Albion’s Second Tier Season Comparison – 40 games | OneFootball

Albion’s form seems to be hitting a rough spot at exactly the wrong time as defeat at home to Sunderland was their second in succession and they haven’t tasted victory in the last four games. It means that they have dropped out of the top six for the first time since January ahead of a massive trip to Bristol City on Tuesday evening.

In the last three matches, Albion have averaged more than 60% possession, recorded 53 shots on goal and scored just once. There may be a focus on the goalkeeper after his error on Saturday, but the chief problem is at the other end of the field. The Baggies just don’t score enough goals.

The Baggies have 57 points from 40 games, the joint lowest total at this stage since 1999/2000 when they had just 40 points and were battling against relegation. That was also the last time a second tier Albion side had won fewer games than the 13 victories record in the current campaign.

Game 41 has been an almost 100% reliable indicator of success for Albion in the second tier in the 21st century. In the twelve such seasons, Albion have won their 41st game of the season on five occasions – in four of those campaigns, the Baggies have gone on to win promotion. They beat Crewe Alexandra 4-1 in 2002, Blackpool 3-1 in 2008, Leicester City 3-0 in 2010 and Hull City 4-2 in 2020. The two seasons which spoil the record are the 1-1 draw at Millwall in 2004 when Megson’s team would go on to win promotion, and the 2-1 win at Stoke City in 2023 when Corberán’s team would ultimately miss out on the play-offs.

The 2022/23 season has some similarities with the current campaign in that the win at Stoke came when play-off hopes had all but gone and Albion had not won away from home for some time – the victory in the Potteries was followed by another in Blackpool and hopes were revived, albeit they would ultimately be dashed! The Baggies are in dire need of a similar turnaround this season, but perhaps one that has a happier ending.

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