“Looking forward to the game against Wigan tomorrow,” tweeted Joey Barton in January. “First time in a while we actually have a plan and seem organised.” The Queens Park Rangers captain was responding to criticism from former manager Neil Warnock about the dangers of players communicating via social media, suggesting the likes of Barton had helped him lose his job. New QPR manager Mark Hughes is certainly a different breed to Warnock and leaves nothing to chance. His first job, since being appointed, has been to change the club’s approach — revolutionising training, using sports science and doing exactly what Barton said. Hughes is certainly a man with a plan and while back-to-back defeats against fellow strugglers Wolves and Blackburn Rovers have been a setback, he does sometimes take time to get his ideas across. Hence taking the first-team squad for a week’s training in Portugal to hammer home his way of working. Hughes’s backroom team have already bought in a huge amount of statistical and analytical data — training is now tracked using GPS technology – and the manager has spoken highly of his liking for ProZone. Warnock was not a devotee of such an approach. All of this should be good news for Barton, given his plea for greater organisation – except for one thing. When his data was analysed, the results, it seems, were disappointing. For example, his pass completion rate in that Wigan match was just 50 per cent (fellow midfielder Akos Buzsaky’s was 91 per cent and he scored a goal). Other figures relating to tackle success rate, crossing accuracy and shooting were also not great, it is thought. Hughes now has a huge welter of facts and figures to work with as he continues to assess his squad and consider the future. Given Barton is the captain, and on wages of at least £60,000-a-week, and possibly as high as £80,000-a-week, then it would seem that the new approach shows he needs to raise his game. I know you are watching Northy Nice to see this as I knew I was right Made my day
Seems there's nowhere to hide on the pitch with Sparky's scientific analytical appraisals. He may be shocked at what he finds, but hey, the only way is up...
If I understand it correctly, Dave is pointing out to Northolt that he, Dave, is vindicated, having expressed the view sometime ago that Barton is pants. Problem is, I don't think Northolt has ever come back to this site. I've never seen his name even fleetingly at the bottom of the page under current browsers. Still, Dave's got it off his chest...
