So, we're a quarter of the way through the season already and sitting quite comfortably in eighth place. Quite a few people outside of the club are surprised at how well we're doing, but are we really over-achieving as much as the Shearer's, Hansen's and Lawrenson's would have you believe? I don't think we are.
I've gone through our results and listed the points we did pick up and compared it to what we hoping for.
Wigan (a) 1-1 - most of us would've been happy with that for our first game back.
Actual points 1, ecpected 1
Stoke (h) 1-1 - I know a draw in the end wasn't fair on us, but at the start of the game most would've seen 1-1 as a good result
Actual points 2, ecpected 2
Chelsea (a) 1-3 - No-one expected anything from this although we were unlucky not t get anything in the end
Actual points 2, expected 2
West Brom (h) 0-1 - This is the first game we have really dropped points IMO. West Brom were poor and we should've taken the win
Actual points 2, expected 5
Bolton (a) 2-1 - This was a tricky one, and at the time a draw would've been seen as a good result.
Actual points 5, expected 6
Sunderland (h) 2-1 - Like the West Brom game, a match we should be winning, and we did, in style
Actual points 8, expected 9
Man Utd (a) 0-2 - Like the Chelsea game, one we weren't expected to get anything from and one we were unlucky not to get a point from
Actual points 8, expected 9
Swansea (h) 3-1 - a huge, must win game and that's just what we did
Actual points 11, expected 12
Liverpool (a) 1-1 - Away to one of the big four/five. Nothing was expected from us, we didn't get near how we played against United and Chelsea but got an unexpected point
Actual points 12, expected 12
Blackburn (h) 3-3 - a tricky one given we were expected to win, in the end we snuck out with a point
Actual points 13, expected 15
Now, this is only my opinion on how many points we should have picked up at this point in the season, but I don't think 15 was an unrealistic target for us, so to have 13 is pretty good going.
I've gone through our results and listed the points we did pick up and compared it to what we hoping for.
Wigan (a) 1-1 - most of us would've been happy with that for our first game back.
Actual points 1, ecpected 1
Stoke (h) 1-1 - I know a draw in the end wasn't fair on us, but at the start of the game most would've seen 1-1 as a good result
Actual points 2, ecpected 2
Chelsea (a) 1-3 - No-one expected anything from this although we were unlucky not t get anything in the end
Actual points 2, expected 2
West Brom (h) 0-1 - This is the first game we have really dropped points IMO. West Brom were poor and we should've taken the win
Actual points 2, expected 5
Bolton (a) 2-1 - This was a tricky one, and at the time a draw would've been seen as a good result.
Actual points 5, expected 6
Sunderland (h) 2-1 - Like the West Brom game, a match we should be winning, and we did, in style
Actual points 8, expected 9
Man Utd (a) 0-2 - Like the Chelsea game, one we weren't expected to get anything from and one we were unlucky not to get a point from
Actual points 8, expected 9
Swansea (h) 3-1 - a huge, must win game and that's just what we did
Actual points 11, expected 12
Liverpool (a) 1-1 - Away to one of the big four/five. Nothing was expected from us, we didn't get near how we played against United and Chelsea but got an unexpected point
Actual points 12, expected 12
Blackburn (h) 3-3 - a tricky one given we were expected to win, in the end we snuck out with a point
Actual points 13, expected 15
Now, this is only my opinion on how many points we should have picked up at this point in the season, but I don't think 15 was an unrealistic target for us, so to have 13 is pretty good going.
