Premier League 2006-07 Season Review: What Determined It
By Arasi Rex · Updated 15 August 2026 · 6 min read
A credible Premier League 2006-07 season review starts with structure, not results. By the time the 2006-07 season came around, the Premier League had already settled into the 20-club, 38-match format that still defines it, after beginning with 22 clubs in 1992/93 and reducing to 20 in 1995/96. That frame determines how much every team has to travel, rotate, and recover, and it is the only honest way to compare one season to another.
The mechanism: how a Premier League 2006-07 season review is decided
The base unit of any Premier League 2006-07 season review is simple: 20 clubs play 38 matches each, once at home and once away, for a league total of 380 matches. A win earns three points, a draw earns one, and the bottom three clubs are relegated to the Championship. Three clubs come up in return: two automatically and one through the play-off.
The table is decided by an ordered set of tiebreakers. Points come first. If points are level, goal difference separates the clubs. If goal difference is also level, goals scored decides. Only then does head-to-head record come into play. If two clubs are still level after that, and the position in question is the title, relegation, or European qualification, a play-off at a neutral venue may be used.
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Clubs | 20 |
| Matches per club | 38 |
| Total matches | 380 |
| Points for a win | 3 |
| Relegated clubs | 3 |
| Promotion places | 2 automatic, 1 play-off |
The table is a checklist as much as a snapshot. A season review that argues one club finished above another because of a late run has to first confirm that the two clubs were not separated by the actual tiebreakers. Late runs produce points, but they do not change the order in which the league ranks teams.
History/evolution: the league the 2006-07 review inherited
The Premier League was founded on 20 February 1992 as the FA Premier League. It was a breakaway by First Division clubs who wanted to negotiate their own broadcast deals, a decision that changed the commercial structure of English football. The first Premier League season, 1992/93, was not the season a modern fan would recognize. It had 22 clubs, which means more fixtures and a different rhythm.
The league reduced to 20 clubs in 1995/96. That change is the pivot point for any Premier League 2006-07 season review because the season under review sits on the other side of that change. The 2006-07 season was played with the 20-club, 38-match format, the same format that produces the 380-match total fans expect today. The practical meaning is that a review of 2006-07 is structurally comparable to a review of the current season, even if the football on the pitch changed.
The breakaway history matters for another reason. The founding did not happen because the First Division was popular. It happened because the clubs wanted control of broadcast revenue. That is why the league's commercial rules are part of the story. A season review that only lists results misses the underlying point of the competition's existence; the Premier League was built to be sold as a television product, and the format had to be stable enough to sell.
Edge cases and common confusions
The most common mistake in a season review is to treat a modern rule as a timeless rule. Reference facts describe a 25-player squad list for players over 21, with at least eight players who are homegrown, meaning trained in England or Wales for three years before turning 21. Under-21 players do not count against the list. That is useful context for squad-building questions, but it is not a rule from the founding era. The same caution applies to the five-substitution rule, which allows five changes per match in a maximum of three windows plus half-time.
European qualification is another area where a season review can drift from the record. Reference facts describe a typical structure: the top four go to the Champions League league phase, fifth and the FA Cup winner go to the Europa League, and the League Cup winner goes to the Conference League play-off. Extra Champions League places can be earned through UEFA coefficient performance, and if a cup winner has already qualified through the league, the place passes down. That is a framework to use with care, not a reason to invent a specific 2006-07 allocation.
Fantasy football is a different kind of point system. FPL uses a 15-player squad, an £100.0m budget, and a maximum of three players from one club. Goals are worth 6 for a goalkeeper or defender, 5 for a midfielder, and 4 for a forward. Assists are 3. Clean sheets are worth 4 for a goalkeeper or defender but 1 for a midfielder. Bonus points go 3-2-1. Yellow cards cost 1 point, red cards cost 3, own goals cost 2, and penalty misses cost 2. A goalkeeper earns 1 point per 3 saves and 5 for a penalty save, while every two goals conceded costs a goalkeeper or defender 1. The captain's score doubles, and transfers beyond the free allowance cost 4. None of those numbers are Premier League table points. FPL points are context and entertainment; they are not evidence in a season review.
The tiebreaker edge case is also misunderstood. Most fans know goal difference comes before goals scored, but fewer know that head-to-head record is only reached after those two. Even fewer know that a neutral-venue play-off is available when the tie cannot be resolved and the position matters. That is not a hypothetical; it is written into the structure as the final backstop. A good season review names that order early so the rest of the analysis does not have to re-fight it.
FAQ
How many matches are played in a Premier League season?
Each of the 20 clubs plays 38 matches, one home and one away, which makes 380 matches in total. A win gives three points and a draw gives one.
How are Premier League positions decided if clubs have the same points?
Points are followed by goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head record. If the teams are still level and the position decides the title, relegation, or European qualification, a play-off at a neutral venue may be used.
What is the Premier League's promotion and relegation system?
The bottom three clubs are relegated to the Championship. Three clubs come up: two automatically and one through the play-off.
What should a Premier League 2006-07 season review contain?
A Premier League 2006-07 season review should contain the structure and the verified facts around it: 20 clubs, 38 matches per club, 380 total matches, three points for a win, and the tiebreaker order. It does not need invented results or rumour to be useful.
Key takeaways
- A Premier League 2006-07 season review has a structural base: 20 clubs, 38 matches per club, 380 total matches, three points for a win.
- Relegation sends the bottom three clubs to the Championship, with three clubs promoted in return.
- Table positions are decided by points, goal difference, goals scored, and then head-to-head, with a possible neutral-venue play-off for decisive spots.
- The Premier League began with 22 clubs in 1992/93 and cut to 20 in 1995/96, which means the 2006-07 season used the modern fixture format.
- FPL scoring and current squad rules are context only; they do not belong in the evidence column of a season review.