A new points system for soccer leagues: Have expectations been realised?

In the early 1980's the soccer leagues in England and Israel adopted a new points system, by which a team is awarded three points for a win instead of the two points awarded under the old system. The change was intended to improve the quality of the game by encouraging more 'open', attacking play, so producing more goals with less games ending in draws, and hence more satisfaction for spectators, leading in turn to more spectators being attracted to the sport. Some of the expected short term effects of the new system are analysed and possible changes in team positions as a result of a different scoring system are considered, empirically and theoretically. It is concluded that expectations have not been realised and that football league administrators gain little from changing points systems.