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The typical Football League game is a 1.3-1.3 draw....



RexCathedra

Aurea Mediocritas
Jan 14, 2005
3,498
Vacationland
The average number of goals per game, all levels, is 2.6, down from 4.5 goals in 1890.

Thought the strikers get all the money, and the attention, this is the golden age of defense. In fact, the reason why the strikers get all the money, and the attention, is that this is the golden age of defense. There are so few goals, despite banning the backpass, and changing the offside rule, and the three-point win, that anyone who's even slightly more likely to score than a mere replacement-level striker is a millionaire.

Thought this was interesting.... The Great Levelling: Why soccer teams score fewer goals than they did 100 years ago.
 


Mo Gosfield

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2010
6,276
I honestly believe that the change in our football came about with Alf Ramsey moving away from the rigid ' W ' formation favoured by Walter Winterbottom and adopting a more fluid approach. He started the 1966 tournament with conventional wingers but eventually abandoned them for one wide man ( Ball ) who was flexible anyway.
The early 1960's was awash with goals. In 1961, England scored something like 40 goals in six successive games, including 9-3 v Scotland, 9-0 v Luxembourg and 8-0 v Mexico. Teams were regularly scoring over 100 goals per season ( BHA 1964-5 ) and if a striker didn't have a one in two ratio, it was considered he had had a disappointing season. In the 64-5 season, our five front men ( including two wingers ) all got double figures.
The Italians infamous ' catenaccio ' style of stifling the opposition that rose to prominence in the 60's also played its part in seeing goals start to dry up.
 


RexCathedra

Aurea Mediocritas
Jan 14, 2005
3,498
Vacationland
I'm sure the doomed, but never-ending hunt for the 20-goal striker has something to do with atavistic memories of that era.

It's actually twice the accomplishment that many of us 50+ think it is, when we don't think, if you know what I mean. Or there's half as many forwards out there who can pull it off.... Or both.
 



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