserves in 1919, Tranmere were able to enter the Central League . Their timing was excellent as the following season, four Central League clubs – including Tranmere – were invited to join the new Division Three North . On 27 August 1921, as founder members of the division, they won their first Football League match 4–1 against Crewe Alexandra at Prenton Park. At this time

7140-526: The lower leagues has meant that they have rarely met either club and have built up traditional rivalries with near neighbours Wrexham , Chester , and Southport , the latter two of which are now non-league clubs. According to a survey entitled 'The League of Love and Hate' conducted in August 2019, Tranmere fans listed the more distant Bolton Wanderers and Oldham Athletic as their biggest rivals, followed by Everton , Liverpool and Crewe Alexandra , although

7242-452: The manager's job on a permanent basis. He was sacked on 4 March 2012, after a 1–0 defeat by Chesterfield left the club only one point above the relegation zone, and replaced by Ronnie Moore for the remainder of the season. Moore won six of his thirteen games in charge at the end of the season, guiding Tranmere to a mid-table position, as they finished the season in the top half for the first time in several years. In April 2012, Moore signed

7344-578: The match 2–1. This was the last League Cup game held at the original Wembley stadium . In 2000, the all-white kit was reintroduced and is still used in 2014. That season, Tranmere Rovers had another cup competition run, beating local Premier League rival Everton 3–0 at Goodison Park , then Southampton 4–3 (after being 0–3 down), before exiting after a loss to another local rival, Premier League club Liverpool . However, Tranmere Rovers struggled during league matches that season; Aldridge quit as manager before Tranmere's relegation to Division Two ended

7446-547: The media were complaining about the difficulties in following the competition and by January 1889 the media were commenting that "it is becoming the exception rather than the rule to keep a Combination fixture". The Combination therefore failed to complete its first season, finishing in April 1889 without a winner. Fixtures were left to individual clubs, which resulted in confusion, as it was unclear whether many matches between clubs were friendlies or Combination matches. The Combination

7548-462: The other former Football Combination , a competition for reserve teams from the South of England, or with the Lancashire Combination , another minor league running around the same time. The first Combination was set up in 1888, the same year the Football League was founded. It was established by clubs who had been excluded from the Football League, initiated by Crewe Alexandra secretary J. G. Hall, and

7650-458: The other teams a pre-determined number of times in a season, usually on a home and away basis. Further, in England, the term non-league football is used for historical reasons to describe association football teams that play in organized leagues, but not in the English Football League or Premier League , the two highest levels of competition in that sport in that country. Independent baseball

7752-442: The play-offs in his final season. Moore was sacked in 2009, with former England winger John Barnes , whose only previous domestic managerial experience was with Celtic 10 years earlier, replacing him. It was during Barnes's time as manager that long-serving kitman, Mark Trevor, ended his 12-year "Labour of Love", washing the kit of his local team. Having been at the club since 1997, he washed his last kit in August 2009, ahead of

7854-464: The playoffs. While round-robin and modified round-robin competitions are the most common form of league organization, there are a number of ways to organize a sporting competition, almost all of which may be described as a "league". Many sports organizations fall on a continuum between a total lack of organization, as in a pick-up game, and a formal league such as is common at the highest level of professional team sports. The simplest form of competition

7956-826: The rankings mean little and the major competition is to crown a champion in a title fight. In other sports, the rankings and leaderboards gain importance when they are used in seeding tournaments. In some sports, points are assigned to results at individual competitions, and the resulting points are used to generate a season rankings and determine the season champion. While not usually referred to as "leagues", but "tours" or "series", these season-long competitions with set events are very similar to league structures in team sports. Examples of this are motorsport , tennis , golf , skiing , beach volleyball and rugby sevens . American college sports are traditionally organized into groups of teams known as conferences . These conferences ordinarily keep league tables and crown champions within

8058-578: The reserve teams of the Football League clubs such as Everton and Crewe Alexandra . By the time the competition folded in 1911 none of the original members still participated, with the exception of Wrexham , who fielded their reserve team. It was succeeded by the Cheshire County League and later by the North West Counties Football League . The champions of the league were as follows: Sports league Many uses of

8160-525: The results were open to debate as the census does not contain non-league clubs. Tranmere also had a fierce rivalry with Wallasey -based near neighbour New Brighton , until that club failed to be re-elected to the Football League in 1951. As of the end of the 2022–23 season, Tranmere had met the following teams most times in the Football League: Tranmere Rovers Ladies Football Club were founded in 1990. Based in

8262-500: The reverse fixture, Tranmere were relegated, ending their 94-year stay in the Football League . Gary Brabin was appointed as manager on 5 May 2015. It was a season of ups and downs, with poorer home form than away form. It took a while for Rovers to adjust to life in the non-league, with erratic form during the season. Tranmere finished sixth, one place outside the play-off zone, in Gary Brabin's first season. Tranmere started

8364-484: The season as National League runners-up for the second time in as many years, qualifying for the play-offs. In the play-off semi-final, Tranmere met Ebbsfleet United at home. Tranmere came from behind twice to take the game to extra time before prevailing 4–2 after extra time, a result which sent Tranmere to Wembley Stadium for the National League play-off final. On 12 May 2018, a crowd of 16,306 were at Wembley for

8466-433: The season on the final day of the season. Rob Edwards was subsequently appointed as new manager. On 11 August 2014, it was announced that former player and Football Association chief executive Mark Palios and his wife Nicola were taking a controlling interest in the club from outgoing chairman Peter Johnson. Mark Palios would become executive chairman of the club, with Johnson becoming its honorary president. After

8568-527: The separation between the two, which means there are two MVPs , two Cy Young Award winners, etc. Since its name is constructed differently—a description of the status of two leagues rather than the title of one—it is common to hear "MLB" without "the" attached to it, as in "the most home runs in MLB this year", since one would not say "the Major League Baseball". The common thread between all sports leagues

8670-468: The start of the decade. Under King's successor, John Aldridge , Tranmere experienced a number of cup runs, most notably reaching the 2000 League Cup final . They were finally relegated in 2001 and then spent 13 seasons in the third tier, before back-to-back relegations saw them drop out of the Football League after an 94-year stay. Tranmere spent three seasons in the National League and then returned to

8772-493: The team were managed by Bert Cooke , who did so for 23 years in total, the club record for longest serving manager. In 1924, local boy Dixie Dean made his debut aged 16 years 355 days. He played 30 games for Rovers, scoring 27 goals, before being transferred to Everton for £3,000. In the 1927–28 season, Dean scored a record 60 League goals for Everton. After Dean's departure, several talented young players also left for Division One clubs, leading to Cooke's reputation as

8874-438: The teams apart; these have been Tranmere's usual colours since. Russell also developed a successful youth policy which included England international Roy McFarland among its graduates. Russell guided Rovers back to Division Three in 1967, a year before a new 4,000-seater main stand was opened, and Rovers reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time. Three years later the club's record attendance at Prenton Park

8976-480: The term league in sports and for sports organizations are misnomers as the term league relates specifically to the form of organization, requiring persons or bodies to be in league together. A sport competition owned and controlled other than by its participant players, teams or clubs is not a league. In many cases, organizations that function as leagues are described using a different term, such as association , conference , division , leaderboard , or series . This

9078-478: The third tier of the Football League via successive play-off campaigns in 2018 and 2019 . They were demoted from League One in 2020 after clubs voted to end the season early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tranmere Rovers were, initially, formed as Belmont Football Club when the football arms of two cricket clubs – Lyndhurst Wanderers and Belmont – came together in 1884. On 15 November 1884, they won their first game 4–0 against Brunswick Rovers. This

9180-468: The two lions represent Oxton ; and the crescents may represent the Laird family . For the 2021–22 season, Tranmere reverted to their pre-1997 badge. Rovers played their first matches at Steeles Field in Birkenhead but, in 1887, they bought a new site from Tranmere Rugby Club. The ground was variously referred to as the "Borough Road Enclosure", "Ravenshaw's Field" and "South Road". The name "Prenton Park"

9282-476: Was 24,424 for a 1972 FA Cup match between Tranmere and Stoke City . Average attendances for home games between 2008 and 2011 ranged from above 5,000 to under 6,000. Tranmere Rovers had an average home attendance of 6,552 during the 2018–19 season, making them the 4th best supported club in League Two and 42nd in The Football League as a whole. The club has a number of supporters' groups, including

9384-434: Was a friendly match , as there were no leagues until 1888. Under the presidency of James McGaul , the team had a successful inaugural season, losing only one of their fifteen matches. An unrelated, disbanded side had played under the name "Tranmere Rovers Cricket Club (Association football section)" in 1881–82. On 16 September 1885, before their second season began, Belmont F.C. adopted this name Tranmere Rovers. Tranmere

9486-495: Was adopted in 1895 as a result of a suggestion in the letters page of the Football Echo. Because the land was required for housing and a school, Tranmere were forced to move and the name went with them. The present Prenton Park was opened on 9 March 1912. There were stands (also known as bleachers ) on both sides of the pitch, a paddock and three open terraces, the general format which remained until 1994. Many improvements to

9588-543: Was against Crewe Alexandra, with both teams needing a point to gain promotion. The first half was contested as usual, but, in the second half, with the score at 1–1, neither team targeted the goal of the other, leading to combined celebrations when the game had concluded. Earlier that season, they had won several games in the League Cup, including against Division One Middlesbrough , in between wins against fellow Division Four club Stockport County and Division 3 club Blackpool, ultimately losing to Bristol City of Division 3. At

9690-554: Was announced at the Royal Hotel in Crewe . The clubs in attendance were Small Heath Alliance , Walsall Town Swifts , Derby Midland , Notts Rangers , Burslem Port Vale , Leek , Crewe Alexandra , Newton Heath , Witton , and Blackburn Olympic ; three other clubs, Mitchell St George's , Halliwell , and Derby Junction , all wrote to pledge acceptance of all decisions, and Northwich Victoria also wrote requesting membership. The meeting

9792-417: Was appointed permanent manager. His first game in charge was against cross-border rivals Wrexham , and ended with a 2–0 victory for Tranmere. Despite a 2nd-place finish and a club record 95-point haul, this still was not enough to gain automatic promotion back to the league. Tranmere faced Aldershot Town in the play-offs. A goal from James Norwood and a brace from Cole Stockton in the first leg away at

9894-399: Was chaired by A. M. Sloane, the chairman of Bootle . The clubs agreed that there would be no more than 20 members and each would play at least 8 matches home and away. Harry Mitchell of St George's was elected president. However, while the Football League quickly proved a success, the Combination lacked central organisation, with poor planning and unfulfilled fixtures; as early as October

9996-471: Was established as 24,424 supporters witnessed Rovers draw 2–2 with Stoke City in the FA Cup. In 1972, Ron Yeats was installed as player-manager . He strengthened Tranmere's connections with local rivals Liverpool by recruiting several former teammates such as Ian St John , and bringing in Bill Shankly in a consultancy role. This team saw one of the most memorable Rovers results of all time when, in

10098-452: Was finally wound up at a board meeting on 5 April 1889. The meeting was over in 25 minutes, the motion to dissolve the Combination being passed unanimously, after which those present enjoyed cold beef and pickles; the meeting was so quick that the Darwen representative, who had missed his train, arrived too late. However, a dozen of the representatives had another meeting afterwards, which formed

10200-706: Was guaranteed in the last game of the season, with a 1–0 home win over Exeter City on the last day of the season. The first full season (1987–88) of King's second managerial spell in charge saw Tranmere make their first appearance at Wembley Stadium , when a good mid-season run of form saw them qualify for the Football League Centenary Tournament . Tranmere defeated Division One clubs Wimbledon and Newcastle United , before losing on penalties to eventual winner Nottingham Forest . The following season, King guided Tranmere to promotion as Division Four runner-up. Their final game played to secure promotion

10302-583: Was opened in March 1995, with the all-seater stadium then holding just under 17,000 supporters. In April 1996, with Rovers struggling for form in the league, chairman Frank Corfe appointed John Aldridge as player-manager , and King was "moved upstairs" to become Director of football . They finished the 1995–96 campaign in 13th position. In the 1999–2000 season, despite severe financial constraints, victories over two Premiership sides (West Ham United, Sunderland, followed by First Division club Fulham) led, not only to

10404-448: Was sacked on 31 October 2020. Keith Hill succeeded temporary manager Ian Dawes on 21 November 2020. He was sacked on 11 May 2021, after the side reached the play-offs, but before the play-off matches had started. Morecambe defeated Tranmere in the play-off semi-final. At the end of May 2021, Tranmere announced that Micky Mellon was returning to the club as manager, having spent the season apart in charge of Dundee United . Despite

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