[Devongone]

Well when Workington went out of the League they only won 4 in the season.

Brechin City didn't win all last season and were celebrating this season when they finally won a league game against East Fife.

I'll let Matt do a Stats answer but I'm betting we're nowhere near the worst.

[SaltergateBorn]

Myself, Blue, I think that`s more of a `confidence` issue than `mentality`. Or are they 2 ways of saying the same thing? I don`t know. Sigmund Freud might be able to answer that one, but personally I`ve no idea.

I`m convinced, though, that these things are self-perpetuating. The more often a team drops points by conceding late goals, the more nervous the players become in the last few minutes when they`re trying to hang on to a point - or three - so the more likely they are to make mistakes, so the more likely they are to concede late goals - and so on on, and so on. By the same token, it only takes a few games of hanging on to a slender lead for the situation to be reversed; they become more confident that they won`t concede and they don`t.

It`s an old saying that `winning becomes a habit` and I think that principle applies here. It`s a very difficult spiral to get out of, though, once you`re in it.

[St Charles Owl]

Sunderland have lost 52 in the last two seasons, any team that suffers from back to back relegations will be around that number of losses.

[spireitematt]

The win ratio last season was 21.7%. Draw ratio last season was 17.39%. Loss ratio last season was 60.86%

2017/18
Chesterfield lost 15 times by a margin of 1 goal = 32.6% Chesterfield lost 28 that season which = a loss ratio of 60.86%
Barnet lost 13 times by a margin of 1 goal = 28.2% Barnet lost 24 that season which = a loss ratio of 52.17%

2016/17
Leyton Orient lost 13 times by a margin of 1 goal = 28.2% Leyton Orient lost 30 that season which = a loss ratio of 65.21%
Hartlepool lost 12 times by a margin of 1 goal = 26.08% Hartlepool lost 22 that season which = a loss ratio of 47.82%

2015/2016
York City lost 16 times by a margin of 1 goal = 34.78% York City lost 26 that season which = a loss ratio of 56.52%
Dagenham & Redbridge lost 16 times by a margin of 1 goal = 34.78% D&R lost 28 that season which = a loss ratio of 60.86%

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Well when Workington went out of the League they only won 4 in the season.

Brechin City didn't win all last season and were celebrating this season when they finally won a league game against East Fife.

I'll let Matt do a Stats answer but I'm betting we're nowhere near the worst.

In 2015-16 in the Northern Premier League Division One North, New Mills W0 D3 L39 they were dubbed the "worst team in England" and were relegated to the North West Counties Premier league where in 2016-2017 they W8 D9 L25 and were relegated to North West Counties Division One. They currently play in North West Counties Division One South (after they reconstructed the leagues) and are doing pretty well.

[bluepooch]

Many teams lose a majority of games in one season but tend to turn it around somewhat the next.Ours has now reached 59 losses and that takes some beating .
I guess Leyton Orient might have got close to us over two seasons ,not sure the others Matt mentioned turned it around the next season and I've not followed Brechin to know if their demise was as prolonged as ours .But as far as the saying 'Long suffering fans' is concerned there wont be many can claim that unwanted honour more than us .I've never experienced Chinese Water Torture but those regular drip drip drip losses must come close .
Anyway Martin's being positive so lets hope he transfers it to the players on Saturday.

[spireitematt]

Here you go Blue

2017/2018
Leyton Orient lost 18 in their first season in the National League and finished 13th in the National League
Hartlepool lost 18 in their first season in the National League and finished 15th in the National League

2016/2017
York City lost 18 after getting relegated from L2 and were relegated again to the National League North
Dagenham & Redbridge lost 14 after getting from L2 and finished in a playoff spot

We are 7 games into the start of the season, it's still early days and Blue I think you're being a bit overdramatic.

[Devongone]

I do think losing in the last few minutes becomes a thing teams do, just like winning then. The old Liverpool team used to be famous for winning games in the dying minutes - they expected to score. Like SaltergateBorn I do think the more you fear conceding the more likely you are to do it. Managers always complain their team or a player is losing concentration, I don't believe it. I think they become too aware of making a mistake, do things they wouldn't normally do, let the pressure get to them ..... and then there it is, the fatal error in the 95th minute. Italian teams could almost always close out games efficiently, they did it in practice, they did it in games, it was second nature. Once it becomes what you do, I reckon you just do it.

[SaltergateBorn]

Thanks for that, Matt. Good stuff (although you really should start getting out a bit more, you know).

So it looks as though most of those relegated teams would have survived with an extra point from their narrow defeats and we weren`t so far out of the ordinary. Then again, of course, the teams just above the drop zone could say that if THEY had got an extra point from their 1-goal losses..........and so on.

As the old saying goes; "if ifs were buts and buts were maybes...." At the end of the day, we are where we are and we`re there on merit (or lack of).

[spireitematt]

Thanks for that, Matt. Good stuff (although you really should start getting out a bit more, you know).

So it looks as though most of those relegated teams would have survived with an extra point from their narrow defeats and we weren`t so far out of the ordinary. Then again, of course, the teams just above the drop zone could say that if THEY had got an extra point from their 1-goal losses..........and so on.

As the old saying goes; "if ifs were buts and buts were maybes...." At the end of the day, we are where we are and we`re there on merit (or lack of).

I'm always getting asked for stats. They are out there if you look harder enough, just search for past league tables, fixtures & results and its not that difficult to turn something into a percentage.

[bluepooch]

Yeah but you're our statto Matt and we know we can rely on you to come up with the goods .