Rage Online

&quotrecordmeister&quot wrote:

&quotResurrection Ox&quot wrote:

&quotSteMerritt&quot wrote: Oh Shit.

Er. Strikers are not the problem though. Wingers and full backs are.

Er. If Duffy had scored that one-on-one with the Exeter 'keeper, we would have gone to Wembley. This makes strikers a problem AS WELL AS defenders / wingers / et al...!

Zebroski is rated by Jim because he has pace. Plus he is young. I saw enough from him to be encouraged.

Also don't base your case on the strikers on one bad miss during one critical game during a season. 'What if' Rose had not have fluffed his clearance for their equaliser. Etc etc.

We did not make enough chances in my book, whatever Jim Smith says. How can a big striker really perform if there is a lack of crosses from the flanks?

5-3-2 has two main flaws for me:
i) it puts a very heavy burden on the wing-backs to both defend and provide the main (only?) attacking threat. This very quickly falls apart when either they are penned back by an astute opposition or are incapable of creating chances when (if) they get forward.
ii) it is a very specialist position, yet more often than not, it is a position filled by either a full-back or a wide-midfielder, which has the inevitable flaws of relying on Rufus brevitt to be your lead-assist merchant or Andy Burgess to marshall opposing wingers out of the game. It also means that other players in the side also have unfamiliar roles, which again limit their effectiveness.

Poor Eddie had some of his best games at either right midfield or right back, but had to spend most of the season having to learn another role rather than fine-tuning one of the others...

The system limits our ability to create chances, which limits our strikers ability to score goals.

&quotPeña Oxford United&quot wrote:Quite likely, but if he didn't play in all of those games then it's a bit iffy to present them as his statistics.

It’s 5 goals from open play for Duffy in the last 29 games since he got that hat trick at Forest Green Rovers on October 6th, so Marv’s record of 3 from 6 is considerably better than that.

And yes, Duffy not played 54 games this season.

&quotSnake&quot wrote: It’s 5 goals from open play for Duffy in the last 29 games

The last time I looked, Penalties scored actually counted in the goals for column of the table, so why exclude them? As we are well aware, not everyone can score a penalty.

How many of the last 29 games did he start from the bench?

Ah- this is all a sad indication of just how far we have fallen. Does anyone remember the days when we had the Carling Opta Index so we could make a 'fair' comparison between players. No-one in their right mind would want to track stats in that much detail in the Conf as it would mean watching and monitoring every game! Nightmare!

&quotPeña Oxford United&quot wrote:Quite likely, but if he didn't play in all of those games then it's a bit iffy to present them as his statistics.

As I said before the point I was making was his effectiveess as the main striker - if he's not injured and not playing then it speaks volumes about his effectiveness.

However having said that even if you look at his goals per games stats it shows the same trend:

First third of the season 12 goals from 13 starts - 0.92 goals per game

Second third of the season 7 goals from 15 starts - 0.47 goals per game

Final third of the season 2 goals from 9 starts - 0.22 goals per game

Halving his effectiveness in each third of the season.

I think Jim is right, for the reasons advanced. Duffy's clearly got attitudinal issues, cf Jim's comment on the substitution v FGR, when he said he took Duffy off 'because his head had gone' and the fact that other defenders clearly know to target him in the hope of getting a reaction. I wonder whether some of the transfer/loan activity last season was an attempt to show Duffy that he wasn't indispensable, make him play for his place. Put positively, If Duffy can be made to play for the team, he can be a real threat.

Another of Zabroski's strengths is his willingness to chase down opposing players in their half. I think he could be good. Agreed, Robinson looks weak and with little potential - the all-too-common lumbering striker type.

As I've said before, I recall very few goals being scored against us last season through good football - the overwhelming majority from corners, set pieces and defensive errors (and these happen to everyone). So -one might argue - consistency and hard work are more important to winning the Conference than class.

&quotSteMerritt&quot wrote:

&quotSnake&quot wrote: It’s 5 goals from open play for Duffy in the last 29 games

The last time I looked, Penalties scored actually counted in the goals for column of the table, so why exclude them? As we are well aware, not everyone can score a penalty.

How many of the last 29 games did he start from the bench?

True. But the figure quoted is still pretty poor for a striker. The leading striker with the second placed team really shouldn't have to rely on pens to boost their goals tally.

&quotOld Abingdonian&quot wrote:I think Jim is right, for the reasons advanced. Duffy's clearly got attitudinal issues, cf Jim's comment on the substitution v FGR, when he said he took Duffy off 'because his head had gone' and the fact that other defenders clearly know to target him in the hope of getting a reaction. I wonder whether some of the transfer/loan activity last season was an attempt to show Duffy that he wasn't indispensable, make him play for his place. Put positively, If Duffy can be made to play for the team, he can be a real threat.

Another of Zabroski's strengths is his willingness to chase down opposing players in their half. I think he could be good. Agreed, Robinson looks weak and with little potential - the all-too-common lumbering striker type.

As I've said before, I recall very few goals being scored against us last season through good football - the overwhelming majority from corners, set pieces and defensive errors (and these happen to everyone). So -one might argue - consistency and hard work are more important to winning the Conference than class.

I predict Duffy will be moved on.

&quotSteMerritt&quot wrote:

&quotSnake&quot wrote: It’s 5 goals from open play for Duffy in the last 29 games

The last time I looked, Penalties scored actually counted in the goals for column of the table, so why exclude them? As we are well aware, not everyone can score a penalty.

How many of the last 29 games did he start from the bench?

Because on a good day even I could score a penalty or two – and so could my Mum, given a bit of luck. Also, for balance I didn’t mention Duffy’s penalty record in the last 29 games, as it’s not 100%.

As for how many times he’s started on the bench, then I don’t know (though a site like Soccerbase would have that info if you’re interested). Neither do I know how many times that Yemi started on the bench this season, but I’m equally sure that can be found out just as easily.

I’m trying to be objective in this mini-debate, but maybe I’m not succeeding. I really AM striving to cut out of my mind that awful moment when Duffy was bearing down on the Exeter keeper with only him to beat in front of the London Road End. And hey, who else thought that was the moment when “this is it - surely, we’re going to Wembley here

Of course there is no argument that Duffy seriously went off the boil towards the end of the season (or even towards the middle) - thinking about it I don't think he ever got his goalscoring touch going again after Jim Smith gave him a bit of a bollocking about his attitude towards the end of last year. I just don't think he is quite as bad as is often made out.

I think, however, that the place of Duffy isn't the biggest concern for next season - that goes to the place of Robinson, but as stated there is nothing we can do about that. If you take their records over the whole season, then there is only one of the two you would keep. There was, however, a feeling that Robinson had picked up towards the end of the year so hopefully he will prove a few people wrong next time.

I am also not one who subscribes to the 'Yemi will score loads' train of thought, he is very inconsistent, but that should improve with experience.

Oh, yes, I also thought 'this is the moment' against Exeter when Duffy was through, but then the miss by Yemi at their place that would have put us 2-0 up is as equally strong in my mind. Both appauling misses.

&quotSteMerritt&quot wrote:Of course there is no argument that Duffy seriously went off the boil towards the end of the season (or even towards the middle) - thinking about it I don't think he ever got his goalscoring touch going again after Jim Smith gave him a bit of a bollocking about his attitude towards the end of last year. I just don't think he is quite as bad as is often made out.

I think, however, that the place of Duffy isn't the biggest concern for next season - that goes to the place of Robinson, but as stated there is nothing we can do about that. If you take their records over the whole season, then there is only one of the two you would keep. There was, however, a feeling that Robinson had picked up towards the end of the year so hopefully he will prove a few people wrong next time.

I am also not one who subscribes to the 'Yemi will score loads' train of thought, he is very inconsistent, but that should improve with experience.

Oh, yes, I also thought 'this is the moment' against Exeter when Duffy was through, but then the miss by Yemi at their place that would have put us 2-0 up is as equally strong in my mind. Both appauling misses.

I thought Zeb missed it at St James' Park.

&quotSnake&quot wrote:As for how many times he’s started on the bench, then I don’t know (though a site like Soccerbase would have that info if you’re interested).

So would a site like Rage Online. You may have heard of it (although possibly not, seeing as you always link to other sites).

&quotSnake&quot wrote:
I thought Zeb missed it at St James' Park.

I thought Yemi's miss was worse - the ball came to Zeb very fast, and he was slightly wide of the goal. Yemi's one on one was probably slightly harder than Duffy's in the second leg, but you would expect a half-decent striker to have buried it.

Not always.

So, what ARE the true stats of our strikers last season?