Feature

Awards seasons

Behind the Numbers

This week our statistician looks at Arsenal's pair of Premier League award winners.

Arsène Wenger has been named Barclays Manager of the Month for September, the 13th time he has won the award.

It's the first time since February last year that he has taken the award - but he has more monthly awards than any other active manager.

Arsenal won all four Premier League fixtures during September, making it the 22nd time that Wenger has won 100 per cent of his league fixtures in a calendar month.

However, just eight of his 13 Manager of the Month awards were given for a perfect monthly record, meaning that 14 such months went 'unrewarded'.

Wenger has usually had to win four or five games in a single month to take the award, though in February 2011 and 2012, three wins and a draw proved enough.

"It's the 22nd time that Wenger has won 100 per cent of his league fixtures in a calendar month"

In December 2007 Arsenal could even afford a defeat, with victories over Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton and Aston Villa (as well draws at Newcastle and Portsmouth) proving enough to convince the judging panel on that occasion.

September 2013 was the 170th month in which Arsenal have played league fixtures since Wenger took over at the beginning of October 1996.

Arsenal have remained unbeaten in 83 (48.8 per cent) of those 170 months, including all 10 during 2003/04. Last season Arsenal were unbeaten in four months - August, February, April and May.

September and February have been Wenger's most successful months in terms of Premier League Manager of the Month awards (three each), and he has taken the award at least once in every month apart from January and November. The award is not handed out in May as there are usually only two or three league fixtures played that month.

His first award came in March 1998 (the 16th 'football month' of his tenure) and he won it again in April that year.

The longest Wenger has gone without winning the accolade is 38 months - between December 2007 and February 2011 - though he was unlucky not to take the award in December 2009, when Arsenal won five and drew one of their six league fixtures. Alex McLeish, the Birmingham manager, won it that month with a record of four wins and two draws.

 

 

Arsène Wenger's 13 Manger of the Month awards

Ars



Although September and February are the most common months for Arsène Wenger to win the Premier League award, neither are his most successful months in terms of points gained per game.

 

 

That, by a fairly comfortable distance, is March. Arsenal have played 60 Premier League fixtures during the month of March since Wenger took over, winning 42 (70 per cent) of them, and taking an average of 2.27 points per game.

September is the second most productive month under the Frenchman (2.13 points per game), followed by April and October (2.08 points per game). April is also notable for having a very low loss average (10.5 per cent).

December is by far the busiest month for Premier League fixtures (it's during the European winter recess and before the FA Cup kicks in) so this is the month in which Arsenal have produced the most league wins overall (52).

The most league games Arsenal have played in a single calendar month is seven, recorded three times, and always in a December.

The most wins in a single month is five, achieved five times: in April 1998, December 2001, April 2002, February 2004 and December 2009.

Arsene Wenger's month-by-month Premier League record

Month P W D L Win% PPG
August  55 31 13 11 56.36 1.89
September 61 38 16 7 62.30 2.13
October 61 37 16 8 60.66 2.08
November 67 31 14 22 46.27 1.6
December 92 52 25 15 56.52 1.97
January 63 33 20 10 52.38 1.89
February 59 34 15 10 57.63 1.98
March 60 42 10 8 70.00 2.27
April 76 45 23 8 59.21 2.08
May 51 30 9 12 58.82 1.94



 

 

Unbeaten calendar months by season

Unbeaten calendar months by season



Aaron Ramsey made it an Arsenal double in September, earning the Barclays Player of the Month Award for his outstanding contribution.

 

 

The 22-year-old midfielder played every minute of Arsenal's four league games last month, scoring four times and helping the side to four wins.

"It's the 27th time an Arsenal player has been named Premier League Player of the Month"

He top scored in the Premier League for September, won 24 tackles (seven more than any other player in the league), was second in the list for completed passes (245) and third overall for most touches of the ball (380).

It's the first time Ramsey has ever won the award, and it's the first time an Arsenal player has taken the honour since Robin van Persie in October 2011.

Overall it's the 27th time an Arsenal player has been named Premier League Player of the Month, second only to Manchester United (32) and 10 more than third-placed Liverpool.

Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry have the most awards while representing the Club (four each) and Ramsey is the 18th different Arsenal player to win it.
David Seaman was the first to win it for the Gunners, back in April 1995.

Four different Arsenal players won the award in four consecutive (football) months in 2002 - and that remains a unique achievement in the Premier League.

Aaron Ramsey's September stats

Games  4
Minutes played 360
Goals 4
Assists  1
Shots on target 5
Tackles won 24
Interceptions 7
Successful passes  245
Pass completion rate  86.9%
Touches 380 

 

 

Premier League Player of the Month winners

Premier League Player of the Month winners



With thanks to Opta. Stats correct as at October 17, 2013 

 

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