Liverpool FC Forum

by **Owzat** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:21 am

With a couple of crucial months coming up, in terms of the Premiership, I decided to look at our previous Premiership runs up to the New Year.

With the odd exception, notably 05/06 when we won all nine Premiership games in November and December, we've tended to drop too many points in those months

92/93 P7 W4 D1 L2 PTS 13 (pts/game = 1.86)
93/94 P9 W3 D4 L2 PTS 13 (pts/game = 1.44)
94/95 P10 W5 D4 L1 PTS 19 (pts/game = 1.90)
95/96 P9 W3 D3 L3 PTS 12 (pts/game = 1.33)
96/97 P11 W5 D4 L2 PTS 19 (pts/game = 1.73)
97/98 P9 W6 D1 L2 PTS 19 (pts/game = 2.11)
98/99 P9 W5 D0 L4 PTS 15 (pts/game = 1.67)
99/00 P8 W6 D1 L1 PTS 19 (pts/game = 2.38)
00/01 P9 W4 D0 L5 PTS 12 (pts/game = 1.33)
01/02 P10 W5 D3 L2 PTS 18 (pts/game = 1.80)
02/03 P10 W1 D4 L5 PTS 7 (pts/game = 0.70)
03/04 P8 W3 D3 L2 PTS 12 (pts/game = 1.50)
04/05 P10 W5 D2 L3 PTS 17 (pts/game = 1.70)
05/06 P9 W9 D0 L0 PTS 27 (pts/game = 3.00)
06/07 P11 W7 D2 L2 PTS 23 (pts/game = 2.09)
07/08 P9 W5 D2 L2 PTS 17 (pts/game = 1.89)
08/09 P2 W1 D0 L1 PTS 3 (pts/game = 1.50)

Easy to see where our title challenge went off the rails in 02/03 :veryangry

, our worst pre-New Year spell in the Premiership

2 points per game is likely to finish top four, exactly what we managed last season and finished four. 1.7 points per game is looking at Europe, 1.33 points per game is comfortably avoiding relegation and anything much under 1.1 points per game is relegation form. In the past the points for winning the title and getting into Europe were less, 76 points would have won the Premiership in 96/97. To put it into perspective, Rafa's average points per game is currently 1.91 without ever having really challenged - boosted by our current form, we're only 1/3 of the way through the season though.

You simply can't afford to drop points these days, if we want 27 wins to mount a title challenge then we have to maintain the form we're in at the moment with little opportunity to ease up. We're in very good form and yet Chelsea are still right up there with us, the mancs have a game in hand and are eight points behind having played Arsenal, Chelsea and us away from home already (one point from nine)

We've played top sides in November and December, we've played Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea 18 times in those months in the past 16 Premiership seasons - with a record of P18 W8 D3 L7.

Our Premiership records for November and December respectively are :

November : P63 W32 D11 L20 PTS 107 (pts/game 1.70, won 51%)
December : P87 W45 D23 L19 PTS 158 (pts/game 1.82, won 52%)

Winning half your games isn't good enough, around 3/4 is what you need to aim at and even at seven wins and three defeats in ten games that is 2.1 points per game

by **tubby** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:26 am

Lets just take it a game at a time. With Keane looked to have found his feet and Torres back we should be very optimistic. It's only really the Arsenal game which we need to worry about. I think we should win all our other game in the run up to xmas tbh. Or am I being too optimistic? :laugh:

by **Owzat** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:35 am

bavlondon wrote:Lets just take it a game at a time. With Keane looked to have found his feet and Torres back we should be very optimistic. It's only really the Arsenal game which we need to worry about. I think we should win all our other game in the run up to xmas tbh. Or am I being too optimistic?

We lost to Fulham, Boro, Charlton and Sunderland in the last two months of 2002, that having sat top after 12 games with nine wins and three draws. Take nothing for granted, we may have played the mancs and Arsenal in those two months, but we dropped many more points to the rest (18 out of 24) than to those two (5 out of 6)

One game at a time is right, but we need to win, win and win so we also need to look to win every game - even if we lose one or two, it's better than dropping TWENTY-SIX points to draws like we did last season

by **tubby** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:38 am

I hear what you are saying. I think we can do it to be honest. With the character we have shown up until now barring any injuries there is no reason why we cannot. We should have secured CL group qualification by now so that has now become an unwanted little thorn in the side. Im sure Rafa would have preferred to be resting players for those final group games.

by **Owzat** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:46 am

bavlondon wrote:I hear what you are saying. I think we can do it to be honest. With the character we have shown up until now barring any injuries there is no reason why we cannot. We should have secured CL group qualification by now so that has now become an unwanted little thorn in the side. Im sure Rafa would have preferred to be resting players for those final group games.

Oh absolutely. For a change us losing is now something I am taking harder than for quite some time. If we can get scoring goals and keep winning then we'll put some pressure on the rest, the thing is we need to KEEP winning because Chelsea haven't slipped up yet even if the mancs have.

And while we're winning often enough for losing to be hard to take, I'm still very wary of us falling away and the threat of the mancs - even as far behind as they are at the moment. I'm happy enough while we're top or joint top, not sure I'll be confident if we have to play catch up though.

Torres has had some 'rest', we should wrap up qualification for the next stage of the CL in the next game which is surprisingly at home (easy enough to alternate them)

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:26 pm

an anelka brace sinks rovers

this guy has been in fine form.

by **Greavesie** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:29 pm

an anelka brace sinks rovers this guy has been in fine form.

then its back over to us to win again on Saturday, early kick off right?

by **maguskwt** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:55 pm

maypaxvobiscum wrote:an anelka brace sinks rovers this guy has been in fine form.

scored with his hand for the first goal...

by **LegBarnes** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:57 pm

Yep they always get the mug refs who seems to miss there cheating ways.

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:03 pm

i still firmly believe we are gonna be closer then ever this season IF we maintain the form we are in now. there is an air of invincibility that ive not seen except in 2005 when we won the ecl.

by **Greavesie** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:05 pm

i still firmly believe we are gonna be closer then ever this season IF we maintain the form we are in now. there is an air of invincibility that ive not seen except in 2005 when we won the ecl.

I know what you mean mate I expect us to win a lot more often and comfortably than I used to.

I think the games where the top 4 play each other are gonna be crucial this year, just got to hope it goes our way. We have to keep winning, Chelsea aren't going to drop many points, the next game I think the might is aginst Arsenal on the 30th

by **Toffeehater** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 6:56 pm

When do we play arsenal?

by **tubby** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 6:59 pm

21 Dec mate (away)

by **Greavesie** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:00 pm

21st December at the Emirates

you win Bav

by **tubby** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:00 pm

Until then we got Marseille at home this week and then West Ham at home, Blackburn away and then Hull at home. To be honest based on what I saw during the Chelsea match we should take 9 points from those 3 league games.

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