The mid-table thread

[thewwfc]

Where all the real prestige is to be found.

Sod that promotion and relegation nonsense, it's averageness that is truly to be celebrated, and no-one can be more average than the winner of the mid-table trophy.

A reminder of the rules:

• First team to hit the beach, whereby you're too crap to stand any chance mathematically of going up, but you're not crap enough to be able to go down.
• In the event of a tie (which is pretty common, especially in a league stuffed with such utterly average teams), the winner is crowned by having the GD that is closest to zero, to reflect TRUE mediocrity.
• If that's still a tie, then the team closest to the sacred mid-table havens of 12th or 13th.
• ...and if that STILL hasn't decided it, then the team with the most draws.

There are some who believe in the "first past the post" method of determining this, but I think that's far too open to abuse and swings far too arbitrarily on one game - what happens if it's a late kick-off or something? So bollocks to that - fairness must be applied.

I think we've still got too much of a flirt with relegation to be serious contenders for this, but the team I'd like to see hoist the title this season is Lincoln - they're in the perfect place to do it right now, and have got a nice run of draws going.

They were really solid contenders for the title last season too, and just slipped up at the final hurdle, so you'd hope for better things for them this time around.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Who won it last season? I thought we were in with a shout at one stage.
Love to win this buy really can't see it at the moment

 

[thewwfc]

It was Fleetwood last season.

 

[BogDaddyO]

My money's on Cambridge

 

[E10rifle]

I think Wigan will win it. I expect them to slowly overtake everyone up to and including Orient by the end of the season but get absolutely nowhere near the playoff point tally. It would be a remarkable achievement after the -10 deduction.

 

[Dan Phillips]

I think Wigan will win it. I expect them to slowly overtake everyone up to and including Orient by the end of the season but get absolutely nowhere near the playoff point tally. It would be a remarkable achievement after the -10 deduction.

-8.

 

[Luke Imp]

I did wonder whether anyone would spot we currently have the highest number of draws again for the second season in a row.

31 league draws in 1½ seasons is good going!

 

[BRFC_Gas]

I think we are the dark horse this year lads. Bout time we won something

 

[Razzmachaz]

Nice to see Orient back in contention for this after the utter madness in recent seasons of actually being successful. We must have been living in an alternate universe or something. Can't see the playoffs this season so a slight drop off in form and we are back to the comforting familiarity of being bang average, or should I say modest. Saying that, first season back at this level and with all the unknowns I would have snapped someone's arm off for a bit of mid table mediocrity at the start of the season. Lovely stuff.

 

[thewwfc]

Nice to see Orient back in contention for this after the utter madness in recent seasons of actually being successful. We must have been living in an alternate universe or something. Can't see the playoffs this season so a slight drop off in form and we are back to the comforting familiarity of being bang average, or should I say modest. Saying that, first season back at this level and with all the unknowns I would have snapped someone's arm off for a bit of mid table mediocrity at the start of the season. Lovely stuff.

I mean, we all want silverware, but if you're really serious about this trophy, I feel like you're going about it the wrong way, with all this top of the form table nonsense.

 

[valefan16]

Nice to see Orient back in contention for this after the utter madness in recent seasons of actually being successful. We must have been living in an alternate universe or something. Can't see the playoffs this season so a slight drop off in form and we are back to the comforting familiarity of being bang average, or should I say modest. Saying that, first season back at this level and with all the unknowns I would have snapped someone's arm off for a bit of mid table mediocrity at the start of the season. Lovely stuff.

Not sure why your getting funny about being called modest, your not likely to trouble the top 6 and wont go down so pretty much the epitome of League One mid table which is surely a great achievement back in L1?

 

[Razzmachaz]

Not sure why your getting funny about being called modest, your not likely to trouble the top 6 and wont go down so pretty much the epitome of League One mid table which is surely a great achievement back in L1?

I'm not. Just thought it was amusing last night when people jumped on it. Modest is fine by me.

 

[Throbber_for_Dunk]

My money's on Cambridge

After blowing our shot at 12th/13th a few years ago (probably) it'd be nice.

But yeah, getting there would be our best finish for donkey's and as fun as it was in the end, I've no desire to repeat last year's relegation evasion antics.

 

[Pompeyblueboy]

I'm not. Just thought it was amusing last night when people jumped on it. Modest is fine by me.

Orient are the form team and there is always one team that breaks into the play offs. So O's are hardly modest

 

[Razzmachaz]

Orient are the form team and there is always one team that breaks into the play offs. So O's are hardly modest

Agreed. All joking aside I do believe if you look at our track record in this league before the travesty of the Bechetti era we are a pretty solid club at L1 level. I also think under current ownership we will be in the promotion/playoff picture over the next few years. Just not sure about this one. But happy to be ahead of schedule

 

[denzel ecfc]

Creeping up in this now. Would have been top half but for Fleetwood going down to ten...

 

[thewwfc]

4 draws in 6 for those mid-table sex machines Lincoln City. Phwoar.

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

We know what we are doing

 

[Gassy]

Right now we’re exactly 12 points off play offs and relegation with -1 GD. We’re in a great position to win this, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous by Lincoln’s 12 draws

 

[AmberAndy]

Now firmly in the running, having reduced our goal difference closer to zero yesterday, although we still have to play Bolton twice.

 

[Throbber_for_Dunk]

If we're in the running in four games time, then maybe we should bring it up!

 

[EricSabin]

Important win for us yesterday in this battle

 

[Davidimp]

I did wonder whether anyone would spot we currently have the highest number of draws again for the second season in a row.

31 league draws in 1½ seasons is good going!

We do like a draw, not the best at home wins, since the play off final in 2021 we've won 20 of the 62 home games.

 

[denzel ecfc]

We do like a draw, not the best at home wins, since the play off final in 2021 we've won 20 of the 62 home games.

Shame that wasn't the case on Saturday!!!

 

[thewwfc]

Lincoln need to watch that GD before they drift too far into the black, that could hurt them in the final analysis.

Exeter’s heavily negative GD is also a bit of a burden. Still, long way to go and a lot of competition here.

 

[Luke Imp]

It's a bit bizarre really because we went from being mid-table having played two or three less than everyone else, to mid-table having played two or three games more, to now mid-table with everyone on the same games.

 

[Trapdoor]

Our goal difference

 

[LordJord]

Big fan of this mid table malarky.

 

[thewwfc]

I think we've still got too much of a flirt with relegation to be serious contenders for this, but the team I'd like to see hoist the title this season is Lincoln - they're in the perfect place to do it right now, and have got a nice run of draws going.

They were really solid contenders for the title last season too, and just slipped up at the final hurdle, so you'd hope for better things for them this time around.

What a difference a few games makes.

I don’t want to come over all Billy Big Bollocks here, but I feel we’re coming well into contention here, in 14th and on -1 GD.

Lincoln, conversely, seem to be blowing their shot at glory this time round.

What’s up with all these dickings they keep handing out? They’re seriously blowing their chances, I feel - that +18 GD can only be a burden in this contest.

 

[denzel ecfc]

By my calculations Wigan are now favourites.