How Does Our Position Compare To Previous Seasons?
Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:29 pm
So, how does our current position, seven points clear at the top and nine ahead of the third placed team at the turn of the year, compare to other seasons since we returned to this division in 2003?
2003/04 eventual Champions Norwich (52 points points from 26 games) were six points clear of the side who would also go up automatically, West Brom, with Sheffield United a further point off in third.
2004/05 Ipswich (52 points from 27 matches) were two in front of Wigan, who would finish runners up. Champions Sunderland were a point further back in third – Ipswich ended up third, two points behind Wigan and failed to go up through the play off’s.
2005/06 Reading (the best Championship of the past decade in my opinion) were top with an amazing 69 points from 28 games – that was ten more than second placed Sheffield United (who went up as runners up), who were in turn eight clear of Leeds in third.
2006/07 An unusual season in that Champions Sunderland were thirteen points behind leaders Birmingham in tenth. Birmingham (who would go up automatically) had 53 points from 27 games played – Derby, who were second at the time, were on fifty points and were promoted as Play Off winners.
2007/08 Eventual Champions West Brom led the way, on goal difference from Watford, with 47 points from 26 games. Stoke were fourth four points behind, but would go up as runners up as Watford faded to sixth.
2008/09 Wolves with 57 points from 25 games were six points ahead of Reading and Birmingham – Wolves were Champions and Birmingham runners up, while Reading ended up fourth.
2009/10 This is an interesting season because the Newcastle side which many rate as the best side we’ve faced in the past decade, led the way with 51 points from 24 matches. This was six clear of West Brom (who had a game in hand) who ended up second and eight ahead of Forest, who would miss out in the play off’s – Newcastle ended up going up with a series of big wins, but were efficient rather than spectacular over the first half of the season with just 39 goals scored in those 24 matches.
2010/11 Champions QPR had 47 points from 24 matches four clear of Play Off winners Swansea, while Norwich, who would finish second, were third a point further behind.
2011/12 Champions Reading were in fifth, some eight points behind eventual runners up Southampton who led the way with forty seven points from 25 matches – West Ham, who were second on goal difference at this stage, went up through the play off’s (we were third at the time, two points behind the joint leaders).
Looking at those precedents, it’s hard not to feel optimistic (even for an old pessimist worn down by years of failure like me!). Only Ipswich have led the division at this time and failed to go up automatically – while there are examples where the team at the top at the turn of the year don’t go up as Champions, they don’t tend to miss out on second place. More encouraging still is that, with the exception of Reading in 2005/06, we appear to better placed than the leaders in other seasons – Wolves may have had more points than us, but, just like the all conquering Newcastle team of 2010, their lead over the teams in second and third was less than ours is now.
I mentioned cliches earlier, well one of the most common footballing ones is the one about the season being a marathon, not a sprint. That being the case, it seems to me that City have just put in a tremendous kick at the hilliest and toughest part of the marathon course which has left all of their rivals blowing heavily as they look at us disappearing into the distance. Now, there is such a thing as the marathon runner’s “wall” which can reduce likely looking winners to shambling also rans in a matter of minutes as the effects of going off at too quick a pace take hold and it has to be said that we do have a history of blowing up when well placed – that’s why you’ll not catch me predicting promotion yet (particularly after I talked about when “I just knew” we were going to make the play off’s in 08/09!). However, what I will say is that if, for example, Hull were in our position now and we were where Palace and Middlesbrough are, I’d be starting to think that we could well be chasing just the one automatic promotion place.
2003/04 eventual Champions Norwich (52 points points from 26 games) were six points clear of the side who would also go up automatically, West Brom, with Sheffield United a further point off in third.
2004/05 Ipswich (52 points from 27 matches) were two in front of Wigan, who would finish runners up. Champions Sunderland were a point further back in third – Ipswich ended up third, two points behind Wigan and failed to go up through the play off’s.
2005/06 Reading (the best Championship of the past decade in my opinion) were top with an amazing 69 points from 28 games – that was ten more than second placed Sheffield United (who went up as runners up), who were in turn eight clear of Leeds in third.
2006/07 An unusual season in that Champions Sunderland were thirteen points behind leaders Birmingham in tenth. Birmingham (who would go up automatically) had 53 points from 27 games played – Derby, who were second at the time, were on fifty points and were promoted as Play Off winners.
2007/08 Eventual Champions West Brom led the way, on goal difference from Watford, with 47 points from 26 games. Stoke were fourth four points behind, but would go up as runners up as Watford faded to sixth.
2008/09 Wolves with 57 points from 25 games were six points ahead of Reading and Birmingham – Wolves were Champions and Birmingham runners up, while Reading ended up fourth.
2009/10 This is an interesting season because the Newcastle side which many rate as the best side we’ve faced in the past decade, led the way with 51 points from 24 matches. This was six clear of West Brom (who had a game in hand) who ended up second and eight ahead of Forest, who would miss out in the play off’s – Newcastle ended up going up with a series of big wins, but were efficient rather than spectacular over the first half of the season with just 39 goals scored in those 24 matches.
2010/11 Champions QPR had 47 points from 24 matches four clear of Play Off winners Swansea, while Norwich, who would finish second, were third a point further behind.
2011/12 Champions Reading were in fifth, some eight points behind eventual runners up Southampton who led the way with forty seven points from 25 matches – West Ham, who were second on goal difference at this stage, went up through the play off’s (we were third at the time, two points behind the joint leaders).
Looking at those precedents, it’s hard not to feel optimistic (even for an old pessimist worn down by years of failure like me!). Only Ipswich have led the division at this time and failed to go up automatically – while there are examples where the team at the top at the turn of the year don’t go up as Champions, they don’t tend to miss out on second place. More encouraging still is that, with the exception of Reading in 2005/06, we appear to better placed than the leaders in other seasons – Wolves may have had more points than us, but, just like the all conquering Newcastle team of 2010, their lead over the teams in second and third was less than ours is now.
I mentioned cliches earlier, well one of the most common footballing ones is the one about the season being a marathon, not a sprint. That being the case, it seems to me that City have just put in a tremendous kick at the hilliest and toughest part of the marathon course which has left all of their rivals blowing heavily as they look at us disappearing into the distance. Now, there is such a thing as the marathon runner’s “wall” which can reduce likely looking winners to shambling also rans in a matter of minutes as the effects of going off at too quick a pace take hold and it has to be said that we do have a history of blowing up when well placed – that’s why you’ll not catch me predicting promotion yet (particularly after I talked about when “I just knew” we were going to make the play off’s in 08/09!). However, what I will say is that if, for example, Hull were in our position now and we were where Palace and Middlesbrough are, I’d be starting to think that we could well be chasing just the one automatic promotion place.