by Tommy Youlden's Ears »
27 Feb 2012 17:18
I too was wondering about the correlation between discipline and success. We've had no reds all season - only Cardiff in the Championship, and one other team in divs 1 & 2 are similarly "clean".
But then...I can't really see a correlation between discipline and table position.
The average is 2.75 reds per team. Leicester are kings of the naughty step with 7 sendings off and are 12th. But they prop up the bad boys - West Ham and Brighton have 6 reds, 'Borough and Leeds 5. So the worst offenders are all in the top half, and 5 out of six are in the top 10. Southampton have 4.
Of the other p/o contenders, Hull, Brum and Blackpool only have one red each.
Seems that to be a contender you must either be very aggressive or very disciplined, but be committed.. Teams bunched around the average (2-3 reds) are mid-table or below.
And it seems wholly 'right' that Millwall, Pompey, Leeds and Watford are the top four in the foul count. It's in the DNA, clearly.
http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/C ... 17,00.html