Goal margins/Goalscoring (1 Viewer)

Esoterica

Well-Known Member
There's been a lot of debate in the last 24 hours on missed chances/goalkeeping errors so I thought I'd pull some of the stats out and share some of the more interesting ones (interesting to me at least :p).

1. We rarely win comfortably and don't often get battered:
14 of our 18 wins have been by a single goal margin as well as 12 of 16 defeats.
upload_2019-4-23_19-3-12.png

This gives us the highest % of games settled by a single goal margin in the league:
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2. We don't thrash teams.
This follows on from the first point but single goal margins don't necessarily mean low scoring games e.g. Sunderland 4-5. For us it does though. Only 3 times in 44 games have we scored more than >2 goals (Bradford 2-4, Walsall 3-0, Sunderland 4-5).
Wimbledon are the only team with a worse record than that having managed it once, with Shrewsbury and Blackpool matching us with 3 occasions.
This is more evident at home than away too - with 17 occasions, no other team has scored ≤1 more times than we have:

upload_2019-4-23_13-52-33.png


3. Home form - first half.
Breaking down the home performances, 23 goals in 22 home games is a poor return but that in itself is a symptom of our lack of first half goals at home - just 9 in 22:

upload_2019-4-23_14-9-5.png

Like last year I think most teams in this league are happy with the theory of a point at the Ricoh so try to keep it tighter first half and reach half time within touching distance. A combination of poor finishing and final 3rd composure has meant that on the majority of occasions, the opposition can come out after halftime with the game still to play for and put us under more pressure without having to throw caution to the wind:
upload_2019-4-23_14-36-4.png

We need more clinical finishing in games from everyone - Thomas, Chaplin, JCH, Hiwula and Bakayoko have all missed simple chances over the season. That said I feel we need to tweak the approach to home games. Our fast counter attacking style is not helped by the Ricoh pitch but I think we could also change up the formation so we play more than 1 central striker at home. We've scored a few more first half goals recently but it's heavily reliant on the skills of Bright to unlock defences.
I also think a keeper change will make a big difference and not just for the obvious clangers. We get so deep under pressure and it stretches our lines which makes our quick interchanges harder - players are further apart and the ball has to travel further. With a confident vocal keeper who is comfortable on the ball behind them, the defence can push higher at home, the midfield can join in with more attacks and our forwards can get on the ball in dangerous areas rather than on the half way line with an isolated Bakayoko forced to play as a target man.
 

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Esoterica

Well-Known Member
I meant to add the 'scored in both halves' stats too as a further demonstration of our inability to score regularly enough at home to win matches easily. Only 3 times at home this season:
upload_2019-4-23_21-21-27.png
 

Gazolba

Well-Known Member
Interesting statistics.
I believe we have an ultra-cautious manager.
It says it all that against Bradford when 2-0 up against 10 men, he sent on a substitute at 90+1 to waste time.
Luton would have gone for a third goal.
 

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
Even though we don't score a lot we don't often not score either, it does all point to be finishing being the route of our problems.
 
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Irish Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Interesting statistics.
I believe we have an ultra-cautious manager.
It says it all that against Bradford when 2-0 up against 10 men, he sent on a substitute at 90+1 to waste time.
Luton would have gone for a third goal.
I don’t think he is ultra cautious. I think we play good attacking football, often carving the opposition open. Our lack of goals is there because we simply don’t putcarefully created chances away. Our football this season has generally been a joy to watch.
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
Interesting statistics.
I believe we have an ultra-cautious manager.
It says it all that against Bradford when 2-0 up against 10 men, he sent on a substitute at 90+1 to waste time.
Luton would have gone for a third goal.

I don’t disagree that Robins is cautious, I like that. But that particular game is a really bad example as we had the chances to score 5-6 goals and he didn’t make the sub to waste time.
 

Esoterica

Well-Known Member
I just saw a picture posted up which had Luke Thomas' stats.

66 shots.
32 on target.
4 goals.
6% conversation rate.

That's fucking dreadful.
To be fair to him, for those 32 on target, by the time he'd made up his mind what to do and got it onto his left foot, there were 7 players between him and the goal :p

I watched the Oxford, Barnsley, Bristol Rovers highlights again this morning because I wanted to see the Hyam misses and back header for the Oxford goal (as per Player of the season thread, I felt that was a key 3 games where the playoffs slipped from our grasp). Those 3 'highlights' aside it's essentially just Thomas missing chance after chance with a couple for Hiwula and Bakayoko thrown in. Would love to have the time available to go back through each game's highlights and put every miss into one video. I could send it Derby then and maybe we'd get him back for next season!

People have said he should have 10-15 goals, I'd up that to closer to 25 given the quality of chances he gets (even if several are self-made)
 

Earlsdon_Skyblue1

Well-Known Member
To be fair to him, for those 32 on target, by the time he'd made up his mind what to do and got it onto his left foot, there were 7 players between him and the goal :p

I watched the Oxford, Barnsley, Bristol Rovers highlights again this morning because I wanted to see the Hyam misses and back header for the Oxford goal (as per Player of the season thread, I felt that was a key 3 games where the playoffs slipped from our grasp). Those 3 'highlights' aside it's essentially just Thomas missing chance after chance with a couple for Hiwula and Bakayoko thrown in. Would love to have the time available to go back through each game's highlights and put every miss into one video. I could send it Derby then and maybe we'd get him back for next season!

People have said he should have 10-15 goals, I'd up that to closer to 25 given the quality of chances he gets (even if several are self-made)

I would genuinely love to see a compilation of all the misses from the team collectively. It would be a hell of a blooper video.
 

Sky Blue Harry H

Well-Known Member
Yet the fact is Thomas is the player that has me on the edge of my seat every time he has the ball - even if I have to sit back and groan in frustration after. I would also say it is a long time since I have seen a player 'scrap' for the ball like he does - he has incredible energy, pace and can take kicks off the opposition, without it putting him off his game (the one thing I worry about regarding Jodi Jones game)
 

Esoterica

Well-Known Member
Yet the fact is Thomas is the player that has me on the edge of my seat every time he has the ball - even if I have to sit back and groan in frustration after. I would also say it is a long time since I have seen a player 'scrap' for the ball like he does - he has incredible energy, pace and can take kicks off the opposition, without it putting him off his game (the one thing I worry about regarding Jodi Jones game)
His fouls conceded and fouls suffered stats pay tribute to that tenacity. Tops both charts by miles:
upload_2019-4-25_15-50-42.png
upload_2019-4-25_15-48-46.png
If you compare that to someone like Hiwula I think it goes a long way to showing how much more involved in the overall game he is. Hiwula comes alive when he's facing goal within the last 20 yards of the pitch.
Shout out to Willis and Hyam whose fouls committed stats are excellent in context of the amount of games they've started. Willis hasn't had a single yellow all season.
 

Earlsdon_Skyblue1

Well-Known Member
His fouls conceded and fouls suffered stats pay tribute to that tenacity. Tops both charts by miles:
View attachment 12024
View attachment 12023
If you compare that to someone like Hiwula I think it goes a long way to showing how much more involved in the overall game he is. Hiwula comes alive when he's facing goal within the last 20 yards of the pitch.
Shout out to Willis and Hyam whose fouls committed stats are excellent in context of the amount of games they've started. Willis hasn't had a single yellow all season.

Someone needs to give you a job at the club.
 

Dimi_Konstantflapalot

Well-Known Member
His fouls conceded and fouls suffered stats pay tribute to that tenacity. Tops both charts by miles:
View attachment 12024
View attachment 12023
If you compare that to someone like Hiwula I think it goes a long way to showing how much more involved in the overall game he is. Hiwula comes alive when he's facing goal within the last 20 yards of the pitch.
Shout out to Willis and Hyam whose fouls committed stats are excellent in context of the amount of games they've started. Willis hasn't had a single yellow all season.

I think Willis has only had 5 yellows in his entire career or something daft like that
 

Esoterica

Well-Known Member
The yellow card stats in general are probably indicative of both the style we try and play in combination with being a bit soft under the belly too - I bet half of the yellows are for celebrating goals not tackles as well!
 

Dimi_Konstantflapalot

Well-Known Member
The yellow card stats in general are probably indicative of both the style we try and play in combination with being a bit soft under the belly too - I bet half of the yellows are for celebrating goals not tackles as well!

Yeah - I can't remember an instance of us hauling down a player on halfway to stop a counter and taking a yellow for the team, but seems to happen all the bloody time against us!
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
The yellow card stats in general are probably indicative of both the style we try and play in combination with being a bit soft under the belly too - I bet half of the yellows are for celebrating goals not tackles as well!

Didn't he get sent off twice last season?
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
Relegation season? Seem to remember Slate bemoaning it.

of course, relegation season, but that's still a couple of sendings off, don't thing his disciplinary record is quite as clean as is being made out.
And to be honest, a centre halves shouldn't be.
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
To be fair to him, for those 32 on target, by the time he'd made up his mind what to do and got it onto his left foot, there were 7 players between him and the goal :p

I watched the Oxford, Barnsley, Bristol Rovers highlights again this morning because I wanted to see the Hyam misses and back header for the Oxford goal (as per Player of the season thread, I felt that was a key 3 games where the playoffs slipped from our grasp). Those 3 'highlights' aside it's essentially just Thomas missing chance after chance with a couple for Hiwula and Bakayoko thrown in. Would love to have the time available to go back through each game's highlights and put every miss into one video. I could send it Derby then and maybe we'd get him back for next season!

People have said he should have 10-15 goals, I'd up that to closer to 25 given the quality of chances he gets (even if several are self-made)

Robins upped that figure to 30 post-Portsmouth game and Thomas himself took to Twitter to apologise for his misses v Pompey and over the season. A classy touch, but pretty much sums up his season.

Even P’borough at home he missed a 1v1 before we went 1-0 down... I really like this player but perhaps the most wasteful player I’ve seen play for us. Tonnes of ability and I expect him to go pretty far if he sorts that side of his game out.
 

win9nut

Well-Known Member
Interesting statistics.
I believe we have an ultra-cautious manager.
It says it all that against Bradford when 2-0 up against 10 men, he sent on a substitute at 90+1 to waste time.
Luton would have gone for a third goal.
Did you go to Walsall?
That’d probably be why...
 

HuckerbyDublinWhelan

Well-Known Member
Thomas for me is a class player but his finishing highlights as to why he’s on loan at us and not playing first team for Derby.

I’ve no doubt he’ll play at the highest level if he sorts out his finishing
 

SkyBlueCRJ

Well-Known Member
Thomas for me is a class player but his finishing highlights as to why he’s on loan at us and not playing first team for Derby.

I’ve no doubt he’ll play at the highest level if he sorts out his finishing

Exactly, he's with us this season for a reason and that's to improve.

You're not wrong either, if he sorted his finishing out, he most definitely would be playing at the highest level for some top clubs. His work rate off the ball, overall attitude and his ability to track back is impressive considering his age, and rather unorthodox for a stereotypical winger. So, if he keeps his head down and works on his weaknesses there's nothing to say that he won't play at a 'higher' level.

However, realistically in my opinion, given the amount of work he clearly needs to do on his final product, I'd be surprised if he ever played in the Premier League. If you look at the quality of some top young wingers of a similar age even in the Championship such as Harry Wilson and Jarrod Bowen (who are both likely to feature regularly in the Premier League during their careers), Thomas is way behind where he needs to be to achieve consistently at the top level of football. That's not to say it's impossible for him to improve and reach those standards in time, as players develop at different periods during their career. But looking solely at his ability at this moment in time coupled with the amount of work that needs to be done to improve his final product it just looks unlikely in my opinion.
 

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