The gloomy stats that doom QPR, Burnley and Newcastle (or us)

John McCormick:
John McCormick:
reading between the lines

Lost in the deluge of post-Southampton news, anger and gallows humour, John McCormick applied a scholarly eye to the statistics he considers relevant factors in determining who goes down, who stays up. Ominously, in this update, the 8-0 defeat is seen as not only wrecking our goal difference but pushing us more obviously into the frame, on John’s interpretation of trends. He hopes and we hope he is completely wrong …

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Dodgy numbers raise the question: ‘Can we dodge the bullet?’

John McCormick:
John McCormick:
reading between the lines

Before the season started I used some dodgy stats and history to predict this season’s relegated candidates, including a couple of wildcards. From 20th place upwards they were:

QPR – Purely because a promoted team is almost certain to go down and most often it has been the playoff winner. I had to go with this, whatever the bookies said about Burnley.

Hull, on the basis that second season syndrome’s due and as two London teams have never been relegated in the same season QPR’s demise must mean Palace are safe.

Villa, on the grounds of their being the only club to have been in the bottom three for each of the last three seasons without being relegated. That’s scary stuff for a fan.

Southampton were the first wildcard, chosen because of the personnel changes and turbulence the club has experienced this year.

West Brom, because of last season’s iffy form and the way they appointed their manager, were the second.

You can read the whole post here: https://safc.blog/2014/08/good-news-for-burnley-and-leicester-our-stats-man-has-qpr-hull-city-and-aston-villa/

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Pure Poyetry across the Pennine Way: faint praise for draw at Burnley

Jake captures the Bard, with thanks to Owen Lennox
Jake captures the Bard, with thanks to Owen Lennox

John McCormick writes: This morning I was still hoping I’d get that phone call to tell me there was a spare ticket. I was ready for a last minute rush but I’d have got there. Was I lucky or not? Even our esteemed manager accepts it wasn’t the best game in this, the post match e-mail he sends to our equally esteemed editor and maybe one or two others …

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Sixer’s Sevens: Burnley 0 Sunderland 0. A game to forget but bravo Durham

Jake: 'Sixer does it in seven words, no more, no less - unless he miscounts'
Jake: ‘Sixer does it in seven words, no more, no less – unless he miscounts’

This is the place where, game after game and ahead of his more considered view, Pete Sixsmith sums up the play in just seven words. Today took him to Turf Moor; at half time he probably wished he’d gone to see Durham win the one-day final Lords, announcing to the world: ‘Seen more threat at a pacifist meeting.’ Maybe he hoped for the rest of the afternoon off. The second had more thrills, with the woodwork seeing action at both ends, but Sunderland remained unconvincing enough for Sixer to see the event as a great advertisement for the alternative attractions of cricket or Rugby League …

Jake: 'firing blanks'
Jake: ‘firing blanks’

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Striking out for victory at Burnley

Jake: bBack to scoring ways?'
Jake: bBack to scoring ways?’

What sort of team will Gus Poyet send out at Turf Moor? If we are at last to start winning, where will our goal or goals come from?

The summer transfer dealings brought in no new strikers but left us, for now with the three we already had. I raised the question of our attacking options in a preview for ESPN.

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Burnley Who are You? Can ‘one-footed Fletcher’ torment old man Duff

Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

“The town is the club the club is the town” – that is Aaron Wright*‘s grand description of Burnley. Yet he’s from the other side of the Pennines and is the first in his family to support the club. All the same, he is passionate, knowledgeable, opinionated and just 17. Wasn’t too keen on Steven Fletcher and was unimpressed by Ryan Noble but hails Gus Poyet as a miracle worker …

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Bill Cowell already has an OBE. Now he’s Guessed a Sunderland Score

Let us introduce you to our Guess the Score sponsors
http://www.personalisedfootballgifts.co.uk/sunderland/sunderland-gifts

Burnley away and another chance to Guess the Score will come soon enough. But first, let’s hear about a winner, a supporter whose mother moved south but had the good sense and exceptional style to go back to her native Sunderland to give birth to each of her children …

Bill Cowell is one of this site’s more regular visitors and, via the Comments, contributors. He has been watching Sunderland since, wait for it, the late 1940s. It is fitting that he should have won the first sponsored instalment of the Guess the Score feature.

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Burnley and Leicester saved: our stats man has QPR, Hull City, Aston Villa doomed

John McCormick:
John McCormick: History. Is it all bunk?

This is the latest of John McCormick‘s occasional delve into statistics and logic to weigh up relegation prospects – one day he’ll feel, as Sunderland fan, it’s worth a look at the other end of the table. It has already had an airing and attracted comment from SAFC fans. But what do supporters of the clubs he fears may be doomed think? Is his choice of Hull and Villa harsh, QPR’s inclusion at odds with ‘Arry’s famed powers of survival when given a full season, Sunderland’s exclusion over-optimistic? Have your say …

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