Top scorer - Robert Koren 9/Matty Fryatt 9 Most assists - Robert Koren 4/Tom Cairney 4 Most appearances - Robert Koren 30 Most bookings - Paul McKenna 7 Most times on the bench - Dele Adebola 16 Most times off the bench - Dele Adebola 8 Most times subbed - Robbie Brady 12 Nothing too surprising there, other than possible Cairney, one goal and four assists is pretty good considering he's only played 17 league games and most of them were from the bench.
No real surprise for me, I though Cairney was looking good at the start of the season. Just went off the boil, shame
Maybe a call for Cairney to partner McKenna, then Evans moved to right WF (plays RW internationally)? Could interchange with Koren when under pressure giving us even more strength in middle of park? Koren would also read Fryatts game better then Bradey/Simpson/McClean do, something I have found we lack at present, ie Fryatt and Koren link well and make intelligent runs, but others dont read it. Only posted for discussion, personally would keep it as we are, just try to develop Bradey and Stewart to read the runs better. But 4 assists and a goal are reasons to think....
A few more stats relating to us... Most clean sheets in the league - 14 Fewest goals conceded in the league - 25 Fewest goals conceded average in the league - 0.83 Longest win sequence in the league - 4 games (Derby County, Middlesbrough, Reading, Southampton, Barnsley, Birmingham, Hull City, West Ham United)
The obvious thing from the first set of stats is that our forwards are better when nobody assists them.
I wonder who would win the "Belt down the wing before turning round and passing back into the middle" Stat or the even more impressive "Look threatening without ever achieving anything" Stat
Most fouls of opposition players by grabbing hold of them followed by looking genuinely shocked and disgusted with the referee for giving the free kick?
Bet the player that wins that also wins the "Belt down the wing before turning round and passing back into the middle".
The thing that has stood out for me is that it's not only koren that has played every league game this season but Jack Hobbs AND James Chester have played every single minute as well, I think we tend to take it for granted how they've consistently been very very impressive, fingers crossed they both keep that record going.
Chester & Hobbs playing every minute show just how good they are at defending. It must be a rare occurrence for a pair of central defenders not to pick up yellows to get a ban (Chester has 6 yellows, Hobbs 3 this season).
bit harsh on daws lads, due to stewarts refusal to run down the wing like an actual winger, dawson often has to do it for him... played his part in our current goal shut out, and 5 or 6 managers have constantly picked him as there number one over nearly ten years, gets a raw deal in my opinion, this just goes back to my point the other day, people have a go at him while singing mcleans name! i just cant work it out...
Dawson does some things well but some things are just stupid. When we get a free kick in a certain position, you wouldn't want anyone else, but yet when he's crossing from the wing (it's the same skill really) he's useless. The most annoying thing about that is that he's actually skilful enough to cross properly but just aims for the most pointless places. That's just one example of something that's pissed me off about him for years and years. There are others. It isn't just him, but I can see why people moan about him.
Dawson knows all the tricks of the trade. He's a seasoned veteran. I like watching him when he's near to our section, the little bits of time wasting and the the little digs at the linesman/ref. He knows how to just stay on the right side of the law whilst, really, cheating a bit. Slowing down yes, but I think plays an important role with the youngsters we have now.
