"West Ham could go top" tell me how?

[Aardvark]

1739 Posts on a sport you know nothing about. Clueless

 

Stop being nasty.

[trousers]

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2549552,00.html

 

Lallana: "For us to be top at Christmas would mean needing a win on Sunday too, so that's what our intentions are."

[get_rich]

Maybe so: but yes the Prem works on goal difference first, but I am pretty certain that in the Championship, based on close run things in previous seasons, that GOALS SCORED comes before goal difference.

 

A few years back they used goals scored in the football league for a season or 2 to try and encourage more attacking play - I remember Bournemouth missing out on the playoffs because of this (quite possibly the season Jermaine Defoe played for them) - ie they had better goal difference but scored less goals.

[Village Saint]

Actually the football league from inception till the arly 1970's used goal average as the tie breaker (dividing goals scored by goals conceded).

As this favoured the defensive sides who conceded less it was changed to goal difference, a few years later the 3 points for a win was introduced too as opposed to 2both these were done to encourage more scoring and going for wins.

 

Please do not perpetuate the myth that goal average favoured defensive sides. It didn't. It was in fact completely even handed. At the top of the table where teams usually had positive goal differences, those with better defensive records did have a better goal difference often (not a bad thing some might say in terms of the QUALITY of the football encouraged) whilst at the bottom of the table where teams usually had negative goal differences of course, goal average favoured those who attacked and scored more which again some saw as morally a good thing.

[Aardvark]

A few years back they used goals scored in the football league for a season or 2 to try and encourage more attacking play - I remember Bournemouth missing out on the playoffs because of this (quite possibly the season Jermaine Defoe played for them) - ie they had better goal difference but scored less goals.

 

Fewer.

[The9]

Do they actually do that? I was under the impression the actual official Football League tables were only updated after the end of the game and after any "afters" had been sorted - much in the same way the official FIA points for Grand Prix is only published a day later after everything is checked over. The "in play" tables are only the in the minds of Sky, the BBC etc and are not 'official'.

 

Sorry for the MLG moment there...

 

Had West Ham won by 6 today I'd be using any means necessary to justify singing about being top of the league at them, what's 'official' got to do with it?

[John B]

See they're spending big in January according to BBC site, 25 players shortlisted.

 

Opposite approach to us. They really are a short term club, spend spend spend and pray it works. They should finish top, but they should have been top by miles already given their spending. I still think they'll win it, but it's no way to run a club and not good for football. It'll just mean more rebuilding in the top flight for them, more spending and more hoping they stay up to avoid future administration.

 

No doubt if we doing the same as West Ham you would be saying how great we were.

 

We did exactly what West Ham are presently doing to get out of League 1 which we achieved .

 

By the way West Ham have had loads of injuries this season