by joko » Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:35 am
from skysports
RAFA'S WOES ON THE ROAD
Dear Martin, I am a big fan of yours from Kuwait. I really do enjoy listening to your commentary on matches, even if it’s a boring goalless match you add to it your own spices to make it interesting to watch. I also read your column regularly and want to thank you for the hard work you and your team put in to provide us with such valuable and interesting stats. I am big Liverpool fan, and it is miserable to watch their abysmal away form especially after losing to Arsenal. I have two questions for you, first, is this the worst away record they've had since the start of the Premiership or even ever? Secondly, when is the last time they have beaten all of the big three teams (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) away from home in the same season, if it has ever happened? Regards, Mohamed Zamzam
MARTIN SAYS: It never ceases to amaze me the weird and wonderful places we attract readers from, so it is always a pleasure to answer one from overseas Mohamed - especially won so pertinent. It has meant a lot of thumbing back through the record books, but I do have the answer to both your Liverpool queries. First of all I can tell you that is infact Liverpool's worst away start in the Premiership and indeed their worst away start for 52 years. Back then Don Welsh's side lost their first six games of the Division Two season in 1954-55, going down to Plymouth Argyle, Derby County, Bristol Rovers, Blackburn, Swansea and Stoke City, before drawing at Lincoln City on October 30. Of course, defeat at Middlesbrough this weekend would see Rafa Benitez's side equal that with six straight defeats away from Anfield, but in terms of not winning an away game that 1954-55 season will take some beating - they did not pick up a win for the opening 12 games of the season. As far as the Premiership is concerned, it took them seven games to record an away win in the 1992-93 season under Graeme Souness.
The second part of your question is another that had me and my website researchers and the ever-reliable Sky Sports stats team scratching our heads and scouring through the record books once again, Mohamed. But as always, we don't like to let you down and I can tell you that in fact Liverpool have NEVER beaten Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea away in the same league season. Of course, they have not played those teams every season, but the best they have managed is two have beaten two of the three you mention, in the Premiership and before that. In 2003-04, they won 1-0 at Old Trafford and 1-0 at Stamford Bridge under Gerard Houllier, but were unable to complete the holy trinity thanks to a 4-2 defeat at Highbury - which down the years has in fact been their happiest hunting ground of the the three.