| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? 17:10 - Aug 16 with 778 views | Zx1988 |
Great to see Sunderland getting a comprehensive win today, and hopefully it'll be a springboard for them to grab a few more in the coming weeks.
I took a look, and their opening set of fixtures is:
West Ham (h)
Burnley (a)
Brentford (h)
Palace (a)
Villa (h)
Forest (a)
Man Utd (a)
Wolves (h)
Chelsea (a)
I'd argue that, until the Chelsea game at the end of October, they've got a decent run of games, any of which could yield points.
Compare and contrast their opening pair of fixtures with ours last season, and you can see an argument that Sunderland could be in a very good position mentality-wise by September, whereas we'd already had the stuffing knocked out of us. I think, with the atmosphere at PR on opening day last season, we'd have stood a very good chance of a result against someone like West Ham.
Yes you still have to play everyone twice, but I'd argue that the fixture compiler can have a pretty big influence early doors. |  |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 17:13 - Aug 16 with 724 views | redrickstuhaart |
Huge impact I would say. With a team on the crest of a wave, we could and perhaps would have put together a nice run of points with a gentler start. The impact on confidence and momentum would have been significant. | | | |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 17:13 - Aug 16 with 722 views | SitfcB |
Definitely.
We were dealt a very bad hand at the start of last season IMO.
Not bitter about Sunderland winning at all, it’s good to see, and hope they can stay up and break the mould whilst the other two drop and do worse than us haha. |  |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 17:15 - Aug 16 with 697 views | Zx1988 |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 17:13 - Aug 16 by SitfcB |
Definitely.
We were dealt a very bad hand at the start of last season IMO.
Not bitter about Sunderland winning at all, it’s good to see, and hope they can stay up and break the mould whilst the other two drop and do worse than us haha. |
It feels particularly galling given that I'm not hugely convinced that the opening set of fixtures was entirely organic.
It felt very narrative-friendly that we faced the league's two best teams in our opening two matches. | |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 17:21 - Aug 16 with 657 views | Dennyx4 |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 17:15 - Aug 16 by Zx1988 |
It feels particularly galling given that I'm not hugely convinced that the opening set of fixtures was entirely organic.
It felt very narrative-friendly that we faced the league's two best teams in our opening two matches. |
Think it happened to Norwich, when they went up last time?
I wonder whether the Premier League are trying to make it a little easier for the new teams, as they won’t want all three getting relegated again.
It is quite easy to put an algorithm into the fixture computer.I am fairly sure that I read that there is an algorithm to stop any of the top four from last season playing each other in the first game. |  | | |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 17:24 - Aug 16 with 614 views | Zx1988 |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 17:21 - Aug 16 by Dennyx4 |
Think it happened to Norwich, when they went up last time?
I wonder whether the Premier League are trying to make it a little easier for the new teams, as they won’t want all three getting relegated again.
It is quite easy to put an algorithm into the fixture computer.I am fairly sure that I read that there is an algorithm to stop any of the top four from last season playing each other in the first game. |
It feels as if it would level the playing-field somewhat if the computer could be programmed so that each month/set of x games is of a similar relative difficulty.
For newly-promoted team in particular, a run of games against the top teams can be an absolute morale-crusher. | |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:36 - Aug 16 with 414 views | lazyblue |
Why so excited by Sunderland , I honestly don’t get it. | | | |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:40 - Aug 16 with 400 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
The first two obviously didn’t help but Fulham at home wasn’t the worst second home game in the world. West Ham away was early, had other teams on very short weeks from Europe at home, or even Bournemouth on a Thursday night Sunday schedule.
We just weren’t good enough to ever capitalize unfortunately. |  |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:46 - Aug 16 with 382 views | gainsboroughblue |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:40 - Aug 16 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
The first two obviously didn’t help but Fulham at home wasn’t the worst second home game in the world. West Ham away was early, had other teams on very short weeks from Europe at home, or even Bournemouth on a Thursday night Sunday schedule.
We just weren’t good enough to ever capitalize unfortunately. |
And the retrospective thought of playing Liverpool at PR in April, for instance, makes me shudder. We got worse and worse as time went on
On the OP though. Us being in the PL last year was a 'story' wasn't it. TV chiefs love a story so us kicking off against the teams we did in that 'Welcome to the Prem' way was always going to happen. It rarely helps though. |  |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:47 - Aug 16 with 375 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:46 - Aug 16 by gainsboroughblue |
And the retrospective thought of playing Liverpool at PR in April, for instance, makes me shudder. We got worse and worse as time went on
On the OP though. Us being in the PL last year was a 'story' wasn't it. TV chiefs love a story so us kicking off against the teams we did in that 'Welcome to the Prem' way was always going to happen. It rarely helps though. |
Yes I guess, not sure they had to give us both of those back to back though. | |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:51 - Aug 16 with 353 views | gainsboroughblue |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:47 - Aug 16 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Yes I guess, not sure they had to give us both of those back to back though. |
Oh it was brutal. I think most people thought at the time 'at least that's out of the way'. Trouble is, teams who started poorly like Palace, Everton, West Ham etc were beginning to find a bit of form by the time we met them. | |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 19:43 - Aug 16 with 257 views | pointofblue |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 18:51 - Aug 16 by gainsboroughblue |
Oh it was brutal. I think most people thought at the time 'at least that's out of the way'. Trouble is, teams who started poorly like Palace, Everton, West Ham etc were beginning to find a bit of form by the time we met them. |
Everton is fair. Neither West Ham or Palace had won in four before we played them for the first time last season. | |
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| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 19:48 - Aug 16 with 241 views | _clive_baker_ |
I guess the downside (and I haven’t looked) is they must have a stinking run somewhere. I agree with the sentiment though, if they can stick 10 points on the board relatively quickly while the momentum from promotion is still there they’ll have something to build off. They seemed to do a lot of their business quite early compared to most as well, I can’t help but think they looked at the fixtures and thought ‘right, we’ve got to make some hay in those early games and get a fast start or we’re toast’. We had the opposite last season, the first 2 were almost deemed an extended pre season. |  | | |
| Can the 'fixture computer' make/break a season? on 20:38 - Aug 16 with 174 views | Smoresy |
I think the psychological battle is better won or lost between the ears personally, rather than dictated by the fixture schedule. Any influence should be small.
Rewinding to this time last year, we were pretty buoyed after the Liverpool fixture and took the City defeat in our stride. A series of draws followed, which filled the stands and dressing room with confidence that we may be able to really compete. We'd ticked off the best two teams in the league, earned a heroic draw against Brighton and we were above the relegation zone, with many opportunities ahead of us.
We then had a beautiful run on paper to capitalise on our retained belief, set up by an excellent home draw against Villa:
West Ham a, Everton h, Brentford a, Leicester h, Tottenham a, Man Utd h, Forest a,
Palace h, Bournemouth h, Wolves a
Alas we weren't good enough. What followed was a terrible cluster of fixtures; our rough spell was in the middle of the season and we hadn't made hay before it:
Newcastle h, Arsenal a, Chelsea h, Fulham a,
Brighton h, Man City h, Liverpool a
Wolves, on the other hand, had the toughest start statistically of anybody:
Arsenal a, Chelsea h, Forest a, Newcastle h, Villa a, Liverpool h, Brentford a, Man City h, Brighton a.
It may have sinked O'Neil but not the group, who did make hay once the fixture list relented (and a manager they didn't like had gone). | | | |
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