Is This An Exceptional Season in the EFL?

[Danny]

To borrow a quote from a MNF argument between Carra and Neville, is this an exceptional season? Maybe not in the Premier League, but in the Championship 100% yes.

I've had a bit of a gloomy outlook on Brentford this season, we've got a phenomenal goalscorer in Toney but we've not replaced Benrahma's impact on our style of play and in general when we do play we look a bit laboured. Everything's been a bit meh and as fans we're generally thankful this time for our defence rather than our attack as it's kept us in games. But I went through some of the stats for 17 games into this season vs 17 games into last season and as a club we're doing better even though the season is an "exceptional season" as we're playing a game roughly every 4 days this season as opposed to last season playing every 6 games.

The Championship is such an open race, so many teams just 3/4 points away from the automatics, and most seasons the Championship is a slog. Getting promoted from the Championship doesn't make you a good team and missing out on promotion doesn't make you worse off than a team that beat you to it. The teams that go up are the teams that can handle that slog, the teams that stay up are the teams that are also good alongside having the fortitude for that slog. We lost out to Fulham last year but I'd bet my last bollock that if we'd have gone up we'd be flying above them. And that's going to be an even bigger issue this year, the slog has become so much tougher and tiring, the team that goes up won't necessarily be the best team for the Premier League, they'll most likely be the team that managed themselves the best throughout weeks and weeks of a game every 4 days.

 

19/20 season
112 days since season started

18 games played inc. cup games

6.2 average days between games

27 points achieved

Current season
88 days since season started

21 games played inc. cup games

4.1 average days between games

28 points achieved

[Stan]

Most seasons the Championship is a slog but in that, that's what makes it so open? 

Usually it isn't until around March that 1 team might start to pull away, and then you start to see who might make play-offs. So in that sense, this season isn't exceptional.

It only becomes exceptional when you think of the lack of pre-season, the consecutive weeks where 2-3 matches are played for each team and the intensity. You're right in that it is always about how teams manage the 'slog'. The 46 game season compared to a shorter PL season in terms of games. 

I think it's slightly disingenuous to say teams that go up only do so by handling the slog; they play some great football and probably have better talent in their squads (especially if they've come down from Premier League). 

(also it's an exceptional season for every division, PL included!) 

[Pyfish+]

I'd disagree too about the teams going up were the best at handling the slog. Yes, they will have done well to manage the slog but it still comes down to the quality and the strength in depth of the players you have to rotate in and out of the team to deal with the influx of games in short spaces of time and the challenges that that brings.

[Lucas]

I think I can see the point @Danny is trying to make in that this season is a lot more of a physical challenge. Pretty much every team is winning a couple then dropping points because they are finding it hard to deal with how quick the games are coming round. The problem is the strength in depth for 21 of those sides though.

What makes this season different though is the three promoted sides could easily be the three that go straight back up and as we all well know, that is usually a rarity. You normally get one or two of them really have average years. However, all three currently lay 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford managed to keep a lot more of their better players than expected because of the impact Covid had in the market so they have the better options to deal with the current format.

In Brentford's case, they lost a big player they didn't replace but beyond the first XI, their squad is not as well equipped quality wise as the relegated three so their rotation options are less, same with Swansea, where as with Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford, they can make tweaks.

Last year, I think by this stage, us and West Brom had pulled away before we were eventually hauled back in. Reading shot off like a japanese racing snake then lost 4 or 5 games in a row so no one is storming it at the mo.

[Danny]

4 hours ago, Stan said:

Most seasons the Championship is a slog but in that, that's what makes it so open? 

Usually it isn't until around March that 1 team might start to pull away, and then you start to see who might make play-offs. So in that sense, this season isn't exceptional.

It only becomes exceptional when you think of the lack of pre-season, the consecutive weeks where 2-3 matches are played for each team and the intensity. You're right in that it is always about how teams manage the 'slog'. The 46 game season compared to a shorter PL season in terms of games. 

I think it's slightly disingenuous to say teams that go up only do so by handling the slog; they play some great football and probably have better talent in their squads (especially if they've come down from Premier League). 

(also it's an exceptional season for every division, PL included!) 

It is what makes it so open and it's what's making this season even more so

 

3 hours ago, Pyfish said:

I'd disagree too about the teams going up were the best at handling the slog. Yes, they will have done well to manage the slog but it still comes down to the quality and the strength in depth of the players you have to rotate in and out of the team to deal with the influx of games in short spaces of time and the challenges that that brings.

Norwich won the league and got smacked about in the Prem, other teams who've not won the league have gone on to succeed in the Prem. 100% the best team to go up isn't always the best team for the Prem or even just the best side out of the 3 that go up in the Prem

[Dave]

The three relegated teams still look vastly superior from what I've seen. They have barely gone out of first gear and have been predominantly the top three for the last couple of weeks despite having key players injured. As the season goes on I imagine they'll break away.

[Spike]

Digressing from the topic at hand but still relevant somewhat, I'm very over Neville and Carragher as pundits.

[Dan+]

I think it's sadly a big exception in basically all leagues and cups, having no fans there makes it less serious in my eyes, it takes away a lot of the pressure.

[JoshBRFC+]

12 hours ago, The Palace Fan said:

The three relegated teams still look vastly superior from what I've seen. They have barely gone out of first gear and have been predominantly the top three for the last couple of weeks despite having key players injured. As the season goes on I imagine they'll break away.

Pretty much this. None of them have looked amazing yet seem to be consistently the top 3. 
 

I’d be very shocked if they don’t break away. And whoever misses the top 2 I’d expect the other relegated side to win the playoffs.

[Danny]

On 10/12/2020 at 13:15, Lucas said:

I think I can see the point @Danny is trying to make in that this season is a lot more of a physical challenge. Pretty much every team is winning a couple then dropping points because they are finding it hard to deal with how quick the games are coming round. The problem is the strength in depth for 21 of those sides though.

What makes this season different though is the three promoted sides could easily be the three that go straight back up and as we all well know, that is usually a rarity. You normally get one or two of them really have average years. However, all three currently lay 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford managed to keep a lot more of their better players than expected because of the impact Covid had in the market so they have the better options to deal with the current format.

In Brentford's case, they lost a big player they didn't replace but beyond the first XI, their squad is not as well equipped quality wise as the relegated three so their rotation options are less, same with Swansea, where as with Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford, they can make tweaks.

Last year, I think by this stage, us and West Brom had pulled away before we were eventually hauled back in. Reading shot off like a japanese racing snake then lost 4 or 5 games in a row so no one is storming it at the mo.

I don’t even think our issue vs the big 3 is depth tbh, defence and midfield is fairly loaded.

Our issue is mainly around our best midfielder being out injured most of the season and just not having a replacement in terms of style of play for Benrahma. We’re still scoring but in a rigid way, January will be big I think

[Dave]

On 10/12/2020 at 13:15, Lucas said:

Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford managed to keep a lot more of their better players than expected because of the impact Covid had in the market so they have the better options to deal with the current format.

 

 

Other than Sarr and Aarons, was there anybody else that stayed at their clubs arguably because of Covid impacting the market? Even then, the argument has been that the price tags were high regardless of the pandemic.