The opening day fixtures make good reading for Arsenal, Chelsea and Wolves

Six Premier League fixture-list related trends and statistics

1. The last five newly-promoted teams to kick their season off at home all avoided defeat, which is good news for Wolves who open against West Ham.

2. However, the last four to start away from home have all lost. That doesn’t bode well for Birmingham and Burnley, who start at Man United and Stoke.

3. Chelsea have won their opening game in each of the last seven seasons and this year they kick-off their campaign at home to Hull.

Posted: June 17th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Sunderland keep up their bid to be relegated at Portsmouth

2008-09: The season where nobody can be bothered to survive

The table above shows the average number of points each Premier League club have taken from their last 11 games, with an unprecedented seven clubs all taking less than a point a game. That includes each of the bottom five, who seem to be doing everything in their power to be relegated, while Aston Villa and Wigan are plodding along with very little left to play for.

This is a far cry from the last five seasons, where no more than four teams have averaged under a point a game from matchday 27 onwards. In the last two campaigns, first West Ham and then Fulham have produced some of their best ever form to save themselves from their certain relegation:

2006-07

Posted: May 19th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Stats for all of this weekend’s Premier League matches

For Man Utd/Arsenal stats, check out our Correct Score wizard

Baffled by Sky’s decision to broadcast a nothing match between Chelsea and Blackburn over games that will have a huge impact on the relegation battle and the race for seventh, we’ve decided to instead publish a stat for every league match taking place this weekend:

Bolton v Hull
Gary Megson’s side are unbeaten at home to sides below them in the table and have won their final league game at the Reebok in three of the last four years.

Everton v West Ham
The Toffees have lost just one of their last 13 home games in all competitions while West Ham haven’t beaten a top-six side all season.

Middlesbrough v Aston Villa

Posted: May 15th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Arsenal and Chelsea tear up the Big Four form book

Six stats about this weekend’s football

1. Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Arsenal yesterday was their first against a fellow Big Four side in the league all season, while it was the Gunners’ first loss. It also ended their 21-match league unbeaten run.

2. Arsenal lost just one home match in their first two seasons at the Emirates but they have been beaten there four times in this campaign. It was the first time since October 2002 that they have lost successive home games.

3. Hull have taken just eight points from their last 20 games, winning just once. Stoke have taken 23 over the same period and even West Brom have managed 19.

Posted: May 11th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Why Man United should win the Manchester derby

Man Utd/Man City, Sun 1.30pm, Sky Spts 1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Photo Credit: Dave Thompson/PA Wire

There are plenty of stats which suggest that an upset could be in order on Sunday. Manchester United have won just one of their last four home games against City and just five of their last 14 league clashes with them while the visitors have won three straight league games for the first time all season and have started to remember how to win away from home. But while the pro-City stats show that the bookmakers are being stingy with odds on the home win, here are five reasons why the league leaders should triumph:

1. Manchester United have won 32 of their last 36 home league games, including 15 of the last 16.

2. Manchester City haven’t won four straight top-flight matches since November 1992. On the last two occasions that they have managed three in a row they have lost the fourth. They have also gone 14 games in all competitions without a draw.

Posted: May 8th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Liverpool get another chance to go top against West Ham

WHU/Liverpool, Sat 5.30pm, Setanta Spts 1, Free Bets, Best Odds

This is the closest Liverpool have ever come to winning the Premier League and the TV schedulers seem to enjoy torturing them. Once again the Reds play before Manchester United, offering them the chance to experience being top with just two games to go, only to probably have it cruelly snatched away from them a day later. West Ham won’t be a pushover though - even if odds of 23/4 with 888sport suggest otherwise:

Key Trends

» West Ham have lost all five of their home games against teams above them in the league.

» Liverpool have the best record against top-half teams in the Premier League and haven’t lost to any of the top nine clubs.

» In only one of West Ham’s previous 13 Premier League seasons (2000-01) have they failed to beat any of the Big Four - this is their last chance to win against one of them this year.

Posted: May 8th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment