The amazing Championship table since Southampton appointed Tonda Eckert
Since Tonda Eckert took charge at Southampton in November, the club have accumulated more points than any other side in the Championship.
The 3-0 win over Blackburn in their latest fixtures served as a reminder of just how clinical they can be when fully on it.
The result leaves Southampton fourth in the Championship and only three points off the automatic promotion places.
Prior to the season starting, Southampton were being tipped as one of the favourites for promotion, along with Ipswich Town.
Will Still was the man initially tasked with getting the Saints back to the Premier League, but he never managed to get things going at St Mary’s.
Despite the underlying numbers suggesting that Southampton had been unlucky in the majority of matches under Still, he only won two of his 13 league matches.
The 33-year-old was then dismissed in November, with the club sitting 21st in the league and just three points above the relegation zone.
Under Still, Southampton had only averaged 0.92 points per game, which is the equivalent of just 42 points over a full campaign.
Since Eckert has taken charge, the club have averaged 2.06 points per game, which is the equivalent of 95 points across a full season.
Their recent 5-1 triumph at Wrexham felt like a statement victory, particularly as it followed an exceptional FA Cup quarter-final win over Arsenal.
“I think it helped us a lot that we had some freshness in the team today,” Eckert said after their victory in North Wales.
“We knew that we needed to take control early on, and we did this, especially in the first 20-25 minutes.
“Overall I thought we had good control. We knew that if we stayed and worked in our structure, we would get some moments in the second half and I thought we did that well.”
To illustrate just how good Southampton have been of late, here’s the form table since Eckert took charge.
(Note: all teams have played 29 games unless otherwise stated.)
1. Southampton – 60 points, +29GD
2. Coventry – 57 points, +18GD
3. Ipswich – 56 points, +22GD
4. Norwich – 50 points, +13GD
5. Millwall – 49 points, +8GD
6. Middlesbrough – 47 points, +15GD
7. Wrexham – 47 points, +3GD
8. Derby – 46 points, +9GD
9. Hull City – 46 points, +2GD
10. Sheffield United – 45 points, +13GD
11. QPR – 40 points, 0GD
12. Swansea – 40 points, -4GD
13. Watford – 39 points, +0GD
14. Birmingham – 38 points, -1GD
15. Bristol City – 36 points, -4GD
16. Portsmouth – 35 points, -7GD
17. Preston – 35 points, -8GD
18. Blackburn – 35 points, -10GD
19. Stoke – 31 points, -6GD
20. Oxford – 31 points, -11GD
21. Leicester – 30 points, -11GD
22. Charlton – 29 points, -16GD
22. West Brom – 28 points, -12GD
24. Sheffield Wednesday – 7 points, -42GD
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