Martin Tyler has reported that a team that is in 4th place after 7 games usually end up in a good league position.
Indeed Martin had this to say to Sky Sports about Newcastle’s current high league position:
“In each of the last four seasons, the team that has been fourth at the end of the seventh Premier League match-day has gone on to finish the season in fourth place. So the omens are good for Newcastle supporters.”
“As you can see from the list below, every team that has been in fourth place at the end of the seventh round of fixtures has finished the season in the top half of the table.”
“I am looking forward to seeing how Newcastle get on against Tottenham in my next commentary game in a couple of week’s time.”
Here is the list of teams in the Premier Lague who were in 4th place after 7 games and where they ended up:
1992/93 Man Utd 1st
1993/94 Coventry 11th
1994/95 Man Utd 2nd
1995/96 Arsenal 5th
1996/97 Man Utd 1st
1997/98 Leicester 10th
1998/99 West Ham 5th
1999/00 Leeds 3rd
2000/01 Liverpool 3rd
2001/02 Man Utd 3rd
2002/03 Tottenham 10th
2003/04 Birmingham 10th
2004/05 Bolton 6th
2005/06 Tottenham 5th
2006/07 Portsmouth 9th
2007/08 Liverpool 4th
2008/09 Arsenal 4th
2009/10 Tottenham 4th
2010/11 Arsenal 4th
2011/12 Newcastle ?
Only four teams in that list of 20 finished out of the top six in the league, when positioned in 4th position after 7 league games, as Newcastle are now.
That’s a very good omen for Newcastle, and of course the next game against Tottenham at home on October 16th is shaping up to be very important game for the team.
A win in that game would suggest we have an excellent chance of finishing in a decent league position this season, but we’d also take a draw against Spurs too.
But we’ll not get carried away too much with Newcastle’s excellent start to the season, but the Tottennham game will be a very good test for our boys, that’s for sure.
Comments welcome.
15 comments so far
BiggMarketBoy
Oct 6, 2011 at 12:30 PM
Comment #1Ed, we don’t like facts n’ stats on this blog – those are for numpties.
(irony)
niffnoff
Oct 6, 2011 at 12:38 PM
Comment #2BiggMarketBoy this is just a copy and paste from Martin Tyler’s SS views. He’s quite good on the facts though.
Anyone know if Danny has got an england u21 cap against Iceland?
ilovetoon8788
Oct 6, 2011 at 12:40 PM
Comment #3@DJM TOON // Oct 6, 2011 at 12:09 PM
Great to know our call for Obertan to be dropped is now backed up by solid statistics. He is looking way under par and his only good game with glimpses of his ability came at Blackburn. The rest of the matches he has played very poorly.
In the game against Wolves we were constantly in the backfoot because each time we released the ball to Obertan, he runs flat into a bunch of Wolves players and loses it and we start defending again.
Obertan has to learn from Nani, how to run intelligent, penetrating runs. He has to be dropped immediately for Marveaux.
ilovetoon8788
Oct 6, 2011 at 12:40 PM
Comment #4For sure, if we can add more depth in defence in January. We have a very very good chance of getting into Europe.
BiggMarketBoy
Oct 6, 2011 at 12:41 PM
Comment #5@niffnoff : true and I sincerely hope this will be true for NUFC… wouldn’t mind seeing us ending up in the top 6. 😉
niffnoff
Oct 6, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Comment #6Obertan is a player who can rip a team apart on his day. You can’t drop him for small mistakes. ESPECIALLY against wolves who are a team that love to kick peoples shins in for fun (believe me I have friends in the academy) and they are told to be physical and not to back off from players. If anything he was lucky not to get a knock like Ba and Best did.
BiggMarketBoy
Oct 6, 2011 at 12:48 PM
Comment #7Well, I don’t know about the others but I haven’t noticed any particular mistakes on Obertan’s behalf, I just want to see Marveaux. Obertan is quick and skillful, but he IS lacking an end product at this stage and makes far too many backwards passes in my opinion. Still, he’s far better than most we’ve had recently and I think he’s a good signing.
Trent Toon
Oct 6, 2011 at 1:38 PM
Comment #8Obertan has been a key peneration player this year! i wouldnt put a gmeless marveux on. the bet is you guys would all be wanting obertan back in the side.
BiggMarketBoy
Oct 6, 2011 at 1:44 PM
Comment #9@Trent Toon: Maybe so, but we won’t know until he’s put on. 🙂
cupiddstunt
Oct 6, 2011 at 2:41 PM
Comment #10My only concern is that the fixtures have been quite kind to us and we have yet to be really tested.
Arse’n’hole are the only team from the “generally accepted” top six teams that we have played and they are showing that they are struggling for form at the moment, although we did dominate villa and they are seventh so not too bad there.
I feel that by 03.12.11 we will have a far far better idea of how we stand as by then we will have played (but for slitherpool) the top of the league and with more away games than home games so five of the top six we have yet to play and of them three are away games. Playing our “hardest” games away should really give us a good idea of where we stand as the second half of the season should theoretically be easier hence harvest more points.
Here’s hoping.
CAToon
Oct 6, 2011 at 5:57 PM
Comment #11Some great articles about Steve Harper recently. His behavior and character are symbolic of the changes that have occurred at the club. Two years ago, he was the number one keeper, now he is 2 or 3, and accepts his role and responsibilities. Does not whine or complain, but gets on with his job, which includes teaching the young players how to be professional footballers and what that responsibility means.
Troleibusiukas_LTU
Oct 6, 2011 at 6:34 PM
Comment #12obertan still needs confidence, he will turn up a very good player, but be a bit patient, we can’t dump him on the bench NOW. I think second half substitution for Marveaux, Arfa, and Santon would be OK. Also if Arfa starts, i would like to see Sammy on the pich as super sub, for at least 20 mins.
bills-son
Oct 6, 2011 at 7:02 PM
Comment #13This ‘we havn’t played a top 6 team’ stuff is not really relevant.
Anything we get off Man U, City, Chelsea, and Arsenal is a bonus – its results against the other 15 teams that will decide where we finish. And the same goes for those 15 teams as well.
The fact is we are TOP of the teams outside of the top 4 because we are getting the best results against those teams.
The press and some fans need to get real and give us proper credit.
voodoo85
Oct 6, 2011 at 10:12 PM
Comment #14it has been a good start and i worked out that if we got the exact same results as last season from now on, we would finish on 54 points and that would have gotten us 8th place last year, just behind everton on goal difference
voodoo85
Oct 6, 2011 at 10:17 PM
Comment #15and also, based on last years results – we are not due another win until we play swansea (they are the west ham of this season in comparison and we won 5-0)
Last seasons results:
vs Spurs (1-1)
vs Wigan (2-2)
vs Stoke (0-4)
vs Everton (1-2)
vs Man City (1-2)
vs Man Utd (0-3)
vs Chelsea (1-1)
vs Norwich (Blackpool) (1-1)
and i think this season, we have very good chance of bettering some of those