Divided nation

It is a country of two halves and new research proves it. Warwick professor Malcolm Tight has locationally matched 52 football clubs with universities, comparing football league positions at the end of last season with the 1999 Sunday Times academic league table. Universities tended to be ranked higher than football clubs in the south, while in the north and Midlands football clubs did better. Warwick was compared to Coventry City, which has managed "to survive and enjoy a modicum of success in the Premier League" - as has Warwick, in spite of time spent by its academics on wacky research ideas.