BR has used 24 different players in the starting 9 league games (30 if you then add the 2 LC games). Only Tommy Burns with 26 in 1998/99 beats the League record.
If you expand this to include Cup games, and take the first 11 games of the season, BR with 30 is streets ahead of the rest, with only Tommy Burns, coincidentally also with 26 in 1998/99 coming close to BR over the first 11 games. Burns also holds the RFC league record of 40 different players used in a League campaign 1998/99, (with a further 5 who only made sub apps).
The message here is logical, and actually blindingly obvious, but at least on this occasion historical early season stats tend to correlate with final league finishing positions, (in itself an unlikely stat!) :
The fewer points obtained at the start of the season, the more likely the chance of relegation.
The greater the number of different players used, the more likely the chance of relegation.
The lower down the table a team is after a handful of games, the more likely the chance of relegation. (I did an exercise a few years ago that suggested that 50% of teams finish no more than 5 places above or below where they stood after about 10 games into a season, but can't seem to find it on my laptop).
Another thing I am doing is looking at the composition of startingh XIs. To date, BR has used 9 different combinations in 9 League starts, never picked the same starting XI twice, never mind in successive matches. The only Managers with comparable records were Burns and Bullivant.
Bullivant picked 35 different lineups in 38 League games, using the same lineup only twice on 3 occasions.
Burns picked 55 diferetnt lineups in 59 League games, using the same lineup again only twice, on 4 occasions.
The football played under these 2 clowns was dreadful. They were clearly groping around in the dark desperately hoping to stumble miraculously onto a winning formula. All the evidence of BR to date suggests he is doing exactly the same thing, and has even thrown in a whole raft of different formations just to add further confusion all round. It's one thing to experiment with different formations, and indeed personnel, but to do this in vital league games is simply naive. Surely the training ground, and behind closed door friendlies or reserve matches is the place for such experimentation?
RFC history suggests that we are most successful with a settled team playing a stable formation. At present we have neither of these things, so history suggests we are in for a rocky ride this season. So far, this is the 9th worst start to a league season we've endured in 83 seasons.
Will be back with more later.
