Pressure is mounting now to pick up points in next three games. Will we stay up? depends if we can be more clinical in front of goal. We would have got something from yesterdays game if we were.
I have looked back at the past few seasons up to, and including, our last visit to the EPL. I checked the relegated teams against the teams in the bottom three after 13 games. If a relegated team was not in the bottom three after 13 games I looked to see where they were and how many points they were above the bottom three. Here is a summary of the results. We are currently in 13th position and seven points above the relegation zone. No team seven points clear of the bottom three has been relegated in the period surveyed. Burnley were six points clear, and in 11th place, in 09/10. They are the best performing relegated team after 13 games, in terms of points. Middlesbrough were in 8th place in 08/09 but only five points clear. In 14/15, 12/13, 11/12, and 10/11 two of the teams in the bottom three after 13 games were relegated. in 6/7 all three teams in the bottom three after 13 games were relegated. in 13/14, 9/10, 8/9, and 7/8 only one team in the bottom three after 13 games was relegated. There was not a survey season where all three teams escaped relegation. Position of relegated teams and points above relegation positions for teams not in the bottom three after 13 games. season/ Team/ position/ points clear 14/15 Hull 17th 0 13/14 Norwich 14th 4 13/14 Cardiff 17th 3 12/13 Wigan 15th 3 11/12 Wolves 17th 2 10/11 Blackpool 13th 2 9/10 Burnley 11th 6 9/10 Hull 15th 4 8/9 Newcastle 17th 0 8/9 Middlesbrough 8th 5 7/8 Reading 12th 5 7/8 Birmingham 15th 3 Surprisingly, 6 teams with fewer than 10 points after 13 games have escaped relegation. Of those, only Crystal Palace and Sunderland are still in the EPL. They both had fewer than 10 points in 13/14 season. (The others were Wigan twice, Wolves and Bolton.)
I think its better to see how many points needed after 19 games (I could only find stats back as far as 2000/1 . In 2010/1 Blackpool had 25 points and still when down (they was 2 games behind most teams) so discount them . Reading in 2007/8 and Newcastle 2008/9 both had 22 points after 19 games and both went down . So our aim for the next 6 games MUST BE 7 points +
Saturday really has become a must win when you look at what lies ahead. The Spuds and Mousers are looking very formidable and you have to think Chelsea will pick up at some point. 6 points plus against Norwich (sorry Dave), Sunderland and Villa are surely essential?
On current form of the last 6 games villa 1 pts Bournemouth 2pts and sorry Dave Norwich 3 pts are not looking good and the bottom 2 could be to far behind before the jan window could help them
Bournemouth fans seem to be blaming the officials for their poor form - finding the Premier league ones not so favourable I guess!
The bookmakers now go 10/1 on Watford getting relegated. I hope those plebs who took 4/6 in August feel pleased with themselves.......
i tried to get 11/4 on us being the top promoted team but they would not open a account from the US . i had to wait till i got to the uk and got 15/8 but with an extra 50 free bet that i put on us so got just under 3/1
The Café des Sports, the local bookie, does not take bets on the Premier League, and would never of heard of WFC. Horses are their main interest judging by the TV in there.
Just another look at the statistics. If we score 1 goal per game every game,. we will stay up. In fact, if we had scored 1 goal per game since beginning of season, we would have 2 more points than we have now. More important, keeping goals conceded to a minimum is worth more than scoring more goals - ask Naarwich. Hence the clubs purchasing policy in the summer is , in my book, brilliant. COYH
In our two previous seasons in the Premiership our points totals were 24 and then 28. Those are the next targets to beat - and then to get to safety point
