A few observations from the stats (Dirties):

[Coolblade]

A few observations from the stats:

- Vini was the stand out performer with joint most shots, three times more dribbles than anyone else, joint most tackles and most interceptions, with a pass completion rate of nearly 90% (Anel having the highest pass completion rate of our starting 11)

- offensively Peck had most crosses, BBD most key passes, and Campbell won most aerial duels, had second most shots and an assist. Rak-S was well behind, and Cannon attempted just three passes in 37 minutes, completing just one. Indeed, once we took Campbell and Rak-S off, we then had no pace up front, which allowed the Dirties to push up, compress the midfield, and make more daring breaks (like their left back did for the first goal). Cannon was neither strong enough to hold the ball up nor quick enough to run down for a ball over the top. Although I thought he did make more effort today!

- defensively I remain bemused. Our record without Robbo is conceding 0.5 goals per game, with him it’s 1.3 goals per game. Tonight he again had poor team contributions and was ranked second last of all our starting 11 (ahead of O’Hare). His passion and long throws are positives but with him in the team, even with Vini back providing great cover we constantly look vulnerable. Tonight he won just one aerial duel, and made no successful tackles (Rak-Saki won three in comparison) and he just backed off as their players ran at us, and could have given a penalty away. It’s is surely time either for Holding to play alongside Anel, or for a back five. I would rather we stick with the formation which has worked well so far.

The first 25 minutes showed how dangerous we can be, and if Hamer comes back in, Campbell plays more than 60 mins, and we shore up the Defence by bringing in a champions league defender, then I still think we can look forward with genuine hope.

 

[Dnblade]

Yeah,too many mistakes from Robbo tonight, i'm afraid,but Anel was class.
The only thing abour bringing Holding in for me is...would it mean swtching Anel to LCB,aa he's been great back at RCB,and brings rhe ball out better from the right than he did when on the left...i say that,assuming Holding would come in at RCB.

 

[Bladesman]

A few observations from the stats:

- Vini was the stand out performer with joint most shots, three times more dribbles than anyone else, joint most tackles and most interceptions, with a pass completion rate of nearly 90% (Anel having the highest pass completion rate of our starting 11)

- offensively Peck had most crosses, BBD most key passes, and Campbell won most aerial duels, had second most shots and an assist. Rak-S was well behind, and Cannon attempted just three passes in 37 minutes, completing just one. Indeed, once we took Campbell and Rak-S off, we then had no pace up front, which allowed the Dirties to push up, compress the midfield, and make more daring breaks (like their left back did for the first goal). Cannon was neither strong enough to hold the ball up nor quick enough to run down for a ball over the top. Although I thought he did make more effort today!

- defensively I remain bemused. Our record without Robbo is conceding 0.5 goals per game, with him it’s 1.3 goals per game. Tonight he again had poor team contributions and was ranked second last of all our starting 11 (ahead of O’Hare). His passion and long throws are positives but with him in the team, even with Vini back providing great cover we constantly look vulnerable. Tonight he won just one aerial duel, and made no successful tackles (Rak-Saki won three in comparison) and he just backed off as their players ran at us, and could have given a penalty away. It’s is surely time either for Holding to play alongside Anel, or for a back five. I would rather we stick with the formation which has worked well so far.

The first 25 minutes showed how dangerous we can be, and if Hamer comes back in, Campbell plays more than 60 mins, and we shore up the Defence by bringing in a champions league defender, then I still think we can look forward with genuine hope.

JLT is good for a goal game.

I don't know what Holding needs to do to get him out of the team.

 

[TJ blade]

JLT is good for a goal game.

I don't know what Holding needs to do to get him out of the team.

Wilders made him captain! So bringing in a loan player ( Holding) and then dropping JLT might leave chris with egg on his face! Ffs! Wilder take him out and put Holding in!

 

[Champagneblade]

We’re probably paying Holding about 40k per week. For what?

To watch Robbo tie himself in knots and almost let Dan James con a penalty out of him?

He was behind Souttar in the pecking order. We’ve now brought in a player with 100 PL appearances and 30 European games. Are we really just going to have him sit there in the stands?

 

[Barmyblade]

I thought Brereton-Diaz was having a good game but his failure to follow their runner was a major error which further swung momentum in their favour.

Campbell again demonstrated why he is by far the most complete striker we have, and that he must be our first choice.

Rak-Saki is bloody infuriating. Huge ability and can look unplayable in some games but totally disinterested in others. Last night we were the biggest show in town, and was an opportunity for him to show his talent on a very public stage, and not only was he very ineffective but he appeared to not even be making an effort at times!

Brewster may have his limitations but his recent performances have shown a desire to be involved, even when played out of position, and bringing on Davies to play wide right was a plan which almost defies belief.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

I thought Brereton-Diaz was having a good game but his failure to follow their runner was a major error which further swung momentum in their favour.

Campbell again demonstrated why he is by far the most complete striker we have, and that he must be our first choice.

Rak-Saki is bloody infuriating. Huge ability and can look unplayable in some games but totally disinterested in others. Last night we were the biggest show in town, and was an opportunity for him to show his talent on a very public stage, and not only was he very ineffective but he appeared to not even be making an effort at times!

Brewster may have his limitations but his recent performances have shown a desire to be involved, even when played out of position, and bringing on Davies to play wide right was a plan which almost defies belief.

With hindsight, the call should have been McCallum and Brewster in wide areas that last 30 mins....

 

[Old Programme seller]

I thought they passed and moved like a premier league side we just looked like a championship hard working team

 

[metalblade]

I noticed Robbo on a couple of occasions was five yards behind the defence line which allowed Leeds to play in a runner on the left. Clarke was already badly exposed because JRS never tracked back to help him. Robbo is playing at 100% for him sadly that is still not quite good enough for a top level Championship team he struggles under pressure with the ball at his feet a mistake is always just around the corner, can't knock his effort but not good enough.
JRS mmmm I'll be surprised if he ever plays higher than this level, bags of ability but no work ethic he makes every full back behind him look poor be it Gilchrist or Clarke.
Cannon I really don't know what we have seen in this guy £10m yet Campbell looks a far better player and he cost zilch, even Moore did more in the couple of minutes he was on the pitch. Brewster who has done well recently can't get on the pitch, at times I wonder what goes through Wilder's turnip. If you are pulling off the only real pace we have in the team surely Brewster is a better replacement than Cannon.

 

[bartman]

With hindsight, the call should have been McCallum and Brewster in wide areas that last 30 mins....

In fairness, I don't think that is hindsight, it was obvious at the tine of the subs

 

[Coolblade]

Wilders made him captain! So bringing in a loan player ( Holding) and then dropping JLT might leave chris with egg on his face! Ffs! Wilder take him out and put Holding in!

Wilder can be very stubborn (alternatively viewed as loyal?) which can be frustrating. But Souttar was also a loan player, like Holding, and Wilder chose Souttar over Robinson for months, so presumably having made him captain doesn’t make him undroppable. The stats over an extended period make this switch unarguable.

 

[Blacksea]

I thought they passed and moved like a premier league side we just looked like a championship hard working team

It was like a decent Championship team against one of the lower ranked PL teams in
a cup game.
The Championship team has an early flurry and scores,then the PL team steps up and puts the game to bed without too much fuss .

 

[JohnDenver]

I thought Brereton-Diaz was having a good game but his failure to follow their runner was a major error which further swung momentum in their favour.

This is my worry with 433 - we’re vulnerable on the wings with our attacking wide men. Either they work harder, or the central midfield have to sit and cover. The balance is yet to be found, because we do look strong when on the front foot, but cannot expect to be solid when being worked over by good opposition.

Last night I’d have liked to see us revert to 442, shore up the wide areas and just leave Cannon and Moore to get us up the pitch.

 

[Badger Blade]

Leeds started to grow into the game just as we started thinking about shutting up shop.

They scored the equaliser then I saw Tom Davies go to sit back down, then he was called back and we brought him on anyway and promptly went and lost all shape. Best bet for me would have been to send O'Hare out to the right into BBD's position or change the shape to something that suited who was on the field.

The subs generally were baffling. If we had Davies, Souza, Peck, Hamer and O'Hare all playing where they naturally would, we'd be able to throw a blanket over them. Hamer was very lucky not to be sent off and offered barely anything when he came on.

Cannon can't play up front on his own but if we'd maybe gone 352 at around 70 mins instead and ended up with a team like Anel, Holding, Robinson, Choudury, Souza, Peck, Davies, Burrows and had Moore and Cannon up front, then we'd have had the defensive cover a couple who could break out of the midfield if needed and had two different options up front to either hold the ball up or knock it down the channels to chase.

We were in control but as soon as we started mucking around with the team, it all fell apart.

 

[Bladesman]

Leeds started to grow into the game just as we started thinking about shutting up shop.

They scored the equaliser then I saw Tom Davies go to sit back down, then he was called back and we brought him on anyway and promptly went and lost all shape. Best bet for me would have been to send O'Hare out to the right into BBD's position or change the shape to something that suited who was on the field.

The subs generally were baffling. If we had Davies, Souza, Peck, Hamer and O'Hare all playing where they naturally would, we'd be able to throw a blanket over them. Hamer was very lucky not to be sent off and offered barely anything when he came on.

Cannon can't play up front on his own but if we'd maybe gone 352 at around 70 mins instead and ended up with a team like Anel, Holding, Robinson, Choudury, Souza, Peck, Davies, Burrows and had Moore and Cannon up front, then we'd have had the defensive cover a couple who could break out of the midfield if needed and had two different options up front to either hold the ball up or knock it down the channels to chase.

We were in control but as soon as we started mucking around with the team, it all fell apart.

All on Wilder and this is not the sort of shit decision making Wilder used to do.

 

[Coolblade]

With apologies for a late addition, there were a couple of stats i left off my original email as I was unsure how best to interpret them. As i have said before, stats in isolation mean nothing and can easily by misconstrued - eg. if our opponents highlight a weakness in one aspect of our defence and seek to exploit it, then that defender may have apparently higher/better stats that they deserve.

The second and third ranked players for positive contributions last night were Clarke and Burrows. Burrows with second most tackles, second most clearances, second most crosses, a key pass, a successful dribble and a shot on target - probably deserves that ranking, although defensively there are questions to answer (including on both flanks to what extent Rak-Saki and BBD provided the protection they should have supplied). Clarke i have mixed views on. We seemed exposed on a fairly regular basis, but we were still winning when he was substituted and Choud certainly wasn't an improvement. Perhaps they were both victims of how the team was set up, as against Leeds having genuine quality in both wide positions.

Answers on a postcard?

 

[Barmyblade]

I think it’s probably a mixture of a few things. Both these fulll backs are better going forward than they are defensively, and that shows at times. But last nights set up, given the forwards playing in front of them, didn’t help and was a brave move. Indeed in the first half they had spare men running into the box a fair few times which we got away with.

I thought Burrows did ok, as whilst I recall Anel covering behind Clarke successfully a few times, I am unsure Robinson did that too often behind Burrows. In fact one time he tried to do so I thought he’d given a penalty away!

 

[MayorOJC]

Have we ever even scored from a JLT throw?

 

[Coolblade]

O’Hare against Oxford?

 

[Addison]

Wilder can be very stubborn (alternatively viewed as loyal?) which can be frustrating. But Souttar was also a loan player, like Holding, and Wilder chose Souttar over Robinson for months, so presumably having made him captain doesn’t make him undroppable. The stats over an extended period make this switch unarguable.

Not sure there was a choice. Souttar got in when JLT was injured second game against QPR. Souttar and Anel played so well together there was no need for a change. Fast forward to Anel getting suspended and injured JLT returns. CW has the opportunity to revert back to his best CB pairing against Burnley at Home but prefers JLT to Anel despite the Souttar/ JLT pairing being run ragged by Sunderland at Home. JLT makes a mistake and it contributes to the loss against Burnley. Souttar out for the rest of the season.

I firmly believe CW's thinking at the start of the season was pairing Souttar with JLT due to Anels poor form in the EPL. Circumstances prevented us starting with that formation not least Anels excellent form at LCB. Can only assume CW has a blind spot when it comes to JLT as the Souttar replacement is currently getting splinters in his arse sat on the bench.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

I thought they passed and moved like a premier league side we just looked like a championship hard working team

Nonsense. Team played some lovely stuff last night.

 

[Blacksea]

Nonsense. Team played some lovely stuff last night.

For 25 minutes

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

For 25 minutes

There was one second half move involving four or five slick passes that split them apart until it was taken off Peck’s (?) toe. Good last ditch defending.

 

[Oohaah! Bob Bookah!]

Have we ever even scored from a JLT throw?

Yes

 

[Toronto Blade]

It was like a decent Championship team against one of the lower ranked PL teams in
a cup game.
The Championship team has an early flurry and scores,then the PL team steps up and puts the game to bed without too much fuss .

Leeds strikers only need a few chances to score while ours need many more .

 

[CaptainMorgans]

It's noticeable how uncomfortable Robinson is when receiving the ball, sometimes under little pressure.

He has a tendency to take an inside, backwards touch, which not only leaves him with limited passing options (GK, or square to Anel) but also invites on the opponents press.

Many disagree, but I thought he was extremely lucky to not giveaway that penalty to Dan James.
He was robbed in a dangerous area, caught the wrong side and makes contact as (or before) James tumbles over.
I'm not saying it was or wasn't a penalty... but they're often given.

I'd be very reluctant to offer JR another deal.
He's been a brilliant value signing for us and I don't doubt he's a positive influence behind the scenes...
but he's the wrong side of 30 now. He isn't going to improve, (in fact he'll likely decline performance / availability wise).. let's rebuild sensibly.

----

If we fail to finish in the top two, it will be our failure to replace Souttar in January that will cost us (and the points deduction).
We managed to scrape together a late deal for Holding on deadline day, surely it's time we had a look at him?

We absolutely know that Anel / Robinson does not work as a pairing.

 

[1987]

Wilders made him captain! So bringing in a loan player ( Holding) and then dropping JLT might leave chris with egg on his face! Ffs! Wilder take him out and put Holding in!

Like when he loaned in Souttar and dropped JLT? I don't get what you're saying there at all.

JLT's got a half decent ping, and you can't argue he tries hard and cares. But he gets happy feet whenever the balls coming in his direction and, in all honesty, makes me nervous. I agree that Holding needs to play, especially as its feasible they could be our starting CB partnership next season. Anel and JLT, are not.

 

[Barmyblade]

All fair points. Robbo also loses concentration and finds himself in a positionally weak position (sometimes requiring a desperate tackle that our fans cheer), struggles at set pieces with a lack of physicality (with the recent dodgy penalty call, the ref saw him grapple, which he does often) and when his confidence is low, he just backs off towards goal, reluctant to tackle.

 

[Coolblade]

All fair points. Robbo also loses concentration and finds himself in a positionally weak position (sometimes requiring a desperate tackle that our fans cheer), struggles at set pieces with a lack of physicality (with the recent dodgy penalty call, the ref saw him grapple, which he does often) and when his confidence is low, he just backs off towards goal, reluctant to tackle.

A bit harsh - especially as he does have a fine chant, which surely forgives everything!

 

[ThirdGenBlade]

A few observations from the stats:

- Vini was the stand out performer with joint most shots, three times more dribbles than anyone else, joint most tackles and most interceptions, with a pass completion rate of nearly 90% (Anel having the highest pass completion rate of our starting 11)

- offensively Peck had most crosses, BBD most key passes, and Campbell won most aerial duels, had second most shots and an assist. Rak-S was well behind, and Cannon attempted just three passes in 37 minutes, completing just one. Indeed, once we took Campbell and Rak-S off, we then had no pace up front, which allowed the Dirties to push up, compress the midfield, and make more daring breaks (like their left back did for the first goal). Cannon was neither strong enough to hold the ball up nor quick enough to run down for a ball over the top. Although I thought he did make more effort today!

- defensively I remain bemused. Our record without Robbo is conceding 0.5 goals per game, with him it’s 1.3 goals per game. Tonight he again had poor team contributions and was ranked second last of all our starting 11 (ahead of O’Hare). His passion and long throws are positives but with him in the team, even with Vini back providing great cover we constantly look vulnerable. Tonight he won just one aerial duel, and made no successful tackles (Rak-Saki won three in comparison) and he just backed off as their players ran at us, and could have given a penalty away. It’s is surely time either for Holding to play alongside Anel, or for a back five. I would rather we stick with the formation which has worked well so far.

The first 25 minutes showed how dangerous we can be, and if Hamer comes back in, Campbell plays more than 60 mins, and we shore up the Defence by bringing in a champions league defender, then I still think we can look forward with genuine hope.

I think comparing defensive performance without and with Robbo needs to take into account that the without Robbo games were games with Souttar!

Not many people could replace Soutts without a significant reduction in defensive performance.

UTB & FTP!