Where the facts come from
- Official club, competition, league, federation, court, inquest and governing-body records.
- National museums, libraries, archives and established statistical institutions.
- Reputable contemporary reporting for appointments, departures and events not fully recorded officially.
- Reference works for discovery and cross-checking, not as the sole authority for important disputed claims.
Comparing seasons
Season records preserve the competition names, points systems and fixture totals in force at the time. Old two-points-for-a-win totals are not converted into hypothetical modern points. League positions are compared only with their division and competition structure visible. Wartime regional leagues are not treated as ordinary Football League seasons.
When sources disagree
Sources can differ on caretaker status, appointment dates, competition naming, appearances and whether scorers are league-only or all competitions. Conflicts are not silently averaged. The archive explains which definition it uses and points out uncertainty when it could change the story.
How the archive is prepared
Repeated season and player records are prepared in a consistent format. Automated assistance may help organise information and check for inconsistencies, but the editor reviews the sources, writing and historical interpretation before publication.
Writing and review
Numbers can show results and patterns; they cannot, on their own, explain tactics, motives or what a match felt like. Long-form pages state a thesis, page-specific sources and the original contribution. Current facts are dated. A page's substantive-update date changes only when its content or evidence changes, not merely to imply freshness.
Corrections
Correction reports are checked against the cited evidence. Confirmed errors are corrected wherever they appear in the archive. Material changes are recorded in the editorial change log.
Method last reviewed: 2026-08-18.