Fans Comment
Jonathan Martin

Points = Prizes
13 December 2005

The common mantra in today's game-show society is that points = prizes. So, if that is the case, then the question must obviously be "what = points" - i.e. what do you have to do to earn points. Well, in the Premiership, the first requirement is that you score goals. If you don't score goals, then you don't win matches... and if you don't win matches, you don't get (many) points. Clearly, in the world of football, goals = points.

Scoring goals has been a connundrum with Everton in recent times that Moyes has failed to solve. Last season saw us score a miserly 45 goals in 38 games, an average of less that 1.2 goals/game - distinctily mid-table form. This term, it has been even worse with the Blues finding the net a mere 8 times in 15  games and nearly 4 months of football.

But, returning to the point of this article, how are we doing on the goals = points table? How have our goals per game equated to points this season? Well, it makes interesting reading. Our goals tally this season has somehow managed to amass us 17 points. That equates to 2.13 points for every goal we've scored. Top of the goal scoring charts are of course Chelsea who have seen the net bulge 35 times already (more than 4 times as many as us!). But that has only earned them 35 points - in other words 1.23 points for every goal they've scored (a similar figure to us last season). Clearly we are far more efficient than the mighty Russians!

Using this calculation across the whole table makes even more interesting reading (well, I wouldn't be writing this if it didn't, now would I?). In the efficiency stakes, we're top of the shop, with a big lead over (surprisingly) Newcastle. Wigan are third, just pipping the RS by a fraction.

The bottom half of the table is what you'd expect with Sunderland, Portsmouth and West Brom reflecting their poor standings in the real table.

Here it is in full:

So, before you start bemoaning our shocking season and calling for the head of the Moyes-ssiah, reflect on the fact that maybe, just maybe, we've got it sussed. Don't waste time and effort scoring goals galore when it brings you little reward.

Onwards and upwards..."one-nil to the Everton..." may be the answer!

Jonathan Martin

"Fans Comment" articles are submitted by outside contributors to ToffeeWeb. The views contained therein may not correspond with those of the site owners. Editorial policy

©2005 ToffeeWeb