Does anyone know exactly what constitutes a shot on or off target? I feel as if we must have had more than four shots on target if you count all the times the ball cannoned off a Hull defender.
There is a separate category called "Blocked". So a shot on/off target is a shot which isn't blocked. I can't access my stats app at the moment, so I can't tell you exactly how many of our shots yesterday were blocked, but I think you are right that it was a fair number. Another feature of yesterday was the proportion of shots and blocked shots from inside the penalty area as opposed to outside. There is a myth that we have a uniquely poor ratio of shots from inside as opposed to shots from outside. [Edit] Re. blocked shots, I think I'm right in saying that a blocked shot is always an "on target" attempt, though I'll have to check that. If so, when looking at how wayward a team's shooting is, you would need to add the number of blocked shots to the number of On Target shots in order to arrive at the figure for "accurate" shots. [Edit] Here are the official OPTA definitions: "Shot on target Any goal attempt that: a) Goes into the net b) Would have gone into the net but for being stopped by a goalkeeper's save c) Would have gone into the net but for being stopped by a defender who is the last man. Shot off target Any goal attempt where the ball is going wide of the target, misses the goal or hits the woodwork. Blocked Shot Any goal attempt heading roughly on target toward goal which is blocked by a defender, where there are other defenders or a goalkeeper behind the blocker." While "roughly on target toward goal" is imprecise, I understand it to imply "not clearly off target".
From what I can remember of the game, there were at least 4 or 5 shots which were blocked - maybe more. Edit - Just had a quick read through the 'text commentary' on BBC website and according to that, we had 8 shots blocked!!
The official OPTA stats are: Shots: 25, On Target 4, Off target 10, Blocked 11, Inside penalty area 16, Outside penalty area 9.
Smacks of the Cardiff game. We really need to engineer betting scoring opportunities and put teams to the sword when we dominate like this
I think our desperation to get it in the net means we miss so many more goals. Ricky took a full 180 swing at the ball yesterday (which was blocked) when a half yard lay off to his right (with back to goal) probably would have seen Snoddy (I think it was) have a better opportunity. Less panic and more composure is required. Hard when you're under so much pressure (needing a win or an enormous price tag on your shoulders)
The only home team to have put Hull "to the sword" so far this season has been Southampton (4:1 at St Mary's). Even against top six teams, the margin has been at most 2 goals, and in many cases a single goal (not to mention drawn games against e.g. Swansea and WBA). The fact is they are good at defending, and better teams than us have proved unable to "put them to the sword". The idea that success has to be based on good defence is not some Hughtonian aberration; everybody accepts it. And the effect of their doing so is that "engineering better scoring opportunities" is more easily said than done.
Yeah, that kind of play requires players to be confident, and believe they'll get other opportunities. There was another occasion where Hooper took a wild swing at goal when RvW was unmarked, in plenty of space and would have had a tap-in. I think it'll come with time, and hopefully with Pilks back and possibly a midfield addition, we'll have more varied approach play and can ask teams different questions. Hull yesterday reshuffled their defence three times so they could find the best player to mark Snodgrass, but if they'd had another dangerous winger to contend with, they'd have had to choose which flank to leave exposed - and that would have led to more chances.
Considering I was a tad fearful of the outcome of yesterday's game - ie how would the team perform and would the crowd get behind the team, I needn't have worried on either front. I lost count of the number of times Snoddy was brought down and had CH had a full squad to chose from, then I'm sure the margin of victory could have been greater. Also, the starting 11 has not had the opportunity to play together and I'm sure that as long as we avoid further long term injuries, we'll use that aas a springboard for future games.
