Excel formula

Sergei, Thank you very much indeed. That works quite well. I will have to look at it in details to try to understand but I think I know how it ties up with the linked cell. I found that the place holder is best made the same colour as the empty background. Adjusting the transparency of the placeholder, say to 0, means the inserted image when the score is known is also transparent. At any rate you've helped me reach a more satisfying outcome. Although I understand a bit in Excel I always have a feeling that there is a better way or an easier, more logical way that I don't know. For example I still have to work out the underlying facts about linking graphics and the size compared to the cells; trying to make the placeholders a bit smaller in relation to the graphic being linked; and checking to see if when a result is entered and a subsequent game is populated with new teams - the names go in but the format doesn't. I'm guessing that to have the correct format the team names would also have to be treated almost like another set of graphics.
Anyways, thank you again very much for your knowledge and help. Dennis