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Post by gawa on Aug 14, 2022 21:57:36 GMT
TransfersOutgoingsTommy Smith - RB/RWB - Free (17k p/w) Doughty - LWB/LM - Free? (3.5k p/w) Moore - CB - (End of loan) James Chester - CB - Free (15k p/w) Harwood-Bellis - CB - (End of loan) Tom Ince - RM/RW - Free (27k p/w) Vrancic - CM - Free (11k p/w) Joe Allen - CM - Free (50k p/w) Sawyers - CM - (End of loan) Maja - CF - (End of loan) Steven Fletcher - CF - Free (13k p/w) Afobe - CF - Free? (30k p/w) Sima - RW/FW - (End of loan) Philogene Bidace - LW - (End of loan) Salary Change -166.5k p/w (excluding loans)Transfer Fees - Unknown. Fee from Collins and possible fee for Doughty? 2 Wing Back 3 Centre Back 2 RM/RW 1 LW 3 CM 3 CF 14 Outgoings Source - www.transfermarkt.co.uk/stoke-city/transfers/verein/512 & salarysport.com/football/sky-bet-championship/stoke-city/IncomingsHarry Clarke - RB/RWB - Loan Liam McCarron - LB/LWB - Free (£2,000) Connor Taylor - CB - Return from loan (£1,000) Aden Flint - CB - Free (£18,100) Gavin Kilkenny - CM - Loan Will Smallbone - CM - Loan Josh Laurent - CM - Free (£3,100) Dwight Gayle - CF - Free (£37,000) 2 Wing Back 2 Centre Back 3 CM 1 CF 8 Incomings Spend - £0 Salary - £61,100 (Not including loans)NOTE: All above salaries are based of last seasons earnings. Dwight Gayle and Aden Flint will be earning less just like Joe Allen will now too. Danny Batth went from 27k to 12.5k, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Flint being around the same mark. Likewise I'd image Laurent would be earning more). Difference
1 Centre back down
2 RM/RW down
1 LW down
2 CF downIncomings - Money from Collins & possibly Doughty? Salary Change - -105k (Does not including Davies & Batth from January which would be another circa 40-50k) Squad Retention Infographic:  My Opinion
- We've lost alot of width in the team, particularly at the top half of the pitch. And similarly have alot less options at CF too. - In midfield I think we've improved. I like Baker and Laurent together and Smallbone showed in the Blackpool game what he can do and I think will only get better. - However the kilkenny signing does stand out as a red herring. Maybe we'll see more of him as the season progresses. Realistically though we are only an inury away from seeing him so I'm sure as the season continues we'll get a better idea. - At wing back we haven't seen anything of Mccarron as he's been injured. Personally I like Clarke and have high hopes. But I think just like in January we still lack real depth here and this shows by playing two centre midfielders at both LWB and RWB in the last week. - At goalkeeper Davies has never properly been replaced since January and we made a massive saving from getting him off the books too. I understand about maybe giving Bursik ago at #1 but if we really want to challenge for the playoffs then we need a goalkeeper we can rely on. Bursik the jury is still out on but I hope he does prove himself. - Young Connor Taylor has been a highlight of the season and I think has had a better start to the season than expected. But as Saturday showed, still alot of work to do. Has alot of potential though and deserves his spot. - Aden Flint isn't inspiring but I don't agree with the criticism either. He is surrounded by young inexperienced players and has been better than he gets credit for on here. I know some question about Jags but I think we also need to remember the man is like 40 now too. - Dwight Gayle has goals coming. He had a great 1 on 1 at Blackpool and was denied by an excellent save. Had goals disallowed against Morecambe and Huddersfield. He just needs to keep his head down and keep doing what he's doing and the goals will come. In an ideal world I would sign a GK, RWB, LCB, FW. And possibly a LW too. Maybe RW too (although think Campbell/Brown could do it). My questions are: - Is FFP so bad that we've had to reduce our overall salary by around 140k since January? - I know our squad was maybe a bit too big towards the end of last season. But surely 6 less (and 4 if we get 2 more signings) is still far too short. The 4 positions I listed above should be a minimum. - Where does the accountability lie for the lack of spending? Is it just FFP? Are the board not allowing the manager to add the depth which is required? Performances
| Match | Result (stoke left side) | Expected Result (Stoke left side) | Shots (On target) Stoke | Shots (On target) Opposition | Possession (Stoke v Opposition) | Passes (Stoke v Opposition) | Pass Accuracy (Stoke v Opposition) | | Milwall v Stoke | 0-2 | 0.38-1.16 | 4(2) | 13(5) | 58 v 42 | 394 v 289 | 68 v 59 | | Stoke v Blackpool | 2-0 | 2.31-0.91 | 20(7) | 10(0) | 49 v 51 | 391 v 397 | 81 v 77 | | Morecambe v Stoke | 0-0 (Morecambe pen) | 2.21-0.15 | 21(5) | 4(0) | 69 v 31 | 502 v 325 | 83 v 62 | | Huddersfield v Stoke | 1-3 | 2.06-1.49 | 18(5) | 10(5) | 58 v 42 | 467 v 333 | 78 v 72 |
   Sources - theathletic.com/football/game/morecambe-vs-stoke-city/HnXToDPPI2Yr1JXx/ & www.infogol.net/en/team/stoke-city/165 & experimental361.com/category/divisions/championship/ & Google match stats Overall Result - Stoke 3-5 Oppositon Expected Result - Stoke 6.96-3.71 Conclusions:- We are nowhere near clinical enough. We are scoring half the amount of goals we should be scoring. The last 3 games we have averaged 20 shots a match with 6 on target a game, Yet we are only converting 1 in every 20 shots. - Milwall is a shit show. The less we say about it the better. I think once they went ahead it suited them as they were happy to hold on for the win. - Blackpool game was really enjoyable in my opinion and we could have scored another couple of goals on top. We had alot of good chances. - Morecambe I didn't see so can't really comment. The highlights I watched showed that we should have had a couple of goals and Morecambe very much had bodies on the line. - Huddersfield echos of Millwall. Set pieces again putting us behind. Our first 3 goals of the season all scored from corners! Again we should have scored more ourselves too. Baker missing the penalty so we didn't go ahead changed the game too. - For the Milwall & Huddersfield games we needed substitutions a lot earlier. Against Huddersfield we actually came out and had a good spell for around 15-20 minutes and went level but then we seemed to lose our spark and lack ideas. I know we don't necessarily have the best options on the bench but there are players there who can come on and make a difference. Why not try Kilkenny or get Campbell on. - Why are we so careless at the back. First 3 goals conceded from corners. Next goal from a mistake by Sparrow. Then the final goal of Huddersfields (was it offside?), if not Flint mistake. - We need Bursik to start being a game changer, or if not him, a goalkeeper who can be. I feel he loses us points more often than he wins us some. 10 shots on target 5 conceded. Was expected to concede 3.56 too. - I know football is a results business. But I do believe our last three games we have actually put in decent performances from an attacking point of view. I find football is very much fine margins. If you go a goal ahead then the opposition have to let their guard down a bit more and take risks which sometimes can help you capitalise and go further ahead. We seem to be really struggling to convert goals right now scoring less then half of our expected goals. - We have problems everywhere at the minute. From transfer dealings, Managerial decisions, not taking our chances and giving away far too many goals from mistakes. BUT despite all of this it still feels like we are only a couple of jigsaw pieces away from having an absolute machine. You look at our best possible XI and bench and we have a team which can go toe to toe against anyone in the league. But you upgrade a few of those positions such as GK, LCB and ST and you can have one of the best teams. We still will always lack the depth we need and alot of that comes down to luck and what inuries you get and to which players. The clubs with the parachute payments can afford to have more depth, we can't. But there is no reason why we can't be challenging if we can keep our key players fit, particularly those in the positions with less depth. ConclusionBoard
Where do we actually stand from a finances point of view. There is alot of talk about the manager being "backed" but for me the numbers don't add up. Aside from Surridge and Brown we've not spent a penny these last 2 years and the money we spent on Surridge we pretty much got back. And when it comes to salaries, we must be spending around 140k less per week since January. Considering our overall salary budget was £328k p/w last season. That is around a 40% reduction. Is FFP hitting us this hard?
Transfers
Ok, I don't think you can really make an argument against any of the outgoings especially when you take their salary into account too. In terms of incomings, Smallbone and Clarke both look like much better loan signings than what we've been signing in the loan market in recent years. Josh Laurent I think is excellent on a free transfer. The jury is out on Flint and I think he gets a bit more flack than he deserves and seems to take most of the blame for any of the defensive errors. We conceded 3 goals from corners and I can't remember if he was even to blame for any of those? Dwight Gayle hasn't got firing yet but like I said earlier, he has been getting into good positions and getting some opportunities which on another day would have went in, fine margins. There will always be speculation and controversy there until he starts scoring and/or we start winning. Mccarron is an unknown entity. Overall I think our incomings are good and better than they get credit for. The problem is we've not reinvested the money or replaced the numbers we've lost. The board need to get the cheque book out and spend if FFP allows.
Manager
When it comes to the transfer business I'm conflicted because I don't know the budget or what he's working with. Was he instructed to reduce the wage bill by 40% since January? In terms of performances, Milwall was dreadful along with the pre season games I seen. Just dull and lack of ideas. Blackpool I thought we were excellent. Huddersfield for what I watched (15-75 mins) I thought we were the better team and should have had a few goals. What the hell is happening with set pieces though? That is 3 goals now! Why do we have CM as our back ups to wing back. And why have we lost alot of our width and not replaced them. Still think he needs to react a bit quicker in games at times too.
Despite the above though. There is only so much you can blame the manager for. The statistics show we have outplayed our last 3 opposition, that we should have scored 4 more than we did and concede 2 less than we did. I think the performances have been more entertaining than last season from an attacking point of view. And I think with the players we have and Powells return and another potential striker, I think we have the depth to be potent up top this season. Defensively though it needs sorted. He was so robust at NI and we were defensively solid. This defence and goalkeeper still have alot of question marks.
I still feel we should stick though. There is alot of things I think he is doing right and I think we should have won the last 3 games as well rather than just 1. We are much better than this forum makes out.
Edited to include some infrographics
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Post by The Toxic Avenger on Aug 14, 2022 22:08:37 GMT
We’re much better than this forum, the league table, the second round draw of the Carabao Cup makes out…
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Post by gawa on Aug 14, 2022 22:13:19 GMT
We’re much better than this forum, the league table, the second round draw of the Carabao Cup makes out… Not sure if that is sarcasm. But I truly believe we are. |
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Post by The Toxic Avenger on Aug 14, 2022 22:13:39 GMT
We’re much better than this forum, the league table, the second round draw of the Carabao Cup makes out… Not sure if that is sarcasm. But I truly believe we are. Well spotted… |
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Post by terryconroysmagic on Aug 14, 2022 22:31:34 GMT
He just needs to go.
When will the excuses end?
He’s all over the place with no coherent plan
Fair play if he’s sorted out the FFP mess but his number 1 job is results on the pitch, he’s not doing that so it’s time to bring someone else in
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Post by owdestokie2 on Aug 14, 2022 22:35:00 GMT
A lot of “thought out” information and opinion to digest 👍
Worthy of sensible comment/opinion whether whole or by certain aspects
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Post by The Toxic Avenger on Aug 14, 2022 22:35:55 GMT
A lot of “thought out” information and opinion to digest 👍 Worthy of sensible comment/opinion whether whole or by certain aspects Would ‘sensible comment’ be people who happen to agree with you, by any chance? |
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Post by blackpoolred on Aug 14, 2022 22:38:23 GMT
TransfersOutgoingsTommy Smith - RB/RWB - Free (17k p/w) Doughty - LWB/LM - Free? (3.5k p/w) Moore - CB - (End of loan) James Chester - CB - Free (15k p/w) Harwood-Bellis - CB - (End of loan) Tom Ince - RM/RW - Free (27k p/w) Vrancic - CM - Free (11k p/w) Joe Allen - CM - Free (50k p/w) Sawyers - CM - (End of loan) Maja - CF - (End of loan) Steven Fletcher - CF - Free (13k p/w) Afobe - CF - Free? (30k p/w) Sima - RW/FW - (End of loan) Philogene Bidace - LW - (End of loan) Salary Change -166.5k p/w (excluding loans)Transfer Fees - Unknown. Fee from Collins and possible fee for Doughty? 2 Wing Back 3 Centre Back 2 RM/RW 1 LW 3 CM 3 CF 14 Outgoings Source - www.transfermarkt.co.uk/stoke-city/transfers/verein/512 & salarysport.com/football/sky-bet-championship/stoke-city/IncomingsHarry Clarke - RB/RWB - Loan Liam McCarron - LB/LWB - Free (£2,000) Connor Taylor - CB - Return from loan (£1,000) Aden Flint - CB - Free (£18,100) Gavin Kilkenny - CM - Loan Will Smallbone - CM - Loan Josh Laurent - CM - Free (£3,100) Dwight Gayle - CF - Free (£37,000) 2 Wing Back 2 Centre Back 3 CM 1 CF 8 Incomings Spend - £0 Salary - £61,100 (Not including loans)NOTE: All above salaries are based of last seasons earnings. Dwight Gayle and Aden Flint will be earning less just like Joe Allen will now too. Danny Batth went from 27k to 12.5k, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Flint being around the same mark. Likewise I'd image Laurent would be earning more). Difference
1 Centre back down
2 RM/RW down
1 LW down
2 CF downIncomings - Money from Collins & possibly Doughty? Salary Change - -105k (Does not including Davies & Batth from January which would be another circa 40-50k) My Opinion
- We've lost alot of width in the team, particularly at the top half of the pitch. And similarly have alot less options at CF too. - In midfield I think we've improved. I like Baker and Laurent together and Smallbone showed in the Blackpool game what he can do and I think will only get better. - However the kilkenny signing does stand out as a red herring. Maybe we'll see more of him as the season progresses. Realistically though we are only an inury away from seeing him so I'm sure as the season continues we'll get a better idea. - At wing back we haven't seen anything of Mccarron as he's been injured. Personally I like Clarke and have high hopes. But I think just like in January we still lack real depth here and this shows by playing two centre midfielders at both LWB and RWB in the last week. - At goalkeeper Davies has never properly been replaced since January and we made a massive saving from getting him off the books too. I understand about maybe giving Bursik ago at #1 but if we really want to challenge for the playoffs then we need a goalkeeper we can rely on. Bursik the jury is still out on but I hope he does prove himself. - Young Connor Taylor has been a highlight of the season and I think has had a better start to the season than expected. But as Saturday showed, still alot of work to do. Has alot of potential though and deserves his spot. - Aden Flint isn't inspiring but I don't agree with the criticism either. He is surrounded by young inexperienced players and has been better than he gets credit for on here. I know some question about Jags but I think we also need to remember the man is like 40 now too. - Dwight Gayle has goals coming. He had a great 1 on 1 at Blackpool and was denied by an excellent save. Had goals disallowed against Morecambe and Huddersfield. He just needs to keep his head down and keep doing what he's doing and the goals will come. In an ideal world I would sign a GK, RWB, LCB, FW. And possibly a LW too. Maybe RW too (although think Campbell/Brown could do it). My questions are: - Is FFP so bad that we've had to reduce our overall salary by around 140k since January? - I know our squad was maybe a bit too big towards the end of last season. But surely 6 less (and 4 if we get 2 more signings) is still far too short. The 4 positions I listed above should be a minimum. - Where does the accountability lie for the lack of spending? Is it just FFP? Are the board not allowing the manager to add the depth which is required? Performances
| Match | Result (stoke left side) | Expected Result (Stoke left side) | Shots (On target) Stoke | Shots (On target) Opposition | Possession (Stoke v Opposition) | Passes (Stoke v Opposition) | Pass Accuracy (Stoke v Opposition) | | Milwall v Stoke | 0-2 | 0.38-1.16 | 4(2) | 13(5) | 58 v 42 | 394 v 289 | 68 v 59 | | Stoke v Blackpool | 2-0 | 2.31-0.91 | 20(7) | 10(0) | 49 v 51 | 391 v 397 | 81 v 77 | | Morecambe v Stoke | 0-0 (Morecambe pen) | 2.21-0.15 | 21(5) | 4(0) | 69 v 31 | 502 v 325 | 83 v 62 | | Huddersfield v Stoke | 1-3 | 2.06-1.49 | 18(5) | 10(5) | 58 v 42 | 467 v 333 | 78 v 72 |
Sources - theathletic.com/football/game/morecambe-vs-stoke-city/HnXToDPPI2Yr1JXx/ & www.infogol.net/en/team/stoke-city/165 & Google match stats Overall Result - Stoke 3-5 Oppositon Expected Result - Stoke 6.96-3.71 Conclusions:- We are nowhere near clinical enough. We are scoring half the amount of goals we should be scoring. The last 3 games we have averaged 20 shots a match with 6 on target a game, Yet we are only converting 1 in every 20 shots. - Milwall is a shit show. The less we say about it the better. I think once they went ahead it suited them as they were happy to hold on for the win. - Blackpool game was really enjoyable in my opinion and we could have scored another couple of goals on top. We had alot of good chances. - Morecambe I didn't see so can't really comment. The highlights I watched showed that we should have had a couple of goals and Morecambe very much had bodies on the line. - Huddersfield echos of Millwall. Set pieces again putting us behind. Our first 3 goals of the season all scored from corners! Again we should have scored more ourselves too. Baker missing the penalty so we didn't go ahead changed the game too. - For the Milwall & Huddersfield games we needed substitutions a lot earlier. Against Huddersfield we actually came out and had a good spell for around 15-20 minutes and went level but then we seemed to lose our spark and lack ideas. I know we don't necessarily have the best options on the bench but there are players there who can come on and make a difference. Why not try Kilkenny or get Campbell on. - Why are we so careless at the back. First 3 goals conceded from corners. Next goal from a mistake by Sparrow. Then the final goal of Huddersfields (was it offside?), if not Flint mistake. - We need Bursik to start being a game changer, or if not him, a goalkeeper who can be. I feel he loses us points more often than he wins us some. 10 shots on target 5 conceded. Was expected to concede 3.56 too. - I know football is a results business. But I do believe our last three games we have actually put in decent performances from an attacking point of view. I find football is very much fine margins. If you go a goal ahead then the opposition have to let their guard down a bit more and take risks which sometimes can help you capitalise and go further ahead. We seem to be really struggling to convert goals right now scoring less then half of our expected goals. - We have problems everywhere at the minute. From transfer dealings, Managerial decisions, not taking our chances and giving away far too many goals from mistakes. BUT despite all of this it still feels like we are only a couple of jigsaw pieces away from having an absolute machine. You look at our best possible XI and bench and we have a team which can go toe to toe against anyone in the league. But you upgrade a few of those positions such as GK, LCB and ST and you can have one of the best teams. We still will always lack the depth we need and alot of that comes down to luck and what inuries you get and to which players. The clubs with the parachute payments can afford to have more depth, we can't. But there is no reason why we can't be challenging if we can keep our key players fit, particularly those in the positions with less depth. ConclusionBoard
Where do we actually stand from a finances point of view. There is alot of talk about the manager being "backed" but for me the numbers don't add up. Aside from Surridge and Brown we've not spent a penny these last 2 years and the money we spent on Surridge we pretty much got back. And when it comes to salaries, we must be spending around 140k less per week since January. Considering our overall salary budget was £328k p/w last season. That is around a 40% reduction. Is FFP hitting us this hard?
Transfers
Ok, I don't think you can really make an argument against any of the outgoings especially when you take their salary into account too. In terms of incomings, Smallbone and Clarke both look like much better loan signings than what we've been signing in the loan market in recent years. Josh Laurent I think is excellent on a free transfer. The jury is out on Flint and I think he gets a bit more flack than he deserves and seems to take most of the blame for any of the defensive errors. We conceded 3 goals from corners and I can't remember if he was even to blame for any of those? Dwight Gayle hasn't got firing yet but like I said earlier, he has been getting into good positions and getting some opportunities which on another day would have went in, fine margins. There will always be speculation and controversy there until he starts scoring and/or we start winning. Mccarron is an unknown entity. Overall I think our incomings are good and better than they get credit for. The problem is we've not reinvested the money or replaced the numbers we've lost. The board need to get the cheque book out and spend if FFP allows.
Manager
When it comes to the transfer business I'm conflicted because I don't know the budget or what he's working with. Was he instructed to reduce the wage bill by 40% since January? In terms of performances, Milwall was dreadful along with the pre season games I seen. Just dull and lack of ideas. Blackpool I thought we were excellent. Huddersfield for what I watched (15-75 mins) I thought we were the better team and should have had a few goals. What the hell is happening with set pieces though? That is 3 goals now! Why do we have CM as our back ups to wing back. And why have we lost alot of our width and not replaced them. Still think he needs to react a bit quicker in games at times too.
Despite the above though. There is only so much you can blame the manager for. The statistics show we have outplayed our last 3 opposition, that we should have scored 4 more than we did and concede 2 less than we did. I think the performances have been more entertaining than last season from an attacking point of view. And I think with the players we have and Powells return and another potential striker, I think we have the depth to be potent up top this season. Defensively though it needs sorted. He was so robust at NI and we were defensively solid. This defence and goalkeeper still have alot of question marks.
I still feel we should stick though. There is alot of things I think he is doing right and I think we should have won the last 3 games as well rather than just 1. We are much better than this forum makes out.
Post of the year - an incredible amount of info in there - makes me more convinced than ever that you are actually MON though  |
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Post by gawa on Aug 14, 2022 22:40:49 GMT
Can I highlight please that this thread is about the team. There are plenty of threads out there to dicuss Michael O'Neill. And of course he is part of the squad and should be discussed here too. But this is more just a general thread of all things 4 games in. So let's discuss shots and shots on target. Last season we only managed 18 shots or more in 4 games. We won 3 of those and drew the other. Last season we managed 5 shots or more on target in 16 games. Of those 16 games, we won 14 and drew 2. I think from an attacking point of view we're actually being alot more creative if the last 3 games are anything to go by, and we should be putting alot more chances away. Defense is the bigger issue for me. But to be honest in our first 300 minutes of football this season we did not conceded a single goal from open play. So when it comes to the basics I don't think we were doing that bad. But as Saturday shows we are one or two injuries away from playing players out of their natural position. And there are still question marks over Bursik. It just feels like the defence and goalkeeper have mistakes in them and are a bit too nervy. Source - fbref.com/en/squads/17892952/2021-2022/matchlogs/all_comps/shooting/Stoke-City-Match-Logs-All-CompetitionsEdit: One last thing. While it's annoying to concede 3 goals from set plays. It's better than 5 from open play and I feel it's easier to coach those mistakes out of the players than if we are getting pulled apart by teams in normal play. |
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Post by gawa on Aug 14, 2022 22:52:11 GMT
Also to clarify I've just noticed my last paragraph sames slightly bias and acknowledge that.
But please don't make this thread all about him.
There's a squad of players to talk about too as well as general performances compare dot kasntyeanr
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Post by leesandfordstoupe on Aug 15, 2022 8:02:44 GMT
We’re much better than this forum, the league table, the second round draw of the Carabao Cup makes out… In a funny sort of way I agree. I’ve been to 1 home game, it was fairly enjoyable, we won. Couple of opportunities in the next week to either cement that or for my contentment to be turned on it’s head. No doubt if I’ve been to twice as many home games that weren’t enjoyable as enjoyable ones I’ll feel much the same as I did before. Obviously I’ve lots of opinions on all sorts of matters but in reality the home games, performances and outcomes are my sole barometer. |
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Post by The Toxic Avenger on Aug 15, 2022 8:18:38 GMT
We’re much better than this forum, the league table, the second round draw of the Carabao Cup makes out… In a funny sort of way I agree. I’ve been to 1 home game, it was fairly enjoyable, we won. Couple of opportunities in the next week to either cement that or for my contentment to be turned on it’s head. No doubt if I’ve been to twice as many home games that weren’t enjoyable as enjoyable ones I’ll feel much the same as I did before. Obviously I’ve lots of opinions on all sorts of matters but in reality the home games, performances and outcomes are my sole barometer. I was being sarcastic, it’s Gawa’s latest attempt to convince us all that we shouldn’t be beastly to his idol. Things may well turn out to be fine but his suggestion that we’re better than we actually are is based on a sample of three games (we’re not counting Millwall for some reason), one of which came against 10-man Morecambe. I take the point that we’re creating chances, which is encouraging, but I think we need a fair few more games before we can make that kind of hypothesis. |
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Post by stokemark on Aug 15, 2022 8:37:03 GMT
Great OP from the perspective of the research and stats - I dont entirely agree with your conclusion(s) but you make some excellent points regarding the resources MON is having to work with. The thing that I still dont get though is given those resources why continue with a system that requires 'specialist' players (primarily wingbacks) ? Surely it is better to keep it simple with a 4-3-3 or variation of and slot players in based on availability of what is now a very small squad.
A 4-3-3 also allows us to bring in players who press / are energetic rather than the 'keep ball / pass it around the back' rubbish we have been exposed to far too often under this manager.
I agree that he has been dealt a rum hand but he is guilty of not adjusting to the hand he has been dealt and unless we do get the 4/5 players in that will provide some respite to those that we depend so much on he will be hung by his own petard.
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Post by Gods on Aug 15, 2022 8:45:58 GMT
In a funny sort of way I agree. I’ve been to 1 home game, it was fairly enjoyable, we won. Couple of opportunities in the next week to either cement that or for my contentment to be turned on it’s head. No doubt if I’ve been to twice as many home games that weren’t enjoyable as enjoyable ones I’ll feel much the same as I did before. Obviously I’ve lots of opinions on all sorts of matters but in reality the home games, performances and outcomes are my sole barometer. I was being sarcastic, it’s Gawa’s latest attempt to convince us all that we shouldn’t be beastly to his idol. Things may well turn out to be fine but his suggestion that we’re better than we actually are is based on a sample of three games (we’re not counting Millwall for some reason), one of which came against 10-man Morecambe. I take the point that we’re creating chances, which is encouraging, but I think we need a fair few more games before we can make that kind of hypothesis. I think he has included Millwall in this assessment. Overall Result - Stoke 3-5 Opposition Expected Result - Stoke 6.96-3.71 What he should not have done is to include lowly Morecambe which greatly skews the Expected Result in our favour. Overall we have been average I would say. We deserved to lose at Millwall, we deserved to beat Blackpool, and 9 times out of 10 playing as we did we would have got a point at Huddersfield. |
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Post by gawa on Aug 15, 2022 8:57:15 GMT
Great OP from the perspective of the research and stats - I dont entirely agree with your conclusion(s) but you make some excellent points regarding the resources MON is having to work with. The thing that I still dont get though is given those resources why continue with a system that requires 'specialist' players (primarily wingbacks) ? Surely it is better to keep it simple with a 4-3-3 or variation of and slot players in based on availability of what is now a very small squad. A 4-3-3 also allows us to bring in players who press / are energetic rather than the 'keep ball / pass it around the back' rubbish we have been exposed to far too often under this manager. I agree that he has been dealt a rum hand but he is guilty of not adjusting to the hand he has been dealt and unless we do get the 4/5 players in that will provide some respite to those that we depend so much on he will be hung by his own petard. I agree completely and I don't understand it fully either myself. I think last season with Maja, Fletcher, JPB, Ince and Sima we had a few more options when it comes to 433. With Maja/Fletcher playing as a focal point. JPB/DWP on the left and then Brown/Campbell on the right. I think with alot of those players above now gone. We can only really do 433 with Gayle as the focal point and then Brown/Campbell down the right and DWP down the left. And in doing so you're then left with very few options on the bench to mix it up too. Along with alot of those players not exactly playing in their best position either. Could Gayle do what we need in a 433? Maja and z Fletcher were both a bit stronger and could hold the ball up better. I also personally think from an attacking point of view were actually doing fine. The stats show that we are performing well below our xG. In the 16 games where we got 5 or more shots on target last season we won 12 and drew 4. I have no doubt that if we took our chances in the last couple of games we also wouldn't have lost. But I think alot of this then circumvented back round to the transfer policy too. With the exception of Kilkenny, I think a case can be made for all the players we've brought in and thst they were positions which needed filled. So if we are only allowed 2 more signings (board decision?) then there's going to be gaps. And I also think we're shopping from the reduced aisle from the supermarket. So while we may want to make beef lasagna, if minced pork is the closest thing available in the reduced section. Then pork mince it will have to be. |
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Post by gawa on Aug 15, 2022 9:04:57 GMT
I was being sarcastic, it’s Gawa’s latest attempt to convince us all that we shouldn’t be beastly to his idol. Things may well turn out to be fine but his suggestion that we’re better than we actually are is based on a sample of three games (we’re not counting Millwall for some reason), one of which came against 10-man Morecambe. I take the point that we’re creating chances, which is encouraging, but I think we need a fair few more games before we can make that kind of hypothesis. I think he has included Millwall in this assessment. Overall Result - Stoke 3-5 Opposition Expected Result - Stoke 6.96-3.71 What he should not have done is to include lowly Morecambe which greatly skews the Expected Result in our favour. Overall we have been average I would say. We deserved to lose at Millwall, we deserved to beat Blackpool, and 9 times out of 10 playing as we did we would have got a point at Huddersfield. I was basing the post on the 4 games so far so I thought it was only fair to include stats from all 4. Agree that if you were to remove Morecambe then from an attacking point of view the stats may look better however we'd still have only scored 3 league goals out of a near expected 5. So still massively under performing. And then by excluding Morecambe it also marginally makes the goalkeeping/defence look worse too. And we're still conceding alot more than we should have. |
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Post by chad on Aug 15, 2022 9:08:12 GMT
4 Games in and here’s my assessment
We have a squad capable of top six, two more decent signings and Powell and Sutour back maybe even top two
Unfortunately we have a manager who has an underdog mentality and he’s holding us back. His team selections, tactics and in game management all seem to revolve around not losing
He’s just not the man that will ever get us out of this League
Bite the bullet, pay him up and get him gone before the seasons gone down the drain
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Post by scfc75 on Aug 15, 2022 9:09:50 GMT
I think he has included Millwall in this assessment. Overall Result - Stoke 3-5 Opposition Expected Result - Stoke 6.96-3.71 What he should not have done is to include lowly Morecambe which greatly skews the Expected Result in our favour. Overall we have been average I would say. We deserved to lose at Millwall, we deserved to beat Blackpool, and 9 times out of 10 playing as we did we would have got a point at Huddersfield. I was basing the post on the 4 games so far so I thought it was only fair to include stats from all 4. Agree that if you were to remove Morecambe then from an attacking point of view the stats may look better however we'd still have only scored 3 league goals out of a near expected 5. So still massively under performing. And then by excluding Morecambe it also marginally makes the goalkeeping/defence look worse too. And we're still conceding alot more than we should have. Any analysis has to include all games, doesn’t it? Nobody can realistically say ‘exclude Morecambe’ with any justifiable reason. We’ve played 4 competitive games so far, if we’re being judged, it’s on all 4. |
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Post by Gods on Aug 15, 2022 9:14:13 GMT
I was basing the post on the 4 games so far so I thought it was only fair to include stats from all 4. Agree that if you were to remove Morecambe then from an attacking point of view the stats may look better however we'd still have only scored 3 league goals out of a near expected 5. So still massively under performing. And then by excluding Morecambe it also marginally makes the goalkeeping/defence look worse too. And we're still conceding alot more than we should have. Any analysis has to include all games, doesn’t it? Nobody can realistically say ‘exclude Morecambe’ with any justifiable reason. We’ve played 4 competitive games so far, if we’re being judged, it’s on all 4. Dunno, maybe it's just something that I do. But if we are rumoured to be signing a new striker when checking up on their goal scoring record I exclude the cup goals suspecting many will have come against lower league opposition. I also exclude the penalties since they are just free goals, anyone can convert a penalty. This way I arrive at a more realistic goals per game ratio. IMHO |
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Post by Goonie on Aug 15, 2022 9:23:17 GMT
We’re much better than this forum, the league table, the second round draw of the Carabao Cup makes out… Not sure if that is sarcasm. But I truly believe we are. Gawa: thanks for an excellent post highlighting the facts. It's a compelling argument to suggest O'Neil has made huge in roads into keeping us viable re FFP. It also highlights the the players should take a lot of responsibility for the poor results, suggesting either poor coaching or confidence or both I still think O'Neil as the figurehead has to shoulder the blame as he oversees the coaching staff etc That said my position on O'Neil has softened, especially if his remit is to keep us up and FFP viable. If it's to get us promoted than I'm still an O'Neil outer |
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Post by stokiejoe on Aug 15, 2022 9:27:30 GMT
I think the analysis is excellent by Gawa, well done mate.
I fully agree we have an excellent group of players. Where I depart company is how they are being utilised by an uninspiring manager. Being cautious is fine as long as you don't lose, being cautious and losing is unacceptable. Three at the back doesn't work nor does all the sideways and passing back. In my opinion it's our poor defence that is causing the lack of scoring. Forwards are helping out the defence so are constantly out of position therfore in a breakaway are outnumbered.
The manager needs to change or we need to change the manager.
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Post by Goonie on Aug 15, 2022 9:30:31 GMT
I was basing the post on the 4 games so far so I thought it was only fair to include stats from all 4. Agree that if you were to remove Morecambe then from an attacking point of view the stats may look better however we'd still have only scored 3 league goals out of a near expected 5. So still massively under performing. And then by excluding Morecambe it also marginally makes the goalkeeping/defence look worse too. And we're still conceding alot more than we should have. Any analysis has to include all games, doesn’t it? Nobody can realistically say ‘exclude Morecambe’ with any justifiable reason. We’ve played 4 competitive games so far, if we’re being judged, it’s on all 4. Yes and no Yes it allows for the overall judgement but if we are focused on promotion and relegation then we will not play Morecambe in this competition and as others suggest skews the findings |
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Post by gawa on Aug 15, 2022 9:33:07 GMT
Not sure if that is sarcasm. But I truly believe we are. Gawa: thanks for an excellent post highlighting the facts. It's a compelling argument to suggest O'Neil has made huge in roads into keeping us viable re FFP. It also highlights the the players should take a lot of responsibility for the poor results, suggesting either poor coaching or confidence or both I still think O'Neil as the figurehead has to shoulder the blame as he oversees the coaching staff etc That said my position on O'Neil has softened, especially if his remit is to keep us up and FFP viable. If it's to get us promoted than I'm still an oneil outer I feel O'Neill is a seperate discussion in itself. With or without the manager, I believe we have a very strong starting XI which with a few changes in certain positions could be one of the best starting XI in the league. Our biggest issue is depth and tactical flexibility imo. We don't have the personnel to cover injuries in all key positions. And we don't have the personnel to allow us to play many different formations either. With another GK, RB/RWB, LCB, CF we could fix most of the above concerns. With a LW (and/or RW) we could also have a bit more flexibility formation wise too. In my opinion of course. But in terms of performances in the last 3 games. I think we're doing alot of things right and we've been unfortunate not to score as many goals as we should. And defensively I also believe its indidivial mistakes costing us more as well as defending set pieces. Rather than us being setup poorly and being played off the pitch. |
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Post by Goonie on Aug 15, 2022 9:41:37 GMT
Gawa: thanks for an excellent post highlighting the facts. It's a compelling argument to suggest O'Neil has made huge in roads into keeping us viable re FFP. It also highlights the the players should take a lot of responsibility for the poor results, suggesting either poor coaching or confidence or both I still think O'Neil as the figurehead has to shoulder the blame as he oversees the coaching staff etc That said my position on O'Neil has softened, especially if his remit is to keep us up and FFP viable. If it's to get us promoted than I'm still an oneil outer I feel O'Neill is a seperate discussion in itself. With or without the manager, I believe we have a very strong starting XI which with a few changes in certain positions could be one of the best starting XI in the league. Our biggest issue is depth and tactical flexibility imo. We don't have the personnel to cover injuries in all key positions. And we don't have the personnel to allow us to play many different formations either. With another GK, RB/RWB, LCB, CF we could fix most of the above concerns. With a LW (and/or RW) we could also have a bit more flexibility formation wise too. In my opinion of course. But in terms of performances in the last 3 games. I think we're doing alot of things right and we've been unfortunate not to score as many goals as we should. And defensively I also believe its indidivial mistakes costing us more as well as defending set pieces. Rather than us being setup poorly and being played off the pitch. Great post mate. You've really done a lot of thinking about this. I guess it's easy to blame O'Neil but a lot of his role has been clearing up the debris from Rowett and Jones' tenures. Still it's early on in the campaign. Maybe if he gets the recruitment right before the window ends we could build something. He needs till the window ends to see if he can turn it round on the field |
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Post by chiswickpotter on Aug 15, 2022 9:46:22 GMT
TransfersOutgoingsTommy Smith - RB/RWB - Free (17k p/w) Doughty - LWB/LM - Free? (3.5k p/w) Moore - CB - (End of loan) James Chester - CB - Free (15k p/w) Harwood-Bellis - CB - (End of loan) Tom Ince - RM/RW - Free (27k p/w) Vrancic - CM - Free (11k p/w) Joe Allen - CM - Free (50k p/w) Sawyers - CM - (End of loan) Maja - CF - (End of loan) Steven Fletcher - CF - Free (13k p/w) Afobe - CF - Free? (30k p/w) Sima - RW/FW - (End of loan) Philogene Bidace - LW - (End of loan) Salary Change -166.5k p/w (excluding loans)Transfer Fees - Unknown. Fee from Collins and possible fee for Doughty? 2 Wing Back 3 Centre Back 2 RM/RW 1 LW 3 CM 3 CF 14 Outgoings Source - www.transfermarkt.co.uk/stoke-city/transfers/verein/512 & salarysport.com/football/sky-bet-championship/stoke-city/IncomingsHarry Clarke - RB/RWB - Loan Liam McCarron - LB/LWB - Free (£2,000) Connor Taylor - CB - Return from loan (£1,000) Aden Flint - CB - Free (£18,100) Gavin Kilkenny - CM - Loan Will Smallbone - CM - Loan Josh Laurent - CM - Free (£3,100) Dwight Gayle - CF - Free (£37,000) 2 Wing Back 2 Centre Back 3 CM 1 CF 8 Incomings Spend - £0 Salary - £61,100 (Not including loans)NOTE: All above salaries are based of last seasons earnings. Dwight Gayle and Aden Flint will be earning less just like Joe Allen will now too. Danny Batth went from 27k to 12.5k, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Flint being around the same mark. Likewise I'd image Laurent would be earning more). Difference
1 Centre back down
2 RM/RW down
1 LW down
2 CF downIncomings - Money from Collins & possibly Doughty? Salary Change - -105k (Does not including Davies & Batth from January which would be another circa 40-50k) My Opinion
- We've lost alot of width in the team, particularly at the top half of the pitch. And similarly have alot less options at CF too. - In midfield I think we've improved. I like Baker and Laurent together and Smallbone showed in the Blackpool game what he can do and I think will only get better. - However the kilkenny signing does stand out as a red herring. Maybe we'll see more of him as the season progresses. Realistically though we are only an inury away from seeing him so I'm sure as the season continues we'll get a better idea. - At wing back we haven't seen anything of Mccarron as he's been injured. Personally I like Clarke and have high hopes. But I think just like in January we still lack real depth here and this shows by playing two centre midfielders at both LWB and RWB in the last week. - At goalkeeper Davies has never properly been replaced since January and we made a massive saving from getting him off the books too. I understand about maybe giving Bursik ago at #1 but if we really want to challenge for the playoffs then we need a goalkeeper we can rely on. Bursik the jury is still out on but I hope he does prove himself. - Young Connor Taylor has been a highlight of the season and I think has had a better start to the season than expected. But as Saturday showed, still alot of work to do. Has alot of potential though and deserves his spot. - Aden Flint isn't inspiring but I don't agree with the criticism either. He is surrounded by young inexperienced players and has been better than he gets credit for on here. I know some question about Jags but I think we also need to remember the man is like 40 now too. - Dwight Gayle has goals coming. He had a great 1 on 1 at Blackpool and was denied by an excellent save. Had goals disallowed against Morecambe and Huddersfield. He just needs to keep his head down and keep doing what he's doing and the goals will come. In an ideal world I would sign a GK, RWB, LCB, FW. And possibly a LW too. Maybe RW too (although think Campbell/Brown could do it). My questions are: - Is FFP so bad that we've had to reduce our overall salary by around 140k since January? - I know our squad was maybe a bit too big towards the end of last season. But surely 6 less (and 4 if we get 2 more signings) is still far too short. The 4 positions I listed above should be a minimum. - Where does the accountability lie for the lack of spending? Is it just FFP? Are the board not allowing the manager to add the depth which is required? Performances
| Match | Result (stoke left side) | Expected Result (Stoke left side) | Shots (On target) Stoke | Shots (On target) Opposition | Possession (Stoke v Opposition) | Passes (Stoke v Opposition) | Pass Accuracy (Stoke v Opposition) | | Milwall v Stoke | 0-2 | 0.38-1.16 | 4(2) | 13(5) | 58 v 42 | 394 v 289 | 68 v 59 | | Stoke v Blackpool | 2-0 | 2.31-0.91 | 20(7) | 10(0) | 49 v 51 | 391 v 397 | 81 v 77 | | Morecambe v Stoke | 0-0 (Morecambe pen) | 2.21-0.15 | 21(5) | 4(0) | 69 v 31 | 502 v 325 | 83 v 62 | | Huddersfield v Stoke | 1-3 | 2.06-1.49 | 18(5) | 10(5) | 58 v 42 | 467 v 333 | 78 v 72 |
Sources - theathletic.com/football/game/morecambe-vs-stoke-city/HnXToDPPI2Yr1JXx/ & www.infogol.net/en/team/stoke-city/165 & Google match stats Overall Result - Stoke 3-5 Oppositon Expected Result - Stoke 6.96-3.71 Conclusions:- We are nowhere near clinical enough. We are scoring half the amount of goals we should be scoring. The last 3 games we have averaged 20 shots a match with 6 on target a game, Yet we are only converting 1 in every 20 shots. - Milwall is a shit show. The less we say about it the better. I think once they went ahead it suited them as they were happy to hold on for the win. - Blackpool game was really enjoyable in my opinion and we could have scored another couple of goals on top. We had alot of good chances. - Morecambe I didn't see so can't really comment. The highlights I watched showed that we should have had a couple of goals and Morecambe very much had bodies on the line. - Huddersfield echos of Millwall. Set pieces again putting us behind. Our first 3 goals of the season all scored from corners! Again we should have scored more ourselves too. Baker missing the penalty so we didn't go ahead changed the game too. - For the Milwall & Huddersfield games we needed substitutions a lot earlier. Against Huddersfield we actually came out and had a good spell for around 15-20 minutes and went level but then we seemed to lose our spark and lack ideas. I know we don't necessarily have the best options on the bench but there are players there who can come on and make a difference. Why not try Kilkenny or get Campbell on. - Why are we so careless at the back. First 3 goals conceded from corners. Next goal from a mistake by Sparrow. Then the final goal of Huddersfields (was it offside?), if not Flint mistake. - We need Bursik to start being a game changer, or if not him, a goalkeeper who can be. I feel he loses us points more often than he wins us some. 10 shots on target 5 conceded. Was expected to concede 3.56 too. - I know football is a results business. But I do believe our last three games we have actually put in decent performances from an attacking point of view. I find football is very much fine margins. If you go a goal ahead then the opposition have to let their guard down a bit more and take risks which sometimes can help you capitalise and go further ahead. We seem to be really struggling to convert goals right now scoring less then half of our expected goals. - We have problems everywhere at the minute. From transfer dealings, Managerial decisions, not taking our chances and giving away far too many goals from mistakes. BUT despite all of this it still feels like we are only a couple of jigsaw pieces away from having an absolute machine. You look at our best possible XI and bench and we have a team which can go toe to toe against anyone in the league. But you upgrade a few of those positions such as GK, LCB and ST and you can have one of the best teams. We still will always lack the depth we need and alot of that comes down to luck and what inuries you get and to which players. The clubs with the parachute payments can afford to have more depth, we can't. But there is no reason why we can't be challenging if we can keep our key players fit, particularly those in the positions with less depth. ConclusionBoard
Where do we actually stand from a finances point of view. There is alot of talk about the manager being "backed" but for me the numbers don't add up. Aside from Surridge and Brown we've not spent a penny these last 2 years and the money we spent on Surridge we pretty much got back. And when it comes to salaries, we must be spending around 140k less per week since January. Considering our overall salary budget was £328k p/w last season. That is around a 40% reduction. Is FFP hitting us this hard?
Transfers
Ok, I don't think you can really make an argument against any of the outgoings especially when you take their salary into account too. In terms of incomings, Smallbone and Clarke both look like much better loan signings than what we've been signing in the loan market in recent years. Josh Laurent I think is excellent on a free transfer. The jury is out on Flint and I think he gets a bit more flack than he deserves and seems to take most of the blame for any of the defensive errors. We conceded 3 goals from corners and I can't remember if he was even to blame for any of those? Dwight Gayle hasn't got firing yet but like I said earlier, he has been getting into good positions and getting some opportunities which on another day would have went in, fine margins. There will always be speculation and controversy there until he starts scoring and/or we start winning. Mccarron is an unknown entity. Overall I think our incomings are good and better than they get credit for. The problem is we've not reinvested the money or replaced the numbers we've lost. The board need to get the cheque book out and spend if FFP allows.
Manager
When it comes to the transfer business I'm conflicted because I don't know the budget or what he's working with. Was he instructed to reduce the wage bill by 40% since January? In terms of performances, Milwall was dreadful along with the pre season games I seen. Just dull and lack of ideas. Blackpool I thought we were excellent. Huddersfield for what I watched (15-75 mins) I thought we were the better team and should have had a few goals. What the hell is happening with set pieces though? That is 3 goals now! Why do we have CM as our back ups to wing back. And why have we lost alot of our width and not replaced them. Still think he needs to react a bit quicker in games at times too.
Despite the above though. There is only so much you can blame the manager for. The statistics show we have outplayed our last 3 opposition, that we should have scored 4 more than we did and concede 2 less than we did. I think the performances have been more entertaining than last season from an attacking point of view. And I think with the players we have and Powells return and another potential striker, I think we have the depth to be potent up top this season. Defensively though it needs sorted. He was so robust at NI and we were defensively solid. This defence and goalkeeper still have alot of question marks.
I still feel we should stick though. There is alot of things I think he is doing right and I think we should have won the last 3 games as well rather than just 1. We are much better than this forum makes out.
How do you get our wage bill to be £18 million last season? It was around £45 million in 2020/21 according to the published accounts. Did we really save £27 million last season? There is nothing to suggest the owners are doing anything other than back MON, they will be making the maximum investment they can this season |
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Post by stokemark on Aug 15, 2022 9:50:25 GMT
4 Games in and here’s my assessment We have a squad capable of top six, two more decent signings and Powell and Sutour back maybe even top two Unfortunately we have a manager who has an underdog mentality and he’s holding us back. His team selections, tactics and in game management all seem to revolve around not losing He’s just not the man that will ever get us out of this League Bite the bullet, pay him up and get him gone before the seasons gone down the drain I think if you read all of GWA's message it is clear that we do not have a squad capable of top 6, certainly not as things stand. I am not a fan of MON's approach but part of the current issue is that supporters need to realign their expectations based on the resources available to ANY manager of this football club. |
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Post by gawa on Aug 15, 2022 9:55:24 GMT
Here are some good graphics of our championship games so far: So Milwall was clearly a shit show and we deserved nothing. Against Blackpool we deserved our win and nullified their attacking threat for large chunks. Against Huddersfield we should have went ahead at the 20 minute mark and each of their goals were poor goals to concede. The other thing which stands out is that alot of our best chances seem to be falling to defenders and not to the front men. And we need to do more to create better chances for the 2 forwards. Source - experimental361.com/category/divisions/championship/Note the above blog has alot of interesting analysis. Worth reading back through some of the stuff from last season as well as keeping an eye on it throughout the current. Edit: Different sources produce different xG so if the above is slightly different to my initial figures apologies. Edit: Added to OP. |
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Post by Vadiation_Ribe on Aug 15, 2022 9:59:42 GMT
Nice post, gawa. I've been saying similar in fewer words, so it's good to see it backed up with detail.
I'm an O'Neill supporter and still think he's the right person for the job. But - and I'm always ready to admit I'm far from an expert - I do feel like O'Neill's holding the team back too often, and we could and should be doing better. We were lucky Blackpool didn't equalise, for example, when maybe an earlier change or two could have given us some impetus back. As it was, Brown made it 2-0.
O'Neill is building a good squad, and I'm hoping it all starts to come together soon. Win the two upcoming home games, and it's been a good start to the season despite the cup disappointment. But I feel like I've been saying the same thing for almost too long now - even allowing for so many long-term injuries to key players - that we need to be more clinical in front of goal and we need to cut out silly mistakes.
My fingers are crossed for good times under O'Neill.
P.S. Sorry to bring it back round to O'Neill!
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Post by OldStokie on Aug 15, 2022 10:03:35 GMT
Great, honest, precise OP. I would pull gawa up though when he seems to blame Bursik too much. When you have defenders making terrible errors in front of you then you won't put him in the best of light. Time to judge him properly when he has defenders defending better in front of him. Young Taylor is a tremendous prospect and I can't wait to see him and Souttar as our central defensive pairing. Up front, it's as plain as the nose on your face that when the ball starts running a bit more kindly for him, Gayle will be knocking them in on a regular basis.
On the downside, the support for MON has waned to the point with many supporters that we'll soon see him gone if results don't improve and he'll be gone just like many before him, and we may appoint another dud, just like we've appointed the many duds we've had before him.
Old age has taught me to be a pragmatist and someone who takes a holistic view of things. Given what he did when he first arrived and the way he's handled the dire FFP situation we find ourselves as a club in, although I'm not enjoying some of our performances last season and this, He's still got money in the bank for me.
OS.
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Post by gawa on Aug 15, 2022 10:04:37 GMT
Sorry for the spam but I'm a bit of a stats nerd and find this stuff interesting. So I'm simply posting stuff up as I find it if I think there is a possibility it may interest others. So another statistic on the above blog looks at squad retention. Basically how many of the minutes last season were played by the current squad. Based on this statistics we are third lowest in the league after Reading and Cardiff with only 55% of our minutes last season played by members in the current squad.  |
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