This thing about our defence being 'sorted out', here's a few stats that disprove it. Season 2011/12, as of 4th March: Goals for 38, Goals against 44, league position 11th, Points 35, 13 points off the relegation positions. Season 2012/13, as of 4th March: Goals for 27, goals against 45, league position 13th, Points 32, 8 points off the relegation positions. So it's worse goals against than last season, even though we all seem to think the defence has improved, and goals scored is way down. Goal difference 2011/12 was -6, this season it's -18. Where exactly have we improved in defence??
To be honest, that is one way of measuring it. But the goals against this season have been distributed less evenly; aside from a few big tonkings we haven't conceded more than the odd goal a game; and when we have been tonked, usually first choice defenders have not been available. If you chose to compare clean sheets with last season you could certainly make a statistical case the defence had improved, and IMO that is the case. But I never read too much into stats.
The goals against have come in 5 goal drubbings that have occurred when at least one of our preferred defenders has been missing! Try comparing the number of clean sheets with last seasons Edit:- some silly bugger beat me to it!
All your stats really prove ILD is that the defence has stayed pretty much the same but the attack has become worse. If you actually look at the results from this season you'll see that the -18 goal difference has come from five matches, Fulham 5-0, Chelsea 4-1, Liverpool 5-2 and 5-0, Man Utd 4-0 which add up to a -20 goal difference. However using the goal difference to prove the defence hasn't improved isn't really fair. Yes we have a -18 instead of a -6, but we've actually only conceeded one more than last season, where the goal difference suffers is that we've scored 11 less. If we'd scored those extra 11 this season we'd be on -7. This season we've managed eight clean sheets in the league, last season we managed three. So we've already tripled the amount of clean sheets we kept last season with ten games remaining and our second choice keeper playing for most of the season. All that's really happened this season is when we've had an off day, we've been absolutely hammered and because we aren't scoring as freely the goal difference has suffered.
defense was only sorted post bassong whats the figures then ? if still bad there may be a point to mull over but I thinks we doin ol riht bor!
Whos a more solid centre back partnership. Sebastien Bassong and Michael Turner or Elliot Ward and Leon Barnett?
Off topic, but I've noticed two ****ing Americanisms in this thread already and it really gets on my tits. 'Gotten' and 'defense'. FFS speak proper English like what I do Rant over
With Bassong absent we've had the following results: 5-0 v Fulham (hadn't signed) 1-0 v Newcastle (he only lasted eight minutes) 5-2 v Liverpool (injured) 4-1 Chelsea (first game back after being injured against Newcastle and missing the Liverpool game) 5-0 v Liverpool (injured)
I demand you carry on the tradition of Seb Bassong day, as we had for him during our relegation year and Sissoko enjoys now... He must be better than Chuck Norris in every way (easy, he's not an idiot Republican with extremist views, or 937) in each celebration. EVERY WAY. On topic... Hasn't your numero uno keeper been out injured all season? He was massive for Norwich last year...
We've had a few good thrashing this season, but even with that, I still feel more confident with our defence this season than last season. Last season you always sense we'd give away a silly goal in every game, but now I don't feel that. Looking at those stats, I think is misleading. We've had more clean sheets this season than last, just the odd games we've let ourselves down.
Its because in games where key players were out we got hugely tonked. Had our entire first team been fit for all matches the stats would reflect this. Stats are wonderful things (I'm a data manager its my job) but they can easily be twisted to prove any point you like Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
The very kind guest, Gandalf, makes a very good point. We've been playing with Bunn our second choice 'keeper most of the season which hasn't helped things.
stats shmats. anyone who can't see that our defence is better this season and that hughton has made vast improvements in that department has either not been going to the games or hasn't got a clue what they are watching. its that bleedin' obvious.
While I feel much more confident in Bassong and Turner than I did Ward and Whitbred, it should also be noted that this season the back four have had the 'luxury' of two defensive midfielders sat just in front of them. Last year, with Lambert's preferred diamond, for long periods David Fox played at the defensive tip. That might go part-way to explaining why we've scored less (2 DMs = room for only 1 striker) and explains the higher number of clean sheets. What it does do, looking at the games where we've been tonked, is highlight how crucial Sebastien Bassong is to the current set up
It does show how strange the stats are. I would imagine if you took a straw poll of City fans then the vast majority would probably say that we have a better squad and the most improved area is the defence yet the bare facts as quoted suggest otherwise. I don't know if we have had a less kind run of fixtures and things may be different if we have a good run over the next four (relatively) easy games. I also recall at the start of the season there was a lot of chatter on the board about how strong the PL was this season compared to last so that may be a factor.
heh ILD! good stats there. we don't really know, but if we hadn't had bought bassong, turner and Bunn, the stats would have been worse this season with sicknotes Ward and Ayala, and Barney or course. we could do with another quality CB this summer to cover for Bassong - as pointed out above we've been tonked mainly when he is missing. we just need to get the goals scored up as well!
Whilst not wanting to be overly critical of Bunn, he's not JR and it's only in recent games that Bunn has started to be more vocal and thus be more in control of his area. Having said that, I'm not convinced that there would be more than say 4 or 5 goals fewer (?) in the 'goals against' column had JR not been injured!!!
I think the most telling stat is that we have not been awarded a penalty all season. Is that a reflection of not enough time in the opposition box, honest players not diving (hush all you binners who hate holt) or biased refs? Has anyother club gone this far into the season without being awarded one or are we on the verge of setting some sort of record?
Last time I checked, a few weeks ago there were a few other clubs who hadn't had a penalty thus far this season, and one of them was a surprisingly 'big team' but alas I cannot remember who. To be honest, there has only been a few occasions I thought we should have got one and every time the referee has missed it. Of course, this refers to league penalties because we got one in the cup, didn't we?
