Statistics or Lies? In the last 10 games...

[jimbob5]

Ulloa is no miracle worker but scored every couple of games for us. He is a good focal point and the team know if they manage to put the balls in the right areas he will score at our level.

I do reckon that he would have scored a handful of goals for us this season, considerably more than any of our other strikers. Just a couple more wins would be four extra points which would put us rather comfortably mid table.

He does not seem to be at the moment.

 

[JBenno]

Our best player for getting a shot away in the penalty area is Chris O'Grady (stats). My sus said it should be Lewis Dunk (to double check later)

Shots from within the penalty area (recent ones remembered)
Not that I remember them. Off hand I think of Baldock, Elliott Bennett and Teixeira for recent misses. Only the Elliott Bennett miss would I be confident that better strikers (or Dunk) would score.

My observation didn't include any chance or shot inside the box. That was exactly my point.
2 or 3 dangerous looking crosses (2 aerial/1 on the deck) that sailed through without any of our players challenging/gambling/attempting to be on the end of them.
Hence no chance missed/or shot not scored stat to add to your list.

 

[jimbob5]

How about NO POINTS for a home drawer unless you score at least 2 goals. This would encourage the home team to gamble more. If they go a goal down or even two down it's not such a disaster because they would not have got a point anyway. So no points for nil nil, or one all and one point for two/three/four all etc. So, for example if there is no score with 10 minutes to go there would be no subconscious acceptance by the home side to settle for a draw because they'll have no points. It would also give the away team more space for a counter attack and would make the game more entertaining.

 

[perseus]

My observation didn't include any chance or shot inside the box. That was exactly my point.
2 or 3 dangerous looking crosses (2 aerial/1 on the deck) that sailed through without any of our players challenging/gambling/attempting to be on the end of them.
Hence no chance missed/or shot not scored stat to add to your list.

Most of the stats are positive. It does say that O'Grady gets to more balls per game in the penalty box than Baldock.

However, there was no accounting for the standard and type of opposition (as he only played against the "weaker" teams).

Team stats are more interesting. I would have our conversion failure would be right near bottom but it is no worse than average. Other teams are just as bad and they don't have so many shots.

In term of stats our next three opponents Norwich, Derby and Wolves have the best stats. Quite a bit above the rest.

Stats say what to me is rather obvious. We have got to get the ball in the penalty area instead of shooting from long distance. Then our best finishers are Dunk and Gardner.

Low stats for Albion in the attacking midfield role/wing-backs/wingers:

Accurate crosses: Íñigo Calderón
Corners: Danny Holla
Free kicks: Jale Forster-Caskey

NB: Nathan Redmond (Norwich) is the busiest and best attacking midfielder, but he put over lots of duff crosses as well.

The best striker in the penalty area is Rudy Gestede (Blackburn)

Second striker is probably Chris Martin (Derby)

 

[BobbySmith]

I think at last Sami has realised that the system was not working with the players we have, so last couple of games and Bournemouth to a certain degree, we have been playing a more solid 4-3-3, keeping the full backs defending a bit more and a proper defensive midfielder for the Blackburn game (Ince). I honestly think that we are only a couple of players away from being a good side that should compete for play off place, with Stephens and March back and a big center forward, then we will be ok, issue is, when are those back and how do we get a big good center forward ?

 

[perseus]

I think at last Sami has realised that the system was not working with the players we have, so last couple of games and Bournemouth to a certain degree, we have been playing a more solid 4-3-3, keeping the full backs defending a bit more and a proper defensive midfielder for the Blackburn game (Ince). I honestly think that we are only a couple of players away from being a good side that should compete for play off place, with Stephens and March back and a big center forward, then we will be ok, issue is, when are those back and how do we get a big good center forward ?

There seems to be a missing ingredient. Technically we seem to be better, but the character of players counts for something. We do not have to have the winners!

The wing-back system was very worrying to me as I have never thought it would work. However, the fans asked for more attacking football, and that system would both concede and should score more as well. I am old fashioned and like the a variable 4-4-2 and a classic 4-3-3.

I think we are still playing a sort of diamond at the front 4-2-1-2-1. I prefer the two up front and the second striker (like Lingard and Barnes) comes deep as the false number 9. I would like to see Lualua play this role from the start. That means we would need another wide player (e.g. Elliott Bennett) for a three pronged attack.

The argument for a second striker is whether he needs to help out in defence (like Barnes) or be a tricky player like Lualua, Teixeira or McCourt.

Playing two defensive midfielders is more defensive. This is when we haven't got the ball and both of them should be able to keep it. Not get dispossessed. Their are stats for this. I posted them incorrectly. Agustien and Colunga are the worst for us but not very often and not worse than other other teams or much worse than other players in our side.

All the creative players are liable to get dispossessed as they try to find a way through the opposition.

 

[perseus]

All the creative players are liable to get dispossessed as they try to find a way through the opposition. Forwards will tend to lose control more than other players (under pressure from defenders?) and get dispossessed as well. Trying to find the best Championship player for this and Paddy McCourt in his seven appearances has done better than anyone else.

But he is not an out and out forward. His record is better than Teixeira. Enough for the fans to notice. McCourt might not be good at defending but when he gets the ball he keeps it. Albion started the season as the best side at posession but have been overtaken by Norwich, Derby and Wolves, our next three matches.

Stas say that Leon Best (now at Derby) is by far the best striker in the division for touch and keeping hold of the ball. Thank God he can't shoot for toffee.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

2012-13 the biggest points winners were Buckley 11 and Barnes 9. Macca and Ulloa (half season each) 6 each.

It could be argued that we have lost all our game winners. I have not got the figures for the misses of both Barnes and Macca that should have got us more points. Got to be in the position to miss them though.

It could that we are missing the ingredient aggression in our forwards? It is a temperament. Some players just have it. Technique can be learned.

Crossing accuracy is something thats missing, the ability by the player making the cross to look up, spot a player and their run and to put the cross in to meet that run.

There have been too many aimless, hit and hope style crosses (cross pulled back to the pen spot when evereyone has gambled and gone for the 6 yard line or vice versa) there have been lofted crosses to the back post, when the striker wants it low and to the front post and so on.....

There needs to be a better understanding struck up in this area of the pitch, maybe we need to settle on a starting XI rather than keep chopping and changing so that we can develop this consistancy and understanding rather than this squad rotation we have now (maybe just until we turn the corner and start climbing to where we shouold be in the table)

 

[perseus]

Accurate Crossing

Crossing accuracy is something thats missing, the ability by the player making the cross to look up, spot a player and their run and to put the cross in to meet that run.

There have been too many aimless, hit and hope style crosses (cross pulled back to the pen spot when evereyone has gambled and gone for the 6 yard line or vice versa) there have been lofted crosses to the back post, when the striker wants it low and to the front post and so on.....

There needs to be a better understanding struck up in this area of the pitch, maybe we need to settle on a starting XI rather than keep chopping and changing so that we can develop this consistancy and understanding rather than this squad rotation we have now (maybe just until we turn the corner and start climbing to where we shouold be in the table)

Stats back this up. Not enough crosses and not enough good ones.

Crosses. We are middle of the table for corners, accurate and numbers from open play. This not everything. Derby have had less success than us at crosses and they are doing OK (could get better).

Corners
We are 12th in the table for crosses both in number and accuracy. 2.9 accurate corners per game. Brentford are second with 3.5 and Bournemouth streaking ahead with 5.2 per match. http://www.whoscored.com/Regions/25...TeamStatistics/England-Championship-2014-2015

No distinction is made about the nature of the crosses though. Wigan (ahead of us) put in deep crosses. I don't recall Bournemouth pounding us with crosses. When our full backs advanced too far, the other team exploited the gaps very well.

 

[perseus]

Counter argument says that there were too many hit and hope to Ulloa last season and our attacks were not very sophisticated. We relied too much on one player and this meant we were low scorers last season.

PS: I think our recruitment policy was short of the mark. McCourt and Hughes were good signings though.