Goals scored per match: 8th
Goals conceded per match: 21st
Average possession: 5th
Clean sheets: 21st
Expected goals: 7th
Shots on target per match: 4th
Big chances total: 9th
Big chances missed total: 17th (8th best)
Accurate passes per match: 7th
Accurate long balls per match: 8th
Accurate crosses per match: 20th
Penalties awarded: 3rd
Touches in opposition box: 3rd
Corners: 5th
Expected goals against: 7th (18th best)
Interceptions per game: 21st
Successful tackles per game: 10th
Clearances per game: 15th
Possession won final third: 13th
Penalties conceded: 12th
Saves per game: 3rd
Fouls per game: 18th
Yellow cards: 5th
Red cards: 24th
Comments
Shared some stats pre-season about the clean sheet records of teams that have been promoted in the automatics. From memory, they averaged a clean sheet in around 40% of their games. Last season, I think we averaged something like 12%. So a massive increase in defensive strength was needed in order to have a better season this year. Where was that increase supposed to come from? Other than the signing of Jones, no other reasonable defensive improvements were made. (And that one is looking questionable now).
So once again, we ended up with an easily top-half/top-six attack and a relegation-level defence.
2020-21 14
2021-22 14
2022-23 7
2023-24 2 (so far)
How much are the royalties?
Expected goals against: 7th (18th best)
I don't understand these two stats
All that really matters.
the most pointless stat
Similarly with xG against, the team who is giving up the most was ranked 1st and the least was 24th.
By the same token, being third in “saves per game” is not, in my opinion, a good thing so could’ve noted that down as us being 22nd best.
- we’re good at scoring goals, being 3rd in stats like touches in the opposition box is very encouraging as far as our attacking output is concerned, we can cut through other teams with relative ease.
- we’re shit at stopping the oppo from having shots at our goal (3rd most shots saved in the division is abysmal) and the oppo are scoring mostly through sheer volume of shots, rather than us being carved open on a regular basis.
If you don’t want to worry yourself about anything other than wins and losses, feel free. Others will continue their analysis in an attempt to understand why we’re winning or losing.
”Don’t be bad” isn’t an effective strategy for improvement.
3 league clean sheets from 27. No clean sheets in the last 15 games. Worst set of shutouts at this stage of a season since 1979/1980 (44 years) when the club got relegated from the old Second Division under Andy Nelson
No league wins in 9. Worst run in the league since 2019 in the Championship (11 games)
No wins in 11 in all competitions. Worst run in all competitions as per 2019 above
1 away win in 13 league games
Least amount of points at this stage of a season in the 10 seasons we have been in league one
Worst position in League One at the stage of a season in the 10 seasons we have been in League One
Apart from the more obivious , we are 20th for accurate crosses. we always seem to delay a cross until their defence is in place or quite frequently fail to cross at all just go back to halfway iine or worst to our keeper
Football has too many variables and comes down to individual moments in a split second. The truth is we’re not good enough in those crucial moments.
Hundreds of managers lose their jobs every year with access to exactly the same stats. That’s telling.
And that's with Cory in the team. Crossing isn't his greatest strength, but he had put over a few decent one. The lack of a target man in the middle hasn't helped, but both full backs have been weirdly reluctant to get forward, to overlap and get crosses in.
That our keepers are making the 3rd most saves is awful. It's the sort of stat you'd expect to see from a small club being mauled every week, like the promoted sides in the PL this season.
If our Interceptions are at 21st, i.e. the 4th worst, that shows how ineffective our defence AND midfield are at stopping attacks, despite Dobson flinging himself around.
We're also shit at interceptions, which is interesting as that's something that's usually down to players stepping up and taking the ball, especially defensive midfielders and defenders, particularly fullbacks. So they're either out of position defensively to make an interception, or too busy standing off and not challenging the ball (tackles per game and fouls don't seem to point to that)
xG against suggests a lot of the goals scored against us are either absolute worldies, or things that should be saved due to low xG rates.
Expected goals: 7th
Shots on target per match: 4th
Big chances total: 9th
We’re all over the shop. End to end. No control.
Said from the start we had one of the weaker defensive options in the division and I was Lol'd into oblivion. Hopefully Gillesphey is the real deal as Jones has been non-existent the last few games, Ness is average and Thomas has worryingly, been our best defender.
I suspect these attacking stats will plummet as the season goes on as a lot of that was down to Corey probably.
- Sheff Wed, 37
- Bolton, 36