As I've done a snapshot above, and as FLT reminded above, we were still in league One 4 years ago, so I thought you'd like to see the table as of 30/10/10 or 4 years ago come Thursday: please log in to view this image Here we have just started the Adkins era. Nigel is in the building and now everyone is on the bus [except for Nigel as he's still in the building..!] BTW, if you want to know where these excellent tables come from, it's Statto.com
OK, let's go for 3 years now, as I'm on a roll. 29/10/2011. It's the Championship and The Likely Lads are at the top: please log in to view this image 2nd season of Nigel's Magical Bus Ride. Let's face it, we couldn't believe it, could we..? I remember waking up one morning during that season and doing a Pam Ewing/Dallas [remember that scenario..?] and thinking we were still being run by Lowe. LeGod, that was depressing for all of half a second.
First season in the titchy Premier league under Nigel Adkins. The bus is taking a bumpy road, but Nigel is persistently positive: please log in to view this image Crikey, we're down here with Reading. But we got the last laugh over them [after they beat us to the Championship]. We stayed up. I suppose I'd better show the progress of the last two seasons. Same month, same week. The next year.
OK, last season. Pochettino has well and truly got his feet under the table and Saints are definitely finding theirs in this league. This is 27/10/13, 1 year ago: please log in to view this image This Premier League ain't so difficult. 5th position and we went higher still. Nine matches gone in 2013. Let's compare the stats with now.
And here we are, bang up to date. 28/10/2014 and nine games gone: please log in to view this image Just seems like a smooth progression, doesn't it..? When you look at the stats it does. Better position, better players, stronger squad. £30M+ in the kitty for transfers without raiding the bank account. In 5 years it has all been upward. Not bad at all.
But only 1 point more...yet we are second. Strange that this year feels so much better...I suppose I have forgotten what it felt like this time last year because of subsequent events. Don't begrudge West Ham their good start, but does make me wonder if the top teams are starting slow. Sorry forgot this is a feel good thread
No, no, you carry on questioning it. My stance is that for every season where somebody emerges to win, there are teams who, for some reason or another, haven't performed. It's not any other club's fault that they haven't. The problem with comparing same tables at any given point is that there are so many variables, compared to different seasons, that one either just looks at the table and says... oh, we're doing well/badly, compared to last season, or we rent a supercomputer for a month to really find out whether we are or not. And by the time we've finished, it's a different ball game again anyway. Thereisonlyoneno7 managed to find one of the two stats where we are doing worse. We've lost one more game. But we have one more point. And we've conceded two more goals. That's the other negative. But we've won one more game, hence we're doing better.
As we were only 1 point fewer after 9 games last season (18 v 19), I wanted to see which teams we played. Similar to this season really: WBA (W), Sunderland (D), Norwich (L), WHU (D), Liverpool (W), Palace (W), Swansea (W), ManU (D) and Fulham (W). Lost only the one to Norwich, compared to 2 this season (Liverpool and Spurs), but had 3 draws compared to 1 this season. The real test is yet to come, but I feel more confident this season as I think we are stronger defensively and can win from a losing position.
As a Bowie fan who likes to mess around with song lyrics I am officially turning green with envy. Could the Northam turn up an hour or two early for the Leicester game and be taught this? Quite brilliant. Thanks for the thread. Always nice to take time out to remember where we've come from. Anyone there at Forest in 2009 when our gallows humour won the respect of their fans before we trudged off home to cry in our beer will particularly relish this thread
