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Goals from Midfield



Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
6,528
I see there are more posts on here claiming we need another striker and extolling 4-4-2. I see our goal scoring problem differently.

Last season our goals from midfield:

Lopez - 9
Buckley - 8
Orlandi - 6
Lua Lua - 5
Hammond - 2

This season:

Crofts - 6
Lopez - 2
Forster Caskey - 2
Buckley - 1
Ince - 1
Andrews - 1
March - 1

Although this comparison is not over the same number of games, with Crofts out for the rest of the season, we do need Buckley, Lopez, Lua Lua and Orlandi to start scoring again.
 


Shatner's Bassoon

The Puff Pastry Hangman
Feb 12, 2012
860
Agree with this. Hopefully yesterday suggested that Dale Stephens might chip in with a goal or two.
 




phazza

Active member
Aug 17, 2012
322
I see there are more posts on here claiming we need another striker and extolling 4-4-2. I see our goal scoring problem differently.

Last season our goals from midfield:

Lopez - 9
Buckley - 8
Orlandi - 6
Lua Lua - 5
Hammond - 2

This season:

Crofts - 6
Lopez - 2
Forster Caskey - 2
Buckley - 1
Ince - 1
Andrews - 1
March - 1

Although this comparison is not over the same number of games, with Crofts out for the rest of the season, we do need Buckley, Lopez, Lua Lua and Orlandi to start scoring again.

you are dead right. we create so many good attacking situations with with the ball going into the penalty area. we need midfielders in there to get them shots away. i'm convcinced - orlandi, lopez and most of our midfielders have quality, and therefore should be scoring more. this is the one area we really need to work on.
 


BensGrandad

New member
Jul 13, 2003
72,015
Haywards Heath
as posted on another thread Hoskins is back with the DS tomorrow night so hopefully fingers crossed the situation will improve. My local barber is a Charlton fan and he says that most of Stephens goals come from set pieces. I havent seen a lot from Rodriguez or Obika to suggest that they will figure on the score sheet much but perhaps given time they may. I am quickly becoming disillusioned with the quality of the players that we are bringing in this season., it seems as if we are really scraping the bottom of the barrell and getting what others in our position dont want. Last season we brought in quality but sadly this isnt so this season. What has changed drastically only the management team and possiby sticking to FFP
 
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Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,560
Fiveways
Good man, Stato. This needed saying. Am I right in saying that, outside of Ulloa, Lopez was our last player to score on 11 January?
The thing that sticks out to me like a sore thumb is that Buckley and Lua Lua have probably played out wide the most this season, but between them have managed a grand total of one goal. Kaz, though, must be into double figures hitting the 'woodwork' though. We managed to do that yesterday. Again.
 


Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
6,528
I am quickly becoming disillusioned with the quality of the players that we are bringing in this season., it seems as if we are really scraping the bottom of the barrell and getting what others in our position dont want. Last season we brought in quality but sadly this isnt so this season. What has changed drastically only the management team and possiby sticking to FFP

I think you miss my point. This is not about the new players. Four players who were here last year chipped in with 28 goals between them, but this season have so far contributed 3. If they can get back the fitness and form they had last year, the pressure would not be on the likes of Stephens and Rodriguez, who both look capable of contributing.
 


Thunder Bolt

Ordinary Supporter
I see there are more posts on here claiming we need another striker and extolling 4-4-2. I see our goal scoring problem differently.

Last season our goals from midfield:

Lopez - 9
Buckley - 8
Orlandi - 6
Lua Lua - 5
Hammond - 2

This season:

Crofts - 6
Lopez - 2
Forster Caskey - 2
Buckley - 1
Ince - 1
Andrews - 1
March - 1

Although this comparison is not over the same number of games, with Crofts out for the rest of the season, we do need Buckley, Lopez, Lua Lua and Orlandi to start scoring again.

Nail head.
 




Mowgli37

Enigmatic Asthmatic
Jan 13, 2013
6,371
Sheffield
Once Stephens has settled I think he can be a real Crofts-like player for us
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,373
West west west Sussex
It was early February last year, our goals from midfield stats looked very similar, to the above.

It's only when Gus loosened the defensive shackles did the midfield start to contribute.
I guess this season is more about not having a regular midfield, that's hampered us.
 


BensGrandad

New member
Jul 13, 2003
72,015
Haywards Heath
I think you miss my point. This is not about the new players. Four players who were here last year chipped in with 28 goals between them, but this season have so far contributed 3. If they can get back the fitness and form they had last year, the pressure would not be on the likes of Stephens and Rodriguez, who both look capable of contributing.

I think that this is down to the fact that we are getting the ball forward quicker and avoiding playing on the edge of the18yd box as per last season.
 




portslade seagull

Well-known member
Jul 19, 2003
17,588
portslade
It's because most of our central midfielders are to defence minded so will not make the runs into the oppo's penalty area like Crofts was doing
 




Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,560
Fiveways
I totally agree with the OP and it is what I have been saying for some time. We only play one upfront and we have a fantastic striker. Therefore, spending loads of money on a new striker wouldn't make a huge difference. In fact, all it would achieve is pissing him off as he sits on the bench watching Ulloa score. We certainly need a more proven and experienced back-up who can contribute goals when called upon, but not someone to come in and start every week.

What we seriously need to be looking at is our more attacking midfielders, both in terms of scoring goals and providing the right final ball. The stats speak for themselves when it comes to goals scored (i.e. these players are pathetic), but my major gripe is that so often the final ball is terrible. I don't see us missing dozens of golden chances (Stephens' yesterday excepted), but I do so often see us taking too long to shoot, getting the weight of the final pass wrong or sending in hopeless crosses.

Players like Buckley, Orlandi, Lopez and Kazenga are talented guys, but they just aren't good enough when it comes to the final ball. How often do we have 15 or 20 shots in a game but still only score once? In fact, in 19 games at the Amex this season, we've scored either 0 or 1 in 15 of them. That is appalling. And it's all because we can't translate possession and dominance into good chances that should be converted. Instead, we have lots of efforts but very few that are set up so well that it is odds-on that they will be converted.

If it was up to me, heads would roll in our midfield this summer. Not because they're bad players, but because they flatter to deceive far, far too frequently.

This is a very good assessment, but you've made a shocker here. We can accuse Lopez for all sorts of things this season, and Orlandi perhaps a few, but to claim that they can't play a final ball is patently wrong.
LuaLua is simply dreadful in terms of the chances he creates, whereas Buckley is just erratic -- he was great yesterday though.
 


Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,560
Fiveways
Show me the assists table with them at the top then. From what I can see, Lopez has had three good matches (Doncaster away, Leicester home and yesterday's first half), but has otherwise been completely AWOL. Orlandi is a fantastically skilful footballer, but far too often it just doesn't quite come off around the box. Buckley is the classic example of a player who can turn it on once every eight games but is generally missing or ineffective the rest of the time. And Kazenga is the only one of those four wide/creative midfielders of ours who can be proud of their season so far, but he still isn't a man you'd back to get the final ball right.

Don't confuse these players being extremely talented and great to watch (which they are, Lopez aside) with being able to play the final ball, because I don't think they can anywhere near regularly enough to justify a place in a promotion-winning team.

Lopez is great to watch. I agree that he's been poor overall this season, and stated as much in that post you were responding to. I also agree that Kaz can be proud of his season but, that said, his return is no goals and, to the best of my knowledge, just two assists. This, quite frankly, is dire. I think you're being a bit harsh on Orlandi, who has been injured for most of the season.
 






Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
6,528
The OP was not intended as an attack on the four players in question. They can score goals as they proved last year. I was simply saying that we need them to start doing it again.
 



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