This article was written before the 3-0 away win at Walsall.
A few weeks ago I looked back to compare last seasons table to this seasons, this highlighted that those teams whom got promoted or relegated were not the teams holding those top positions after 4 games in. I remember sitting there watching us lose to the likes of Tranmere and Port Vale, thinking okay we are playing well but just that we have no striker to apply the finishing touch and grab the goals - up steppeded Mr. Porter who duly grabbed himself the goals and the Latics climbed the table until we were top of the tree.
So this season expectations were high, with a glut of new signings which on paper vastly improved the team in terms of depth and quality in all positions - but we find ourselves at the foot of the table even behind Leeds. So I thought I would revisit last seasons table once more a few games on to see how things were then - much to my surprise I found that things are very similar to last season.
Season 06/07 | HOME | AWAY | ||||||||||||
Name | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
1 | Nottm Forest | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 16 |
2 | Tranmere | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 13 |
3 | Port Vale | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
4 | Brentford | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
5 | Bradford City | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
6 | Cheltenham | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
7 | Yeovil Town | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
8 | Bristol City | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
9 | Carlisle | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
10 | Huddersfield | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
11 | Swansea City | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
12 | Crewe | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
13 | Bournemouth | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -2 | 8 |
14 | Chesterfield | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
15 | Northampton | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | -2 | 7 |
16 | Brighton | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 7 |
17 | Scunthorpe | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
18 | Leyton Orient | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | -6 | 6 |
19 | Doncaster | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 5 |
20 | Blackpool | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | -2 | 5 |
21 | Millwall | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -6 | 5 |
22 | Oldham | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 4 |
23 | Gillingham | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -5 | 4 |
24 | Rotherham | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -3 | -3 |
So we may be two places worse off this season compared to last season, we are one point worse off than last season but we have played one game less due to the Forest game being postponed. So all in all we can see that nothing has changed from last season. We are in a very similar position and we have a lot of new players adjusting to each others game. It just needs someone to start banging the goals in.
In looking at the League One table as a whole the comparisons are scarily similar
HOME | AWAY | ||||||||||||
Name | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
Leyton Orient | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 16 |
Tranmere | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 13 |
Hartlepool | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
Swansea City | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
Carlisle | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
Yeovil Town | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
Brighton | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
Southend | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
Bristol Rovers | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | -1 | 9 |
Huddersfield | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -2 | 9 |
Crewe | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 8 |
Swindon Town | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
Cheltenham | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 7 |
Doncaster | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -1 | 7 |
Nottm Forest | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Northampton | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
Luton Town | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -1 | 6 |
Gillingham | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 6 |
Bournemouth | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 5 |
Walsall | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 5 |
Port Vale | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 5 |
Millwall | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -5 | 4 |
Leeds United | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 3 |
Oldham | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -5 | 3 |
Tranmere are second on the same points and as we all know they will fall down the table once again; Millwall and Oldham are in the bottom 4 and both teams are much better than those positions. Yeovil are riding high once more, Huddersfield are 10th and some of the pre-season favourites for promotion are in the leagues lower reaches (Doncaster (again); Luton and Forest).
So lets lift the despondency as this time last season the next few games we went on to beat Scunthorpe (Home), Notts Forest (Away), Gillingham and Rotherham (Home) plus points with away draws at Blackpool and Bristol City.
So we have the delights of Walsall, Cheltenham and Huddersfield all away and at home games against Crewe, Leeds and Swindon.
Like last season we are still awaiting Mr Sheridan to settle on his best first 11; though at least this season we have a number of strikers to choose from in the hope of grabbing goals rather than relying on Maheta Malongo.
So before you start to think the worst and be all doom and gloom, reflect back to last season and think of those glorious results that took us to the top of the table. Lets hope history repeats itself and we get more superb results and get back to the top of the table and this time stay there.
Keep the Faith