Our Strikers halfway through

[Revolution]

Stats from 23 games:

Sharp: 17 games +4 sub, 12 goals
McGoldrick: 18+5 sub (ever present!), 6 goals (inc 3 pens)
Clarke: 9+10 sub, 2 goals
Washington: 3+8 sub, no goals
Woodburn: 1+6 sub, no goals

Last season first half:

Clarke: 19+1 sub, 14 goals
Sharp: 16+3 sub, 8 goals (inc 1 pen)
Donaldson: 4+4 sub, 4 goals
Evans: 1+6 sub, no goals
Lavery: 1+1 sub, no goals
Hanson: 0+1 sub, no goals

Leon's decline makes grim reading
Woodburn exactly as ineffective as Evans
Sharp has done better
If you'd told me in August McGoldrick would feature in every game I wouldn't have believed you
Washington has had less impact than Donaldson

 

[wizadry]

Stats from 23 games:

Sharp: 17 games +4 sub, 12 goals
McGoldrick: 18+5 sub (ever present!), 6 goals (inc 3 pens)
Clarke: 9+10 sub, 2 goals
Washington: 3+8 sub, no goals
Woodburn: 1+6 sub, no goals

Last season first half:

Clarke: 19+1 sub, 14 goals
Sharp: 16+3 sub, 8 goals (inc 1 pen)
Donaldson: 4+4 sub, 4 goals
Evans: 1+6 sub, no goals
Lavery: 1+1 sub, no goals
Hanson: 0+1 sub, no goals

Leon's decline makes grim reading
Woodburn exactly as ineffective as Evans
Sharp has done better
If you'd told me in August McGoldrick would feature in every game I wouldn't have believed you
Washington has had less impact than Donaldson

In other words we’re desperate for atleast one more out and out goal scorer?

 

[Stretch]

Dowell and a proven striker incoming, hopefully.
Send Woodburn back.
McG' s much will change, again hopefully.

Add to that another dozen goals from Billy. Sorted.

 

[SwissBlade]

We're currently 6th in the league, having scored 36 goals. We're 5th top scorers (Joint 5th on goals conceded)

Top Scorers by team (League position)
West Brom - 50 (3rd)
Aston Villa - 45 (11th)
Norwich City - 41 (2nd)
Leeds United - 39 (1st)
Sheffield United - 36 (6th)

Of the 36 league goals we've scored, our 3 strikers have scored 20 of those goals
Strikers 56%
Midfield 17%
Defenders 19% (includes Wingbacks)
Own Goals 8%

 

[wizadry]

We're currently 6th in the league, having scored 36 goals. We're 5th top scorers (Joint 5th on goals conceded)

Top Scorers by team (League position)
West Brom - 50 (3rd)
Aston Villa - 45 (11th)
Norwich City - 41 (2nd)
Leeds United - 39 (1st)
Sheffield United - 36 (6th)

Of the 36 league goals we've scored, our 3 strikers have scored 20 of those goals
Strikers 56%
Midfield 17%
Defenders 19% (includes Wingbacks)
Own Goals 8%

Good stats Swiss and I know we aren’t bad in the goal scoring stats in general but because of how we play we need to score more. I know that sounds a bit silly and harsh on those stats but I believe it to be true.

 

[robbiez666]

We've been worse at the back this year. Coupled with fewer goals. The defence has been as much an issue as the attack.

 

[SwissBlade]

Good stats Swiss and I know we aren’t bad in the goal scoring stats in general but because of how we play we need to score more. I know that sounds a bit silly and harsh on those stats but I believe it to be true.

Stats will tell you what you want, but it allows for a bit of perspective and let’s say we’re not doing that badly.

I’ll be interested in a Blades Analytics 1st half season review (not sure if one is planned) to see where we are compared to others as a team. In some of the stats that they’ve reeled off through the season we were under achieving, things like xG was suggesting we should’ve been higher, pigs were over achieving and that seems to have bourne fruit. But I’m digressing.

I agree with the point. We’ve dominated teams and created a lot, but we don’t finish teams off... we’ve had plenty of these cases recently. Bolton, Villa and Wigan games all seem a long time ago now.

The big thing for me though is that I think we’re just a few minor changes away from hitting that again. We’re still performing and I think it’s always a case of trusting the process when things are like this.

 

[vas borbokis]

Bigger problem to me is the soft goals we concede from errors. These are costing us a lot of points.
We need to score at least 2 per game as we seem to always gift a goal.

 

[wizadry]

Bigger problem to me is the soft goals we concede from errors. These are costing us a lot of points.
We need to score at least 2 per game as we seem to always gift a goal.

I personally think the players concede goals from silly mistakes due to their fitness levels both mentally and physically. What I mean by this is that they get tired due to the way we play and it makes them do silly things through this. I sort of accept this because I personally love how we play and that’s why I think we need more goals instead.

As Swiss says, we’re not far off but if we start rejigging the defence aswell as the strike force then it would be a very costly exercise, trying to bring players in who can play our system.

 

[vas borbokis]

I personally think the players concede goals from silly mistakes due to their fitness levels both mentally and physically. What I mean by this is that they get tired due to the way we play and it makes them do silly things through this. I sort of accept this because I personally love how we play and that’s why I think we need more goals instead.

As Swiss says, we’re not far off but if we start rejigging the defence aswell as the strike force then it would be a very costly exercise, trying to bring players in who can play our system.

Wasn't suggesting awapping the players but finding out why it keeps happening and fixing it. (Over to CW/AK).
We had an issue last season with shots from distance. The coaching seems to have solved that this year!

 

[wizadry]

Wasn't suggesting awapping the players but finding out why it keeps happening and fixing it. (Over to CW/AK).
We had an issue last season with shots from distance. The coaching seems to have solved that this year!

Yeah, I think we’d have to change our approach if we are to cut the silly mistakes out. For me, game management being the main aspect to focus on.

Some people (not you) think the players play a bad pass either on purpose or because they’ve suddenly turned shit, that isn’t the case, fitness is a huge cause of this.

 

[vas borbokis]

Yeah, I think we’d have to change our approach if we are to cut the silly mistakes out. For me, game management being the main aspect to focus on.

Some people (not you) think the players play a bad pass either on purpose or because they’ve suddenly turned shit, that isn’t the case, fitness is a huge cause of this.

Yes I agree. All teams make mistakes. We just don't seem as clinical at punishing them as our opponents do in this league.
I guess that brings us back to needing some quick forward players who can exploit a mistake and take advantage.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Stats from 23 games:

Sharp: 17 games +4 sub, 12 goals
McGoldrick: 18+5 sub (ever present!), 6 goals (inc 3 pens)
Clarke: 9+10 sub, 2 goals
Washington: 3+8 sub, no goals
Woodburn: 1+6 sub, no goals

Last season first half:

Clarke: 19+1 sub, 14 goals
Sharp: 16+3 sub, 8 goals (inc 1 pen)
Donaldson: 4+4 sub, 4 goals
Evans: 1+6 sub, no goals
Lavery: 1+1 sub, no goals
Hanson: 0+1 sub, no goals

Leon's decline makes grim reading
Woodburn exactly as ineffective as Evans
Sharp has done better
If you'd told me in August McGoldrick would feature in every game I wouldn't have believed you
Washington has had less impact than Donaldson

Thing is, in an ideal world we’d have recruited sufficiently in both summers to have made Clarke & Sharp excellent options to have in reserve, not first-choice options we’ve largely had to rely on. This was a result of disappointing recruitment in that department last summer and the same is the case last season. Evans was justified by plenty on the basis we’d be getting much better in to be first choice (we only then added Donaldson), same with the McGoldrick signing (we then only added Washington). We’re still 12 months on in a position where Sharp & Clarke are making up 2 of the 3 first choice strikers, and though I like both we desperately need to get to a position where they are pushed down the order on account of better players supplanting them.