“Second Season Syndrome” - one of football’s oddest quirks in recent years, is apparently taking effect once more on the Premier league again this season if the table is anything to be believed, now a third of the way into the season. For those uninformed individuals whom, at this stage, haven’t a clue what this condition is all about, don’t worry, its not some terminal disease ready to kill off the entire Liverpool defence (although you would be forgiven for thinking Roy Hodgson is quietly hoping some form of virus makes its way into the team in order to clear the vast amount of deadwood talent at his disposal.) It is the now-common phrase that is used to describe a downturn in fortunes for a football club two seasons after its promotion to the Premier League.
We have all heard and experienced the same, familiar story. Newly promoted team defies the odds and excels in their first season in the Premier League only to fall recklessly apart in year two. In the past Bradford exceeded expectations by beating the drop before being relegated as early as the following March. Ipswich Town heavily tipped for relegation in their first season back at the highest level; finished fifth to gain UEFA Cup Qualification, only to crash and burn 12 months on achieving this feat. In 2007 Wigan and West Ham who were promoted together in 2005 and both achieved top ten finishes and cup final appearances the following season, found themselves in a bitter relegation battle, both prevailing to the cost of Sheffield United. Fans at the Madejski Stadium are no strangers to such phenomena, relegated themselves just 12 months after finishing seventh in their debut Premiership season. Even more recently, Hull City, who went as far as topping the table in November of their debut season, amid a sudden crash mid-season leading to it turning into a relegation battle in which they won, were relegated in the summer, such evidence is enough to give Mick McCarthy and Alex McLeish sleepless nights as both sides find themselves in the bottom three after successful first seasons after promotion.
The 2009/10 campaign saw the Blues manage a top-half finish, primarily because of their solid back five. On only on four occasions last term did they concede more than two goals in the league, a record in which by no means is close is being carried on this season if the opening thirteen games is anything to go by, the blues clearly missing the safe hands of Joe Hart as Ben Foster further fails to prove himself as a credible goal-stopper. At the end of last season it was widely regarded that Wolves needed to do something to improve the goals scored to conceded ratio and although individual errors can account for some of the goals in which we have seen so far this season, I do feel it is the lack of firepower on offer in the wolves midfield to control a game that puts the back 4 under pressure, particularly when teams are pushing for goals late on to rescue or win a game. Both sides find themselves under immense pressure over Christmas, that presuming both managers retain their posts that long, to bring out the chequebook to avoid falling down the same path as those who have went before them.
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