Some End of Season Stats (Warning Statcon 5)

[Dutch Uncle]

OK, it's been our worst season resultswise since the farce of 1997-98, but survival any season in the championship is success for us, and with this season's luck and injuries even more so. Here are some mostly positive stats:

Football League records
• Even finishing 21st, the only ex conference side in the Football League other than ourselves to better this are Colchester in 2006-07 with 69 points in 10th place.

Club league achievements
• Given there are 20 teams in the Premiership, our end of season league placing of 21st gives us a national ranking of 41. This is the 14th highest in the club's history with the 25th place achieved in our first ever season in the football league in 1901-02 still remaining the best.

• This is only the second time in the club's history that we have achieved a stay of 4 seasons in tier 2, the other being 8 seasons from 1950-51 to 1957-58.

• Extending this somewhat, since we entered the Football League in 1901-2 we have almost always been in the lowest possible echelon or tier. In our first three seasons in the 1900's this was tier 2, or the then Division 2.  When we returned to the league in 1923-4 this was tier 3 in Division 3 (North). Tier 4 was introduced in 1958-59. Between 1923-4 and 1957-8  we were in tier 2 from 1935-6 to 1936-6 (2 seasons), 1947-48 ( 1 season) and from 1950-51 to 1957-8 (8 seasons). This last run extended to 9 seasons above the lowest possible with our relegation season from Division 3 to Division 4 in 1958-59.  Since 1958-9 we have been above tier 4 in 1966-7 (1 season), 1969-70 to 1970-71 (2 seasons), 1981-2 to 1982-3 (2 seasons), 1984-5 to 1987-88 (4 seasons) and our current run after our promotion in 2003-4. Even if we suffer two relegations in the next 2 seasons we would still equal our longest run of  9 seasons above the lowest Football League echelon.  

• Although hardly to be classed as an achievement, the 0-6 defeat to Ipswich was the largest home league defeat in the club' s history beating 0-5 defeats to Birmingham (1951-2) and Peterborough (1997-98) and the famous 1-6 defeat to Fulham in 1957-8 - reportedly JR's first ever match as a spectator.

• Also we finished the season with a run of 12 matches without a win (6 draws, 6 defeats). We have had only 6 longer winless runs in our entire history, and the 12 match run has been equalled on 5 further occasions, the last time being 2 seasons ago when we suffered 10 defeats and 2 draws in 12 games. Sean O'Driscoll is the only manager to oversee 2 such runs - which says a lot about the security of his position.  

Goalscoring achievements
• Billy's 15 league goals for Rovers at tier two has only ever been beaten on 3 occasions, namely Reg Baines 19 (1935-6), Bert Tindill (1955-6) and Kit Lawlor 17 (1953-4), although it has been equalled on another 6 occasions including of course Billy himself last season

• Billy also became only the 6th player to hit double figures at tier 2 in two separate seasons after 5 other players in the 1950's - Alick Jeffrey, Johnny Mooney, Ray Harrison, Kit Lawlor (3 times) and Bert Tindill (no fewer than seven times)

• Billy also became the tenth player to score 15 goals in a season for two seasons in succession and the first since both Peter Kitchen and Brendan O'Callaghan in 1975-76 and 1976-77. The other 9 were Kitchen (4 seasons from 73-4 to 76-77), O'Callaghan (75-6 and 76-77), Alick Jeffrey (64-5 and 65-6), Colin Booth (62-3 and 63-4), Tony Leighton (3 seasons from 59-60 to 61-2), Bert Tindill (3 seasons from 54-5 to 56-7), Peter Doherty (49-50 and 50-1), Reg Baines (34-5 and 35-6) and finally (or first of all) Tom Keetley, an amazing 6 seasons from 1923-4 to 1928-9, in all of which he scored more than 20 goals.  

• James Hayter scored in 5 consecutive league matches - a feat only achieved 25 times in Rovers' entire history. The last occasion was of course Billy last year who went on to score in 6 consecutive league matches (the 12th time that has happened in Rovers' history), but the previous occasion before that was as far back as Ian Nimmo in 1980-81.

• We currently have three players on the books with 30 or more first team goals to their credit - their current totals being James Hayter (34), James Coppinger (33) and Billy Sharp (31). This is the first time this has happened since 1984-5 (Glynn Snodin, Colin Douglas and Steve Lister) - in fact this has only happened 8 times in our entire league history (goalscorers have had a tendency to move on or be sold).

• James Coppinger scored 5 goals or more for the 6th successive season. Strangely this has only happened on two occasions before, namely Bert Tindill (10 seasons from 1948-9 to 1957-8) and Tom Keetley (6 seasons from 1923 to 1929).

Appearances
• James Coppinger has now appeared for the club  in 256 League Games and 296  first team competitive games in total. This puts him respectively equal 12th (all time leader Fred Emery with 417) and 10th (all time leader Colin Douglas with 468) on the club all time lists.

Attendances
• The average home league attendance of 10258, although a drop of 6.7%, is the fourth largest since 1957-58. The last three seasons are the first time we have averaged over 10000 for three seasons in a row since 1955-6 to 1957-8.

• The total number of spectators at home league games was 235937 which is the 19th highest in the club’s entire history.

• The average away league attendance of 17459 is the third largest (after last 2seasons) since 1957-58. It was also the 11th highest in the club’s entire history.

• The total of 401550 spectators at league away games is the 8th highest in the club’s history

• The lowest home league attendance was 7921 versus Coventry. This is the 7th highest minimum attendance in the club’s history

RTID at a very minimum

[Filo]

Great Stats Dutch, but you really need to get out more often!

[hoolahoop]

Great Stats Dutch, but you really need to get out more often!

but what would we do without our statto Filo eh ? Some interesting details in there, thanks DU.

[graingrover]

brilliant ;;;; how I wish you could do a statistical analysis of our injury record ... place incurred .. impact or 'mechanical' .. home or away .. ( Keepmoat pitch  a possible major contributing factor).

[Bristol Red Rover]

Great stuff, thanks  

Just think how it will be with Billy for the whole of next season, records breaking all over the place.