Where Do McKenna’s Town Sit in English Football’s All-Time Records?
Monday, 24th Jun 2024 13:08 by Chris Rand

Most Town fans will be aware that the past couple of seasons have seen the highest points totals in the club’s history, but where do these totals sit within all-time records in English football? Stats guru Chris Rand investigates.

First of all, let’s remind ourselves that Ipswich had only ever broken the 90-point barrier once before, back in the early fifties before ever experiencing football in the top two divisions.

Recalculating the pre-1980 seasons to three points for a win, Sir Alf Ramsey’s highest points total was 85 points, Sir Bobby Robson’s highest was 83 and George Burley’s was 87. Of course, many of the seasons under those managers were in the top division, and with only 42 matches rather than 46, but even so, the last two seasons have seen by far the highest points-per-game totals in the club’s history, not just the most points:

Note pre-1980 seasons have been scaled up to three points for a win.

So, where do 98 points and 96 points stack up in the entire 126-season history of English football? Surprisingly highly. Lincoln City (1975/76) and Reading (2005/06) hold the all-time record with a massive 106 points.

However, these sorts of totals are very rare: Plymouth’s League One win in 2022/23 was only the 25th time that a club had reached the 100-point mark. Only 46 clubs in 126 seasons have reached 98 points; and only 67 have reached 96. Eagle-eyed readers may spot that Ipswich in 2022/23 became the first club in history to get 98 points and not win their division.

Note statistics are irrespective of total matches played! Pre-1980 seasons have been scaled up to three points for a win. Of course, teams playing 46-match seasons have a big advantage over those in divisions with fewer teams, but 46-match seasons have taken place in the third and fourth tiers since 1950, and in the second tier since 1988.

It is worth taking a slight detour to account for the number of matches played and investigate the highest points per game records. It turns out that Preston’s 58 points in the first season of English football, 1888/89, has never been beaten in terms of points per game, but there were only 12 clubs involved. For Manchester City to have got close to this 129 seasons later is extraordinary. Liverpool’s appearances in the table 126 seasons apart is perhaps more remarkable still.

Note pre-1980 seasons have been scaled up to three points for a win.

Finally, with Ipswich having got themselves onto the all-time highest points leaderboard in consecutive seasons, it’s worth investigating how impressive that is. In the table below, I’ve looked at the highest points totals across two consecutive seasons for all clubs, ever. It turns out that 194 points in two seasons is the fourth-highest in history.

In third place was Sunderland’s regrouping to get promotion to the Premiership in 1998/99 with 105 points, after having failed to go up the previous season despite getting 90 points. The top two are even more incredible though, because they were achieved in the modern Premier League in seasons of just 38 matches. They even overlapped! I’m not sure people quite realised at the time what Manchester City and Liverpool were achieving within the context of English football history.

Note statistics are irrespective of total matches played! Pre-1980 seasons have been scaled up to three points for a win. Of course, teams playing 46-match seasons have a big advantage over those in divisions with fewer teams, but 46-match seasons have taken place in the third and fourth tiers since 1950, and in the second tier since 1988. The first tier had 42 matches until 1988, but only 38 since then, which makes Manchester City and Liverpool’s achievements in heading the table even more remarkable.

One final observation about the table above: Ipswich have the highest total ever for a club moving up the divisions. This is noteworthy because getting a huge points total and then doing it again a division higher is arguably harder than doing it in the same division. In many ways, we have not only just experienced the most remarkable two-season performance in the club’s history, but one of the most impressive in any club’s history.

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chilli added 13:50 – Jun 24 Fascinating. So that 53/54 season was on the old 2 points for a win system?

NthQldITFC added 14:10 – Jun 24 Funny, I was thinking about this (sort of) earlier and I decided that Leicester’s PL win was the most extraordinary achievement I can think of in domestic football (and by some way), but our last two seasons must be close to the next best? Of teams to do back to back promotions to Tier3 to Tier1: Watford–(1997-1999) 88+77 = 165 points Man City-(1998-2000) 82+89 = 171 points N*rwich–(2009-2011) 95+84 = 179 points Saints—–(2010-2012) 92+88 = 180 points Towen—-(2022-2024) 98+96 = 190 points That step up in points total for us, along with the widely recognised advantages of Leicester, Leeds and Southampton last season make that 96 points a truly extraordinary achievement.

62WasBest added 14:52 – Jun 24 NthQldITFC – Leicester, most extraordinary achievment? I think not. Ipswich’s rise from amateur football in 1936 through to winning the First Division in 1961-2 means that they went from amateur to Champions in 26 years through non-league and three league divisions from 1938 onwards. After absorbing those facts, the league was suspended from 1939-40 until 1945-46 meaning 6 years have to be deducted so Ipswich went from Amateur, to non-league and through three divisions to champions of England in 19 years. Leicester had been trying to win the competition since being elected to the Football League in 1894 and didn’t win it until 2015-6. No comparison! I believe also that Ipswich are one of only a handful that went from Div 2 to winning the First Division in successive seasons and the first to win it at their very first attempt barring the initial champions, Preston North End – but of course, whoever won in the inaugural season would have been first to win at the first attempt. I’m open to challenge on this last paragraph though if anyone knows better.

62WasBest added 14:53 – Jun 24 *Correction. In 20 years.

Crawfordsboot added 14:55 – Jun 24 Great analysis thanks. It’s interesting to note that on a 3 points for a win and one for a draw basis Gareth Southgates record as England manager is very close to our record over the last two seasons – it appears that not a lot of people appreciate that!

PhilTWTD added 15:31 – Jun 24 chilli Yes, but all seasons converted to three for a win in order to compare.

WeWereZombies added 15:32 – Jun 24 Must be something wrong with those tables, I can’t see Leeds United anywhere…

MedwayTractor added 17:41 – Jun 24 62WasBest: Your comments are spot on. Only two other teams have won the title immediately after promotion – Spurs in 1950/51 (with Alf at right back) and Forest in 1977/78, but both had a long history of being in the top flight. In addition, our title winning team had 5 players (possibly more, but not in the regular side) who had been in the 1956/57 title winning Third Division side and we had just one international player (Dermot Curtis, who played just 4 league games in 1961/62) at the club. As far as I am concerned, to win the title in those circumstances must rank as the greatest achievement in the whole of football history.

62WasBest added 22:40 – Jun 24 Thanks Medway, but I fear a lot of folk think football only began with the launch of the Premier League.

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