Sometimes a post on the message board is so good it deserves a wider audience and this is one such post from TUI member TheWestStand
Ok so Saints have lost three on the bounce scoring only one goal. but please, please let’s put some proper perspective around this.
We are 5th after 15 games with 26 points. We have conceded the least goals of any team in the PL (but also scored the least goals of the top 5 — probably why we are indeed 5th). West Ham in 4th have one more point than us from one more goal scored and one more draw.
Last season, our first back in the premiership since 2005, after the same number of games we were 8th with 23 points. The top six would eventually make up the same top six at the end of the season and we would retain our position of 8th.
So as we stand today, we are 3 points and 3 places better off than last season.
I won’t talk about performances or injuries, or tactics or luck, or Mane vs Long or Yoshida vs Gardos, or easy games vs tough games. I just want to use historical facts to show what a HUGE, indeed UNPRECEDENTED achievement it would be to even drop one place and remain in the top six at the end of the season.
We must not forget our last 5 seasons read..
PL 8th
PL 14th
Championship 2nd
League One 2nd
League One 7th
I have looked at the top six in each of the last 5 seasons in the PL.
A total of only 9 different teams have finished in the top six in the last 5 seasons. Yes, only 9 different teams! 4 teams have finished top six in all 5 seasons - City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs. United have appeared 4 times, Liverpool and Everton 2 times.
2 teams have scraped in just once, Newcastle (5th) in 2012 and Villa (6th) in 2010.
Basically, the top six is an elite group that is becoming even more elite…..
Last season, and the season before that, no team finished in the top six that wasn’t in the top seven the season before.
In the 3 years before that only 3 teams broke into the top six from outside the top seven the season before — Newcastle in 2012 from 12th, Spurs in 2010 from 8th and City in 2010 from 16th.
In the last FIVE seasons no team has obviously finished in the PL top six after being in League One in ANY of the previous FIVE seasons.
But more significantly, with the exception of Newcastle in 2012 and Man City no team has finished in the top six in the PL after finishing lower than 11th in the PL in ANY of the previous FIVE seasons
But Spurs and City both had significant PL history before that and of course City were receiving the first of the Sheikh millions. Newcastle’s eight league finishes prior to the 2012 season were 12th, CH, 18th, 12th, 13th, 4th, 14th, 5th. So maybe not such an anomaly as there was some history of PL top six finishes going back just 6 years.
We all know the reasons for this elite in the PL —
Financial muscle. Not only does this mean you can afford a well paid starting 11 but more importantly a well paid squad where high salaries keep quality players happy on the bench or in the reserves until they are needed.
Saints are getting there, but it will require a few seasons for us to become adept at matching the top European teams in the arts of buying, selling and loaning players and managing the associated wage bill.
While that learning process continues I’m just content to watch my beloved team play exciting football and make me proud to support Saints and any improvement on 8th will be a step in the right direction and keep me happy and my expectations on track!
Just to note bookies do indeed have us to finish 6th at the moment.