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Listed below are the teams that finished 6th for the previous 10 seasons:
2008/09 - Preston - 74 pts - Goal Difference +12 (Play off by GD)
2007/08 - Watford - 70 pts - Goal Difference +6 (Play off by GD)
2006/07 - Southampton - 75 pts - Goal Difference +24
2005/06 - Crystal Palace - 75 pts - Goal Difference +19
2004/05 - West Ham - 73 pts - Goal Difference +10
2003/04 - Crystal Palace - 73pts - Goal Difference +11
2002/03 - Nottingham Forest - 74 pts - Goal Difference +32
2001/02 - Norwich City - 75 pts - Goal Difference +9 (Play off by GD)
2000/01 - West Brom - 74 pts - Goal Difference +8
1999/00 - Bolton - 76 pts - Goal Difference +19
The average is 73.9 (rounded to 74 points) but on three occassions 74 points would not have been enough to have finished 6th:
- In 2006/07 Preston finished 7th on 74 points behind Southampton with 75.
- In 2001/02 Burnley finished 7th with 75 points behind Norwich on goal difference.
- In 99/00 Wolves and Huddersfield finished 7th and 8th on 74 points behind Bolton on 76.
74 points is the equivalent to 1.608 points per game or 16 points after 10 matches, 32 after 20, 48 after 30, 64 after 40 and 10 points from the remaining 6 matches. Throughout the season I will update my blog of how many points we are ahead and behind the 1.608 points per game needed to achieve the golden 74 points.
On 3 occassions in the previous 10 seasons 6th place has been achieved by having a superior goal difference than the team in 7th. The average goal difference over this time is +15 goals. An average which is increased due to Nottingham Forest finishing 02/03 with +32. If you take the highest (+32) and the lowest (+6) out of this the average reduces to +13. Even with this reduced average QPR would need to first accumulate the points and then achieve a positive goal difference, which would be our first since our promotion season in 2003/04.