Post by QPR Report on Jan 20, 2009 8:14:17 GMT
Hmmm!
Guardian - Kevin McCarra
Levelling down encourages challengers to travel hopefullyThe upsurge in away wins this season illustrates converging standards and less intimidating grounds
The inconvenience endured by the away support has always been the mark of its devotion, but the rewards have amounted to slightly more of late than a sense of defiant pride. Perhaps it is worth the tedium of the journey and the rigorous marshalling by the police that often lies at the destination. This season the victories are not coming quite so readily for the home team in Premier League matches.
That, of course, may alter in a programme that has over a third of its course yet to run. Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Everton all have away records superior to Manchester United's, but the champions appreciate that the high-profile games on the road are behind them. The imbalance in the fixture list could now tip the odds in their favour as they face the usual rivals at home. Chelsea, drubbed 3-0 at Old Trafford, felt the painful force of that argument.
It was, however, a grave test and lesser examinations are being passed with flying colours. Liverpool (before last night's Merseyside derby), Aston Villa, Everton, Hull City, Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland joined Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad in accumulating the majority of their points away from home. The full meaning of that cannot be determined until the campaign is completed, but it is three years since any side ended the season with more points gleaned on their travels. Both Wigan Athletic and Sunderland did it in 2006, but the latter were relegated and few had cause to appreciate that eight of their 15 points came away from the Stadium of Light.
Now resilience on hostile territory has become imperative. While Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, for instance, fill the 19th and 20th berths in the table respectively, it is not a consequence of constant toothlessness. Tony Pulis's team have gathered only one point fewer than Chelsea from their home games. Clubs such as Stoke are suffering because it looks as if potent results on their own pitchwill no longer suffice.
Some of the causes for the trend towards coping with enemy territory are obvious. Modern grounds, with their amenities, tend not to be all that intimidating. Relative sobriety has tranquilising effects as well. In that environment, supporters can turn into customers waiting with arms folded to be given value for the remarkable sums spent on tickets. Those factors do not apply uniformly and if Everton falter at home it must be because of the make-up of the team. Goodison, given a hint of encouragement, will still be raucous.
Visitors, by and large, no longer feel that journeys are ferrying them to trauma and Chelsea sometimes look as if they are the ones unhappy to be at Stamford Bridge. It is simple to account for that. With Didier Drogba offering little before the rout at Old Trafford led to his removal from the squad, Nicolas Anelka has been the single established striker on the books., The Frenchman is suited most to the counter-attack and has not struck the opener in any Premier League match at home this season.
Teams, as a whole, are travelling optimistically because there is a sense that a minor levelling down of standards has occurred. Though Manchester United got to the top of the table on Saturday with a last-minute goal at Bolton, there were no eulogies. At this club in particular, with its flamboyant heritage, it is bemusing to hear paens to mean defending.
Liverpool may have improved at last in the Premier League, but Arsenal are still caught up in rebuilding that has been hindered by serious injuries to Eduardo da Silva, Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott. There is a little staleness about Chelsea now that the geysers of cash have been turned off at Stamford Bridge. While Martin O'Neill would be the first to confirm that his Aston Villa are a team in development.
Maybe the usual quartet will ultimately fill the top four places, but Villa are denying Arsenal one of those berths for the time being. Random factors do, of course, have a bearing and United would most likely have enjoyed more than five away wins in the league if Cristiano Ronaldo could have carried on hitting the net as relentlessly as he did last year.
The table itself speaks of convergence. West Ham, for instance, have been depicted as a club that could tumblefall into the relegation zone but they have the air of candidates for a European berth at the moment. A minor dip in quality might spell the end of the current English domination of the Champions League, but an accompanying upsurge of competitiveness in all areas of the Premier League will be a boon at a time when many fear falling season ticket sales next season.
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jan/20/kevin-mccarra-column-premier-league
Guardian - Kevin McCarra
Levelling down encourages challengers to travel hopefullyThe upsurge in away wins this season illustrates converging standards and less intimidating grounds
The inconvenience endured by the away support has always been the mark of its devotion, but the rewards have amounted to slightly more of late than a sense of defiant pride. Perhaps it is worth the tedium of the journey and the rigorous marshalling by the police that often lies at the destination. This season the victories are not coming quite so readily for the home team in Premier League matches.
That, of course, may alter in a programme that has over a third of its course yet to run. Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Everton all have away records superior to Manchester United's, but the champions appreciate that the high-profile games on the road are behind them. The imbalance in the fixture list could now tip the odds in their favour as they face the usual rivals at home. Chelsea, drubbed 3-0 at Old Trafford, felt the painful force of that argument.
It was, however, a grave test and lesser examinations are being passed with flying colours. Liverpool (before last night's Merseyside derby), Aston Villa, Everton, Hull City, Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland joined Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad in accumulating the majority of their points away from home. The full meaning of that cannot be determined until the campaign is completed, but it is three years since any side ended the season with more points gleaned on their travels. Both Wigan Athletic and Sunderland did it in 2006, but the latter were relegated and few had cause to appreciate that eight of their 15 points came away from the Stadium of Light.
Now resilience on hostile territory has become imperative. While Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, for instance, fill the 19th and 20th berths in the table respectively, it is not a consequence of constant toothlessness. Tony Pulis's team have gathered only one point fewer than Chelsea from their home games. Clubs such as Stoke are suffering because it looks as if potent results on their own pitchwill no longer suffice.
Some of the causes for the trend towards coping with enemy territory are obvious. Modern grounds, with their amenities, tend not to be all that intimidating. Relative sobriety has tranquilising effects as well. In that environment, supporters can turn into customers waiting with arms folded to be given value for the remarkable sums spent on tickets. Those factors do not apply uniformly and if Everton falter at home it must be because of the make-up of the team. Goodison, given a hint of encouragement, will still be raucous.
Visitors, by and large, no longer feel that journeys are ferrying them to trauma and Chelsea sometimes look as if they are the ones unhappy to be at Stamford Bridge. It is simple to account for that. With Didier Drogba offering little before the rout at Old Trafford led to his removal from the squad, Nicolas Anelka has been the single established striker on the books., The Frenchman is suited most to the counter-attack and has not struck the opener in any Premier League match at home this season.
Teams, as a whole, are travelling optimistically because there is a sense that a minor levelling down of standards has occurred. Though Manchester United got to the top of the table on Saturday with a last-minute goal at Bolton, there were no eulogies. At this club in particular, with its flamboyant heritage, it is bemusing to hear paens to mean defending.
Liverpool may have improved at last in the Premier League, but Arsenal are still caught up in rebuilding that has been hindered by serious injuries to Eduardo da Silva, Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott. There is a little staleness about Chelsea now that the geysers of cash have been turned off at Stamford Bridge. While Martin O'Neill would be the first to confirm that his Aston Villa are a team in development.
Maybe the usual quartet will ultimately fill the top four places, but Villa are denying Arsenal one of those berths for the time being. Random factors do, of course, have a bearing and United would most likely have enjoyed more than five away wins in the league if Cristiano Ronaldo could have carried on hitting the net as relentlessly as he did last year.
The table itself speaks of convergence. West Ham, for instance, have been depicted as a club that could tumblefall into the relegation zone but they have the air of candidates for a European berth at the moment. A minor dip in quality might spell the end of the current English domination of the Champions League, but an accompanying upsurge of competitiveness in all areas of the Premier League will be a boon at a time when many fear falling season ticket sales next season.
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jan/20/kevin-mccarra-column-premier-league