The strikers might not really be working, but playing only one of them when you've spent so much on them, and when (probably the bigger point here) the midfield are so incredibly goal-shy is not something I can see as any kind of solution. Neither is playing O'Hare and Sakamoto together behind one striker. We would never score again. The wingbacks in my view have also been pretty underwhelming, and aren't really contributing either. Switch to 4 at the back, and bring Bidwell back in. A 4-1-2-1-2 (if not a 4-3-3) or something along those lines.
I know Wilson has made a few mistakes recently but some on here I think have been waiting for an opportunity to have a pop for a while. We have Collins, but really there are bigger issues (even if this was magnified by the WBA mistake). The team selections, game management, and substitutions are all up there - and that is on Robins. I don't want him out the door by any means whatsoever, but it is more than fair to highlight some fair criticisms. For that there are quite a few at the moment and some of them are the same ones that have been brought up over time.
I know Wilson has made a few mistakes recently but some on here I think have been waiting for an opportunity to have a pop for a while. We have Collins, but really there are bigger issues (even if this was magnified by the WBA mistake). The team selections, game management, and substitutions are all up there - and that is on Robins. I don't want him out the door by any means whatsoever, but it is more than fair to highlight some fair criticisms. For that there are quite a few at the moment and some of them are the same ones that have been brought up over time.
I agree and disagree with you there, I think the box looked a lot better than the previous formation of 2 up top, to me it seemed clearer what the midfielders should be doing when attacking. However, I completely agree with you that we should be looking at a back 4, forget trying to hold onto the ball for as long as humanly possible, we’re currently doing nothing with it. Scoring goals is our main issue and putting an extra attacker in there should definitely give us more options going forward. Something like a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 would be ideal, keep it simple and play proper football, not this weird shit we’re playing atm.
People who hate stats do so because they don’t understand them and enjoy phrases like “we’re all entitled to our opinion”
People like stats like xG in order not have an opinion, stats are useful in many ways but xG is quite literally pointless unless the EFL are going to start awarding them based on those rather than aG.
You'd get away with diminished responsibility for that rather than murder to be fair.
And there is the point proven.
Yet the data is used by practically every professional club. Someone should tell them.
Practically every professional club:
" xG says we should be scoring more goals, should we get a better striker?"
" Shit, never thought of that, thank Christ for xG"
Of all the clubs to support whilst having a weird chip on your shoulder about scary numbers, this one is probably the most ridiculous.
Nothing scary about numbers, just really weird how people will give more credence to them than what they can actually see in front of them.
If xG is useless because you don't get points for it, what stat other than the final score is useful?
I think both sides are right, I love stats as they’re cold, hard facts but you can also pick certain stats to back up whatever you like. Sometimes what you see on the pitch is more important than what a stat says and sometimes a stat is more important than what you’re seeing on the pitch. I think anything in football is based on a combination of both stats and the eye test.
All that needed to judge a players performance is a flat cap and a dog like the good old days.
The stats app I use Sofascore has Josh Eccles as the 17th best (!) Championship player this season, he’s a decent player but certainly not among the best in the league.
So, the question is how has he ended up there? Is he underappreciated? Do they put more weight on certain statistics?
So, the question is how has he ended up there? Is he underappreciated? Do they put more weight on certain statistics?
I think the opposite. I'm quite confident he knows what needs to be done.
I think the difference is that I am willing to be patient. I'm not putting down anyone who isn't but I am just quite calm about the whole situation and obviously that's a good thing for me in terms of stress and panic etc
Imo this is year 1 of a rebuild that might take years. The version of kithcing or Simms or wright or MVE we see right now isn't the version we will see long term imo. Next summer we don't need to completely change everything. The players will mostly stay and know our tactics and what robins wants inside out over next 2-3 seasons.
We will have a chance at promotion if we stick with robins and his current plan. He recruited for long term. So Nov 1st ain't time to say recruitment team should be sacked etc
Keep the faith. Hopefully Doug will too.
PUSB
I think the difference is that I am willing to be patient. I'm not putting down anyone who isn't but I am just quite calm about the whole situation and obviously that's a good thing for me in terms of stress and panic etc
Imo this is year 1 of a rebuild that might take years. The version of kithcing or Simms or wright or MVE we see right now isn't the version we will see long term imo. Next summer we don't need to completely change everything. The players will mostly stay and know our tactics and what robins wants inside out over next 2-3 seasons.
We will have a chance at promotion if we stick with robins and his current plan. He recruited for long term. So Nov 1st ain't time to say recruitment team should be sacked etc
Keep the faith. Hopefully Doug will too.
PUSB
People who hate stats hate them because they don't back up their prejudices or flawed observations.
Both of the above.
Eccles is largely derided by our fanbase because of who he isn't rather than who he is imo.
He's never going to be that creative force that people want to see alongside Sheaf. He's excellent at breaking up play & playing simply. He would be fine alongside a more dynamic, creative midfielder.
To the point on the stats/ratings. Similar to Whoscored, they are good for tracking stats but their rating system is flawed.
He almost leads the league in Tackles & does well on Interceptions too. His Pass Accuracy is good &, despite what some think, he's generally quite progressive. By virtue of him taking set pieces (regardless of the overall quality) he generally creates chances too.
In my view it is the former. I wonder how many supporters of other clubs bang on about their holding midfielder being responsible for the lack of goals scored by their team rather than their no10 and strikers?
I'd go as far as to say that he has been our best player so far this season. He just isn't Hamer but he is criticised for things that aren't his fault or responsibility. I am sure this will elicit laughing emojis but maybe anyone who disagrees should say who has been better.
But everyone sees a game differently, and a player's performance differently, even people with similar levels of knowledge of the game. Stats offer more insght over a longer period than opinion, provided they are accurate and applied consistently, which sometimes they aren't
A move to a back 4 wouldn't work.
Bidwell and DaSlivla as LB & LM maybe, but not sure about Van Ewijk and Sakamoto as RB & RM, and if any of those get injured we are f*cked as we don't really have wide players except Sakamoto, and we're already pushing DaSilva into an unfamiliar role.
We recruited the squad to play 3 CBs and WB's.
Bidwell and DaSlivla as LB & LM maybe, but not sure about Van Ewijk and Sakamoto as RB & RM, and if any of those get injured we are f*cked as we don't really have wide players except Sakamoto, and we're already pushing DaSilva into an unfamiliar role.
We recruited the squad to play 3 CBs and WB's.
Not sure what he earns now but he’s contracted for what ? Another 4 years ? Expensive to remove.
Despite the claims of some, we are not that far off being a good side IMHO.
We hold on against Hull and Huddersfield for the wins and there would be less scepticism.
Expectation after last season and an unusual glut of signings ( for CCFC ) also raised hopes for another challenge. We are a decent goalscorer short of a winning side. I think the club has messed up with the strikers, Robins almost always improves players but I think he’s bitten off more than he can chew with these. It will be a slog to January but for once we should still have money in the kitty to rectify things .
Despite the claims of some, we are not that far off being a good side IMHO.
We hold on against Hull and Huddersfield for the wins and there would be less scepticism.
Expectation after last season and an unusual glut of signings ( for CCFC ) also raised hopes for another challenge. We are a decent goalscorer short of a winning side. I think the club has messed up with the strikers, Robins almost always improves players but I think he’s bitten off more than he can chew with these. It will be a slog to January but for once we should still have money in the kitty to rectify things .
Jeez all this hysteria. We lost the two best players in this league and haven't replaced them with anyone close to being as good ...shock.
We're not playing particularly badly , just missing chances. They will start going in and we'll start moving up the league.
Relax
We're not playing particularly badly , just missing chances. They will start going in and we'll start moving up the league.
Relax
Thing is our recruitment does look poor and many on here have criticised the recruitment personnel. Why would it be any different in January?
That's genuinely a really interesting question.
I imagine it might pan out a bit like our games against Boro in the playoff semis, although Boro last year carried more threat than we have (so far) this year, and we still beat them over two legs.
A very difficult match to arrange though!
I find stats quite interesting to an extent but when you're hovering just outside the drop zone and people are saying its ok because the xG has us higher that it becomes meaningless. You can't measure spinelessness or general inability to play a certain system (the one we are currently playing)
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I think Eccles is fine, just fine, but I do quite like him. Robins is absolutely murdering him putting him on set pieces though, he is atrocious at them, so bad that you just end up completely pissed off and often ignore the rest of his game, which is ok.
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It doesn’t look great right now but let’s not forget there’s still two months before January for some of these signings to prove their worth
Anyone that thinks stats are useless does not understand the modern game. Clubs pay data analysts to forensically go through a players statistics. The game has become very scientific in that regard. It’s never as simple as saying someone isn’t good enough. I know a little bit about this and the breadth of data they analyse is incredible.
It’s kind of like the film Moneyball!
I’m not a stat buff myself as some of it goes over my head but just because I don’t fully understand some of the science behind it doesn’t mean I dismiss it like some on here are
It’s kind of like the film Moneyball!
I’m not a stat buff myself as some of it goes over my head but just because I don’t fully understand some of the science behind it doesn’t mean I dismiss it like some on here are
