Who’s our worst record against ?

[RailwayRowdy]

Whilst idling this morning away I was thinking about our magnificent 5-0 demolition of Ipswich on New Years Day 1990, but could not immediately think of too many other decent results against them.

A quick bit of research shows why !

That match was the first time we’d played Ipswich since 1955. The 16 league games we’ve played against them since hostilities renewed reads ;

P16   W2  D1  L13   !

Infact our overall league record is ;

P33   W5  D6  L21   !

Are Ipswich our worst opponents or are other terrible records out there?

[TheSage]

Based on my memory, and a quick look at google, I think we've got poor records as well against the likes of Villa (1W in 10), Leeds (3/24), Liverpool (2/25) & Wolves 8/48) but it seems as if our poorest record overall is against Bolton (2/36 wins).

I wonder if all sides have their bogey teams.

Of course, most of the above have been top flight and have all enjoyed eras of greatness so it's unsurprising really that we haven't played them much and often lost against them.

[Fosse69]

Quite a decent home record against Chelsea, P7 W3 D3 L1, away not so good P7 W0 D1 L6, no cup games.

Walsall away is probably as bad as any, but do not have the latest figures.

[TheSage]

I don't think it is now but I haven't any stats. It used to be dreadful but we've won several times there in the last 10-12 years haven't we?

[The man in the pub]

4 hours ago, RailwayRowdy said:

Whilst idling this morning away I was thinking about our magnificent 5-0 demolition of Ipswich on New Years Day 1990, but could not immediately think of too many other decent results against them.

A quick bit of research shows why !

That match was the first time we’d played Ipswich since 1955. The 16 league games we’ve played against them since hostilities renewed reads ;

P16   W2  D1  L13   !

Infact our overall league record is ;

P33   W5  D6  L21   !

Are Ipswich our worst opponents or are other terrible records out there?

I was at that game RR, remember it well. My mates dad was at the Post house ( Holiday Inn) as it was then called for a New Years Eve party where the Ipswich team were staying pre match. According to him they were partying hard.

I suppose teams we played on a more regular basis Swindon away springs to mind as an unhappy hunting ground. No stats to back that up.

[geosname]

Not to go off topic but I think owners is the answer.

[RailwayRowdy]

2 hours ago, TheSage said:

Based on my memory, and a quick look at google, I think we've got poor records as well against the likes of Villa (1W in 10), Leeds (3/24), Liverpool (2/25) & Wolves 8/48) but it seems as if our poorest record overall is against Bolton (2/36 wins).

I wonder if all sides have their bogey teams.

Of course, most of the above have been top flight and have all enjoyed eras of greatness so it's unsurprising really that we haven't played them much and often lost against them.

I may be wrong (but I don’t think so) at the time before automatic promotion/relegation to and from the National League Bolton were the last team we hadn’t beaten in the league. So that stat makes sense. 

[RailwayRowdy]

On 21/07/2019 at 15:19, TheSage said:

Based on my memory, and a quick look at google, I think we've got poor records as well against the likes of Villa (1W in 10), Leeds (3/24), Liverpool (2/25) & Wolves 8/48) but it seems as if our poorest record overall is against Bolton (2/36 wins).

I wonder if all sides have their bogey teams.

Of course, most of the above have been top flight and have all enjoyed eras of greatness so it's unsurprising really that we haven't played them much and often lost against them.

Also Citeh (18 defeats in 23), Spurs (11 defeats in 15) to name another couple. But as you say it is to be expected.

What is surprising though is a 59% loss to Sheff.Utd. (8•10•26) and 61% loss to Birmingham (9•3•19) as we have competed on a level playing field against these two in the not too distant past.

Most defeats are to Barnsley (46) followed by Bradford City (45)

Coincidentally, we have beaten Barnsley the most times (also 46) with our charming neighbours from Crewe next in line on 37. 

Win percentage wise, our best is a 60% success rate against Crawley (albeit from only 10 games), then surprisingly to me Orient on 56% (33•8•18)

It’s been a busy day at work obviously !

[valefan16]

Dont we have a dreadful record against Forest too?

 

One of the better ones I believe is Rochdale, they've not beaten us at Vale Park in a league fixture in something like 23 meetings

[jjvale_03]

We haven't beaten Newcastle in our last 9 attempts - the last time we beat them was 84 years ago!

 

 

[darren1810]

Can't ever recall us beating Forest Green 😉😉

[RailwayRowdy]

1 hour ago, valefan16 said:

Dont we have a dreadful record against Forest too?

 

One of the better ones I believe is Rochdale, they've not beaten us at Vale Park in a league fixture in something like 23 meetings

You’re right about Forest. 53% of meetings ended with a Forest win (13•10•26) and also Portsmouth have won over half our meetings with 51% (9•8•18)

On your Rochdale point,  we have only lost 11 of 57 meetings, which leads the way with a 19% loss ratio. Next in line are The Railway Children (naturally) 25% in 80 matches. Incredibly in 3rd is Southampton (9/33), who are matched on 27% with Burton (3/11) & Newport (12/45).

Southampton is a surprise !

[RailwayRowdy]

12 minutes ago, darren1810 said:

Can't ever recall us beating Forest Green 😉😉

We beat them down there in the Cup a few years back. That is our only win though 

[JAMO-IN-MEXICO]

From memory we had a massive bad run against Walsall from relegation in the mid sixties until we beat them at home in September '86. I reckon worst or best records need context with how many times we have played a team. For instance we have a 100% away record against Everton in the league! We'd never played Sunderland in a league game until 1987, the only league team at the time we'd never played before. Since then it took us ten years to get our only league win against them to date. As politicians will never admit to, stats need context. just like we're about to get (apparently) 20K new Police officers but in reality they are to replace the 23K the government have binned in ten years.

[TheSage]

Walsall was always a game that we never won when I began supporting the Vale. From 1960 to 1986 we won only 1 game against them - and we played them a lot.

But overall our record isn't disastrous. Won 25 but lost 41, in all.

In our last 16 games we've won 8, and lost 4, so actually pretty good since the turn of the century.

You are right, context is everything.