The world’s ultimate Second Season Syndrome sufferer has been affected again

Norwich sack Glenn Roeder after things go wrong in season two

Glenn Roeder is a manager who divides opinion. His supporters point to the fact he took both West Ham and Newcastle into the top seven during his first season with each as proof of his ability but the doubters will quickly point out that things turned sour after that.

The term Second Season Syndrome is commonly used to refer to teams like Ipswich and Reading who overachieved in their first Premier League season only to struggle the next but if the downturn was to be renamed in one man’s honour, it would almost certainly become known as Glenn Roeder Syndrome, as shown by the fortunes of his last three clubs:

West Ham

Season One:

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

Stats for all of tonight’s FA Cup games (Part Two)

The games at Histon, Leyton Orient, Norwich and Peterborough

Photo Credit: Chris Radburn/PA Wire

chickendinner have already told you why we think that Bristol City will eliminate Portsmouth but here are a few stats to help you bet on the other eight games taking place tonight:

Histon v Swansea
The Welsh side will feel like proving a point after the Histon players reacted underwhelming to being drawn against them in the third round. Histon haven’t lost at home in the league or FA Cup since August while Swansea are unbeaten in nine. However, at this stage last year Swansea were eliminated by non-league side, Havant and Waterlooville.

Leyton Orient v Sheffield United
Leyton Orient are winless in six while Sheffield United are unbeaten over the same number of games so an away win appears the most likely outcome. Another impressive statistic in the Yorkshire side’s favour is that they are unbeaten in seven away games since losing to their rivals Sheffield Wednesday while Orient have won just one of their last ten at home.

Norwich v Charlton (replay)

Posted: January 13th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Why being top at Christmas is a bad omen for Liverpool

There’s some good festive news for Aston Villa fans though!

Liverpool fans must be wondering whether being top of the league at Christmas is a good omen. They may look upon the fact that three of the last four teams to have led the way on December 25 have gone on to lift the title as a positive sign but it is two exceptions to the rule - Manchester United and Chelsea -  who have benefitted from a Yuletide advantage in those campaigns.

There have been nine seasons where a club other than Manchester United and Chelsea have topped the table at Christmas and on eight of those occasions that team have failed to win the league. The only exception was Blackburn in 1994-95 when they kept hold of the top spot from late November all the way through to the end of the season.

As our table below shows, the last time Liverpool were top at Christmas, they ended up finishing fourth. It also shows that on four of the nine occasions the team has finished the season in third and on three occasions fourth or lower, while just twice have they ended the season in second:

Posted: December 24th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

The bottom three may be cast adrift by Watford tonight

Things will get even worse for Charlton and co if Norwich lose

Even though there are only two matches being played tonight in the Championship, both could prove pretty significant. Here are a few statistics about both fixtures:

Watford v Norwich
Fans of Doncaster, Nottingham Forest and Charlton will be hoping for a draw here when two of the three sides just above the bottom three collide at Vicarage Road. However, the stats suggest that Brendan Rodgers may pick up his first victory since taking charge of the Hornets. Watford are unbeaten in four meetings with Norwich, winning three of them and while Norwich won the “Old Farm” derby at the weekend, they have won consecutive Championship games just once since February and haven’t won away in London since April 2004. 888sport offer 23/10 on a home win.

Ipswich v Bristol City

Posted: December 10th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment