' WHY CITY ARE NOT IN THE PLAY OFFS '

' CITY'S FAILURE AGAINST BOTTOM 8 TEAMS '

I was keen to look at City's results over the season and study where points have been lost, I decided to break the table down into three sections, top 8, middle 8 and bottom 8, with there being 24 teams in the championship.

City's best return of points has come against those in the middle 8 section but our Achilles heel this season has been the number of points dropped agains the lowest teams in the division, we have won less than half of the games against the weakest teams in the league and missed out on 21 points as a result, drawing as many as we won.

If City fail to make the play offs this season, I think that Russell Slade will look at the points dropped against the bottom 8 as the main reason for our failure.

We have a lower points return against the Top 8 than the Bottom 8 but City fans would have hoped to see a greater points haul against the struggling teams than we have gained.

The results below are against teams by their current league position.



RESULTS/POINTS VERSUS TOP 8 TEAMS ( CITY ARE THE EIGHTH TEAM )

Cardiff City 2 Burnley 2
Burnley 0 Cardiff City 0

Cardiff City 1 Middlesbrough 0
Middlesbrough 3 Cardiff City 1

Brighton 1 Cardiff City 1
Cardiff City 4 Brighton 1

Cardiff City 0 Hull City 2
Hull City 2 Cardiff City 0

Derby County 2 Cardiff City 0
Cardiff City 2 Derby County 1

Cardiff City 2 Sheffield Wednesday 2

Ipswich Town 0 Cardiff City 0
Cardiff City 1 Ipswich Town 0

PLAYED 13 GAMES - 17 POINTS FROM POSSIBLE 39 (PLD 13, W 4, D 5, L 4)

POINTS AVG. V Top 8 teams = 1.31 points per game



RESULTS/POINTS VERSUS MIDDLE 8 TEAMS

Birmingham City 1 Cardiff City 0

Preston North End 0 Cardiff City 0
Cardiff City 2 Preston North End 1

Queens Park Rangers 2 Cardiff City 2

Cardiff City 2 Wolves 0
Wolves 1 Cardiff City 3

Cardiff City 3 Brentford 2

Cardiff City 2 Reading 0
Reading 1 Cardiff City 1

Leeds United 1 Cardiff City 0
Cardiff City 0 Leeds United 2

Blackburn Rovers 1 Cardiff City 1
Cardiff City 1 Blackburn Rovers 0

PLAYED 13 GAMES - 22 POINTS FROM POSSIBLE 39 (PLD 13, W 6, D 4, L 3)

POINTS AVG. Versus Middle 8 teams = 1.69 points per game



RESULTS/POINTS VERSUS BOTTOM 8 TEAMS

Cardiff City 1 Fulham 1
Fulham 2 Cardiff City 1

Cardiff City 0 Bristol City 0
Bristol City 0 Cardiff City 2

Cardiff City 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Huddersfield Town 2 Cardiff City 3

Nottingham Forest 1 Cardiff City 2
Cardiff City 1 Nottingham Forest 1

Rotherham United 2 Cardiff City 1
Cardiff City 2 Rotherham United 2

MK Dons 2 Cardiff City 1
Cardiff City 0 MK Dons 0

Cardiff City 2 Charlton Athletic 1
Charlton Athletic 0 Cardiff City 0

Bolton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 3

PLAYED 15 GAMES - 24 POINTS FROM POSSIBLE 45 (PLD 15, W 6, D 6, L 3)

POINTS AVG. Versus Bottom 8 teams = 1.6 points per game



TOP 8 TEAM TO PLAY

Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff City


MIDDLE 8 TEAMS TO PLAY

Cardiff City Queens Park Rangers
Brentford v Cardiff City
Cardiff City v Birmingham City

BOTTOM 8 TEAM TO PLAY

Cardiff City v Bolton Wanderers




SEASON TOTAL

PLAYED 41 GAMES - 63 POINTS FROM POSSIBLE 123 (PLD 41, W 16, D 15, L 10)

POINTS AVG. V All teams = 1.53 points per game

Very interesting stats Carl.

We can only speculate as to why we seem to struggle against teams at the bottom of the table.

It's always been like that though it seems. Even in our promotion season Peterborough did the double over us and they were relegated!

Very interesting stats Carl.

We can only speculate as to why we seem to struggle against teams at the bottom of the table.

It's always been like that though it seems. Even in our promotion season Peterborough did the double over us and they were relegated!

Maybe I will do exactly the same scenario for our Championship winning season to see what the points average was against each section of eight in that season.

If our best points average of 1.69 against the middle 8 teams was replicated over all 46 games we would end up with 78 points.

We would currently be on 69 points.

Very interesting stats Carl.

We can only speculate as to why we seem to struggle against teams at the bottom of the table.

It's always been like that though it seems. Even in our promotion season Peterborough did the double over us and they were relegated!

We don't like physical football...and that's the type the bottom teams play..

Don't know if it's me ,but looking at those stats ,it looks more like we do worse against the top 8 sides ,going by points averages

Well no hope against Bolton in a couple of weeks then, as relegated and not won away all season!!

1.6 average against bottom 8, 1.3 average against top 8, think you need a bit of coaching on your maths. lol

So we should pick up 8pts from our last 5 games, adding up the averages. 3x1.69+1.31+1.6.

We play well if the team come to beat us, bottom sides that come to defend find we haven't the strikers to cause them problems unless its a set play. If they defend set plays well, we struggle to score.

I would love to know the ratio of set play vs open over the last 4 seasons since Bothroyd and Chops left. It started with Malky, but the excecution was systematic, cold,relentless and almost joyless (except pissing the league).

Our highest goal scorer has 8 goals !!!!!

Wednesday's third highest goal scorer has the same with another two with 11 & 14.

Well no hope against Bolton in a couple of weeks then, as relegated and not won away all season!!

That looks like the trickiest game , but on the upside we have to play 3 from mid table where we seem to do best

1.6 average against bottom 8, 1.3 average against top 8, think you need a bit of coaching on your maths. lol

Nothing wrong with my maths.

It shows and proves we don't do as well as you would expect of a return against teams near the bottom of the league.

I didn't realise I had said our return against the top 8 was a better average than against the bottom 8, that's because I didn't !!

I would have expected to see a higher return than 1.6 as an average points return against teams who will be relegated or just managing to stay up.

Don't know if it's me ,but looking at those stats ,it looks more like we do worse against the top 8 sides ,going by points averages

Don't know if it's me but you seemed to have missed the point.

Our points return against teams in the bottom 8, of which 3 will be relegated, is not good enough at 1.6 per game.

Don't know if it's me ,but looking at those stats ,it looks more like we do worse against the top 8 sides ,going by points averages

Don't know if it's me but you seemed to have missed the point.

Our points return against teams in the bottom 8, of which 3 will be relegated, is not good enough at 1.6 per game.

Yes but we have earned worse points against top 8 .so really ,the reason is both top and bottom 8 failures is why we are not in the play offs

Carl just a small point
But you have used today's league table
Have the teams been in these positions when we actually played them
Not sure how that' works actually

That's interesting stuff.
A more realistic answer to your question would be how many points we've dropped from winning positions compared to those teams above us.

That's interesting stuff.
A more realistic answer to your question would be how many points we've dropped from winning positions compared to those teams above us.

Or how many points have we won from a losing position
Oh how I love stats
You can make them prove anything

Carl just a small point
But you have used today's league table
Have the teams been in these positions when we actually played them
Not sure how that' works actually

The idea is Steve that you look at the table at the end of the season than at the beginning

That's interesting stuff.
A more realistic answer to your question would be how many points we've dropped from winning positions compared to those teams above us.

Or how many points have we won from a losing position
Oh how I love stats
You can make them prove anything

Steve the stats I provided are facts.
How you wish to interpret them is down to the individual and my opinion of the facts are that I would have expected to gain more points against the teams who have struggled this season, hence their lowly position after 41 games.

Carl just a small point
But you have used today's league table
Have the teams been in these positions when we actually played them
Not sure how that' works actually

The idea is Steve that you look at the table at the end of the season than at the beginning

but it's not the end of the season yet

If we miss out by a point or 2 then the reason will be simple - the penalty decision at St Andrews. No need for stats - just facts.

No shit Sherlock

The reason we are not going to get into the top 6 is simple we are not good enough.
We have only scored 8 goals more than we have conceded all the teams above us have a positive goal difference of at least twice ours.
Recent results have masked the fact that we are a very average championship team and are just as likely to lose to a bottom team as a top team,it sums up the mediocrity of the league.

Can answer that in six words Chief
Because Russell Slade is our Manager

Truth is we were dire first half of the season and for some reason this year apart from the top 6, really the leagues been poor. I think the fact we are outside the play offs sniffing is a surprise, slade has turned good these past few weeks, but previous to our good form we played like a relegation team, picking up points. I fear a better championship would of seen us much lower down.

Can answer that in six words Chief
Because Russell Slade is our Manager

Spot on.
Forget all these facts about a penalty that wasn't a penalty nonsense. If we had Pearson or Hughton etc. we'd be well up in the playoffs IMO.

That's interesting stuff.
A more realistic answer to your question would be how many points we've dropped from winning positions compared to those teams above us.

Or how many points have we won from a losing position
Oh how I love stats
You can make them prove anything

Steve the stats I provided are facts.
How you wish to interpret them is down to the individual and my opinion of the facts are that I would have expected to gain more points against the teams who have struggled this season, hence their lowly position after 41 games.

In fairness you are wrong they are not 'facts'

Steve is spot on you cannot state our points totals accurately against anyone unless you go by there positions at the time we played them not where they are now or season end (that is a fact by the way)

I will just endorse what many others have said & think,,,that we have simply not been good enough, consistently throughout the whole season. Last Saturdays result was a testimont to this "fact", & too be fair, this seasons Championship has been a pretty average one, IMO anyway.

You have to get max points from the teams at the bottom and surrounding teams and then take as many points as you can from the top teams, Win your home games, but also win your away games at middle of the road teams like Reading and Fulham

Thinking back to earlier in the season when we threw away a 2-0 lead was it two or three times(?) to draw 2-2 those 4-6 points would have been the difference between us and the playoffs now

Have to agree with the post above.

The two games against Burnley and Sheff Wed. are where we could have lost the season.

We should have an extra 4 points and be on 67 now.

Sheff Wed should have 1 point less and be on 67 now.

That's before we talk about a point lost against Fulham, where if we weren't chasing the gap towards Sheff Wed, we may have played a bit tighter at the back to see out a point, instead going all out for 3.

I'm a great believer in getting into automatic and play off positions are often created or damaged earlier in the season.

Have to agree with the post above.

The two games against Burnley and Sheff Wed. are where we could have lost the season.

We should have an extra 4 points and be on 67 now.

Sheff Wed should have 1 point less and be on 67 now.

That's before we talk about a point lost against Fulham, where if we weren't chasing the gap towards Sheff Wed, we may have played a bit tighter at the back to see out a point, instead going all out for 3.

I'm a great believer in getting into automatic and play off positions are often created or damaged earlier in the season.

Of course you could argue that the 3 points against Brentford should have been one because we scored a late winner?

There are many variables which affect a season including what is going on and off the pitch. Considering for 80% of the season the vast majority of the support had no faith or even interest in the club, Slade and the players have done extremely well. May be it was our failure to get behind the team early enough which contributed to the inconsistency.