By Brian Sears 7 December 2012 Last week we pointed out that Chelsea went to Upton Park with the weight of historical results on their side.  In the six seasons 2005-2011 when West Ham were last in the Premier League, Chelsea won 10 and drew two of their 12 encounters. What a statistical surprise (or was it […]

By Brian Sears 30 November 2012 Last weekend, we predicted in these pages why West Brom might enjoy their match at ‘soft touch’ Sunderland, and they duly won 4-2 to continue their Champions League qualification form. A week on and with a midweek hiccup against Swansea behind them, the Baggies face a barometer of their […]

By Brian Sears 23 November 2012  West Bromwich Albion’s remarkable start to the season has earned them 23 points from their first 12 Premier League games – the best start they have ever had in the revamped top division by far. In six previous seasons in the Prem, their best tally after 12 games before […]

By Brian Sears SI chief statistician (94.86% of the time) 16 November 2012 The team that scores first in the Premier League wins almost 70 per cent of the time. That’s what this season’s statistics tells us, but the rule is turned on its head if we’re talking about Manchester United, Manchester City or Everton. […]

By Brian Sears 9 November 2012 Fulham’s away record in London derbies in the Premier League era is woefully bad: they have won just four out of 50, and not one of those at Arsenal, where they play this weekend. Their wins on the road within the capital are so infrequent we can quickly list […]

By Brian Sears 2 November 2012 Liverpool will start the weekend in 12th place in the Premier League with 10 points and a goal difference of minus two, three points behind Newcastle in 10th, on 13 points and with the same goal difference. Liverpool host Newcastle on Sunday at Anfield, so a win would see […]

By Brian Sears 26 October 2012 It’s been a sorry season for Southampton fans so far, with just one win and a draw from eight matches since their return to the Premier League. They’e squandered leads against Manchester City, Manchester United, Everton and Fulham. Yes, they’ve scored in every league game, but then they’ve also […]

By Brian Sears 4 October 2012 Only five different clubs have gone an entire Premier League season unbeaten at home – the traditional ‘big four’ of Manchester United (three times), Arsenal (three times), Liverpool (once) and Chelsea (four times), plus Manchester City, last season. The longest unbeaten home run in the Premier League era belongs […]

By Brian Sears 20 September 2012 I’m no entomologist and I’m certainly no apiologist but as a statistician with an eye for the weird and wonderful in football, I can’t help but notice a lack of Bs in the Premier League this season. The relegation last season of Bolton and Blackburn following hard on the heels […]

By Brian Sears 14 September 2012 Arsenal have started the 2012-13 Premier League season with three games in which they haven’t conceded a goal: against Sunderland,  Stoke and Liverpool. This means they are already inside the top 20 best defensive starts in the Premier League’s history. To be precise (and see table below for details), […]