How Are We Second?

[Simmops]

Stats are absolutely meaningless. The only thing that matters is the score.

And the score is a stat.

ClueLOLess

No it isn't. The score is the score

[Franchise FC]

Stats are absolutely meaningless. The only thing that matters is the score.

And the score is a stat.

ClueLOLess

No it isn't. The score is the score

Is the number of goals scored a stat ? Clearly yes
Is the number of goals conceded a stat ? Also yes

Soooooooooo ...........

Can’t work out who the clueless one is

[TiagoIlori]

Stats tell us more in depth about how a player or the whole team is performing, of course they’re worthy of consideration. What drives me nuts about the existence of stats is when people get lazy and only look at expected goals hence use that to judge how good a team is without them ever watching them play.

[Simmops]

And the score is a stat.

ClueLOLess

No it isn't. The score is the score

Is the number of goals scored a stat ? Clearly yes
Is the number of goals conceded a stat ? Also yes

Soooooooooo ...........

Can’t work out who the clueless one is

The score isn't a stat though. Thanks for proving my point.

[Snowball]

Stats are absolutely meaningless. The only thing that matters is the score.

And the score is a stat.

ClueLOLess

No it isn't. The score is the score

Note to Self:


Don’t wrestle with a pig

[Snowflake Royal]

Ok let me rephrase, is probably looking to make some changes to make the team play how he wants us to play. Rafael himself said Bowen was more about long balls and Pauno was more about playing out from the back with a high tempo. That stuff takes a lot of time to do.

Fair enough, although descriptions of Bowen as longball are way off IMO.

I can't remember which player it was but I'm pretty sure one of them commented on how VP's preferred style of play was very different and that Bowen tended to want more long balls played.

It's in Thiago's post within mine you've quoted. Rafael Cabral. And I think it may have been translated.

Bowen undoubtedly encouraged us to go back to front quicker and use longer balls. But that was desperately needed given how slow we were to get forward and how much pressure we put ourselves o
Under fart arsing around at the back.

Paunovic has done what no other manager who wanted us to play out has managed. Get us to move and do it with pace and purpose and switch it up going longer when necessary.

My guess is previous managers have focused on passing out for the sake of doing it, missing out the ultimate objective to make space and preferring it done slowly and ponderously but badly over not doing it.

While Velcro is clearly very offence focused and keen on high tempo. So has communicated the need to move the ball quicker and go for attacking opportunities.

It's only months ago people were saying our squad isn't capable of playing out. And yet here we are 4 from 4 doing it to an extent with Morrison an ever present.

[Snowflake Royal]

Just looking objectively for a second

2019/20
Short - 318 /game 79%
Long - 69 / game 17%
Through - 1 / game 0%
Cross - 17 / game 4%

2020/21 so far
Short - 84%
Long - 14%
Through - 0%
Cross - 2%

So there's really not a lot in it. Although that does admittedly include Gomes' disastrous start.

[Simmops]

And the score is a stat.

ClueLOLess

No it isn't. The score is the score

Note to Self:


Don’t wrestle with a pig

I'm right and you are all wrong. Just accept it. The final score isn't a stat in itself. The individual goals are but not the final score.

Stats mean nothing.

[Snowball]

Oink!

[Millsy]

Thanks for a great thread Snowball, good work, just seeing it now.

I was going to suggest aerials won is meaningless, we need a percentage as perhaps teams just can't get as many crosses in, but I see that's been discussed.

Few shots but decent goals, never realised we're just deadly finishers.

Possession I couldn't give two hoots about. Most other things seem pretty much in order and given only 4 games played I don't think we can read too much into it.

I don't know if this has already been asked but what about our crosses into the box, still near the bottom of the table like we were last season? That's my only concern. Are these all the parameters?

(Of course stats mean something, whether we go up or not is based on stats, but the issue as always is how they can be misinterpreted and misunderstood. Always generates good discussion.)

[Simmops]

Oink!

Mooo

[Mr Angry]

Here is another possible reason............with no fans in the grounds, the usual negativity from the stands that is brought to bear on the players when a pass goes astray, or a half chance is missed, is absent, so the players feel freer to express themselves.

And because the defence has been tightened up to the point where they have only conceded 1 goal in 5 games.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Here is another possible reason............with no fans in the grounds, the usual negativity from the stands that is brought to bear on the players when a pass goes astray, or a half chance is missed, is absent, so the players feel freer to express themselves.

And because the defence has been tightened up to the point where they have only conceded 1 goal in 5 games.

First point is interesting, I suppose if we had fans at games this season and had we still had the same start then the moans and growns wouldn’t have been as prevalent as things are going well.

But true, I hate the term but bigger clubs with full houses and the best atmospheres, maybe those teams find no fans harder than say, Reading, I’m sure any footballer would rather have fans but, even as a reading fan, the 12th man as such must be a bigger deal at anfield, old Trafford etc than the mad stad.

[Snowball]

Here is another possible reason............with no fans in the grounds, the usual negativity from the stands that is brought to bear on the players when a pass goes astray, or a half chance is missed, is absent, so the players feel freer to express themselves.

And because the defence has been tightened up to the point where they have only conceded 1 goal in 5 games.

First point is interesting, I suppose if we had fans at games this season and had we still had the same start then the moans and growns wouldn’t have been as prevalent as things are going well.

But true, I hate the term but bigger clubs with full houses and the best atmospheres, maybe those teams find no fans harder than say, Reading, I’m sure any footballer would rather have fans but, even as a reading fan, the 12th man as such must be a bigger deal at anfield, old Trafford etc than the mad stad.

I'd've thought a quick stat analysis looking at the top 10/12 "fans are a big deal" clubs

Liverpool
Man Utd
Leeds
Millwall
Wednesday
Portsmouth
Villa

etc

then asking "Are they doing better or worse than expected?"

Villa are doing brilliantly, Man Utd and Liverpool not so, Leeds are doing well for a promoted team, Milwall are 7/8 about the same, Wednesday have 8 points from first five games so not too bad. Haven't looked at Pompey

[Mr Angry]

Read an interesting article today which put forward a theory that teams who have a majority of footballers who are "players" are generally coping better without fans than teams who have a number of "entertainers" in their team, because "entertainers" feed of the crowd whereas "players" don't.

Could explain why teams such as Villa and Everton who have maybe more (hate the term....) "journeymen" players are doing so well.

The argument was that, with crowds there would have been no way Spurs or Chelsea would have let a 3-0 leads slip, or Liverpool wouldn't have shipped 7 to Villa...

[Snowflake Royal]

Jack Grealish doesn't really strike me as fitting that. Nor Some of our lot.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Here is another possible reason............with no fans in the grounds, the usual negativity from the stands that is brought to bear on the players when a pass goes astray, or a half chance is missed, is absent, so the players feel freer to express themselves.

And because the defence has been tightened up to the point where they have only conceded 1 goal in 5 games.

Yep but re the first point, our home form didn't improve with no fans under Bowen, in fact it probably got worse

[Snowball]

Here is another possible reason............with no fans in the grounds, the usual negativity from the stands that is brought to bear on the players when a pass goes astray, or a half chance is missed, is absent, so the players feel freer to express themselves.

And because the defence has been tightened up to the point where they have only conceded 1 goal in 5 games.

Yep but re the first point, our home form didn't improve with no fans under Bowen, in fact it probably got worse

Bowen Out!










oh.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Here is another possible reason............with no fans in the grounds, the usual negativity from the stands that is brought to bear on the players when a pass goes astray, or a half chance is missed, is absent, so the players feel freer to express themselves.

And because the defence has been tightened up to the point where they have only conceded 1 goal in 5 games.

Yep but re the first point, our home form didn't improve with no fans under Bowen, in fact it probably got worse

Bowen Out!










oh.

[Franchise FC]

We aren’t