2010–11 Football League Explained

Continentalcup1:	New Clubs in League
Nextseason:	2011–12

The 2010–11 Football League (known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 112th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2010 and concluded in May 2011, with the promotion play-off finals.

The Football League is contested through three Divisions. The divisions are the League Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League and they are joined by the winner of the League Championship playoff. The bottom two teams in League Two are relegated to the Conference Premier.

This was the first season that npower sponsored the league, after Coca-Cola's contract expired at the end of the 2009–10 season.^[1]

Promotion and relegation

From Premier League

Relegated to Championship

• Burnley
• Hull City
• Portsmouth

From Championship

Promoted to Premier League

• Newcastle United
• West Bromwich Albion
• Blackpool

Relegated to League One

• Sheffield Wednesday
• Plymouth Argyle
• Peterborough United

From Football League One

Promoted to Championship

• Brighton & Hove Albion
• Southampton
• Peterborough United

Relegated to League Two

• Gillingham
• Wycombe Wanderers
• Southend United
• Stockport County

From Football League Two

Promoted to League One

• Notts County
• Bournemouth
• Rochdale
• Dagenham & Redbridge

Relegated to Conference Premier

• Grimsby Town
• Darlington

From Conference Premier

Promoted to League Two

• Stevenage Borough
• Oxford United

Championship

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals^[2]
1	Danny Graham	Watford	24
2	Shane Long	Reading	21
	Grant Holt	Norwich City	21
4	Luciano Becchio	Leeds United	19
5	Jay Bothroyd	Cardiff City	18
	Adel Taarabt	Queens Park Rangers	18
7	Max Gradel	Leeds United	17
	Scott Sinclair	Swansea City	17
9	Steve Morison	Millwall	15
	Billy Sharp	Doncaster Rovers	15

League One

Top scorers

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals^[3]
1	Craig Mackail-Smith	Peterborough United	26
2	Glenn Murray	Brighton & Hove Albion	22
3		Plymouth Argyle / Charlton Athletic	21
4	Rickie Lambert	Southampton	19
5	Jamie Cureton	Exeter City	17
7	Ashley Barnes	Brighton and Hove Albion	16
	Will Hoskins	Bristol Rovers
	Jordan Rhodes	Huddersfield Town
9	Lee Barnard	Southampton	14
	George Boyd	Peterborough United

League Two

Top scorers

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals^[4]
1	Clayton Donaldson	Crewe Alexandra	26
2	Ryan Lowe	Bury	25
3		Gillingham	24
4	Craig Davies	Chesterfield	22
5		Rotherham United	21
6	Wesley Thomas	Cheltenham Town	18
7		Southend United	17
	Shaun Miller	Crewe Alexandra
9	Ashley Grimes	Lincoln City	15
	Shaun Harrad	Northampton Town
	Jack Lester	Chesterfield
	Marc Richards	Port Vale
		Torquay United

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Milton Keynes Dons	Paul Ince	Resigned	16 April 2010^[5] ^[6]	Pre-season	Karl Robinson	10 May 2010^[7]
Hereford United	Graham Turner	Resigned	16 April 2010^[8]	Pre-Season	Simon Davey	22 June 2010^[9]
Barnet	Ian Hendon	Sacked	28 April 2010^[10]	Pre-Season	Mark Stimson	1 June 2010^[11]
Shrewsbury Town	Paul Simpson	Sacked	30 April 2010^[12]	Pre-Season	Graham Turner	11 June 2010^[13]
Crystal Palace	Paul Hart	Contract expired	2 May 2010	Pre-season	George Burley	17 June 2010^[14]
Coventry City	Chris Coleman	Sacked	4 May 2010^[15]	Pre-season	Aidy Boothroyd	20 May 2010^[16]
Plymouth Argyle	Paul Mariner	Became head coach	6 May 2010^[17]	Pre-season	Peter Reid	24 June 2010^[18]
Gillingham	Mark Stimson	Mutual consent	10 May 2010^[19]	Pre-season	Andy Hessenthaler	22 May 2010^[20]
Hull City	Iain Dowie	Contract expired	9 May 2010	Pre-season	Nigel Pearson	29 June 2010^[21]
Portsmouth	Avram Grant	Resigned	20 May 2010^[22]	Pre-season	Steve Cotterill	18 June 2010^[23]
Notts County	Steve Cotterill	End of contract	27 May 2010^[24]	Pre-season	Craig Short	4 June 2010^[25]
Stockport	Gary Ablett	Sacked	17 June 2010^[26]	Pre-Season	Paul Simpson	12 July 2010^[27]
Leicester City	Nigel Pearson	Signed by Hull City	29 June 2010	Pre-season	Paulo Sousa	7 July 2010^[28]
Swansea City	Paulo Sousa	Signed by Leicester City	5 July 2010^[29]	Pre-season	Brendan Rodgers	16 July 2010^[30]
Bristol City	Steve Coppell	Resigned	12 August 2010^[31]	23rd	Keith Millen	12 August 2010^[32]
Sheffield United	Kevin Blackwell	Mutual consent	14 August 2010^[33]	21st	Gary Speed	17 August 2010^[34]
Southampton	Alan Pardew	Sacked	30 August 2010	21st	Nigel Adkins	12 September 2010
Scunthorpe United	Nigel Adkins	Signed By Southampton	12 September 2010^[35]	15th	Ian Baraclough	24 September 2010^[36]
Lincoln City	Chris Sutton	Resigned	29 September 2010^[37]	21st	Steve Tilson	15 October 2010^[38]
Leicester City	Paulo Sousa	Sacked	1 October 2010^[39]	24th	Sven-Göran Eriksson	3 October 2010^[40]
Hereford United	Simon Davey	Sacked	4 October 2010^[41]	24th	Jamie Pitman	19 December 2010^[42]
Middlesbrough	Gordon Strachan	Resigned	18 October 2010^[43]	20th	Tony Mowbray	26 October 2010^[44]
Notts County	Craig Short	Sacked	24 October 2010^[45]	16th	Paul Ince	28 October 2010
Sheffield United	Gary Speed	Signed by Wales	14 December 2010	20th	Micky Adams	30 December 2010^[46]
Bristol Rovers	Paul Trollope	Sacked	15 December 2010^[47]	21st	Dave Penney	10 January 2011^[48]
Burnley	Brian Laws	Sacked	29 December 2010^[49]	9th	Eddie Howe	14 January 2011
Preston North End	Darren Ferguson	Sacked	29 December 2010^[50]	24th	Phil Brown	6 January 2011^[51]
Port Vale	Micky Adams	Signed by Sheffield United	30 December 2010	2nd	Jim Gannon	6 January 2011^[52]
Crystal Palace	George Burley	Sacked	1 January 2011^[53]	23rd	Dougie Freedman	12 January 2011^[54]
Barnet	Mark Stimson	Sacked	1 January 2011^[55]	23rd	Martin Allen	23 March 2011^[56]
Walsall	Chris Hutchings	Sacked	4 January 2011^[57]	24th	Dean Smith	21 January 2011^[58]
Charlton Athletic	Phil Parkinson	Sacked	4 January 2011^[59]	5th	Chris Powell	14 January 2011^[60]
Stockport County	Paul Simpson	Sacked	4 January 2011^[61]	21st	Ray Mathias	9 March 2011^[62]
Ipswich Town	Roy Keane	Sacked	7 January 2011^[63]	19th	Paul Jewell	10 January 2011^[64]
Peterborough United	Gary Johnson	Mutual consent	10 January 2011^[65]	7th	Darren Ferguson	12 January 2011^[66]
Aldershot Town	Kevin Dillon	Sacked	10 January 2011^[67]	20th	Dean Holdsworth	12 January 2011^[68]
Bournemouth	Eddie Howe	Signed by Burnley	16 January 2011^[69]	4th	Lee Bradbury	28 January 2011^[70]
Sheffield Wednesday	Alan Irvine	Sacked	3 February 2011^[71]	12th	Gary Megson	4 February 2011^[72]
Brentford	Andy Scott	Sacked	3 February 2011^[73]	19th	Nicky Forster	1 March 2011^[74]
Bradford City	Peter Taylor	Stepped down	26 February 2011^[75]	20th	Peter Jackson	28 February 2011^[76]
Northampton Town	Ian Sampson	Sacked	2 March 2011^[77]	16th	Gary Johnson	4 March 2011^[78]
Swindon Town	Danny Wilson	Resigned	2 March 2011^[79]	22nd	Paul Hart	3 March 2011^[80]
Notts County	Paul Ince	Mutual consent	3 March 2011^[81]	19th	Martin Allen	11 April 2011^[82]
Bristol Rovers	Dave Penney	Sacked	7 March 2011^[83]	23rd	Paul Buckle	30 May 2011^[84]
Coventry City	Aidy Boothroyd	Sacked	14 March 2011^[85]	19th	Andy Thorn	28 April 2011^[86]
Scunthorpe United	Ian Baraclough	Sacked	16 March 2011^[87]	22nd	Alan Knill	31 March 2011^[88]
Port Vale	Jim Gannon	Sacked	21 March 2011^[89]	8th	Micky Adams	13 May 2011^[90]
Rotherham United	Ronnie Moore	Mutual consent	22 March 2011^[91]	9th	Andy Scott	13 April 2011^[92]
Bury	Alan Knill	Signed by Scunthorpe United	31 March 2011^[93]	4th	Richard Barker (caretaker)	31 March 2011
Barnet	Martin Allen	Signed by Notts County	11 April 2011^[94]	23rd	Giuliano Grazioli (caretaker)	11 April 2011
Swindon Town	Paul Hart	Sacked	28 April 2011^[95]	24th	Paul Bodin	28 April 2011

External links

• Football League website
• BBC Sport

Notes and References

1. News: Football League names Npower as new sponsor. 16 March 2010 . 5 April 2010 . BBC. https://web.archive.org/web/20100323033212/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8570749.stm. 23 March 2010 . live.
2. News: Divisional Scorers . Football League . 6 August 2010 . 2 January 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100922060421/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/DivisionalScorers/0%2C%2C10794~20107%2C00.html . 22 September 2010 .
3. Web site: Football League One Statistics . 5 November 2010 . football-league.co.uk . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20101029054216/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/DivisionalScorers/0%2C%2C10794~201025%2C00.html . 29 October 2010 . dead .
4. Web site: Npower League 2 Scorers Statistics . 17 April 2010 . football-league.co.uk . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20110125195648/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/DivisionalScorers/0%2C%2C10794~201026%2C00.html . 25 January 2011 . dead . dmy-all .
5. Paul Ince remained as MK Dons manager until the end of the season.
6. Web site: Paul Ince resigns as MK Dons manager . BBC Sport . 16 June 2010.
7. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/milton_keynes_dons/8672544.stm "Robinson named new MK Dons boss"
8. Web site: Bulls chairman Graham Turner offers his shares for sale . BBC Sport . 16 April 2010.
9. Web site: Simon Davey confirmed as new manager of Hereford. 22 June 2010. BBC Sport. 22 June 2010. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100624074958/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/h/hereford_united/8753374.stm. 24 June 2010. live. dmy-all.
10. News: Barnet sack manager Ian Hendon. 28 April 2010 . 28 April 2010 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20100501143237/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/barnet/8649855.stm. 1 May 2010 . live.
11. Web site: Barnet name Mark Stimson as new manager. 1 June 2010. BBC Sport. 1 June 2010.
12. Web site: Shrewsbury Town sack manager Paul Simpson . 30 April 2010. BBC Sport. 30 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100503141625/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/shrewsbury/8653604.stm. 3 May 2010 . live.
13. Web site: Shrewsbury Town re-appoint former manager Graham Turner. 11 June 2010. BBC Sport. 14 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20160113023507/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/shrewsbury/8732356.stm. 13 January 2016. live.
14. News: Crystal Palace appoint Burley as new boss . BBC Sport . 17 June 2010 .
15. News: Chris Coleman sacked by Coventry City . BBC Sport . 5 May 2010.
16. News: Aidy Boothroyd named as Coventry boss . BBC Sport . 20 May 2010.
17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/plymouth_argyle/8665627.stm "Plymouth to look for new manager"
18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/plymouth_argyle/8755830.stm "Reid appointed Plymouth manager"
19. News: Manager Mark Stimson leaves Gillingham. 10 May 2010. 10 May 2010. BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20100513085349/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gillingham/8672351.stm. 13 May 2010 . live.
20. Web site: Andy Hessenthaler named new Gillingham manager. 22 May 2010. BBC Sport. 22 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100524102958/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gillingham/8698075.stm. 24 May 2010 . live.
21. News: Tigers Name New Boss=Hull City AFC Official Website . 29 June 2010 . 9 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120314155950/http://www.hullcityafc.net/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10338~2080724%2C00.html . 14 March 2012 . dead .
22. News: Avram Grant resigns as Portsmouth manager . BBC Sport . 20 May 2010.
23. News: Portsmouth appoint Steve Cotterill as manager . BBC Sport . 18 June 2010.
24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/8707408.stm "Cotterill leaves Notts County job"
25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/8715734.stm "Short named Notts County manager"
26. News: Gary Ablett leaves Stockport County. 17 June 2010. 4 January 2011. BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20110127143453/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/stockport/8745791.stm. 27 January 2011 . live.
27. Web site: Paul Simpson named Stockport County manager. 12 July 2010. BBC Sport. 4 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110127143450/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/stockport/8754631.stm. 27 January 2011 . live.
28. News: Paulo Sousa confirmed as Leicester City manager . BBC Sport . 7 July 2010.
29. News: Paulo Sousa departs as Swansea manager . BBC Sport . 7 May 2010.
30. News: Swansea City appoint Brendan Rodgers as new manager . BBC Sport . 16 July 2010.
31. News: Steve Coppell Resigns . bcfc.co.uk . 12 August 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324015430/http://www.bcfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10327~2119540%2C00.html . 24 March 2012 .
32. News: Keith Millen Appointed City Boss . bcfc.co.uk . 12 August 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324015413/http://www.bcfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10327~2119553%2C00.html . 24 March 2012 .
33. News: Kevin Blackwell leaves Sheffield United by mutual consent . BBC Sport . 14 August 2010.
34. News: Sheffield United announce Gary Speed as new manager . BBC Sport . 16 August 2010.
35. News: Adkins named as Southampton boss . BBC Sport . 12 September 2010.
36. News: Ian Baraclough named Scunthorpe United manager . BBC Sport . 24 September 2010.
37. Web site: Manager Chris Sutton leaves Lincoln City . BBC Sport . 29 September 2010.
38. Web site: Lincoln name Steve Tilson new manager. 15 October 2010. BBC Sport. 15 October 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101018051209/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/lincoln_city/9093946.stm. 18 October 2010 . live.
39. News: Leicester City sack Paulo Sousa . BBC Sport . 1 October 2010.
40. News: Sven-Goran Eriksson appointed Leicester City manager . BBC Sport . 3 October 2010.
41. Web site: Hereford United sack manager Simon Davey . BBC Sport . 4 October 2010.
42. Web site: Jamie Pitman named as Hereford boss until end of season . BBC Sport . 16 December 2010.
43. News: Gordon Strachan resigns as manager of Middlesbrough. BBC Sport . 18 October 2010.
44. News: Middlesbrough name Tony Mowbray as new manager . BBC Sport . 26 October 2010.
45. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/9122308.stm "Craig Short sacked as Notts County manager "
46. Web site: Micky Adams confirmed as Sheffield United manager . BBC Sport . 30 December 2010.
47. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bristol_rovers/9289644.stm "Manager Paul Trollope sacked by Bristol Rovers"
48. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/bristol_rovers/9354951.stm "Bristol Rovers appoint Dave Penney as their new manager"
49. News: Boss Brian Laws shown door by Burnley . BBC Sport . 29 December 2010.
50. News: Darren Ferguson sacked as Preston North End boss . BBC Sport . 29 December 2010.
51. News: Phil Brown appointed Preston North End's new manager . BBC Sport . 6 January 2011.
52. Web site: Port Vale appoint Jim Gannon as new manager . BBC Sport . 6 January 2011.
53. News: Crystal Palace sack manager George Burley . BBC Sport . 1 January 2011.
54. News: Dougie Freedman appointed as Crystal Palace manager. BBC Sport . 12 January 2011.
55. Web site: Manager Mark Stimson sacked by Barnet . BBC Sport . 1 January 2011.
56. Web site: Barnet News Latest News Latest News MARTIN ALLEN RETURNS TO UNDERHILL . 2 December 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110829234328/http://www.barnetfc.com/page/LatestNews/0%2C%2C10431~2322622%2C00.html . 29 August 2011 . dead . dmy-all .
57. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/w/walsall/9336732.stm "Chris Hutchings shown door by Walsall"
58. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/w/walsall/9369220.stm "Dean Smith gets Walsall job until end of season"
59. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/9337377.stm "Charlton Athletic sack manager Phil Parkinson"
60. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/9360972.stm "Chris Powell named new Charlton Athletic manager"
61. Web site: Stockport County sack manager Paul Simpson . BBC Sport . 4 January 2011.
62. Web site: Ray Mathias takes over as Stockport County manager . BBC Sport . 9 March 2011.
63. News: Roy Keane sacked as Ipswich manager . BBC Sport . 7 January 2011.
64. News: Paul Jewell named as Ipswich Town manager . BBC Sport . 10 January 2011.
65. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/peterborough_united/9356192.stm "Gary Johnson parts with Peterborough United"
66. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/peterborough_united/9358454.stm "Darren Ferguson returns as Peterborough United manager"
67. Web site: Manager Kevin Dillon departs from Aldershot Town . BBC Sport . 10 January 2011.
68. Web site: Dean Holdsworth appointed new Aldershot Town manager . BBC Sport . 12 January 2011.
69. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/burnley/9360426.stm "Eddie Howe appointed Burnley manager"
70. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/bournemouth/9379366.stm "Bournemouth confirm Lee Bradbury as manager"
71. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/9385962.stm "Sheffield Wednesday part with boss Alan Irvine "
72. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/9386999.stm "Megson appointed Sheffield Wednesday manager"
73. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/brentford/9386408.stm Brentford part company with manager Andy Scott
74. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/brentford/9411267.stm "Brentford make Nicky Forster manager until season's end"
75. Web site: Manager Peter Taylor to leave Bradford City . BBC Sport . 24 February 2011.
76. Web site: Bradford City confirm Peter Jackson as permanent boss . BBC Sport . 25 May 2011.
77. Web site: Northampton Town sack manager Ian Sampson . BBC Sport . 2 March 2011.
78. Web site: Northampton Town name Gary Johnson as new boss . BBC Sport . 4 March 2011.
79. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/9412294.stm "Danny Wilson quits as Swindon Town manager"
80. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/9412518.stm "Swindon Town appoint Paul Hart as manager"
81. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/12951734.stm " Paul Ince leaves Notts County"
82. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13036140.stm "Notts County appoint Martin Allen as manager"
83. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bristol_rovers/9417489.stm "Bristol Rovers sack manager Dave Penney "
84. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13593492.stm "Paul Buckle leaves Torquay to be Bristol Rovers manager"
85. News: Coventry City sack manager Aidy Boothroyd . BBC Sport . 14 March 2011.
86. News: Andy Thorn agrees to become new Coventry City manager . BBC Sport . 28 April 2011.
87. News: Scunthorpe United sack manager Ian Baraclough . BBC Sport . 16 March 2011.
88. News: Scunthorpe United appoint Bury manager Alan Knill . BBC Sport . 31 March 2011.
89. Web site: Manager Jim Gannon parts company with Port Vale . 21 March 2011. BBC Sport. 21 March 2011.
90. Web site: Port Vale: Micky Adams is back to finish the job he started. 13 May 2011. 13 May 2011. steve shaw. The Sentinel.
91. Web site: Manager Rotherham United part company with Ronnie Moore . 22 March 2011. BBC Sport. 23 March 2011.
92. Web site: Rotherham appoint Andy Scott as new manager . 13 April 2011. BBC Sport. 16 April 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110415063721/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/r/rotherham_utd/9456862.stm. 15 April 2011 . live.
93. Web site: Scunthorpe United appoint Bury manager Alan Knill . 31 March 2011. BBC Sport. 2 April 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110401061519/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/12919001.stm. 1 April 2011 . live.
94. Web site: Notts County appoint Martin Allen as manager . BBC Sport . 11 April 2011.
95. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/9469955.stm "Swindon bring in Paul Bodin as manager for Paul Hart"