Damned Lies and Statistics

[Jim Chimmerney]

Just looking at the Chumpionship's top scorers and no-one has raced away with the golden boot this season and even the 2 biggest scorers Wolves and Fulham don't have a 20 goal man. However, here's an interesting one to ponder, which team has 2 of the top 3 strikers in terms of % shots on target ?

Yep, Billy 1st, Leon 3rd.

I admit to being one of those who think we need a new strike force but it just goes to show that on stats alone, they're no worse than anyone else in the division, and better than most. What this does also show though is that the rest of the team have fallen short on the goals front and where the top clubs have been better than us. The midfield have just about managed to scrape into the low teens and the defence haven't managed double figures between them. Surprising for such an open attacking team with players bombing forward from all positions.

 

[Ricky]

Great stat - Leon has the most goals from open play with 18 - 2 more than the next highest in Reid, Jota and Grabban.

If Mitrovic had been in this league all season he'd be out there on his own on about 30.

Grabban's also done very well considering half his goals were for Sunderland.

And if McBurnie had been at Barsnley all season they'd be safe and he'd be on about 20! But a small paperwork issue on deadline day prevented that. Gutted!


Some surprising numbers if you look on here... http://www.soccervista.com/topscorer-Championship-2017_2018-850172.html

 

[Bladesman]

I have to be honest I have been impressed with both Sharp and Clarke this season. I didn't expect either of them to make double figures and thought we would get more goals coming from midfield and wing backs.

Turns out its been the other way around and its been Sharp and Clarke carrying the team in terms of goals. The midfield and wingbacks really need to be wading in with more goals next season.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Yet there are still those claiming Billy is past it. Fuck me he must have been some player in his prime...

 

[SwissBlade]

Yet there are still those claiming Billy is past it. Fuck me hd must have been some player in his prime...

This is always amusing, lucky for Billy (now he's in the later part of his career) he's never had much pace, but he's always scored goals. So as long as he can keep fit he'll keep doing a job

 

[mattbianco1]

Here's a stat for you then regarding Clarke.

He scored against: Hull (4), Fulham (3), Pigs (2) and Wolves (2). So 61% of his goals came in just 4 games.

He has played 38 games and scored in just 11, therefore he has only scored in 29% of our games. That isn't consistent enough. Had he been consistent, he would have 30 goals and we would be top 4.

 

[LJBlade]

And in just 3 months time when the season starts again they will both be too old to be much use to us so we should move them on this summer, apparently

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Here's a stat for you then regarding Clarke.

He scored against: Hull (4), Fulham (3), Pigs (2) and Wolves (2). So 61% of his goals came in just 4 games.

He has played 38 games and scored in just 11, therefore he has only scored in 29% of our games. That isn't consistent enough. Had he been consistent, he would have 30 goals and we would be top 4.

True but the stats show his % is as good as most so that points to lack of chances created, or the rest aren't much better

 

[axel smeets]

Great stat - Leon has the most goals from open play with 18 - 2 more than the next highest in Reid, Jota and Grabban.

If Mitrovic had been in this league all season he'd be out there on his own on about 30.

Grabban's also done very well considering half his goals were for Sunderland.

And if McBurnie had been at Barsnley all season they'd be safe and he'd be on about 20! But a small paperwork issue on deadline day prevented that. Gutted!


Some surprising numbers if you look on here... http://www.soccervista.com/topscorer-Championship-2017_2018-850172.html

‘If’ is always a word that is easy to use. If we’d have held on v Cardiff, Millwall and taken the points we’d have deserved against other teams, we’d be in the top 6 now.

Likewise with players, if Barnsley had completed their paperwork on time and if Fulham had got their striker in in August, who knows?

But they didn’t, and we didn’t, so there we all are.

 

[jt64]

Who would have thought that not just blasting it into the Kop whenever people start shouting shoooooooooot results in better chances which go on target more often?

 

[mattbianco1]

True but the stats show his % is as good as most so that points to lack of chances created, or the rest aren't much better

OR...

The chances were created and he didn't get connection on the crosses (if he doesn't connect, the chance doesn't get counted in the other stats).

I feel that is probably more true. We fire the ball across the box so many times per game that a £8/10m striker would really take advantage of. I've used Jordan Rhodes as a comparison on numerous times this season. We create chances that he would gobble up.

 

[Beans]

Here's a stat for you then regarding Clarke.

He scored against: Hull (4), Fulham (3), Pigs (2) and Wolves (2). So 61% of his goals came in just 4 games.

He has played 38 games and scored in just 11, therefore he has only scored in 29% of our games. That isn't consistent enough. Had he been consistent, he would have 30 goals and we would be top 4.

Those goals still count though By that argument, without them we'd have lost 1-0 to lowly Hull, got whupped 5-2 by Fulham, drawn with the Pigs and Wolves. (NB: I know football doesn't work that way)

Sure, it would have been great if he'd taken every chance that's come his way and scored 30 goals. It just seems strange logic to disregard some of his goals because he happened to score another one in the same game.

 

[Lane Ender]

I have to be honest I have been impressed with both Sharp and Clarke this season. I didn't expect either of them to make double figures and thought we would get more goals coming from midfield and wing backs.

Turns out its been the other way around and its been Sharp and Clarke carrying the team in terms of goals. The midfield and wingbacks really need to be wading in with more goals next season.

Most of those goals especially Leons came in the first half of the season but he would get an award for missing the most sitters 2nd half of the season.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

OR...

The chances were created and he didn't get connection on the crosses (if he doesn't connect, the chance doesn't get counted in the other stats).

I feel that is probably more true. We fire the ball across the box so many times per game that a £8/10m striker would really take advantage of. I've used Jordan Rhodes as a comparison on numerous times this season. We create chances that he would gobble up.

I was with you until the 2nd half of your post

 

[robbiez666]

Just looking at the Chumpionship's top scorers and no-one has raced away with the golden boot this season and even the 2 biggest scorers Wolves and Fulham don't have a 20 goal man. However, here's an interesting one to ponder, which team has 2 of the top 3 strikers in terms of % shots on target ?

Yep, Billy 1st, Leon 3rd.

I admit to being one of those who think we need a new strike force but it just goes to show that on stats alone, they're no worse than anyone else in the division, and better than most. What this does also show though is that the rest of the team have fallen short on the goals front and where the top clubs have been better than us. The midfield have just about managed to scrape into the low teens and the defence haven't managed double figures between them. Surprising for such an open attacking team with players bombing forward from all positions.

It's a false stat because our strikers don't shoot from range whilst others in that top 10/20 will do regularly. It's a lot easier to shoot on target when you're near the goal!

 

[Revolution]

OR...

The chances were created and he didn't get connection on the crosses (if he doesn't connect, the chance doesn't get counted in the other stats).

I feel that is probably more true. We fire the ball across the box so many times per game that a £8/10m striker would really take advantage of. I've used Jordan Rhodes as a comparison on numerous times this season. We create chances that he would gobble up.

No we don't.

We put the ball in, yes, and occasionally we create a chance like that. But most of our crosses are easily defended against, because having passed it across the penalty area and back again the defence have had ample time to get set.

I see goals scored on MOTD every week by forwards who get time and space that Sharp and Clarke hardly ever get. Why is this? One possible explanation is that they've received the ball earlier, before the defence is set.

We don't just need pace. We need players who do things more quickly.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

OR...

The chances were created and he didn't get connection on the crosses (if he doesn't connect, the chance doesn't get counted in the other stats).

I feel that is probably more true. We fire the ball across the box so many times per game that a £8/10m striker would really take advantage of. I've used Jordan Rhodes as a comparison on numerous times this season. We create chances that he would gobble up.

There were a couple of instances on Saturday where I thought Sharp would have 50% of the time got on the end of something he marginally missed (both in front of the Kop). Also in the first half an opportunity seemed to emerge and Sharp instead made a bad choice to pass instead of shoot. Don’t get me wrong, I thought on the day that Sharp was one of our better performers, but that’s three instances where he should have had a go at goal but didn’t.

 

[bertieblade]

Unfortunately for him and us, he is now too slow in thought and deed.
The effort is there but his limitations mean that in my opinion he can no longer cut it in the position we now find ourselves.
Unfortunately for us Clark is not far behind him

 

[Esablade]

Billy and Leon have proven their pedigree this season, but obviously, they are ageing.

We’ve nowt else really unless Ched finally gets ‘that pre-season’ under his belt

So we need two strikers who are ‘as good or better’ to come in and mebbe take a chance on a youngster also...IMO

 

[Sean Thornton]

No we don't.

We put the ball in, yes, and occasionally we create a chance like that. But most of our crosses are easily defended against, because having passed it across the penalty area and back again the defence have had ample time to get set.

I see goals scored on MOTD every week by forwards who get time and space that Sharp and Clarke hardly ever get. Why is this? One possible explanation is that they've received the ball earlier, before the defence is set.

We don't just need pace. We need players who do things more quickly.

Eg Fulham v Us at Craven Cottage.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Add another reason to the baffling misuse of Sharp in the 2nd half of the campaign.

UTB

 

[bladesrus]

Billy and Leon have proven their pedigree this season, but obviously, they are ageing.

We’ve nowt else really unless Ched finally gets ‘that pre-season’ under his belt

So we need two strikers who are ‘as good or better’ to come in and mebbe take a chance on a youngster also...IMO

Exactly. It's called progression, we need younger replacements in place. Not necessarily as immediate replacements as think with close season rest both Leon and Billy may be good enough to start, but can't see them both lasting.