By Brian Sears
4 November 2011
The amount of points being won at home in the Premier League is at an all-time in the 20-year history of the competition.
With more than a quarter of the season gone, only 151 of 272 points have been earned by the home side – or 55.5 per cent.
In the majority of Premier League seasons it has been above 61 per cent (see table below for full details).
In the past two seasons, it has been the highest: 63 per cent of all points were won by the home teams last season, and 64.7 per cent the season before that.
And in no full season has it ever fallen below 57 per cent, with 2001-02’s tally of 57.4 per cent being the lowest to date.
Maybe it’s a blip but half of the 20 clubs this season have won only half their points or fewer at home. They include Liverpool with nine points of 18 coming from Anfield, and Tottenham with nine points of 19 coming at White Hart Lane. (See table below for all clubs).
It goes without saying – or should do – that teams with a lot of points altogether and a relatively small percentage at home (against the normal levels) are generally going to be doing fantastically away. Spurs are the obvious example, but also with Spurs, as noted on the graphic, they have played one less home game than everyone else. Three home wins from four is decent form.
Swansea are the club bucking the trend in the most spectacular fashion with 11 of their 12 points at home, while Wigan and Arsenal are also taking home comfort.
And then there’s Bolton. Poor Bolton.
How many points from five games at the Reebok so far this season?
As a phlegmatic Eurovision Song Contest judge might say: ‘Nul points’.
Not one. At all. They’ve lost consecutively on their own turf to Manchester City and United, Norwich, Chelsea and Sunderland.
Only once before in Premier League history has a side started a season with five straight home defeats and that was two years ago when Portsmouth did it. Their tale of woe is also in the table below; and even though Pompey ended the bad run with a 4-0 win over Wigan, we all know what happened to them at the end of that season.
(For those who don’t know, they were relegated).
On Sunday, Bolton welcome Stoke to the Reebok Stadium. Stoke have won eight of their 12 points at home – and hence not many away. It’s a straw, Bolton. It’s a straw.
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