Do you believe in goal differences?

[Muchthemillersson]

It's a bit like asking if you believe in the old gods but I think goal differences are very important, particularly at this time of the season. I know it's points that decide who goes up or down but I think goal difference is a big indicator as to how close you are to getting those extra points or lose a few more.

If you've not picked up too many points but your goal difference is good, that seems to me that you don't need a big improvement to pick up extra points. If your goal difference is really bad it shows that you are so much worse than everybody else and the results are going to continue.

So where are we on this scale? We're -12, MK Dons are -17, Bristol City are -23, Charlton -26 and Bolton -21. The signs are with us! The bottom 3 are so far behind that I can't see them picking up more points than us in the second half of the season.

It's a bit like when I was in Africa with a local solicitor and a lion appeared a couple of hundred yards away. I sat down, got my runni

[1960smiller]

Yes,if you are at the top or bottom it's an extra point.

[mikemiller]

I remember some "goal difference fun" in the final match of one season in the Chamionship under Ronnie Moore, when we played Walsall (I think) away . I think this was this scenario.... if Pigs lost and Walsall beat us by any score up to 4-0 then the Pigs were relegated. but if we lost 5-0 or more, we would get relegated (any other results combination meant Walsall would get relegated)

Ronnie Moore insisted that the Millers were going out for a win, and that he didn't wamt to see the Pigs relegated amyway because of the income for RUFC from having a local derby.... although the views of most Millers fans were not the same as Ronnie!

As things turned out Walsall went two up fairly early in our game, and the Pigs also took the lead - which was rather worrying for us for a while... but Wasall. thankfully. ran out of steam and ended up beating us only 2-0., they were relegated, us and t;Pigs survived.

[Rileyev2]

It was Crewe not Walsall buddy if my memory serves me right.

Crewe had Rob Hulse and Dean Ashton playing for them at the time.

April 2002.

[mikemiller]

You could be right - it was just from memory, I haven't checked all the details in the "Rothnans"

[Rileyev2]

Just checked and Crewe it was.

[CAMiller]

How time (beer) warps these urban legends. Would that be the last game of 2003/4 when we lost 3-2 at Walsall with Martin Butler scoring a hat trick of own goals, one a diving header from 25 yards and another a penalty kick when he surprised the Walsall team by taking a kick for them It was so bad it actually sent Wednesday down but 12 months earlier.

There was a time in 2002/3 when both us and the Owls were in the mix for relegation but we played Crewe on the last day and lost 2-0.

[mikemiller]

Yes, it must have been Crewe, not Walsall,, in that final day relegation battle . I couldn't get to the match, but was listening to updates on Radio DeeDah.
(Apologies for my error)

[CAMiller]

Sorry Mike - wasn't making fun of you as you was right just had the wrong opponent. I was really remembering how badly people made out Butler played that day against Walsall because of his ties to the club.

[Amanda_Hugg_n_Kiss]

Can see why you'd get mixed up first season we stayed up on goal difference a couple of seasons later Walsall went down on goal difference beating us on the last day, never forget that day we were already safe and results were going Walsall's way up until the end, their fans ran onto the pitch thinking they'd stayed up, we knew different as people were listening to it, news soon filtered through.