Brentford game

[Ludlow Richard]

The upcoming game v Brentford has one pleasing (and probably very surprising) stat associated with it. It will be our 1100th top flight league game and  it will be our 4,398th league game. This means that for the first time in our existence as a league club we will have played more than 25% of all our league games in the top flight of English football.

That caught me by surprise to be honest, as we seem to have spent a lot of seasons scrabbling around in the lower leagues!

[Andy S]

That doesn't alter anything we have. We can blame Ernie Clay for that

[filham]

That is good to know but right now the big possibility is we could finish the season higher in the Premier league than Chelsea, can't be many times that has happened.

[ffc73]

This is my 50th season supporting FFC and I can only recall us finishing above Chelsea once in the time.  I am sure Ludlow Richard will confirm or correct

1983/84 when we finished 4th in Division Two.  Our 2x draws with them 'cost' us promotion and 'saved' them from relegation to Division Three.  Yes, I know there were other games but even finishing above them that year was not a happy one.. 

[Ludlow Richard]

This is my 50th season supporting FFC and I can only recall us finishing above Chelsea once in the time.  I am sure Ludlow Richard will confirm or correct

1983/84 when we finished 4th in Division Two.  Our 2x draws with them 'cost' us promotion and 'saved' them from relegation to Division Three.  Yes, I know there were other games but even finishing above them that year was not a happy one.. 

Assuming you started in 1973, we have only finished above Chelsea once since then: in 1982/83 when we finished 4th in the old League Division 2 and Chelsea finished 18th. The only other time we were really close to finishing above them was in 1975/76, again in the old League Division 2 when they finished 11th, we were 12th, with the same points and separated only by goal average or goal difference or whatever they were using in thosedays.

The closest we have got to Chelsea in the PL era was 2011/12 when they finished 6th and we finished 9th.

[ffcthereligion]

This is my 50th season supporting FFC and I can only recall us finishing above Chelsea once in the time.  I am sure Ludlow Richard will confirm or correct

1983/84 when we finished 4th in Division Two.  Our 2x draws with them 'cost' us promotion and 'saved' them from relegation to Division Three.  Yes, I know there were other games but even finishing above them that year was not a happy one.. 

Anyone know about the same statistic for Brentford themselves? Aside from last year I can't remember a single season that they've ever been better than us

[Ludlow Richard]

This is my 50th season supporting FFC and I can only recall us finishing above Chelsea once in the time.  I am sure Ludlow Richard will confirm or correct

1983/84 when we finished 4th in Division Two.  Our 2x draws with them 'cost' us promotion and 'saved' them from relegation to Division Three.  Yes, I know there were other games but even finishing above them that year was not a happy one.. 

Anyone know about the same statistic for Brentford themselves? Aside from last year I can't remember a single season that they've ever been better than us

Brentford entered the Football League in 1920/21, a few seasons after us. So there have been 95 complete seasons since then.

At the end of each of those 95 seasons, we have been placed higher than Brentford in the Football League Pyramid in 72 of those seasons, while Brentford have been placed higher than us in 23 of those seasons.

The most recent season when Brentford finished above us was of course 2019/20 when they finished 3rd in the Championship and we finished 4th (but we won the play off final).

Of the 95 seasons, there have been just 25 seasons when we have been in the same Division as Brentford (this season is the 26th). In those 25 seasons, Brentford have finished above us 13 times, so they have the slight edge here.

And I'm sure you are interested. 25 league seasons equals 50 league games. In those 50 games our record against Brentford is W18 D15 L17. Of course the win earlier this season in the 51st league meeting between us and them takes us to W19 D15 L17.

Finally, where we really have the edge is in seasons in the top flight. This season is Brentford's 7th (but their first since 1946/47) while it is our 28th......

[ffcthereligion]

This is my 50th season supporting FFC and I can only recall us finishing above Chelsea once in the time.  I am sure Ludlow Richard will confirm or correct

1983/84 when we finished 4th in Division Two.  Our 2x draws with them 'cost' us promotion and 'saved' them from relegation to Division Three.  Yes, I know there were other games but even finishing above them that year was not a happy one.. 

Anyone know about the same statistic for Brentford themselves? Aside from last year I can't remember a single season that they've ever been better than us

Brentford entered the Football League in 1920/21, a few seasons after us. So there have been 95 complete seasons since then.

At the end of each of those 95 seasons, we have been placed higher than Brentford in the Football League Pyramid in 72 of those seasons, while Brentford have been placed higher than us in 23 of those seasons.

The most recent season when Brentford finished above us was of course 2019/20 when they finished 3rd in the Championship and we finished 4th (but we won the play off final).

Of the 95 seasons, there have been just 25 seasons when we have been in the same Division as Brentford (this season is the 26th). In those 25 seasons, Brentford have finished above us 13 times, so they have the slight edge here.

And I'm sure you are interested. 25 league seasons equals 50 league games. In those 50 games our record against Brentford is W18 D15 L17. Of course the win earlier this season in the 51st league meeting between us and them takes us to W19 D15 L17.

Finally, where we really have the edge is in seasons in the top flight. This season is Brentford's 7th (but their first since 1946/47) while it is our 28th......

Thanks Ludlow, really grateful for the detail. Very interesting

[hovewhite]

They haven't won a derby game at home this season yet.