15 Apr 2025 10:50:36
This "it's a poor league this season" nonsense has to stop.
The 76 points we have now would have seen us top at this same stage in all bar one season since 2020. And in that one we'd only be 1 point off top.
The way so many other teams, Forest, Newcastle, Villa, Bournemouth etc, are so much more competetive this season surely makes our position all the more impressive, not less?
If watching 1 or 2 teams batter everyone else 5-0 every week is what makes a "good" season, we'd all better start watching Ligue 1.
15 Apr 2025 11:36:32
It’s opposition fabs saying it mate. Take it with a pinch of salt. It doesn’t actually have any bearing on us celebrating the league.
It’s like us saying 115 is the only reason City won their titles or Fergie time and Howard Webb was Utds reason.
The record books and history just show the title winners.
15 Apr 2025 11:46:39
I think it’s more that we have been poor in so many games. If we had been blowing teams away we wouldn’t have the narrative. Problem is we are poor for large parts of games and have dropped points at crucial times when Arsenal have also dropped points and still no one has been able to catch us. We are very much crawling to the line - not that I am complaining but in all fairness this league win doesn’t feel like it did up until Xmas when we were playing good football.
15 Apr 2025 12:31:20
Could still end up with 94 points, isn't that higher than any of Fergie's points hauls? But yeh, were on our last legs alrite.
15 Apr 2025 12:34:08
End of the day, people will make up their own mind and most likely will rely on their own thoughts as evidence. that's algoods tho, cos hearts and minds is important in football aye!
I had a little dive into the numbers and think this is pretty interesting.
I averaged the points won for each position on the table after 32 games since the 2010/ 2011 season and compared to this season. Just picked that season as a starting point as it's when FSG bought in. There's a lot to unpack but I think these are the key ones for this debate:
1.
average points won by the top 5 clubs after 32 games is 3.8 points LESS this season
2.
Our current total of 76 is right on average for the leading club at this stage of the season (76 vs 76.64)
3.
average points won by clubs 2-5 after 32 games are 4.50 points LESS this season
4.
average points won by clubs 6-10 are 3.46 MORE this season
5.
average points won by clubs 11-17 are 3.27 MORE this season
6.
average points won by clubs in 18-20 are 8.50 LESS this season
7.
median points won by all clubs at this stage of season is 4.50 MORE this season
Up to the individual how you want to slice the numbers.
For me - and this is without analyzing each individual result - it shows the depth of clubs that are competitive this season.
The supposed drop-off of the big clubs can be explained by improvement in the teams below them. And I thought this is something we pride ourselves about the Premier League?
If you want to take the position that the likes of City and Arsenal have been poor, hence allowing Liverpool to walk to the title, it really is countered by the reality that if that were to have been the case, then the average points won by the rest of the league would be lower and hence we have an overall less competitive league.
So which one is it?
Another final interesting stat I thought is that the average point gap from 1st place to the other clubs in top 4 since 2010/ 11:
1st to 2nd = 7
1st to 3rd = 13.64
1st to 4th = 16.93
Only 5 times has the lead been less than one 3 points since 2010. The other 9 seasons - the gaps have been comfortably 6 points or more.
the moral? Fans' feelings will always drive their reality but at the end of the day - the cream always rises to the top.
15 Apr 2025 12:50:40
It’s frustrating to hear our success being pinned solely on the struggles of Arsenal and City, as if we haven’t had our own share of challenges? People seem to forget we've had to adjust to a new manager, implement new tactics, work with a fresh coaching setup and all of this without any meaningful investment in the transfer window. In spite of that, we've been the most consistent and dominant team in the league by a clear margin.
The idea that we're only on top because others faltered completely overlooks the quality, resilience, and belief we've shown all season. Let’s call it what it is - jealousy, plain and simple.
15 Apr 2025 13:13:17
It's called jealousy lads and wouldn't let it bother ye.
15 Apr 2025 13:16:01
Exactly Salah. Our injury issues are up there with everyone else especially so when you consider the problems Allison has had this season - missing possibly the best in his position in the world for so many games whilst continuing a romp to the league title shouldn’t be underestimated. Add in our lack of a goal scoring striker and injuries at right back, we’ve had as much ‘adversity’ as every other team.
15 Apr 2025 14:04:24
So what if we aren't blowing teams away every game? Could it be that the rest of the premier league is actually much better than they have been in the past, coupled with the fact that slot is still finding his feet, new to the title race and anxious that we don't slip up from such an excellent position, hence exercising a disproportionate amount of caution? We have been nervous at times in games because all the pressure is on us to win this title, and the teams we are playing are no chumps to begin with.
The fact of the matter is that despite all the issues people have to complain about we've scored the most goals, let in the second least goals, and are leading by a comfortable margin, we have found a way to win pretty much every time we have been up against it, and as slot said there are but one or two games that we have not deserved to win of the games we took three points from. That is the mark of champions, not steamrolling teams every week. I find it bizarre that people say we don't deserve all the praise for being in this position, when we are by far the most deserving of any of the 20 teams.
Watch them say that we'll end up outside the top 4 next year, we love being written off by everyone and we'll prove them wrong again .
15 Apr 2025 14:16:55
We've won't the league having replaced a legend with an unknown from a farmers league. That unknown then had an interrupted pre-season with his players while spending next to nothing on HIS signings. Let our rivals hang on to these little digs, they're either in denial or totally rubbishting themselves at what Arne will do next season having got his feet under the table and a loada nice signings to make us even more relentless.
15 Apr 2025 15:55:02
Playing poorly and winning is a very good trait.
Or do we want to be The Entertainers like Keegan's Newcastle?
I'm quite partial to a celebration, so winning comes first.
15 Apr 2025 17:54:32
A few other posters have made my original point better than I did, thank you. And glad to see most are of a similar opinion.
I'd get the "we're only top because everyone else is rubbish" point of view if we were sat on about 64 points. As statistically it's rare to be top on that few points. But as I said, with 76 points we'd still be top in most other seasons, so it's a completely invalid argument.
Also, supposedly the Premier League is the best because "anyone can beat anyone". Now that's happening it's suddenly a poor league? Give it a rest.
I for one will be at that parade, celebrating only the second league title I've been old enough to remember, with all the joy and pride such a fantastic achievement deserves.