[Albion] Albion vs the bottom three (every PL season)

[A1X]

After some of the reactions on here since Saturday, thought it might be interesting to compare our performance this season against (what almost certainly will be) the bottom three with those in previous PL campaigns.

2024/25
Albion 2 - 2 Leicester / Leicester 2 - 2 Albion
Albion 1 - 1 Southampton / Southampton 0 - 4 Albion
Albion 0 - 0 Ipswich / Ipswich 0 - 2 Albion

P6 W2 D4 L0
Points - 10/18
For - 11
Against - 5
GD - +6


2023/24
Albion 4 - 1 Luton / Luton 4 - 0 Albion
Albion 1 - 1 Sheff Utd / Sheff Utd 0 - 5 Albion
Albion 0 - 0 Burnley / Burnley 1 - 1 Albion

P6 W2 D3 L1
Points - 9/18
For - 11
Against - 7
GD - +4


2022/23
Albion 5 - 2 Leicester / Leicester 2 - 2 Albion
Albion 3 - 1 Southampton / Southampton 1 - 3 Albion
Albion 1 - 0 Leeds / Leeds 2 - 2 Albion

P6 W4 D2 L0
Points - 14/18
For - 16
Against - 8
GD - +8


2021/22
Albion 0 - 3 Burnley / Burnley 0 - 3 Albion
Albion 2 - 0 Watford / Watford 0 - 2 Albion
Albion 0 - 0 Norwich / Norwich 0 - 0 Albion

P6 W2 D3 L1
Points - 9/18
For - 7
Against - 3
GD - +4


2020/21
Albion 0 - 0 Fulham / Fulham 0 - 0 Albion
Albion 1 - 1 Sheff Utd / Sheff Utd 1 - 0 Albion
Albion 0 - 0 WBA / WBA 1 - 0 Albion

P6 W0 D4 L2
Points - 4/18
For - 1
Against - 3
GD - -2


2019/20
Albion 2 - 0 Bournemouth / Bournemouth 3 - 1 Albion
Albion 1 - 1 Watford / Watford 0 - 3 Albion
Albion 2 - 0 Norwich / Norwich 0 - 1 Albion

P6 W3 D2 L1
Points - 11/18
For - 10
Against - 4
GD - +6


2018/19
Albion 0 - 2 Cardiff / Cardiff 2 - 1 Albion
Albion 2 - 2 Fulham / Fulham 4 - 2 Albion
Albion 1 - 0 Huddersfield / Huddersfield 1 - 2 Albion

P6 W2 D1 L3
Points - 7/18
For - 8
Against - 11
GD - -3


2017/18
Albion 4 - 1 Swansea / Swansea 0 - 1 Albion
Albion 2 - 2 Stoke / Stoke 1 - 1 Albion
Albion 3 - 1 WBA / WBA 2 - 0 Albion

P6 W3 D2 L1
Points - 11/18
For - 11
Against - 7
GD - +4

So with the exception of one standout year (2022/23, quelle surprise), one below par year (2018/19) and one horror show (2020/21) we’ve consistently picked up 9 / 10 / 11 points from the bottom three every season. Two unbeaten seasons, of which this is one, and only one winless. This is our joint second highest GD, again behind only 22/23.

A lack of progress? Maybe. But to put it down to one factor (e.g. the manager) overlooks a more general lack of progress in this area even as we have steadily improved during our time in the league.

 

[Weststander]

2020/21

 

[Eeyore]

20/21 was a weird year due to Covid. Many teams saw away and home results reversed.

 

[brighton_tom]

Would be interested to know the same stats for say Fulham, Bournemouth, Brentford, Palace, as a comparison.

 

[A1X]

2020/21

Imagine how awful the atmospheres would have been had we been allowed to actually go

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Very good research.

If you do the same for mid table sides, and top 3 sides, we may be able to see how well we are doing.

Oh, hang on....

 

[Weststander]

Would be interested to know the same stats for say Fulham, Bournemouth, Brentford, Palace, as a comparison.

And Arsenal …. the perennial flat track bullies.

 

[Pevenseagull]

As an aside Man U have 16 points from 6 games against the bottom 3 and 22 points from the other 26 games.

Which is a thing.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

This season, a decent but not spectacular Liverpool have been slightly better than every team they have played on almost every occasion.
And they romp the league.

Next season they won't.

Football is a funny old game, with all sorts of strange patterns,
and anyone who can triumph season after season....
has breached football finance fair play rules.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[Zeberdi]

After some of the reactions on here since Saturday, thought it might be interesting to compare our performance this season against (what almost certainly will be) the bottom three with those in previous PL campaigns.

2024/25
Albion 2 - 2 Leicester / Leicester 2 - 2 Albion
Albion 1 - 1 Southampton / Southampton 0 - 4 Albion
Albion 0 - 0 Ipswich / Ipswich 0 - 2 Albion

P6 W2 D4 L0
Points - 10/18
For - 11
Against - 5
GD - +6


2023/24
Albion 4 - 1 Luton / Luton 4 - 0 Albion
Albion 1 - 1 Sheff Utd / Sheff Utd 0 - 5 Albion
Albion 0 - 0 Burnley / Burnley 1 - 1 Albion

P6 W2 D3 L1
Points - 9/18
For - 11
Against - 7
GD - +4


2022/23
Albion 5 - 2 Leicester / Leicester 2 - 2 Albion
Albion 3 - 1 Southampton / Southampton 1 - 3 Albion
Albion 1 - 0 Leeds / Leeds 2 - 2 Albion

P6 W4 D2 L0
Points - 14/18
For - 16
Against - 8
GD - +8


2021/22
Albion 0 - 3 Burnley / Burnley 0 - 3 Albion
Albion 2 - 0 Watford / Watford 0 - 2 Albion
Albion 0 - 0 Norwich / Norwich 0 - 0 Albion

P6 W2 D3 L1
Points - 9/18
For - 7
Against - 3
GD - +4


2020/21
Albion 0 - 0 Fulham / Fulham 0 - 0 Albion
Albion 1 - 1 Sheff Utd / Sheff Utd 1 - 0 Albion
Albion 0 - 0 WBA / WBA 1 - 0 Albion

P6 W0 D4 L2
Points - 4/18
For - 1
Against - 3
GD - -2


2019/20
Albion 2 - 0 Bournemouth / Bournemouth 3 - 1 Albion
Albion 1 - 1 Watford / Watford 0 - 3 Albion
Albion 2 - 0 Norwich / Norwich 0 - 1 Albion

P6 W3 D2 L1
Points - 11/18
For - 10
Against - 4
GD - +6


2018/19
Albion 0 - 2 Cardiff / Cardiff 2 - 1 Albion
Albion 2 - 2 Fulham / Fulham 4 - 2 Albion
Albion 1 - 0 Huddersfield / Huddersfield 1 - 2 Albion

P6 W2 D1 L3
Points - 7/18
For - 8
Against - 11
GD - -3


2017/18
Albion 4 - 1 Swansea / Swansea 0 - 1 Albion
Albion 2 - 2 Stoke / Stoke 1 - 1 Albion
Albion 3 - 1 WBA / WBA 2 - 0 Albion

P6 W3 D2 L1
Points - 11/18
For - 11
Against - 7
GD - +4

So with the exception of one standout year (2022/23, quelle surprise), one below par year (2018/19) and one horror show (2020/21) we’ve consistently picked up 9 / 10 / 11 points from the bottom three every season. Two unbeaten seasons, of which this is one, and only one winless. This is our joint second highest GD, again behind only 22/23.

A lack of progress? Maybe. But to put it down to one factor (e.g. the manager) overlooks a more general lack of progress in this area even as we have steadily improved during our time in the league.

Well done - good collation.

A quick glance at that suggests to me that with a few exceptions, we have consistently fared better away to these bottom teams than at home, with 2017/18 being an outlier when we performed consistently better/or drew in our home games.

Is that something that rings true for all opposition clubs in these same seasons or just those at the bottom end of the table? (Sorry don’t have the energy to plough through the results data for the past decade!)

If not, I wonder if that’s more about the home tactics of bottom table teams that are less likely to sit in low blocks in front of home crowds. (Something we have always struggled to deal with)

 

[Justice]

20/21 was a weird year due to Covid. Many teams saw away and home results reversed.

Atmosphere was shocking to. All those cardboard cut outs never got a song going.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Top statting @A1X
Love this sort of analysis - tells a story ....

 

[Albion my Albion]

Atmosphere was shocking to. All those cardboard cut outs never got a song going.

Mostly stiff and bored.

That is when I learned Sussex By The Sea so at least I would hear it during the matches.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Great statting @A1X

a couple of things spring to mind.

1) I wonder what other clubs record against the bottom 3 is. It feels like we're not great. Getting 9/10/11 points against the relegated 3 doesn't seem that impressive but it might be fairly average or even quite good.

2) Our season and the narrative around it would be markedly different if we hadn't thrown away wins against Leicester twice and Saints. These 6 points we lost would have had us right in the mix for Champions league and would have put us on the verge of European qualification already. Any rumblings of discontent would be pretty much non existent in that scenario.

 

[The Optimist]

In the 22/23 season Potter was in charge for 2 wins against the bottom 3 so RDZ’s record in that season was 2 wins 2 draws 0 defeats and 8/12.

By manager the overall records are:

Hughton
P12 W5 D3 L4 18/36. 1.5 ppg

Potter
P20 W7 D9 L4 30/60. 1.5 ppg

RDZ
P10 W4 D5 L1 17/30. 1.7 ppg

Hurzeler
P6 W2 D4 L0. 10/18. 1.67 ppg

 

[Eeyore]

Atmosphere was shocking to. All those cardboard cut outs never got a song going.

And the players weren't too keen when Bin Laden and Jimmy Saville were turning up either.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I keep seeing ‘We should be beating teams like’. Sense of entitlement?

 

[BBassic]

I keep seeing ‘We should be beating teams like’. Sense of entitlement?

There is a whiff of "Teams Like..." about it all, and I'm probably guilty of it if I'm being honest.

I'd just like to go into those games with a sense of confidence rather than a sinking feeling we're going to give a team in terrible form their best day out of the season.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

There is a whiff of "Teams Like..." about it all, and I'm probably guilty of it if I'm being honest.

I'd just like to go into those games with a sense of confidence rather than a sinking feeling we're going to give a team in terrible form their best day out of the season.

If fans were confident of games they ‘should’ win, bookies would go out of business.
Every game has fine margins, and sometimes an element of luck, like deflections.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I think it's particular galling this season with the worst bottom 3 ever and us putting in dreadful performances against all 3. Worse, all of them carried that air of complete predictability with games characterised by a slow start, lackadasical finishing, a coughing up high quality chances to sides who have barely scored all season.

Especially given the results we've had against some of the higher teams, and where the extra 6 points would put us in the race for Europe, this has been one frustrating season.