9th at Christmas

[Bovril 219]

As footballs fans you all too often find something which is wrong with the club be it the manager, the manager''s tactics, the player''s bought and sold etc.

Before the real part of the season begins let''s just stare at the table for a couple of days and give a massive congratulations to anyone connected to the club.

9th at Christmas, what an unbelievable job so far.

[lake district canary 0]

Nice post, Bovril, they are doing a great job.

Does anyone remember Christmas 1992?    NCFC top!

 

 

 

 

[NWC 240]

Yeah good times LDC - I think we were still top at Easter too IIRC.

[bjg123 0]

Just to highlight how good t is to be 9th at Christmas, no team has ever been relegated after being 9th at xmas (although no team in 9th has had less points than us by xmas)

2010/11 - Norwich - 21 points

2010/11 – Liverpool – 22 points – 6th – 58 points

2009/10 – Fulham – 26 points – 12th – 46 points

2008/09 – Bolton – 23 points – 13th – 41 points

2007/08 – Newcastle – 26 points – 12th – 43 points

2006/07 – Reading – 25 points – 8th – 55 points

2005/06 – West Ham – 25 points – 9th – 55 points

2004/05 – Aston Villa – 25 points – 10th – 52 points

2003/04 – Liverpool – 22 points – 4th – 60 points

2002/03 – Blackburn – 27 points – 6th – 60 points

2001/02 – Everton – 23 points – 15th – 43 points

2000/01 – Chelsea – 26 points – 6th – 61 points

1999/2000 – West Ham – 25 points – 9th – 55 points

1998/1999 – Liverpool – 25 points – 7th – 54 points

1997/98 – Newcastle – 26 points – 13th – 44 points

1996/97 – Sheffield W – 26 points – 7th – 57 points

1995/96 – Leeds Utd – 28 points – 13th – 43 points

1994/95 – Man City – 28 points – 17th - 49 points

1993/94 – Aston Villa – 31 points – 10th – 57 points

1992/93 – QPR – 29 points – 5th – 63 points

[First Wizard 0]

Nice stats work mate. [Y]

[ricardo 7,395]

Blackpool were 8th on Xmas Day last year with 22 points from 16 games so lets not get too confident yet folks.

[bjg123 0]

Blackpool were 10th. level with 8th on points with a worse GD and a game in hand.

Also, Blackpool weren''t as good as we are.

[ricardo 7,395]

[quote user="bjg123"]Blackpool were 10th. level with 8th on points with a worse GD and a game in hand.

Also, Blackpool weren''t as good as we are.[/quote]Here is the table from Statto.com on Xmas day last year.

		P	W	D	L	CS	FtS	F	A	GD	Pt	PPG
1	Manchester United	16	9	7	0	7	2	36	16	+20	34	2.12
2	Arsenal	17	10	2	5	4	3	34	19	+15	32	1.88
3	Chelsea	17	9	4	4	8	5	31	12	+19	31	1.82
4	Manchester City	18	9	5	4	8	5	25	15	+10	32	1.78
5	Tottenham Hotspur	17	7	6	4	1	4	25	22	+3	27	1.59
6	Sunderland	18	6	9	3	9	4	21	18	+3	27	1.50
7	Bolton Wanderers	18	6	8	4	1	4	30	25	+5	26	1.44
8	Blackpool	16	6	4	6	4	4	24	29	-5	22	1.38
9	Newcastle United	17	6	4	7	4	3	27	26	+1	22	1.29
10	Liverpool	17	6	4	7	6	4	21	22	-1	22	1.29

[ROBFLECK 132]

Great job and I''m looking forward to the next part of the season. I think PL will have (a) good signing (s) up his sleave and we''ll surprise a few teams. I''m proud to be a NORWICH CITY fan! OTBC

[Canaries Utd 0]

What position were we in at christmas/new year when we got relegated from the Premier league for the first time. I remember beating Newcastle (i think on New Years day) and we were flying high, but then collapsed in the second half of the season.

[Graham Humphrey 13]

[quote user="ricardo"]Here is the table from Statto.com on Xmas day last year.

		P	W	D	L	CS	FtS	F	A	GD	Pt	PPG
1	Manchester United	16	9	7	0	7	2	36	16	+20	34	2.12
2	Arsenal	17	10	2	5	4	3	34	19	+15	32	1.88
3	Chelsea	17	9	4	4	8	5	31	12	+19	31	1.82
4	Manchester City	18	9	5	4	8	5	25	15	+10	32	1.78
5	Tottenham Hotspur	17	7	6	4	1	4	25	22	+3	27	1.59
6	Sunderland	18	6	9	3	9	4	21	18	+3	27	1.50
7	Bolton Wanderers	18	6	8	4	1	4	30	25	+5	26	1.44
8	Blackpool	16	6	4	6	4	4	24	29	-5	22	1.38
9	Newcastle United	17	6	4	7	4	3	27	26	+1	22	1.29
10	Liverpool	17	6	4	7	6	4	21	22	-1	22	1.29

[/quote]Read that carefully Ricardo and you''ll see that table is sorted by points per game rather than actual points for some reason.

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

[quote user="Canaries Utd"]What position were we in at christmas/new year when we got relegated from the Premier league for the first time. I remember beating Newcastle (i think on New Years day) and we were flying high, but then collapsed in the second half of the season.
[/quote]

 

Not sure what precise position we were in after that Newcastle game but we had 33 points from 22 games, so almost certainly were comfortably in the top half of the table. We got 10 points from the last 20 games.

 

 

[nutty nigel 7,536]

Blackpool again[:''(]

 

There is no comparison between us and Blackpool. Or Burnley. Or Hull. All those sides came up through the play offs.

 

Poor old Ricky''s Peroni glass is always half empty...

 

As it''s Christmas have a couple half full for me Rickyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy[:)]

 

 

[AJ 1,221]

I quite like that we haven''t been compared to Blackpool very much, I would hate that!!

But we have done fantasticly so far. If we can grab a few more points over Christmas to take us nearer 30 I would be over the moon. Safety is in our own hands definitely, but we''re certainly not out the scrap yet. Lots of work to do!

[AJ 1,221]

BBC also pointed out that its likely around 11 teams will have less points than Blackpool did at Christmas last season

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

Blackpool again[:''(]

 

There is no comparison between us and Blackpool. Or Burnley. Or Hull. All those sides came up through the play offs.

 

Poor old Ricky''s Peroni glass is always half empty...

 

As it''s Christmas have a couple half full for me Rickyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy[:)]

 

 

[/quote]

 

Well, nutty, this may make me terminally pessimistic as well as terminally dim but I never ever think we are safe. It''s an old cliché but until we are mathematically safe, I won''t do that. There is a long way to go, there are some really top teams fighting tooth and nail to stop in the league. If we get to May and we have survived, then I think it will be an absolutely incredible achievement.

 

 

[Graham Humphrey 13]

[quote user="PurpleCanary"]Not sure what precise position we were in after that Newcastle game but we had 33 points from 22 games, so almost certainly were comfortably in the top half of the table. We got 10 points from the last 20 games.

[/quote]We were seventh and a mammoth eleven points clear of the drop zone:[url]http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/premier-league/1994-1995/table/1994-12-31[/url]By anyone''s standards that was some collapse.  However I don''t really think it has any relevance to us in 2011 at all.  Likewise Blackpool, Hull et al.

[Robert N. LiM 4,356]

I don''t think we''re safe either.

But what we have achieved in the first half of the season is quite superb, and deserves to be celebrated over Christmas without worrying about 2012.

The thing that does it for me is that we have only lost six games, four of them to Man U, Man C, Arsenal and Chelsea. That more than anything says that we are at home in this league.

[Dave 0]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]I don''t think we''re safe either.

But what we have achieved in the first half of the season is quite superb, and deserves to be celebrated over Christmas without worrying about 2012.

The thing that does it for me is that we have only lost six games, four of them to Man U, Man C, Arsenal and Chelsea. That more than anything says that we are at home in this league.[/quote]

[nutty nigel 7,536]

[quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="nutty nigel"]

Blackpool again[:''(]

 

There is no comparison between us and Blackpool. Or Burnley. Or Hull. All those sides came up through the play offs.

 

Poor old Ricky''s Peroni glass is always half empty...

 

As it''s Christmas have a couple half full for me Rickyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy[:)]

 

 

[/quote]

 

Well, nutty, this may make me terminally pessimistic as well as terminally dim but I never ever think we are safe. It''s an old cliché but until we are mathematically safe, I won''t do that. There is a long way to go, there are some really top teams fighting tooth and nail to stop in the league. If we get to May and we have survived, then I think it will be an absolutely incredible achievement.

 

 

[/quote]

I don''t think you''re terminally dim buddy..

 

I''m sure it will pass[:O]

[;)]

 

I won''t think we''re safe until it''s mathematically certain either. But this Blackpool scenario is terminally tedious! It would be the same if someone kept quoting what Stoke had done in the second half of their first season. Which of course is the other side of the coin.

 

 

[Syteanric 1]

5 wins SHOULD see us up... funnily enough we could go into the new year needing just 1 more win to hit that target....merry christmas...

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

[quote user="nutty nigel"][quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="nutty nigel"]

Blackpool again[:''(]

 

There is no comparison between us and Blackpool. Or Burnley. Or Hull. All those sides came up through the play offs.

 

Poor old Ricky''s Peroni glass is always half empty...

 

As it''s Christmas have a couple half full for me Rickyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy[:)]

 

 

[/quote]

 

Well, nutty, this may make me terminally pessimistic as well as terminally dim but I never ever think we are safe. It''s an old cliché but until we are mathematically safe, I won''t do that. There is a long way to go, there are some really top teams fighting tooth and nail to stop in the league. If we get to May and we have survived, then I think it will be an absolutely incredible achievement.

 

 

[/quote]

I don''t think you''re terminally dim buddy..

 

I''m sure it will pass[:O]

[;)]

 

I won''t think we''re safe until it''s mathematically certain either. But this Blackpool scenario is terminally tedious! It would be the same if someone kept quoting what Stoke had done in the second half of their first season. Which of course is the other side of the coin.

 

 

[/quote]

Well, if I am, nutty, then Paul Lambert is too! That...

 

"I never ever think we are safe. It''s an old cliché but until we are mathematically safe, I won''t do that. There is a long way to go, there are some really top teams fighting tooth and nail to stop in the league. If we get to May and we have survived, then I think it will be an absolutely incredible achievement."

 

..is a direct quote from the Glaswegian maestro after the Wolves game. You could read that as meaning his target is just to finish no lower than seventeenth, but that can''t possibly be true, can it?[;)][:D][;)]

 

As to Blackpool, I can''t say because I saw nothing of the Premier League last season, My suspicion is they lacked squad depth and didn''t have money to spend in January. We have a bit of squad depth. Certainly enough for some tactical flexibility. As to how much we have to spend, I have no idea.

[nutty nigel 7,536]

So there we go Purple. You, me and Paul Lambert all have the same opinion. And manage to do that without a single reference to Blackpool.

 

 

[CambridgeCanary 0]

[quote user="Graham Humphrey"][quote user="PurpleCanary"]Not sure what precise position we were in after that Newcastle game but we had 33 points from 22 games, so almost certainly were comfortably in the top half of the table. We got 10 points from the last 20 games.

[/quote]We were seventh and a mammoth eleven points clear of the drop zone:[url]http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/premier-league/1994-1995/table/1994-12-31[/url]By anyone''s standards that was some collapse.  However I don''t really think it has any relevance to us in 2011 at all.  Likewise Blackpool, Hull et al.[/quote]

Not relevant to us i agree but relevant overall.

Most seasons there is a club which falls away from midtable in the second half of the season just as one apparently doomed team manages to survive.

 

Last year it was Birmingham. This year it will be interesting. If Ba is injured then I could see Newcastle doing it. Fulham is another possibility.

 

There will be many twists this season.  Otherwise, why play the games and not just go with the pundits'' assessments?

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

[quote user="CambridgeCanary"][quote user="Graham Humphrey"][quote user="PurpleCanary"]Not sure what precise position we were in after that Newcastle game but we had 33 points from 22 games, so almost certainly were comfortably in the top half of the table. We got 10 points from the last 20 games.

[/quote]
We were seventh and a mammoth eleven points clear of the drop zone:

[url]http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/premier-league/1994-1995/table/1994-12-31[/url]

By anyone''s standards that was some collapse.  However I don''t really think it has any relevance to us in 2011 at all.  Likewise Blackpool, Hull et al.
[/quote]

Not relevant to us i agree but relevant overall.

Most seasons there is a club which falls away from midtable in the second half of the season just as one apparently doomed team manages to survive.

 

Last year it was Birmingham. This year it will be interesting. If Ba is injured then I could see Newcastle doing it. Fulham is another possibility.

 

There will be many twists this season.  Otherwise, why play the games and not just go with the pundits'' assessments?

[/quote]

 

Thanks, Graham, for that extra info. I agree that specific collapse isn''t relevant to us now. We were then a club in decline, poorly managed, and with severe off-field problems, and suffering from a gamble over a rookie goalkeeper. Although even then we were arguably only one appalling penalty decision (Yeboah falling over) away from safety. Now we are generally on the way up (even if we get relegated) and well managed, and well-founded off-field.

 

[ricardo 7,395]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

Blackpool again[:''(]

 

There is no comparison between us and Blackpool. Or Burnley. Or Hull. All those sides came up through the play offs.

 

Poor old Ricky''s Peroni glass is always half empty...

 

As it''s Christmas have a couple half full for me Rickyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy[:)]

 

 

[/quote]Just had acouple of full ones in the Workshop Nigel.I will hold off on the full celebration until we get 40 points on the board.We are doing well but the job is only half done and as Blackpool proved last year, there is still a long way to go.

[Dave 0]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]I don''t think we''re safe either.

But what we have achieved in the first half of the season is quite superb, and deserves to be celebrated over Christmas without worrying about 2012.

The thing that does it for me is that we have only lost six games, four of them to Man U, Man C, Arsenal and Chelsea. That more than anything says that we are at home in this league.[/quote]

[Dave 0]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]I don''t think we''re safe either.

But what we have achieved in the first half of the season is quite superb, and deserves to be celebrated over Christmas without worrying about 2012.

The thing that does it for me is that we have only lost six games, four of them to Man U, Man C, Arsenal and Chelsea. That more than anything says that we are at home in this league.[/quote]

Nobody is safe until the team in 17th can''t catch them.

We just need to keep grinding out the points

Looking at previous years we need another 18 points to be safe, 6 wins in a row anyone ;-)

Why does this board keep deleting what I type?

[Shaun Tilly Lace 0]

Great stuff, but I shall be even happier if we are no lower than 17th in May.

[grantroederdisaster 0]

We''ve done well so far but only half the job is done!

 

I remember beating Newcastle at home on Dec 31st 1994, which meant we went into 1995 in 7th place and seemingly unlikely to get involved in the relegation scrap. We all know what happened that season!

 

I''ll take 4th from bottom now!