Goal difference, my barometer

[Crisp White Lines]

Obviously, your points tally determines where you sit in the division.

I also monitor goal difference when I try to assess how teams are performing.

If that GD is significantly negative, then I judge that a team is either sitting low in the table because they deserve to be, or they are sitting higher up the table by some fluke.

The reverse is true: a positive GD means a lower team is somewhat unlucky, whereas a higher placed team deserves to be where they are.

Just my take on the league table.

[The Lone Gunman]

City are 17th on goals scored, 18th on goals conceded and 18th on goal difference.

Meanwhile, only three teams have lost more games (Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham and Rotherham), and City have lost three more than Huddersfield, who are second from bottom.

It's been a bizarre season to say the least.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Money talks and bullshit walks

Points win prizes

Throw in some flair

Bullseye !

We are halfway there

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Obviously, your points tally determines where you sit in the division.

I also monitor goal difference when I try to assess how teams are performing.

If that GD is significantly negative, then I judge that a team is either sitting low in the table because they deserve to be, or they are sitting higher up the table by some fluke.

The reverse is true: a positive GD means a lower team is somewhat unlucky, whereas a higher placed team deserves to be where they are.

Just my take on the league table.

I would agree with that to a point, though sometimes a few freak results will cause that as well.

In terms of a 46-game season, 1609 teams have finished top half with a positive goal difference; 249 have finished top half with a negative goal difference, though this includes the seasons where goal average was used and goal difference has just been calculated.

Obviously, a close goal difference of -1, -2 will be far more common for teams finishing in the top half than much lower goal differences. Ours is currently -14. Only 6 sides finishing in the top half of a division played over 46 games have had a goal difference of -14 or worse, but 947 top half sides have finished with a goal difference of +14 or better.

In 2002/03, Millwall finished 9th in this division with a goal difference of -10. Much of this was down to defeats at home to Portsmouth and Rotherham of 0-5 and 0-6 respectively. Preston finished last season with a goal difference of -14. They won and lost 17 games over the season but their defeats were generally heavier than their wins, which weren't often by more than a goal.

While only 6 sides have finished in the top half with a goal difference of -14 or worse, only 4 sides have finished in the bottom half with a goal difference of +14 or better. All were comfortably midtable. One leapt at me from my spreadsheet, showing Peterborough being relegated in 1968 with a goal difference of +12, which seemed very unusual. On further inspection, they had been deducted 19 points that season for paying illegal bonuses to players.

Only 2 sides have ever been relegated with a positive goal difference; Huddersfield remain the only team ever to win promotion (in 2017) with a negative goal difference.